300 Day Summary!
Time is flying by and we have already reached our 300th day of traveling. Since our 200th day we have seen 15 new countries, taken 14 more flights, 47 bus rides, 18 trains, 10 boat rides and slept in 56 more beds. We travelled through Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Check out the pictures and our highlights of each country!
Besides climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, we also went on a Two Day Safari to the famous Ngorongoro Crater, where we saw an abundance of wildlife including our first lion. We also visited a Maasai village and Stephen & I beat the Warriors in the jumping contest. After so much excitement, the three of us headed to beautiful Zanzibar to lay in the sand for a few days. Our journey continued overland by train to Zambia.
After a 50 hour train ride and a three hour mini bus ride, which seats 15, but had 23 people on it, we arrived in Lusaka the capital of Zambia. We were surprised by the modern city, but didn't stay long enough to explore it. We escaped south to Livingstone to get a glimpse of the magnificent Victoria Falls. The view was nice but we weren't satisfied yet.
We got our close up view of the amazing Victoria Falls from Zimbabwe and we were awed. Unlike other pedestrians in the town, we were fortunate enough, not to get attacked by the cheeky baboons. We hopped on the old Rhodesia train from the 1950's to continue our trip south, stopping over in uneventful Bulawayo. We then took an overnight bus to South Africa.
We could only spare a day in Qatar, but we got a good glimpse of it. The modern skyline is impressive and the city of Doha is in full force of development. While it still seems like somewhat of a ghost town, with all the empty skyscrapers, come back for the World Cup in 2022 and it will be ready to impress.
We loved UAE, especially futuristic Dubai. We went up Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the World and spend many days wandering around the biggest Mall in the world. We even got our Tim Hortons craving satisfied. We managed to escape to the capital Abu Dhabi as well, to admire the life of the rich and famous. On the other side we also got out to Al Ain, a city near the desert where life is still moving at a slower and simpler pace. We also met up with our friend Alejandro, who gave us an insight of how life in Dubai really is. We were sad to leave Dubai, we really enjoyed the cities atmosphere.
The former pearl empire Bahrain is now into the black gold, and the countryside is dotted with pump jacks, pipelines are laying around in the desert. We rented a car to drive around the entire country, it took us no more than five hours and we stopped a lot. Other highlights included the Tree of Life, the World Trade Center and the Portuguese Fort.
If one country has a lot to offer, then it must be Sri Lanka. Hiking in the rain through the Hill Country, walking the tea plantations, reaching the sacred Adams Peak, those are just the highlights of one area. The coastline offers pristine beaches, good surf and cheap beers. Locals are friendly, Tuk-Tuk drivers annoying, and the cuisine spicy. We loved Sri Lanka!
We found perfect islands and the clearest waters for snorkeling in the Maldives. Staying on a local island was a great insight into the life of an Islander. The food was amazing and plentiful, the beaches were postcard worthy. We will remember this special place forever, since this was the place were we got engaged!
Even though our visit to Cambodia was short, we saw what we came there for. The Angkor Wat temples are magnificent and overrun by tourists, but quiet spots can still be found. The nearby city of Siem Reap is the perfect base to relax and eat well. Phnom Penh, the capital has a great Imperial Palace and good street food. The boat ride along the Mekong River was slow and not as scenic as expected, but a great alternative to beat-up roads.
Vietnam has enough sights to keep one busy for months, the Mekong Delta with its floating markets is unique, Ho Chi Minh City is clogged with mopeds, Hue has an impressive Imperial Citadel rivaling the Forbidden City in Beijing. Hue also was a great place to venture out to the former DMZ between North & South Vietnam and to visit the Vinh Moc Tunnels. Hoi An was the best place to relax and get the cheapest beer ($0.16), whereas the capital Hanoi has some great food. We spoiled ourselves to a three day cruise around Halong and Lan Ha Bay and spend a night on a private island with other travelers. The Bay is full of limestone rocks and cliff jumping gave John an adrenaline kick. Other highlights in Hanoi include the special Weasel Coffee, and a visit to the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh