It seems an age since we updated the blog, and I must admit that has been to some procrastination on my (Dan) part. But as ever, the guilt of not having every part of our trip documented for us all to look back on in decades to come has kicked me into action once more!
This post picks up from when we left England in early October and headed back to Singapore, our country of residence for 15 years whilst en route to our house in Koh Samui Thailand.
Landing back in Singapore was a bitter sweet experience. It really did feel like coming home, but at the same time we had none of the old anxieties we used to experience, i.e the back to work, back to school, back to piles of mail and bills B/S that used to face us upon our return. Instead we had a totally calm feel; that of a tourist, but with the knowledge of exactly how the country runs and operates.
However, the bitter side of the deal was the dreadful haze that enveloped the island and had done for almost 2 months by this point. Each year the horrific burning of Rain and Peat forest in Indonesia causes a dense thick cloud of smog which covers Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in toxic fumes. This is not a new problem, it has been happening for decades and is going mainly un-noticed by mainstream media who seem to be too interested in what Kim Kardashian has squeezed into or what Donald Trump is spouting on about. It’s a global issue that needs to be addressed and those in charge and responsible for it need to be exposed and brought to justice. Luckily for us Han Solo gives a shit and is trying to do something about it!
If Han Solo can't wipe the smile of this guys face, then who can?
In a stroke of pure fortune the haze lifted that day and did not return during our 5 days in Singapore, which flew by in a complete blur. Knowing so many people on the island is a wonderful position for us to be in as we get to visit so many friends, though ultimately we can never get around to seeing everybody and always leave feeling a little bummed that we missed seeing all of our old friends old work colleagues.
Arriving back In Koh Samui was again another very strange feeling. We couldn’t believe that 11 months had passed since we last walked out of the door and in that time had visited Australia for 2 months, New Zealand for 3.5 months, the USA and Canada for 3 months and Europe (France, Italy, England) for the remainder. It all seemed a little surreal and as though the journey had ended, which of course it hasn’t!