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These are my personal observations after our incredible journey – things I want to remember about how I feel right now after absorbing so much.

I really believe that everyone comes away from this kind of journey changed in some way. The destinations, the excursions, the lectures, the shared conversations with fellow passengers, with crew, and with local people, impact each of us in a different way.

To paraphrase the song from Wicked: “I don’t know if I’ve been changed for the better, but I’ve been changed for good.”

I hope we’ve been changed for the better.

Indonesia and Malaysia were a surprise – not at all what we expected from seeing glitzy brochures of resorts in Bali, or from hearing stories from expats living in Thailand or Kuala Lumpur. Our excursions were not focussed on just seeing the tourist highlights (although of course we did those too), but on seeing how the local people really live day-to-day.

We saw first-hand what poverty looks like, and experienced amazing optimism and resiliency in the people we met.

We saw the direct effects of climate crises, and of overpopulation.

We got new perspectives on the world’s religions that were markedly different from what Western media feeds us.

We continued to be frustrated by political corruption – and the unintended (we hope) consequences of foreign interference in politics.

We saw first-hand the benefits of accessible education.

We saw people proud of their heritage, and sharing it with younger generations keen to preserve it.

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Africa was an unexpected change to our itinerary, and proved to be the most impactful part of the journey.

We were humbled by the very fact of being in the place where humans first arose as a species.

While Ted and I had certainly seen it before in Central and South America, what was reinforced over and over and over in Africa was the damaging legacy of colonialism, and of the arrogance of one culture presuming to impose their values on another with no understanding whatsoever of that other culture.

We observed firsthand the lasting legacy of racism.

We were saddened by the realization that years of colonialism and artificial hierarchies based solely on pigmentation meant that even in the 21st century some beautiful young Black and Brown women were still bleaching their skin in the mistaken impression that paler was somehow “better”.

We learned about and saw the lasting negative effects of artificially imposed borders.

Again and again we saw millenia of history and culture almost lost through being devalued or suppressed. We also saw the devastating effects of colonizers depleting a country’s resources, eliminating its way of life, and then leaving with no regard for how an exploited country would rebuild.

We felt – and lived – “privilege” every single day. It was much more than just having the time and money to travel the very luxurious way we did; it was about being able to assume we’d be safe, assume we’d be able to access health care, assume we’d have freedom of movement, and assume others would welcome us being in their lands. We observed that for a small number among us it was also the assumption that their language would be universally understood, their currency universally accepted, their clothing choices universally appropriate, and that their desire to get the perfect shareable photo superseded posted rules or cultural preferences for privacy.

We saw, and heard about, massive Chinese infrastructure projects and education initiatives all over the developing world. Whether or not these projects are altruistic (are any country’s?) they are definitely more than any other country is doing right now.

But above all we learned that it’s true that the things the world needs most are love and mutual respect, from which foundation all its other needs could be met.

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Postscript:

In 1974, British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe wrote and released “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. Over 50 years later, after incredible experiences in places we never thought we’d see, we’re wondering the same thing.