We’ve been back in the U.S. just over a week and are finally getting over our jet lag. We’re in Golden, Colorado staying in Dave’s parents’ second home here. They were here to meet us when we flew in, along with Dave’s grandma. They left on Sunday after a really nice visit, and now we are going about the business of preparing for our Alaska sea kayaking trip!

But before we get too caught up in that (details of the trip will be coming soon) I wanted to post about the top questions I’ve been asked since we got back:

How was your shoulder?

I am happy to say the shoulder performed really well on the bike. During the first three weeks or so it would be a little achy at the end of the day, and once in a while it would give a sharp nip of pain if I stood up to pedal hard or something like that. It adapted to the demands quickly, and for the rest of the trip it was very comfortable cycling, even on longer days. Things that still bother my shoulder are sleeping on that side (my right, my favorite side to sleep on) and carrying heavy bags (part of traveling). It still looks gnarley, so wearing camisole tops or my swimsuit makes me really have good posture. That’s because if I concentrate on using just the right muscles and push my shoulder back and down a bit then it doesn’t look as whacked. If I push my shoulder down and then back, it doesn’t work. Funny stuff.

Did you see any rice or food shortages?

Wow, I guess that must have been all over the news, because I’ve been asked this a lot. We never really saw any shortages, though we’re pretty sure some cooks were stretching food a bit more than usual based on the taste and the way things looked. Food prices were certainly high and getting higher throughout Southeast Asia, though some countries seem to suffer more than others. On average, food takes up about 65% of the family budget in SE Asia, so the global food crisis is hitting these people hard. We heard most about it in Cambodia, the poorest nation in Southeast Asia. One young woman who worked in a small restaurant told us she works for ten dollars a month plus food (they use American dollars there as much, if not more, than their own currency). The best part of the deal was the food. She rode her scooter into town from the village because she couldn’t afford not to have this job.

Any weird food experiences?

How about embryonic eggs – a half-developed chicken inside an otherwise normal looking egg? We didn’t realize that’s what it was, and we couldn’t bring ourselves to eat it (it stunk!) Or how about watching people set bags of bread on the ground outside the restaurant, with the baguettes touching the ground? Seeing your food chopped up on the floor of the restaurant? Seeing jungle critters in bottles of Lao whiskey, or dog being cooked up on an open fire? No, we did not try either. The point is, the further we went north, the weirder the options became and the more we had to ignore food handling practices. We only got sick from the food once, three months into the trip, but it was bad enough to make up for time. We were glad to have our antibiotics! Ultimately, we not only survived, but we ate pretty well. Tourism is growing, and we were able to buy enough bread, crackers, peanut butter, fruit, nuts and things like that to survive when we couldn’t bear the food choices. Sticking to the coast through most of the trip also helped us. It would probably be even easier for meat eaters.

What did you miss most?

Pizza. Wild open spaces with no one staring. Clean bathrooms. Being able to call my best friend just to chat. Dry air.

What was your favorite part?

Meeting people with so much joy in their smiles. Frenetic, screaming, smiling kids waving and shouting hello. Camping in the jungle-covered mountains while crossing Malaysia. Diving! Pulau Tioman’s laid back beach atmosphere and swimming over the coral in the bay. Thai food. Bicycling the mountains in Laos: 25 kilometer descents! Meeting other travelers over dinner at the Laughing Gecko guest house. Cycling, talking, laughing with Dave.

Have questions of your own? Post a comment and ask away…