JKRoaming – Travel Blog

If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment
Ernest Rutherford

This page is all about the numbers and the milestones for our journey.

Travel

Most Northerly point: Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

Most Southerly point: Queenstown, New Zealand

Most Easterly point: Nadi,Fiji

Most Westerly point: Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Ireland

Countries Visited

Modes of transport:

Sights Visited

UNESCO Sites (55)

• Cambodia (1) : Angkor Wat
• India (7) : Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Red Fort (Delhi), Hampi Ruins, Jantar
  Mantar (Jaipur), Jaipur City,Amber Fort
• Nepal (1) : Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur)
• Vietnam (4) : Hue Citadel, Hoi An Ancient Town, Ha Long Bay, My Son Sanctuary
• Laos (1) : Luang Prabang Ancient Town
• Thailand (1) : Sukhotai Ruins
• China (11) : South China Karst, West Lake (Hangzhou), Mount Huangshan, Great
  Wall,Forbidden City (Beijing), Terracotta Army (Xian), Temple of Heaven (Beijing), Summer
  Palace (Beijing), Old Town Lijiang, Silk Road (Xian),Three Parallel Rivers
  of Yunnan (Tiger Leaping Gorge)
• Malaysia (1) : Mount Kinabalu National Park
• Indonesia (2) : Prambanan Temple, Borobodur Temple
• Australia (12): Ningaloo Reef, Shark Bay, Fremantle Prison, Royal Exhibition
  Building and Carlton Gardens (Melbourne), Sydney Opera House, Port
  Arthur Heritage Site, Maria Island National Park (Tasmania), Blue
  Mountains, Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, K’Gari (Fraser Island)
• UK (2): Maritime Greenwich, Old and New Towns of Edinburgh
• Hungary (1): Budapest Old City
• South Africa (2): Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island
• Japan (5): Himeji Castle,Ancient Kyoto,Hiroshima Genbaku Dome, Itsukushima Shrine, Ancient Nara
• Italy (2): Historic Centre of Florence, Historic Centre of Siena
• Austria (2): Palace and Gardens of Schonbrunn, Historic Centre of Vienna
• New Zealand (1) : Tongariro National Park
• Singapore (1): Singapore Botanic Gardens

People ( are people!!)

# Of Scots encountered: 295 (+31)

# Of Irish encountered: 265

Best responses to “Hi I am from Scotland…” :

• “Ayr? Is that near Prestwick?”
• “Is that a country in Europe?”
• “Will they finally get Independence?” “Good Whiskey”, “I studied Engineering in Glasgow University”, “Glasgee”, “Och Aye the Noo”
• All the ATMs in Nepal, Laos and on Gili Air have a Scottish Female voice booming out instructions
• Our Nepalese guide in Patan studied in Ayr College for two years. He had an RBS Bank card. Talked about Dam Park. Had been to Dumfries. Crazy!!
• Our Travel Agent in Saigon was very happy to hear that Karen was Scottish and asked her to speak some Scottish. Her response was: ‘Och Aye the Noo’
• In Chiang Mai there is a Scottish Bar full of saltires! We also overheard drunk English people putting on the worst Scottish Accents.
• Hong Kong boasts street names such as Fife Street, Argyle Street amongst many others as well as the area of Aberdeen harbour on Hong Kong Island.
• The Proclaimers “I would walk 500 miles” is a favourite song for live music and street buskers across Sydney

Best responses to “Hi I am from Ireland….” :

• “To be sure… to be sure.. to be sure” – Lady in Launceston Tourist Information Office on hearing John was from Ireland
• “With that accent of course you are!” – After telling someone in Albany (Aus) I was from Cork.
• “U2”,
  “There are religious groups in Ireland that are so cruel that they will kill you as soon as look at you!!”
• The company that made the Titanic still exists,
• The Economy is very good in Ireland
• In the Munnar Tea Factory one of the workers grabbed me, on hearing I was Irish, and showed me one of the leaf rollers – made in Belfast Ireland!
• In Saigon you can get Vietnamese breakfast or Irish breakfast
• In Gary’s Irish Bar in Vang Vieng you will meet half of cork!
• Roy Keane is still popular in Asia, and Shay Given too!
• There is a restaurant in Tiazefang (Shanghai) called Ireland’s Potato (Yeah!!)
• According to AirAsia checkin desk at Kunming Airport my country doesn’t exist!!!
• “Do you know Ballycooley, in Dublin” – Swiss guy at Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia. He had worked with IBM there.

Celebrity Stalking!

Celebrities met: 9

• Ray Meagher (aka Alf Stewart) (Kirribilli Butchers)
• Tom Hardy (Heathrow Airport)
• Harrison Ford (Star Wars Fan Event)
• Jay Laga’aia (Star Wars Fan Event)
• George Galloway (Lancaster Services)
• Suggs – Lead Singer of Madness (Heathrow Airport)
• Joe Deane (Mumbai)
• Peter Overton – Channel 9 Anchor (The Basin)
• Tom Piotrowski – CommSec Market Analyst and Media Guru (Work)
• Warwick Davis – Seamill Hydro Hotel at my Wedding
• Best Celebrity Moment: Harrison Ford at Star Wars Event (Our eyes met!!) and Warwick Davis – what a gent!

Celebrities spotted: 6

• Fabio Capello: stuck in Mumbai traffic next to the tour bus.
• Archie Knox eating his dinner in Seamill Hydro Hotel.
• Russell Crowe (Sydney Opera House)
• Jason Flemying – stayed at our hotel in Budapest.
• Paul McGinley – On a flight to Heathrow
• Brian Kerr – Dublin Airport

Football Club Jerseys Spotted – not fakes!

1. Barcelona:101
2. Manchester United:83
3. Chelsea:60
4. Arsenal:58
5. Germany:50
6. Liverpool: 49
7. Real Madrid:44
8. Brazil:42
9. AC Milan:32
10. Manchester City:27
11. Australia: 24
12. Spain:23
13. Argentina:21
14. Paris Saint Germain (PSG):19, Bayern Munich:19, Glasgow Celtic:19–1 in the middle of the Dharavi Slums!!
15. Western Sydney Wanderers:16
16. Borussia Dortmund: 15
17. Holland:14,Sydney FC:14
18. Ireland:13,Japan 13, Tottenham Hotspurs: 13,France: 13
19. Inter Milan:12, Juventus:12

GAA Jerseys Spotted:

• Cork GAA x9
• Kilkenny GAA x7
• Mayo GAA x4
• Dublin GAA x3
• Killeagh GAA,Manhattan Gaels GAA,Limerick GAA,Kerry GAA,Tipperary GAA,Armagh GAA,Sligo GAA,Wexford GAA,Tyrone GAA,Ballinasloe GAA,Derry GAA

Rugby Jerseys Spotted:
Glasgow Warriors x45 — Happened to stumble across Fan event at George’s Square,Glasgow — oops!

• Ireland x19
• Australia x17,
• New Zealand x15
• British & Irish Lions x13
• Fiji x11
• Munster x11
• Scotland x8
• England x7
• South Africa x4
• Newcastle Falcons x3,Kenya x3,Hong Kong Rugby Club x3

France,Leinster,Argentina,USA Rugby,Montpellier Rugby (Super 14),Ulster Rugby x2,Japan,Harlequins,Wasps

NBA Jerseys Spotted:

Chicago Bulls x37 (My main man ROSE!)

Boston Celtics x29

LA Lakers x22

Miami Heat x19
Cleveland Cavaliers x9
New York Knicks x8,LA Clippers x8
Orlando Magic x7,
Brooklyn Nets x6
Oklahoma City Thunder x4,Sacramento Kings x4
Phoenix Suns x2
San Antonio Spurs x3
Charlotte Hornets x2
Golden State Warriors x3

Detroit Pistons,Houston Rockets,New Orleans Pelicans,Denver Nuggets,Seattle Supersonics,Portland Trailblazers