Travelling Associate Dan Welstead Returns to UK
Nearly a year after departing on his fantastic round-the-world journey, uVme Associate Dan Welstead is packing up his things and preparing to return to the UK.
He met loads of people and everywhere he went he told people about uVme. In his own words, here is Dan’s summary of his “unforgettable and incredible year”…
“We took ourself to tinsel town LA, immersed ourselves in San Fran admiring the Golden Gate Bridge and munching on grand old American burgers… Going “Down Under”, we spent a magical New Year’s Eve floating under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a boat with brilliant people. Soaked ourselves on crystal-clear Lake Mackenzie on Fraser Island and dived and snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef.
“New Zealand — ahhhhhhhhh, NZ! Where can we start? We cruised around the bay of islands, smelled the stench of Rotorua, went caving in Waitomo, went cycling around the beautiful vineyards in Blenheim, saw the incredible Milford Sound, skydived 12,000 feet over the most beautiful scenery in the world, hiked up glaciers and ate perfect fish and chips on deck chairs on the beach. New Zealand was definitely our No. 1.
“China: a culture shock at first but became a favourite; we explored the massive, polluted but fascinating Beijing, we saw the Olympic park, Tiananmen Square and Chairman Mao. We walked the Great Wall and counted the thousands of terracotta warriors. We went on the world’s fastest train, we got taught Kung Fu and Tai Chi, had mandarin lessons, cycled through rice paddies and went to the Longi Rice Terraces… and afterwards, jumped off the tallest bungy jump in the world.
“In Southeast Asia: Thailand, we explored Bangkok to the max, the Grand Palace was amazing, while going to the largest market in the world and a quick mention for the off-the-wall ping pong show. We elephant trekked in northern Thailand and went to see where the film The Beach was filmed.
“Jumped into the most beautiful waterfall in Laos, and haggled away at the best market in the world in Luang Prabang. Vietnam: Halong Bay was unforgettable. Cambodia possibly has the most welcoming people, however has the most poverty and is the most war-torn country. We saw the incredible Angkor Wat temple and we were shocked at the depressing killing fields, while along with the people the food was probably the best we have had in Asia.
“Malaysia: we were disappointed by the cities and the mainland, however the islands are the best we have seen! If you want pure seclusion, tranquillity, good food, crystal clear waters, white sands, perfect marine life and empty beaches then this is it! They are certainly the most underestimated beaches in the world and we will be back very soon.
“And last stop India. India we have a love/hate relationship with… THE END!”