Re-entry: initial impressions

Home! Sinage thanks to my sister. Less than one hour home, and Anika was into the dress-up clothes

We are home. We left with four people, and some naivety, and we’re back and all accounted for, plus a little more worldly. Being back is surreal. It’s as if we never left. Our house was incredibly well taken care of in our absence, and on the afternoon of our return while standing in my kitchen, I was pinching myself that we’d actually been away for close to a year and a half. Hard to believe that less than 48hrs before that, I was struttin’ my stuff at dance party with a bunch of Cambodian kids; playing freeze dance and showing them how to do headstands against a wall. The wonders of modern travel never cease to amaze…

I am surprised how easily it is for us to slip back into our lives here and it’s only been a few days. The little Schplatt cocoon that we surrounded ourselves in while away has been shed, and I am fighting the urge to accept every social interaction offered up; uncharacteristically, wishing I could just hide. I can attribute this to the time of year (what was I thinking coming back a week before Christmas?), and the 12hr jet lag that has us waking at 1am famished, and struggling to stay awake past 7pm. But all of this will pass; we’ve had some great laughs with friends as they helped us stay up past 8pm, and we’re looking forward a low key Christmas in our house.

The kids are certainly happy to be home, reconnecting with missed friends and pulling apart all the neatly stashed toys as they rediscover all their forgotten things. Bronwyn has also commented that it feels like we never left. It really is weird.

Our bed is way softer than I remember it, and all the culling of stuff I did before leaving doesn’t seem to have made a dent in volume of things filling our house. I can’t believe how much stuff we have. I find myself ruthlessly adding stuff to the pile for Value Village, wishing I could send it to some of the places we visited instead. I always knew we had a lot, now I feel like I have a benchmark with which to compare it. I can’t help but question economic development if it means that the rest of the world is going to acquire as much as we have.

It’s been quite a journey, with all the paths yet to fully materialize. I will miss the cocoon (even though it took me a while to fully accept it). But it is nice to be home. It will be nice to feel settled, and who knows, many more adventures await. We never did hit Europe or the ancient western civilizations

With Thanks! CDO update

Thanks to your generosity, $1700 was donated to CDO. I am touched, and the folks at CDO were even more tickled.

I can report that the money was spread over several projects they’ve got going on.

Desks were bought for a new classroom to support their expanding English teaching program. Since we were here 5 months ago, we all can see a huge improvement in the kids’ English communication skills. They are in the process of further developing their English instruction program to include kids from the local community. I am in awe, that with everything they do, they are still finding a way to give back to the local community.

The back of the property has been plagued with no drainage, resulting in a standing water issue. Some of our donation was therefore used to purchase piping to re-direct the water into the local river. This will decrease the mosquito population, and will increase the play area for the kids.

One of the major goals of CDO was to give the villagers (the parents and other siblings of many of the kids at CDO), a better future. As I have mentioned before, the situation in the village is bleak. As former refugees from the years of conflict in this country, these people have been forgotten. CDO and the villagers have been working for a while now trying to secure some land to call their own. Recently 5 hectares of land was purchased and donated to CDO. This will allow them to proceed with an agricultural project which is exciting in many respects; it provides land for a community centre where a school can be built, and the project itself will provide employment for the villagers; two very important factors for building a viable community. A significant portion of our donation has been earmarked for this project, specifically for clearing the land (all done by local labour), in preparation for the arrival of livestock.

So I am pleased to report that the money was used to fund a variety of projects that will benefit the immediate needs of the children, the local community and the long term planning of building a better future for these families. Unfortunately, I am not able to include photos of these projects, since we’ve experienced some technical issues, but I will post some once we are home.

With many thanks,
The Schplatts

Top 10 Lists

We are home. Made it back, are trying to get ourselves in the same timezone as our bodies, and slowly connecting with family and friends. Inevitably, one of the first questions is: “So what was your favorite part?” Reducing a year of travel to a single highlight is a tall order. So instead we’ve opted for individual Top 10 lists of some of our highlights from a very memorable year. As it turns out, narrowing it down to ten proved challenging (Bronwyn requested a Top 50 List). I suspect that if you were to pose the question repeatedly, you’re likely get a different answer every time. I’ll warn you though, once us Schplatts start talking travel, we’re hard to shut up.

Anika
1. Sailing in the Whitesundays:
Sailing in the boat was fun and I liked snorkeling off the boat and sleeping in our bed at the front of the boat.
2. Thai and Japanese food:
I really liked learning how to make mango sticky rice and Pad Thai. In Japan, I really liked the gyozas (fried dumplings), curry rice, and cucumber sushi -especially if it came on a conveyor belt. It was funny that food was delivered to your table on a moving sidewalk.
3. Grampians National Park (Victoria, Aus):
I liked the Grampians because I went rock climbing outside for the first time and I really like Hollow Mountain, where we found a “Rock Hotel”. We had to climb to get into the rooms and I liked the rock bridge because it was scary and I had to cross it even though there wasn’t much to hold on to.
4. Traveling:
I like traveling because I get to travel different ways (sleeper trains, the bamboo train, trekking and tuk tuks). Sometimes we had to drive all day to get to a little town and sometimes we would drive 2 hrs and only see one other car pass us.
5. Volcanoes in Hawaii:
I liked seeing the glow from the volcano at night and I liked becoming a Junior Ranger.
6. Universal Studios Japan:
I liked going on the rides. My favorite was Back to the Future
7. Mahout (Elephant trainer) training (Thailand):
I liked riding my elephant because I got to control him and he smelled funny. I liked cleaning my elephant and getting a shower from it and feeding it. It ate bananas and watermelon rind and I put my hand right in its mouth.
8. Monkey Island (Cambodia):
I liked staying in a little hut made of leaves which was something I’d never done before. One night I got to paint the bartender’s faces with make-up which was a lot of fun. I also really liked the two cats who live there. They were very cuddly and warm.
9. The clock in Takayama:
In the guesthouse where we stayed, there was a clock that would play a different song every hour. We would all run to watch the clock play it’s song.
10. CDO (Siem Reap, Cambodia):
I really liked the people and teaching at CDO. It was fun teaching the kids the alphabet, words and animals. I also really liked playing with all the kids and the kitten.

Bronwyn
1. Rotnest Island (near Perth, Aus):
I really liked going to Rotnest Island. We rented bikes and rode around the island. The quokkas that live on the island were really cute. One morning, one managed to find its way under my parents’ bed, which surprised everyone. At Rotnest we also played on a water park of inflatable obstacles, like the show ‘Wipe Out” which was really fun.
2. Sailing in the Whitesundays:
This was my first time in a sailboat and I got to steer the boat and help raise and lower the sails which was really fun. I really liked our bedroom on the boat because it was at the front of the boat and the bed was a funny shape. Swimming off the boat was fun, especially jumping off the side. While snorkeling, we spotted our first shark which was really cool to see.
3. Hollow Mountain (Grampians National Park, Victoria, Aus):
Hollow mountain in the Grampians was one of the neatest things we found on this trip. It was really cool because it really was a hollow mountain. There were pockets in the rock and we had to scramble and climb to get to the different levels. I really liked exploring Hollow Mountain.
4. Bangkok-Chiangmai Night Train:
Sleeping on a train was really neat. I was surprised that the seats on the train turned into real beds. I slept on the top bunk.
5. The Lagoon at Airlie Beach (Queensland, Aus):
This was the best pool we swam in on this trip. It was a public pool, and it was HUGE! It was so hot in Airlie Beach it was nice to have such a big public pool to swim in.
6. Horseback riding in NZ:
I really like horseback riding and in NZ I got to ride off the lead for the first time. We rode on the beach which was fun.
7. Beach House in Thailand:
We stayed in a really nice cottage near the beach in Thailand. We had lots of space there and the beach was really beautiful. There were monkeys that played in the trees above the cottage. It was fun to watch them swing from the branches and the little babies were really cute.
8. Onsen in Japan:
I really liked the geothermal hot baths in Japan. Some of them were outside. We visited one with lots of different baths of different temperatures. Some were too hots, others just right.
9. Universal Studios Japan:
I liked all the rides at Universal Studios. I really liked that a lot of them were 3-D and we were bumped around.
10. Sovereign Hill (Victoria, Australia):
I really like panning for gold, making coloured candles, and visiting the candy shop. I also got to hold a block of gold worth a lot of money.

Tina
1. Friends:
We managed to connect with a good number of people who conveniently live in many of the countries that we visited. Seeing a familiar face was always a highlight, making for some of my fondest memories of this trip. In addition, we met some great folks who I hope we’ll see again, quite possibly in future travels.
2. NZ scenery:
I couldn’t soak up enough of the New Zealand landscape; rolling hills, great beaches, wine country, and we only saw half the country. I look forward to making it back there to explore more.
3. Nigaloo Reef (Western Australia):
Snorkeling with a HUGE manta ray, reef sharks, sea turtles and lots of fish. Not a bad way to spend a birthday.
4. Siem Reap (Cambodia):
I will leave a small piece of my heart in Cambodia. It is where my middle class eyes were really opened to the effects of poverty and where we met some of the friendliest and most welcoming people. The stories of loss and hardship, yet the perseverance and positive outlook as they rebuild their lives and move on from such a conflicted history will live strong with me.
5. Luang Prabang (Laos):
In my opinion, Luang Prabang should be included on any itinerary of SEA (and it wasn’t even on our radar before arriving in Asia). There was something magical about the confluence of the Buddhist temples and colonial architecture. It was easy to forget we were in Laos’ second largest “city” -hands down the nicest Asian city we visited.
6. Thai Beaches:
White sand beaches, warm tropical water, and the best food of the trip. Need I say more?
7. Hawaii:
This one made the list because it was the first stop of our trip. Several years of conceiving of and planning, and we were on our way. It was the perfect first stop; beaches, I overcame my fear of the surf, and it was easy traveling.
8. Sailing in Whitsundays:
Pushing our comfort zone and tackling a sailing adventure with our limited (though sufficient) sailing experience made for a very memorable experience. Even better, we lived to tell the tale!
9. Trekking with my mum:
Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp with my mum was very special. We had a great time, and I hope that when my girls are traveling the world I can do something similar with them
10. Doing it all together:
I treasure having had this time, seeing and doing so much together as a family.

Andrew
1. Sailing in the Whitsunday Islands:
I loved the adventure of heading out on our own in a sailboat, it was a challenge, we pushed our limits, and had a great time.
2. Body surfing in Hawaii:
Hawaii was one of the few places where the waves were big enough to body surf on. I loved being able to share this with the girls, teaching them how to love the surf.
3. Zip lining through the jungle in Laos:
On a platform, 30m up, and plunging yourself into the jungle canopy was exhilarating. Watching you first born head off before you and disappear into the mist was downright nerve wracking.
4. Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia:
Snorkeling with a huge Manta Ray, sea turtles, sharks, fish, coral… worth every one of the 1200km driven to get there.
5. Exploring an island by motor bike:
Zooming along back roads, stopping for lunch at a four star resort, and then a swim on the deserted beach: Priceless
6. Exploring jungle temples at Ankor Wat:
Unleashing the inner Indiana Jones in all of us.
7. Trekking in the Himalayas:
Sharing the experience with the girls of snow capped mountains, some of the tallest in the world was breathtaking.
8. Volunteering:
Finding out that what you give out, comes back 10-fold through the smile of a child.
9. Immersing oneself into a new culture:
Traveling is about seeing and doing different things: discovering new foods, learning a new phrase in a local language, and seeing how people live in different ways. Even better, is when these interactions result in new friendships.
10. Spending time with my family:

An Appeal

In a few days we are headed back to Siem Reap in Cambodia, one of our favourite spots from these adventures. We are looking forward to seeing our friends there, especially the ones we made at CDO, the foster house/orphanage where we did some English teaching.

You may have heard about the flooding in Thailand that affected much of the northern half of the country. What likely didn’t make the headlines back home, was that much of Cambodia was also affected by these floods, some of the worst flooding experienced in generations. Inevitably, this affected our friends at CDO. Their house was surrounded by water, confining 30 children plus staff to the house and preventing the kids from attending school. Unfortunately, one of their major projects to raise chickens was affected, as the flooding prevented the chickens from being transported to market. Although this meant they (and their neighbors) have been enjoying chicken at most meals, they were not able to generate the profits from the sale of the chickens to purchase the next batch of chicks to sustain this endeavor. In addition, the widespread flooding has resulted in significant crop damage, increasing the cost of food, which seriously impacts their monthly food budget. Add to that the regular costs associated with rent, clothing requirements, and other consumable supplies, and the need is great.

We are excited to be in a position to help them out before we head home and slip back into our lives awaiting us. If you were thinking that you might like to help out too, I encourage you to contact me ASAP. This isn’t a faceless charity, and if you were looking for a cause to support these holidays, I hope you will consider this one. In return, I look forward to sharing with you how we helped.

Muay Thai

After a year of being mostly together, you could imagine that some moments of annoyance or frustration with each other have developed. In general, I would say that we have learned how to deal with these situations, resolving conflict and growing together, ultimately resulting in a better understanding of each other. Well, most of the time, nobody’s perfect.

So when an opportunity for release via a family Muay Thai Boxing session presented itself, we all found ourselves eagerly signing up; with certain members of our family perhaps fantasizing more than is healthy about who was going to be the focus of our soon to be acquired skills.

We arrived at our appointed time and after changing into some rather excellent silk boxing shorts (one size fits all) we proceeded to get a lesson on wrapping our hands before donning the gloves. This is serious stuff, I thought. They then assigned Andrew and I different trainers with a girl joining each of us. It was as if they sensed what the darker recesses of our minds had planned…

And they put us through our paces; punching, uppercutting, jabbing, elbowing, blocking and kicking. It took all my brain power to keep them all straight and then remember to keep my hands up to protect my head. Andrew was punching and kicking away beside me, Bronwyn found herself equally engaged, and Anika enjoyed bouncing on the ropes of the boxing ring, with the odd attempt at giving the trainer some punches in the tummy and a few shin kicks for good measure.

We finished off with one of the trainers suiting up in protective gear (us Schplatts were showing promise) and we had some fun trying out our newfound skills. We never did get to try them out on each other (thankfully!), but we left with a great workout, yet another new experience and a release of the pressure cooker that can be associated with long term family travel.

Now where can I get me some of that protective gear…?

A photo tribute to the Nepali Porter

While plodding my way up to ABC, I spent a lot time with my head down, trying to get the job done. I therefore spent a lot of time looking at people’s shoes. What quickly became apparent was the more technology used to create the footwear, the smaller the load carried by the person wearing the associated shoe. Below is a photo essay of the porters of the ABC trail, with a particular focus on their footwear. These people ferry our gear, food, fuel, beer, and all-important Snickers Bars at alarming speed up these steep mountain paths, keeping the majority of the trekkers warm, fed and happy. I take my hat off to them.

ABC Top 10

My mum has kindly offered to share her trekking adventures on the blog. She met up with us in Kathmandu and after hitting some of the tourist hot spots (not to mention enduring the noise and pollution), we headed to Pokhara, the launching pad for our 11 day trek to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) and back.

It was an amazing 11 days, and here, in no particular order, are my top 10 highlights/challenges (sometimes they were one and the same).

1) Our guides/assistants: We trekked with an organization called Three Sisters Adventure Trekking, which specializes in treks for and by women. The three Chhetri sisters founded  an NGO, Empowering the Women of Nepal, in 1999 to train women to be trekking guides and porters (known as assistants). Our guide was Nirma, whose good humour, tact, professionalism and knowledge made us feel secure and well looked after. The five assistants (one for each trekker) – four young women and one man – were also cheerful, unfailingly helpful and, in general, happy to chat and practise their English – and teach us some Nepali. They also sang and danced (and encouraged us to do the same) and taught us a fun Nepali card game.

2) Accommodations:I had been warned about the basic nature of the tea houses. They were indeed basic, but also clean and sometimes even warm. Some rooms had two beds but others had three or more, leaving little if any space for our stuff. However, we were lucky to always have accommodation as during the busy trekking season  it seems there are more people than beds, and reservations are not always honoured. (One British couple ended up sleeping in a store room.)

A typical teahouse. The tent was also an option for the stranded trekkers who couldn't find a room.

Even though we were in “rooms,” walls were flimsy to the point you could hear every sound made by the neighbours, meaning that ear plugs were a must! Toilet facilities were almost always of the hole-in-the-floor variety,  which I soon became accustomed to and completely comfortable with. I  learned that showering (even if hot water was promised) was not advisable as you ended up colder than ever. Food in general was good and reasonably varied, especially when you consider everything had to be carried up – by donkeys lower down and porters at higher elevations. Heat, when available at all, was provided by kerosene-fired burners placed under the tables in the dining hall – which made for toasty feet, along with some unpleasant fumes.

3) Our group: We were five women: three Americans (Pamela, Donna and Jenny) in addition to Tina and me. And a great group we were (if I do say so myself): cheerful and uncomplaining (despite a variety of ailments and sore muscles), and just plain lots of fun. We considered ourselves very lucky in this regard.

4) Stairs (and other ups and downs): This trek was not for the faint of heart or weak of knee, particularly as we went up and down (our guide estimated) some 60,000 stone steps. On day two alone, we ascended 1,380 metres – or roughly 3,200 steps. Donna claimed she would never do the Stairmaster again! Going down was no piece of cake either and in fact required constant attention if falls were to be avoided. This trek was said to be for the “moderately fit” and I suppose I would consider myself that. But every single person in our group admitted that it was tougher than expected.

5) Scenery:November is high trekking season as the monsoon is over and the weather is supposed to be clear, affording great mountain views. This year, however, there have been two episodes (so far) of fog/cloud/rain, which have shrouded the peaks. For the first two days of our trek, we enjoyed soft misty views of the terraced hillsides and farms, dark rhododendron forests and rushing rivers. Obviously geographically challenged,  I hadn’t realized is that Nepal is about as far south as Florida so the vegetation at lower altitudes is green and lush – I certainly had not expected to see banana trees. By day three, we started to get the occasional and very exciting glimpse of mountain tops and by day four were in blazing sun with the towering snow-capped peaks (such as the magnificent Fishtail) beckoning.
6) Climbing to/sleeping at 4,130 metres: The goal of our trek was ABC and of course, as we moved higher, the air became thinner and colder. I was apprehensive as I had never been that high before (close to 14,000 feet). So following our guide’s advice,  I moved very slowly and drank vast quantities of locally purchased Tang (the label claimed it offers “fruitrition”). We had spectacular views most of the way up until the clouds moved in as we approached ABC. But no matter, we were there! Several people complained of headaches, but in general the mood was  euphoric – even if some of us didn’t sleep much (on my part due to over-enthusiastic hydration which meant frequent toilet trips during the night). I was, however, afforded magnificent views on a couple of these outings as the clouds cleared and the full moon shone on the ring of mountains surrounding ABC. Morning brought considerable excitement as the clouds again parted to reveal the most stunning of sunrises. So the effort (and believe me, it had been an effort) had paid off.

7) Sharing the trail:If you think trekking to ABC will be a solitary walk in the woods, think again. Often we were an unending parade of humanity (although at other times I felt I had the trail to myself). This trekking season was particularly busy in the Annapurna region as fog had closed the airport at Lukla so Annapurna became an alternative to the popular Everest base camp trek. With trekkers from all over the world, there was plenty of camaraderie and no lack of interesting people to talk to – on the trail and over meals. Also on the trail were porters who carried loads that I’m sure outweighed the person – and they motor, so you’d better get out of the way. Lower down, ponies and donkeys carried their loads, and water buffalo ambled along the trail. We learned to keep to the uphill side when animals passed and to step carefully around their many “offerings.”

Watch your step!

8) Animal/bird life: Among the most exciting of our sightings were Langur moneys swinging in the trees, and hawks soaring on the thermals and toying with some poor mouse (we were on a steep descent so this was at eye level – most impressive). We also encountered birds, cows, donkeys, water buffalo, goats, roosters, chickens, ducks, and dogs.

9) Hot springs:Hot springs at Jhinu were on our itinerary and, skeptics that we are, we were prepared to be under whelmed. But as we headed down, people coming up assured us the 20-minute walk was worth it – and indeed it was. We started by showering (again, always the skeptic, I was sure the water spouting out of the mountain would be cold, but it was gloriously warm). What bliss to get clean (and believe me, I didn’t think I could ever sweat so much or smell quite so rank) and then to soak in the hot pools surrounded by looming trees with a river rushing by. Truly idyllic.

The gang in the hotspring feeling great.

10) We did it!  This whole trip really took me out of my comfort zone – something I feel is important as one gets older. I realized I won’t die if I don’t bathe every day. I learned that getting up in the night to use the Nepali toilets didn’t bother me to the extent I had thought it would. And it became clear that I could get anywhere if I just put one foot in front of the other – no matter how slowly. Over the 11 days, we covered close to 90 km and ascended more than 3,000 metres (with many downs and ups as part of this). It seems that reaching ABC is something to be proud of (especially for those of us who aren’t so young) and I can honestly say we felt a huge sense of accomplishment in having achieved our goal.

Nepali Trekking Adventure photos

My mum and I are back from our 11 day trek to Annapurna Basecamp. She’s in the process of writing a guest post about our adventures so I will leave the storytelling to her. In the meantime, here a selection of images including some from the 5 day trek that Andrew and the girls did. Enjoy.

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Tihar

An open invitation for the godess of wealth to visit your house.

We arrived in Nepal on the first day of Tihar, Nepal’s second biggest festival. It is a 5 day festival, each day honouring a different aspect of Nepali culture.

The dogs who roam the streets so freely here, are honoured and as we wandered the streets we spotted many dogs decorated with garlands and red powder between their eyes. The same was true of the cows, who are also honoured. Our driver who picked us up from the airport also told us that one day honours the crow, the animal that signifies death in their culture.

As we wandered around through the streets we had to avoid getting splashed by the water being used to clean everyone‘s house and shops, in preparation of the day of the festival when the godess of wealth comes to visit. Lights are hung all over the house to welcome her, and the front stoop is decorated with flower petals, painted designs and candles to further light the way into their houses.

The streets are filled with party goers, impromptu dance parties, and 5-6 piece bands complete with tuba players roam the streets, stopping to give everyone a chance to dance and partake in the festivities. Fire crackers are let off, and in keeping with a complete disregard for personal safety we enjoyed watching our neighbours set off Roman candles from their balcony on the next building over.

Children are also an important part of the celebrations, many of them dressing up, visiting houses where they sing a song, their efforts rewarded with a few rupees. Not too unlike our own Halloween, I pointed out to the girls.

On the last day of the festival, brothers and sisters are honoured. We spent an afternoon sightseeing around Baktapur, an old town near Kathmandu of narrow cobbled alleys with beautifully intricate wood carvings decorating the buildings. As we explored these alleys, we saw many women dressed in their finest saris making their way to their brother’s house carrying baskets filled with offerings, which they present to their brothers, and in return receive some money.

Tihar is a festival that ticks all the boxes; revelry, prosperity, the cycle of life and death, and family. It would seem that Nepal is punctuated by a non-stop parade of festivals. I hear preparations are already under way for another one in a few weeks. Perhaps that explains the positive outlook on life and the friendly nature of the people who live here.

Travel Fatigue

Having fun, but feeling road weary.

Travelling. For a long time. As a family. Is exhausting. This fact hit me in the face when our time to leave Japan was fast approaching, and I just wasn’t feeling it anymore.

I suppose travelling for any extended period is tiring, but when you factor in keeping a family of four content and safe, while at the same time facing the unknown, it can be time consuming and emotionally draining.

There is an expectation of a certain level of comfort and what you are willing to endure as an individual or couple, you are not prepared to expose your children to (not to mention, they quickly make it clear what is or isn‘t acceptable!). So you spend time looking for reasonably priced accommodation that will be comfortable. Do date, we have stayed in 78 (give or take) different places, which amounts to a lot of research (not to mention instability). Sheesh! No wonder we’re tired.

And there is the whole business about keeping the kids safe. Safe in countries where diseases different to those we have at home are a risk, where you hope that the food they eat doesn‘t make them sick, and bicycle helmets are nonexistent. I would describe myself as a confident parent, however the western conditioning of children and safety still has the power to make me feel like we’re being irresponsible by taking risks that we wouldn‘t take at home. All that second guessing is exhausting.

And there is also the togetherness factor: 24/7 for 10+ months and more on the horizon, brings its own set of challenges. The enforced closeness has had its moments; good and bad. While we are busy gelling together as a family, alone time is hard to come by, and I have had to accept that my individual wants will have to wait until we are home again. I have missed family left at home and socializing with friends more than I thought I would. And then there is the obvious: sharing a hotel room with your kids -if you get my drift -does little for fostering intimacy with your partner.

This last month with a break from living in hotels, not eating off menus, and the space to enjoy some time to ourselves was a necessary pause for me to feel “normal” again, and I’m struggling with leaving it. Part of me could wait out the rest of our trip here, but another part of me is starting to feel it again. My mum and I will be doing an all-women, 12 day trek of Annapurna Sanctuary -which is pretty freakin’ cool, and the kids are (guardedly) excited about seeing the Himalayas.

So all this moaning about the challenges, seems (embarrassingly) broody because we are doing some crazy shit. Most days I can revel in what it is we have done and are doing, acknowledging how lucky we are, but amongst all the greatness, it has been hard and to pretend otherwise wouldn’t be sharing the whole picture. I am proud of us. Before we left I wondered if we were a little bit crazy. Now I know that we are.