200 Days and Going Strong

(Originally posted 24 August 2016) We have now been travelling for 200 days. What a privilege! We have done and seen some fantastic things.

Some of the standout memories would include visits we have had from family on the trip, as well as meeting up with friends from back home who are currently living abroad. Then, of course, we have done some really cool things. To name a few:

• scenic flight over Mt. Everest, 
• river rafting in Nepal, 
• climbing hundreds of steps to summit Mt Fansipan (Vietnam), 
• watching fireworks for Vietnamese New Year celebrations, 
• watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat Temple (Cambodia), 
• walking to glaciers in Iceland, 
• watching Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, and
• standing on the Skywalk over the Grand Canyon with nothing under you.

It is crazy to think that we have seen so many fabulous cathedrals, churches, paintings, sculptures, beaches and waterfalls that we can’t mention each one individually here.

We will be forever changed by having heard and seen the tragic stories behind the war in Vietnam, the genocide in Cambodia and the 9/11 terror attacks.

We have met and had fascinating discussions with tantric monks, gun-wielding Republicans and eccentric Italians. We have experienced extraordinary kindness from strangers offering directions, lifts, accommodation, and friendship.

Here are some of the latest stats from our 200 days:

Number of Countries	11	Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, India, Nepal, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, and the United States(excludes countries where we were only in transit like Kenya, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Malta, and France)
Distance travelled	55 000kms	At our best guess
Flights	22	Including the scenic flight over Mt Everest
Bus trips	26	Including sleeping buses
Train trips	7	Felt like much more – still not fully recovered from our train trips in India, but the trains in Europe are great
Boat trips	4	Larger ferries to smaller homemade boats to get to Nam Cat Island
Other transport used		Private car, rental car, taxis, tuk-tuks, canoes, paddle-skis, Uber, Lyft, safari jeeps and saw plenty by foot.

So much has happened over such a short period that it is difficult for us to digest and step back to reflect. One thing that we do know is that we are not the same people who began this journey 200 days ago.