We are home, of course, and have promised some summary and "post mortem" information from our travels. So here goes:
The carnage:
2 fried laptops
1 water-logged iPhone
1 broken surf board
3 long rides on broken bus seats (8+ hours!)
1 week saving sea turtles
Countless friends
An undying zest for travel and new cultures and food!
And at least:
137 roommates
50 hostels
112 books
5 countries
23 cities
3 jobs
Things we have learned about our own country, through traveling the world.
America is large. Full of its own cultures, food and varied geography.
Americans are friendly beyond belief. Everyone tells us so. They see a big smile and hear a laugh and know we must be American. What could be a better association for our culture?
Barack Obama is universally loved, and has greatly improved international opinion of Americans.
You will likely never confront a squatter. This is a cause for celebration, believe me.
Beer is cheap. And nothing beats a Northwest microbrew.
Nobody loves sports like an American.
We have fabulous milk, cheese and bread. Things like this do not exist in much of the world.
We are (relatively speaking) not superstitious, or very judgmental.
Americans have a culture built around exercise that many nations surprisingly lack (Australia being a big exception here).
It is also not lost on me that I promised a "Turtle Talk". That is coming soon!
The only conclusion that Krissy and I can draw from the last year (or more as we prepared for, and returned from) of travels is that we are exceptionally lucky people. We are extremely fortunate to have friends and family here at home who have followed us, supported us, and otherwise ensured we were able to take this trip. We absolutely could not have done it without all you. We also feel incredibly lucky to have made so many wonderful friends along the way. I wont name any names, but we explored the cultures, food, (cheap) accommodations, and adventures with some amazing people. Friends from Canada, Sweden, Austria, Italy, Australia, and the good-old US of A come immediately to mind. Don't ever hesitate to stop in for a visit to Seattle!
The world is a big place, made closer and smaller by an understanding of the people and cultures that make it up. We love the world, and traveling throughout it.
