By the numbers

Countries visited: 8
Towns and cities visited: 45
Diseases the kids were vaccinated against: 6
Translated into number of needles required: 13 each
Flights taken: 13
Ferries taken: 6
Buses, minibuses, tuktuks and taxis: countless
Overnight trains: 3
Overnight buses: 2
Daytime trains: 5
Bamboo trains: 1
Ultralight planes: 1
Islands we stayed on: 4
Vomiting episodes: 4 (always the kids!)
Visits to doctors: 2
Visits to dentists: 1
Visits from the tooth fairy: 4
Beautiful beaches: 17
Road accidents witnessed: 2
Waterfalls trekked to: 3
Temples, forts and palaces visited: far too many, as far as the kids are concerned
Beers consumed: 720
Border scams dodged: 2
Border scams we fell for: 1
Spiders eaten: 1
Items lost along the way: at least 15
Total cost of airfare: $8,000
Total cost of everything else: $20,000
Total cost of the whole trip: About $30,000

A partial list of things I will not miss about budget travel in Asia

It struck me some time after writing this list that most of it has to do with bad, cheap hotels rather than with Asia itself, and most of what I didn't enjoy had to do with plumbing! Perhaps this list would be a little different (or just plain shorter) if we'd travelled with a bigger budget. In any event:

The viscous layer of white scum that forms on top of the floor drain after several days of showers in bathrooms where the water sprays all over the room

The filthy little rag rugs these hotels always place just outside of the bathroom door so you can get your clean, wet feet dry and dirty again after showering

The pervasive smell of untreated sewage, whether from open sewers along roadways or from poor drainage in hotel bathrooms

Air conditioning units that don’t work

Fans that make too much noise

Hotels that promise hot water but deliver only cold

Crowing roosters waking me up at 4 a.m.

Snarling dogs defecating on beaches

Stained sheets on beds

Having to wait as long as two or three hours for my morning coffee, depending on circumstances

Weak, bitter, lukewarm coffee served with Coffeemate—why even bother??

Of course, the perks FAR outweighed these negatives, but I'm hoping this list will cheer me up next November when I'm contemplating the onset of five months of winter!