Almost exactly 10 years ago we set off on what was then, as still is, our longest ever trip. We were both working as locum optometrists, and the annual drop in business during December and much of January meant that our clients were only too happy to have us disappear for a couple of months. And so on the 29th November 2000 we left the UK for our one and only round-the-world adventure.
I had got connected on the internet only one year before the trip, so I was able to plan every last detail using my shaky dial-up connection. Such was my obsession with planning back then that we set off with a giant wad of papers: every night’s accommodation had been booked online, and most of the activities we had planned had also been pre-booked. Nowadays we travel with the opposite philosophy, and I have nothing other than an airline ticket and a first bed’s hotel booked in advance.
My strange memory excels in recalling useless details from my distant past, so remembering the itinerary of a trip taken a mere ten years ago is not difficult.
Singapore
The Trip:
Day 1 Fly Newcastle-London-Singapore
Day 2 Arrive Singapore, stumble around Orchard Road in a zombie-like state
Day 3 A day exploring Singapore, including the night zoo
Day 4 Singapore again (the jet-lag starts to wear off)
Day 5 Fly to Melbourne
Day 6 A day exploring the city of Melbourne (got big thumbs up from us both)
Day 7 A tour along the Great Ocean Road
Day 8 Fly to Launceston, Tasmania
Day 9-13 Join 5 day backpackers’ bus tour of Tasmania (we got funny looks as we were carrying a backpack and a bright red suitcase)
Day 14-16 Join another backpackers’ tour, this time heading to the wilderness of western Tasmania
Day 17 Fly to Sydney
Day 18 Exploring Sydney (got to see Olympic Stadium as they were just tearing up the running track)
Day 19 More time in Sydney
Day 20 Trip out to Manly and later Bondi Beach
Day 21 Fly Ayers Rock; spend sunset at Olgas
King's Canyon
Day 22 Morning walk around base of Uluru; then bus to King’s Canyon – our only night camping on trip
Day 23 Hike in King’s Canyon, on to Alice Springs
Day 24 Day in Alice Springs. Midsummer’s Day. Probably the hottest day I’ve ever experienced
Day 25 Fly to Cairns
Day 26 Trip to Great Barrier Reef. Tried diving for first time – attempt unsuccessful
Day 27 Christmas Day in Cairns – lunch involved one seafood platter and one roast turkey dinner
Day 28 Trip to Kuranda on scenic railway-last day in Oz
Day 29 Early flight to Auckland via Brisbane
Day 30 Day exploring Auckland – boat to Rangitoto for an afternoon hike (got completely soaked)
Day 31 Met with old university friend who moved out here and lives just outside city
Day 32 Should have been sea kayaking, but rough weather meant another day in Auckland
Day 33 Collected hire car and sent off south to Waitomo
Day 34 Visit to Waitomo caves Black Water Rafting experience (magical), then lunch with friends in Hamilton before reaching Rotorua in time for New Year fireworks
White Island
Day 35 New Years Day. Zorbing, the Luge and other medium adrenaline thrills that Rotorua offers in abundance. A ‘real’ Maori evening (disappointing)
Day 36 Off to Whakatane to get a boat out to White Island, a highly active volcano (highly recommended – one of the highlights of the trip)
Day 37 Back to Rotorua and a swim in thermal hot pools
Day 38 Drive south, stopping in Taupo
Day 39 On to Wellington – afternoon in Te Papa museum
Day 40 Drop rental car; boat across to South Island; collect next car. On to Kaikoura
Day 41 Swimming with dolphins in open sea (amazing) then on to Christchurch for the night
Day 42 On to Franz Joseph Glacier
Day 43 Heli-hike on glacier (first time ever in helicopter)
Day 44 Headed south, stopped to try and do Siberian experience (fly in biplane, hike, then jetboat) – cancelled due to weather. On to Wanaka – jet boat ride
Day 45 Arrive Queenstown.
Day 46-48 Routeburn track – superb 3 day hike.
Quad biking near Te Anau
Day 49 Drive to Te Anau. Great aftern0on of quad biking.
Day 50 Visit Milford Sound. Torrential downpour and strong winds put paid to kayaking adventure; back to Queenstown
Day 51 Back to Queenstown
Day 52 Fly to Auckland via Christchurch. Luggage lost, thankfully arrived around 6 hours after we did
Day 53 A long day. Fly Honolulu. Sleep. Visit Pearl Harbour and Waikiki Beach. Fly to Big Island, collect car and drive to Kilauea.
Day 54-56 Hiking heaven on and around Kilauea. Stood next to flowing molten lava (a personal highlight)
Day 57-69 Fly to Maui – 3 days of relaxation (with a few gentle hikes thrown in too)
Day 60 Fly San Francisco – met with good friends who surprised us by turning up at hotel unannounced
Day 61-62 Exploring San Francisco
Day 63 Flight to London
Day 64 Arrive London, and on to Newcastle and home
Your memory must be very good! I couldn’t tell you what we did on our first sixty days and they’ve only just passed.
Talk about getting the most out of every day… that is a LOT to fit into 64 days!
If you did it again now, what would you change? Would you travel slower, or do everything exactly the same all over again?
Kirsty, I remember only the stuff that is of little use. Good for pub quizzes but no good at remembering what I went to the shops for!
Kieron, it was an intensive 64 days. I guess we set off wanting to do as much as possible in a relatively short time. My first instinct is to say we’d do less, but I don’t know if that’s the case. I’d plan less, that’s for sure. But once we’re actually there, I would probably do just as much.
Wow! looks like a good trip – I’m amazed you can still remember all of this 10 years on! Did you sleep at all?
It does look a pretty crazy itinerary Cam. We travelled on the adrenaline of excitement as I remember it. We were exhausted when we got home though!
It sounds like you would have needed a holiday after the holiday. Do you think you missed out on too much by going so fast? A lot of people travel australia so quickly that they miss what is really on offer, and being such a huge place it makes it even harder!
Aaron
Thanks Aaron – I think we could have seen so much more with more time. It’s always a balance between seeing places in depth and getting to more towns/cities in a country where you don’t know when you’ll return. Hope to return to Australia soon and see it at a better pace.