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

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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...
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It is the weekend again. Time really moves fast when you travel 50% of the time. I suppose I don't have to travel nearly this much, but I do find it the most cost effective way to do my job.

Being away from my apartment so much I have learned a few techniques. I buy a lot of freshies. What do you do with the freshies when you are leaving for two weeks? Also, I don't have a compost pile here, like on the farm. The organics need a purpose. So, what I do is take all my veggie scraps, you know the stump of lettuce, the stem of tomatoes, the pepper that would go to waste, and I freeze them. Then when I have a day or so here I take the frozen stuff out and make a wonderful vegetable stock.

You make vegetable stock by getting a big ol' pot and dumping in all the frozen stuff, nothing putrefied, and adding lots and lots of water. You then slowly cook (not boil) over low-low heat for at least 12 hours, more is better. Do not add any salt. Strain the broth and freeze in baggies. Freezing is an important step in making any good stock. The stock is great for soups or fish sauces, excellent base for almost anything, maybe "Vegetable Stock Ale."

I definitely regret the list of my favorite music both times I have listed it on my blog. It always gets me thinking. Classical music rose to the top after Venice/Austria/Munich. Next time I go to Venice I am unquestionably going to an opera or a classical music concert in Venice.

Anyway, I am absolutely astounded that I didn't add Bob Marley "Could You Be Loved," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-_NMAllsJc

I am off to Brazil Sunday. I am traveling with a lot of my co-workers which is very unusual. That will be good for a laugh for sure. Since they are traveling as much as I am (or more) alone. We all have our own "travel style."

DJ and I are planning this year's vacation. Go ahead, see if you guess what country. Of course, it will be a new country. It should be exciting. Adventure.

Here is a pic from Zancudo Costa Rica in 2009. This is traditional jungle headdress for my people.

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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...
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Before this trip I couldn't spell caribbean... It's a weird one. We didn't have a lot of time for this trip as usual. Other things in life besides travel to get done, like work. We planned Punta Cana Dominican Republic, Domenica, and Antigua and Barbuda. Our visit to DR was shortened by a cancelled flight on Liat Airlines. Our first flight on Liat we were at the ticket counter for 3 hours. There were only 3 other passengers on an Embraer 145 which holds 50. We learned in Dominica that Liat is short for "Leave Island Another Time". Or as I used my very limited Russian swearing vocaulary "Blyat" or "блядь". You can hear this word many times watching car crashes in Russia on Youtube. It is normally compounded with many other intensifiers. Of the three countries we liked Domenica best. It reminds me of Maui without all the tourism and people. Parts of the island might be the densest jungle I've seen. This pic is a improptu ...
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