Hello all!
So I'm writing to you for the last time on this trip, which is rather sad!!
Today Laura and I decided to have a nice relaxing last day. We walked about 10 minutes from the hotel and had a 60 minute Thai massage, a manicure and a pedicure. Well - I can safely say I've never been poked, prodded, pushed and pulled so much in my life. We both agreed afterwards that the massage was actually quite painful in parts, but it's the traditional Thai way to get knots out caused by stress (which we both had a lot of apparently!!) and we are feeling fabulous and refreshed now we have had it. I got through the painful bits by thinking about all the people I love that I'm going to see tomorrow!!
The pedicure and manicure was great, we both got red. Mine took heaps longer as apparently I had disgusting cuticles that needed lots of pushing back. Not being a girly girl I had never even noticed!!
We are now in a cafe waiting to have lunch with James and Tom shortly. We said bye to Emily and Lou at breakfast this morning which was sad, but have promised to catch up in November! We will say bye to tom after lunch, and walk with James to the station. But we have both promised each other it will not be the final good bye, I am certain that some time within the next two years I'll be going to the UK, and I'll try and see as many of the 'family' then as possible!!
We are leaving for the airport at 4pm to get the airport train, our plane leaves at 9.15pm and we arrive on Monday at 10.20am Melbourne time.
I can't believe how quickly this past month has gone. In this time we have had 35 days, been to 4 new countries, been to 17 towns, made 16 new friends and had countless adventures and experiences we will never ever forget. I feel like I've learned a lot about myself and a lot about different cultures while I've been here, and it's been one of the best months of my life.
I'd like to start to wrap up by thanking you so much for reading my blog and following our daily adventures! I've had so many lovely messages from people saying how much they love the blog and that they read it first thing when they get up, or just before they go to bed. I always get at least a little homesick when I'm away, and the blog is my way of reaching out to everyone and updating you on what I'm up to. It's nice to know people both at home and far from home are interested in what we are doing :)
Finally I'd like to end with a list of things I will never take for granted again, that have become glaringly obvious as privileges and not always rights on this trip.
1) Running drinkable water. The amount of headaches I've had this trip because you consciously have to monitor how much water you have and have to buy it every so often. At home I merely walk to the tap and drink about six bottles a day!
2) Personal space. After that man shoved me in the Cambodian visa queue, and many others have stood far too close to us.
3) My house and all the appliances in it. I have seen many dilapidated houses along the way!
4) Paved roads. Oh the potholes. My poor back!
5) A good bed. Again - my poor back!!!
6) RACV. Sitting in the middle of nowhere for 2-3 hours in Cambodia waiting for a replacement bus was not fun.
7) Good toilets. We had a rating system. If they had western toilets, toilet paper and soap, you'd hit the jackpot. One word for the worst toilets (squat ones) - splash back. Enough said!
8) Proper hot showers. There was a week there throughout Laos that Laura and I didn't have a hot shower for a week, all our hotels ran cold water!
9) My health. Being so ill on this trip was awful, and makes you realise how much you take your ability to do things in every day life for granted.
10) Internet. Might make me sound like a spoilt brat, but it was very disappointing getting to a hotel that had wifi and then it didn't work, made me feel very cut off. Mainly Laos.
11) Clean air. My poor lungs on this trip. It's so polluted, dusty and dirty over here.
12) Family and friends. I already never take my family and friends for granted though!!
13) Australia. Because we really, truly do live in the luckiest country in the world. No matter where I go, I know I'm very lucky to call Australia (in particular, Melbourne) my home.
So thank you once again for reading, and be sure to tune in as of May 24th when I begin my five week solo adventure to the Greek islands, Sweden, Norway and Finland, then meet my parents to go to Estonia, Russia, Poland, Denmark and Dubai.
Until then,
Signing off,
Love to all
Claire and Laura xoxox
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