Thoughts After 2 Years on Round The World Trip

Today, May 10th, marks the 2-year anniversary of this trip. It all started in May 2014, and it has been overwhelming in many ways. Here’s a summary and some of my thoughts.

Numbers

• 23 countries
• 194 beds slept in
• 38 flights
• 78 long distance buses
• 50 long distance trains
• 40 boats rides
• 4 hitchhikes
• 3 souvenirs bought (2 coin pouches, 1 shoulder bag)
• 0 times robbed

Countries Visited

(Click on the map for the interactive version)

(Click on a country below for a summary of each of them)

Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

My favorite ones have been: Japan, New Zealand, Myanmar, Brazil, and Oman

My Journey So Far

I started in familiar South America, reliving a trip I did 2005 going through Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. After attending the disappointing World Cup Final in Brazil, I travel back down to Argentina to hang out with relatives and friends. Following a short trip to Uruguay, it was back to Brazil again, this time to the northern part of the country. After an exotic experience in Venezuela, I spent a few weeks in Colombia, before flying to Chile and Patagonia.

Feeling tired, I took a 2-month break back in Los Angeles. I then hiked for 8 weeks in beautiful New Zealand, followed by 3 weeks in Australia, and then an extended break in my native Taiwan. I fell in love with Japan so much that I went back to live there for 2 months after visiting Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia.

After Japan I headed back to Taiwan again, but this time to travel around the entire island and with Jenni as my traveling partner. From there we went to Myanmar, a country I loved in many ways. Following a relaxing time in the islands of Thailand, we went to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat. By then I had been in East Asia for 10 months and, wanting a chance in scenery, flew to Oman which shocked me with its culture and natural beauty. From there I went overland to the United Arab Emirates, starting from Dubai, then Abu Dhabi, before flying to Qatar, which is where I am now.

My Thoughts on These 2 Years

It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. I have accumulated enough memories and experiences to last me a life time. Going to new places constantly has made it hard to digest these experiences, as I keep adding to them almost everyday. I do reminisce from time to time, remembering a moment, a place, a conversation, a meal. I’d remember small details, and how I was feeling at the time. I’d then realize that that’s just one moment out of hundreds or thousands. I was already satisfied after one year of traveling, and now I’m even more content.

I have also gotten pretty tired of traveling, and my motivation to sightsee everyday has gone way down. There are days where I don’t want to do anything else other than watch movies, read books, or read articles on the internet. I know that sometimes I just need a kick in the butt to go out and explore. I still find it rewarding when I do it. But maybe it is a sign that I’m satisfied with what I have experienced, that I have gotten a lot out of the this journey. At least for now.

What’s Next?

It’s going to be a hectic next two months. From Qatar I’ll fly back to Dubai where I’ll meet with my friends Phillip and Victor. We’ll go to Djibouti first, then to Somaliland, and then we will join a tour of Eritrea, which I didn’t even know was a country until a few weeks ago.

I’ll then spend a month in Iran traveling alone, a country that is high of my priority list. After Iran I’ll go to Australia to visit Jenni. I plan to stay there until the first half of next year, when I might resume traveling. No plans about where yet.

There are still so many places to visit: India, Nepal, Central Asia, China, Russia, Eastern Europe, a bunch of places in Africa, Central America, Scandinavia, and so on. But I have realized that I won’t be able to visit them all during this trip, and I’m OK with that.

Spending Summary So far

Coming soon in a separate post.