The Six Month Milestone...

Chiang Mai, Thailand

July 29, 2007
N 18°47.209
E 098°59.602

As of today we’ve been on the road for six months, can you believe it? We know from some people at home that it seems like only a few months, or to our parents it seems like we’ve been gone longer. For us, Montanita seems like a distant memory, Torres del Paine seems like a long time ago, New Zealand just seems like awhile back. As we hit the six month milestone we believe we’ve accomplished a lot in such a short period of time, today we want to reflect on our relationship, the educational experience from our travels, some of the logistical challenges, the best food and the elusive question “What is our favorite place so far?”

24x7x365:
First, to spend 24x7 with someone for that extended period of time, with the exception of a few breaks, does take a lot of patience and compromise on both sides. Both of us are pretty flexible and easy-going, which helps, but at the same time one or both of us can make a quick decision when needed.

The first six months haven’t gone by without an argument here or there, a few tears, or threats of me walking in one direction and Marc in the other, but at the end of the day we pull together and know we made a decision to be in this together until the end.

Of course we’ve seen each other at our best and worst before this trip even started. However, as we trekked for nine days through Torres del Paine without a shower, or tromped through rice paddies in South East Asia, sweating like pigs, we pulled through and tried to make each other feel as comfortable as possible in what may not be ideal situations.

It’s important for us to continue to work together over the next six months, like we have over the previous six, to make the remainder of our travels as rewarding as possible. We’ll still have days we want to walk in opposite directions, but we'll pull through and remembering one of the reasons we’re together—we enjoy each other’s company… so much so, we decided to travel around the world together 24x7x365.

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History/Culture:
In the past six months we’ve visited ten countries, all with different customs, languages, currency and food. We tried our best to immerse ourselves into the local environment and truly understand what it is like to live in the different countries. Of course this is easier in places, like New Zealand and Australia, than in South East Asia where the war torn countries and instability in government can cause despair and desperation.

We can’t really understand what it’s like to suffer as some of the people have suffered, so we do our best to respect them and understand our differences. It's very apparent everyone wants to works hard and get through life with as little suffering as possible.

Many save their money with the hope to educate their children and provide them with a better life… others make sacrifices that seem immoral and unconscionable to us. However, this is when we need to remind ourselves that this is not our country and we will never be able to understand the despair many of these people endure everyday.

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Logistics:
As we hit the six month milestone we looked back to see if there were any logistical issues that could have been avoided. I think we both agree our intense planning really paid off in terms of avoiding logistical challenges. There have been a few minor hiccups that we’ve basically forgotten. The only little blip, taken care of with good ol’ cash, was Marc’s passport being out of pages, but we’re now in Chiang Mai where there’s a US Consulate. The problem will be solved during our time here; again, very minor.

We’ve used nine different currencies, five different languages, taken numerous buses, trains, boats and planes. Regardless of the language barrier or currency we're always able to figure out where we want to go. Most importantly, no matter where you are in the world, there’s always someone there willing to help you.

In terms of health, we’ve both been very lucky only fighting a few little colds and one stomach incident in Cambodia. For the most part we stay alert and make sure we don’t eat or drink anything we shouldn’t. It all comes down to common sense; however, there are times you want to live a little and eat with the locals (even if the meal includes raw vegetables).

Bottom line, our meticulous planning and discussion prior to our departure not only helped with logistics, but contributed to our ability to deal with each other 24x7x365.

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Best Food:
Laura:
We've definitely had a lot of great food on the road. My mother even asked me if I gained ten pounds since it seems all we do is eat. It might appear we eat a lot; however, with the heat in South East Asia our appetites have been curtailed. We still enjoy the tasty food of the area, but not as much (probably a good thing).

My favorite town for food was Hoi An, Vietnam. Every night, as we shared dinner with Teddy, Bob and Elise, we would go around the table and comment that this is the best meal yet in Vietnam, but the next night would top it. Also, since there were five of us at dinner on most nights, we could try almost everything on the menu. Hoi An also has a couple great regional specialties I really enjoyed such as their version of chicken and rice (rice with shredded chicken, fresh herbs and hot sauce) and Cao Lau.

Even though I called out Hoi An, Vietnam as my favorite city for food, I can’t forget to mention the incredible beef in Argentina that paired perfectly with the regional Malbec wine. The succulent beef pulled two part-time vegetarians back into the meat eating world. If I could get some Argentina beef tomorrow, I would not turn it down.

Marc:
My favorite food was found in Argentina… HANDS DOWN! As many people know, with minor exceptions, I swore off meat for at least four years for health reasons (cholesterol). It got to the point where I really didn’t miss meat or crave it at all. Today, I can’t make such a bold claim. I want, no I need, a perfectly grilled bife de chorizo steak! And while we're at it why don’t we crack open a delicious bottle of Malbec to wash it down. And for dessert I’ll be satisfied with a double scoop of ice-cream from Jauja!

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As for the question “What is your favorite place so far?”
This question is very difficult to answer….

When we put together our itinerary we created a blend of cities and sites that enticed us from a nature perspective, beaches, and culture/history. With that in mind, we’ve enjoyed the majority of the places we’ve been to, and we're actually surprised by how much we enjoyed a few of them. The beauty about our itinerary is, if we don’t like a place, we pack-up and leave.

Also, some of the places we visited are more special to us since we met up with friends or family. In New Zealand, for example, we were able to explore the North Island and part of the South Island with Shelby and Dustin. We visited some cool microbreweries, got lost by a lake, trekked through Abel Tasman National Park and created some unforgettable memories. Likewise, in Vietnam we cruised Halong Bay with Bob, Teddy and Elise. Enjoyed new food together, including Elise’s first lobster, and traveled throughout the country in a pack, like a covey of quail (according to Teddy).

After countless discussions, Marc and I agree our two favorite destinations are really a toss-up between the nine treacherous days in Torres del Paine and the visit to Ban Na, a remote village in Laos. There were a lot of comparisons between the two segments in terms of rugged, natural beauty and overall reward—physical challenge in Torres and giving hope to Roger’s adopted family in Laos.

We also agree that if we had to pick one, and only one, place to go back to it would be the region between Chile and Argentina near Patagonia. We loved the diversity of the overall region in terms of the big beautiful lakes, mountains and remote undisturbed nature. There were tons of trails for us to explore. Plus, the food and wine were absolutely amazing.

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With six months under our belts we haven’t found the next San Francisco, or a place that we think we could call home. However, we still have at least six more months to explore the world…