Reflections on 2016
‘The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come.’ – Ian Knabel.
2016 has been a good year.
On a personal level, 2016 has been a good year. Not as great as 2015, which I boldly claimed was the best year yet. You can read about it in Reflections on 2015. 2016 didn’t top it, but it wasn’t bad. On a personal level.
On a global level… My, what a year! We had Brexit and Trump. There were terrorist attacks, and ongoing civil wars in Syria and Yemen. To top it all, there were some major celebrity deaths, including the author of my favourite book, Harper Lee. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve had days where I’ve read or watched the news and literally despaired at the world we are now living in. I wrote about it back in November, but I still cannot believe the tough year we’ve had across the world.
A Brief Recap on 2016
I spent Christmas in the UK. January saw Mum and I in Pembrokeshire for a couple of nights before I headed back to the Southern Hemisphere for summer in New Zealand. February and March were spent planning and preparing for The Long Journey Home with P. There was also lots of NZ fun thrown in for good measure.
In April, I quit my job and got back on the road. I took a trip around the South Island before heading back to Wellington one last time. Then it was onto Auckland to see C before I flew out of the country. I spent a wonderful week in Mongolia, before flying to Beijing to meet up with P. We started The Long Journey Home from there. During the rest of April, May and half of June, we traversed China, Mongolia, Russia and half of Europe in our bid to get back to the UK overland.
Back to Reality
The Long Journey Home was an amazing, awesome adventure and we were gutted when we arrived back in the UK on June 16th. After a reunion with friends from New Zealand, I headed back to Wales for a wedding and set about job hunting. Within two weeks, I was back in London starting a new job. I spent the summer exploring the city I now call home, getting out and about whenever possible for weekend trips.
As summer slipped into autumn, I moved into my current flat. Shortly afterwards, I headed to Berlin for a fantastic weekend with C and L. My sisters and I spent a few days celebrating Mum’s birthday with her in London. There was lots of fun, laughter, food and a sunset trip up The Shard. Finally, we slid into December and the present. The weekend before Christmas, we went to Allihies for a big family reunion and then I headed back in Wales, ready for a family Christmas.
A Whirlwind Year
This year has been a whirlwind, a kaleidoscope of fun and activity. I’ve felt extremely grateful to have some wonderful friends, in Wales, in London, back in NZ and scattered around the world. This has definitely been a year of friendship and without a doubt, my friends and my family have been the biggest highlight in 2016. It’s been great to reconnect with old friends, continue making new friends and enjoy some quality time with my family after living abroad for nearly two years. A special shout out to P for being the best travel companion anyone could ask for!
I’ve got many highlights this year. Road tripping in New Zealand, sunset at Richmond Park and my trip to Berlin. Watching the sun set over Budapest, climbing Rocky Mountain in Wanaka and drinking beer across Europe. Yet another sunset as viewed from the top of The Shard with Mum, our trip to Pembrokeshire in January and the day at Wellington Races. Being reunited with friends I hadn’t seen in ages from both NZ and Wales and getting a new job so quickly. And of course, The Long Journey Home!
There is a lot to be thankful for! There are three particular personal highlights that top them all.
Horse Riding in Mongolia
When I went riding with S and P during my second visit to Mongolia, I was given a really lively horse that I secretly named Billy. He was impatient and raring to go. As we galloped, wild and free, across the steppe, I felt on top of the world. The wind whistled past my ears and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
We raced away from the group and then paused to wait for them to catch up. Billy whirled on the spot, eager to keep moving, and we jogged along instead of walking. After years of not riding, this really brought home to me how much I still love horses and still want to ride again in the future.
Sunset over Lake Baikal
I wrote about this sunset here, but looking back, this evening was one of the biggest highlights of my year. I felt completely at peace with the world. This was one of those rare pauses, when I was truly right there in the moment. We were absorbed by the sunset that was unfolded before us, by how cold it was and how happy we were to be there. It was an amazing show of nature.
The sunset followed a lovely day when we’d eaten a picnic on the shores of Lake Baikal, wandered around Khuzir taking photos and generally just chilled out in the middle of nowhere! A quite, unassuming day to go down in the record books.
Family Reunion in Allihies
Just a couple of weekends ago, I returned to Allihies for the happy occasion of my Great Uncle’s 80th birthday. The entire family on my Dad’s side made it for the weekend and it was fantastic to see everyone again, particularly my Granddad. My Great Uncle was thrilled to see us all and after a big dinner in the local pub, we drank, chatted and caught up until the small hours. Both my Great Uncle and my Granddad are great singers. They got up and sang songs accapella, which was amazing.
The next day, I wandered along the cliff path and sat for a while, watching the breakers rolling in off the Atlantic and smashing against the rocks. There was a fine spray misting the air. It was the first time I had been by the sea in months. I left Allihies feeling more peaceful and relaxed than I’d felt in a long time.
There have been some low points in 2016 too.
Anxiety on the South Island
This made that fortnight really tough, especially as I was largely travelling alone and lived in my head a lot more. I had so much more time to over-think everything.
Leaving New Zealand was hard too. I still miss this beautiful country. Every. Single. Day. I definitely left a piece of myself in the Land of the Long White Cloud and often think wistfully about returning, even though I know it’ll be different and nothing is ever the same twice.
The Journey from Hell
Literally everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I ended up arriving in Ulaan Bator around 13 hours behind schedule. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, but it was touch and go for a while. I’m definitely not ashamed to admit that I locked myself in the toilet mid-flight between Sydney and Beijing and had a wee cry to let some of the stress out!
Horrific Knee Pain
Back in March, I hit my knee hard whilst boarding a bus. It hurt a hell of a lot but the pain disappeared after a few days and I thought nothing more about it. However, after several days of riding in Mongolia, my knee pain flared up again. I was in agony throughout the end of my time in Mongolia and then during my entire time in Beijing.
Walking was hard work. I limped and could barely make it up or down stairs. At one point, I nearly cried from the sheer pain of it after over-exerting myself on the Great Wall of China and climbing lots of steps! It has slowly healed throughout the year and I’ve been told by the doctor that there’s nothing too much to worry about. However, it has caused me a great deal of pain and irritation this year. The moment that stands out most to me is when I broke down in tears while driving to Suffolk in July. It was so painful I could no longer drive. My sister had to take over while I stretched out in the passenger seat for the rest of the journey.
Pretty Minor Low Points Really…
I count myself lucky that these low points have all been pretty minor complaints. The highlights of 2016 far outweigh the low points!I’m now starting to look forward to what 2017 has to throw at me – I already have lots of travel plans, starting with a trip to Bruges for my birthday next month. I know that globally, 2017 is likely to be another tough year. However, I hope that on a personal level, it’ll be a good year, with plenty to keep me busy, lots of fun to be had and of course, more travel to be done!
