Travel by Numbers
I must admit, I went to school for Accounting, why – I have no idea.
“Hello my name is Sherry and I’m a bean counter.”
Yeah – it never quite fit me, nor my personality, which is probably how I ended up in Information Technology. However, there was something about numbers that I liked which seems to fit with my Type A personality.
As I spend my days reuniting with old friends in New York, I am constantly asked to summarize my 16 months for everyone. This is not an easy task – therefore I started to actually prepare for this question in advance. I made lists…lists of countries, airlines, money, experiences, and anything else I could anticipate being asked. It provided me a summarized look at my travels through numbers…and I love numbers. So here it is – my around the world travels by numbers.
Number of countries I’ve visited: 23
(in order)
Kenya
Tanzania
South Africa
New Zealand
Australia
Bali (Indonesia)
Singapore
Lombok (Indonesia)
Thailand
Borneo (Malaysia)
Hong Kong
Vietnam
Cambodia
Greece
Croatia
Montenegro
Italy
Morocco
Egypt
Switzerland
India
Laos
Lankawi (Malaysia)
China
Japan
Number of pictures taken after editing (throwing out the bad shots which were too many to count!): 11,868
Number of stories/posts I’ve written on my website: 167
Number of airports I’ve flown into/out of: 46
London, Nairobi, Dar e Salaam, Johannesburg, Capetown, Hong Kong, Auckland, Christchurch, Sydney, Cairns, Melbourne, Bali, Singapore, Lombok, Chiang Mai, Mae Hon Song, Bangkok, Krabi, Borneo, Hai Noi, HCMC, Siem Reap, Phnom Phen, Athens, Santorini, Rome, Dubrovnik, Madrid, Dubai, Marrakech, Casablanca, Cairo, Aswan, Geneva, Jordan, Delhi, Udaipur, Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Lankawi, Beijing, Kunming, Shangri-la, Tokyo, Mombassa, Lamu
Number of cancelled flights: 1 – see the agonizing post here
Number of times my luggage was lost: 0 – miracles do happen
Number of times I lost something: 1 – a luggage lock which was easily replaceable in Morocco. Trying to communicate with the shopkeeper to find/buy the lock was definitely the hardest part!
Number of treks and mountains climbed: 13
Mt. Sinai, Egypt
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (I was just about there…I’m counting it!) – 8 days
Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo – 2 days
Tiger Leaping Gorge, China – 2 days
Atlas Gorge, Morocco
Milford Trek, New Zealand – 3 days
Mt. Vesuvius, Italy
Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
Hill Tribe Trek, Thailand – 3 days
Hill Tribe Trek, Vietnam – 2 days
Great Wall Trekking, China – 2 days
Dali Trek, China
Color Canyon Trek, Eygpt
Longest number of simultaneous days I spent in one country: 60 days – Italy
Number of ferries taken: 10
Zanzibar to Dar e Salaam
Vietnam – Cat Ba to ?
Split Croatia to Ancona Italy
Ischia to Naples
Sorrento to Ischia
Sorrento to Capri
Egypt to Sinai
Dubrovnik to Miljet
Mykonos to Athens
Santorini to Mykonos
Number of world landmarks I’ve seen: 6
Taj Mahal
Pyramids
Angkor Wat
Great Wall
Roman Coliseum
Parthenon – Greece
Number of times I was sick: 1 – in Vietnam
Longest number of days without a shower: 7
Number of overnight trains: 10
Hanoi to Sapa – Vietnam
Sapa to Hanoi – Vietnam
Hanoi to Hue – Vietnam
Hue to Nha Trang – Vietnam
Nha Trang to Saigon – Vietnam
Tangier to Marrakech – Morocco
Beijing to Xian – China
Xian to Beijing – China
Bangkok to border of Laos near Vientiane – Thailand
Number of memorable places I’ve run: 19
S. Africa Capetown along the waterfront
Sorrento – on the cliffs outside of town and down the cobblestone streets
Rome – getting lost along the river
Tuscany/Siena – amongst the grape fields and rolling hills of a country road
Singapore – in the oven and in the jungle
Mossel Bay S. Africa – along the harbor and through the city
Pai Thailand – over the river and into the villages
Hanoi, Vietnam – around the lake in the old quarter. People looked at me as if I had 3 heads!
Hue, Vietnam – along the river – people made me stop to take pictures of me with their cell phone!
Greece Mykonos along the ridge against the freezing Mediterranean winds
Croatia Split along the harbor
Croatia Dubrovnik along a rocky beach path on the cliffs
Hong Kong dodging tourists at the peak – an amazing view of the city below
Venice Lido along the beach trail
Ferrara Italy on top of the old town wall surrounding the city
Geneva Switzerland along the lake
New Zealand Queenstown – in the freezing cold near the lake – it snowed later that day and I was out in shorts!
New Zealand – Te Anau along the lake front.
New Zealand – Wellington along the harbor
Number of Cipro pills I took: 0 – what can I say, I got lucky or I have a stomach of steel. However, I did have my share of Pepto!
Number of times I slept in a bunk bed: Too many times to count. Let’s just say, I’ve been in a bunk bed more often than a regular bed.
Number of friends and family who traveled with me on an individual basis: 9
Cyndi (sister)
Angie
Veronique
Emily
Russ
David
Miles
Marcy/Mike…ok – I kind of crashed their honeymoon – not sure if that counts!
Dad
Number of new friends I made for life: 6 – you know who you are
Number of wine regions visited: 4
South Africa
Yara Valley Australia
New Zealand South Island
Tuscany/Chianti…the granddaddy of wine
Most number of countries in a one month timeframe: 6 in April 2007
Number of books I’ve read: 10 – ok, so this doesn’t seem like a lot. However, when I was living in the US, I’d maybe read 2 books a year if I was lucky!
Number of times I thought I might not make it to tomorrow: 5 – all having to do with terrifying drives in buses, mini-vans, dilapidated cars from the 70’s, and one very angry taxi driver in Naples.
Number of emails sent: 3600
Number of bodies of water that I dipped my toe or whole body into: 10
Nile River
Indian Ocean
South China Sea
Red Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Mekong River
Andaman Sea
Aegean Sea
Coral Sea
Tasman Sea
Number of dollars I spent: The obvious answer here is ‘priceless’
By steve January 26, 2008 - 4:10 am
Hi,nrnrI have been following your blog for sometime as we seem to post together. I have really enjoyed it. I understand your motives completely as I share them. You are a fantastic writer (I wish I could do it like you).nrnrI have never felt compelled to comment on anyones’ blog before, but, when I saw how much you spent – WOW! I have been away about 20 months and spent way under 20Kusd. However, I have tended to stick to cheaper destinations. I did visit places like Iceland/Japan/Korea but for very short periods. I aso interspersed my travel with a little paid work.nrnrAnyway, this doesnt matter – as long as you enjoyed it. You say you wouldnt change a thing? Good for you. That is the main thing.nrnrI hope the reverse culture shock doesnt kill you! I couldnt imagine going home now!nrnrYou mention you want to teach English. I do that now and it is easy/fun/satisfying although, be warned, don’t do too many hours or it will seem like a grind. It would be better if you get qual’d but I didnt and it is no real impediment. ‘Up to you’ or in Chinese: ‘Swaybien’.nrnrAnyway, all the bestnrnrSteve
By Travis January 26, 2008 - 10:31 am
Sherry,
LOVE this numbers post. It is amazing how many exciting adventures you had while you were away!
Thanks for the shout out in your last post! We had such a great time hanging out the other night – and are researching every site you sent us – the guided tour sites are fantastic!
Kent and I only hope we are as lucky as you were in your travels (especially with respect to only getting sick once!)
XOX – T&K
By mungai January 31, 2008 - 5:09 pm
This is amazing lady!!!! was awesome to be there with you at the beginning and know how you are feeling.. i put my self through that everytime i come back!!! look forward to seeing you soon
By Susan February 6, 2008 - 4:42 pm
Fantastic recap — I’d love to learn a few travel tips (sites suggested to T&K….) I’m about to embark on my own journey, altho’ not sure how long. I’ll supplement it with teaching stints!