Epilogue

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So it comes to an end. It'll be weird not living out of a bag anymore, or waking up in the morning and figuring out where to next. The ultimate display of freedom, a hell of a ride. Still I traveled for way longer than I could have anticipated and have no regrets. Some people say traveling will change you as a person, and no I'm definitely the same person but I do think I have broadened my horizons and have learnt and experienced much about other cultures. I also got to know myself better as a person and what my advantages and shortcomings are. I'm happy to say I surprised myself in certain ways, but need work in many others. Here are some stats I've compiled along the way, most are guesstimates...

STATS
Countries Visited: 15
Days/Months Away: 9 months/273 days
KM Traveled: 65855
Number Of Flights: 12 (including 6 connecting)
Hours On Plane: 69
Hours On Bus: 448
Hours On Train: 207
Hours On Boat: 159
Hours On Motorbike: 43
Hours On Horse: 35
Hours On Taxi/Car/Tuk-Tuk/Bike: Unknown
Total Time In Transit: 37 Days Worth
Blogs Published: 83
Pictures Taken: 18 GB
Books Read: 16
Environments Seen: Urban, Deep Water, Jungles, Mountains, Plains, Swamps, Meadows, Pine Forests, Wetlands, Deserts, Slums, Paradise
Creatures Bitten By: Mosquitoes, Fleas, Bed Bugs, Ants, Flies, Jelly Fish, Lizards, Crabs, Spiders
Beard Length: 4 inches at longest point
















My Trip Playlist
Some of the songs conveying certain thoughts, moods, emotions, and situations along the trip that I've either observed or experienced or both...

Freebird - Lynard Skynard
Wherever I May Roam - Metallica
Leaving On A Jetplane - The Mama's And The Papa's
Over The Mountain - Ozzy Osbourne
A New Level - Pantera
More Than A Feeling - Boston
Go Into The Water - Dethklok
Land Of Confusion - Disturbed
Riders On The Storm - The Doors
Running Free - Iron Maiden
Road To Nowhere - Ozzy Osbourne
Day Tripper - The Beatles
Woman From Tokyo - Deep Purple
Up Around The Bend - CCR
Blowin In The Wind - Bob Dylan
Somewhere Far Beyond - Blind Guardian
Stranger In A Strange Land - Iron Maiden
Great Beyond - REM
The Seeker - The Who
Sweet Leaf - Black Sabbath
Psycho Holiday - Pantera
Horse With No Name - America
Highway To Hell - AC/DC
Harlequin Forest - Opeth
Wind Of Change - The Scorpions
Journeyman - Iron Maiden
Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N' Roses
All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Hotter Than Hell - Kiss
Mother Russia - Iron Maiden
Killing Fields - Slayer
Gotta Get Away - The Offspring
Asian Hooker - Steel Panther
Ride The Lightning - Metallica
Symptom Of The Universe - Black Sabbath
The Long And Winding Road - The Beatles
Brave New World - Iron Maiden
Sweating Bullets - Megadeth
Bad Day - REM
Medicine Man - Pantera
Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult
Imagine - John Lennon
Still Day Beneath The Sun - Opeth
Chemical Warfare - Slayer
Back In The Village - Iron Maiden
Ruin - Lamb Of God
I Would Walk 500 Miles - The Proclaimers
Take The Long Way Home - Supertramp
Closer To The Heart - Rush
Bangkok - Steve Vai
Sun Is Shining - Bob Marley
Genghis Khan - Iron Maiden




Looking back I must say I accomplished everything I set out to do on this journey and tons that I never could have imagined before leaving. Trekking, cooking and camping, ascending mountains, biking, ATV, surfing, kite surfing, discovering coral reefs and sea bottoms, horse riding across the steppe, interacting with locals, meeting loads of people, getting lost, finding my way again, dealing with border security and bureaucracy, tasting local delicacies, eating more rice and noodles than is feasibly acceptable, spending days on boats, trains and buses, going through Tibetan villages, seeing cultural sites that are millenia old, getting assaulted by touts, dealing with the endless hordes of people, drunken Russians and Mongolians, laid back vibe of a sleepy village, training in kung-fu and living like a monk, encountering good friends along the way, jumping out of an airplane, riding motorbikes and avoiding them, sitting next to a bonfire, sunrises and sunsets, being cursed with the runs, my head exploding by weird spices, hostel culture and dorm rooms, being eaten alive by a myriad of species, survive storms, escaping from rabies dogs, being immersed in poverty and being in the middle of the richest cities, language barriers, fine grain beaches, Japanese customer service, blazing heat and humidity, reliving moments etched in history, tubing and hangovers, neon lights, festivals galore, almost every environment known to man, parties and cheap buckets, bad days, scraping by on dollars a day in places, experiencing the beauty of the planet, and lots more that I can't think of at this moment. I wouldn't change a thing. Hopefully these memories will remain with me until I croak (or get some degenerative brain disease). Putting them into words is something else though. Whenever someone asks me about how it all went, there's nothing I say that can truly justify the experience.

Coming back home will be surreal for a while and I'll have much to adjust to. Already I have future trips forming in my head. As I once mentioned, the more one travels, the more one realizes they haven't seen much. There are too many places to see but I still have time. Perhaps next I'll make my way from home to the tip of South America, explore the Australian outback, roam the Indian subcontinent, there are endless options. Been fun blogging, I hope whoever read them enjoyed it and learnt something, but to be honest I blogged mostly for myself, to be able to relieve the moments in detail years down the road.

Until the next trip....later.

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Comments

[Ronny Chemtov]

:-)
Great blogs, Danny! Looking forward to hearing many stories when next we meet. Long live freedom and the travel-bug! All the best

[Acher Elfassy]

Blog
Fabulous blog Danny. Loved reading it. Welcome home. Acher

[Danny347]

Thanks!

[lea elfassy]

great
it has been absolutley amazing to read your well written blogs...................and It has been an inspirational trip for me too as i have traveled vicariously through you...........welcome home and thanks for sharing

[Daniel Power]

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. - William Shakespeare Your Epilogue was very interesting to read, but I am sure that it was even more interesting to live. Welcome home...until your next quest calls upon you.

[Danny347]

And hopefully that quest comes sooner than later!

[Pow]

Are we there yet?
Where are you going next?

[Daniel Power]

Sapa
I went to a resteraunt named SAPA, and it was delicous.