“And your top three highlights are…..”

Now that we have been travelling for nearly three months we thought we’d both have a think about each of our three highlights so far. We didn’t confer on these and left the brief open. Interesting, I think, that most of these aren’t ‘tourist attractions’ or actual places we have visited but more a general sense of living so close to nature.

By the way being with me was Captain’s #4 😉

Clare:

#1 Stars: We’re in a 5000km² national park in the south-eastern corner of Kazakhstan at the moment and there is no light pollution – the stars are incredible with the Milky Way arching over our heads. I honestly think the world would be a better place if people took the time to sit under the stars and just gaze. They literally blow my mind 😉

#2 Colours: I’m loving how the soil, rocks, water and fauna have changed colour as we have travelled west. The subtly different hues and tones of the earth upon which we tread give me gentle joy. The colours here, in this small part of Kazakhstan, are the most beautiful burnt sienna, mauve, lavenders and dusty pinks with pale silver-green low lying shrubbery. On the other side of the hill the soil is white with encrusted salt and the dry brittle plants are pale golds and ochres. (It’s like a Farrow and Ball colour chart!)

#3 Being Together: Warning – this has the potential to be gushier than one of Morris’ FB updates 😉 Spending everyday with my husband is fabulous. We have spent, more or less, every second in each other’s company and, apart from one or two little tiffs, have got on extremely well! The best part though is seeing him so happy: he’s in his absolute element.

Captain:

#1 Waking up in a new place everyday: I’m quite an annoying person in that not only do I like a bit of routine and rhythm to life, but I also get bored with things very quickly. For this reason, our trip is turning out to suit me perfectly; I have the familiarity and routine of living in our car everyday, combined with a constant stream of new stimulii to tickle my brain cells. It’s a funny feeling, but now is the first time in a long time where I look forward to sleeping so that I can wake up and find out what will happen next.

#2 Being outdoors: In my normal civilian life I work as a computer programmer which means almost every day I spend 9 or 10 hours sat in a fluorescently lit room staring at a computer screen. And being a fair skinned; the slightest sign of sunlight generally sends me running for the nearest shady place. On Fromeward Bound that’s all changed. Every time we cook, need the loo or sleep we feel the outdoors on our skin whether we like it or not. So far we’ve been burnt, bitten, bashed and bruised and I love it!

#3 Mongolia: In doing what we’re doing, nearly every day has an unprecedented freedom. We choose when and where to sleep, how far to drive and how we spend our non-travelling time. In Mongolia, however, that sense of freedom felt even more extreme. Not only were we travelling through the most amazing never-ending wild countryside, but the near-lack of proper roads meant we could head in almost any direction unhindered. A low population (3m) and permissive camping laws let us set up shop just about anywhere we fancied in the vast expanse. In other words, a dream country in which to roam.