Yes, I made it home, all happy, healthy and in one piece. (Whereas this only just, since I had a problem with an infected blister at my ankle and had to see a doctor in Kuala Lumpur, only 2 weeks before coming home... but no worries, I am fine now.) My parents picked me up at the airport and we spent a couple of days with my sister in Hamburg before going home to Helgoland. Being back for 10 days now, here are my Top Five Homey Luxuries:

1. Thick and soft toilet paper!!

2. Wearing a snow white ELASTIC bra (as opposed to a worn-out greyish piece of cloth)

3. The taste of cheese, German bread, whipped cream and aromatic tomatoes (not altogether of course)

4. Listening to my CDs and favourite music

5. Staying in bed for a whole day reading!

On the downside, I never thought the German summer could feel so cold!!

Three question I am being asked all the time shall be answered right here, as they seem to be of great importance for many of you:

- Yes, I had a very good time but it is absolutely impossible to say where I liked it best;

- No, I did not meet anyone with whom I have a romantic relationship these days;

- And I have absolutely no clue what I am going to do next. Working, sure, but where or what is still open.

In fact, I decided to give myself a break until mid-August before starting to look for a job. At the moment, most of my time is spent on my dad’s computer, trying to organise my photos. This alone is going to take quite some time because we are talking about more than 5000 pictures here! They take more than 4.2 gigabytes of space and computer break-downs that destroy my work of 7 hours don’t really help to fasten the process... Well, I am on it, and the first pictures will be uploaded soon.

People keep asking me if I’m not sad that my trip is over but all I can say is that 15 months on the road is a long time. Instead of being sad, I rather feel blessed and grateful for the experience but I’ve also had enough for now. I am actually looking forward to having a “normal life” again! I’ve had enough impressions for a while and feel like a full glass - not able to take in anymore. I've seen so much and experienced so many different things, I really feel like I need time to "digest" everything and let it sink in before I am ready for new adventures. When I talk to other people about their jobs, relationships and social life, about their everyday routine and all the tiny little things that don't mean anything special to them, I realise that this is what I want for myself again. I am intellectually hungry for new (professional) challenges, I want to spend time with friends, go to the movies on weekends, do all the normal things and enjoy my hobbies – you have no idea how much I miss dancing! Also, I look forward to having a place on my own again, an apartment to furnish and decorate, just a place to call home. Okay, sometimes I wonder if I am really motivated to go back to work 50 hours a week, but I know that I am happy to do so if I like the job. After all this time of continuos moving around, never staying in one place for more than 5 days (which was already exceptional), living out of a backpack and never knowing where I would wake up tomorrow, all I am longing for is some sort of stability and a framework for my life. And this is what I am looking forward to now: creating my own life again. A brand-new life for the next few years to come... and I am really excited about that.

Last but not least, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me in the past months in many different ways:

To all the great people I met all around the world, locals as well as other travellers: Thank you for sharing a part of the adventure with me, without you this trip wouldn’t have been the same! Thank you so much for your company, for all the fun and laughter, for comforting me when I was homesick, and for helping me out with local currency, sunscreen, toilet paper, etc... I don’t know where I’ll be living next but please know that you will always have a place to stay at my house – wherever that may be!

A special thank you to the people and strangers who invited me in their homes, gave me a ride, paid me a meal or helped me out in many other ways when I didn’t expect it. Your kindness has been gratefully appreciated and I hope that someday I will have the opportunity to do the same for someone else. May God bless you.

To my friends back home: Without you I wouldn’t be who I am. Thank you so much for encouraging me when I doubted, before as well as during this trip! Many thanks for keeping in touch - reading your emails always helped when I felt lonely. You reminded me that there is such a thing as “normal” life with a job and a household and relationships. Something you need to remember once in a while when you’re on the road.

A special thank you to all of you who knew about my dad’s illness and kept sending their best wishes for his recovery. He’s still in medical treatment and it’s too early to celebrate but he got quite a positive test result after his last chemotherapy. It means a lot to my father that so many people wish him well and I am sure that all your thoughts are contributing to his recovery. Thank you so much!

Above everyone else, though, I thank my family. Mama, Papa, Snoopy: Ihr seid die Besten. Ohne Euch und Eure Unterstützung wäre ich nicht dort, wo ich heute bin. Die Welt ist groß und das Leben ist schön, aber nichts geht über zu Hause!

Having said all this, I look forward to receiving YOUR update!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Martina :o)

P.S.: As a reminder, this was my itinerary of the past 6 months:

Departure on February 3rd: flight to Buenos Aires via London and Caracas

4 weeks travelling overland in Argentina, south towards Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego

beginning of March flight from Punta Arenas to Santiago de Chile, then overland to Bolivia

from Bolivia overland to Peru, arrival in Lima on March 18th

March 19th to April 8th: organised tour across Peru including Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and a visit to the Amazon Jungle

from Peru to Ecuador, exploring the country and Galapagos Islands until early May

beginning of May flight from Quito back to Santiago, a few more days in Chile

May 5th: departure to Australia, one week in Brisbane, then continue to Bangkok

from Thailand overland to Laos, exploring both countries until early June

beginning of June arrival in Vietnam to start another organised tour from Hanoi to Singapore: 43 days along the Vietnamese coast down to Saigon and the Mekong Delta, then across Cambodia back into Thailand, further south along the Gulf of Thailand and via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Singapore with planned arrival July 16th

a few days left in Singapore

Return flight to Germany via Bangkok with arrival in Hamburg on July 21st