Max’s Reflections

Hello all!

I’ve really been enjoying this trip so far. I have decided to list some of my favorite parts and why. I’ll also talk about a few things I’m looking forward to.

I personally loved Singapore. The friendly, civilized people; the incredibly efficient metro system; and the livability of the city. The only downside I found was the humid weather. I can’t stand the heat. But overall, I think it might be worth it.

The skyline of Singapore.

My favorite part of Nepal was the trek, but which part of it, I’m not sure. It could be the card games with Ben that could last hours, it could be the breathtaking views of the enormous snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, or it could be the interaction with people from around the world and making friends with the locals.

That is Mt. Everest in the background.

Bhutan was another incredible place. It would be hard to name a favorite, but I’ve narrowed it down to the home stay with our guide’s aunt, our games of basketball with the local high school kids (some of whom were quite good), or the archery tournament. The fact that those men could hit a dinner plate sized target from 400+ feet away just blew my mind.

The Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

One of the more modern cities of our trip, Bangkok was quite a welcome sight after almost three weeks in Nepal and Bhutan. Mom splurged a bit and got us a very nice hotel with and even better breakfast buffet. The variety of food was welcomed with open arms after the Himalayas. Lets just say the food there was more eat-to-live than live-to-eat. Like Singapore, Bangkok has a great public transport system. Theirs involves boats roving up and down the river as well as a sky train that navigates the city.

Inside a Thai “Wat”.

Sad to leave Thailand, we journeyed to Myanmar, or Burma. The perspectives the guidebooks had given me was that Myanmar was under a strict military dictatorship and that you had to be very careful with what you said because the government always kept tabs on people and knew where you were at all times. It is very safe to say that the country defied all expectations. My favorite part was definitely the cruise down the Ayeyarwady river. We took a tour of a village and it really humbled me by showing how privileged I am to live where I do and how lucky I am to not have to live in a place like it. Overall, Myanmar may actually end up being one of my favorite countries from our trip. It broke all of its stereotypes and wowed our family.

A fisherman on Inle Lake.

And now I look forward to our villa in Krabi, a rock climbing mecca and home to some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. I also am looking forward to South Africa where we will meet the family of my moms friend from when she traveled the world after college. They have a son who is in between Ben’s and my age who wants us to teach him baseball and in turn, he will teach us cricket. Dubai is another spot I’m looking forward to because, well, it’s Dubai. But I also miss home and friends and part of me wishes we’re coming back sooner, but I am going to enjoy this trip for what it is and have the time of my life.

The famous Shwedagon Pagoda, and yes, that is real gold on the outside, 60,000 pounds worth roughly 1.1 billion dollars, and a 2000 carat diamond on top.

 

This is Max, signing out. See you next time.