It’s been seven years since my husband and I took a very belated but welcomed gap year. Yes, 365 days off from work and business to travel. Just thinking and remembering the year makes me light up like a Christmas tree. That feeling of freedom, Merdeka, as we Malaysians like to say, was palpable. We didn’t stop smiling. No pressure, all weight lifted off our chests and shoulders. No deadlines, no one to answer to. It was amazing.

Even now, I can feel that sense of happiness and freedom that I felt then. Snapshots of places we visited pop-up in my head and I can see them in my mental screen. Just like flicking on a ‘feelings and video-on-demand’ switch. Replaying and reliving memories and experiences, albeit blurry at times. Isn’t that what we do with holidays that were memorable, filled with exciting events, extraordinary things and interesting people – we replay them in our heads and relive the emotions we felt then.

Flashback to 2012. We didn’t travel the world, but we did manage a fair bit of exploring. In the first leg, we covered Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and Brazil in the southern hemisphere. The second leg was England and the US including Hawaii. And, after a short respite in KL, to hang our hats, raincoats and walking boots, the third leg was to have included a ride on the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to St Petersburg, and stays in England, Ireland and Scotland. Moods and plans changed.  A tad travel-weary from living out of suitcases and moving from one hotel to the next, our third leg comprised longer holidays in England and Ireland, and shorter breaks in Perugia (Italy) and Dubrovnik (Croatia).

Australia

We flew into Sydney on January 18^th – during the Indian Thai or Harvest month. I remember this as I wanted our holiday, which required some logistic manoeuvrings and visits to unfamiliar faraway places, to begin in an auspicious month. We have visited Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne before. This time, it was primarily to spend time with family, and drop-off my mum, in the safe and capable hands of my sisters. We did some site-seeing, a hike in the Blue Mountains. It was a rainy weekend so we couldn’t see much by way of the scenery. We also didn’t see the legions of pesky, blood thirsty leeches until it was pointed out to us by other walkers. Funnily and annoyingly, the leeches were so persistent and determined, they followed us back to our B & B.

New Zealand

New Zealand was our next destination. Travelling on a budget, our cheap flight got us into Christchurch in the early hours of the morning. We checked into a B & B and my drowsy-self got cheered up instantly when I saw chocolates as our welcome gift. The things I recall, yes! A naturally beautiful country, it is very much like England but prettier with so many standout places such as Arthur’s Pass National Park, Abel Tasman National Park and Rotorua.  What always pops-up in my mind is our 3-day, trek around Tongariro Northern Circuit. The 43km hike, which was no walk in the park, was made more challenging by the weather, which alternated from very hot to very cold to very wet. When we talk about Tongariro, we never forget the rain that lashed down on us, and the rainwater that sloshed around in my brand new but leaky and faulty, walking boots. Doesn’t sound fun, but strangely, it was. Both fun and exhilarating because it was an accomplishment, at least for us.

Chile

After three weeks in New Zealand, we flew to Santiago, Chile.  Because of the distance and time difference, we had left Auckland around 2pm on Friday and arrived in Santiago at about 12 noon on the same Friday. After flying for about 14 hours, we gained some 16 hours, throwing our body clock out of whack. Chile is a vast, verdant and fertile country. Despite learning about Chile in my physical geography class at school, I realised how little I knew. The port city of Valparaiso was unexpectedly interesting with its undulating terrain and creative graffiti on the walls of houses and shops. Markets in Valdivia sold bountiful selections of fresh blueberries, strawberries, vegetables, seafood and cheese. And, what was rather surreal were the real life sea lions that swam and sunned themselves near the markets, while some lay on pavements nearby. They fed on gutted fish, and were not bothered about people, who sometimes had to walk around them, or by the stallholders. Porto Varas, meanwhile, boasted the beautiful Lake Llanquihue, Valcano Osorno, and wonderful cakes and pastries, thanks to the fusion of Chilean, Spanish and German influence. I never imagined I would eat so many delectable desserts in Chile.

Argentina

Instead of flying, we took a bus from Porto Varas into Bariloche, Argentina’s chocolate capital. Bariloche is my chocolate heaven on earth as the streets were literally lined with chocolate shops, more salivating chocolate shops as well as ice-cream parlours. My other happy recall is Patagonia and the Perito Moreno Glacier. This river of ice, with hues of blue, was amazing to watch and hear. It didn’t seem to move but when there was a break in the ice, our eyes darted to the thunderous sound of falling debris. Despite the bitter cold, we braved a hike, with crampons strapped to our walking boots, on the glacier.  It was so worth it. I also liked El Calafate, one of the towns closest to the Perito Merino Glacier and El Chalten, where the iconic Fitz Roy mountain range is located. I enjoy saying these names aloud, now and again, because they sound like two towns in a cowboy movie, and they remind me of feeling remote, of being so far away from home.  Buenos Aires was memorable with tree lined streets, sprawling parks, commanding buildings and dog walkers. We particularly enjoyed an authentic dinner theatre show, Evita, which was about the legendary Eva Peron as well as a visit to the above-the-ground Recoleta Cemetery – the resting place of well-known people, in opulent and ornate mausoleums. No trip to Argentina is quite complete without witnessing the mighty sights and sounds of the Iguazu Falls. We were absolutely enthralled. Also special, because of its unique geography, was standing at the Three Frontiers, the meeting point of Argentina, Brazil and Paraquay, where the Iguazu and Parana rivers converged.

Brazil

Rio de Janeiro was our final destination in South America. We went to Ipanema and Copacabana, more because of the hit songs “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Copacabana” rather than for the beaches themselves. We also did the must-do cable car ride up to the top of the Sugarloaf Mountain. My favourite remains Christ the Redeemer, who stands majestically on Mt. Corcovado. I was mesmerised by the statue and had a rather unexplainable, emotional experience, in a very happy sort of way. When I think of Rio, I think of Christ the Redeemer.

To be honest, by the time we got to Rio, we were a little tired. We didn’t speak Spanish or Portuguese, not for want of learning or trying, and had to get by with sign language and guesswork.  It did get a bit desperate at times, and a little muddled after a while. That said, my husband and I were awed, over and over again, by the magnificent beauty of these countries. We felt privileged to have had the opportunity to enjoy and experience the many stunning sights, grand sceneries, interesting food and generally, good and helpful people. We didn’t, however, leave Salvador de Bahia airport with a heavy heart. If anything, despite the adventure we had had, we were ready to see family and speak English again.