I have now written on this blog during such a long period that it is a bit difficult to realize that I am posting the very last entry. How can I find a reflective conclusion, an ultimate morality for this kind of diary? Actually I think we have more or less said everything that was worth being told, hence I’ll try and finally stay brief (probably the remaining non-existent visitors are all tired of reading large essays). One thing I can say for sure is that there is so much more to discover, so many places I’d still like to travel to and that I am keen on learning more from people all around the world. Thus, it was definitely not the last time I have gone to some foreign country, and I hope that also you can find the opportunity and necessary motivation to dare the adventure. To be certain that you won’t be running out of ideas, I’ll leave you with quite a few additional suggestions – some stuff we have not done either. You might wonder that there even more languages I would like to speak, but on a world-scale being fluent in 4 languages is nothing uncommon. In fact, compared to our skills in Europe, the US or South-America, there are lots of regions where it is normal if you master 5 or 6 different languages – regardless of the level of education and the social status …. so long!
Things to do for the next world trip:
- go to an Argentine soccer game (“de River, por supuesto”)
- visit Central America
- learn Quechua
- trek to Choquequirao
- ascent the summits of El Misti, Nevado de Cachi and the Illimani
- do more rock climbing and biking in the Andes
- go to the south of Chile and Argentina (Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego)
- stay longer in New Zealand’s nature, enjoying the beautiful landscape
- play rugby on Tonga and never leave the “Friendly Islands” again
- dive at great spots all around the world
- do a Chinese language course in Yangshuo
- explore South-East Asia
- take the train from Kyrgyzstan via Xinjiang and Tibet to Myanmar
- catch up on Persian and Arab countries
- discover Gabon, Uganda, Sudan and Djibouti, the latter during whale season
- definitely return to West Africa, and take the opportunity for a relaxing week in São Tomé and Príncipe, a supposedly virgin place on earth
- spend your holidays on Madagascar, again during whale season
- travel more using hitch-hiking
- don’t forget your Euro coins for exchanging or offering them to hosts or locals
- have a child and take advantage of the “Elternzeit”
- make street music
- and of course, buy the GoPro
And great resources we used a lot while travelling to plan our further journey:
Rassure-toi, je suis toujours bien un “existing visitor”. Merci pour tout, cher Thomas!
Moi j’ai une réponse à ta question “How can I find a reflective conclusion, an ultimate morality for this kind of diary?” : il faut que tu fasses une sauvegarde de tous tes textes et de toutes photos afin qu’ils se perdent pas et aussi que tu utilises tes talents de brilliant informaticien afin d’empêcher le NSA d’aller s’y promener