[Reflections on the Year Past]

It certainly has been an exciting year for me. Probably the most memorable day was when I crossed into Palestine and had to firstly endure the scrutiny of the Israeli defense force, then educated on the local facts by a UN worker and lastly meeting a zealous, 'the end is nigh' Christian followed by more disturbing stories from some peacekeepers in my hotel. Just as it was my most memorable moment, it soon soured to be my worst nightmare as I suffered for 10 days thereafter with extreme diarrhea, I still havent gained all the weight I lost...

My moment of extreme ecstasy was, no, not on the beach in Goa during New Years but as I reached the mountain peak in Kilimanjaro (5900m) during the colours of a pink sun rise reflecting off the snow. I was fortunate not to get frostbite; I was happily taking photos of the glacier peaks without gloves when my fingers were saved when the sub zero temperatures froze my camera.

My favorite country is still Turkey, its just pure fun and had everything! India gets an honoree mention; despite the many highlights and bizarre (i.e.- non western) twists of culture, there are as many hassles and fights with lurking touts preying on tourists which as a whole, negate my good experiences to leave me with a neutral feeling.

My original plan to travel one year has already elapsed. Asia is so much more affordable than Africa and the Middle East, I can stretch my money further and travel on. My plan is still to reach Japan via south East Asia, how long it will take, lets see! At least another 6 months... And after that, well, I may teach English in Japan for a year or so.

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