Round About the Earth: My 10 Favourite Moments

I’ve been looking forward to writing this post. In fact, I purposefully delayed putting pen to paper until the final leg of our journey - our return flight to Canada - knowing I might need a little pick-me-up. It's a bit of a bittersweet moment. As much as I’ve anticipated taking time to reflect on our experiences over the past months, it's an inescapable indicator that our trip has come to an end. Sigh.

Our trip around the world has been a time full of wondrous, jaw-dropping, can't-believe-this-is-happening moments. Here’s a rundown of my 10 favourites:

1. Seeing you again
Hands down the best part of the journey was the time we spent with friends and family around the globe. From catching up over delicious eats and aperitifs with friends in the Loire Valley, to celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Hong Kong, to hitting the markets with cousins in London, UK, we’ve been repeatedly awed by the warm hospitality of the people we’ve visited - far-flung loved ones we don't get to see often enough.

2. Riding into the Sahara, Erg Chebbi, Morocco
Just a small band of 6 travelers, and our friendly guide, Said, heading out into the Sahara on camel by the light of the rising moon. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to have an experience like this.

3. Arriving in León, Camino de Santiago, Spain
There are 7 countries represented in the picture above: Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, The Unites States and Canada - a group of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures who came together by chance on the Camino. Over the weeks we walked together, we developed the kind of  close friendships made when sharing an extraordinary life experience, but our time together was short. We knew this might be our last opportunity to celebrate together and we went for it! Throw in some fabulous inexpensive wine and delicious tapas and you’ve got a formula for an extraordinary evening.

4. Summiting Conical Hill, Routeburn Track, Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand

Of all the summit views we enjoyed, the vista from the top of Conical Hill on New Zealand's Routeburn Track is, in my books, the most beautiful. As an added bonus, we found a very fine swimming spot in a stream approaching the summit where we took a dip after the climb. Cool, refreshing water that was clean enough to drink unfiltered and untreated. Where else in the world can you do that?

5. Kayaking at sunset in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Our 3-day trip in Halong Bay was full of magical experiences like our sunset kayak amoungst some of the bay's thousands of limestone pillar islands. Breathtaking! 

6. Recharging at the Blue Lagoon, Iceland

I've never felt so good in my life as when we left the Blue Lagoon, a natural geothermal pool rich in silica mud and minerals. The next time you head across the Atlantic, do yourself a huge favour and stop in Reykjavik, if only to spend the afternoon at the Blue Lagoon. Did I mention that if you fly Iceland Air you can stopover in Reykjavik for up to 7 days without paying any additional airfare? Oh, yes!

7. Morning in Bangkok, Thailand

There's no where else like Bangkok. It's a chaotic, wonderful, heady mix of people, animals, automobiles, buildings, shops, street stalls and restaurants selling spicy and delicious - if unidentifiable - snacks and meals. To me, it was at its most charming in the morning when friendly, smiling food vendors would line the streets selling their delicious wares as the rest of the city slowly came to life.

8. The Medina at night, Marrakech, Morocco

For as long as I can remember, I've looked forward to one day traveling to Morocco. Exotic sounding cities, medinas filled with strange treasures, perfumed breezes and starry night skies. Marrakech and it's main square, Jamaa el-Fna, with it's eclectic collection of street performers from all over Africa, met all my expectations and then some.

9. My new favourite Canadian hike, Sentinel Pass, Banff, Canada

Like many other Canadians, I love the outdoors. We've visited many of Canada's national parks and hiked a fair number of it's trails. I erroneously assumed that I had already picked my favourite Canadian hiking trail out of the bunch. Silly me! Somehow I had managed to overlook this gem of a hike near Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. I stand corrected!

10. Climbing Mount Ngauruhoe, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

I cheered when I reached the top of Mount Ngauruhoe in Tongariro National Park. Numerous times during the ascent I'd considered turning back, so making it to the top felt like quite a victory. During our journey around the world, we climbed higher peaks on longer trails, but this was the most technically difficult summit we tackled. By the time we reached the rim of the active volcano, after almost four hours of climbing in high winds, I was spent! My legs were shaking with muscle fatigue, my hands and arms were scraped and bleeding (of course I'd left my gloves in my pack at the base of the volcano), and vertigo had left me feeling dizzy and light-headed. Woot! What a rush!

From time to time during our trip we would cross paths with others who, like us, were on an extended journey. One of the questions I'd always ask was, "of all the places you've visited, which are your favourites?" I learned there are plenty of extraordinary sites around the world we have yet to visit and an infinite number of ways to circumnavigate the globe. Lots of ideas to consider for upcoming adventures. If you have any suggestions to add, I'd love to hear them.