Our #bestnine of 2016 2

If you’re on Instagram, you’ll probably be familiar with the #bestnine hashtag. An app finds your top photos from the past year based on number of likes and puts them into a collage. It’s a fun way to look back at the year.
I’ve stolen this idea and made a collection of the highlights from 2016. 

Here, they are, in chronological order:

Moving House

We started the year by moving from our tiny one room flat to a much more spacious house.
It’s been a real work in progress all year but we are so happy here and love being able to host our friends and family.

Lucy

My sister came to stay! She was actually here whilst we moved and so got ropped into packing/painting/cleaning/waiting for deliveries. And we got her dolled up in traditional Thai dress for a party.

India

Term ended in March and we headed off to India. We spent six weeks making our way from Mumbai to Kolkata and it was an incredible experience. It engaged our senses like nowhere else we’ve visited and it was a rollercoaster of a trip. Holi was the unanimous highlight; a long-time joint ambition for both of us was fulfilled in style

Doi Inthanon

We took advantage of a long weekend to take a trip up to the North of Thailand. As well as filling our bellies with the wide variety of delicious food that Chiang Mai has to offer, we hired mopeds and drove out to Doi Inthanon National Park and up to the highest point in Thailand. We weren’t very well prepared for how chilly it got up there but the views were well worth it!

Mona

We had absolutely no plans to get a pet but when a friend rescued a sick little homeless cat and asked us if we wanted a furry friend, we couldn’t resist. She’s a crazy little thing but we love her and she makes us very happy!

Borneo

We spent ten days in October exploring a tiny part of the worlds third largest island. We plodded our way up to Mt Kinabalu – a wonderful and surreal experience – and then dragged our tired legs to Mulu National Park to see the jungle. 

Rosie

Fresh from our adventures in Borneo, we  spent the second half of our holiday in Thailand with Matt’s mum. It was much more relaxing and we also met up with my cousins and Matt’s sister. We really are incredibly lucky that so many people have visited us out here!

Christmas

Christmas can be a tough time of year when you’re away from your family and I really missed home this year. However we were lucky enough to be surrounded by friends (including two visitors from the UK!) and it was definitely a roaring success!

New Year

We had more visitors for New Year so the four of us headed to the beach. Spenting several days lying on the beach in between dipping in the sea, getting massages and drinking endless cocktails was a perfect way to both end 2016 and begin 2017. I’ve never been a huge fan of New Years Eve but this definitely topped them all!

We feel incredibly happy to have had so many wonderful experiences this year, though there were far more ups and downs than this blog or a collection of nice photos dares to share. But ultimately 2016 helped us appreciate more keenly how fortunate we are to enjoy the opportunities, family, friends and prosperity/peace the lottery of happenstance has cared to afford us. 

In all likelihood, if you’re reading this, we love and miss you. Here’s to you, and here’s to a another year. 

R&M