For those of you who are actually still coming back...the new website is up running. From here on out, I'll be writing at:
New Website Finished
Home
[Before I get to the mildly lame climax, I wanted to let you know that I will be starting a new website where I'll be writing a cultural, political and religious commentary of sorts. When it's ready, I'll be posting a link on this site. Please check back infrequently over the next few weeks to find it.]
Okay. We're home.
I've thought about writing this final post many times over the past seven months - pondering the intricacies of wrapping up an entire trip in just a paragraph. Each time I've given my mind to going home, I've gotten emotional. How can I possibly sum up what this epic adventure has met to us? The more I've thought about it, the more certain I am that I am just not sure how this once-in-a-decade trip has changed us or made us more complete - and I doubt you'll want to come back around Christmas when I can reflect with greater clarity. So today I'm afraid there is nothing substantial to leave you with, except that I'm glad we did it.
What I really wanted to convey in this last post is our sincere gratitude to you, our readers. We started this website as a way to chronicle our travels - we had no idea it would turn into a sources for happiness. It gave us routine when we needed it. It connected us to home when we felt so far removed. And it connected us to you - family and friends with whom we loved sharing this trip. Your comments and emails gave us fuel when we needed it most. So we say thanks, over and over, for making this trip more than we could have hoped.
We would love to hear from all of you - whether you followed our journey entirely, just for certain countries, or even for a short time. If you have a second, we'd love to hear from you via a comment below.
All of our pictures are here.
Day 216 :: Stats and a Map, Etc
Day 216 - Mexico City, MEXICO
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[a. Stay tuned for one final summary post after this one - sure to be full of emotion and gratitude. b. In less than seventy-two hours, Mexico City has managed to take our number one spot on the best cities list. With subway rides for .20 cents, neighborhoods like New York, architecture reminiscent of Europe and tacos for a dollar, how could it not be?]
Some of the following stats defined our trip (see 1,4,6) while others are just, well, stats.
1. HOURS OF LAND TRAVEL: 539 - In total, we spent 22 full days on buses, trains and other random modes of public transportation. That's 1/6 of all our waking hours. This stat more than any other, perhaps, made our trip what it was. Seeing each country from the ground, mile after mile, bump after bump, will be some of our most memorable moments.
2. TOTAL SPENDING: $17,874 - Most people want to know what it costs to spend 216 days traveling around the world. Well, now you know...at least in our case. This figure includes every last penny we spent including: health insurance ($1156), plane tickets ($4904) and everything else ($11814).
3. NUMBER OF COUNTRIES VISITED: 13 - We have now land traveled in 27 countries or roughly 12% of the world. Our new world map of countries visisted now looks like this:
4. NUMBER OF BOOKS READ: 36 - Leg one reading here. Leg two here. The latest reading from leg three includes:
Garbageland - 2 stars - Elizabeth Royte
Middlesex - 4 stars - Jeffrey Eugenides
Chuck Klosterman IV - 2 stars - Chuck Klosterman
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again - 3 stars - D.F. Wallace
Kaaterskill Falls - 2 stars - Alegra Goodman
The History of Love - 4 stars - Nicole Krausse
Shampoo Planet - 2 stars - Douglas Coupland
The Razor's Edge - 2 stars - W. Somerset Maugham
5. WEBSITE HITS: 28,451
6. TOTAL DAYS TRAVELED: 216 - Hong Kong to Mexico City - February 6. 2007 through September 10. 2007
7. MAP OF LEG THREE TRAVELS: - 35 Days, 7 Countries, 92 Hrs By Bus
Day 213 :: The BEST OF List
Day 213 - Oaxaca, MEXICO
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As we bear down on the world´s third largest city and our final destination, we have been making a ´best of´ from the last seven months. Enjoy...
BEST COUNTRIES:
1. Turkey
2. Thailand
3. Nepal
4. China
5. Mexico
BEST CITIES:
1. Mexico City, Mexico
2. Istanbul, Turkey
3. Antalya, Turkey
4. Pokhara, Nepal
5. Hanoi, Vietnam
WORST CITIES:
1. Delhi, India
2. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
3. San Salvador, El Salvador
BEST BEACHES:
1. Sihanoukville, Cambodia
2. Puerto Escondido, Mexico
3. Bocas Del Toro, Panama
4. Krabi, Thailand
GREATEST ADVENTURES*:
1. Bamboo Rafting - Thailand
2. Motorbike Riding around the Mekong Delta - Vietnam
3. Lagoon Hike - Thailand
4. Thai New Year Water Fight - Thailand
5. Cappadocia Hike - Turkey
BEST WONDERS:
1. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
2. Himalayas, Nepal
3. Great Wall, China
4. Cappadocia, Turkey
THINGS THAT MADE US CRY:
1. Sunrise @ Poon Hill - Nepal
2. Kari´s Nearly Broken Back - Mexico
3. India - India
BEST FOOD:
1. Spicy Chicken w/ Peanuts - $2 - Beijing
2. Grilled Meat w/ Sticky Rice - $2 - Anywhere, Thailand
3. Vegetarian Sizzle - $3 - OR2K Restaurant, Kathmandu
4. Tavuk SiS - $3 - Anywhere, Turkey
BEST BOOKS READ:
1. Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
2. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
3. The History of Love - Nicole Krauss
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathon Foyer
5. All Families Are Psychotic - Douglas Coupland
*After dropping large amounts of cash on canyoning, white water rafting, zip-lining, etc, only the nearly free made the list of best adventures.
Day 211 :: Before and After
Day 211 - Puerto Escondido, MEXICO
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Before and After, Beginning and End
February 5, 2007 -
September 5, 2007 -
Day 206 :: The Great (Central) American Road Trip
Day 206 - Puerto Escondido, MEXICO
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If you were to take a road trip, and I mean a really big one, say from New York to San Francisco, you would probably make a few strategic pit stops on the way. For instance, you might (if you were me) stop and linger at one of those wonderfully multi-faceted toll plazas off the Pennsylvania Turnpike. You might also slide off Interstate 80 long enough to catch a Cubs game at Wrigley, argueably the best field in America. You definitely wouldn´t miss a side trip in the Lake Tahoe region for some hiking. And when you arrived at the Pacific, 2904 miles after you left the Atlantic, you´d be satisfied. (Despite a new found hatred for the entire state of Nebraska.) But what this metaphor (hooray for symbolism!) is really about is all that you missed - like a stop to gawk at the squeaky clean streets (and people) of Salt Lake City or a detour in Des Moines to search for Bill Bryson´s childhood home, among countless other sites. Yet as you sit on a beach near San Francisco, facing a disappearing sun, the lot you missed no longer really matters.
And so it is with us.
As we sit on our beach in Southern Mexico, having barrelled through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala in under four weeks, what we skipped is irrelevant. What mattered most was the open road and every mile we personally experienced along the way. 
Day 201 :: Not So Profound Questions
Day 201 - San Salvador, EL SALVADOR
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The first question we asked ourselves upon arriving in El Salvador´s capital, the uniquely named San Salvador, was one we didn´t expect. "Are we in America?" Kari asked as we stood at an intersection that featured a Wendy's, Burger King, Blockbuster Video and Texaco gas station. Even the countries currency is the US Dollar, including quarters and pennies, and the public transportation relies heavily on those hand-me-down yellow and orange American school buses made by Bluebird. (Which, incidentally, are made in Canada. How far South will these yellow buses go?)
The question that we thought we'd be asking on arrival was "Are we safe?" - which is a completely valid question when you cosider that El Salvador has a strong reputation as the most dangerous place in Central America. And there is no doubt evidence of that danger here. Our bus from the Honduran border was stopped at four police checkpoints (more than Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua combined), most places in the city are surrounded by that war-zone looking barbwire fence and even, get this, mall security guards carry shotguns.
Of course, we are in the capital where everything is magnified and where these two questions can be asked simultaneously on any street corner in the city. But as I sit down to my second Wendy's Frosty since Christmas, I have to be honest with you, I'm not that fussed about answering either of them.
Day 198 :: Grossly Generalized Notes On Nationalities
Day 198 - San Juan Del Sur, NICARAGUA
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[Crossing the border from Costa Rica to Nicaragua echoed our passing from Thailand to Cambodia. Developing to Surviving. Decades of peace to a history of violence. Plump dogs to rib-cage-visible street scavengers. Recycling bins to trash-lined rivers. And much like Cambodia, we still love it.]
As we've now been on the road for 198 days, we've begun reminiscing. The people we've spent time with along the way hold their own vivid place in our memories. Our English friends in China, our Aussie companion in Vietnam, our LA crew in Thailand. We spent Panama and Costa Rica with family, and now we're sharing Nicaragua moments with old college friends.
As for everyone else, here are some gross generalizations of those we met along the way. Please take note that the following is always true.
Canadians: Socially awkward. We could usually tell a 'friend from the North' in a few minutes as they couldn't stop talking and always seemed to have the insecurities of a less successful sibling.
British: The English take home the prize for endless whining. I actually heard one Brit say about a certain beach they went to, "It was so great because none of the locals we're allowed."
French: Yes, they actually lived up to their stereotype. Rude and snooty. We actually watched a French couple ditch out on their restuarant bill because the food wasn´t good enough.
South Koreans: One word: BORING.
Israelis: Two words: STONED. LOUD.
Australians/New Zealanders: Though I would get shot by either of these groups if they ever found out I grouped them together, they both always had a "give it a go" attitude. Whether it was another drink or eating frog legs, they would always try.
Americans: Without a doubt the most overly enthusiastic and un-informed people on earth. We were constantly mocked for thinking that everything we did was the "best ever." And we often met isolated American's who didn't have a clue about their own country, let alone the rest of the world. Even personally, we often felt many Europeans knew more about our country than we did. 
A few more photos here.
Day 194 :: La Pura Vida
Day 194 - Santa Elena, COSTA RICA
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[Interesting fact #482: Costa Rica was the first place in the world to abolish it's army - which so far has spelled PEACE.]
La Pura Vida (translated as The Pure Life) is Costa Rica's well earned catch phrase. This is a country of beautiful coasts, diverse rain forests, and active volcanoes, with an entire quarter of the landscape protected by law from developement. Signs line each tourist street for eco-tourism and adventure sports. The lakes are clean, the water is drinkable, and there is virtually no trash anywhere. It's sort of like being in Florida without the old people. Our adventures included:
*Zip-lining through the jungle in Monteverde. On some lines, we hung 425 feet over the forest floor.
*Canyoning near Volcan Arenal in La Fortuna. Repelling 300 feet down through waterfalls. 
Day 190 :: Scary Hilarity
Day 190 - La Fortuna, COSTA RICA
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So the other night I was sitting in our hostel reading Garbageland. It was late, maybe 1am, when an Irishman walked in and started chatting with me. We began, as all conversations do, by discussing whether Pol Pot's regime was worse than Hitler's. As it was the kind of conversation that can only be had when many unique variables exist (an Irishman, Passports stamped with Cambodia, the early morning hour), I was happy to put down my book.
A few minutes later, a twenty five year-old American from Albany strolled into our conversation. He wore his hat backwards and boasted a beard somewhere between full and patchy. I knew early on from his comments that he probably hadn't been out much, which only became more apparent when he shared his plans of exporting live frogs (which he had captured from the rainforest that day) from Panama into the USA through the US Postal Service.
It was maybe an hour later when the Irishman asked me who I thought would win the 2008 Presidential Election. While I was formulating an answer in my brain (Do I mention Gore as a long shot or Guillani as a fear monger?), the college educated frog exporter blurts out,
"Well, I just don't know how Bush won't win again."
The Irishman, perplexed, asked, "I thought Bush couldn't win again?"
I assured him quickly, "Yes, he was falsely elected once and miraculously elected twice. But thankfully, because of the 22nd Amendment, he can only serve two terms."
To which the American blurted, "Well, it's not like we're gonna vote for a woman or a black. I just think Bush won't have any competition."
"No," I said in complete bewilderment, "Bush can't be President again. It's not possible."
"Well, whatever. I just don't think Bush can lose." My eyes met the Irishman's and we exchanged a nod that was understood in no uncertain terms.
Our night with stupidity was capped off beautifully, around 4am, when the Irishman asked what volcano's were worth visiting in Central America.
My brilliant fellow citizen broke from his daze just long enough to say, "Peru. I think they have great volcano's up there."
Day 187 :: Bocas Del Toro
Day 187 - Bocas Del Toro, PANAMA
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Julie and I managed to get stuck in the second place that we ventured to. And it seems that everyone else does as well. A girl from our hostel came to Bocas Del Toro ten months ago and hasn't left. A Floridian stopped here on his world trip and is still here. He arrived in 2005. It won't be quite as dramatic for us, but we did manage to turn two days into five.
The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is on the Caribbean side of Panama, almost touching Costa Rica. We've been spending our days kayaking, hiking, biking, swimming and eating our fair share of local Caribbean dishes. A few shots with our less-than-adequate camera...
Day 184 :: A New Continent
Day 184 - Bocas Del Toro, PANAMA
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[Thanks for your patience - I understand these last few days without a post have not been easy for you. :) Since Turkey, we have been on a whirlwind schedule of flights and layovers, but rest assured, better updates (and pictures!) are coming soon!]
While Kari is at our best friend's wedding this week (and the biggest College reunion in history), I flew on ahead to Central America to meet my sister Julie. Tomorrow morning we cross into Panama where I (and Kari soon to join me) will begin the long journey home through Central America, Mexico and the USA.
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