2010 By the Numbers

Once a geek, always a geek.  I might be smooth with my public words, but not in matters of the heart.

The year 2010 was all about heart, and I'm having a hard time answering the question, "Sooo, how was your trip."  I don't know.  Extraordinary?  What the hell does that mean?

No, it's better to take the objective approach.  I'll communicate in numbers, paint the picture with data. This was the monumental 'round the world trip of 2010...  in numbers.

Basics

• Days outside the USA:  313
• Countries and territories: 13 (USA, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, Israel, West Bank, Ukraine) on 3 continents (Australia, Asia, Europe)

where i've been in 2010

Places

• UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 13 (Tongariro National Park, Sydney Opera House, Borobudur, Angkor, Kathmandu Valley, Lumbini, Chitwan National Park, Sagarmatha National Park, Historic Areas of Istanbul, Göreme National Park, Baha'i Gardens, Masada, White City of Tel Aviv)
• Highest elevation: 5,550 m (18,500 ft), Kala Pattar, Nepal
• Lowest elevation: -411 m (-1,350 ft), Dead Sea, Israel 
• Favorite country:  First place:  Turkey, because of its culture, food, natural beauty, diversity, friendliness of the people, and ease of getting off the beaten path.  Runners-up:  New Zealand, because of its natural beauty, and Thailand, because I want to explore the north of the country.

in the back of the ute

Catching ZZZ's

• Hostels and guesthouses:  somewhere around 22, plus 28 teahouses while trekking in Nepal
• Couchsurf hosts:  9 (every country except Singapore, Cambodia, Nepal, and Israel (see below))
• Family and friends:  3 (all in Israel)
• Airports:  4 (Auckland, Singapore, Istanbul, Tel Aviv)
• Oddball places I've spent the night:  in a tent in New Zealand for several months, in a van in New Zealand for one month, under a mosquito net in the back of a Ute in Australia, on a yacht in Australia, at a monestary in Nepal, in a concrete cell in Thailand

shoot me now

Transport

• Flights taken: 17 (many flights from one city to another had multiple segments)
• Miles flown: 28,695 (damn)
• Long-distance bus rides: 17 (Yogya to Bromo, Bromo to Denpasar, KL to Cameron Highlands, Cameron Highlands to Taman Negara, Taman Negara to KL, Butterworth to Hat Yai, Siem Reap to Bangkok, KTM to Jiri, KTM to Besisahar, Pokhara to KTM, KTM to Chitwan, Chitwan to Lumbini, Lumbini to Pokhara, Pokhara to KTM, Diyarbakir to Urfa, Urfa to Goreme, Goreme to Istanbul)
• Long-distance train rides: 4 (Jakarta to Yogya, KL to Butterworth, Surat Thani to Bangkok, Bangkok to Aranyaprathet)
• Ferry rides: 2 (Java to Bali, Istanbul)
• Motor vehicle rentals: 3 (Bali, Australia, Israel)
• Which country has the worst buses?  Nepal

itty bitty writing muse kitty

Languages

• Languages spoken: 11 (English, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Cambodian, Nepali, Turkish, Kurdish, Hebrew, Arabic, Ukrainian) 
• Alphabets seen: 7 (Latin, Thai, Cambodian, Devanagari/Nepali, Hebrew, Arabic, Cyrillic)
• Alphabets read: 3 (Latin, Devanagari/Nepali, Cyrillic)
• Easiest language to learn:  Indonesian
• Hardest language to learn:  Nepali

Remembering

• Photos on the hard drive:  10,885 (mine), 6,117 (Davo)
• Blog posts:  126 (though some were written before departure)
• Personal journal entries:  313 (one for every day of the trip), plus 9 special entries, in 3 volumes (2 digital, 1 hand-written)
• Favorite memory:  too many to list!!!

sunset at angelus hut, nelson lakes, new zealand

The Great Outdoors

• Total trail (hiking) days: 83 (New Zealand 30, Indonesia 1, Malaysia 4, Nepal 46, Turkey 2)
• Rock climbing: twice (Wharepapa, New Zealand and Koh Tao, Thailand)
• National Parks: 18 (Tongariro, Taranaki, Nelson Lakes, Westland, Aoraki, Mt. Aspiring, Fiordland, Litchfield, Bromo Tengger Semeru, Taman Negara, Chitwan, Langtang, Sagarmatha, Annapurna, Göreme National Park, Caesarea, Ein Gedi, Masada)
• Most magnificent natural place:  Kala Pattar, Nepal and Nelson Lakes, New Zealand

the view from kala pattar, nepal