Asian Adventure - Our Journey Of A Lifetime Comes To An End, 17 May 2019!

So my Aunt and I have finally left Cambodia and have started our journey home, after three weeks away. We have had an amazing, eventful time, seen many sites, met many people and visited numerous temples, landmarks and culturally diverse communities. I have walked more than I have ever walked before, tasted weird and wonderful cuisine and flown on eight, yes eight aircraft; for a person like me, who is scared of flying, that is a venture I will probably never undertake again. This has been an excursion of discovery in every respect and I remain astonished by just how much we saw in such a short space of time! This was indeed the holiday of a lifetime, but it was more than that, it was an opportunity very few people get; to taste life on the otherside of the World! For someone like me, a small town, village boy, it was a once in a generation adventure that would open my mind to new experiences and test my psyche to its limits!

We are returning to London with Malaysian Airways, not what I wanted, after the disappearance of Flight 370 in 2014, but an airline I have used in the past, without incident. My Aunt and I arrived at Phnom Penh Airport with plenty of time to spare and queued up to secure our seats for the flight home. We were informed that the Kuala Lumpur to London leg of the trip was fully booked and we wouldn’t be able to sit together. For an anxious flyer like me, that wasn’t the news I wanted to hear and after a brief altercation with the staff accepted the inevitable. This was most certainly a flight I was not looking forward to.

A little over an hour ago, we arrived in one of my favourite cities, Kuala Lumpur after a pretty uneventful flight. I haven’t been here since the year 2000 and the airport has changed out of all recognition. Modern, bright, gleaming and typically Asian. This futuristic few hour stop over has brought back many happy memories, travelling to this part of the World with my husband Darrell. In a way it felt like coming home and I was delighted to be here, even if only for a short time! Compared to some of the airports we have travelled through over the last three weeks, KL Airport is a dream, an Oasis and our final farewell on the last leg of our Asian adventure. This big, brash, shiny palace, is the new gateway to Malaysia and the perfect end to our three weeks away!

Darrell and I have visited Kuala Lumpur twice over the years and have an unbreakable bond with this city. Our connection to KL was born in 1997, when I moved to Australia for a second time. By all accounts it has changed a lot and would be a fantastic place to visit once again in the near future. Returning, even briefly has made me smile, something Darrell and I haven’t done a lot of recently. Some places stick in your heart as a reminder of past adventures, with meaning and poignancy; a few destinations remain strong and steadfast, generating direction and guidance and others give you that warm fuzzy feeling and sense of belonging....Malaysia gives them all. This was the first country Darrell and I really fell in love with. We chatted about the possibility of moving to Kuala Lumpur and dreamt of a future far away from British shores. As I sat in the large cavernous concourse, looking towards the tropical views outside, I became hopeful for the future once again, believing in the positivity travel can bring!

With my anxiety levels running high and my Aunt sat in the seat in front, we left KL Airport, next stop the UK…..

I had a lot of time to think on this busy flight. I am certainly not a person to sleep or relax on such a trip, so reading, writing and remembering the last few weeks was top of my agenda as I drank a glass of red wine. Seeing Darrell, even for a short period of time has been amazing and very much a part of our life together now. Having to travel long distances to see each other is necessary and although a little disconcerting and difficult at times, it does give us the opportunity to see places we wouldn’t otherwise visit. Asia is my favourite part of the World and I have been amazed by this undertaking and aghast at the things I have seen. Crocodile farms, Angkor Wat, the magnificent modern city of seoul and its beautiful gracious people, the cat cafes, Buddhist temples in Vietnam, Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong kong and the darker side of Cambodia’s history in Phnom Penh. Together all these experiences and many, many more have made for an exciting, exhilarating and breathtaking adventure, like no other.

As I look forward to my next escapade, next year in Japan and Thailand, I am mindful of the circumstances that brought Darrell and I to where we are today. Darrell’s Mother remains terminally ill in Australia and my Mum has now tragically passed away. We are lucky to travel as we do, but illness and death has been the catalyst for this tumultuous, tempestuous time in our life. Saying farewell to one another has once again been painful, but our expectations of further crusades across this diverse and stunning region of the World is assured. Until we meet again Asia, keep shining bright, you are the light that always brings us together!

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