Highlights & Lowlights

Best experience of my life!!!

Of course some things were more exciting than others, some events will vividly remain in memory while others will fade. As a very short summary I will give you all the highlights and also the "lowlights" of my trip.

Highlights

Trekking through Tiger Leaping Gorge! The views and people along the way were just incredible!

Visiting the highest place in the world: Mount Everest! The first sight of this incredible mountain and the extremely cold night I spent in Everest Base Camp are moments I will remember forever.

Walking on China's Great Wall! The wall itself isn't that spectacular, but when you see the inaccessible environment where they build that thing... you're awestruck!

Spending a few days with the Chinese Family of my friend Sun Chao. It gave me a new look on this huge country. No tourist in sight for the next 200km, but just experiencing the real Chinese way of life.

Having fun and drinking BeerLao en whiskey while Tubing in Vang Vieng! My first real holiday feeling. No cultural, no temples, no traveling, just drinking and laughing!

Doing a boat trip through Halong Bay near Hanoi. The karst mountains rising from the water give you the feeling you are set back in time.

World's biggest man-made temple complex: Angkor!!! Unbelievable that people can be so dedicated to some gods that they build structures like this.

Partying during New Year's Eve and The Full Moon Party at Koh Pha-Ngan. Being at a house party on beach and going on until the sun rises again :-)

Climbing Gurung Bromo at sunrise! Although the horses did most of the work, the last climb to the top, the surreal surroundings and the smell are things never to forget.

Getting around is easy in Asia, but renting Push and Motor Bikes rulezzz!! Traffics seems to be crazy, but when you go with the flow everything will work out just fine!!

There is one thing you get from visiting all these sites and that is a very good appetite! Luckily Asian Food is among the best in the world and I enjoyed every single meal!!!

Although all of the above highlight sound great, they would have been so much less exciting if it wasn't for The People I met during the trip! Thank you all for making my trip an unforgettable experience!! I can't mention all of you, but Scott, Iris & Matthias, Rodney, Shoshannah, Martti, Sun Chao, Ryan, Alan, Jordan & Dana, Jack & Jess, and Inge deserve a special thank you!!!


Lowlights

Planting my foot in a piece of glass in Tibet. In the beginning I thought everything would be alright, but it ended up in a bad infection and me spending a few more weeks in China as planned. The positive side is that the foot healed perfectly and I had a great time staying in Kunming!!

Not a real lowlight, but more kind of a disappointment: The Terracotta Warriors. I am glad I saw them, but they weren't as impressive as I imagined/hoped them to be.

And in general the Poverty (and extreme difference between rich and poor) you see all around in Asia. Although it does make you realize how lucky we are :-)


That's it... no more Asia tales from Ruudje. But don't be sad... the ultimate highlight still has to come. I love China and this combined with the people I met inspired me to go back there. So in about two months I will go back to China, get myself a teaching job and lead a happy live there!

De Groeten,
Ruudje