Thursday 21 July 2011

MISSION COMPLETE

I did it! I went around the world without flying, travelling from London via New York from East to West. On 27th March I met up with 22 "Oz-Bus" fellow travellers at the start of an amazing journey through Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, China, across the Pacific to Alaska, then through Canada to USA and New York where I said farewell to my friends to undertake the last leg of my journey alone on a Cruise Liner across the North Atlantic, arriving home on 13th July.

If you are interested to read about it just click on the logo on the side bar at “R&C epic adventure - READ BLOG NOW" button. What this travel log will not and cannot say is the “warts and all” inside story of the trip which, I know, everyone is waiting for me to tell. Well that’s for me to know and you to find out! What takes place on the Oz-Bus stays on the Oz-Bus. Suffice to say we did have our moments of “high drama”!

However, I will say that the whole experience was challenging, exhilarating and sometimes exhausting but one that I’ll be forever grateful that I experienced. I was sometimes elated, angry, tired but never, never bored. What is more important is that I met some fantastic people, some of whom I would like to consider as my friends.

I am always being asked what the “highlights” of the trip were. Strangely enough not the obvious things like Red Square, Siberian Express, Great Wall of China, Terracotta Warriors, Beijing Olympic Stadium, Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Woodstock, Sleepy Hollow etc, etc . All stunning but, strangely enough, many of the highlights were quite ordinary things like:

Jono holding my hand to stop me falling when we walked back across very, very thin, and very, very slippery ice from Olkhon Island on Lake Biakal;

laughing with Jonny, Sirin, Jono while playing bingo on the Diamond Princess;

the strangely comfortable feeling that I felt re-joining my Green Tortoise companions after a day out in Seattle with Jack & Betsy;

the surreal feeling of going to a blues club in Chicago, a thing that I had never expected to do;

Sirin and I drinking a bottle of wine on an empty stomach at the revolving cocktail bar on the 48th floor of the Marriott on Times Square and bouncing off the walls on the way out, laughing all the way;

going up to Connecticut to spend the day with Margaret at her lovely home in Greenwich and going over to the island to meet her friends and enjoy the jazz band;

meeting up with Georgina and Kimberley, after such a long time apart, in New York and doing “touristy” things

Many, many memories and every one a treasure. You can’t buy that.

8 comments:

RNSANE said...

Ann, I don't know how I missed following all the rest of your wonderful adventures! My blog page got screwed up at one point and I lost all the blogs I followed and, in reconstructing it, my addled and aged mind, left off some of my favorite blogs. This morning, suddenly, on my second cup of coffee, I suddenly thought, where the h@*% is Retired and Crazy so I have a lot of catching up to do. I am so glad you had a joyous time and that you are home ( not for long, I'm sure ) safe and sound. I'm in the same place you left me. Retired and crazy and increasingly headed to homeless, retired and crazy. Not sure what's next but, as long as my computer holds out, I'm here!

Maggie May said...

Well done..... I will return to catch up.
You will be feeling lost now, I expect or just wallowing in a hot bath!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Unknown said...

Congratulations on completing such a mind-boggling feat! What an adventure you have had!

Unknown said...

Congratulations on completing such a mind-boggling feat! What an adventure you have had!

Mimi said...

well done on completing the journey, it was epic.
I must log onto your travel blog to read about it, as it's something I'd think about when (ever) I retire.
Isn't it funny how little things mean so much? I like the sound of holding hands across the ice, nice guys.
welcome back!

Sueann said...

Sounds so delightful!! I must go read up on this journey! Welcome back...but boy will you need some down time!! Ha!
Hugs
SueAnn

Jay at The Depp Effect said...

What an experience you've had!! It really doesn't surprise me that the highlights were to do with people and friends that you made - I had the same experience while travelling in the States seeing natural wonders like Bryce and the Grand Canyon (and not so natural wonders like Las Vegas) and meeting up with online friends and just hanging out together. Nothing can beat it!

Glad you're back though! Maybe we can meet up again soon!

rosecreekcottage-carol.blogspot.com said...

Wow, Ann!! I've missed so much of your journies!! I intend to catch up in the next month!!! Wish we lived closer. I SO enjoy your writings and life!! xoxoxoxox