Thanks for the story! Making our way to Mongolia shortly and found your personal Gobi desert story nothing short of informatively entertaining. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Fantastic country, Thank you for your pictures, Joel.
Fantastic country with amazing landscapes.
Wish to go there one day and have some cold beers there.
enjoyed it! I came upon this blog when I searched for 'Veliko Tarnovo stew'. My youngest son is currently there, mainly to eat more of the delicious stew he had there a few years ago.
So I continued to read, along with a glass or two of wine, and found that you were in Turkey (I was there 36 yrs ago, when Ephesus was small, Pamukkale had no rules and Goreme had no town).
Since you were heading for Azerbaijan I continued to read, as my oldest son has been working for in Baku 2.5 yrs. He has mentioned that there isn't much to see there.... But he has the satisfaction of helping to introduce e-commerce to AZ so he has been enjoying himself. It sounds like you didn't get to the oil baths, which has been a highlight for him. Read about it here if you want to see what you missed! http://kent.nomadlife.org/past/2009_08_01_archive.aspx
Then you proceeded through Central Asia, where youngest son is also going. After that, your time in Mongolia was read with interest as the oldest son had been there for 3 months one winter....I believe it was 2005 (we are Canadians, so winter is well....just winter). It seems that even though your horse decided to take a nap with you on board, my son thought it was 'game-over' when it took off on him, full tilt, heading straight for a fence.
I have really enjoyed the read, and particularly appreciate all the trouble you took to write your blog. Well done!!
Hey! Hey! I'm the Kevin from Old England!! And just to put you right, it was Mirza the....well, actually I'm not sure what he does there but Katya the bar manageress's boyfriend, that the mad marine was taking the piss out of, which was why I got a bit noidy (that and the 18 bottles of 33)...but very entertaining and random to come across that tale...especially as I'm now back in England! And less of the small, weedy...
Hey Joel! Your Australian pictures were gorgeous--- thanks so much for sharing them! Can't wait to see you in Ohio and Michigan!
love,
Claudia,Bill,Melissa and Adam
Dayton Ohio, Detroit Michigan and Columbus Ohio
good luck Like loadsa others I hav followed your blog, which seemed to be not a few thousand miles away from us here in the toon but a million miles away. I'm sure that the experiences will help you accept and deal with the totally different challenges in the industry sector you have chosen for your career. HPN Tony G.
Wow !!!! Well done guys , I have managed to read all your journals and have been really impressed with what you have acheived !! Joel, and enjoy your time with Becca have a great time up until Christmas and look me up when you get back.
Take care
Kim xx
cheeky til the last you cheeky sod! I did read it and yes, you have been an amazing travel buddy and the last 4 months have been the most enjoyable of my life. there are things we've seen that will never be forgotten and places we've been that will live long in the memory. The summit of Khongor Els will forever be a highlight in my life, and more so for having you there. An honour and a priviledge my friend.
Great Going Guys! Good for you Joel..... what an amazing journey you and Adam have been on these last 20+ weeks! Can't wait to see you when you come to Dayton Ohio and Michigan!
Safe Travel Always!
Claudia
Wow, i can't believe its completed! i got a bit emotional reading the blog where you and Adam parted ways. I loved reading about your travels and am amazed to hear the stories you told with heart and humour (yeah, a bit sentimental, but hey!). Hope Australia has some future stories - glad to hear you did it all. Very proud of you both and it'll be great when you come back to Blighty one day. x x x x
P.S Mozza was fantastic!!!!
You certainly did (do it!) Joely
Your blogs have been amazing - the talk of the town, and Dad and I are so proud that you persisted in doing this trip (even without a mobile!). You have learned a lot about the world and about yourself and this will stand you in good stead when you return home and start your life as a working adult. There is more to come, and although it will be a different kind of travelling, we hope that you enjoy Oz, NZ, Fiji and the USA. Dad and I and your grandparents look forward to seeing you again at the end of the year - G-d we miss you!!! Be safe, be well and have fun!
Mam xxxxxx
Well done Joel! We have followed your travels, trials and tribulations with great interest and much admiration. What a journey and what stories to tell for years to come!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. We enjoyed it all - vicariously!
Love,
Pam and Werner
Congratulations! Hi Joel,
Congratulations on completing your world travels! Enjoy your time in Australia and I hope to see you in Michigan in December--can't wait!
Talk to you soon!
Love your cousin,
Melissa
Just hello Hi there Joel and Adam. I just managed to get through all of your entries by having some marathon reading sessions yesterday and today. Nicolas and I watched the documentary "The Long Way 'Round", so I'm thoroughly enjoying reading about the adventure from your point of view. Take good care of yourselves!
britney- mongolian style hi Joel!
Let me know when you do stumble across the mongolian equivalent of Britney... or far better- the Justin timberlake of wherever you end up next!
What about the yak's milk? Seems like you are still in the UK - beer, beer, football, beer, fish and chips and beer! Whatever happened to the yak's milk and sheeps eyeballs???
Luv
Mum xxx
ooooh you are stern young man "After about 10 minutes of thrashing myself and Adam....
....about 20 of us bundled into the back of this truck and safe to say that after all being thrown about, by the time we got out, we all knew each other much much better...
......we woke up with bad hangovers on monday morning and tried to remember the calamitous events of the previous night."
fantastic views my wife n i went b/packing to greece in 82 ,yes eons ago,but the land and poeple and drink was just as u hve experienced it. My daughter Helen, is now workin out there at this time (17.06.06)Turkey i mean, in a complex at sarigameni or somthing,near dalyam.great pictures,ta
hey joel! loving the blogs still - it's incredible hearing about all the things you've seen and got up to. The Kazahk police sounded like the ones you see in films where there blinds in the room and a fan cuz its so sweaty in the room!! the journal would make a good book i think!! keep enjoying yourselves and hope to hear from you soon xxx p.s big brother is strange! you got some guy with tourettes, a porn star, and a girl with a wonky eye and accentuates everything with a very wide mouth!! PETE TO WIN!!!
anonymous
non-member comment
Thanks for the story!
Making our way to Mongolia shortly and found your personal Gobi desert story nothing short of informatively entertaining. Thank you for sharing your experience.