We've been home for a few weeks now and there really is no place like home. The bed is perfect - not too hard and not too soft. The fridge has all the foods we like. Everything is just right.
We've been thinking about all the big and small things we learned as we roamed the world. Here's a first cut at our top four list.
#1 - Canada is definitely the best place in the world to live
We always knew Canada was a good place to live. After seeing a good chunk of the world, we now know it's the best place to live. There isn't anywhere else in the world that has everything Canada has - opportunities (jobs, education), equality (gender, race, age), health (universal healthcare, environmental cleanliness) and multiculturalism. Canada is the only country we've seen where all of these things come together.
When we'd tell someone we were from Canada, their reaction was almost always the same - "you live in a wonderful country". We agree.
#2 - English can get you just about everywhere
English is the primary or secondary language on every airline that we flew with. There were English signs in every airport. On the ground, we were amazed how many people spoke good or perfect English. We got by with just the basics in each local language (hello, goodbye, thank you, toilet).
#3 - Picky eaters can travel the world
We may not be the pickiest eaters in the world but we're close. We had a few challenges finding food that was to our liking but this was fairly rare. Breakfast buffets at hotels are almost identical all over the world and are very similar to what you'd find in North America. We found italian restaurants all over the world and, in case of emergency, there was often a Subway or Starbucks nearby (McDonalds was too but we avoid them).
We did sample local cuisine a few times and yes we liked it! We made sure we took pictures as evidence. Here are a couple examples.
#4 - You really should go to Turkey, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia and South America
These were our favourite spots. They are "a little ways off the beaten path" and we were a bit intimidated before we visited them but looking back there was absolutely nothing to worry about. The sights are amazing and the people are great.
All of the things we learned led to one conclusion - travelling is awesome! We were hooked on travelling before we left and we are totally addicted now. We'll be back on the road as soon as we can replenish our bank account.
Here are a few quick facts about our trip:
Number of countries visited = 27
Number of days travelling = 246
Number of flights = 70
Number of kilometres flown = ? but enough to circle the globe at least a couple times
Number of times our luggage was lost = 0 (our bags were delayed once)
Hottest day = +40 Celsius (in Dubai and also in the Amazon)
Coldest day = -2 Celsius (when we were on the Great Wall of China)
Northernmost point on our trip = St. Petersburg, Russia (59 degrees north; Edmonton is 53 degrees)
Southernmost point on our trip = Punta Arenas, Chile (53 degrees south)
Number of times we were pickpocketed = 0
Oldest thing we saw = 7,000 year old pottery in Shanghai
Youngest thing we saw = hours old baby sea lion in Galapagos
Favorite country = Vanessa - Kenya; Blake - Turkey
Number of fights we had = 0 (what happens on the road stays on the road!)
Before we close our blog, we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to the people who made our trip special.
Thank you to Vanessa's mom Cecile. She had the most important job of all - looking after our cat Ginger. Cecile had Ginger as her house guest while we were away and she gave Ginger got lots of love and plenty (too much!) of food. Cecile also made sure that our house was looked after.
Thank you to Sue Flemming. Sue is our most excellent travel agent. She did much more than just book flights and hotels. She was a huge help in identifying the best places to go, the best places to stay and the best things to do.
Thank you to all the people along our route who made our journey special. We were extremely fortunate to always have guides who were knowledgeable and entertaining and hotel staff who were friendly and helpful. Many people shared their personal stories with us and these will be lasting memories from our trip.
Thank you to TripAdvisor and the folks who contribute to it. We consulted TripAdvisor on almost every hotel and restaurant that we went to.
Thank you to Wikipedia and the folks who contribute to it. We wouldn't have been able to write the blog without it.
Thank you to all of you who followed us along the way. It was great to have people to share our experiences with. We look forward to seeing you. You can always reach us at vanessaandblake@shaw.ca.
We started our blog with a photo of our cat Ginger and we'll finish the same way.
Vanessa and Blake
We've been thinking about all the big and small things we learned as we roamed the world. Here's a first cut at our top four list.
#1 - Canada is definitely the best place in the world to live
We always knew Canada was a good place to live. After seeing a good chunk of the world, we now know it's the best place to live. There isn't anywhere else in the world that has everything Canada has - opportunities (jobs, education), equality (gender, race, age), health (universal healthcare, environmental cleanliness) and multiculturalism. Canada is the only country we've seen where all of these things come together.
When we'd tell someone we were from Canada, their reaction was almost always the same - "you live in a wonderful country". We agree.
 |
| Spring weather in Canada isn't always great but everything else is |
#2 - English can get you just about everywhere
English is the primary or secondary language on every airline that we flew with. There were English signs in every airport. On the ground, we were amazed how many people spoke good or perfect English. We got by with just the basics in each local language (hello, goodbye, thank you, toilet).
 |
| Directions in both Lao and English on a Lao Airlines flight |
#3 - Picky eaters can travel the world
We may not be the pickiest eaters in the world but we're close. We had a few challenges finding food that was to our liking but this was fairly rare. Breakfast buffets at hotels are almost identical all over the world and are very similar to what you'd find in North America. We found italian restaurants all over the world and, in case of emergency, there was often a Subway or Starbucks nearby (McDonalds was too but we avoid them).
We did sample local cuisine a few times and yes we liked it! We made sure we took pictures as evidence. Here are a couple examples.
 |
| Our testi kabob (Turkish stew) in Istanbul |
 |
| Enjoying lunch in Kyoto, Japan |
#4 - You really should go to Turkey, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia and South America
These were our favourite spots. They are "a little ways off the beaten path" and we were a bit intimidated before we visited them but looking back there was absolutely nothing to worry about. The sights are amazing and the people are great.
 |
| "I'll be waiting right here for you" |
All of the things we learned led to one conclusion - travelling is awesome! We were hooked on travelling before we left and we are totally addicted now. We'll be back on the road as soon as we can replenish our bank account.
Here are a few quick facts about our trip:
Number of countries visited = 27
Number of days travelling = 246
Number of flights = 70
Number of kilometres flown = ? but enough to circle the globe at least a couple times
Number of times our luggage was lost = 0 (our bags were delayed once)
Hottest day = +40 Celsius (in Dubai and also in the Amazon)
Coldest day = -2 Celsius (when we were on the Great Wall of China)
Northernmost point on our trip = St. Petersburg, Russia (59 degrees north; Edmonton is 53 degrees)
Southernmost point on our trip = Punta Arenas, Chile (53 degrees south)
Number of times we were pickpocketed = 0
Oldest thing we saw = 7,000 year old pottery in Shanghai
Youngest thing we saw = hours old baby sea lion in Galapagos
Favorite country = Vanessa - Kenya; Blake - Turkey
Number of fights we had = 0 (what happens on the road stays on the road!)
Before we close our blog, we want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to the people who made our trip special.
Thank you to Vanessa's mom Cecile. She had the most important job of all - looking after our cat Ginger. Cecile had Ginger as her house guest while we were away and she gave Ginger got lots of love and plenty (too much!) of food. Cecile also made sure that our house was looked after.
Thank you to Sue Flemming. Sue is our most excellent travel agent. She did much more than just book flights and hotels. She was a huge help in identifying the best places to go, the best places to stay and the best things to do.
Thank you to all the people along our route who made our journey special. We were extremely fortunate to always have guides who were knowledgeable and entertaining and hotel staff who were friendly and helpful. Many people shared their personal stories with us and these will be lasting memories from our trip.
Thank you to TripAdvisor and the folks who contribute to it. We consulted TripAdvisor on almost every hotel and restaurant that we went to.
Thank you to Wikipedia and the folks who contribute to it. We wouldn't have been able to write the blog without it.
Thank you to all of you who followed us along the way. It was great to have people to share our experiences with. We look forward to seeing you. You can always reach us at vanessaandblake@shaw.ca.
We started our blog with a photo of our cat Ginger and we'll finish the same way.
 |
| There's no place like home! |
Vanessa and Blake
