Okay, this isn't a top ten list. It’s just a list of the highlights of our RTW trip so far.
We wrote this while having dinner in a waterside restaurant (35° South) in the little town of Paihia on the Bay of Islands, NZ. The dinner itself wasn’t anything to write home about but we did enjoy reminiscing while thinking of our favourite experiences. We haven’t blogged about too many of them, so perhaps this is the first time we are sharing them with the world.
| Biggest personal growth or learning experience | J: valuing relationships, there’s “no place like home” |  |
| A: becoming less risk averse, recognising the good relationship with Julie |  | |
| Most interesting learning: | J: Buddhism, plight of Thai lady-boys |  |
| A: Forbidden City |  | |
| Scariest moment: | J: fear of being locked inside the Summer Palace gates in the pouring rain (Beijing) |  |
| A: hot, overcrowded boat departing Haiphong to Halong Bay. (and see above) |  | |
| Greatest drama | J: taxi crash in Istanbul | |
| A: Julie’s friends!, or personally learning that a friend who I thought was married is now not, and is now gay. oops. | ||
| Favourite drink | J: Otago Pinot Noir |  |
| A: watermelon shake | I can’t believe I don’t have a picture of us drinking one! | |
| Favourite cheer | J: “Whoop, whoop!” – Tara, kayak guide in Milford Sound |  |
| A: “More of everything!” –Dylan, AKL flatmate |  | |
| Favourite saying | J: “mmmmm” = “yes” in Kiwi-speak, also “sweet as” and “choice” | |
| A: “can-not” said with a Swedish accent –David at Seedaeng guesthouse, KohSamui | ||
| Biggest over-hype | J: Great Ocean Road, Australia |  |
| A: Patong town, Phuket |  | |
| Worst tour | J: Chiang Mai mountain trip |  |
| A: Koh Samui boat trip to marine reserve with bad snorkelling |  | |
| Favourite meal | J: Lao She Teahouse Chinese food, Beijing |  |
| A: home-made Vietnamese lunch during CatBa trek | story | |
| Worst meal | J: Bambi kebaps, Istanbul (sick for the next day+) |  |
| A: ABC meal-replacement drink at KK market |  | |
| Best new food | J: Thai pomello fruit |  |
| A: Feijoa fruit (NZ), or Nashi pears (NZ) | ||
| Worst new food | J: Durian fruit | read the story |
| A: DURIAN! | gawd! those were awful tasting! | |
| Best market | J: Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne, AUS | |
| A: KK Night Market, Kota Kinabalu, Borneo |  | |
| Favourite night out | J: Lan Kwai district, Hong Kong (cheap martinis, people watching) |  |
| A: meeting Bruce Nesbit in Melbourne (pub, restaurant, wine bar) |  | |
| Best hike | J: Rob Roy Track, South Island, NZ |  |
| A: Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo |  | |
| Best hotel/lodging | J: Great Ocean Road Cottages, Lorne, AUS |  |
| A: Museum Hotel, Wellington, NZ. …although Seedaeng guesthouse in Samui was a great place to hang out. |  | |
| Best day trip | J: Halong Bay hike/lunch/boat |  |
| A: Similan Islands, Phuket, Thailand |  | |
| Favourite City | J: Hong Kong |  |
| A: Istanbul |  | |
| Most sketchy circumstance | J: boat ride to full moon party, |  |
| A: Hostel in Kowloon, HK Scooter transport in Halong Bay |  |
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