Epilogue

I am now finally back where I started, atleast geographically speaking. Croatia was fabulous, seeing family and friends and spending a solid amount of time in one place only, and a very familiar place at that. This safe haven was especially comforting when I became quite sick four days upon my arrival, but there's nothing like the care of those that are closest to you to get you back up on your feet. And so, in three days I got back into the groove and even managed to use my condition to (attempt to) counter pick-up lines (me, in an absurdly loud voice: "SORRY, I have LARYNGITIS!!"), which proved to be more of a conversation starter than the one-line dismissal I had intended it to be.
These days my pace is much slower than what i've been used to the past few months and i'm still processing my experiences. And now that the Olympics are over, I can finally focus and begin to look through my hundreds (if not thousands) of photographs and attempt to arrange the best of them in some form of a semi-coherent, presentable album, which is turning out to be almost as ambitious as the trip itself!
It still astounds me that it all went so smoothly. I am proud to say that I did not once get pick-pocketed or have any belongings stolen, nor was I a victim of lost baggage, food poisoning, flight delays or sickness. It seems to be more of a risk to go out in downtown Düsseldorf than travel the world alone! In addition to that, I enjoyed the comfort of three or more seats to myself for all three of my eleven plus hour flights, and can not complain of to have suffered from anything even closely resembling jet-lag.
The trip has been overwhelming, to say the least. I have learned so many things on a day to day basis, but I am already noticing that the greatest rewards will be those that unfold over time; those that come to light in times of stress or self-doubt, those that I may never be able to pin-point myself, but that will hopefully be ever so present in the manner I approach the people and situations that will come my way.

Hope all is well with all of you, thanks for reading my rambling inner commentaries & be safe !!

Day ninety-one: Zagreb, Croatia

Technically this is the last leg of the trip, although plans for the next few weeks are fluid at best!
Honestly, by the time I was flying out of the US, for the first time since I left Duesseldorf, I was ready to go home. So Reykjavik (and remaining southwest Iceland for the matter) caught me off guard but managed to keep me more than impressed for five days, and after a short 10 hour stopover in London I got to Croatia! The weather isn't on its best behavior here, but apparently the winds will change as soon as im scheduled to arrive in Hvar so i'm not in a position to complain. I'll be out of touch for a few weeks but I will definitely post remaining photographs and impressions as soon as I reach the comforts of home.
Hope you're all enjoying your vacation - i'm gonna go begin mine as of now!
Kaja

Day eighty-six (i think): Keflavik, Iceland

My performance (I should say lack thereof) has, I gather, been more than disappointing. I still haven't figured out whether its the familiarity of the places I've been visiting (New York) or spending so much time with people I knew from years gone by that has made me a less efficient blogger. What a gross word by the way, I can't believe I just used it to describe myself. Ew.
As mentioned above, New York was the closest thing to a deja-vu encountered so far. Luckily, it was around the fourth of July weekend so I had time to enjoy the company of friends and also experience the city when it's (almost) empty. Quite scary, Gotham City-like actually. It turned out to be the longest stop on my trip and was easily filled with park picnics, museum visits, shopping, going out and the usual wandering - which is really the way to go when visiting anywhere I have concluded. In addition it's probably also why certain places (read Texas and LA) have struck me as slightly alienating. It makes it insanely tough to be a tourist.
Und die Moral von der Geschicht: Get a car, or even better, Get a friend with a car!
New York is addicting but I went cold turkey and hopped on a bus to Boston and found yet another place I could live in (quite easily). It's young, bustling, easy to navigate and full of people I already know :)
A roadtrip to Cape Cod also provided ample photo opportunities of perfectly painted and maintainted american houses (straight out of a Land's End catalogue, with flag of course!), lots of green scenery, stunning lakes and a coastline that doesn't disappoint. The water temperature was paralyzing, something barely above freezing I would gu-estimate. Even a minute long photo session numbed our lower extremeties instantly.
My hiatus in NYC got me slightly out of routine, and having to leave Boston after only five days was quite the shock to my system, not to mention my backpack, for which I have started to feel sympathy for.
So, I don't know if you got the memo, but apparently the sky is always lit up in Iceland. As I was landing at midnight, the sun was setting in sync with the descent of our plane. And although it disappeared from sight, the sun kept the 'night' sky a given shade of blue throughout the following hours, only to rise again 03:51 (according to BBCweather.com).
It's only been a few hours but I've had quite the scenic tour already; visiting the meeting (or i suppose breaking) point of the European and American tectonic plates (the 'geological border between Europe and America'), observing a congregation of seagulls on a cliff looking out to the ocean, wandering around hot springs smelling of eggs found at sporadic intervals throughout the countryside and taking in a landscape that was so vivid it prompted the Polish hitchhikers we picked up to take a picture roughly every 4 seconds from the car. I can't even imagine how the Japanese (or other Asians for that matter) document this country!
On that note... I should post pictures myself some(other)time...
Kaja

Day sixty-six: Galveston, Texas

California went by a little too fast if you ask me! I managed to squeeze quite a bit into the 13 days and got to see lots of people, even some I hadn't seen in years! The weather was hot (even the locals were complaining!), but I didn't mid too much and stayed close to larger bodies of water to keep me cool. San Francisco was refreshing compared to the rest of the coast. I would move there in a heartbeat! And I managed to score a job offer on the way as well :)
Unfortunately my camera froze when I got to Laguna Beach so I'm keeping those memories to myself, but i've bought a new one already so im keeping track of all the burgers, cowboys and trucks over here!
I've been in Galveston since the beginning of the week. It's been wonderful to hang out with high school friends (Sahily and Bethany) and catch up on the few years we've missed. We're at the beach here so I can't complain about the heat too much, but we also managed to trek it up to Houston last night to watch the Astros play the Rangers (baseball)! My first baseball game ever was picture perfect, with the cheers and hotdogs and (not-so-friendly) fan rivalry - it really was a package deal! We're heading to College Station for the weekend and are planning to go out a little, indulge in texan national dress, experience an authentic barbeque and go to a superstore :) i'm working on the superchurch jamie!
And ofcourse, DEUTSCHLAND IN THE FINALS!!!!!!! wooohoooooo!!!!!!
Hope all is well wherever you may be,
Kaja

Day fifty-one: Los Angeles, California

I put lots of pics up so that should keep some of you guys quiet for a bit!
LA has been good to me :) It's a rough place, dry, flat and terribly connected by public transport - but it's arrogance isn't unfounded. I was so impressed with Santa Monica yesterday that I biked around all day and managed to forget to return my bike by the time the store shut! I've still got a few things on my to-see list so I havn't come to a final conclusion on the city. Although i'd never want to live here, I wouldn't mind stopping by every once in a while to shop, beach it or go out (apparently the 21 thing isn't an obstacle for me:) )!
Otherwise all is well and the next 10 days should take me through more of LA, and to Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Laguna Beach.
Stay in touch!
Oh and yes, I got up this morning, bussed it to a Santa Monica pub and watched Croatia embarrass Germany!
On that joyous note, bis bald,
Kaja

Day fourty-four: Suva, Fiji

Unfortunately internet is pricey and not all that easy to find here, so this will be short and sweet (excuse the typos, this keyboard was made circa 1993). The tour im on is really intense; were staying at a different resort each night and the days are packed with activities. Just yesterday we went to the worlds 4th nicest beach (im not quite sure who is responsible for the ranking...), explored the local markets and sandboarded! If only the weather were on our side! Hope all is well with you !
Beatrice- Herzlichen Gluechwunsch zum Geburtstag! Enjoy xx
Kaja

Day thirty-nine: Melbourne, Australia

Not only am I physically on the other end of the world (juding by the central european zone), I have been so busy and overwhelmed, i've hardly had the chance to catch-up - let alone brief you on my most recent encounters...
My time in Sydney felt like I was walking through a postcard all day, every day. The Harbour Bridge and Opera House really are as pretty in real life ( I cant imagine how perfect a new years eve there would be!)as they look on tv. Although im usually awkward around animals and don't support the idea of zoos, the Taronga Zoo was a wonderful example of how preservation, research and tourism can come together to produce something worth(my)while. Manly (where I stayed with Colleen), was ridiculous to say the least; Homemade breafast at the beach (ceramic plates/cups and all), joggers and 'nordic-walkers' galore and the sound of the waves crashing in at night along with the starry sky seemed almost fake. I wouldn't have believed it had I not been there myself. The weather's been surprisingly nice. Considering this is sopposed to be the coldest part of my trip, I feel quite lucky. Sydney was warm enough at times to lay out on the beach, soak up the sun and enjoy a (rather refreshing) swim in the mornings, and altough Melbourne is a notch colder than that, I've been coping quite well! I couldn't resist being a tourist and even ended up dragging Colleen to the World Press Photo exhitbition 2008 (a little bite of reality in the midst of my travels) and the Royal Botanic Gardens all in one day! I stayed long enough to enjoy Bondi Beach on a Sunday and have lunch in trendy Newtown before I left. Havn't 'done' Sydney to the extent that I would want to - but you can't have it all, and you can't have it now!
Melbourne called and I have been staying with Alex who I met in London since Tuesday. I can't even keep track of the days anymore, it's been too fast paced this past week! After two days of exploring the city and getting to know Alex's friends and family we went to her house in Lorne (on the Great Ocean Road, two hours west of the city) and had a time-out for a bit. It was gorgeous - the serenity, the views, the silence... priceless! And so close to the city... I simply don't understand why the locals don't come more often! Back in town I managed to catch a game of Aussie rules football with Alex's uncle and was fully immersed as a die hard fan (Collingwood is the team) in todays game at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (we won 173-73 thank-you very much!!!), as well as attending a party held in my honour at Alex's parent's house with more drinks, paella/grill and desserts than the 40 of us could handle!!
The next few days are just as jam-packed with must-sees, holiday houses and shopping until i'm off to Fiji on Tuesday night.
Hope all is well wherever you may be, atleast its summer there :)
Kaja xx

Day twenty-eight: China Recap from Sydney, Australia

Before you assume-away that I'm enjoying myself too much to bother blogging, I'd like to inform you that my blog was a victim of Chinese censorship, and I could not access it to read your messages or post new ones of my own. So, on behalf of their government, I apologise for the inconvenience!

Its been a very intense few days jam-packed with physical hardships, culture shocks, sign language and surprises of all shapes and sizes.

Beijing turn

ed out to be flatter than expected, so at no moment did I feel as if I was in a metropolitan city. The newly built Olympic stadiums look stunning, although I'm afraid the city's preparation in terms of 'welcoming the world' still isn't up to par. This was apparent within minutes of my arrival, as apparently none of the tourist information staff on duty at the Beijing Int'l Airport (12 people in total) are capable of translating an address into chinese characters!

I walked on the Great Wall for over four hours, visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and some other major tourist attractions and also braved the streets by bicycle and explored the alleyways of one-story shanty towns (what is left of the old city) with newly made friends. 

I also managed to spend money in the many shopping markets in town and in western-feeling clubs that may as well be anywhere else in the world.

I roughed-it on an overnight train to Shanghai and stayed with the Bowker Family who were wonderful and introduced me to the city as well as gave me a home for a few days where I could sleep, eat, chat or simply 'chill' at my own leisure- I couldn't have asked for more fantastic hosts!

Shanghai struck me as a bustling, trendy Megacity, which apparently, in the year 2010, will be home to over one thousand skyscrapers! From Jinmao Tower (the fourth tallest building... until its neighbour is finished come 2009) I got just an impression of the extent of this building craze. Although smog covered the suburbs, what I saw was more than enough to be blown away by the sheer size and pace of the place. On my way out of town I caught the Maglev train, riding at a maximum speed of 431 km/h, it travelled over 30 kilometres in just over seven minutes! Beat that! 

If those four days in Shanghai where a taste of the future, the upcoming week could easily be one of paradise as I explore Sydney and it's surroundings at a sunny 19 degrees C. 

Kaja

Day sixteen: Koh Tao

After two truck rides and two ferry boats, we arrived to our final destination. Apparently, Koh Tao is home to only about 700 people (the majority of those being scuba instructors!) and what seems like twice as many tourists. The beach is as scenic as it gets and the water is luke warm- perfect for sitting in to watch the purple sunset. We decided to hit the bars on the first night and a select few found ourselves dancing in the ocean into the early hours while sipping on an array of cocktails. We couldn't have had a better welcome! After only a handful of hours of sleep we went on an all day snorkeling trip around Koh Tao. First stop: Shark Bay. I had a good day and got to see two sharks (about 1.5m long), fish and coral that could easily audition for Finding Nemo and, right before the end of my last dive, a baracuda, which scared the shit out of me! Our final stop was a "private island" (owned by the same guy that owns Singha beer- the best and most popular brand of beer in thailand, also the most expensive local brand). This guy most obviously knows his stuff, or he has people that work for him that do because it was seriously impressive. Now, when you're already on a tropical island, you think it cant get any better. Well, it did! It was basically two islands joined by a (natural) sand bridge and has clear, turquoise blue water. While everybody else went for an overpriced drink at the bar, I trekked it up to the view point which turned out to be worth it as the picture proves. Mr. Singha is also quite 21st century and has banned all plastic bottles and bags from his island, along with fins, as live (and I assume terribly sensitive, vulnerable) coral surround the island.

Although I applied 30+ sunscreen after every dive and kept to the shade, the underwater world kept me distracted enough to allow the sun to burn my back a little bit. Again, I lucked out and its already turning into a tan today :)

Couldn't sleep last night and found myself walking around the streets and beach in my pajamas! Maybe it's jet lag kicking in about seventeen days late...

Today is our last full day here and as we aren't counting tomorrow's overnight train, our last night with the group. We've decided to start early and are going for dinner somewhere scenic to watch the sun set infront of us and then hopefully take it from there into the night :)

THANK YOU for the many messages- they really make a difference and I don't feel as much of an idiot writing this thing! Hope you enjoy the new pictures!

Kaja xx

Day thirteen: Koh Samui

After two days in what I now percieve as hell in the worlds oldest rainforest (Kao Sok), we finally got to the beach! Koh Samui is a pretty big island off of thailand's eastern coast, so apart from beaching it and napping there's plenty to keep us distracted.
The jungle was not as exotic as one might think: mosquitoes (all day, every day), leeches (which managed to suck the blood out of 9 of us, me excluded- thank god!), fat 15 cm long black scorpions chilling outside our hut doors and monkeys (in our bathroom. yup). The other girls were even more unlucky and had to listen to rats chewing away at their chips and cookies all night long! That should help you understand why all of us are glad to be out of there!
Last night we all went to Chaweng Beach (the longest and most popular beach on the island) and had dinner at the most perfect restaurant right on the beach; pillows, low tables, torches and all. The pricelist blew us away but I decided to splurge and ended up paying 11 euros for a two course meal (with fresh fish!) and an excellent long island ice tea! We decided to get a different taste of thailand and went to watch a cabaret show featuring lady boys at their best. I have never seen anything like it and pretty much sat there in awe for two hours, singing along to all of the famous tunes the were lip-synching to.
Tomorrow we head off to Koh Tao (turtle island), a smaller island not too far away from where we are now that has an excellent reputation for diving/snorkeling. And we get to stay there for three days (our longest stay in any one place thus far! woohoo!) so we're all looking forward to settling down and lazing around a bit more.
Thai internet cafes may be plentiful but they aren't anywhere close to what we (I) would consider fast, thus picture uploading remains a difficulty (believe me, I would love to post pics from the beach and the lady boys!!!)

Having successfully avoided the midday sun, I think i'll hit up the beach again:)
and no worries - I have been religious about applying sunscreen
(not something my fellow british travellers can claim! muahahaha!)
Kaja xx

Day Nine: Bangkok (stopover)

So back in Bangkok for one night only - heading on yet another overnight train this afternoon.
Yesterday we arrived at the crack of dawn (0630). but judging by the commotion, heat and general craziness that is BKK, it might as well have been 8 pm. Nevertheless, the whole group headed out for breakfast (i spoiled myself with a plate of various fruit for about one euro and french toast!) and then we all dispersed to do whatever we wanted with thte free day.
My roomie Liz and I decided to be proactive and trekked it to the national museum where the only english tour of the week was about to start so we joined them. Turned out to be a smart call, we got much more out of the whole experience and spent some time in air conditioned rooms :) Then we headed on to the grand palace. Whoop-dee-doo. nothing special if you asked me. Youre harassed by scammers even before you enter, which made me more scared than i have been on this trip thus far. Not even lady boys at 3am were that intimidating! So that was a big let down but atleast we can cross it off of our list.
The return to the hotel was godsent and we decided to lounge around there for hours until we met the group. The schedule for the next few days seems more relaxed. We are heading to the south tonight. Two days at a national park and then off to Ko Samui and Ko Tao for some beach time :) Not sure how the internet availiblity is down there but i'll do my best.
Oh and by the way - all of you could be a little better at keeping me posted with your own drama ;)
Have a great day! Kaja xx

Day Six: Chiang Mai (take two)

Spent the last three days trekking!! so, it turns out im not fit at all!
On the first day we went swimming in a waterfall, which was quite surreal. (pics to be posted soon). After lunch we walked for 2.5 hours (generally uphill in the sweltering heat of the jungle) and arrived at a local village and spent the evening showering (under a bamboo shoot sticking out of the mountain) and playing brainteasers. Day two was more tough, 3.5 hours of trekking but we were treated to an elephant ride which was much more scary than it sounds! We spent the night in a different village and came back today via bamboo raft which, again, wasn't as smooth as it sounds - but all the more fun.
I should hurry up- the group is celebrating a belated birthday in town with a trip to a 'local restaurant', the night bazaar (it was just too much fun the first time) and hopefully a bar or two!
Tommorrow is scheduled to be more low-key with a visit to the biggest temple in the area and the highest mountain with (so they say) fantastic views of the city, all before we board our night train back to bangkok.
Ill try uploading some pictures from there,
i realise thats more entertaining than a diary eintrag:)
until the - kaja xx

Day three: Chiang Mai

me in my cooking outfit :)
we all made pad thai (thai noodles with tofu and chicken), spicy and sour soup with prawns, red/green thai curry and sticky rice with mango :) YUM!

the night train wasn't bad at all, until it started going backwards at 5am. turns out there is only one track form bangkok to chiang mai and we mustve run into someone else!
running out of time, its taking forever to upload the few pictures that I have - so you better appreciate them!
apparently this place does everything: internet, phone calls, printing, indian and thai food, tips for free etc.
must go catch up with the group - bis bald!
Kaja xx

Day One: Bangkok

All's well that starts well... right?
Judging by the half full, 10 and a half hour flight from Duesseldorf to Bangkok, things will be just fine!! I was able to zock three seats for myself and sleep for the majority of the trip and thus avoid any form of jetlag whatsoever! Quite the smooth beginning, I must say. And, although I ate like it was my last supper on the plane, I have indulged in red curry and pad thai since my arrival (needless to say, the curry necessitated a second plate of rice!), and have vowed to eat a different dish for every meal. We'll see how that works out!
I got to my hotel and met my roommate Liz and we set out to explore the area around the hotel before meeting the rest of the group for a briefing. Turns out all 11 of us are really young (between 18 and 23) and judging by dinner and drinks last night, theres no way it will be a boring trip.
Today is our last day in Bangkok (for now) - we hop on an overnight train to Chiang Mai this evening. Sharing the sleeper carriges with the locals should also be quite a sight; we were warned to not make use of the squat-down toilets while the train is still at the station!!
In Chiang Mai, trekking, elephant riding, and waterfall swimming awaits! Hopefully, i'll be able to squeeze in a cooking course (courtesy of my mom) and a massage (theyre around 2 euros!).
Thats about it for now, its just past 09:00 and about 30 degrees (C) outside! Oh, last night there was a tropical thunderstorm, pretty cool stuff!! It shocked the locals though, rainy season ended months ago - I guess this is what they call global warming!
Hope you all are well and safe, I sure am :)
Kaja xx

Prologue

So...
The plan is to go round the world in 90 days(ish) - travel (obv), meet new people, see old ones and recharge. Hopefully I can use this to keep you guys updated with anecdotes, photos and anything else I feel is worthy of sharing. And ofcourse, keep me posted on your life back home (or wherever you may be).
Feel free to leave messages, updates, advice or anything of the like - it will be most appreciated :)
Take care,
Kaja xx