After 200 days on the road, here is what Bud and I have to say. Plus some pictures of Pushkar India.
200 days ago today, Bud and I set out on this amazing adventure to circle the globe and see what was out there. Bud had done quite a bit of traveling before so he was no newbie. He has been to Africa several times, also China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Europe. I however, have not traveled much at all. I had gone to Costa Rica for 8 days’ years ago but that was the only time I had been out of the US. I have never been to Mexico and I have never been to Canada. For me this trip was a full jump and go experience. After 200 days of living in a suitcase, moving cities or countries every 6-9 days has been an education. Even for Bud it has still been an education. The type of traveling he had done before was either with a group or through a travel service or with work. The type of traveling we are doing is much different. We each carry one rolling suit case and one backpack and small handbag. There is not much variety in our daily clothing and we don’t buy souvenirs. When we buy something, we must toss something. There is no room to be a pack rat. Sending things home can be expensive so we have avoided that. This has been a choice we have each enjoyed.
So as of day, 200 we have been in 20 countries, 36 cities and slept in 39 beds. We have been to the world’s largest gay rights parade, world’s largest art museum, world’s tallest building. We have climbed on the pyramids of Egypt and we have danced the night away in Ibiza Spain. We have swam in the Atlantic ocean, Mediterranean ocean and the Persian gulf. We have seen the red-light district in Amsterdam and elephants in South Africa. All of this is great and I appreciate very much. The biggest thing so far, that I have enjoyed in our 200 days on the road is the first-hand world lesson I am getting. I have seen the effects of apartheid and the Arab spring. I have learned more history in these 200 days then I ever imagined. I will always treasure learning about the Muslim religion while in the Mohammod Ali Mosque in Cairo and the Hindu religion while we hiked a hill in Pushkar India. I cannot repeat it enough, I am thankful for every day we have on the road. This trip has broadened my view of the world, but it leaves me wanting more.
Following after Bud’s reflection is a few photos of what we recently saw in Pushkar India. Thank you for following along our journey and we enjoy reading your comments on the website and on Facebook. Beth
Bud's reflections of the last 200 days
I did not expect to see history play out in front of my eyes. I did not expect to live in the moment of current events that you read about in the newspaper or hear about in social media. When you are in a foreign country like Brazil that is getting ready for the Olympics, it is fun to be part of the excitement. When you tour the Apartheid museums in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and witness the continuing impact of what the black population is going through even today, it’s a meaningful event. When in Cairo you still see the barbed wire from the Arab Spring uprising still in the streets, you stop and try to understand. When your tourist guide in Amman Jordan works part time in a refugee camp with 60,000 Syrians waiting to get to a home where they can rebuild lives, you stop to reflect. Being in London a few months after the country decides to leave the European Union, it is an education in world current affairs.
I did not expect to be in a country that simply runs out of cash and with few places that take credit cards. Entering India two days after they changed the currency and not having rupees available through normal channels is very disruptive. We had to dig deep and use all our travel skills to keep afloat over a 26 day period of extensive travel. It is just a dumb move by a leader of a third world country.
There is no bigger personal impact than being in Berlin Germany and experiencing the Holocaust Memorial and touring the display that was opened in 2005. Seeing how the German people deal with the repair of so many broken lives is something that is hard to get your mind around. They continue to educate their children on what they went through just 70 years ago in a continuing effort to have it never happen again. The displays are deep, educational, and have a profound impact on how you feel about what happened not that many years ago.
I did not expect to see so many ways to live your life that is foreign to the American way of life. Most societies in general live in much tighter spaces, do not own their own homes and do not own a car. Everything in their lives is smaller. Homes are smaller, streets are narrower, cars are tiny, yards are rare, and stores are compact. Most people use mass transit, eat out at local places more often and spend time to reflect with friends and family. There are few pickup trucks, not many wide open spaces, and trains are the main way to get from city to city.
You learn so many little things like most homes do not have dryers. They simply do their wash and hang things out to dry on a nice day. That seems to work for them. People have less refrigeration space and few freezers so people shop daily and eat more fresh fruits, vegetables and breads. They also seem to eat out more often both with family, friends, at inexpensive street foods.
People do not own as many vehicles, especially large cars or trucks. Bicycles, motor scooters, and public transportation are the preferred mode of getting around in the world. Most people simply can’t afford the cost of ownership. Fuel is expensive as is insurance. Parking is at a premium. Streets are jammed so scooters are easy to maneuver in traffic and can be more easily parked close to your destination.
I did not expect to see the mass of humanity living so close to the daily edge of the poverty level. The slums of Rio, the lingering effects of Apartheid in South Africa, the disjointed life on the streets of Cairo or the chaotic life in the major cities of India.
I had never understood the disruption that colonization created around the world. The Spanish terror that befell the Incas and Aztecs in South America. The horrors of slavery that crippled Africa are still visible today. The vast extent of the British empire as it spread across almost every continent. The not positive influence of the Dutch as they became worldwide merchants and traders.
I did not expect to witness firsthand the world-wide impact of social media today. The speed at which Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and news releases, go into so many homes and the influence on so many young people is hard to comprehend. Seeing the lasting damage of the Arab spring some 5 years after the fact is educational.
The lack of effective governance is more obvious as you move from country to country and society to society. We have witnessed the mismanagement of public monies in Brazil. South Africa’s President Zumba’s horrible follow-up after the excellence of Mandela. Egypt’s fiscal irresponsibility in collecting and allocation taxes, and India’s mismanagement of their economy. Turkey’s fast decent from a democracy to an autocracy. We should be proud of our forefather’s excellence in crafting a system of government that has worked for most of the people most of the time. It is not perfect but it is better than many. Bu
Following are our photo's from Pushkar India.
