So after 11 months, 20 countries, 3 continents, ...the trip of a lifetime is over, and it feels really bittersweet. I am really happy to be home, and to be honest I was a little bit travel weary by the end. Trying to sort out my life and to decide where I am going to school in September has all been a bit overwhelming while spending my days floating down rivers in Laos. But hey, I'm not complaining. This past year has been the most incredible experience of my life. I never imagined I would see all of the amazing things I got to see, yada yada. Sorry this is my final introspective thingy where I don't try to be funny, not that I was necessarily good at that before (come on, an Asian guy saying "erection" instead of "election"! That's gold!) and is more for my own purposes to look back on.

I suppose it is impossible to go away for a long time, see so many different things and so many different cultures, and come away unchanged. I was affected a lot by what I saw, and mostly by the people and the situations they were in. First and foremost, I come away very thankful that I come from Canada. I have no doubt in my mind that it is the greatest country in the world, with the most amazing people, the best looking girls (seriously have you seen the British? It's a leper colony down there) and that I will live the rest of my life here. I traveled to some of the poorest and some of the most oppressed nations in the world. It's incredible to realize just how lucky we are to not live in some Orwellian hell when we head to a place like Burma. Similarly, it's incredible to realize how lucky we are to be able to eat when we head to a place like Uganda. The cliches abound but the realities are visible all over South Asia and Africa.

I find myself almost ashamed at the end of my trip, as I was just so desensitized and hardened to all the poverty around me. When you spend so much time trying to not run out of money and to not get screwed over too badly by seemingly every single local, it's hard not to lose sight of the people who really do deserve your help. I often found myself wavering between very conflicting emotions inherent to travel: amazed elation and happiness versus confused, heart-wrenching guilt and attempted empathy. The feelings of joy, etc... are more frequent and lasting. It is easy to feel happy when you have no worries other than your next beer or bed, and get to spend each day exploring amazing places and meeting new people. However, it seems that the feelings of sadness are much more indelible, resonating. Is it fair that a person as unremarkable as me or you should be able to travel all over the world with a reason no better than wishing to experience things that are unique and different? Is it fair that when I take a picture of a local person, it is with a camera that is worth more than they will make in a year or two or three years? Is it justified because so many people do it? Is it unjustified because too few people do it? I suppose these are emotions and battles that most every traveler experiences along the way, but it is what they do with their experiences when they get home that matters. If we are going to travel to these beautiful but impoverished places, then I think that it is only fair that we do our best to help them out once we get home. Burma is the place I would like to get active about, just because it appalled me that a world like that can still exist today. But, I suppose lots of people talk like this when they get home from traveling; it's what you do with your experiences and new knowledge that will prove you were worthy of what you got to see....


There were some countries I went to this year that really stood out. So, my top 5 countries that you should go to, in no particular order....

1)Tanzania- this country has absolutely everything you could want to see in Africa: Zanzibar, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro, a bunch of snakes, etc... If you had to choose one country to go to for a short-ish trip in Africa, this would have to be it.

2)Uganda- absolutely destroyed by Forest Whitaker in the 1970s, this country is desperately poor and wrought with hungry people. However, it is also amazingly green and gorgeous, with beautiful scenery and extraordinarily kind people. The trek in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to see the mountain gorillas had to be one of the highlights of my entire life, just amazing.

3)Burma- it was a hard decision to travel here, because the last thing you want to do is give any money to one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. But, we did our best not to do so, and were rewarded with an experience that had us feeling as if we traveled back into time 50 years. We saw maybe 10 other white people in our 2 weeks there and experienced some of the most painful bus rides possible. Amazingly random, ridiculous place...as unique as you can find today in the world.

4)Thailand- it's so easy to want to avoid a place like the Thai islands, because you know that they are overcrowded, overtraveled and teeming with hippies. But, I came to realize that there is a reason everyone goes there...it's really, really fun. Diving on Koh Tao, partying on Ko Phi Phi and Ko Phangan and relaxing on Railay beach...it doesn't get much better.

5)Laos- if you meet a traveler in Asia who has been to Laos, there is a 99% chance that they will say it was the best country they've ever visited. The slow pace of life, the gorgeous scenery and the great people, not to mention the rivers with bars on them, make this a must-see place, especially before everyone else in the world (uh oh, the Israelis) find out about it.

honourable mentions for Malawi (with the kindest, funniest people in Africa) and Zambia (with Victoria Falls and a variety of ridiculous adrenaline activities) too, great places.

The highlights of September 2006-August 2007 in England, Greece, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.....

I hope that all four of you have gotten a few laughs out of this, as i know i will looking back on it. It's been one hell of a year, but it sure is nice to be home.

In the words of the immortal Martin P. Edwards, so long and thanks for the fish.