Here is a list of the things we've lost and broken along this crazy 6 month adventure. I'm sure I missed a couple of things, but I'm pretty sure I hit the highlights.
LOST
1. My bag - lost during a flight to Lijiang in China. Later found at the Chengdu Airport and returned later that same day. It got a tearful embrace from me upon arrival.
2. Alarm clock - Lost somewhere on the east coast of Thailand. This presented quite the problem because we had no alarm and no internal clock. It set off a frantic search at 10 o'clock at night to find a watch with an alarm. We found one.. (See item #1 in Broken section)
3. My hat - Riding on top of the cab of a truck during a safari on Ko Samui, it flew off. I convinced the driver to go back for it. 10 minutes later, it flew off again. The driver wouldn't go back that time.
4. Hbf's hat - Left on a bus somewhere in China. Someone now has a black O'Neill baseball hat to call their own.
5. $40 in Laotian money that Hbf had been saving for 2 years. He had the money from his last trip to Laos in 2007 and brought it along since no one would exchange it in the US. He lost it a month before we got to Laos and we think a maid helped herself to the envelope. The joke's on her though.. No one will exchange Laos money unless you are in Laos.
6. 9 pairs of sunglasses between the 2 of us - 2 in China (1 left at a hostel, 1 dropped and broken), 1 in Cambodia (dropped during a particular difficult river crossing), 4 in Laos (Those things never seemed to stay on while we floated down the river), 1 in Vietnam and 1 in Thailand. We now have 3 pairs of sunglasses between the 2 of us. Never can be too careful.
7. 2 pairs of flip flops - 1 night in Cambodia, we left our shoes in front of the hotel with everyone else's since shoes are not allowed inside. The next morning, Hbf's flips were missing. He wore other shoes throughout the day and later returned to the hotel to find that his shoes had been returned. Someone had warn his shoes for a day. Also, Hbf left his flips at a very nice beach while island hopping in El Nido. Maybe some explorer will find a nice pair of flips waiting for him in the sand someday.
8. El Dub's Rolex watch - Purchased with extreme care in Hong Kong and sent Fed Ex back to Oregon, only the box made it. The watch didn't. Luckily, I took out insurance and we received a full refund. El Dub still wants a Rolex though..
BROKEN
1. 4.5 Watches - I jumped off a bridge into a river in Yangshuo and the watch that I had brought from the US stopped working about 20 minutes later. I bought an awesome watch in China that had Mao waving to me every second. Turns out it was a wind up watch and it didn't work very well. I think it lasted a week. Hbf bought a digital watch for the alarm function. It was super crappy and never really worked at all. It did provide an alarm a couple of times, but we eventually found out Hbf's camera had an alarm and tossed that watch. Hbf later bought a fake Rolex in China. It was maybe the worst copy I've ever seen and it was also a wind up watch. It was so crappy Hbf just stopped wearing it. I think it didn't really keep time that well.. I bought a very unique watch in Thailand that I really loved. It stopped working after about a month. I held on to it for awhile and eventually found a new battery for it. I am still wearing it and it even keeps accurate time!
2. 1.5 iPods - In Chengdu, Hbf's iPod stopped working. The front screen said Contact Customer Support and had a sad face. A couple days later, it magically revived itself and has worked fine ever since. Unfortunately, mine wasn't so lucky. Hbf bought some speakers for our iPods and plugged in my iPod to the speaker charger. It immediately fried my iPod and wouldn't even turn on. Sadness...
3. 2 Cameras.. I mean zero cameras! Both of our cameras broke around El Nido but Hbf nerded out and fixed both of them. He's my hero :D
4. My earphones - Broke around the time of the horse trek. I don't think they could take the extreme cold of Ice Mountain. I don't blame them.. I later found replacements at the Chinese Walmart in Dali. Although Walmart was a big let down at the time.
5. Hbf's flip flops - Broken in Laos. Too much love, I guess.
6. Numerous other things - Headbands, buttons, belts, shoelaces, a head lamp.. That's all I can think of for now.
Is there anything I wish I hadn't brought? No. I have used my curling iron, contrary to what Hbf told me over and over before we left.. And I'm glad I brought a little make up. It's always nice to get dressed up when it's been days since you've showered and you finally reach a place with hot water. Know what I mean? Prolly not..
