Stats:

115 travel days, 40 take offs and landings, 22,324 miles flown, 2,600 miles driven, 15,200 feet peak reached, 110 feet underwater dive, 5 continents visited, 8 oceans snorkeled, 14 visa stamps, 40 cities walked, 47 different beds slept in, 33 addresses exchanged, 6 one time email exchanges, 3 multiple exchanges, 5 books read, 7 pounds lost, 8 pounds gained, 3 police traffic stops, 2 tickets, no arrests.

One 45 liter (4 day) back pack, 3 pairs of shoes, 5 pairs of socks, 4 pairs of underware, three pairs of pants, two pairs walking shorts, one pair running shorts, one pair board shorts, 4 shirts, toilette kit, electronic kit, miscellaneous kit; 13 Kilos or about 22 pounds.

One shoulder bag, travel Sony Vaio laptop, Canon Digital SLR Camera, Sony compact digital camera, passport and travel wallet, two books, iPod (until fatal drop from balcony in Malta!) and various DVDs; 4 Kilos or about 12 pounds. One note book lost with important info and numbers….lost on LAST day of trip…

Random Observations and lessons learned:

Travel light. Get SKYPE and keep in touch. You are never too old to surf. Vegemite tastes better with toothpaste. With 25,000KM of open road, the Aussies need to learn from the Germans about speed limits. If a 500 pound calf is running straight at you, wave your arms. Americans are loud, Israeli old ladies are louder and are horrible dressers. Japanese tourists can be spotted from 300 yards by their stupid hats, and GLOVES! There is no law in Mexico. The three toed sloth has only three toes. It’s OK for a man to cry at weddings. Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The Whale-shark is neither shark nor whale. Running out of air in more than 100 feet of water is a bad idea. Looking at boobies is more fun that you think. Land iguanas and marine iguanas can live together. Guinea pigs can judge a persons character. You are more buoyant in water with heavier salt content. Wealthy travelers don’t play soccer in the square with local children. Daewoo should think about making a sports car. The knights of Malta were bad ass mother F&#&%RS. I still don’t like Berlin. Shopping carts at Woolworths in suburban German cities have magnets in the wheels so they won’t roll away while on the up and down escalators. 2500 years ago nations were fighting religious wars with spears, today with rockets, when will we learn? The world record for long distance paragliding is over 400 KM at a top speed of 55 Kilometers per hour. You can rent a bicycle in Helsinki for a 5 Euro deposit at any one of 15 different locations in the city. I look good with a shaved head. I don’t look like Tom of Finland. Never sell your watch to a stranger. I will do this again, but, THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!