Chronological Highlights of the Trip
1) Sneaking onto the fantastic beach campsite in Tulum.
2) Street food anytime, Mexico and Thailand.
3) Ziplining over a massive canyon valley of rainforest with a double rainbow, Santa Elena, Costa Rica.
4) Seeing Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu, The Sleeping Giant, behind it.
5) Driving tour of Uyuni Salt Flats and Bolivian desert.
6) Sunset and Moonrise on Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.
7) Finding out Mick wanted to get out of the desert as badly as I did upon arrival, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.
8) Drinking wine and five hours siestas in Mendoza, Argetina.
9) Dolphins chasing boat in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand
10) Stargazing at Mount Cook with Mike and Ashley, South Island, New Zealand
11) Toodling around Australia with the locals: Carolyn's family in Mona Vale, the Steins in Brisbane, and Ryan's family in Melbourne, Australia.
12) Pretty much everywhere on Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia.
13) Helicopter Ride over Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia.
14) Great Ocean Road.
15) Wineries Tour, Margaret River, Western Australia.
16) Snorkeling with baby squid and giant sea turtles, Pulau Perhentian, Malaysia.
17) Longboating into Borneo jungle, Brunei.
18) Seeing the Sultan's motorcade pass by, Brunei-Malaysia border.
19) Thai Cooking Class, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
20) Being watched by hundreds of carved Buddha faces in Angkor Thom, Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
21) Not being hit by a motorcycle while crossing the street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
22) Holding a jellyfish in my hand, Halong Bay, Vietnam.
23) Gelato at the Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy.
24) Pizza after Pompeii daytrip with Seema and Krishna, Napoli, Italy.
25) Montjuic Font Magica sound and light show, Barcelona, Spain.
26) Following the trail of the Roman aqueduct, Segovia, Spain.
27) Spontaneous Beatles tribute performance by street musicians in Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain.
28) Getting lost in the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin, Germany.
29) Exploring Castle Hill Labyrinth, Budapest, Hungary
30) Devouring cake in the coffeehouses, Vienna, Austria.
31) Riding a camel around the Great Pyramids at Giza, Egypt.
32) Kosoye lookout, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia.
33) Getting wet from the spray of Blue Nile Falls, Tis Abay, Ethiopia.
34) Desert convoy to the temples of Ramsis II and Nerfertari, Abu Simbel, Nubia.
35) Horseback riding expedition to Entoto Mountain, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
When I was a kid, we took long road trips, cramming our van and driving for days. On the way there, we were all keen and eager to get to our destination. When we saw an interesting detour, we'd agree to see it "maybe on the way back". But on every drive home, we would drive right past the detour, agreeing that we really just wanted to get home already. The moral of the story was to always seize the opportunity and "maybe on the way back" became a reminder of this lesson.
