Home sweet home

Ljubljana

I was prepared for a culture shock when I returned home after six and a half months of traveling. But it isn't much of a shock. Everything feels so familiar. I have a home to come to every day. My stuff isn't crammed into a backpack, rather it's laid out in designated places around the house. I can open my closet and take out fresh clothes whenever I want without considering when would be the next opportunity to wash them. I get to sleep in a clean bed every night and I don't have to think about whether the sheets have been washed since the last guest slept in it. I have a bathroom that doesn't look and smell disgusting. I have a kitchen where I can make myself whatever I want to eat.

I missed the comforts of home. Of course I loved traveling and if asked if I would do it all over again, I would say "Yes!" in a heartbeat. Would I do it again tomorrow? Well, let me enjoy home now for a while. There's still so much of the world left to see that I'm sure I'll go on more adventures in the future.

Here's a few facts and statistics about my trip:

• I was on the road for a total of 197 days
• I visited 10 countries, 8 of them for the first time
• I spent the most time in Cambodia
• I handled 11 different currencies (in addition to each country's own currency, the US dollar was also used occasionally)
• The cheapest country was Laos and the most expensive Hong Kong 
• I went back and forth within 5 different time zones
• I wasn't robbed nor ever felt threatened in any way despite traveling as a solo female
• I was bitten by bedbugs in two different places
• I was bitten by one leech in a jungle
• I had only one bout of stomach problems due to some food I ate
• The one thing I never used was my travel health insurance (I'm so thankful I didn't have to visit Asian health institutions)