Not having kids (through choice) made things much easier and within six months of taking the decision to jump the sinking ship, we’d jacked the jobs, sold all of our stuff and rented the house out. Our date for departure was set for 1st April, 2006, but this time the joke was not going to be on us any more.
We had a vague notion that we wanted to see the entire world before it imploded and there was nothing left standing. However, there was no itinerary, no agenda and no fixed idea of how we could achieve this. We had but one simple plan; stay if we liked a place, move on if we didn’t. Or when the visa ran out.
Being part Deutsch, the first destination was a simple choice. With the World Cup being held in Germany and family on hand to offer us board and lodgings, we had a marvellous time and watched the team make it to third place. An awesome achievement on home soil with a less-than-fancied side. Bravo to Klinsmann and co.
After the holiday period we began our tour in earnest and drove onto Poland, starting in a small place called Sopot in the north, which was twinned with our ex-home town in England, Southend. From there we drove at a leisurely pace down through the entire length of the country over the ensuing three months..
Next we entered Slovakia and then onto Hungary before the lack of snow tyres ensured we had to shore up in Slovenia for the winter. Izola, a tiny little fishing village was our home for the colder season and in the end, we stayed for almost six months. We will always have a soft spot for this enchanting and beautiful hamlet and we certainly intend to go back frequently, once we finish our global wanderings.
From Slovenia we toured through Croatia but this time we were relying on public transport. The car’s insurance had run out and no English company would renew the policy without an MOT and tax. Excuse me? Why should we tax a car for British roads when it isn’t even in the country and nor would it be driven there any more? We left it in Slovenia and have not missed it since.
Meandering down the Croatian coastline during the scorching summer of 2007 was another delightful three months of fun, followed by a spell Montenegro where we met up with friends from the UK. Thereafter we headed inland to Bosnia, before spending a couple of months in Serbia. We have no idea why some people find Eastern Europe so off-putting. The people are warm and exceptionally hospitable and we loved all of our time in the Eastern bloc.
Next on the list was Macedonia before another long winter lay off in Greece, which lasted almost half a year and then Spring saw us sail into Turkey for a comprehensive tour around this fascinating country.
This coincided with the 2008 European Championships which again saw Germany excel (nice one Löw and team) and we watched them make it to second spot. I was dead chuffed, particularly as we’d just sold the house at the peak time. A month or so later, the global financial markets were going into meltdown and the property markets hit the crapper. We’d got out just in time...
It was also our final “European” destination before the long haul flight to Asia, so we had visits from both our parents, which made them realise we weren’t kidding about coming back to England. This time I think they believed us. :o)
Landing in Thailand in 2008 was the biggest thrill I can recall. I’ve always yearned to return to this wonderful country and flying into the “Land of Smiles” saw mine grow wider than ever before.
After a month in Thailand we flew into Cambodia and then took the bus into Vietnam and finally onto Malaysia. Most ASEAN countries only allow 30 day visas but Malaysia is more generous and we could stay for three months.
Singapore followed, Hong Kong and Macau were next and then we found ourselves in China, which was simply awesome. 2009 also saw us venture into Laos, Borneo and then onto Brunei.
At the start of 2010 we took the train through the exotic island of Bali in Indonesia, we had an opulent cruise around the whole of Australia and followed this by a month’s sightseeing of both islands of New Zealand.
The "world" tour is still on-going and while we always come back to Bangkok as often as we can to stay at the same fantastic hotel, the Imm Fusion in Sukhumvit, we still have plenty more countries to see in the region. This time for the 2010 World Cup, we watched the Germans in both Malaysia and Thailand and they played most teams off the park. Four goals against Australia, Team Eng-er-land and Argentina wasn't quite enough but we once again made it to third spot. Always the bride's maid, eh? but another magnificent display from Löw and the lads.
In the late summer/autumn we visited Myanmar, the Philippines and Taiwan and then headed back to Bangkok for Christmas and New Year. No matter how often we do it, it is so much more fun to celebrate the end of the year in the sun.
2011, saw us finally getting around to visiting India where we timed our arrival to coincide with the Cricket World Cup. Next on the list we continued on to Sri Lanka, another cricket mad nation (we even got to see a game live) and watched both countries make it to the final for a very exciting match. Well done to India on regaining the crown, they thoroughly deserved it.
The summer took us back to England and Europe and we used the opportunity to catch up with old friends- most of whom we hadn't seen in over five years. Naturally it was brilliant to see everyone but at the same time we also saw how grey and depressing the country was looking, and we couldn't wait to leave and get back on the road.
After a brief break in France we next spent a delightful month travelling across Germany with the aid of Deutsche Bahn (their rail pass was a real bargain allowing us unlimited travel on all types of trains from the intercity express to regional coaches) and afforded us another chance to meet up with the family.
Finally, before returning to Bangkok at the end of the year, in time for wifey's birthday, we returned to Izola and once more lived with our old friends Orhan and Olivera. Not only could we truly relax and unpack (we stayed for three months) but we also had visits from friends from both Germany and England.
2012 was initially a truly lazy year (in keeping with my ongoing New Year's resolution of doing as little as possible all year round) and we did nothing but shuttle back and forth between Bangkok and Siem Reap. The idea was to save some cash (extensive travel does start to become expensive after a while) but it's also been very satisfying to hang up the rucksack for a more prolonged length of time and live somewhere "properly".
And in keeping with the theme of football tournaments, the Euro 2012 held in both Poland and Ukraine had me hoping we could improve on previous results for Germany. Despite having a very strong squad and playing some extremely attractive and exciting football, we were once again cut short of cup glory. This time it was the Italians (as ever, we always get done by them) who beat us in the semi-final. It was too much to bear and we can only hope that one year we can go all the way.
However we finished 2012 on a high with yet another extravagant cruise around an entirely new part of the world- Central and Southern America. Flying via South Korea to America, our first port of call was Mexico, followed by Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, the Falkland Islands and Uruguay, before returning to Buenos Aires.
For the start of 2013 we embarked on another cruise, this time up the Eastern coast of South America to visit Brazil, Barbados and Grand Turks before disembarking at New York, where we took the short hop into Canada. A pit stop in Japan and we were once more back in our beloved Bangkok in time for Songkran.
Thereafter? You'll just have to keep an eye on the Blog, won't you? :o)
For the start of 2013 we embarked on another cruise, this time up the Eastern coast of South America to visit Brazil, Barbados and Grand Turks before disembarking at New York, where we took the short hop into Canada. A pit stop in Japan and we were once more back in our beloved Bangkok in time for Songkran.
Thereafter? You'll just have to keep an eye on the Blog, won't you? :o)
