Trip Summary

Well, I've made it. I'm home. I woke up at 3:00 am yesterday morning in Athens, caught the bus to the airport and began a 25 hour day of multiple flights to get home.
I can't believe it's actually over. As I sit here and download all my pictures, it's almost surreal to think that I was actually in all these places. And so I thought we'd do a little trip summary to review it all and answer some of those questions I know you're dying to ask:

Time traveling: 9 weeks

Countries visited: 10

Continents visited: 3

Currencies used: 9

Languages spoken (or at least attempted): 7

Pictures taken: 3000+

Methods of transport used: planes, trains, automobiles, buses, minibuses, ferries, camels, donkeys (short of dog sledding, I think I just about covered it)

Hostels, hotels, pensions, overnight ferries/trains, dessert camps, beach huts stayed in: 34 - and I didn't forget anything at a single one!

Number of times backpack was unloaded and repacked: I don't want to think about it

Worst bathroom: night train from Luxor to Cairo, Egypt

Weirdest food: cow tongue stuffed with cashews (though there were several interesting dishes I have no idea what they were)

Best food: Too many to choose from

Most beautiful coastline: Croatia, Kotor Bay of Montenegro, or Crete

Dirtiest country: Egypt, with Albania coming in at a very close second and getting the award for most unorganized

Markets, souks, bazaars visited: oh, I don't even know how many, but the craziest was in Damascus, Syria. It was during Eid (the festival at the end of Ramadan) so it was a national holiday like Christmas and New Years in one. Utter chaos.

Favorite part: Not a fair question. You can ask me a thousand times and I will probably give you a thousand different answers. But a few things that come to mind right now:
~feeling like Indiana Jones in Petra
~coming into Istanbul on the ferry early in the morning
~the night sky full of stars in the Wadi Rum desert
~snorkeling in the Red Sea (surprising, I know)
~the outdoor fruit/veggie market in Zagreb
~walking the city wall around Dubrovnik, Croatia
~feeling weightless floating in the Dead Sea
~fall leaves and turquoise blue waters in Plitvice National Park
~laying in the sun on the beach
~the pyramids on camel back (minus the camel)
~walking through the olive groves on Corfu
~seeing my family's faces waiting for me in the DFW airport

Things I will miss:
~new cities to explore
~meeting wonderful people every day along the way
~the adventure of ordering new foods every night and never knowing exactly what it'll be
~seeing how different people's lives and cultures are from mine

Things I will not miss:
~showers that are hand-held and lukewarm - 97% of the showers I used were those hand-held hose things with nowhere to hook it on the wall
~having 4 bags constantly strapped to me
~consulting a map every 10 minutes
~asking "Do you speak English? EN-GLISH?" 1000 times a day
~doing my passport/wallet check every time I leave a restaurant, hotel, or any form of transportation
~hand washing
~beds that may as well have been made of concrete

What did I learn?
~I learned that there is SOOOO much I don't know about in the world.
~I learned that people are more important than things - it is the people who make a country what it is, not the sights you see or the government you have heard about. Also it is the people you meet along the way, travel with or come home to who make a trip what it is, not just the places you stop at along the way. Thank you for sharing this trip with me.
~I learned that the Lord is faithful every step of the way. In small details and major issues, He will never leave or forsake you and He is big enough to handle it.
~I learned that coffee and beer are the most international drinks. I unfortunately cannot stand either. I have tried them everywhere I've been because when you are with locals, you drink what they drink. While I can now finish either one without making a face, I still do not and never will enjoy them. And I'm ok with that.
~I learned that you can always do more than you think you can. Whether it is navigating through a foreign country, striking out on your own, or climbing a mountain, it's often only our own inhibitions that hold us back. Also the things you are most nervous about frequently turn out to be the most amazing experiences like.
~There is so much more I learned but I guess that will do for now.

Where will I go next? I think at the top of the list will be Nepal, South America, or Kilimanjaro -- but for now it's time for a good dose of home.

Any other questions?

Once again, thanks for joining with me on this adventure and reading my ramblings. Not exactly sure what the blog will become from here (if you have any ideas please let me know) but hopefully we'll chat soon.

Off Season

So I went to Crete the past few days. It was beautiful - some of the best coastline I've seen this trip. The beaches were coves in the otherwise rocky shoreline where waves crashed and splashed one on top of another as though they couldn't wait there turn.
Funny thing was there was no one there! By that I mean that I got off the bus in this quaint little beach town on the southern coast, looked around, and noticed everything seemed closed and I was the only person in sight. "Well this should be interesting" was all that went through my mind.
On my 4th try I found a lady who would actually let me stay in one of her "rooms to rent." She did not seem very pleased to have to make up one of the beds, but I helped and she was able to get back to her nap soon enough.
Evidently it is now "off season" in the Greek islands. Normally this would mean there are less tourists than usual. However here it is apparently when the locals say they have had enough of tourists for the year, shut everything down, and take a break. There are upsides to this "off season" - it's easy to find the local restraints because everything else is closed. Another nice thing is that you have the beach to yourself AND I even found the beach chairs that haven't been taken in for the winter so I got to use them for free. Thankfully it was the end of my trip so nice quiet, unwind, process time was good.
But I must say the attitude of the locals spread to me. Their attitude that it's time for tourists to go home makes me feel like it's time for me to go home as well.

Time to Move

While I was out and about in Athens yesterday, it started raining on me . . . AGAIN. That made the decision for me -- time to move. I stopped by the ferry office on my way home and got a ticket for that night to Crete, changed my bookings at the hostel, and headed out. A 9 hour ferry ride sleeping on a couch in the lounge and here I am, now in Crete.
This place is amazing. I layed on the beach in the sun today with mountains high enough to have snow on them behind me. It's definitely one of the places I'll have to come back to, especially since my explorations have slacked off as the beach is calling my name. A little time to unwind and relax at the end of the trip before heading home. Sounds good to me.

Decisions Decisions

We are now in the last week of my travels - can you believe it?! And I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. The original plan was to go out to Santorini (that's the island you have seen in pictures with white buildings and blue roofs on cliffsides) and Mykonos. Then I found out there's not a ferry connecting the two this time of year and the forecast for Santorini is clouds, wind and rain all this week. Having had enough of overcast skies and rain at this point in the trip, I began to feel indifferent about going. I want to see the island but being stuck in rain, unable to go to the beach sort of defeats the point.
Last night as I worried over plans, I had a revelation - I don't have to go to Santorini. That is the beauty of traveling with a backpack and no reservations - you can adjust plans as you go. Santorini is surely one of Greece's most beautiful islands but I'll get there one day. In the mean time there are plenty of fabulous places to explore. With thoughts of warmth and sun, I thought of Crete - Greece's furthest south island. It's big with lots of things to explore, including Europe's longest gorge. Hmmm . . . new plan?
But then this morning while I was on a run through Athens, a fellow runner struck up a conversation with me and asked if I was running the marathon next weekend. I laughed and told him it was a long story. He asked if I was ready to run a marathon, and I answered that two months ago I was on track to . . . but then I went to themisdle east. Turns out he is from Columbia and came with a group on 26 people to run it. It's not too late to sign up and I'm welcome to run with the women in their group. He said he thought I should run it "as long as I'm here." I told him that had been my thinking at the start of the trip and maybe I would see him next weekend.
So now the question is before me - to I go out to beautiful Santorini and hope for good weather, head down to Crete and explore its beaches and gorge, or stay on the mainland and run the marathon next weekend. So many possibilities!
At this point in the trip I am rather worn out of planning and making a thousand decisions a day - from where to go, stay, and eat, who is safe to ask for directions, which road to take, how much can I spend. If anyone has any wisdom or thoughts to share, I welcome it as I have to decide today. Thanks friends! See you in a week!

Left Behind

I'm in Athens now with the hustle and bustle of a big city. I got in at night after a long ferry-bus-bus-metro travel day. It was actually one of my smoothest travel days other than when police stopped our bus on the highway and took some guys off in handcuffs - not sure what that was about.
When I finally got off the metro, it was a little past midnight. I walked straight out of the station, to the hostel and to bed - no sightseeing with all my bags strapped on. The next morning was quite a surprise. I left the hostel and went just around the block and there's the Acropolis! Wow! It's just sitting up there on the top of the hill in all its glory. Crazy! I was struck again that these places like Cairo, Istanbul, Damascus and now Athens -- they have so much history wrapped up in them, but life just bustles on around it. Can you imagine living in the shadow of the pyramids, the Acropolis, Hayia Sophia without hardly noticing that it's there?!
There is not much time to revel in the glory of history though, because if you do, you'll get left behind. There is the metro that waits for no man. Whether you are getting on or off, you better have your elbows out and be ready to move.
Today I went to the Temple of Poseidon out on a cliff by the coast. To get there you have to take an express bus out of town. Another girl from the hostel and I found the bus stop and waited and waited and waited some more. Greeks kind of do things on their own time so that the posted bus times are more suggested guidelines than an actual schedule. The bus finally did arrive and pulled halfway into the bus lane with its blinker on. There was another bus in the way though so our bus seemed to be waiting for the other to move. I made a motion to the bus driver and looked for eye contact - I am still sure that he saw me wave!
But when the other bus left, ours did to. He just drove right past us! For a split second I thought about chasing him down (I'm pretty sure I could have caught him because of all the traffic) but the shock of him driving off without me caused me to miss my chance. Apparently you need to throw yourself in front of the bus to make sure they see you and stop.
You better believe when the next bus finally came (1 1/2) hours later, I was ready. People must have thought I was crazy - stepping out halfway in the street with arms waving - but I don't care. I'm not getting left behind again.

It's all Greek to Me

Sorry the posts are rather infrequent. And in case you're worried that I got lost in the drunken abyss that I was staying at, don't worry - I made it out unscathed. I now only have my I-touch and typing out blogs on this thing is kind of painful. But for you I'm doing my best - so here is a little about Corfu.
I never thought that in coming to Greece, my Greek training (and by that I mean sorority life) would come in handy, but it has now on 2 occasions. First there was the toga party incident - though I don't think anything could fully prepare me for that chaos. I will spare you the details, but apparently I left just in time before they started doing body shots and breaking plates on people's heads. Too bad I missed out . . .
After I realized that my hostel was not going to help me get that "local" feel I've been trying for most of my trip, I went out to explore the rest of the island on my own. Somehow, the Greeks on the island manage to keep the tourism in contained parts of the island. Outside of those, they carry on their lives as normal; it's really kind of impressive. I enjoyed walking through olive orchards where thin black nets were being placed under the trees in preparation for harvest - you would have no idea that just over the hill was a large tourist community.
It was really cool except that another part of this "containing the tourism" means that most of the road signs were not in English. I left from the village on foot, thinking I would find a bus to the beach along the way. Silly me.
After walking about an hour I began to wonder if I had taken a wrong turn somewhere. I decided I would figure out where I was at the next road sign. Then I came to it and . . . well, it was all in Greek. Ummmm . . . now what?
As I stared at it, that feeling of alarm began to grow until I realized something amazing -- I know the Greek alphabet!! Praise the Lord for sorority pledge training. (Never though I would say that.) That silly song started running through my head: alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu . . . If you are, or have ever been in a sorority, you know the one I'm talking about. Though it took me a while, I was able to sound out all the citites on the sign AND head in the right direction.
I ended up walking all the way to the beach I had set out for (about 8 miles) because the buses are worthless during off-season. But ya' know what, I found my way there without a wrong turn . . . by reading Greek signs!! I win! Laying on a beach never felt so good or deserved.
Then I hitch-hiked back (did you expect me to walk another 8 miles home?), but that's another story for another day. :o)

GREECE

I have made it to Greece!! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. On the ferry ride from Albania I left cloudy skies with the promise of beautiful beaches, clear water, and sun ahead. Greece is somewhere I have wanted to go for a while and it's exciting to actually be here.
Not only is there the excitement of being in Greece, but also there's a sense of completion. It's like I'm finishing the race, making it to my final destination. Greece definately has unknowns of its own, but after so many "unstable" countries to which people respond "you went there!?" I am relieved to be in a traditional tourist destination.
Speaking of tourists, I have to share a little misunderstanding that has made the island of Corfu where I'm at an adventure of its own. I booked a hostel for my stay here - I actually was proud of myself for this because many places I have just figured it out when I got there. I booked on-line where it was advertised as a bed and breakfast as well as a hostel - on the beach, breakfast AND dinner included, free Internet, AND free yoga every day. Sign me up.
On the ferry I pulled out my Greece guide book that has been safely tucked in the bottom of my pack until now to start reading up on Corfu and its beaches. Well low and behold my hostel is in there, only the description was not quite the same. It was described as party central with nights of drunken debauchery that would "make Dionysus proud" and are "not for the faint of liver." Ummm . . . Is this the same place?With slight confusion and trepidation I caught the bus to the other side of the island.
Well I was not disappointed. As I gathered my luggage off the curb where the bus dropped us, I heard yelling coming from in the lobby. For a minute I thought I had walked into an episode of MTV spring break. There were bikini clad college kids running around everywhere. At check in they offered me a complimentary welcome shot of ouzo and informed me of the toga party tonight - are you kidding? The whole time the question flashing through my mind was "what is this place and how did I end up here?" A whole new kind of out of place. But I have to say I rocked that pink toga for dinner.