Final Thoughts

6 months.

183 days from start to finish. January 20 to July 24.

This trip changed me. I learned a lot about the world, and more about myself. I am very different today than I was 6 months ago. Things I took for granted, I no longer. Things that were not priorities enough in my life, are now more clearly priorities. This is all very vague to most of you, but suffice to say that I have new clarity, greater purpose and new objectives going forward in life. No, I am not talking about work.

I was reminded often that we live embarrassingly well in Canada. That our problems are the seemingly petty problems of a mature country. I was reminded often that there is no greater and more respected document in the world than a Canadian passport. Never a hastle or questions at borders, always smiled upon by security, customs officials, hotel officials or airline officials. Every time I took it out I felt pride and a great sense of good fortune to be from this country. I estimate I was assumed to be or told I was American about 100 times on the trip by travelers or whomever. Almost always they were happy to know that I was, in fact, Canadian - and then more friendly, even apologetic. I suggested to many of these folks that next time they run into someone who they think is American, ask them where in Canada they are from or where in North American they are from. That ought to confuse the yanks. That being said, I had a lot of entertaining, tiring and nauseating conversations defending Americans and the US to narrow-minded Europeans. Reminding them some of the best and brightest in the world live in the US – people we all look to for innovation and research, for instance. Reminding them that a government does not necessarily represent its people. Reminding them, that we as the mouse next to the elephant really knew that it was not as easy to characterize them as the stereotypes with which they were comfortable. Reminding them that, we, the North American Europeans, were different, but not so different – we mindlessly flock to Wal-Marts too. We are all very lucky to live in Canada. Very lucky to live in Toronto, a great experiment in the world on the living together of people from all over the world. All the more startling for having visited cities that just don’t compare for the harmony and diversity. It is just too bad that everyone kept asking if I was from Vancouver. But, they all seemed to know someone in Toronto.

43 flights (21 airlines; countless airline meals; one good movie, dozens bad), 2 trains (I am just not that patient), 5 boats, 4 rental cars and 12 buses. Including Canada and airport transfers in the US and Kenya, 12 countries. 22 border crossings. Watched ‘Just for Laughs’ gags on 8 different airlines, including every Chinese airline.

Best airlines:

1. Cathay Pacific (just amazing – 50 channels in every seat; always on time, efficient and polite)

2. KLM (efficient, responsive and organized; best-looking attendants)

3. Air Canada (yes. bent over backwards; very anticipatory and responsive to travelers’ needs; worst-looking attendants, best looking planes and uniforms – the new ones)

4. South African Airways (would rank higher, but the pilots are too chatty).

Worst Airlines:

1. Any Chinese airline (no service; unattentive attendants; loud passengers; scant safety presentations; doomed Greyhounds in the air)

2. Kenya Airlines (two flights: both late, uninformed attendants, missed connection and severely understaffed ground crew)

3. American Airlines (overbearing, bad, cheap and uninspired; Greyhound in the air too, though safer)

Best Airport:

1. Pearson Terminal 1

2. Hong Kong

3. Johannesburg

Worst Airports

1. Nairobi (virtually nowhere to sit in departures area; just a narrow concrete hallway)

2. Delhi (low ceilings, outdated and overcrowded)

3. Kathmandu (I was annoyed by 6 security checks; damn Maoist insurgents)

Most asked question: ‘what was your favourite part?’. The answer is several: reading what I want and not documents for ‘quick turnaround’; no Blackberry; figuring out the way and reading maps; Patagonia, Tokyo, geisha-spotting in Kyoto, the Namibian desert; Indian food in India; meeting family and friends along the way who joined me; recording my 'out of office' phone message on January 19.

Worst part: saying goodbye to family and friends who joined me along the way; China outside of Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Sichuan province; Chinese government messing with Hotmail services; two overnights in Delhi airport; obnoxious and cheap French couple with whom I shared the overland route from Lhasa to Kathmandu; bad (thin) pillows; squatter toilets in China; lack of veggies in Chilean/Argentinean menus.

Best quote on independent/budget travel:

“There are those who can (bravely) shower in flip-flops. And there are others who simply can’t. And won’t.” Jocelyn Hsieh.

Best quote on travel, generally:

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen.” B. Disraeli.

Happy travels to all, Marc