In the last 8 months we have lived a life that we never thought we would, here are some facts.

To travel around the world it took us 20 plane rides (16 hours being the longest ride and 45 minutes being the shortest ride), 7 ferry/boat rides, 7 overnight/day trains, 4 long haul busses, 2 car rentals, and 2 campervans, (sorry EMU didn't mean to kill you).

We visited 4 continents, 11 countries,  and 34+ cities and slept on 48 different beds.

We had one big suitcase, small carry on, day pack and a purse for two people for 8 months.

I think it's safe to say, we adapted quickly and without hesitation.

How do you write the end to a journey that you can't summarize or explain. The only thing that lingers are the memories engrained forever.

I began thinking of a trip similar to this a while back, when I was broke and google by my side. It was only supposed to be a volunteer trip in Asia and by myself. Then I dreamt bigger and bigger and said why not? You live once? I have been saving for 5 years it was time for us to spend some money and run away from the stressful life.

That early morning on January 1st, 2013 our great friends Jason and Ashley drove us to the airport. All we had was a one way ticket to Melbourne and a hotel for 6 nights. With faint lines on what countries we wanted to visit. The rest came along on a day by day, week by week and even sometimes a month by month.

This trip changed us, in ways we weren't expecting. Our eyes opened to things we didn't know. It's impossible to say what was the favourite place, or the favourite part. The shitty days were just as important as the amazing ones. But if I were to choose a few places that I would come back to for sure it would be:

1. Chiang Mai, Thailand
2. Rothenberg, Germany
3. Prague, Czech
4. Singapore, Singapore
5. Great Ocean Road, Australia.

I could go on forever writing on this experience, but I want to keep it short and sweet, besides Ali already explained some great things.

I don't have any regrets about any places we went to. I miss it everyday and euphoria has not come off just yet, and I am hoping it will never come off. This trip gave me a travel bug the size of Russia, making me hungry for more. So stay tuned as this blog will be updated as another trip of our lifetime begins. But do give us some time, as the money needs to be replenished first.

Thank you all for reading, we enjoyed seeing our page views get higher and higher.

Anna <3

PS. Couldn't end this one without pictures!

Here is my selection of one favourite picture from every single country we visited (idea suggested by my travelling friend Elise).

12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Australia - January 2013 It was a windy day, and about 1000 people, but that couldn't take away the beauty of this place.

Matamata, Hobbiton, New Zealand - January 2013 It was a super warm and sunny day, we were with a group of 20 and our guide was absolutely hilarious.

Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia - February 2013 It was a steamy hot day, we were surrounded by 100s of monkeys who terrified me.

Orchid Garden in the Botanical Gardens, Singapore, Singapore - February 2013 It was so hot my camera kept pausing from overheating, the mutant orchids were breathtaking.

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - March 2013 It was a hot summer day, where the heat off the metal towers were felt, this tower made you feel tiny.

Elephant Sanctuary, Chiang Mai, Thailand - May 2013 This explains the moment when an elephant gets so happy and excited to have a bath, we bathed a few ourselves.



Café in Rothernburg o.d.t, Germany - June 2013 An awful freezing wet day but the beautiful little café was enough to get us excited.

Gothic Church, Vienna, Austria - June 2013 The way the sun streamed through the stained glass made me speechless.

Astronomy Clock, Prague, Czech - June 2013 The most unique clock I had ever seen. The detail in that is incredible.

Castle Region, Budapest, Hungary - June 2013 The horse and rider as one.

Cherhoness, Sevastopol, Ukraine - July 2013 The ruins that made me feel uber young, with the cold black sea.

All pictures were taken by me! (C) Anna B!! Don't steal, or I will use my genius skills to find you :)

Trying to summarize a trip like this is a daunting task. There were so many memories
that I can recall and so many more that I need to review all the blogs just to trigger. This
was by far the most amazing experience of my life and it wouldn't have even happened
if it wasn't for Anna, so a big shout goes out to her for that. The challenges of our trip
are recalled just as fondly to me as the joys if it. The intense heat of Malaysia and
Singapore; the overnight trains in Thailand; the crash in Wellington that claimed the life
of "Nathan The Emu" and the resulting events that it triggered. Almost every expectation
we had about the places we were visiting were completely dashed, and this isn't said
lightly as we did a lot of research before hand on each country. One question I get
asked a lot is this, "what was your favorite place you visited?". As you can imagine, this
is not a simple question to answer. There were so many wonderful moments that I can't
think of one place that really grabbed me more than the others. I can say my experience
in Ukraine was quite singular in that I was welcomed with open arms to the Anna's
clan and all the kindness and food that came with it had a huge impact on me.  Since
each place and experience that went with it was unique it’s tough for me to pick one
over the other.

What I will offer is a list of the 10 that stand out for me in no particular
order.

• Thailand
• Singapore
• Rothenburg OBT
• Vienna
• Prague
• Bali
• Great Ocean Road
• Hobbiton
• Kuala Lumpur
• Melbourne

I’d go back to any of these places in a heartbeat! The one thing I can tell you is that
in all of the places we went we experienced many different religions from western
christianity to eastern buddhism to islam. All the places in the world are changing and
developing. The impact on me was astounding to see that my outdated perceptions
were completely wrong. It was a good thing to know that even though many places have
their old traditions, they are also embracing the new world as best they can. They all
love really good action movies and going out with friends and family and great food!
Standards of living were definitely not all equal, which made me very thankful I come
from Canada and quickly became very sympathetic to those who fight very hard to
come to Canada, United States, or any country that has a higher standard of living or
a middle class. Despite adversity in all these places we found the people were always
strong in spirit and happy for what they do have. No matter how little they had they were
always generous with food and accommodations.

Best country to drive in was definitely Germany. They have the best road system I
have ever seen. No traffic hangups. Lights for everyone from cyclists to pedestrians,
and great drivers who NEVER clog the left lane! The most beautiful and challenging
was New Zealand. Australia has the Great Ocean Road, but New Zealand was pretty
everywhere. So many sheep, undulating hills, valleys, rivers, and mountains. It's really
breathtaking to see. New Zealand also has the worst drivers of all the countries we
drove in. Sorry guys. Insurance isn't compulsory and the age of full licensing is very low.
Best country of nature exploration is Australia. It has the most unique ecosystem in the
world, and so many beautiful places to explore. We find ourselves constantly stopping
at the side of the road to explore trails, observe animals, and just enjoy the natural
beauty of it all.

Best country for sitting on a patio and having a coffee would be Vienna, with Germany
as a close second. Cafes are always full of people and the streets are always lively and
fun to observe. Germany was similar, but Vienna had a certain liveliness to it that was
hard to match. The sheer amount of places to see, festivals to experience, and cultural
activities happening at any given time are mind boggling. It makes Toronto look like the
North Pole in the middle of summer! We found some of the best parts of Vienna were
free to explore and enjoy. The only downside against it was that it was one of the most
expensive places to have a coffee as well.

Best place to eat besides with Anna's family on Datcha is Chiang Mai, Thailand. Why?
It's cheap and the curries are amazing! I couldn't get enough of them. So many varieties
and all of them taste incredible. We were rarely disappointed. Now this doesn't apply in
Bangkok or the islands. Chiang Mai spoiled us considerably. Behind Thailand, I'd say
Germany. Such high quality food and not nearly as expensive as you might expect. If
you hit up a grocery store you'll save a tonne while enjoying some great food.

Best place to appreciate modern architecture was Singapore. Europe has a lot of old
architecture, which is absolutely beautiful, but Singapore is the most forward looking
place of all we've been. Modern, unique, and very ambitious in all respects. Everything
from the Marina Bay Sands hotel to the airport to the alien trees are all statements of
innovation and creativity. Easy to get lost in it all. The city is special in that it offers so
much both during the day and in the evenings. The architecture takes on a whole other
life when the sun goes down as well.

Friendliest people: This one is very difficult. It is a tie between New Zealand and Bali.
The people of Bali are very spiritual and open. They always greet you with a smile and
are have overcome great adversity without affecting their beliefs and way of life. It is not
uncommon to end up in someone's dining room for dinner. New Zealanders were also
exceedingly friendly. There were times we needed help and they bent over backwards
to help us, many times at great expense to themselves. They really go out of their way
to be friendly. They're proud and outgoing, but not arrogant.

I can say we definitely learned a lot from our travels. Having seen all the countries we
have truly impacted how we see the world today. There is much beauty in the world and
diversity that you can't imagine until you see it for yourself. We're very lucky we live in a
time and in a country where we have access to travel and accommodations around the
world for relatively little money. In the past only the wealthy travelled, but today almost
anyone can, and should. Let yourself get lost in it and you'll see, like we did, that the
world and people in it are not nearly as different as you think. In fact, those differences
are fading with each passing day. One thing I've learned, is that I have a lot to learn.

Thank you all for following our blogs over the past year. I hope this isn't the last trip of
our lifetime that we take.

Stay tuned for Anna's last words
Ali

PS. Enjoy ...FOOD!

• St. Peter's Church, 1710,  with tiles from Portugal, stained glass from Italy.
• Metal Structure of Jesus trying to teach his buddy to walk across the water
• Old Dutch Fort made out of lava rock, which was a church back in the day, that stands on top of St. Paul's Hill.
• Statue of St. Francis, with his right hand missing (Due to the fact he died in Malacca and the Vatican requested his right hand to be sent to them to verify it was him….this has to be what CSI was like in the 1700's)
• The King's Well which was built for his wife from China to bathe in
• Vibrant Chinatown with streets like Harmony street, where a Buddhist Temple is next to the Muslim Mosque and a Christian Church.
• Christ Church Melaka, 1753, which was never red to begin with, but the British decided to show off their royalty colours. (Also they painted most of the buildings red, and it is still there to be seen).

• All the crazy over the top malls, that you get lost and spend days in.
• Our fantastic brand new condo, with an amazing pool, free wifi and a café to boot.
• KL Monorail, where the only place where the rain can't touch you, and a girlfriend who knows all the stops
• The constant view of the Stadium Negara, which in two months was never occupied by more than one security guard.
• The feeling of being locals in such a distant land and being able to help others discover KL
• The 10$ movie night out, including tickets, reclining love seats, popcorn and drinks
• The shabby IT Mall with everyone always asking you "YES, I can help you"
• Becoming epic jaywalkers, who deserve only gold medals encrusted in diamonds
• Ali being the tallest man in Malaysia, feeling like everyone are his minions
• Shopping in the Non Halal section and feeling like rebels
• The Terima Kasih song, which will be engrained in us for the rest of our lives
• The catchy election songs, that we know all the words to  (jom kita mengundi)
• The realization that America is not the center of the Earth, but China is
• Daily drug busts and prostitution rings, where are ours?
• All the fun people we met, and how much we learned about Kazakhstan

• The incredibly, impressive and completely consistent daily thunderstorms.
• The lovely prayer call at 5:30 every single morning.
• The 3 schools, with screaming children at 7:30 in the morning.
• The amazing glares that Anna endured
• The fact that shoe size 48 (13 in Canada), is a made up number and doesn’t exist in the world
• Size XL is almost a medium back home
• The suspicious lack of dogs, all around
• The stray cats without tails, like ever, and I mean ever
• The scooters with their own rules and a hunger for murder

 
 

Now that we have become secret locals in KL, we decided to check out some touristy attractions.

The first stop was the KL Bird Park. We actually were thinking going to the Butterfly Park first, but the cab driver disagreed with our choice, and just dropped us off at the bird park anyways. Have you ever had that? That sales person who fights with you on what you want? This was taking it one step further. The bird park was a real treat. This is the largest outdoor aviary probably in world from what we understand. Imagine a large forest with a huge net on top of it and pathways through it and you get the idea. We got in and noticed the sheer amount of aviary diversity (variety of birds) was a little overwhelming. The variety of sizes, shapes, and colors was just wow! There were peacocks, pelicans, parrots, and many others. They were everywhere and seemed very comfortable around people, which made them easy to photograph as a result. We noticed the peacocks were among the most numerous bird species in there. I think they bully the other birds around. They can't fly, but they can jump really high into the trees.

The pelicans do fly and they fly low and often. One of them got into a starting contest with me and started walking towards me. At 4' tall, I was of course very careful, especially with their long beaks and grandpa looking eyes. Luckily he walked past me towards something else. He knew I would totally take him, plus I got Anna in my corner if we need to throw down.

The parrots were very friendly for they sat and let us pet them and everything. They liked this one guy who was sweating. They flew in droves to land on him and well, lick him. Picture all these beautiful colors flying all around you, than sticking their tongues out to lick a guys neck. He was British and cried to his wife to do something. In response she laughed heartily and took photos much to his displeasure.

After the bird park we walked down the street, past the monkey crossing, to the National Islamic Mosque of Malaysia. This is by far the largest mosque I've ever seen. They could easily fit 10 thousand people in there without breaking a sweat. The outside had at least 50 fountains all around the grounds with beautiful ornate designs and architecture all around. The inside has very large spaces for holding prayer which was all covered in what looked like white marble. The washrooms and place where people prepare to pray is absolutely massive, and very well designed for ease of entry and egress. Unfortunately Anna never go to see it, by the time we got there all the "non-muslim tourists" were no longer allowed inside. 

From the mosque we visited the National Islamic Art Museum. This is a very large museum. At first, it looked like a modern house from the outside, so we didn't think much of it, but once we reached it, we realized it's bloody huge. My favorite part of the museum was the gallery of scale model mosques from around the world, who knew there were more than 3 huge mosques in Uzbekistan? A number of mosques didn't look traditional at all. In particular China and Thailand have the more unique mosques that look nothing like traditional mosques more like buddhist temples. They have on display art, clothing, weaponry, old books over 1000 years old, reconstructed living quarters, and much more. This is a massive and beautiful place. Anna did manage to sneak in some cool pictures with her stealth training techniques. We stayed right up until closing time.

At that time we heard loud banging in the sky and realized it was the mother of all thunder storms outside. We all thought (the other tourists and ourselves) that they would allow us to stay inside until the rain went away. Oh were we ever wrong! Security came at exactly 6pm and kicked us all out! We were under a canopy watching the thunder and sheets of rain falling all around us. I swore I saw a fish swimming past us, but I could be wrong. What we did NOT see were all the cab drivers that normally like to pester us. We had 5 to choose from when we left that morning. Now, they were all but gone. We waited until finally one showed up. We flagged them down and begged for a ride. The sign says haggling isn't permitted and the meter has to be used. Well he looked at us and said, "You want ride? $30!" WHAT?! To drive 5 bloody minutes?! I had to be restrained at that point as Anna politely told him no. All 6 groups of us said no. It was almost like being at a soccer match. We were like the UN of taxi protesters. We had Arabs, Chinese, Russians, & Dutch tourists all telling the cabbie where to stick it. We sent that clown packing! It felt good being part of a united front where so many different could unite on a worthy cause. If only it were that simple on other world issues.

After some time, and realization that the dark was coming, we were no where close to public transit, we decided to walk in the rain. Thank god for Anna's directions after an hour of walking we reached a familiar Central Market and finally ate (we were starving and soaked). We thought, hey were are at the most popular place, taxis will be everywhere, and they were. But they wanted to charge more than before for a much shorter distance. Those meters must be broken all the time, hey cabbies? We ended up walking back to our place, soaking wet. That was a very long and adventurous day for us. Taking a stand one day at a time towards the haggling taxis!

Well, well, well. We're back! When we last departed our heroes were exploring the exotic land of Kuala Lumpur. They had just escaped the perils of living in a nice hotel, seeing friends, and moving in. We now join them on the hunt for a super hero quality apartment. With only 48 hours to find lodging time was running out for our heroes. Would they make it? Find out next!

The journey wasn't easy because unlike North America, the websites here make little sense to non Malaysians, and the people you contact will rarely ever contact you back. Luckily, we were directed by someone at the hotel to a person who has places to stay nearby for we didn't want to stray too far from where we were or we'd spend a lot of time in transit. We got lucky, he had two buildings to show us. One of them was a little older with a nice pool & gym, but a really shabby apartment with a perfect view of a massive abandoned building that took up most of the scenery. Realizing that we didn't want to stare into the apocalypse complete with ravens feasting on zombie & vampire leftovers, we decided to pass. The next place he showed us was an exciting contrast by comparison. Brand new (like just built with literally 10% occupancy) with a brand new pool, gym, sauna, and a much better view. The place had 2 beds and baths, which we weren't looking for, but turned out to be handy for our guests. It wasn't at all as expensive as we thought. It basically looks just like a new downtown apartment in Toronto or Calgary. For the price & quality of services we couldn't say no. We're in! Woohoo!

Now it was time to outfit our place and blend in with the locals.  Unfortunately we can't have it all so we had to get supplies to run our little kitchen and washrooms. We ended up at a place called "Mydin", shabby version of a Walmart. But it had everything on the cheap and Anna died and went to heaven in their tupperware department. I swear if it wasn’t for the luggage she would of bought all the tupperware to bring back to Canada. After purchasing everything in plastic, we had a complete home… in Kuala Lumpur! Who would of thought! 

We really like our location because not only can we walk to Mydin, but we can literally walk to any attraction or destination we want. That's part of why we wanted to stay within what is called "The Golden Triangle". The only thing that disappears in this triangle are tourist dollars and sense of good fashion. STOP TAKING PICTURES WITH YOUR IPADS PEOPLE! We do a lot of walking as a result. Learning where everything is and how to get there. We rarely use transit or drive, especially since most of the cab drivers here are bloody crooks! The meter is always conveniently broken.

Some of the places we walk to don't always have the best sidewalk accesses. Berjaya Times Square for example is a short walk from our apartment. Known as the 7th largest building in the world. It has a 14 story mall (no exaggeration, refer to Anna's picture of it on Instagram), 45 story condos & hotel, movie theater, bowling lanes, & an indoor theme park replete with 2 full sized roller coasters among other things. Why not walk there often you ask? Because it's the equivalent of walking on the highway with oncoming traffic without sidewalks or shoulders due to construction. We literally walk inches from the cars when going there. We're not alone though, we walk with large groups in single file. If the traffic lights worked properly it wouldn't matter anyways, so you take your chances. If they ever held the world jay walking championship anywhere, it should be here. And we would lose, as the locals have it down to a science.

The other place we go to is Chinatown. Chinatown itself is like many Chinatowns, except with much more aggressive vendors.  It tries my patience for sure, but inside there is a place called Central Market. It's a collection of reasonable local vendors who are not only priced rock bottom, there's no aggressive sales pitch and no haggling. It's very relaxed atmosphere by comparison.

We developed a healthy fruit juice addiction there. Fresh fruit juice for very low prices ($2). Also I had the fish eat away at my feet for 15 minutes by the toothless carp fish. It looked like fun, the price was right, and I've always wanted to try it. I didn't research it until recently and found out that these fish tanks can be a haven for disease. Had I known I wouldn't. Blagh!

Just when you thought, my god can there be no more malls around this place? Boy were we wrong, a mall at every corner. One of them is BB (Bukit Bingtang = Star Hill)  park; it's a large mall that sprawls in every direction. The low ceilings only serve to confuse you. We go there at least 2-3 times a week for grocery shopping, and still haven’t figured out the proper way to get out. It a maze, of mazes. 

One thing surprised Anna was the fact all the alcohol was very expensive. All Anna has to do is follow the signs that say "NON HALAL" in a grocery store and find the smallest selections of alcohol, that cost more than our groceries, she weeps silently I know it. So we have been a bit dry in this country. I guess the whole Muslim Country plays a part. It's an easy transition for me, as I completely blend in this country. I look the part and talk the part. As for Anna it has been a bit challenging for her, as there are not that many blonde white people around. I have developed a skill where I learn to win staring contests with all the men who shamelessly stare at her as if she has a third eye in her forehead.

Things you learn on the road! See ya next time.

We have arrived in Malaaaaysssiaaaa! Singapore was a little hard to leave, but we have a schedule to keep. Flying time from airport to airport was literally an hour. The cab ride to our hotel from the airport, was literally an hour and a half. Not only that, but it cost more! Now if we can have those kind of economics in Canada!

We arrived at the JW Marriott after 90 minutes on the road (less time than we spent in the air) and felt like royalty. They took our bags and let us showed us to the front desk. I can see why wealthy people pay extra for the nice digs. Hopefully they don't notice that we're not one of those people and that our connections are allowing us to stay here, not our lack of abundance in our bank accounts. The hotel has a grand foyer, marble everywhere with wrought iron terraces, grand chandeliers, and old world class everywhere. We realized if we're going to be sick, than there's no better place to be sick than right here. I tried to get food for Anna and I and failed miserably due to my need to try new foods. I went a little too far off the beaten path with this one. Noodles, dark & salty soup liquid, noodles, and duck. Salt & spice and none of it nice.

The next day we explored the mall across the street called Pavilion. We later found out it's the place to shop here in KL (that's what we locals call Kuala Lumpur now because we're ultra cool and all…well about as cool as a few priests sneaking into the convent to speak with nuns on a weeknight). The mall has 8 very high levels and is oozing high end shops of all kinds. I did not realize how many luxury brands existed, let alone that it was good business to build a massive mall larger than any other mall I'd seen in Canada full of them. It took us 8 hours just to walk all the floors and explore it. Our feet were sore. We saw some crazy stuff here. We laughed, we cried (over shoes Anna couldn't afford that cost as much as a car) and were exhausted. The good news is not everything here is expensive. In fact, not much of it really is. Most meals we have cost between $8-$12 for the two of us. A night at the movies for two of us, including popcorn and the latest movies, is around $10. We're having a good time.

We took a Hop On Hop Off tour of the city. There are a lot of stops (25) and about 1/4 of them were mosques and such. We made notes of the different sites we wanted to visit and vowed to go back like the bird park, the butterfly park, etc. We disembarked at the Petronas Towers, one of the most defining features of this city. They were the tallest buildings in the world in 1997, right when the "tallest building in the world arms race" was reignited. We didn't spend too much time there, but we will.

We had a pleasant surprise in our first. Elise, one of the people we met in Bali, was actually coming to KL (remember the coolness) on her way to another destination. We thought now that we're practically locals we could show them around a little bit. We met up and had dinner together and caught up.

On the second last night before we left the hotel it so happened that it was my birthday! Woohoo! We had huuge plans! Okay not really. Anna always knows how to treat someone special, especially on their birthday. I woke up nice and late and had a surprise come to the door, Birthday Cake!! I had the softest, most delicious cake for breakfast. Anna made reservations but kept it a surprise until we walked in, and behold it was a nice Lebanese restaurant. Sorry to say family, but these guys really know lebanese food! Some of the best I've ever tried (in that eating out kind of way. Sorry again family). It was going so well, than we went walking through the Starhill Gallery. If Pavilion is a car dealership it would be Mercedes Benz. Starhill Gallery is Rolls Royce by comparison. We literally walked around and heard some live music. In the 6 story high central plaza they had a live jazz band playing. Now we had to sit and watch, and with some drinks we did, a perfect way to end the evening. Only it wasn't the end, we came back to our hotel room, only to find out a bottle of wine and a cheese plate was delivered to our room. Thanks Tatiana! A surprise on top of surprises! What's my birthday present you say? Well Anna did tell me what it would be.. my birthday present isn't actually an object but something else.. Where it includes us flying somewhere.. I can't wait. And you will have to.

We decided at this point to stay here a little longer. It has modern conveniences, yet is culturally unique and fairly inexpensive. We decided we're moving in! We went apartment hunting, but that's another story. Until next time.