The final entry
Trip Start
Apr 24, 2007
1
68
Trip End
Jul 17, 2007
Fleet, United Kingdom
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Our agents.
Our parents for making us the wonderful people that we are.
The credits
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Travel: A OneWorld Round The World ticket.
Travel agent: Flights, tours & most hotels arranged by Trailfinders.
Tours: Journey Latin America (Rapa Nui) and GAP Adventures (Peru & Galapagos).
Car hire: Hertz. (That's interesting, that makes a short but valid sentence...)
Financial services: American Express (the Travellers Cheque Card worked well).
Entertainment: Apple iPods (music, audiobooks, films & photo back-up).
Phones: Motorola and Vodafone.
Audiobooks provided by www.audible.co.uk.
Cameras by Canon (Sureshot A620 & EOS 400D).
Website by Travelpod (URL: www.travelpod.com/members/shaneandsarah).
OK, being a trifle more serious...
Firstly, we were lucky. With the weather, it messed up a few things but nothing serious. With the flights, only 1 major delay and no crashes (though everyone clapped on arrival in Madrid). With our health, some minor issues no more (and besides we've already done the overseas hospital stay so that's old hat). With food, it's been consistently very good. With safety, no problems. With our planning, it all worked out well, considering it was our first attempt.
We've been round the world. To one or two of the most remote places. We've been to the first world and third world (and whatever world Australia thinks it's in). We've seen 1 of the new 7 wonders of the world (though I think they got the list some what wrong). We've been to a load of UNESCO World Heritage sites and several places that are in danger due to excess tourism (so we really helped there).
Some trivia
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Miles travelled: In excess of 36,000.
Carbon footprint: Don't ask!
Flights: 26 in 84 days plus 2 sightseeing flights.
Best flight: Rapa Nui to Santiago.
Best airline: LAN. (They're South American.)
Worst flight: Auckland to Tahiti (just a bad flight).
Worst airline: Iberia (the flight from Quito to Madrid).
Best luxury (place): Bloomfields lodge, Oz.
Best luxury (other): Use of airport VIP lounges.
Best hotel: Either Rendezvous Allegra, Adelaide or The Scarlet, Singapore.
Worst hotel: Embajadores, Lima. With an honorary mention to the Radisson, Tahiti for the dire (and ****ing expensive) food.
Luggage: Combined weight of hold luggage on departure from UK was 21 kilos. On return to UK, 27 kilos.
Stuff lost: A toothbrush, a bookmark, two luggage labels (curiously both Sarah's) and one sock.
Stuff stolen: A mountaineering clip, stolen from outside of luggage en route to the Galapagos.
Stuff gained: Some hot weather clothing from Singapore & Australia and some cold weather clothing from New Zealand. Plus, various assorted free gifts (including shell necklaces from Tahiti).
Shiny things that caught Sarah's eye: Lots. And now we have to find somewhere to put them all (the pot from Peru has survived intact!).
Budget: We finished with money to spare (and the bean counter religiously checked the money on a daily basis).
Funniest thing seen / said: Well obviously anything Shane wrote in the blog. (There are several other possibles but they are being kept for verbal re-telling.)
Dodgiest moment: There was that one in Cuzco, Peru that's not mentioned anywhere on this site... Otherwise, any journey in a taxi in Peru.
Gifts brought back for you: None, nada, not even a box of chocolates.
Most hated question (and this is a hint): Where was THE best place?
And after 12 weeks, much of it spent with just each other, we are still talking. No arguments, no falling out, no time at which Shane was ever wrong (yeah, right).
Finally, thanks to Shane's parents, Suzanne, Matthew and Tony & Clare for looking after things in the UK whilst we swanned around the globe.
And thank you loyal readers for taking the time to see what we've been up to.
That's all folks!
Shane & Sarah (yes of course my name goes first, don't argue woman)
PS: This was intended to be part joke, part brain dump for the pair of us.
