Planes, Trains, Buses, Boats, Cars...

To say that we've spent a lot of time getting from point A to point B in the past year is a bit of an understatement. Other than taking a major toll on the environment (we're going to buy a hybrid soon we promise!), these hours on board were a significant component of our adventure. Here's a look back at some of our favorites....

CARS
There's nothing like a good old fashioned road trip. Our aging Subaru was a champ making the journey up to Alaska and "Petunia" drove like a dream around the coasts of New Zealand.

 

BUSES

By far the most of our transportation hours were logged on buses.... bus travel is really the only way to truly experience a country.  Bumping along with all walks of life through all the nooks and crannies of local towns and countrysides.  We have a million stories and war wounds to share from our bus journeys but here are pictures from a few of the most memorable.   Each journey provided its own special treats of humor, frustration, boredom, and new friends.  We wouldn't want to have done it any other way.

 

 

BOATS
Boats are always fun.  Well, unless it's a 10 hour ride on a smoke infested Indonesian ferry.   Cruising through the rivers of Borneo on our private little houseboat was probably the highlight of our boat journeys...

PLANES
The major legs of our Round-the-World plane ticket were fairly uneventful.  More note worthy were our numerous domestic flights - particularly hopping between the islands of Indonesia.  50 year old planes that are sent here to fly until they crash and burn.... Thankfully, we survived.  Getting tested for Swine Flu on a domestic Burmese flight was also a strange and humorous affair.

TRAINS
Nader claims to have gotten his best nights sleep of the year on this luxury sleeper train in China.  Even the hard sleepers provide a great rest and way to see the countryside.  We wish we'd spent more time on trains -- maybe the Tran-Siberian will be our next adventure.

MOTORBIKES
Crusing around on the back of a bike can be the most freeing or harrowing experience.  Allison preferred Nader as a driver to some of her other chauffers....
 

EVERYTHING ELSE
It's hard to keep track of all the other modes of transportation we took advantage of on our journey.  If there's a tourist looking for a ride, there's a guy who's rigged something up to get you there.  Some worked better than others but all were highly entertaining... When you're a backpacker on the road, getting there is certainly more than half the fun.