qWT2K9--the quasi World Tour 2009: Special Edition: Halfway Report from halfway around the world

As I write this en route from Saigon to Phnom Penh in a bus through the Cambodian country side, I am at the exact mid point of my trip. I thought it would be interesting to tabulate a few things to share other aspects of my experience that my weekly postings don't really cover:

WAYS TO SAY HELLO

Guten Tag (Germany)

Hello (UK)

Ni Hao (China)

Tashi Delek (Tibet)

Xin Chao (Vietnam)

Choum Reap Sour (Cambodia)

NUMBER OF

Hours spent on long distance buses: 16

Hours spent on a trains: 129

Flights: 7

Dollars spent on Skype: $10 (it is soooo cheap)

Pictures taken: 2,333

Video taken: about 4 hours

Times we’ve heard Toni Braxton's "Unbreak my heart": 3!!!!!!!

Countries we’ve heard Toni Braxton's "Unbreak my heart”: 2

Days without internet: probably only 15

Boxes sent home thus far: 2

Magnets found for Chippie: 7

Temples visited: 17

Amount over budget currently: $800 (it’s okay, I have a huuuge contingency and the majority of that was from a new suit and camera I bought)

Weight of baggage: Probably around 25 or 26 kg

MOST/LEAST BEST/WORST

Most expensive meal: DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH IT COST, THANKS WINNIECHENG!!!!

Least expensive meal: noodle bowl: 42 cents

Best bargain: Magnet in Tibet: the woman wanted 70 yuan ($10), I got her down to 12 yuan (less than $2).

Worst Rip Off: Cab ride from Ho Chih Minh Airport to Pham Ngu Lao.

Best deal: 3 days in Halong Bay, All food, transportation to and from Hanoi and accommodation (and 2 hours of free karaoke!!!) $58 total

Softest Bed: Golden Gate Hotel: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Hardest Bed: Box Spring (no mattress!!), Guilin, China

Best Shower: Winnie’s apartment, Hong Kong

Worst Shower: Vinh Danh Hotel on Cat Ba Island

Best Cultural Experience: Tibetan Night Club

Worst Cultural Experience: 2^nd Class Train Toilet: Beijing to Pingyao

Best sense of place: Chongqing or our Hutong in Beijing

Worst sense of place: Lhasa, Tibet

THINGS WE GET EXCITED ABOUT HERE THAT WE’D NEVER THINK ABOUT AT HOME:

Fast-drying laundry

Menus in English or with pictures

Bathrooms that have toilet paper

Bathrooms that have western toilets

FRIENDS MET:

Jens and Tomas from Sweden who we spent 2 days exploring Pingyao with. We actually were in Hong Kong at the same time as well but didn’t find out until after they had already left for the Philippines.

Mike (Minneapolis) Matt and Gerson (LA) who we met at lunch one day and experienced the Tibetan night club with the next evening. Mike quit his job and is traveling for a year through Asia.

Simon from New Zealand who we spent 7 hours in the dining car with on the train from Tibet with and explored the city of Chongqing with the next day.

Jose the French Canadian from Montreal who we hiked the trails of Sapa with, had an interesting experience with karaoke in Lao Cai and who Chels and I had to share a bed with in Hanoi for a couple hours after arriving at 4AM with no rooms available at our hotel.

Tracey from Portland Oregon who we ventured Sapa with as well, and saved my life by giving me her extra tube of sunblock!!! Hopefully we will be able to meet up with her in Cambodia.

Ryan from Ireland who lives in NYC who we hung out with in Sapa and then ran into again on Cat Ba Island and hiked with him in the national park. He quit his job at the law firm he worked at and is traveling around the world for a year.

Mike from Oregon who we explored the caves of Halong Bay, sang a whopping 2 hours of Karaoke. He is an engineer who quit his job and is traveling for a year through Central America (6 months) and Asia (6 months)

Jono from Australia who stayed at our hostel in Pingyao, China and then we ran into a month laser at a sidewalk café in Cat Ba, Vietnam. He biked to Vietnam from Kunming until his brakes wore through the rim and he had to toss the bike off a cliff in Sapa.

Apart from those statistics, I have thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I can never remember the day of the week it is (although I’m still good with the actual date), I haven’t had to cook at all, and I have only read the Huffington Post once since I left (sadly it was yesterday morning to see that Maine Prop 1 marriage equality failed and equal rights have been denied yet again.) Other than that all is good and I’m looking forward to the second half of the trip and sharing many more of the experiences with you when I get back!

Photos this time: i'm big on patterns/textures/text so I thought i'd post some of those, enjoy!

Wall, Beijing