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Published: March 26th 2019
As I approached the tenth anniversary of my Travelblog membership, I thought I should commemorate the occasion. After much thought I decided to write a Travelblog re-living my travels. As I've written 244 blogs, this being 245, with about 286,000 words (the equivalent of four novels) and 7000 pictures covering the years from 1949 to the present, I knew that summarizing my life of travel would be a daunting task. I figured that a picture was worth a thousand words, so I decided to write a pictorial blog summarizing these years. Little did I know how difficult it would be to cull down 7000 pictures to the 121 pictures in this blog.
By the time I arrived at our move to Germany in August 1977, I knew I had reached the limit of what my dear readers could follow. Hence, I decided to back up to 1975, when we moved back to the States from Thailand...the end of the Asia phase of my life. Selecting the best pictures of our next 18 years in Europe, and then the 23 years since returning to the States in 1995 would require at least two more picture blogs. So my apologies for the
length of this blog! At least you don't have to read all 245 blogs...unless you want complete details!!
The following is a brief narrative of each trip during this period of my life to go along with the pictures and captions that tell the abbreviated story.
So I start the story of the first 28 years of travel with my first trip. At the age of one I sailed from Bangkok Thailand (where I was born) to Hong Kong and back. As the first picture will show, my Mom didn't hold me when I stood next to the railing. She wanted me to explore. However, her hand was there just in case I got too adventurous and took a dive into the South China Sea. Travel was deeply engrained in me at this early age by my parents. So I dedicate this blog to my parents who could have returned to the States directly, rather than visiting the many countries enroute. These adventures inspired my life of travel.
My first round the world trip started in 1952 was when I was two. We flew from Bangkok on a Lockheed C-69 Constellation, via Calcutta, India, Karachi Pakistan, Dhahran
My first Round the World Trip
Walking with a man and his donkey in Damascus, SyriaSaudi Arabia, Damascus Syria, Athens Greece, Naples Italy, Frankfurt Germany, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Glasgow Scotland and Gander Canada before arriving in New York. With us were three orphaned missionary kids whose parents had just been murdered by bandits. The stewardesses felt sorry for my Mom having so many children so were very helpful. We spent six months of our furlough in Toronto, Canada (near my Mom's parents), and another six months in Nyack, New York (near my Dad's parents). We flew back to Bangkok Thailand on the Pan Am Flying Clipper, by way of Hawaii, Fiji, Sydney and Darwin Australia, and Singapore.
Back in Thailand in 1953 we lived upcountry in Sisaket and Khon Kaen. In 1956, when I was almost seven, I flew with the other missionary kids via Phnom Penh Cambodia and Saigon to Dalat, Vietnam where our boarding school was located. I spent eight months of both first and second grades there.
My second RTW in 1958 was our return to the States for a one year furlough. This time we sailed on the Italian cruise ship the "Asia" from Singapore to Columbo Ceylon, Bombay India, Karachi Pakistan, Aden Yemen, through the Suez Canal
My first Round the World Trip
Touring the canals of Amsterdam Egypt to Naples Italy. We picked up a VW Beetle there and drove to Pompeii, Rome, and Florence Italy, Lucerne, Switzerland. Frankfurt Germany, Brussels Belgium (where we went to the Worlds Fair...not knowing that I would live there from 1984 to 1995), Wassenar Holland, London and Southampton England, where we sailed the SS United States via Le Havre France to New York. We lived in Nyack again, but visited relatives in western PA and Toronto. We returned by driving our VW across the States and then sailing on a freighter to Manila and Mindanao Philippines, Djakarta and Surabaya Indonesia and up the Mekong River to Saigon where we returned to Dalat School.
The next five years we lived in Korat Thailand; but again spending eight months of every year at Dalat School from fourth through eighth grades. At Dalat we could no longer drive outside the city for fear of the Viet Cong. Sometimes artillery shells would fly over our school. (Note: During our next furlough, in April 1965 the U.S. Air Force evacuated the school to Bangkok). Back home in 1962 I witnessed the arrival of the first U.S. Army troops at the beginning of the Vietnam War
My first Round the World Trip
My and my great uncle's dog at his farm in Western Pennsylvania, where my Dad spent his summers when growing up. and the USAF F105 bombers stationed at Korat Air Base.
For my third RTW in 1964 we flew by jet with stops in Beirut Lebanon, Jerusalem (both east under Jordanian control west under Israeli control), Vienna Austria, Copenhagen Denmark, Oslo, Stavanger and Bergen Norway, to New York. Again we lived in Nyack with visits to relatives in western PA and Toronto. We flew back to Bangkok via Colorado Springs (not knowing that we would retire near there in 2005), Hawaii, and Hong Kong.
I spent my sophomore, junior, and senior years at Dalat School, first in Bangkok for a semester, and then in Tanah Rata Cameron Highland Malaysia. After graduation in 1968 I returned to the States for college, flying via Beirut Lebanon, Athens Greece, and then taking the Eurailpass from Rome to Venice Italy, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Vienna Austria, Munich and Rothenberg Germany, Copenhagen Denmark, Stockholm Sweden, Narvik and Oslo Norway, Amsterdam Netherlands, Lucerne and Geneva Switzerland, and Nice and Paris France...all in 21 days on less than $300! I still have my Arthur Frommer's $5 a Day guide with my itinerary!
The next four years I attended Geneva College, north of Pittsburgh. There I met
My first Round the World Trip
Mom in her Tibetan gown with Sue in the front yard of her parents home in Toronto my wife to be, Linda.
After graduation in 1972 we were married and moved to Thailand, first in Bangkok and then Chiang Mai, where I was construction manager for the road up to and the radar station on Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. During our time in Thailand we had an opportunity to visit Dalat and Tanah Rata where Linda saw where I went to school. We also visited nearby Laos and Burma. For a longer vacation we flew via Moscow to Paris and took the Eurailpass around Europe. On home leave we visited Hawaii and England and Scotland. At the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 we returned to the States. This was the end of the Asia phase of my life although we have returned on numerous occasions for visits.
My Europe phase began in 1977 when we moved to Ramstein Germany for three years, then four years in Stuttgart, and eleven years in Brussels Belgium, where our three children were born. Then my America phase covers 1995 to the present. But that is for my fifteenth year anniversary pictorial blog.
I want to thank Ali, the creator of Travelblog, for this
My first Round the World Trip
The Pan Am Clipper we flew across the Pacific Ocean via Honolulu, Fiji, Sydney and Darwin Australia and Singapore to Bangkok wonderful platform on which I can retain the memories of a lifetime of travel; firstly as a legacy for my family, and then for fellow travelers. Thanks for Following me.
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JenGog
Jennifer Jones
memories
Wonderful to read Bob. Funny I was looking at how long I had been a member of this friendly group of travellers and was shocked at how many photos I had put on and how many words I had cobbled together. I didn't imagine way back when I joined I would still be enjoying the site so much. What wonderful memories you have of travelling .