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by carmentom

2018 Highlights

As the end of the 2018 has come and gone (yes how is it halfway through January already), I’ve been thinking about the things I could have done, (and all the blog posts I haven’t gotten to yet….) I know I should in fact reflect on the things I HAVE achieved and am proud of. Some things have been on my bucket list for years, while others I had never even heard of til they happened!

carmen tom
Sapa, Vietnam

Here’s my highlights from 2018.

  • Visiting the Taj Mahal, Agra, India. Getting up at 4am to enter the site by 5am was so worth it!
  • Seeing blue whales and elephants up close in Sri Lanka. Breathtaking, unbelievable.
  • Hiking the Accursed Mountains in Albania, from Valbonë to Theth.
  • Relaxing in the thermal baths of Budapest (and drinking cocktails in the morning at Szenchenyi!)
  • Drinking steins of beer at Oktoberfest in Munich.
  • Visiting Auschwitz near Krakow, Poland.
  • Eating $1 noodles and drinking 50c beer on the streets of Cambodia with people I love
  • Walking around Lake Bled, and discovering the clearest, most amazingly coloured natural body of water… in Slovenia.
  • Visiting a coffeeshop in Amsterdam.
  • Swimming in Krka Falls, Croatia, a day before swimming was allowed. 🙂
  • Marvelling at the optical illusions of Cesky Krumlov Castle, Czech Republic
  • Getting lost in the hills of Sapa, Vietnam
  • Volunteering at a hostel in Berat, Albania for two months
  • A small guided tour in the Mostar area, (Bosnia & Hercegovina), our guide from was amazing.
  • Climbing thousands of steps to Kotor Castle; challenging but rewarded with the most incredible view of Kotor Harbour, Montenegro.
  • Seeing the monasteries of Meteora, Greece. Unbelievable, and truly beautiful.

The best part is that most of these were unplanned, or at least not until sometimes a day or two before. I didn’t have my heart set on many of these experiences so I didn’t have unrealistic expectations. Some were alone, some with friends, strangers, my partner and best friends, and most were outdoors in nature.

I’m off again in a couple of weeks, but this time it will be a winter adventure, at the start anyway. Again I have no expectations or plans, or any idea how long I’ll be away.

I can’t wait to see my highlights of this year already.