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:

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