I lost my notebook at a St
Petersburg night club last night, and it was only through cunning detective
work (retracing my photographs) that I managed to recall where the hell I'd
been, and - joy! - there it was behind the bar. Anyway, I would have lost a whole bunch of
information, such as this list below on my highlights in some of the countries
I've been to. Just in case I lose
the book again, I thought I best put this somewhere safe, like here. In no particular order:
Hiking the Inca Trail to
Macchu Picchu, eating fresh ceviche on the beach.
Mountain biked the world's
most dangerous road, and cross the Salar De Uyuni (the world's biggest salt
desert) in a 4x4.
Climbed an erupting volcano
(Villarica), and sandboarded in the Atacama Desert.
Climbing and river rafting
in Patagonia, partying in Buenos Aires, and eating those huge steaks
everywhere!
Hanggliding over Rio,
visiting Iguazu Falls, relaxing in Jericoacoara, Sunday nights in Olinda, and
sailing off Salvador
Visiting the bone church of
Kutna Hora Sedlec, jazz on the Charles Bridge
Finding my grandmother's
village, the haunting visit to Auschwitz
Kayaking and swimming in the
Dalmatian Coast, paintballing on the Serbia-Croatia border
Milking Ilir's cow, visiting
the abandoned castle in Gijirokaster, and hitching through the countryside
The red wine, olives and
sunsets of Santarini, island hopping
Paragliding over the
sparkling Med in Olu Deniz, exploring Cappadocia, and sunset on a boat in
Koycegiz
Dune buggying in the desert,
high tea at the Burj Dubai hotel
Yoga on the Ganges, seeing
the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, getting a tattoo in Goa.
Riverboats in the jungles of
Borneo, playing with monkeys, tigers, crocodiles, eagles and iguanas, and
eating nasi kinder curries.
Singing Karaoke, meeting the
Harajuku girls, being pushed inside a train.
The lantern festival in
Chiang Mai, riding an elephant,the buzz of Khao San Road.
The two-day slowboat down
the Mekong, exploring temples by bicycle in Luang Prabang, tubing the river
bars in Vangvyieng
Exploring the temples of
Angkor, firing an Ak-47, visiting the Killing Fields and S-21 prison, massages
on the beach in Sihanoukville.
Climbing the 72m tree in
Western Australia, meeting kangaroos in Tasmania, cricket at the SCG,
connecting with family and friends in Sydney
Skydived, Swooped,
Zorbed, rafted the world's highest
vertical drop, speed races, Agrojetted, Bodyflying, mountain biking, 4x4'd, and
lugeing in Rotorua
Spearfishing giant lobster
and hunting deer
Sitting out a tropical storm
Zipgliding the Great Wall of
China, stumbling on Tiananman Square at dawn
Galloping on the plains,
camping in a traditional gur
Swimming in Lake Baikal,
Siberia, doing the Trans-Siberia Railway, exploring St Petersburg with a new
playlist on my iPod!
Hunting winter sun
Absinthe and Christiania in
Copenhagen, biking with a beer in Arhus
A week with the moose on
"Moose Mountain"
Camped in an old Nazi bunker
in Narvik, under the midnight sun in the Arctic circle, bathing in fjords.
Camping on the beaches of
Nungwe, getting lost in Stonetown
Swimming in a rock pool
overlooking Victoria Falls, and flying up north for an afternoon.
Swimming in the king's
sacred rock pool, meeting a hippo, smuggling contraband.
Working on a kibbutz,
floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada, debating Torah in the old Tea Room
in Jerusalem
Riding a camel by the
pyramids in Giza, snorkeling the Blue Hole in Dahab
Vagabonding and hustling my
way at the Edinburgh Festival, exploring the highlands
Living in London for a
couple years, and all that comes with it, oh, and spending a romantic night in
an old castle.
Getting growled at on New
Years Eve in Abergavanny
New Year's Eve in Temple
Bar, visiting Belfast during a security alert, drinking Guinness from the
source
Romance, the Louvre in
Paris, Jim Morrison's grave, the red carpet in Cannes
Gambling in a casino in
Monte Carlo
Michaelangelo's David in
Florence, the Vatican, pizzas and toga parties in Rome
Too much beer at a beer hall
in Munich, exploring the Rhine
Amsterdam, but the memories
are pretty fuzzy
Gaspacho in Valencia, the
smell of olive oil in the air at Grenada
Mardi Gras 2000, driving
through Nevada, Arizona and Utah in a red convertible
A honeymoon without the
wedding, and gorging on fresh guacamole.
The Garden Route, the
Drakensburg, Splashy Fen music festival, walking with a lion, bungee jumping in
Gouritz River, and hell, my life ages 0 - 23.
Snowboarding in alpine
peaks, camping in forests, lazy days on Wreck Beach, music festivals in
Toronto, and hell, my life ages 23 -?
****
There's more of course, but the train must have pulled into a station so this is as far as I got. But the true highlight, of course, is the people I met along the way. It's a journey, this thing we call life.