Back in Wyoming

I return to the USA in early June and spend the next two weeks in my hometown of Canton, Ohio. Highlights include dancing to my brother's band on "biker night," reconnecting with extended family I haven't seen in years at Dad's summer party, and indulging in homemade veggie pizza, red wine, and late night conversation at Mom's. I visit friends who are in various stages of motherhood--one has an adorable 1-year-old daughter and is pregnant with her second, two others are in their third trimester. It feels funny to wake up in the same bed in the same town for several consecutive nights. On June 19, exactly six months after I left, I return home to Jackson, Wyoming. It's greener than I've ever seen it and I'm informed that the relentless rain finally let up the day before. Perfect timing! My Top 10 Favorite Jackson Summer Activities: 1. Trail running: The 11 mile route from Game Creek to Cache Creek is my favorite. 2. On the Water: Whether rafting or kayaking the Snake River, tubing Flat Creek, or boating on Jackson Lake, I'm all about it. 3. In the Water: The "hippie hot spring" near my house is the perfect temperature and offers a view of roaring Granite Falls. 4. Camping in the Gros Ventres: I have to wear extra thick socks as my feet approach arctic temperatures at night, but the silhouetted Tetons and star-gazing more than makes up for it! 5. Biking with friends to the People's Market: a Wednesday gathering of local food vendors, artists, beer, and music. Always a good time. 6. Hiking the lesser known areas of Yellowstone: I skip Old Faithful and opt for a nearby hike that leads me past wispy Fairy Falls, spouting Imperial geyser, and gurgling mudpots. Best of all, I only shared these sites with ten other people rather than a hundred. 7. Hiking to Phelps Lake or around Curtis Canyon at dusk. Simply peaceful. 8. Dining outside with friends at Teton Thai or Lotus Cafe. 9. Wildlife sightings: Seeing buffalo, moose, and elk still gives me a thrill. 10. Taking photos of the gorgeous landscape! And now...back to work! I am happy to report I was able to return to my former nanny gig!

Trip Cost Total: $9574

It's been a week since I wrapped up my 5 month trek around the world. I am happy to report I achieved my goal of keeping the trip under $10,000. Below is a breakdown of my expenses which I tracked and converted to US dollars using the current exchange rates at the time.

Flights: $3370

I purchased my flights in advance through Airbrokers.com--travel agents specializing in around the world itineraries. My route included 8 one-way flights and many logical overland segments so I did not have to backtrack (i.e. flying into Sydney but out of Melbourne). I also purchased 2 short hops in Asia for a total of 10 flights.

Insurance: $225

My regular insurance policy does not apply to travel abroad for longer than 90 days. Worldnomads.com offers reasonably priced policies offering emergency medical coverage (thankfully I never had to use it!)

Visas & Visa waivers: $105

Two entries into Cambodia, one in Vietnam, and New Zealand visa waiver. I only needed my passport to enter all the other countries on my route.


Below are my day to day expenses. This category includes everything I purchased pertaining to the trip from the time I landed in Fiji on January 5 until my departure from the Netherlands on June 3---Food, lodging, surface transportation (buses, trains, car rental, boats, tuk tuks), communication (sim cards, internet cafes, skype credit), activities (snorkeling, caving, cycling, massage, park entrance fees, museums, sightseeing, etc.), shopping (from tolietries to thai dresses), and airport departure taxes. I have listed how much I spent and the daily average for each region.

Fiji, New Zealand, & Australia: $2318 (daily average=$51.51)

Time period: January 7 through February 20. Couchsurfing in Auckland, Napier, and Christchurch and staying with friends in Sydney and Dunedin mitigated car rental expenses. I ate alot of veggie quiches, salads, and sandwiches from cafes for around $5. Intercity Coachlines, Naked Bus, and Atomic Shuttles are great companies for inexpensive bus travel all over NZ.

Southeast Asia: $1038 (daily average=$26.62)

Time Period: February 21 through March 31. Huge $2 indian meals in Tanah Rata, $25 snorkeling trips in Railay, and swimming in hidden lagoons for free made for cheap living. Guesthouses were regularly under $20 (and this was split with Laura!) Haggling is expected in the markets. Street food is cheap, delicious, and usually safe. If you want to reduce travel costs, definitely spend a chunk of time here!

Europe: $2518 (daily average=$40)

Time Period: April 1 through June 3. Several factors contributed to lower than expected costs in this region. First of all, I was only in pricey Western Europe for two weeks. Most of my time was spent traveling north from Athens to Prague. Destinations such as Albania, Bosnia, and Slovenia proved to be quite reasonably priced. Between couchsurfing and staying with friends, I arranged 20 nights of free accomodation (Many thanks to Marcela, Petra, Katja & Tobias, Tine, and the Vienna crew!) I used bus services such as Eurolines more often than trains. Finally, not only did I travel during Europe's shoulder season (spring) but I experienced the most favorable euro to dollar exchange rate we've seen in years (1 euro = between 1.20 and 1.30 usd)

Total Trip Cost=$9574

Overall, I think my tendency to embrace a lifestyle of simplicity aided my ability to keep day to day costs low. It would be easy to burn through thousands of dollars doing every tourist activity under the sun. I did some of them, but the experiences that really interest me also happen to be the ones that cost little or nothing. One of my favorite places is Meteora, Greece where I trail ran Holy Spirit Mountain, (free) celebrated Easter in the town square by candlelight and fireworks (free), and toured monastaries atop rock formations with new friend, Yannis ($2 entrance fee) My souvenirs are my journals and photos (ok, and a few thai dresses!) Long term travel for people of modest means is possible, but it behooves such a traveler to prioritize carefully. If you are contemplating long term travel, I encourage you to go for it. My trip was one of the most satisfying and liberating experiences of my entire life!


"Vagabonding is about looking for the adventure in normal life and normal life within adventure. Vagabonding is an attitude--a friendly interest in people, places, and things that makes a person an explorer in the truest, most vivid sense of the word. Vagabonding is about time--our only real commodity--and how we choose to use it."

--Rolf Potts, author of my favorite travel book--Vagabonding

Amsterdam

Church bells ring. Trams growl over tracks. Coffee shops exude conversation and wafts of weed. Women ride side saddle on double-seated bicycles steered by boyfriends. Boats glide under bridges in canals past leaning brick houses. Men negotiate prices with the prostitutes in red light district windows. I must be in Amsterdam!

I take the train from Schipohl airport to Centraal Station then walk around the city. I see a couple with backpacks studying a map and strike up a conversation. ''Are you looking for a hostel too?" I ask."We are just trying to find the one we already booked" the guy replies. "You can follow us and see if they have any beds left. I think it's this way." The three of us walk towards the Nieumarkt area, passing the beautiful Waag building until we arrive at a place called The Shelter. The Shelter turns out to be a Christian hostel right next to De Wallen--otherwise known as the red light district. Too hilarious. Actually, the place is pretty great with a spacious kitchen, cute courtyard, and a friendly staff. Some ingenious ways of getting Jesus into your life include the ''God mail box'', Christian music videos, and a Jesus computer program. Pretty soon it feels completely normal to go for a run past prostitues shimmying in their windows then returning to the hostel to find a bible study taking place.

In Amsterdam you can:

• Learn from the scholars at Cannabis College where their mission is to offer ''free advice on safe recreational cannabis use in addition to educating the public about the many uses of the hemp plant."
  


• Legally smoke a joint or consume a space cake inside a coffee shop. However, smoking tobacco cigarettes indoors was banned in 2008. Interestingly, only about 7% of the Dutch population smokes marijuana.


• Visit the sex museum which contains art, photos, and information about sex through the ages as well as animatronic mannequins engaged in a variety of debaucherous activities


• See the World Press Photo 2010 exhibit at the Oude Kerk.
  

• View photos of a professor's strange anatomical specimens at FOAM, marvel the world's largest collection of Van Gough paintings at Van Gough museum or take in some Rembrandts and Vermeers at the Rijksmuseum.
  


• Chillout in Vondelpark and climb on the I amsterdam sign


• Listen to street performers playing music near the National Monument.


• Interact with colorful characters such as a celebratory guy in the skintight red sequined nurses uniform or a wandering guy talking to himself about Saddam Hussein.

• Eat amazing Indonesian food at places like Toko Joyce

Amsterdam was the last stop on this 'round the world itinerary. Time to fly home!

Ahoy matees from Ghent!

My accomodation in Ghent is a boat remodeled into the Andromeda Ecohostel. This is the coolest place I have stayed in yet and energy saving to boot. Showers are low flow and sinks biodegradable. Lights are motion sensored. An efficient and carbon neutral pelletheading system provides hot water while flax insulation utilizes passive heat. The common room is cozy with a small couch, cushioned chairs, and interesting books to thumb through. The hostel is run by Liselot--an friendly, willowy, dreadlocked woman I like instantly.

Fellow guest, Steve is in his late forties and lives near Boulder. He is traveling for a year after getting laid off from his software engineering job. We decide to dine together at Liselot's favorite vegetarian restaurant, called Komkomestijd (translation="Cucumber Time") I pile my plate high with cous cous, mushroom lasanga, tempeh, greens, and spring rolls with the best sweet and sour sauce I've ever had. Steve and I discuss travel and his biking adventures (he brought his bike from Colorado!) then wander past Ghent's beautiful churches after dinner.

The next morning, Belinda and I take a daytrip to the nearby town of Bruges. The highlight of the day is our trip to the chocolate museum. We eat high quality Belocade brand chocolate drops and laugh at the sculpture gallery which includes a chocolate puss in boots, Michael Angelo's Madonna, and Obama. Back in Ghent, we spend the evening talking and drinking organic beers Liselot has on hand including Moinette, Jessenhofke, and Blanche du Hainaut. Yum.

I discover the Blaarmeersen area for running, a lake surrounded by parks and various trails. Birds with white and copper colored heads called Fuut land in the water while people carry long boats to and from the water. I see a guy inside what looks like an enormous beach ball, attempting to stand up. The ball reminds me of the odd sport zorbing but on water!

My last night in Ghent is spent with Liselot, Maarten, and two of their friends at the Groene Vallei Feest where we listen to fantastic ska-reggae band, Wrong 'em Boyo (named after the Clash song). A diverse crowed gathers at the front of the stage and soon we are all dancing in the warm spring rain.

Dresden & Berlin

I am so excited to see Katja and Tobias when they come to meet me at Dresden's bus station! I met this fantastic couple in Cambodia and they kindly invited me to stay with them a few days when I made it to Europe. They share a colorful three-story space with five other people in Dresden's hip Neustadt area where a variety of bars, boutiques, and cafes are within walking distance. They take me to Bautzner Tar bar where we listen to Mr. Beckard and the universal air pressure orchestra--a zany duo that thrives on interaction with the audience. The next day we explore the beauiful buildings of Old Town on the other side of the Elbe river. You can see evidence of Dresden's 1945 destruction from the different colors of brick where the original building and the restored parts meet. Over breakfast, Katja and Tobias's roommate, Uli, tells me about the how Neo-nazis gather in Dresden every year to commemorate the air raid of February 13. Each year anti-fascists attempt to prevent the neo-nazis from marching but fail. Well, perhaps the ghost of Kurt Vonnegut was smiling on the anti-fascists, because this year they were successful for the first time. Led by groups such as the Alliance Dresden Nazifrei (Dresden without Nazis), an estimated 12,000 activists protested and blockaded the area. Police finally cancelled the nazi march. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of neo-nazi strength in Dresden?

I was not originally intending to go to Berlin due to a lack of time. By the time I arrived in Dresden I only had a few days before my flight from Prague to Amsterdam. But Kajta was going so I took the opportunity. I am so happy I did. I went on two very different walking tours--one showcasing the burgeoning street art culture, the other was a more traditional look at Berlin's history. The history tour took me past sites such as Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the site of Hilter's former bunker (currently a parking lot). I am simply facinated by the Berlin wall--the wall itself, the notion of using a physical barrier to contain ideologies, and the effect the previous division has on a reunified Germany today. The path of the Berlin wall remains marked by a double brick line snaking through the city. It is odd to walk along it and see boutiques and coffee shops where armed guards used to stand. On my own I walked past the famous East Side Gallery--a 1.3 kilometer stretch of remaining wall decorated with the work of around 100 artists. I spent hours here just imagining what it would feel like to cross to the other side the day the border opened in 1989.

The other intense experience during my time in Berlin was a visit to the newly opened Topography of Terror documentation center. This museum was built on the site of previous nazi regime buildings. The section of wall here is the second largest that remains in Berlin (the first is the East Side Gallery). The documentation center details the planning, execution, and aftermath of the Nazi's mass murder of the Jewish population and other minorities. Listening to a (translated to english) recording of Heinrich Himmler's speech to other Nazi party leaders in Pozen, Poland was bone-chilling. This second most powerful Nazi member speaks specifically and frankly of the ongoing extermination of the Jewish people then concludes, "We have carried out this most difficult task for the love of our people. And we have taken on no defect within us, in our soul, or in our character." Because despite organizing the genocide of more than eleven million people, the Nazi's were pretty upstanding citizens, you see. WTF?!?

Dramatic history, seventy museums, and a unique art scene are just a few reasons Berlin is a super interesting city to visit. I'm with Bowie on this on-- "Berlin is the greatest cultural extravaganza one could imagine."