There's sand up my nose: 2013

So here I sit on the last day at the swim up bar drinking Thai Sabais ...

and contemplating all that we have seen over the last two months and struggling to comprehend the vast economic and freedom differences between our life and that of the many thousands over here struggling to find food from day to day. Once again, being in the midst of these differences I am inspired to do my best to make a good difference however small, in my daily life and work. The problems seem so great that it would be easy to be bogged down and depressed by it all, but amidst the assumptions of a despairing way of life, there was still much happiness to be witnessed and a reminder of the value of simple things.

So after a brief family discussion, here are some of the "off the cuff" brain-dump highlights, learnings and other observations from all of us in each country (more on the individual blogs):

MOROCCO

highlights

Jemima

Aladdin's tea cup

Sunset over the Sahara

Saharan rain and sandstorm

Cultural diversity

Our new English family

Mint tea or "the a la menthe"

Camel trekking

Architecture

Mosaics

Harsh and stark but beautiful landscapes

Village culture

Hammam

Playing dress ups in our caftans!

Learnings

Don't drink the water

People don't die when the temperature hits 50 degrees

Traditional ways are held sacred

The story behind mosaics

Difference between Islamic architecture and Jewish architecture and the impact of culture on building design

Despite illness and the tough climate we are far more resilient than we imagined we could be - our sense of humour remained intact!

Agricultural lessons learned and to be tried back home

A lot of people are poor and live in shanty towns and have to grow their own food

A lot of people walk on the train tracks and people smoke in restaurants (learning is Australia has very good rules)

It's very dry

Haggling is a frustrating exercise

Observations

Women are scarce in public

Well built buildings can last for a thousand years (how long will our suburban sprawl houses and high rise skyscrapers last??)

A lack of rubbish collection highlighted how unsustainable our disposable lifestyle is

SPAIN

highlights

Fooooood we love tapas and Spanish wine!!

The canyons of Ronda

Alhambra

Public spaces full of people at night

Siestas

Cave houses

Hot chocolate

Learnings

Driving on the wrong side of the road is not as fun as it appears

You can hire a car overseas and not end your marriage

Tollways are much quicker...and cost a fortune

Good service

Do not rely on roadhouse food

How to ask for the bill in Spanish (and how good that feels!)

Beautiful country

How to remain calm amongst massive crowds of people

Fruit trees as street trees does not create widespread disease and public liability issues

Observations

Barcelona is a young party person's city

The hop on hop off bus tour is a great tourist option

PARIS

Highlights

Disneyland

Some of the best bread and cheese in the world!

Eiffel Tower

Exceptional train service

Eat at the Eiffel Tower because they have chocolate shaped Eiffel Tower cakes and they bring the food in a picnic basket

Sarah's comment at The Louvre

The art

Learnings

French class in secondary school was invaluable and I remembered far more than expected!

Speaking the language goes a long way

Parisians are as stylish as the stereotypical image suggest

French women have really shiny soft-looking hair

AMSTERDAM

Highlights

Hanging out with the Gilberts!

Fabulous catch up with Sander and Nathalie

The bicycle and public transport network

Art art art

Cool weather

Canal boat ride

A night on the town

Learnings

It doesn't matter what the weather is like - bicycle culture is a state of mind, car culture is merely an excuse

Bicycle culture = lots more people on the streets = vibrant city

Doesn't matter how long between catching up with friends - with true friends it always feels like just yesterday

ITALY

Highlights

Again, the food

Free gelati

Climbing Mount Vesuvius

Strolling around the lost city of Herculaneum

Italians

Italian wine

Food tour

Italians spoiling the red head

Learning to speak Italian

Dinner on our last night - the local's way!

Learnings

How to cook real pizza

How to pick the right olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Again, speaking the language goes a long way

History of colosseum - fascinating

Train system is complex - when you don't know how to use it!

VIETNAM

Highlights

Local culture

Bike tour through villages and countryside - magic

Traditional farming methods

Meeting new travel companions

Kids for Sarah to hang with

Children's Hope in Action NGO

Hoi An

Bumping into our neighbours!!

Halong Bay and staying on a boat

Bizarre restaurant in Hoi An where several of us were fed by the naughty staff!

Learnings

No matter how difficult the circumstances people rarely give up

You can fit 6 people and a toilet on the back of a motor bike

Life goes on no matter what is happening around everyone

Holidays during a typhoon probably should be avoided

Making a difference to even one person is worth it

How to cook real Vietnamese food

While we might save a couple of bucks haggling, it is the equivalent of a day's wage for many

Amanda's Vietnamese name is Hua - it means beautiful flower, but she is required to have a western name for the tourist trade

Despite the public wiring issues, whole cities do not burn down

If you are required to climb 6 storey scaffolding without a harness or platforms, wear bare feet for a better grip

Doing aerial cabling work in the middle of an intersection does not require traffic management or a cherry picker, just two blokes and a ladder.

The politics of "not" being a communist country

CAMBODIA

Highlights

Jungle noises at tomb raider temple

Angkor Wat and Thom

Ferry crossing

Cyclo tours

Swimming

Wandering through the country villages

Watching children frolicking in flood waters

The stilt house in the middle of a rice paddy with a woman weaving a basket - an image that is best remembered in our minds than in a photo

Intrepid's Got Talent

The fashion parade

Learnings

Hold onto your bags

Ingenuity - when the flood waters wipe out the rice crops, throw in a fishing net

Flexibility - sometimes plans need to change

In the poor country areas children live a carefree life. The adults however live from day to day in search of food on less than a dollar a day.

Lots of kids don't get to school because they are too poor and we should be happy we can go.

If I never hear "tic-tac-toe" again it will be too soon

Corruption can cripple a country

Observations

The largest most opulent building in Phnom Penh was the government's anti-corruption building

THAILAND

Highlights

Resorts are not just for the rich and famous, but also for the extremely weary backpackers in search of a soft bed - we all love Anantara

The boat driver who let Sarah drive and is the happiest person we've ever met

Massages!

Feet fish

Learning to say hello and thank you in Thai

The tailor.... I think

Learnings

How to drive a boat

Happiest and most helpful staff ever, very good service and the staff smile all the time

Thai vegetarian food is nowhere to be found - unless you eat vegetarian springs rolls and stir fried morning glory

TO FINISH....for now

There's just so much more and so many things we can't find words for. But the most overwhelming feeling we are taking home with us is that by luck of birth, we are incredibly lucky and rich with choices and freedom. That will stay with us, and will probably impact us and the choices we make when we come home for the rest of our lives.

But for now, time to go. A python has entered the pool area of the resort and there is much entertainment happening behind me as five of the staff try to figure out what to do with it.

Hours of fun - if you have the opportunity to travel outside Australia, do it. You never know what you might see.