Was that really you out there ...?!

Day 342 - Friday 19 December 2008

You better believe it Jimmy Saville. For that's it. If you're reading this you need to know that I pulled this crazy, roller coaster, 342 day, every continent on the planet, individual adventure off. Jim didn't have to fix it for me. You know what. I fixed this one myself.

(If you've been following this blog through 2008 and want to read all this in the correct order to it's final crescendo head right and read 'Tripping around Tuscany' before coming back here).

When you get to the end of this post you may wonder how I ever wrote all of this in such a short space of time in my final destination of Venice. Well. I cheated. A bit. I started typing this a couple of weeks ago in Rome and it's been an Italian work in progress. Well. I had to finish the blog of 'If Indiana Jones Can Do It' properly after all this literary effort.

But just where do I begin to sum up the year that will remain with me forever. The year in which I threw off the conventions of a comfortable life in the UK and challenged myself: every second, of every minute, of every day. A year of living all my dreams. Settle in for the last time.

First off I need to start at the beginning and pay my gratitude to Matt Nicholson. For I've realised that amongst a 'not wanting to offend' UK society Matt's the best person I know at not being frightened to question the ordinary. And to simply be honest. He did just that. Questioned my feeble reasons for applying for another job that was exactly the same as the one I was doing. Just in a different place. It would have taught me ... very little. 'So what do you really want to do?' he asked me at the end of yet another Sunday roast in his adorable family's presence. 'Probably jack it all in and travel the world for a year' I said half jokingly at the time. 'Well, there's your answer' he said. I owe you forever Matt. Boy are your family lucky to be in such great hands and I can't wait to tell them that again.

Funnily enough I still went to the interview the next morning (well I'd done all the preparation!). And in fact I even got offered the job. And turned it down to do this journey. My decision making skills are getting better with age.

But it's not just Matt I owe. Swifty and Nev Jones soon backed Matt up and together the three of us drew up the first route on the back of a Starbucks napkin the following night. The shock of how cheap the flights were started to make this all seem a possibility. And I owe those guys not just for that night. I remember a flurry of calls and texts from them over the next week making sure I was ticking all the boxes and my house really was being valued, placed on the market and my mind directed firmly off more life at The Lawn Tennis Association and, instead, firmly on a nomadic life. This was his text that I've kept for a year. 'Time 2 ease off mate. The LTA don't deserve u. A few late starts and early finishes. Cancel sum of those meetings.' Spelling never was his strong point. My personal sense of responsibility didn't mean I followed this much but I needed someone telling me it to force the changes I wanted. Swifty and Nev. I'm sure John (still), Joan and Brenda smile to themselves very regularly at how you two turned out.

And it's right about here that anyone following this blog jumped into the fray. The job was history, my negotiated redundancy was completed and the planning started in earnest. The rest of the story you can read about in the 67 posts that precede this one. I'm not going to repeat it all here! And anyway. It needs all those pictures!

For the record it's been one hell of a 2008!

43,038 miles
16 countries (USA, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal, India, Egypt, Jordan, Italy)
11 languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, Nepali, Hindu, Arabic and Italian)
22 modes of transport (aeroplane, overland train, underground train, bus, minibus, shopping bike, mountain bike, ferry boat, motor boat, human powered boat, tuk-tuk/autorickshaw, car, taxi, hot air balloon, dune buggy, snowboard, sandboard, camel, donkey, elephant, swimming and LOTS of walking!)

3 Sony Cybershot cameras
18 GB of photographs
59 books
37 UNESCO World Heritage sites
And ... 3 belts!

And what have I learned. Well, that Lonely Planet is one of the best products and companies in the world. Their amazingly in depth resources always kept me ahead of where I was and made me feel less like a tourist and more like a visitor than I could possibly have hoped. Don't travel with anything else in your backpack. And wearing out some of it's chapters has really made me realise how special it's been to have a such long time travelling. None of this flying into a city and then out again having just got my feet damp. I mean arriving overland and spending a week or more in New York, Chicago, Santiago, Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Kathmandu, New Delhi, Cairo and Rome. I exhausted things to do in so many of these places that I feel like I know them intimately. A chance I'll probably never get again.

But that Lonely Planet stuff's way too corporate-y to be a real answer. The last time I saw him before I left Matt also asked me what I was hoping to get out of travelling for a year. 'A better understanding of the world and my place in it' I remember succinctly answering. Well, I definitely got that. It wasn't always easy. It took some effort in the last few months to keep my enthusiasm high and cram even more miles under my feet (I've totally worn out my sandals and trainers) and information into my head (and Moleskin diaries!). But I did it. I gave it my all right to the very end. The only way that a Lemarchand can.

I also found out that it's one thing to travel. But it's another to travel well. And I couldn't have tried to do it any better. I'm not saying I was perfect. And I'm not saying this to glorify me. But I want to note, here, for me in the future, that I certainly did my best. Every time in every situation from Day 1 to Day 342. When you're the other side of the world to what you know and in places where NOTHING is familiar it's very easy to clam up and shut yourself down to your environment. Like ignoring the weird looking guy in the street who's trying to strike up a conversation with the latest foreigner from a strong economy so he can sell you something. If a greeting was proffered and a hand was offered I always returned it and shook it. I practically never bought. And I never gave money that would have only ended up in the wrong hands. I did get 'done' a few times. But a few times in a whole year's OK in my books. Like the woman who put 2 drinks down in Hanoi, Vietnam, and asked for some Vietnamese dong. I handed it over only for her to pick one of the bottles up and walk off. The price didn't look quite so great for 1 bottle! Of the few times I got hawked it was always early morning in a pre-coffee moment! All in all. These interactions needed a huge amount of patience. But they were fun. And so often you got past the 'hard sell' and it turned into a conversation where you learned about the country you were travelling through. And for those times when I stayed somewhere for a while. Or used the services of someone for a long time. Being told when it was time to travel on that 'you're a good and kind man' from a Cambodian guy you hardly know is something I'll hang onto forever.

You already know from the attachments to my blog where I think the best food in the world can be tasted and where the best places in the world are that you should be visiting. I've ticked off 5 of the 8 Wonders of the World this year. Not bad and it would have been 6 but for China, Beijing, a Great Wall and the Olympic Games! I'm not counting Chichen Itza (traveller's on the road claim it's way over rated) and Christ the Redeemer's only a maybe for me. And why the hell Angkor's not on that list is simply the biggest travesty in the world! So I'll give myself 6 out of 8 and it's just that bloody Wall on my Wonders list to crack. There. That sounds like a more satisfactory outcome. Anyway. I'd prefer a list of the best experiences in the world that you should be doing everything in your power to crack before it's too late ...

Snowboarding through an afternoon of crystal clear skies into sunset and then a star filled night time under floodlights - Keystone, Colorado, USA

Feeling your mountain bike's tires stick like glue to the Slickrock Bike Trail above a death inducing drop off to your left while preparing to drop down a slope only possible by the soft sand at it's base - Moab, Utah, USA
First hearing the joyful cries and then seeing the smiling faces and waving hands of hatted kids living high in the mountains as you walk into their remote village to a thunderously warm welcome - Lares Trek, The Sacred Valley, Peru
Kayaking deep into Milford Sound and getting neck ache from looking up at the peaks of the Southern Alps plunging into the tiny bit of sea you're on at the most picturesque place on the planet - Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

Creeping in just before closing time and staring in awe at the 1001 carved 10" wooden statues of Buddha collecting dust and creating an atmosphere so intense you'd swear they were alive - Sanjusangen-do Temple, Kyoto, Japan
Leaning forwards at 45 degrees to stop yourself falling backwards on the cable car to the city's highest peak and watching the neon lights bring one of the world's most electric cities alive again in it's transition from hot/humid day to cool/refreshing night - Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, China
Doing repeated laps of The Bayon on a Cambodian lady's shopping bike at dusk while the sound of Buddhist monks chanting their incantations drifts through the trees - The Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Staring up in awe at a mountain pass so high it claims lives, trying to see your way through the boulder strewn route and clambering your way to the top of the pass before marvelling at the route down along a snow covered glacier formed between black rock mountains and a scene so stunning you have to pinch yourself to check it's all real - Cho La Pass, Khumbu Region, Nepal
Waking at first light and pulling on all the clothes you own to sit outside, warm, silent and alone watching the first rays of the sun sparkle off the deep snow clinging precariously to the highest mountains in the world - Pangboche, Khumbu Region, Nepal
Imagining what it must have been like to be Howard Carter and discover Tutankhamun's solid gold coffin and death mask in it's luckily concealed tomb in the Valley of the Kings - The Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt
Staying awake to watch for shooting stars while sleeping in a bedouin camp in the open, under three camel blankets with the Milky Way shimmering above you and swearing you can see into our neighbouring Andromeda galaxy - Zayed's Bedouin Camp, Wadi Rum, Jordan
Elbowing your way into the middle of the crowds to gaze in wonder and adoration at how one man could ever have the skill, patience and precision to make so many figures look so pulsatingly alive - The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Italy

And so stuff like this is possible. It does happen. And people are doing it right now. Even when the world's economy is in crisis. So, maybe, the thing I've learned the most is that you should never, ever let anyone tell you that something can't be done. Especially not yourself. For all those questions, doubts and concerns that I amassed before I hit the road soon melted away into oblivion. I promise you when I say that your brain and body will adjust far more quickly than you'd ever imagine. I think I learned more in 1 year of travel than I did in the last 10 years of working. 'Can I pick up a new and weird foreign language in a couple of weeks?' Yes. 'Can I buy everything by negotiation on a street stall' Yes and it's always about 60% of the price first quoted to you! 'Do I need a luxury hotel to be safe and comfortable?' No. 'Can I persuade this crusty, tired bus driver to give me a seat when I haven't got the right ticket?' Yes. 'Can I use squat toilets?' Yes. 'Will I be healthy when I'm travelling so far for so long in the developing world?' Better than I could possibly have imagined.

I mean you must be practical. Don't try to make a living as an opera singer if the only angel you sound like when singing is a hell's angel (you can have that one off me for life). But be a dream chaser. For this world is a whole lot more gracious, accepting and enjoyable than a diet of even well broadcast news from CNN or BBC will subconsciously trick you into believing. People are so abundantly wealthy in their desire to help their fellow human beings. It's overwhelming. You know, aside from the 'no go' places clearly identified by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the only real fear out there when travelling to somewhere strange and edgy is a fear of the unknown. If you always keep your decision making skills about you and hang around long enough for the initial culture shock to wear off everything starts to feel normal and comfortable.

But one thing that travelling in places like Bolivia makes you realise is that, above all, life is precious. So let's not take it for granted. Sadly, for so many people in the world, life hangs by a thread. A thread that can be held so tight by the incredible bonds created by family and friends. But that, ultimately, is just microns thick. The wrong place. The wrong time. And that's it. I hope we all make the most of every second, of every day, of every year of our lives. Because our time on this planet is incredibly short. Although I've covered all of the world's most powerful religions and stood in the strongholds of Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Taoism and Islam - I'm not sure I really believe any of them. Despite the Buddhist talismans that I wore through all of Asia I don't really think they kept me safe. That was just me. Making multiple decisions, multiple times a day, based on what my heart and brain told me was right and wrong. I'm pragmatic and scientific and I believe that we developed and the planet developed. This incredible earth is billions of years old and our 70 years is a fraction of it's history so let's try our hardest to enjoy every bit of our lives. Go for it! Let's not be shackled by what other people think of us or our actions. I mean let's not break the laws that are there to keep our societies in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand amazing places to live (they really are you know). But let's take risks in life. For in the big picture. What we all may think is a monumental decision ... really, simply ... isn't. You soon realise these things when you sit alone in the wilderness of places like Canyonlands National Park in Utah, USA, on top of rocks that have stood against all time. Or at Everest Base Camp in the Khumbu Region, Nepal, in the heart of a glacier so long you can't see the end of it before it drops off the side of the world's highest mountain into nothingness.

And it would be wrong to sum this up without thanking my travel buddies. All of them. Not individually. That would take longer than even this last post has time to throw out. But number 1. Dad. We'll always have that time in Cairo, Egypt, together and I'll never forget your exclamations of 'they'll never believe this back in Newent Camera Club' or something similar when we walked the back streets of Old Cairo before working out the precise location of the mosque who's name escapes me! And Lucy. Your ability to interact with the people you meet in strange and far off lands is a real gift. Hang onto it. And thanks for helping me learn what it's like to travel in a partnership. You made Vietnam a very special place and your company pushed my people photography skills to new heights. And to all the Intrepid friends I made (predominantly Aussies and Kiwis) I love your laid back, easy going, 'same as me', approach to travel. You were always up for travelling to the best of your abilities. Interacting with the environments properly and getting excited about the next day's adventuring. If any of you are ever in the UK you'll always have a place to stay with me. Especially Ash and Carly from Sydney, Australia, whose hospitality in their incredible city almost made me forget that it peed down all week! While I'm on Australian places to stay I need to say thanks to Rousey. My friend, it was a pleasure to stay with you and your fantastic family in your adopted homeland and I'm already looking forward to the next time we get together and share, again, that past history you mentioned. And finally to all those travellers in the backpacker ghettos of the planet. You just made this trip and really helped me get the most out of it. Because for all of my feelings towards the LP. The best travel information is on the ground, at the cutting edge and where it's all happening. And the scary thing about that and this blog is that it's only really half the story. The highlights package if you will. Behind every post is a story of finding an internet cafe, then somewhere to eat, booking travel tickets, making travel plans, researching new destinations and all, most often, in a language not my own. The scale of that part I don't think I'll ever be able to get across to anyone who's not hit the road for a long time and DIY travelled.

And should YOU travel? Damn right. Travel is ointment for the soul. If ever life's starting to get you down it's time to pack that bag. Bored of standing in a Sainsbury's queue? Go to Vietnam and see how people buy their food, literally, straight off the street. Sick of sitting in your cosy, warm, 4 wheel drive car in a traffic jam on the M1. Head to Nepal and watch a porter older than your Dad carrying that bottle of beer you're tempted to drink tonight up the steepest mountain in the world. And tired of sitting at your desk on a Monday morning in an air conditioned office pushing paper clips around for a living. Go to India and watch women cut lawns the size of Wembley with a hand sized sickle in 40 degree heat. Because travel is not just about what you see but the new perspective it gives you of your home. If I'd known all of this and travelled out of my comfort zone these last few years maybe I wouldn't have felt the need to give the UK a miss for a year. But then I wouldn't have got the chance to achieve all that I have in 2008.

A couple more mentions of people who've influenced me this last year. Sally. You've shown me what friendship is really all about. Prioritising in your life this blog, providing extra knowledge/research to help us all learn, and, above all, giving me a reason to check the 'Comments' section a couple of days after each post. I hope you're own sisters won't mind if I nab you as my third and you join the illustrious Nev and Sara as friends I count on in life. Whatever Mary and Don taught you about friendship they couldn't have done a better job.

The University guys who were privileged enough to enjoy his company will know how Thomo would have been the first person to walk headlong into all these situations I've found myself in. Maybe in some strange way I was following right behind him. All those deep breaths I took when I walked into a new, weird, exciting or dangerous scenario may have been because Thomo was right there in front of me. I doubt it. But he's still around us that's for sure. And talking of University guys. Swifty. You were number 2 on the all time blog posters. I guess I always expected that. But you should know that I never took it as a given.

And concerning presents. There aren't any. At least not of any real note. Sadly, we've over populated the world and too many people are trying to make a living from selling cheap tat produced in China. And the real, amazing, high priced stuff is illegal to take out of the country anyway. Surprisingly, the best of the world's antiques can be found for sale in Hong Kong if you have limitless depth to your pockets and are into Asian antiquities! For the last few weeks I've been thinking about presents but have come to the conclusion that a Peruvian scarf wouldn't really mean anything now in the context of this year. I have the odd idea up my sleeve for my cool god-kids (give me some time to work that up) but I hope this blog's been present enough to remind us all of 2008. And a thank you from the bottom of my heart to EVERYBODY who's posted a comment on this blog. Or e-mailed me to say hello. It always lifted me when I was tired. Made me smile when I was in dodgy internet cafes. And energised me to keep writing the words and uploading the pictures so we can all look back in the future and enjoy it again!

So how do I ever put closing remarks to all this. It feels like I should just keep on typing forever but this really will be it for 'If Indiana Jones Can Do It'. I'm going to leave this episode of my life by dedicating this whole year and journey to 3 people. My Mum, my Dad and my brother, Rich, have always given me the securest and happiest base to build my life around. In 2008 I've just acted out what we've always enjoyed as a family. Seeing what I've seen this year has taught me I'm so lucky to have their love and in returning it I hope I make them proud. If I can provide anything similar, even for a second, to George and Toby I'll be happy. For I now realise it was my family (helped enormously by the skills of Hollywood's best movie makers) who placed adventure in my heart. It took a while to come flooding out but it's there because they all queued for hours with me to go into a 1980s cinema to to see Raiders of the Lost Ark (that's why I was in Cairo). It was Dad's love of James Bond that burned an image of being a British secret agent in my mind (that's why I was in Udaipur). It was Mum's love of books that provided me with a seemingly endless supply of Tintin adventures beautifully rendered by Herge (that's why I was in Kathmandu). And it was my brother's endlessly encouraging soul that meant I always had my back covered in, well, life (that's why I was ... everywhere).

And as for the future of my adventures? Will I travel again. You bet I will. Will I give up a secure job and give it a blast for a year. Probably not. I feel like I've nothing left to prove. I've just won my major. But there are many places I still want to see from the confines of holiday allocations from whatever job I end up doing. I guess with the spirit of adventure comes the realisation that to pursue it you have to give some things up. Can I guarantee being at every social gathering that I have an invitation to attend? No I can't. Can I say that I will be at some and will always value the opportunity? Yes I can. In fact, I'll always value lifelong bonds with friends and family that will keep me grounded, before, during and after my latest Indiana Jones-ing. For travel's in me now and it's helped me realise that life's not about how you look but what you've done. Age and experience is good and a few lines around the corners of the eyes are a top thing if they've been well earned. Although if I see another photograph of me in the next few months it'll be too soon!

And so who is this guy who's returning to the UK and how did he achieve the feats of 2008. Well. Watch Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and listen carefully when our hero Indiana Jones describes to the Nazi Party why they'll never catch up with his friend, Marcus Brody, who's escaped to the Middle East with the Grail Diary. It was my guiding light. 'He's got friends in every country, he speaks a dozen languages, he knows all the local customs, he'll blend in, he'll disappear, you'll never find him.' I guess it's a good job I found myself.