This day in history

Exactly one year ago today a clueless American traveler flew to Managua to begin what he hoped would be a one-year trip around the world. He was unaware that the week before there was a transportation strike in Nicaragua. Had he arrived just a few days earlier he would have been unable to get from the airport to his hostel in Granada. He also arrived at the same time as Tropical Storm Alma, and spent the first few days of his trip watching sheets of rain cascading off the roofs.

Despite his lousy timing and poor preparation he managed to survive for 341 days in 15 countries on four continents. The year anniversary of his departure finds him emerging from a three-week case of post-travel blues and planning his next adventure.

Thank$

I spent over two years researching this trip. Some of the travel blogs I read had a widget which allowed people to donate to the writer's PayPal account. At the time I was employed as a computer nerd so I wondered how it was done. I managed to add it to my blog and get it working.

I was surprised that people actually used it. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and family back home. I debated whether or not to list everyone who donated to the travel fund and decided against it.

The trip is ending a month sooner than I had planned, mostly because of the hugely expensive detour I took home for the holidays. Without your kind contributions to the travel fund I would have been home for a while already. The money I received added at least a month to the trip.

I wish I knew the words to express my gratitude properly. Thank you all so very much. This trip has literally been a dream come true. Thanks to your support I've been able to "sleep" a little longer!

The best part of traveling

It's such a cliche but it's true: It's the people you meet that make traveling so fun.

I'd like to thank a few of the people I met along the way who helped make the trip so magical. Most of the people I've met have been friendly, fascinating, fun, adventurous, generous ... I could go on. This list is nowhere near conclusive.

Pablito, Frida and Anette - My trip started in Granada, Nicaragua with Tropical Storm Alma directly overhead. It could have been a disaster but I was lucky enough to have met some of my favorite travel buddies on my very first day. Thanks for helping the trip get off to a good start despite the weather.

Kelly and Ella - I wasn't looking forward to my 41st birthday, but then I didn't expect to celebrate it with two gorgeous college girls on a Caribbean island! Thanks for one of the best birthdays I've had in years.

Ani, Ale and Dani - The Sahara trip could have been a complete disaster: three days in a crowded van in desert heat with the world's worst tour guide and me sick as a dog. It's a blessing to meet a travel companion who is fun, smart, adventurous and beautiful. It was nothing short of a miracle that I ended up traveling with the three of you.

Lily - One of my bestest friends in the whole wide world and my travel buddy in Spain, who was kind enough to make sure I saw every single piece of art in Madrid.

My guardian angel in St Petersburg - I'm not even sure you're real. How could the first person I met in Russia be an impossibly beautiful woman who is one of the few people I met in Russia who speaks fluent English? You said your name is Tracy. I may have dreamed you, but without your help I'd still be trying to figure out the subway in St Petersburg.

Mike and Laurie - I woke up on my first morning in Russia to find an Aussie couple in my dorm getting ready to explore St Petersburg. They were nice enough to invite me along on their adventures for two days, which was especially nice since Mike speaks Russian! Thanks for helping me ease into the most difficult country on the trip.

Volker and Heidi - We met in Moscow and then again in Ulaanbaatar. Thanks for inviting me along on the trip to the festival at the monastery and for all the good advice about Nepal.

Francois - We may have taken a few wrong turns but I appreciated your help finding my way around Moscow (and loved teasing you about your romance with the local girl). Count on me visiting you. (Note: He lives in Paris!)

The rest of the Yellow Blue Bus gang - Eric, Kiyoshi, Venk, Alex, Olga and Jack/Zhenya. My first few days in Moscow were stressful, since I arrived there sans wallet. The hostel was the smallest I stayed in: 16 beds, one toilet, one shower, one computer and one tiny kitchen. But you all made me feel at home and helped me resolve a difficult situation.

Kjerstin - It would have been a long three-plus days on the Trans-Siberian without your company. I'm sure we'll meet again. I'm equally sure beer will figure prominently.

The Dutch contingent on the Trans-Siberian - Thanks for making me feel like part of the family!

Katia - My Russian dream girl. One of my favorite memories of the journey was the night we sat up late talking at the kitchen table at the hostel in Irkutsk. Just my luck: I finally meet the perfect woman and she lives in Siberia!

Ally - Thanks for showing me around Ulaanbaatar. I understand why you keep going back to Mongolia.

The Mongolian couple I met on the train from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing - I had difficulty pronouncing your names so I know I can't spell them in English or Mongolian! I should have had asked you to write them down for me. Thanks for the ice cream. And congratulations -- by now you should be parents!

Elias and Sarah - Thanks for inviting me to the night market in Beijing, something I would have never thought to even try. Thanks to you I know what fried seahorses and scorpions taste like!

Jade and Xan - Yes, people, those are the actual names of Australian sisters I met in Kathmandu, and they look like you'd expect girls named Jade and Xan to look. Sorry we didn't have more time to hang out in Kathmandu. I kept waiting for you to invite me to join you in Indonesia but you never took the bait...

Ricky and Michal - Thanks for making the only American in a group of Israelis feel so comfortable and welcome. I will take you up on your invitation to visit!

Michael - We met in the back of a tuk-tuk in Ayuttayah and ended up spending several days touring northern Thailand. You've seen more of the world than anyone I've met and yet you're still as enthusiastic as a newbie traveler like me. You can count on a visit from me, too! (Note: He lives in Munich.)

Nila - I had so much fun hanging out with you in Phnom Penh I stayed an extra day. I'm glad I did, and would have stayed longer...

Jess and Ngon - Ironically it was in Nha Trang, the most touristy town in Vietnam, that I had my first "authentic" experience. Thanks for taking me out for real Vietnamese food. Jess, I'm sorry I couldn't make to Sydney to visit you. One day...

Nick and Evan - Two of the few Americans I met in SE Asia. We were sitting together on the ferry from Cambodia to Vietnam. Evan is from Towson! I learned a lot watching you interact with the locals.

Erich - The owner of my guest house in Siem Reap has worked in the tourist industry in SE Asia for over 20 years. He gave me a couple secret tips for Angkor Wat. I've met dozens of people who have been there and no one knew about either.

Emma and Phil - Another case of dumb luck, getting squeezed into a minivan next to a friendly and fun Irish couple. Thanks for the companionship. Phonsavan would have been a lonely place!

Phoan, Dada, Sompeh and Sam - My beach girls from Sihanoukville. I spent far too much money on bracelets and fruit, but it was worth it for your company.

Thanh - I almost hopped off the bus in Mui Ne to hang out with you. You're a hard person to track down but I'm glad we kept in touch!

Luong - The reason I flew four times in seven days. Need I say more?

Lan - I spent a lot more time in Hanoi than I should have, but it was worth it to spend time with you.

Day 341

After over 11 months I am back where I was on Day 1.

I didn't make it to my goal of a year, but I came darned close. I could have scratched out a few more weeks in SE Asia, but it was time.

For 11 months I've been living a dream. Now it's time to wake up. I thought I would burn out or get homesick or reach a point where I was tired of living out of a backpack and wearing the same clothes, but no. I am not ready to return to reality.

Please understand that I do have a sense of perspective. I know I am blessed. I have stood at the foot of the world's highest mountain and wandered the halls of the biggest religious building ever constructed. I have seen some of the world's greatest art, tasted some of the best food, been humbled by the kindness and generosity of strangers and awed by the exploits of true adventurers I've been privileged to meet.

And I have been buoyed by the support of friends and family back home.

I am incredibly fortunate. I know that. But I am sad it's over. And I think that's fair :-)

My flight home took 33 hours, plus the additional 30 minutes I had to wait for my father to pick me up at the airport. My parents were watching my sister's children that night, so I was greeted with lots of hugs and a custom-made "Welcome Home" sign.



My brain is still mush from the time change. When I'm operating at full strength again I'll publish a few more posts.

One last sight

I'm home. I flew into BWI last night after about 33 hours of travel. I'll write more when my body adjusts to the time change. In the meantime here's one last travel photo

The first leg of my journey home was from Hanoi to Nagoya, Japan. After eight of the longest hours of my life there I flew to Detroit. On the way we flew almost directly over Mount Fuji. It was a clear day so I had a great view of the perfectly conical, snow-capped mountain, perhaps the iconic sight of Japan.

I was asked how high Fuji is compared to Everest. Fuji is one of the world's most beautiful and photogenic mountains, but it's only just over 12,000 feet high. Our cruising altitude was about 27,000 feet here, which means the plane was about a half-mile lower than the summit of Everest.

Cu Lao Cham

Just off shore from Hoi An, and within sight of Cau Dai beach, is Cu Lao Cham, or the Cham Islands. As the name suggests it is an island inhabited by people of the Cham ethnic group. There are eight islands, only one of which, Hon Lao, is populated. Basic tourist accomodations are available but most tourists visit the islands on a daytrip.

I expected the tour to be like Koh Phi Phi Ley in Thailand or Nha Trang in Vietnam: meaning beautiful terrain spoiled by thousands of tourists. I was happy to be proven wrong.

It takes about 25 minutes by speedboat to get to Hon Lao from Cau Dai beach. The group I was in was friendly and fun, which is good since we were stacked on the boat like cordwood. I should note that the crew insisted we wear lifejackets, which was reassuring, since I've been on tour boats that didn't even have them.


The first stop was the fishing village at Bai Huong, or Huong Beach. I would have preferred to go straight to the beach, but the brief tour of the town was enjoyable and our tour guide was surprisingly competent. This was a nice touch I hadn't seen before.


We stopped at a small visitor center where we learned about, among other things, land crabs. These migrate from all over the island to a common mating ground once a year, following the lunar cycle. No one understands how they know. They're friendly, too!


To get to the visitor center we had to walk through patches of drying rice.


Our boat is the small white spot in the top left corner. The village is visible in the distance. From there we walked through rice terraces where a farmer was tilling with help from a buffalo.


We went to a small temple where there was more rice drying in the courtyard.


This is a peek inside the temple. Note the red swastika on the small Buddha statue's chest.


The village has little tourist infrastructure. It's a working fishing village. Here are some locals weighing the day's catch of squid.


From there we took the boat to a reef where we could snorkel. Or snoke, as this boat says.


The water was surprisingly cool and refreshing but there wasn't much to see underwater. We went to a small restaurant where the food wasn't great, but it was plentiful.


We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach. Our restaurant was part of a small guest house. There was another small resort further down the beach. But we were the only people there! I've been on boat trips where the beach and the snorkel spots are packed with boats and tourists. We had the whole beach to ourselves. Bliss.

The only other boats there were a couple fishing boats. The mainland is visible in the background. Fishermen paint eyes on the front of the boat to help find fish.