The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

Yes, I'm back, back home... only to catch a cold 2 days after landing here. Did I change?, have any world-shattering insights? - I don't think so.

So, what did I do then, what did I experience... well, first, the bad, what was the worst place I went too? Easy, two cities never to return to: Jakarta, and Vegas! (horrible). The good? More difficult, but seeing Angkor Wat at sunrise is definitely one of them. Next to that, I discovered those really wonderful small to medium sized places all over the world that attract tourists, but are not too touristy. Chefchouan in Morocco, Chiang-mai in Thailand, Yangshuo in China, Guanojuato in Mexico, and Arequipa in Peru. They are just great. What else?? ...diving in the Red Sea, seeing big poisonous fishies, taking a camel safari in the Thar desert and seeing more stars at night than I ever thought possible. Also.. getting the feeling you're Indiana Jones when you're biking around Rapa Nui! Just incredible. The ugly? The bugs and all the other nasty beasties in India, the smog-filled skies of China. Yuk! In some parts I could stare straight at the sun in the middle of the day, only to see a yellowish haze with what seemed like a lightbulb behind it. It is said that one day in Beijing is like smoking 50 packs of cigarettes... an exaggeration, of course, but 10 packs is not too far of the mark in my opinion.

Most irritating, lan chile personal, really! Close second, but also a lot of fun at the same time, getting used to all the cultural differences. Fun, but at times, draining. For example: the Thai, it's normal to laugh at someone when they make a mistake - to help them save face. Which you should know of course, or else it can drive you nuts. Biggest disappointment, seeing the pyramids, it should be renamed Cairo Central Park. A big shame, a big disappointment. Most learned, the entire trip really. Two cooking courses, thai & chinese, learning to speak Spanish, meeting people from all over the world... seeing people in other countries that earn a tenth of what we make here in Europe that are still smiling, happy. It doesn't take money. Best food: Thai. Best fruit: chirimoya.


What next? I don't know yet, first of to the South off Germany in a week or two, then looking for a new job. In the meantime I signed up for some language courses, might do some other ones as well, and perhaps do some volunteer work both to keep my sanity, and because I want too.




Oh, and where to next? Some day.... Antarctica, Trans-siberia (however, just to be clear, I'm not setting a foot in that country until someone gets rid of that mr. nashi), Japan!, and back to Latin-America, India, and China (I couldn't go to Tibet)....well, and one day, when it becomes affordable enough, this.