I am sure this comes as no surprise to those of you who have known me for at least 10 years. It likely is of very little surprise to the rest of you who know me. I am starting to accept the fact that every few years, I get an itch that needs to be scratched and have to hit the road. This trip is lucky number seven. As a refresher for some of you and a summary for others, I have created a summary of my first six trips and a probable itinerary for number seven.
(1) Norway Summer School – June-August 1997 – It was the summer of 1997. I had just turned 19 and headed to Norway to search out the family roots. I spent 6 great weeks attending the Oslo International Summer School. This was really the trip that started it all. I met some great people, several of whom I have seen again and keep in loose email contact with 9 years later.
Countries Visited: Norway, Sweden
(2) Semester at Sea – September-December 1998 – This may have been the best 100 consecutive days of my life. Sailing around the world is something that I think everyone should do if they can. This trip was a great way to be exposed to third world countries with the comforts of the ship nearby. Also, I am not sure that I have ever slept better than in my cold, dark, windowless room with waves crashing against the ship wall near my pillow. Semester at Sea had great people from all over the country. I have seen a few of people from the trip, but sadly was unable to make the 5 year reunion.
Countries Visited: Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Italy, Vatican City, Morocco
(3) Oxford & Backpacking – May-August 1999 – Oh what a trip. This one started with four memorable days in the Gatwick Airport. After that, it was fun checking out European cities, a four-day music festival in Denmark, and then off to Oxford to study. Study might be a generous term. I did write a paper called, “You say to-may-toe, I say to-mat-toe: you say gyro, I say Euro.” I am not sure what it was about, but being that I was in a British Politics & European Union course, I can only assume it was on topic. Academic rigor aside, Wadham College and Oxford were a great place to spend a few weeks in the summer. I also still keep in touch with the woman who I hit in the head with a dart (she was standing in front of the board) and was even her wedding photographer. After school, my dad joined me for an adventure around the UK, which included spending the night in a stairwell in Aberdeen after our train got in really late and they closed the station. From the UK, we caught a ship to Norway, went up to the Arctic Circle and then through some Eastern European capitals.
Countries Visited: UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Luxembourg
(4) Moscow & Backpacking – Summer 2000 – After being kept out of Russia the previous summer, I was determined to get a visa and get there. It just so happed that the University of Central Arkansas (aka UCA and The 2nd best school in Conway, AR) had a study abroad program. As having graduated seemed like only a minor obstacle, I signed up. My roommate Brent joined me and on the way out of Russia we decided to break away from the group for a little detour throughout Europe and part of the Middle East. Notable highlights: Getting pulled off a train at gunpoint on the Belarusian border. Everything was resolved for $10. Ending up in Moldova. Petra, Jordan is amazing! Sleeping on the floor of the Cairo airport is not amazing. Running with the bulls at Pamplona. Liechtenstinians are great people. As of 2000, there were 17 Burger Kings in Budapest.
Countries Visited: Russia, Netherlands, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Malta, Italy, San Marino, France, Monaco, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia
(5) Truck Africa – Oct 2002 – June 2003 – This was a big one. I thought it was going to be my last big adventure. I was wrong. I generally say that I am glad I went on this trip, but wouldn’t do it again. By that, I mean I wouldn't do the same exact trip twice. I had a good time, saw some amazing places I thought I would never see and learned a lot about the English, Australians, and Kiwis. Riding through Africa in a truck for 8 months is not something most people get to experience. If you do it, bring some books. Also, pants that tie at the waste are a good thing to pack.
Countries Visited: UK, France, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Netherlands
(6) USA/Iceland/Greenland – Summer 2004 – This trip was the summer before law school. I made it to several places in the U.S. that I had not been before or not been to in a long time. I also caught several baseball games in 10 different stadiums. I also spent a couple weeks in Iceland, which is a nice country. It is very expensive. While I was there, Reykjavik had passed Tokyo for the most expensive city in the world. As a result, I did some camping and worked on a rhubarb farm for room and board for a few days. Also, I caught a flight and spent and day in Greenland (nice visit, I wouldn’t recommend living there). After Iceland & Greenland I went to New York City. It was my first visit since I was 3 years old. I made it to the Letterman Show, a Yankees v. Red Sox game, saw some old friends and water skied in the Hamptons over 4th of July weekend. After NYC, it was back to St. Louis to pack and make the drive to Eugene. I took the scenic route through Albuquerque, Las Vegas, LA, and San Francisco. Then it was two year to settle into Northwest living.
Countries Visited: Iceland and Greenland
(7) Southeast Asia/Australia/South America – 2006/2007 – And this is why we are here - big number 7. I am not sure what this trip will bring. You will have to check in on this blog to find out. The planned itinerary takes me from Portland on July 2nd to Tokyo for 28 hrs and then to Bangkok. I have 17 days to make it around Thailand and Cambodia before I fly to Australia. I will be at the University of Adelaide from July 24 – November 19 and then on to New Zealand at the beginning of December. I should leave NZ Xmas eve for Tahiti. I will be there for 3 days and then eventually get to Santiago, Chile in a roundabout sort of way with a lot of airline connections. From Chile, the plan is to head down the continent and then back up. I haven’t figured out where to go after Rio, but that gets me to February if all goes to plan. This should be a great adventure, stay tuned for updates.
-Ben
