It was supposed to be Samoa. But I ended up instead in Tonga. The thought of seeing whales up close was all that my mind could focus on and get excited about after leaving behind places, people and experiences that almost brought me to tears. And Tonga would surprise me with a few emotional moments, the kind that you would want to finish your six months adventures with.

It was a cold Thursday afternoon when I set foot on Tongan land. A complete change of scenery, from the sunny and hot atolls up north to a lush, rugged and at times rainy landscape. I would miss the North Pacific’s warmth and beaches, but it wouldn’t take long before I embraced the new scenery. Driving around Tongatapu (Tonga’s main island) with an international “squad”, sharing food, laughters and stories about God knows what was a smooth transition to the new environment and following adventures, as well as a great way of discovering the island. We would stop by a natural bridge and nearby secret beach – allowing ourselves a few good minutes to take in the beauty of the place and chat with a few locals and their lovely children, by the ‘Anahulu cave – exploring its depths and natural formations, by the blowholes – marvelling at the nature’s force and not having enough of the incredibly powerful waves blowing through the rock holes, by the tsunami rock – debating its origin and putting forward our own theories of how that rock actually got there, by the Abel Tasman landing site – chasing a sea snake only to run away from it at the end and by the famous three headed coconut tree – wondering about the secrets it hides. In between, we would admire the locals’ colourful houses or gardens and their creative appearance.

I would see the same if not even more colourful houses on the ‘Eua island too. The flight to ‘Eua, one of the shortest in the world at only 7 minutes, would bring sightings of whales, a view that certainly got me very excited about the experience that Tonga promises to the marine wildlife enthusiasts. To follow the trend from Tuvalu, guess what?! That’s right, I had no accommodation booked for the island, being quite confident about the locals’ friendliness and willingness to host a few poor souls in search of some beds. Yet again, luck struck and me and my travel companion managed to secure accommodation precisely at Kiko’s, the popular whale watching tour operator. What else could I have wished for?!

Indeed, what else could I have wished for than getting new travel buddies with whom I would share a few exciting moments: a walk to the beautiful beach near Kiko’s to spot the humpbacks’ playful display, a hike to the ancient ovava tree and the rats cave to explore the secret lookout, a Sunday evening at the church to be awed by the gospel songs and an incredible whale swimming experience? What I certainly did not wish for was a bee sting that I tell you not was both painful and annoying (I felt sorry for the poor bee that lost its life though). Especially annoying since it happened the day before my scheduled whale watching trip, my first and only shot at spotting the whales up close.

Coming to Tonga in the whale watching season without actually seeing any whales would have been a bit of a disappointment. And this is precisely what I felt the next day, waking up in drizzling rain and hearing about the first group’s unlucky morning. I almost gave up all hopes after one hour on the boat, in freezing rain, with no whales in sight when a sudden rush in my adrenaline levels struck my body. There they were, as majestic as I knew them to be, diving, splashing, playing, singing. The rain seemed to have gone away, the cold was suddenly replaced by excitement, the struggle with the broken snorkel tube and the choppy waters almost felt unreal. A new record of one hour and 40 minutes of being in the water, watching and humbly listening to a few humpbacks enjoying themselves and us, the humans. We all hear about how incredible the whales are, but it is not until we get close to them, observing them, that we actually grasp and fully appreciate the experience and the impact it may have on us. It was my first true encounter with the whales and their genius, one that will stay with me for a long time. It was also the only thing that we all talked about the entire afternoon and even the next day, when I returned to Tongatapu, to catch my flight to Auckland, a short stop on my way home.

It wasn’t until I got to Auckland that various emotions started kicking in. My first six months being so far away from home were over. They were six months of adventures, of testing my limits – both physical and mental, of meeting wonderful people – some who would turn into friends, of more self discovery, of intense feelings occasionally turning into tears, of a deep sense of freedom and power, yet of weakness too, of allowing myself to dream without boundaries, of new ways of living and looking at life, of new memories to share with my loved ones, of precisely 39 flights, countless bus and boat rides and… of a hunger for more travels. There were the hives, the sun rash, the food poisoning, the endless mosquito and sand fly bites, the bed bugs, the bee sting, the broken camera lens, the soaked backpack, the cancelled flights, the broken boat engines and there were the love, excitement, anxiety, joy, curiosity, sadness, awe, disappointment, anger and many countless others that shaped these months in different ways.

And how fortunate I was to be able to do all this travelling and the more to come in the next months. I didn’t want to set high expectations for this trip, though secretly hoping it would help me to figure out how I wish my future to look like. If anything, I know now a bit better the kind of person I am and the kind of future I would like for myself… the journey is not over and I will continue to enjoy the ride.

Let us be inspired and remember that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Happy travelling!