Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Summary and Reflections: Around The World Trip 2010-2011


So, I am home, and Nomadic Joe is no longer on the road. Sad but true, but hopefully not permanently. All good things must come to an end at some point. This post is a short reflection of the totals, in particular the countries visited and the number of flights.

A total of 35 different countries or destinations. Here is the complete list (red countries mean they were visited for the second time on the trip):

United States, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Easter Island, Argentina, Brazil, ArgentinaParaguay, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zanzibar, TanzaniaKenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, KenyaJordan, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, India, Nepal, Thailand, Bali, Lombok, Giles Islands, ThailandLaos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China and finally Canada.

Flights

Toronto – Bogota, Columbia
Bogota, Columbia – Quito, Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador - Santa Cruz, Galapagos
Santa Cruz, Galapagos - Quito, Ecuador
Ecuador – Lima, Peru
Cusco – Porto Maldonado, Peru
Porto Maldonado - Cusco, Peru
Santiago, Chile – Easter Island
Easter Island – Santiago, Chile
Foz du Iguacu, Brazil – Rio De Janairo, Argentina
San Paulo – Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenos Aires – Cape Town, South Africa
Nairobi, Kenya – Amman, Jordan (via Dubai)
Istanbul, Turkey – Cairo, Egypt
Cairo, Egypt – New Delhi, India
New Delhi, India – Varanasi, India
Varanasi, India – Khajuraho, India
Udaipur, India - New Delhi, India
New Delhi, India – Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal – Bangkok, Thailand (via New Delhi)
Bangkok, Thailand – Puket, Thailand
Puket, Thailand – Samui, Thailand
Samui, Thailand – Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand – Denpasar, Bali
Denpasar, Bali – Bangkok, Thailand
Vientiane, Laos – Hanoi, Vietnam
Hoi An, Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
Bangkok, Thailand - Beijing, China
Beijing, China - Toronto

And then there were several short flights over scenic spots:

Grand Canyon (helicopter)
Nasca lines, Peru
Iguacu Falls, Brazil (helicopter)
Okavanga Delta, Botswana
Cappadocia, Turkey (balloon)
Valley of the Kings, Egypt (balloon)
Mt. Everest and Himalayas, Nepal

Plus there were innumerable buses, mini-vans, trains, boats, scooters, taxis, cars, donkeys, camels, elephants and miles and miles on my own two feet!


News worthy relevant items that happened before I got there:


February 28th, 2010 - six tourists die in a flight over the Nasca lines

http://enperublog.com/2010/02/28/with-another-fatal-accident-over-the-nazca-lines-will-action-finally-be-taken/#disqus_thread

Thursday 30 September 2010 - Ecuador has a mini coup, when the police kidnap the President after he threatens their pensions (the borders are closed and I have to stay in Bogota jeopardizing my Galapagos tour)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/30/ecuador-chaos-police-rafael-correa

Friday 1 Oct 2010 - the army finds the President and re-instates him (thus allowing the border to reopen and me to enter)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/8036376/Ecuador-unrest-president-Rafael-Correa-escapes-coup.html 

January 2011 - the Arab Spring uprising affects many of the Arab countries

http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline

Tuesday January 25th 2011 - beginning of Egyptian revolution (causing GAP to have to cancel my tour and Intrepid re-organize my Middle East trip, eliminating the Egypt portion and extending the Jordan section)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/egypt-revolution-2011_n_816026.html

News worthy things that happened after I left:


April 2011 - the civil war in Syria erupts

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/world/timeline-unrest-in-syria/207/

Egypt undergoes another revolt

http://enperublog.com/2010/02/28/with-another-fatal-accident-over-the-nazca-lines-will-action-finally-be-taken/#disqus_thread

March, 2011 - a Zambian guide at Devil's Pool on the lip of Victoria Falls falls to his death saving female tourist
http://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/tour-guide-dies-as-he-saves-tourist-at-the-devil-swim.html 

September 26, 2011 - a scenic tour flight around Mt. Everest crashes in fog in Kathmandu killing all the tourists aboard

http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/south-asia/mount-everest-sightseeing-flight-crashes-killing-19 

- Lonesome George, the Galapagos tortoise who was the last of his sub species dies

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/25/giant-tortoise-lonesome-georges-death-leaves-the-world-one-subspecies-poorer/

a balloon crashes while flying over the Valley of the Kings killing 19 tourists

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21584413

- two balloons collide while flying over Cappadocia killing 3 tourists

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-22597878 

2 comments:

  1. Hello! Please note that your link for "Tour Guide Saves Tourist At The Devil Swim" has extra characters at the end and so it is not linking correctly. Use "http://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/tour-guide-dies-as-he-saves-tourist-at-the-devil-swim.html" instead.

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  2. I love the way you capture the essence of each place and how those moments have impacted you personally. Reading about the different cultures and landscapes you have experienced really makes me feel like I am travelling with you. I loved your experience and how valuable it is to explore the world.

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