Posts

Showing posts from January 27, 2008

100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

Image
We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
Image
I am back from California. It was a good trip. It was a good rest. I visited Santa Cruz where I met someone from Chenango County. The visit to the Big Basin Redwood forest was a great experience. The world is so incredibly small these days. I have some more travel coming up. I will be in Raleigh NC in a couple of weeks. I have some other travel lining up for the next couple of weeks as well.
Image
I am out in California for a few days. I spent most of today in Los Gatos. The California experience is just what it is. I ate at a place my friend from the ice recommended. It was excellent. People are asking me why I am learning Chinese. The reply is straightforward. The language of 4 billion Chinese could be wrong, but since there are 4 billion Chinese communicators in the world it seems best to prepare.