844 days, 20,256 hours, 1,215,360 minutes, or 72,921,600 seconds. That is the approximate duration of my world tour. I never wanted it to end and now, in a manner of speaking, I suppose it never has to. If you wish to go by country do so by clicking on one above. They are numbered in the order I visited them, more or less. If you enjoy reading about it even a tenth as much as I enjoyed living it then you will not have wasted your time. Grab a refreshing beverage, settle in a comfortable chair, and make a journey across the world, experiencing it as I did. Then get off your ass and check it out for yourself. You're not getting any younger.

Gunung Kawi, Me, & Enri (Bali, Indonesia)

For an updated version of this site, go here.

January 22nd, 2009 - So I spent the day with a French dude. We had a lovely time. Encountering another solo traveler is not so common here. Lots of couples, families, and groups but loners such as myself have been few and far between thus far. I visited a few holy sites today to include Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave), Yeh Pulu, and Gunung Kawi. I ran into Enri (actually his name is Emorie but Enri just feels right) at Gunung Kawi.

I could bore you with inane details but let’s just say these sights are fairly ancient and that no one is quite sure what the hell they really are. At Yeh Pulu I had an old woman smile at me, compliment my sarong (I did look rather fetching), bless me with holy water, ask me for a donation, and then dismiss me as if there was nowhere else for our relationship to go. I felt used and dirty.  

A word about fees. At these sites they pretty much charge you for everything. I paid to park, paid an entrance fee, and paid to piss. One guy was charging people to fondle his python (reptile that is). I declined. Now all of these fees combined were less than a dollar but it really turns into a minor hassle as small denominations are sometimes hard to come by. Life’s a bitch.

I had a rather involved political discussion with a guide about the Palestinian-Israeli situation, not the first one I might add. The Balinese really like to stay current. I also had another ‘How-awesome-is-Obama-on-a-scale-of-one-to-ten’ conversation. If I get myself into trouble I need only scream ‘OBAMA FOREVER!” and I believe all will be well. I am so glad he was elected. He increased the ease of Americans travelling abroad by a factor of five zalliion (roughly). GOBAMA!!

Like a bonehead I parked my ‘hog’ (a.k.a motorbike) and left the key in it. When I realized I this I returned to find the bike still there but with no key. As it turns out a local moved my bike in order to make room for others, noticed the key still in it, and decided to hold onto it for safe keeping. Luckily, he did not decide to hold onto the bike for safe keeping. Nice people. I'm an idiot.

So it may appear that I am wearing a skirt in the picture below but in reality it is only a sarong, required dress in holy places. But let's face it, if anyone can pull off a skirt, I can.


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'Love me or hate me, but spare me your indifference.' -- Libbie Fudim