Is it possible to feel like time has both flown by and gone by really slowly? I can't believe that we've already been traveling for a year but at the same time, it feels like a lifetime ago that we boarded the bus in Salem, NH for Logan Airport. That was one year ago today. This journey was just beginning as we boarded a flight to London for a quick one night visit with Lynn and Rob before going to Scotland for 13 nights. It feels like that was a very, very long time ago.
I posted our seven month stats before we arrived in Hong Kong. Since then we've had our share of stressful situations such as being robbed while sleeping in our campervan in New Zealand and being robbed at gunpoint in Buenos Aires. However, we've learned to be smarter travelers due to those incidents and we are stronger, wiser people because those things happened to us. What I choose to reflect on instead is the wonderful moments we've had, and there are too many to count. I continue to be amazed at how beautiful our planet is. When we flew over the Andes, it was an experience I will never forget, an unexpected treat and emotional, top life-moment. I frequently reflect on how beautiful Scotland, Norway and New Zealand are and you'll often hear me telling younger travelers that they should get a work visa and go live in New Zealand for a year or two. Also, despite how much time we spend together, Jake still makes me laugh every single day. I'm a lucky woman to have found the person I'm meant to experience life with. We continue to meet people and visit places that make us reflect on how lucky we are to have been born in the times we live in, into the families we come from and in the place we come from. The stories we hear of hardships other people have had to endure just to survive on a day-to-day basis makes us remember that we are incredibly fortunate people.
One Year Stats*:
- Days on the road: 365
- Countries visited: 22
- Number of different cities we’ve spent the night in: 110
- Longest consecutive stay in one city: 15 nights in Florence, Italy
- Longest stay in one accommodation: 10 nights in Nha Trang, Vietnam and 10 nights in Ko Chang, Thailand
- Flights: 33
- Trains: 31
- Buses: 22
- Ferries / Boats: 24
- Unique Accommodations: 127
- Cribbage games we've played: 168
- Books I've read: 34
- Second Half Highlights (well, the last five months since the previous update was a seven month update):
- Flying over the Andes
- Pretty much everything about New Zealand, especially experiencing it with my Aunt Sharon and Cousin Knox
- Arriving in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile and feeling like I was on a different planet
- Skygazing in San Pedro and seeing the moon and Saturn up close for the first time
- After deciding not to go, changing our minds and booking a flight to Galapagos
- Learning Spanish at two great schools, first at Ecela in Buenos Aires, Argentina and then at Felix in Sucre, Bolivia
- Taking dozens of silly pictures on the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia
- Unexpectedly booking a trip to Japan and being able to share time with two great friends while experiencing a very unique culture
We’ve taken thousands of pictures, and in this post I wanted to share some favorites, but that is an overwhelming task as there are so many that I love. If you follow us on Instagram at _no_permanent_address_, in the moment (or as close to it as possible), I post my favorites there. You can find our other favorites on the Photos section of this site. Here are a few favorites. The first two are purely because when I look at the photo, I immediately go back to how happy I was in that exact moment.
Either Sharon or Knox took this photo of me while we were out enjoying Doubtful Sound in New Zealand
This is a screenshot of the video we made for our Christmas Blog while in Nha Trang, Vietnam
Let's just say that I was really, really, proud of catching this fish all on my own.
Having a blast rafting near Rotorua, New Zealand
Jake and i enjoying the view of the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia
Enjoying acting like kids again while on the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
I think that I'll always be a different type of traveler now. I won't pack as many things as I used to. I won't think twice about traveling for 48 hours straight if it means at the end of it I'm off of the beaten track somewhere beautiful. I'll drive further distances in the United States if that's cheaper than flying. I'll take more buses and trains. I'll travel more within the United States. I don't know why I wasn't that interested in seeing more of the U.S. before, but now I realize that there are mountains and lakes and valleys and wildlife within my own country that I should be seeing. If I was going to do a trip around the world (for the first time) again, there isn't too much I would change, but there are a few things. This journey isn't over for us just yet so I'm not ready to reflect on those now. I am taking notes and post-trip I'll share those feelings.
In the months ahead we will visit Peru, Ecuador and Mexico. As much as I am looking forward to experiencing these beautiful places, I can't wait to arrive in New England and receive ginormous hugs from my family and friends. I don't want this trip to end as I love traveling around the world with Jake, experiencing new cultures. However, I really, really miss family and friends and am looking forward to a schedule that involves spending time with them regularly. I also look forward to brushing my teeth with water from the faucet, eating real ice cream like we make best in New England, running (a lot), having my own pillows, wearing different clothes and jewelry, and catching up on my favorite TV shows that I haven't had access to in a year!
~ Jesslyn
* The transportation stats above represent how we got from point A to point B. For instance, to get from Nha Trang, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we took one night train to Ho Chi Minh City and then a bus into Cambodia. We didn’t include time spent on subways, intracity buses/trains because we’ve taken far too many trips on those to count. We counted train travel that was more like taking the Amtrak back in the U.S. In addition, we rented a car in Scotland, Norway, twice in Italy and Australia. We also rented motorbikes in order to explore the islands of Milos, Cres, Mljet and Ko Chang. Since Jake met up with Lynn and Rob in Budapest while I explored more of Italy with my Dad, I’ve technically been to one fewer country.