Two weeks in Burma goes very quickly and before I know it there are just three days before Alex and I fly to Auckland on the north island of New Zealand. We spend them in Bangkok, where I stock up on junpers and wooly socks and have my final Thai curry. I haven't given much thought to New Zealand. When I left for Bombay six month ago it seemed so far away I couldn't really believe that I was ever going to get there. After a few months 'travelling around Asia' was just what I did, I couldn't really see an end to it. Suddenly I'm on the plane and I'm very excited. When going from Laos to Vietnam the differences in scenery, culture, food etc were only noticeable if I looked closely. But when I read about New Zealand in my guide book it seems strange and exotic - while monks on motor bikes, noodle stalls and rice paddies had become the norm.
It starts getting weird in during my stop over in Sydney airport - there is not one squat loo in the bathroom (there's always at least one!). The announcements are made in one language, not three. Everyone understands exactly what I'm saying all the time - there's no need for hand gestures or resorting to my guide book language section. It gets even more surreal when we pick up our campervan (post on the van coming next) in Auckland and go to a supermarket. A real supermarket, where the staff aren't eating their lunch in the asiles and they have cheddar cheese, ham and strawberries... and wine!
It probably sounds like I hated south east Asia. I didn't, but I am very excited, definitely more so than if I were going straight from home. Cooking for my self, driving where ever I want to and wearing jeans and a jumper are all novelty. But there is a lot I'm going to miss about the countries I've been in: the food, the shopping, the ease of crossing a road *
The past six months have gone quickly, but experiencing culture shock in a country which is fairly similar to home makes me realise how long I've been gone. However, now that I have booked my return flights (22nd of December), it seems like I've only just left!
* This sounds out but its actually easier to cross the more crazy the traffic is. Instead of waiting for the opportune moment, you just go for it and people dodge you, as they're used to people/animals/shops/trees being in the middle of the road.
It starts getting weird in during my stop over in Sydney airport - there is not one squat loo in the bathroom (there's always at least one!). The announcements are made in one language, not three. Everyone understands exactly what I'm saying all the time - there's no need for hand gestures or resorting to my guide book language section. It gets even more surreal when we pick up our campervan (post on the van coming next) in Auckland and go to a supermarket. A real supermarket, where the staff aren't eating their lunch in the asiles and they have cheddar cheese, ham and strawberries... and wine!
It probably sounds like I hated south east Asia. I didn't, but I am very excited, definitely more so than if I were going straight from home. Cooking for my self, driving where ever I want to and wearing jeans and a jumper are all novelty. But there is a lot I'm going to miss about the countries I've been in: the food, the shopping, the ease of crossing a road *
The past six months have gone quickly, but experiencing culture shock in a country which is fairly similar to home makes me realise how long I've been gone. However, now that I have booked my return flights (22nd of December), it seems like I've only just left!
* This sounds out but its actually easier to cross the more crazy the traffic is. Instead of waiting for the opportune moment, you just go for it and people dodge you, as they're used to people/animals/shops/trees being in the middle of the road.
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