Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

(Click on the map for a larger image)

Sorry, it is a bit hard to see, I couldn't find a better image file of the world. The World Tour 2006-2007 has formally concluded... at least for now. I thought about listing all of the cities we visited, one by one, but decided on listing the country order instead. It gets a little complicated on the map, so follow the countries below.

Thanks for following my journey, it was great being able to share the good and bad times with all of you. I'm going to do my best to keep up with this blog, but no guarantees that it will be nearly as interesting as the posts from the last year.

Countries Visited:
1. United States
2. Canada (In-transit)
3. Germany (In-transit)
4. Spain
5. England (In-transit)
6. Poland
7. Ukraine
8. Russia
9. Mongolia
10. China/Tibet
11. Vietnam
12. Cambodia
13. Thailand
14. Laos
15. Thailand (again)
16. Malaysia
17. Singapore
18. Egypt
19. Turkey
20. Bulgaria
21. Slovakia
22. Czech Republic
23. Poland (again)
24. Czech Republic (in-transit and again)
25. Egypt (again)

26. United States (home again?)

Unique Countries Visited: 21

Dollars Spent: Roughly 6 grand (the cost of a luxurious two weeks in Hawaii...)

Below is a video of my last night of traveling, an unplanned stopover in New York City due to a wardrobe malfunction and a *cough* unfriendly flight attendent. Enjoy!

It has been difficult to process my experience as I integrate home into the craziness of two jobs, part of a family I haven't seen in a long time, and friends and acquaintances from long ago. I'm working in a hotel once again, a Hyatt Place hotel, as a front desk associate. To satisfy my Asian side, I'm also delivering Chinese food a few nights a week. All of this together makes for about 60 hours of work a week, a significant change from the last 8 months of my life.

Here are a few beginning reflections, in a format stolen from my travel mate Topher:

Pounds lost: 18

Miles traveled: 38,358

Favorite Food: Yellow chicken curry, Kuala Lumpur

Favorite Drink: TsiangTao beer in Beijing and Fresh Guava juice in Cairo

Favorite People: Egyptians

Favorite Site: Great Wall of China

Biggest Annoyance: Open-mouthed chewing in China

Coldest Temperature: 25 degrees, Irkutsk, Russia

Hottest Temperature: 105 degrees, Cairo, Egypt

I'll have more to come in a few days... once I get a break from the hospitality business...

I've made it back to the United States, 8 months abroad to the day. It is always interesting to me that after being away for a long period of time, "home" feels exactly the same, and completely different.

As I adjust to my jet lag and culture shock, I promise to soon fill you all in with thoughts, reflections, and other interesting numbers about the trip.

While your waiting for the exciting update, watch the video below, which is one of my favorite Egyptian songs.