“The open road speaks for a perpetual becoming.”

Pico Iyer

A few more hours and the year is done. And what a year it’s been here on Jill’s Scene. Over on FaceBook, Mark Zuckerberg and his friends tell me I’ve been to seven countries and checked in at more than ten places.

But that little piece of information is both an exaggeration and a minimisation of where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. It’s seven countries if you count transit lounges. I’ve seen a few of those; getting anywhere from New Zealand seldom involves a direct flight. As to FB check-ins, mostly I don’t bother with that.

There’s been a lot more going on aside from travel. 2015 was a year of huge change for me and there’s more to come in 2016. In the blogging world my  readership is growing. The number of views has increased by over 40%. There’s many new followers, welcome to all of you. My regular readers are coming back more frequently, too.

Here, in one place,  are the posts on Jill’s Scene you visited the most in 2015:

Off The Beaten Track in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Whistle Down the Wind Comes to Hawkes Bay

This post was my take on the Waipawa Musical and Dramatic Club rehearsal for their annual show. These guys are dedicated and it shows in my stats. It was my most viewed post in 2015. What’s more the local paper published this post – that was a bit of a thrill for me.

Thailand: Off the Beaten Track in Bangkok

My summary of our food tour with Chili Paste Tours. Written at the very beginning of 2015, this post still attracts views. It was a great day and if you’re ever in Bangkok, go!

Laos: From Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua – a boat lover’s dream ride

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know  I don’t like boats much. But I am getting used to them. And this is one of the most beautiful river trips I’ve taken. It changed my life. That day I looked at the jungle, looked at John, he looked at me, and we both agreed we have to do more of this. We are.

On Life: Ordinary, differently.

That day on the Nam Ou River, in Laos, resulted in momentous decisions and in this post I tell you about some of them.

Myanmar: Early Morning in Yangon

This is my most popular Myanmar post, so far. It’s only been up a few weeks. Blogging from Myanamar proved difficult. We did have access to the internet but it was limited. I’ve got a lot more stories to tell about this most amazing of countries.

Books: All The Light We Cannot See

I read for the pleasure, to experience life through some one else’s eyes, and for education. Rarely does a book meet all three criteria as successfully as Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See. You liked it, too: it’s my most read book post for 2015.

More and more of you have joined in on my explorations of the world, my own country, of books, and of life. Your visits to my blog, your encouragement and your sympathy and, yes, your laughter, too, (The trials of a travelling tea lover and On trepidation, tripping, and solidarity spring to mind) have kept me writing. Most importantly, writing with an eye to the stories that the glossy mags don’t tell. The stories about how it really is as I grapple with cultures and places vastly different from my own, or try to make sense of the challenges and changes that come with living life.

Sometimes its not pretty. It’s seldom easy. But it’s always exhilrating, always educational, always leaves me marvelling at how similar we all are, where ever we find ourselves in the world.

Thank-you to each and every one of you. I’m thrilled that you’re reading my blog and that you keep coming back! Here’s to a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2016 for all of us.