As we leave Asia...

We are sitting in the Singapore Airport now. Our flight to Australia leaves in 2 hours. We just spent our last days in Asia in this pristine, Asian city-state, staying with the Whites (friends of my parents'). Its a beautiful city, mixing some of the best aspects of Asia and Europe (like London in the Asian tropics).

We are wrapping up 3.5 months in Asia and about 6.5 months of traveling in all and have been having fun remembering and comparing the different places we have been.

During this time, we have visited 16 countries (we are including the U.S. here- is that cheating?), stayed in 70 different locations within those countries and each read more than 30 books.

Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the places visited in Africa and Asia these last 6.5 months:

Most Physically Beautiful Country- South Africa

Most Physically Beautiful People- Senegalese (Wolof)

Most Spiritually Beautiful People (kindest, calmest, most peaceful)- Thai

Most Beautiful Cities – Cape Town, South Africa and Luang Prabang, Laos

Most Interesting (Fascinating is a better adjective) Country- India

Best Music- Mali

(Worst Music- Vietnam)

Best Bang for the Buck (good quality for lowest prices)- Vietnam

City We'd Most Like to Return to on a High-Dollar Budget for a Long Weekend- Hanoi, Vietnam

Best Beer- Angkor Beer, Cambodia

Best Wine- Shakalaka, South Africa

Best Airline- Thai Airways

Most Interesting Airport- Kuwait City

Top Food Experiences:
Sofitel Metropole, Hanoi (weekday buffet lunch- oh my God!)
Teej, Calcutta (Punjabi thali)
Swagath, Delhi (amazing, relatively upscale Northern Indian)
Alpine Sherpa Inn, Nagarkot, Nepal (sweet, family-owned, spicy Tibetan food with an incredible view)
Food Court Bazaar at the Night Market, Chiang Rai, Thailand- our unbeatable introduction to the Thai food court
Smokin' Pot and White Rose, Battambang, Cambodia- two neighboring, super high quality, low-price restaurants. Fish amok , spicy papaya salad and 50 different kinds of fruit shakes.
*Something, something (can't remember)* Street Food Restaurant, Hoi An, Vietnam- up-scale street food dishes in beautiful setting
Sri Avanda Bagwan, Penang, Malaysia- best Indian restaurant in the world!

Most Perfect food items:
momos- vegetarian dumplings served with curry dipping sauce throughout Nepal
deep-fried catfish with wasabit spring rolls- Highway 4 Restaurant, Hanoi
bright red chili hot sauce, served in a jar at waterfront restaurant in Les Almadies, Dakar, Senegal
pad thai at husband and wife sidewalk restaurant in Thewet (corner of Krung Kasem and Samsen Streets), Bangkok
curry mee- curry noodle soup with tofu, fresh herbs, red onion and chili available at sidewalk stalls in Penang, Malaysia
black pepper crabs- the sauce is everything and the crab are big at Chinese hawker stalls in Singapore

Best Hotel Experiences:
Relax Beach Resort- Ko Phi Phi, Thailand (best staff in the world!!!)
Zebrabar- just south of St. Louis, Senegal
Trung Tam II- Hanoi, Vietnam (most modern, least expensive room we stayed in- great staff)
Champagne Castle Resort – Drakensburg, South Africa (a splurge with an incredible view)
Cozy Cottage- Scarborough, South Africa (little cottage in a beautiful small town with gorgeous ocean sunsets)
Dream House, Udaipur, India ($6 room for an arabian nights type, ancient Indian room with stained glass windows looking out on the city)
Jungle Inn- Bukit Lawang (honeymoon suite in the jungle! monkeys on our private wrap-around porch)
Dorney, Oxshott, Surrey (Heather and Ian's house: great food, amazing liquor cabinet, wonderful company)