Trip, by the numbers

Number of countries visited

• 11 (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Japan) 

Time on the road

• 199 days, or 6.6 months (from November 23, 2012 to June 10, 2013) 

Number of different “beds” (including overnight trains and planes)

• 77 (Amberlea), 100 (Mark) 

Best and worst accommodation

• Worst: Pak Ban Phoen “Hotel”, Chiang Khong, Thailand (still the worst! though there have been some other serious contenders… like sleeping on that train in India...)
• Best: Hotel Dewachen, Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan (spectacularly remote setting, gorgeous view, and deliciously luxurious, even without heat) 

Different types of transportation

• Plane, train, bus (big bus, mini bus, local bus), car, jeep, van, taxi, bicycle rickshaw, tuk tuk, song-teow, pick-up truck, moto (self-driven, moto-taxi, and moto-with-sidecar), city bus, subway, skytrain, monorail, longtail boat, ferry, junk, kayak, raft, innertube, bicycle, and by foot (the ol’ heel-toe express) 

A local bus in Nepal – how many people can you cram in a mini-bus?

Number of photographs taken

• Just over 20,000… but Mark took at least 3,000 of those... Somehow this will be whittled down to a manageable number for a photobook(s) – coming soon! 

Favourite places

• Mark: Bhutan (all of it); Annapurna Circuit; Khao Sok, Thailand; Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia; Sapa, Vietnam
• Amberlea: Bali, Indonesia; Nepal (everywhere, but specifically, Sankhu, Ghandruk, and Bhaktapur); Bhutan (all of it); Koyasan, Japan; Mui Ne, Vietnam

Average spent per day by country (for Mark and Amberlea combined)
(including all daily costs: hotels, food, transportation, etc, but not including souvenirs and visas) 

• Nepal $35 
• India $52
• Laos $56 
• Northern Thailand $58 
• Indonesia $62 
• Cambodia $63 
• Vietnam $65
• Malaysia $68 
• Southern Thailand $70 
• Singapore $124 
• Japan $238 
• Bhutan $590 

Memorable meals

• Masala dosai, tandoori chicken, and naan in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
• Khao soy in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Burmese tea leave salad, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• smoothie in Hanoi, Vietnam (green pepper, celery, ginger, lime, mint, apple)
• yak cheese, Poon Hill, Nepal
• smoothie in Thongsala, Thailand (mango, beet, lime)
• being invited for dinner (potato curry and chapati) in a traditional Nepalese house, Sankhu, Nepal
• yellow vegetable curry soup in Luang Prabang, Laos
• street banh mi in Hanoi, Vietnam
• masaman curry, southern Thailand
• fresh dragonfruit, Vietnam
• nasi campur, Ubud, Indonesia
• street eats in Amphawa, Thailand

A masala dosai bigger than I bargained for... Little India, Singapore.

Number of times Mark drove a moto

• 12 (Vang Vieng, Laos; Sapa, Vietnam; Hue, Vietnam; Hoi An, Vietnam; Koh Phangan, Thailand; Koh Lanta, Thailand; Kanchanaburi, Thailand; Bali, Indonesia [5 days in a row])

First time on a moto. Vang Vieng, Laos.

Favourite moments

• Amberlea: getting my yoga teaching certificate; meeting Mark at the airport in Kathmandu after a month apart; sunrise over Mount Bromo on my birthday; riding on the back of the moto in Sapa, Bali, and so many other places; hanging out with elephants at the Elephant Nature Park, Thailand; meeting my parents at the airport in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; relaxing in the countryside and cooking our own meals in Sankhu, Nepal; coming home.
• Mark: Sunrise at Annapurna Base Camp; sunrise over Mount Bromo; picking Amberlea up at the airport after her yoga training; trekking with Amberlea in Nepal; watching baby monkeys in Railay, Thailand; hiking in the Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan; kayaking Khao Sok lake, Thailand; hiking in Sapa, Vietnam; summiting Thorong La Pass, Nepal. 

Hangin' with elephants at the Elephant Nature Park, northern Thailand.

Number of things lost

• 5: Water bottle (left in the Bangkok train station), Amberlea’s tank top (sunk to the bottom of Khao Sok lake, Thailand…), Mark’s Glide hat (Singapore ?), travel towel (forgotten in Ngawal, Nepal), leatherman multi-tool (stolen from Mark’s backpack somewhere between Paro, Bhutan, and Varanasi, India) 

Blog posts written

• 106

Number of kick-ass beards grown

• 1 (Mark)