The Blog
Semi-regular contributions from the road.
As you might suspect, it takes a while to digest a trip like this. I've been home for a couple weeks now, and at times it all seems almost... fake. Sometimes it feels like it happened a long time ago. Sometimes I wake up and forget I'm actually home. It's hard to describe.
The time has however, allowed me some time to go through some things and reflect a bit. I've had a chance to compile a few numbers. Below are some interesting facts and figures I've managed to generate. A bit of an "at a glance" sheet if you will. And I will.
General:
- Start Date: January 8, 2007
- End Date: January 8, 2008
- Total Days on the Road: 365
- Continents: 7
- Individual Nations: 43
(Does not include USA, Hong Kong or Antarctica) - Cities/Towns Visited (at least one night's stay required): 101
Distances:
- Total Miles: >70,000
- Total Kilometers: >113,000
*The circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles or 40,075.16 kilometers. These numbers do not include day trips, metro rides, walking... - Longest bus ride: 31 hours - 1657km/1030mi
(Arica, Chile to Santiago, Chile - includes 3-hour breakdown in Atacama desert) - Longest plane ride: 14 hours: 12516km/7777mi
(Sydney, Australia to Vancouver, Canada)
Transportation:
- Flights (including connections): 35
- Individual Airlines: 24
- Bus Rides (inter-city): 56
- Rides in friends' personal vehicles: >15
Miscellaneous:
- Languages Encountered: >25
- Currencies Used: 36
- Pages Filled in Passport: 27 of 37 possible
(extra pages added at US Embassy in Buenos Aries) - Stamps/Visas in Passport: 81
(includes all entry and exit stamps/stickers - number is not indicative of countries visited for a variety of reasons: My request for Israel to not stamp my passport, the Freedom of Movement agreement in the EU, etc.) - Longest time in One Country: 32 days (New Zealand)
- Longest time in One City: 21 days (Beijing, China)
- Movies Seen: >25
- Haircuts: 4
(Cape Town, South Africa; Dublin, Ireland; Beijing, China; Perth, Australia) - Emails Sent: >800
- Emails Received: >1600
- Toothbrushes: 14
- Bottles of Antibiotics: 2
- Immunizations: Polio, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Typhoid, Tdap, Yellow Fever) + weekly anti-malarials
- Contacts Around the World: >55
- Books Read: 12 (not counting 5 guidebooks)
- Total Unique Visits to www.tallmatt.com in 2007: >13,000
- Pictures Taken: >21,000
- Journals Filled: 3
- Pens Used: 5
You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.
~Frank Zappa
I wouldn't say I'm a tremendous fan, but when the occasion calls for it, a beer can really hit the spot. And, when you're traveling for a year and end up in youth hostels on a regular basis, beer is the backpacker's equivalent of a handshake (and in some cases a makeshift currency). Thusly, as I wandered the globe, I thought it appropriate to keep a record of the beverages native to each nation. Below is a quick list of most of the lagers, ales and stouts I tried in each country. Just don't ask me how to pronounce them all.
Country | Beer |
| Mexico | Tecate |
| Belize | Belikin |
| Guatemala | Gallo |
| El Salvador | Suprema |
| Honduras | Salva Vida |
| Costa Rica | Imperial |
| Panama | Atlas, Panama |
| Ecuador | Pilsener |
| Peru | Cusquena, Cristal |
| Bolivia | Pacena |
| Chile | Kunstmann |
| Argentina | Isenbeck, Quilmes |
| Uruguay | Patricia |
| Brazil | Skol |
| South Africa | Carling Black Label, Castle |
| Kenya | Tusker, Pilsen |
| Tanzania | Safari, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti |
| Egypt | Sakara, Stella |
| Jordan | Petra, Philadelphia |
| Israel | Goldstar |
| Turkey | Efes |
| Romania | Ursus |
| Germany | Paulaner, Hofbrau |
| Austria | Trumer Pils |
| Spain | Cruzcampo |
| The Netherlands | Heineken |
| Belgium | Chimay Blue, De Koninck, Delirium Tremens, Duvel, Gulden Draak, Jan van Gent, Jupiler, Kwak, Leffe Blond, Maes, McChouffe, Palm, Rochefort, Verboden Frucht, Westmalle |
| England | Carling |
| Ireland | Guinness |
| Denmark | Carlsburg |
| Poland | Zywiec |
| Czech Republic | Staropramen, Budveiser |
| China | Tsing Tao, Yangjing |
| Singapore | Tiger |
| Cambodia | Angkor |
| Thailand | Singha, Chang |
| India | Kingfisher |
| Australia | Toohey's, VB, Cooper's Pale Ale |
| New Zealand | Tui, Export Gold, Monteith's, Steinlager |
| Canada | Molson |
Almost a year ago, just days after I had embarked on this crazy walkabout, a friend of mine sent me one of the more thoughtful emails I'd received in a very long time. And, as it would happen, one that would continue to bounce around in my head for months to come. In lieu of trying to poorly paraphrase, here is the text:
Matt:
As you travel I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes "Sometimes it is better to have traveled than to have arrived" or a derivation of it which reads "The journey is more important than the destination".
Makes me consider if the authors metaphorically sought and didn't find or whether they so enjoyed the travel that the destination didn't matter. Perhaps a combination of both? Maybe they found a destination but courageously sought new adventures?
I often wonder what happens if someone finds the "destination" and deems it more worthy than the continuing the journey.
In any case, my friend, enjoy your journey...
I thought about this throughout the year - and specifically in the places most would consider to be "destinations" along the way - Machu Picchu, Antarctica, The Pyramids, the Great Wall...
The more I traveled, the more I pondered. The more I pondered, the more I came to the same conclusion. There are Tourists and there are Travelers. G. K. Chesterton makes the point rather lucidly:
The traveler sees what he sees.
The tourist sees what he has come to see.
A tourist is interested in having proof they were there. They want to know they made the journey and took the photos. They also want others to know as well. They are the flocks of Japanese tourists with huge cameras they don't know how to operate. They are the nuclear families headed to Disneyland. They are the passengers on luxury tour buses and the money-belt wearing crowds following the red flag. The actual act of travel is itself an inconvenience. It's hauling over-packed luggage and nervously waiting around in airports. It's a something to endure before mercifully finding the hotel and enjoying a cultural but still recognizable meal.
There's nothing wrong with being a Tourist. I've been one, am one and will again be one. I've been one on this trip. When I'm 65, I'm certain I'll be one of the flocks of grey hairs patiently waiting on the bus to whisk me away to dinner so I can take my pills. I'll want the comfort of a real hotel where I don't have to share a room with anyone other than my wife. I'll enjoy having someone tell me exactly where to go, and tell me when it's time to head back to the bus.
For a traveler, the destination is simply an excuse to go. It's a chance to pack a bag and head out. It is a point of reference for themselves and others. Something to tell friends and family so they can find it on a map. The act of getting to the destination is the real joy. The traveler loves finding the "other" way to get to point B. Not because it's cheaper or faster or safer, but for the exact opposite reasons. The "other" way is probably not the most direct route, and is likely full of people and scenery you would never be exposed to otherwise. The travelers eventually make their way to where they're supposed to go and find the paths no one is on for views no one else gets. They enjoy being in airports for the excitement that surrounds everyone walking the halls with a carry-on bag. They enjoy being around others who are going somewhere - anywhere... and dream about going there too.
I started the trip as a tourist. How can you not? I wanted the National Geographic photos. I wanted to check things off my list. However, the more ground I covered, and the farther from home I moved, the more I felt those feelings recede and be replaced by a true wanderlust. A desire not necessarily to see "something," but to just see. To experience. To explore and discover. I loved seeing the Aya Sofia in Istanbul. The first thing I remember about Turkey is sharing beers and a water pipe with people from four different countries in a third floor bar while listening to Arabic rap music. I was in awe of Uluru in Australia. A dusty, hole-in-the-wall gas station 300 kilometers from nowhere in the middle of the Outback with pens full of kangaroos and emus was just as interesting.
There's no right or wrong. No better or worse. It's the point of view you decide to take, and the experience you want to take home. Tourist or Traveler, the point is to go. To check out of life for a bit and see the world. To roll along roads you've never been down before. To stand in front of that "destination" you've been dreaming about for so very long. To touch it and say "I made it. I'm here." And for the rest of your life remember the way you felt at that moment. It's possible. You just have to go.
I went to my first NHL game tonight. I'm not much of a hockey fan. As with most Americans, it ranks a pretty distant fourth on my list of major sports behind football, basketball and baseball. It's amusing, but pretty hard to watch on TV. Given the alternative of college basketball or even (gasp) the NBA, I'll probably watch the game with an actual ball.
That being said, when I found out the Canucks were in town, I did my best to find a ticket. An NHL game was the only live sporting event missing from my "big four", and I felt I'd probably never get a better chance. Plus, I've been told the Canucks are pretty good, and the opponent tonight was the New York Rangers. Can't be all bad.
I've actually been to one hockey game in my life - it was a Kansas City Blades (IHL) game way back in 2002 or 2003. They went under not too long after that, leaving a relatively unnoticed vacancy in the heart of the Kansas City sporting community. It was a pretty good time though. Like watching baseball, the entertainment factor for hockey goes up by about 63% if you're actually there. With about 2,000 people in the "crowd", we were able to sit down by the glass, which immediately beckons you to slap it when a player skates by. As it was minor-league hockey there was a fight every five minutes to go along with about seven goals between the two teams. All in all, a pretty fun event.
For tonight's festivities, I arrived at the GM Place a bit early, and walked down by the glass behind one of the goals. Soon, the teams came out for their warm ups, and started flinging round, black missiles at the net. I had never been that close to an NHL slap-shot. The first time one went high and hit the glass, I was pretty sure someone was going to die. It sounded like a whip cracking. That glass must be some secret-service approved stuff. Shot after shot nailed the clear wall in front of me - my self preservation mechanisms kicking in a couple of times, much to my embarrassment.
Once the teams headed back in, I hiked up to my seat in the nose-bleeds (you didn't think I paid for a good ticket, did you?) and watched the festivities leading up to the face-off. It had a very slick, NBA-esqe feel to it - lots of epilepsy-inducing light shows, stupid intermission time-killing contests and hordes of advertisements. And this was just the pre-game. I was pretty sure the hockey would be pretty conservative and watered down as well. The game would probably end up 1-0 with no fights.
In a sweet turn of events, two guys dropped gloves four seconds after the opening face off. Four seconds! The guy next to me explained there was some bad blood from an earlier game. They wasted no time grabbing each other's jerseys and trying to rapid-fire punch at the head. Hockey fights in general pretty much suck. Your only hope of some real head-knocking is if some guy has a long reach, or one of them lets go of the other's sweater for a better grip. I'd grade this one at about a C+. It went on for a while, until they inevitably fell down and were summarily separated and sent to the sin bin.
The rest of the first period was pretty boring - the teams feeling each other out, and me trying to understand the weird-ass rules about the blue line, off-sides and icing. The highlight though, was when the big jumbotron hanging from the center of the arena flashed a picture of Pamela Anderson sitting in her suite. Apparently Pam is a Canucks fan. Turns out she was sitting just diagonal from my section, and I could see her and all her friends paying minimal attention to the hockey, and lots of time on their drinks, cell phones and flipping their hair around.
The game did get more interesting - the second period producing a goal by Vancouver, and two or three pretty good displays of goal tending by Roberto Luongo from the home team. The third period was a virtual explosion - two more late goals by Vancouver which sent the home crowd into a frenzy. Which leads me to yet another soccer analogy. There's unfortunately a big soccer-esqe feel to hockey. A lot of moving around without a lot of action, a lot of frustrating turnovers and a lot of excitement over sequences that get somewhat close to 
the center of the ice, but eventually lead to nothing. Hockey is still 100 times better than soccer though - it's on ice, the surface is smaller, they have sticks, it's fast, and they hit each other. A lot.
I did honestly have a pretty good time. They have a good atmosphere, and a nice following here. It would definitely be more fun to be closer to the glass, and to have a couple friends to share it with. But, I can't complain. Plus, I got to see Pam in the flesh.. er... Fully clothed... live... in person. From a long ways away.
I love football. With the exceptions of friends/family, movies and Mountain Dew, football is at the top of the list of things I've missed this year. There's only so much force-feeding of soccer one American can take. And, while Rugby is a good alternative, it just isn't the same. I just enjoy the forward pass too much. So, from August on, I've pledged allegiance to any sports bar carrying the occasional American football game. And, thank goodness for the internet - I may have gone into a severe bout of withdrawals without it.
Vancouver is quasi-America, and seems to be in love with the NFL and football in general to a respectable degree, which pleases me. I spent Sunday watching the final day of the NFL regular season, and hopped over to a sports bar on Jan. 1 for my annual overdose of ridiculously titled bowl games. However, as tonight proved yet again, it was a damn good year for me to be out of the country.
I'll start with the obvious. As most of you know, I'm a big Broncos fan. Just check the pictures. I come by it honestly. It started back in the day - back when Elway was taking teams to the Super Bowl by himself, and then getting dismantled by New York, Washington and San Francisco. Whatever. He's been vindicated. They've struggled to be consistent ever since, which is frustrating as hell. This year, however, was not a pretty sight - even from the internet. 7-9 sucks a lot, and if Shanahan didn't have two rings, he'd probably be on the hot seat. There was a silver lining though. Two big slaps to the faces of the Kansas City Chiefs means this year wasn't a total loss.
The second obvious - My Cornhuskers were freakin terrible. I don't even remember my grandpa telling stories about years like this. Losing to USC is one thing. Losing to Okie State by 30 is another. Giving up 76 to KU made me think about seppuku. But, there's light at the end of the tunnel - Bill Callahan is no longer any danger to himself or others, Grandpa Tom is back in the mix and Bo Pelini is the new head coach. The Big Red will be rolling again soon.
Then, there's the rest of the stuff - The Patriots going 16-0. Michigan getting beat by Appalachian State. Everyone ranked number one or two losing at least once. Kentucky beating LSU. And, more mind-boggling, MU and KU actually playing for something in November. Rediculous! Missouri was even ranked number 1 for God's sake! Just writing that actually hurt me. And, to top even that, KU just won the freakin Orange Bowl! KU? Normally at this time of year, football is a distant memory and KU nation has turned to endlessly criticizing Bill Self.
I love football. But I'll probably pretend this year didn't happen.
