406 days in the rear view mirror South America (Jan 12-April 26)/ Africa (April 26-May 25)/ Turkey (May 26-June 10)/ Europe (June 10-Sept 15)/ Asia (Sept 15-Jan 15)/ Australia (Jan 15-Feb 23) As I look into the rear view mirror on the 406 days on the road during the past year, it’s an amazing kaleidoscope of memories, dramas, feelings and experiences that blur past my thoughts as I put it all in perspective some days after arriving back home. In some senses, it seems like yesterday when I boarded the SFO flight to Buenos Aires to meet Amy and hunker down [View Full Entry]

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Manly Beach/ Melbourne/ Sydney/ Honolulu: Final days (Feb. 5-23) During my final days I tried to forget about the expense of Austrlia and not fret that I would soon be ending this journey. More noteworthy, though, were the days spent throughout different parts of Victoria and New South Wales, getting a different perspective from the drive and heat of Queensland. Australia had proved to be an easy place to easily enjoy as it seems very familiar to the California eye: beautiful coastline, wine country, neatly dressed yuppies and health minded park joggers. After barely making it back to Sydney after a [View Full Entry]

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Hip, Cool Australia: Sydney (Jan. 15-21), Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Airlie Beach, Byron Bay The land of Oz has long been an enchanting destination- and the one furthest east along my route back to the US. After some initial struggles with the visa, I anxiously awaited the use of my native language in that funky accent we love and have come to enjoy a few new phrases- ‘good on ya’, ‘massive’ and ‘breakkie' to name a few (I have tried vegemite and still have to give it a thumbs down). And it turned out, with my best college friend in tow, [View Full Entry]

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Phuket, Thailand (Dec. 27-Jan. 3) Bali/ Gili, Indonesia (Jan. 3-12) It was back to backpacker travel as I boarded the flight from Manila to Phuket to meet with Alex for a few more days in the paradise of the Southeast Asian beaches again for aqua sports, curries and budget travel. There was a sort of comfortable feeling of going back to Thailand, even if it was bloody hot and I wouldn't be spoiled by family for all the basic necessities. So I sorted through the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia guide to pick up phrases like 'korp khun krap' and Indonesian 'terima [View Full Entry]

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Philippines: Manila (Dec. 10-12), Ilo Ilo/ Boracay (Dec. 12-19), Manila (Dec. 19-27) This special journey began a long time ago, much further back than when I climbed into a Bangkok cab for the airport. This trip began in 1938 in the municipality of Calinog, provincial Philippines, where my dad was born amid the heat of the landlocked tropics and the threat of invasion from Japan. But through time, chance (and a handsome young Filipino doctor meeting a young Minnesota farm nurse), I grew up in the middle of America and had little true knowledge of this third-world country in which my [View Full Entry]

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Seoul (Nov. 17-22), Japan: Tokyo (Nov. 22-26), Kyoto (Nov. 26- Dec. 2), Bangkok and Cambodia (Dec. 2-10) It begins with things like the toilets- the differences in Asia, that is. Coming from Laos and Vietnam and heading straight for Korea and Japan is a stark contrast possibly humorously described by toilet experiences. Even in pretty decent Vietnamese restaurants, there is a hole in the ground with 2 places for your feet (thank god I am a guy!). The bathroom in the lobby in Seoul had about 8 buttons and a seat warmer (no wonder Scott hung out there for 30 minutes [View Full Entry]

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Laos (Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang) Oct. 16-23 Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City) Oct. 23- Nov. 16 Laos and Vietnam- to me, they were a contrast in heart rates. You can feel your pulse slow to an almost monk-like relaxation in Laos, where the days tick slowly by and modern progress seems to be another day away. In Vietnam, with the buzz of scooters, honking and generally night and day activity, your pulse accelerates to match the energy level needed to navigate the maze of motor traffic mixed with sidewalk cooking but 5 feet away. With the [View Full Entry]

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Thailand: Bangkok (Oct. 1-4), Phuket (Oct. 4-8), Phi Phi (Oct. 8-12), Ko Samui (Oct. 12-18), Chiang Mai (Oct. 18-23) Chicken pad thai: $2.50 Beach bungalow: $35 Singha beer: $1 Tuk-tuk: you gotta negotiate that but it’s part of the experience Lunch on Khao San or Samui beach: $3 Thai massage: $5/ hour Sunshine, sandy beach and crystal blue water included Shades and flip-flops not. Thailand.. it’s a near perfect combination of exotic culture, beach resort, beautiful mountains and environment, backpacker travel with great food at prices yet to catch up with western standards. I had heard so many great things about [View Full Entry]

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China is amazing but can be hard. It’s hard to capture the thousands of amazing, crazy things that happen every day. It's hard to sift through the vast history of one of the most ancient, powerful civilizations in the world. It’s hard to capture the struggle of daily life for the millions of people of the most populous country as they toil to survive. It's amazing to take a stroll along a monument to human fortitude and construction on the Great Wall. It's hard to figure out all the varying religious influences of a place that began the eastern philosophies of [View Full Entry]

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Moscow, St Petersburg (Aug 31-Sept 15) Russia started a bit rough but I think I can finally look back and laugh (well, maybe not). I was held in Moscow airport for 6 hours and then deported to Prague for 5 days awaiting my Russian Visa from the consulate there. Don’t ask- they wouldn’t do it in Moscow airport.. oh well, I still got there. As Churchill said, Russia is an enigma wrapped in a riddle wrapped in an enigma- an experience to have for me but not an easy one and certainly not always pleasant. I’m still scratching my head trying [View Full Entry]

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