Our Big Adventure, A Year In The Making...

Mar 26, 2015
7 min read

When we set off on our Big Adventure, I don't think we realised just how amazeballs the whole experience was going to be. To be honest, leaving our family and friends behind was probably the hardest thing that we have ever done but looking back, I am so thankful we did. Our very first stop on our year of adventures was Dubai, which is one of the most fascinating cities I have ever been to, especially when you think that up on till recently, the whole city was just a desert. If your looking for a pampering getaway, come to Dubai. The hotel we stayed in was pure luxury. It was out of this world. We weren't too far from the world famous Dubai Mall which is absolutely enormous. I saw a sign in the mall for the train which I thought was only just upstairs. How wrong was I! It took at least 30 minutes to get to it, with me basically running and poor Jason with his tiny legs trying to keep up! Beside the mall is the Dubai Fountain which can be seen from space, is absolutely spectacular. Every 30 minutes they have a water show synced to music with water shooting halfway up the worlds tallest building, the Berj Khalifa. Just trying to look up at the top of the building would give you a creek in your neck, but to be fair its an impressive structure. It is definitely to be admired! I would highly recommend coming to Dubai just to see the water show, especially during sunset as it is simply, 'Wow.' Myself and Jason have both agreed that we want to go back for the expo in 2020 as it will be a very exciting time to visit this fascinating city and to see what other amazing things they have developed.

From pure luxury to Bangkok, we were quickly thrown into the backpacker lifestyle. While our accommodation was lovely, it was just basic. Bangkok is an intense city but it's a great experience. It's just so full on, with so many people trying to sell you things. You can't walk down Ko Shan Road without someone ushering the words 'You go to Ping-Pong Show, Ping-Pong Show' or 'Tuk Tuk' which is a cheap form of taxi. Jason got so sick of them asking us so he made up his own Tuk Tuk dance and song. Next time you see him, ask him to demonstrate it for you.

Travelling is one of the most wonderful things anyone can do. It opens up our minds and allows us to grow as individuals. It changes us for the better! The places we have visited and the friends we have made will stay in our hearts forever. One of the highlights for us was meeting the lovely Kathrin Hauswirth in Chiang Mai. Kathrin is a huge part of our adventures and travelling all through Asia with the Mad Cat Lady just made it all that bit more special. Myself and Jason can not wait for more adventures with our favourite Swiss girl.

Looking back, what has been brilliant about our travels was that we visited such a variety of different places. We were able to enjoy cities, beaches, islands, countryside and trekking. Being able to enjoy such a variety made it so much more better. I remember getting in the water in Koh Tao and thinking it was like getting in a hot bath because the water was that hot. Even in a glorious summers day in Ireland the water is always freezing. One of our favourite places has to be Chiang Mai. We made lots of wonderful friends here and we got to go for a ride on an elephant, which was a once in a lifetime experience even if I was pushed over by one. Of course, our adventures didn't stop there, no no! We were also lucky enough to pet tigers, which was a surreal experience. Thankfully, we all lived to tell the tale. While Chiang Mai is one of our favourite places its not our upmost favourite place as we simply can not answer that question!

Some of the islands in Thailand are simply stunning, especially Koh Phi Phi which is out of this world. What I really liked about here was that there are no roads on the island, just footpaths so there are no tuk tuk drivers to constantly hound you, unlike the rest of Thailand. The hostel we stayed in was over a bar that had a boxing ring which gave us all plenty of entertainment each evening. While we were here, we went on a brillant day trip where we got to visit the island 'The Beach' movie with Leonardo DiCaprio was set. I even got chased by a load of monkeys, which was scary! Another of our favourite places in Thailand is Pai. It's such a relaxed, chilled out place. Myself, Jason and Kathrin all hired out scotters so we could explore the whole area. It's definitely a place everyone should visit. I told Jason that I want to come back and spend a couple of months here.

With Thailand being a lot more developed than other Asian countries, Cambodia is its polar opposite! This country is raw! It's simply untouched and unspoilt! If you want to visit the real Cambodia, check it out now as it is not going to stay this way for much longer. You cannot come to Cambodia with out visiting the ancient city of Angkor Wat which is even more stunning in real life. It was definitely worth getting up early for the magical sunrise with the temple in the background. Such a wonderful memory. Our favourite island has to be Koh Rong Samloem which is a tiny island with not very much on it. With it's crystal clear water and white sandy beaches, we all enjoyed our stay in paradise!

One of my favourite places in Vietnam is Sapa which is high up in the mountains in the North. All three of us hired out scotters so we could explore the mountainside and all the stunning rice paddy fields. We went on a trek through the mountain and I fell into one of them. Poor me! When we were getting ready to leave, a butterfly landed on my hand and no word of a lie, it stayed on me for a whole ten minutes. I'm convinced it was my dad! One place I was really excited about visiting was the UNESCO listed site of Ha Long Bay. While the water may have been a little dirty, it is still a stunning place to visit! All three of us had a great time with the group of people we did the tour with.

With so many places to visit, it was inevitable that a lot of travelling was required. Some journeys were easier than others. In Vietnam, most of our journeys lasted 12 hours. Seems a lot, but we mainly got night buses which meant we could try and sleep and hope that when we woke, we would arrive at our destination. The worst journey that I have ever been on was when we left Vietnam to go into Laos. We were stuck on a bus for a whole 33 hours and we were the only English speaking people on-board. During the night, the driver kept on stopping to take packages and more passengers. What an experience! It was worth the journey as Laos is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited.

When myself and Jason were in KL in Malaysia, our blue bag Melinda was attacked during the night by a very hungry rat, who left a massive hole in her. Poor Melinda, she has never been the same since! Even now, I can't mention the incident in front of her! On the Perhentian Islands we were very lucky to go on an amazing tour where we were able to swim with schools of different types of fishes in stunning colours, including 'Nemo' ones, which, like the movie, are amazing to see. We even swam with turtles which was incredible. Our day trip finished with us jumping off a lighthouse into the sea which was incredible. Watching the fireworks on Singapore day in the city state of the same name was another surreal experience. What I really enjoyed doing in Singapore was visiting it's zoo which everyone should visit at least once.

While we have enjoyed our stay in Australia, getting our farm work done was such an ordeal. When myself and Jason finally found a farm where we could get most of our 88 days done, I fell ill with a DVT in my leg so I was confined to bed for a few weeks. Luckily, before I knew it, I was back working. For Halloween I can say I worked on a pumpkin farm which I am actually quite proud of. Myself and Jason really liked spending time in Melbourne, especially during the summer as there is always something going on. We have simply fallen in love with this city for it's beautiful architecture, majestic parks, strong culture and it's wonderful atmosphere. One of the best things I have done so far has to be cuddling a Koala bear and feeding a Kangaroo. We even got to visit Steve Irwin's 'Australia Zoo' which was simply brilliant. Christmas in Oz was certainly different and was a day that both Jason and myself were both dreading as it was to be the our first Christmas away from home. While it didn't feel that Christmassy, especially being on the beach, we still had a lovely evening with Katharina and Danny Boy That evening we all went back down to the beach and lay on the sand, looking up at the stars! It made our Christmas extra special! Getting to swim with dolphins and seals was another wonderful memory that will stay with us forever! Even spending a day surfing was a brilliant, surreal experience! When we first arrived in Australia we became good friends with the lovely Katharina from Germany! We have shared lots of wonderful memories and we have become very good friends. Our three Kathrin's are without a doubt, very special to us, Catherine, my wonderful mother, Kathrin our special Swiss friend and Katharina our lovely German friend!

Our Big Adventure is the best thing by far that myself and Jason have ever done. The things we have seen and the people we have met have touched our hearts. Even on our death beds we will still be talking about our Big Adventure and singing our travel song, Hozier, 'Take Me To The Church' remembering about Kathrin and how when we met her first, all she could say was 'That's so sad' and 'That's so nice!' Our first year may be over, but the Big Adventure is far from done! Who knows just what year two has in store for us...

By Andrew