End of the road...

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Say it ain't so Jim...... say it ain't so!

The end of the road... I guess the road didn't really end, we just somewhat reluctantly got off of it. Somewhere out there intrepid travelers are looking a near global recession in the eyes and hitting the road anyway. Thanks to all of you who kept us in your thoughts and helped will us home safely... fingers toes and hands intact.

Traveling and meeting other travelers along the way is cathartic in that it lets you know that your not insane. While packing up your possessions and hitting the road is not something you can do everyday, it is nice to meet other travelers on the road doing the same things you are, sharing the same risks and rewards and assuring you that when you get back to the "real world" the sun will still come up tomorrow... just as it has for the past 2011 years (I kill me).

So its back to the "real world" and stepping away from the truest "freedom" I have known. The ability and choice of literally choosing your life on the fly... stay here move on, truly wandering the globe with a loose itinerary. It somehow seems that that's how life was meant to be lived... although even given that, I guess as people we would be inclined to hang our hat somewhere eventually... enough of my half wit babbling, here are some hi's and lows of the trip a few pictures from each destination.

Hi's:
Serengeti National Park (NP). Simply amazing, on the short list of places I have to visit again. I can see how it can become addicting.
El Nido sunsets. Palm trees, clean beaches and the changing lights of a El Nido sunset.
Taj Mahal. No matter how many pictures you have seen of the iconic building, they cannot do it justice.
Similan NP, Thailand. Simply rediculous, looks like a swimming pool but its the ocean. Just set up camp and hang out for a few days of tropical delight.
Botswana. If you want African wildlife... look no further.
Coconut shakes, Thailand. Delicious and refreshing... sometimes its the little things in life.
Zambia. Watching a pride of lions chow down on a recent buffalo kill (missed the kill).

Lows:
India. Should have put it in both columns, everyone we spoke to prior to India said you will both love and hate it at the same time. At the end of our time I just hated it... although after some distance, it is growing on me as I refuse to let it beat me. I would do a round 2 with her.
Luxor touts. Even felt like being chased up the street by touts incessantly selling things you don't want to buy. Ever accidentally tell a "tour guide" what site you were visiting next only to have him show up at the following location and hound you to hire him... try Luxor.
Hyenas. Hyenas fighting outside your tent at night is never a good look, hyenas yapping all night and not letting you sleep... equally no bueno. I guess this would be a dual entry also as the hyena brawl outside our tent (see Serengeti) is kinda cool after the fact.
The American dollar. That sad puppy has lost about 25%!o(MISSING)f her purchasing power since our last time traveling... ouch.
Lombok Strait. 90 minutes of a small fishing boat turned speed boat slamming into high swells crossing from Bali to Lombok. Not fun at all... as a bonus, chances are that someone nearby will lose their lunch to provide a soundtrack to the madness.

That about wraps it up for us... back to the job hunt. We enjoyed ourselves immensely... sad to hang up the travel shoes.

Ascending soap box
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Legend has it that the American middle class is looking for the prosperity it once enjoyed. There's good news and bad news. Good news is that I found it, the bad news is that its currently in Asia/S.E. Asia. Many of the jobs previously enjoyed by the American middle class have been shipped wholesale to Asia in the name of globalization and corporate America's insatiable altruistic need to deliver goods and services to the American public at cheaper prices.

Somewhere in the interim it seems that corporate America pocketed most of the cost savings (i.e. widening income gap) and we are finding out that moderately lower priced goods are still very expensive to the unemployed... although that isin't really corporate America's concern, they've got the money, they wrote the loopholes in the tax code and they are riding out this recession with more cash on hand than ever. Right about now I think that the only thing that can break this cycle is...... wait for it..... more tax cuts for the top 1%!.(MISSING). that should do the trick, I think someone said it worked last time anyway.
descending soapbox

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Photos

2nd stop... Abeja
Best enchiladas in L.A....Yeah I said it!

Comments

[Debbie Logan]

Hi George, Thank you for remembering me and for taking me on this fantastic journey with you; you and Vinnie are 2 brave and adventurous souls.

[Dave Gomez]

Wecome back! Thanks for the amazing blog. I felt like I was out there with ytou... minus the hyenas :)