I can't believe it...
I'm Home
8/9/2009 11:10:10 PM - Day 511 - Los Angeles, California, United States
This trip has lasted a grand total of 511 days. 511 days I'll remember for the rest of my life. Any future BLOGS I post will still add to this day count but only for reference.
I'm home now safe and sound! Wow, what a trip! 511 days now that it's all said and done! I'm currently in Los Angeles staying with one of my best friends named Tony. I'll be here for a couple days catching up with him (and the new time zone) before I head down to San Diego to meet up with my family and get settled in.
Honestly, I still feel like I am traveling! I suppose the shock of being home still hasn't hit me since things are still moving pretty fast here from visiting with friends as well as getting arrangements completed with my family. I know when I get home and am finally settled in that's when the idea of this trip being over will hit me like a freight train. I did get a little whack however when I was going thru US immigrations and the immigration officer handed me back my passport and said "welcome home". I was thrown aback. "Home?" Yes, I was home.
511 days…wow. I remember the first day of my trip so long ago being completely intimidated by the idea of backpacking around the world for this long and here I am, 511 days later still in one piece. I've dreamt about this day countless times… I still have to let the entirety of this trip, as well as the idea that it is now over sink in before I can really write about the feelings I have now that it is over.
As soon as I can collect my thoughts I'll be sure to write about them. 511 days…
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What a great way to end this trip.
International End in London
8/9/2009 9:56:38 AM - Day 511 - London, England
With Matt and Dave, two awesome Brits I met in Estonia who were nice enough to hoste me in London and show me around.
I couldn't have ended this trip a better way. This last weekend in London has been awesome. Like the last time I was here I didn't bother doing any sightseeing since I have already seen all the sites on a previous visit years ago. Also like the last time here I stayed with a friend who was kind enough to host me and show me around. I think one really gets the chance to enjoy a city once the pressure of sightseeing has been lifted. At that point, you can simply go out and have fun without having to worry about seeing a bunch of stuff. Also, having a cool host to show you around makes the stay all the better, and like the last time I was here when I stayed with an awesome friend of mine named Pil, I once again had a great couple of friends to show me around named Matt and Dave.
I met Matt and Dave about a year ago when I was traveling in Tallinn, Estonia. The two guys are friends from University. Matt teaches in London while Dave teaches English all over the world (he currently just finished a stint in Qatar). I ended up having a great time partying with the two while in Tallinn so wanted to touch base with them at some point that I was in London. As fate would have it, I actually ran into Matt the last time I was in London while visiting the pubs with Pil. Small world! He said it was cool to crash at his place next time I was in town and besides that, it was a chance to catch up with some old friends since Dave was supposed to be in town from Qatar the same time I was going to be in London again. Serendipity!
The three of us had a manic of a good time this past weekend. Let's just say that it involved a lot of drinking, good food, visiting the pubs and clubs of London as well as an awesome comedy show. The two guys were great hosts and we had a blast. I have to say that between them and my buddy Pil, I've got some brilliant friends in London.
Now I am getting ready to catch the train to Heathrow Airport where I will soon by flying home. It is a ten hour flight but due to the time difference and the fact that I am headed West, I'll be arriving in the late afternoon today. The whole prospect of this trip ending still hasn't hit me.
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A busy but fun place.
Manic Manchester
8/6/2009 10:24:25 PM - Day 508 - Manchester, England
The vanilla sky over Manchester.
I wanted to see a bit more of England and with my time almost running out for this trip I only had enough time for one more city and I chose Manchester. There was no particular reason why except that the name "Manchester" has crossed my radar a couple of times being the epicenter of the dance party scene as well as the home to one of the best soccer teams in the world right now "Manchester United". Not knowing much about Northern England and looking at the cities available to visit there, I chose Manchester simply because of name recognition. That's one of the cool things about traveling on an open schedule, you can go to places with no particular reason to visit except that you think it might be interesting.
Manchester has been an alright place. I was staying in the city center at a hostel called "Hatters Hostel Manchester" (Hatters Hostel Manchester Review) and every time I walked out the hostel door I joined a mob of people who were swarming the city center. Central Manchester is a very busy place. With some research I learned that there aren't a lot of sites to see in the city or museums that I found particularly interesting. The number one attraction seems to be the stadium which is home to Manchester United which I didn't visit because I wasn't interested enough to pay the price of walking around on the pitch. Nonetheless I did a bit of walking around and can say that although Manchester lacks a lot of tourist attractions, you will get to see another side of English culture which was my whole reason for visiting in the first place.
One thing about English culture that I find quite prevalent is their obsession with tabloids and celebrity gossip. I thought it was pretty bad in the United States but they take it to an entirely new level here. I've even seen commercials here by celebrities advertising an upcoming story about themselves in the tabloids. Needless to say, I've gotten quite used to seeing people of all walks of life spending their downtime reading tabloids.
I did manage to make it out one of the nights with a great group of people from my hostel and we all had a laugh. The nightlife in Manchester was a lot of fun and once again some people tripped out on my American accent (in a good way) which is always fun to experience while traveling.
Tomorrow I take a train to London where I will spend a couple days with some friends before I catch a flight back home…the thought of going home still seems so alien.
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How the hell to say "Edinburgh"?
Edinburgh and Haggis!
8/2/2009 9:30:30 PM - Day 504 - Edinburgh, Scotland
Joining the tourist crush on the "Royal Mile" of Edinburgh, Scotland.
I was told that you could meet people from all parts of the world in Edinburgh…except from Scotland. When I arrived in Edinburgh I was surprised to see how much of a tourist frenzy was in the city. There were hordes of tourist everywhere placing Edinburgh in the likes of Florence, Barcelona or Amsterdam in this regard. I did indeed meet people from all over the world while here in Edinburgh and true to the saying, I didn't meet a single Scottish person while I was out and about except for a couple that were working the pubs. I think this is due to the size of Edinburgh. Cities like London, Paris and New York are large enough to absorb a rush of tourists but cities the size of Edinburgh aren't, making a walk around the city in the area you will probably find your hotel/hostel feel like you joined a tourist stampede.
I can see why Edinburgh has so many tourists. The city is quite nice, there is a lot of history, a beautiful castle (one of the largest I have ever seen) and plenty of interesting places within the city to visit. However I've come to learn that I'm not that interested in spending a lot of time in tourist saturated cities like this anymore. I find that you don't get the complete idea about the local culture and most of the locals you meet typically aren't very interested in dealing with you because you're simply "another tourist". Edinburgh was a nice city to spend a couple of days at but I'll be ready to go when I leave tomorrow.
My next stop is Manchester, England. England will be the last country I visit before I head back home to the United States this coming Sunday. Needless to say, I am very excited to be going home.
While in Edinburgh I stayed at a cool hostel named "Castle Rock Hostel" (Castle Rock Hostel review in Edinburgh, Scotland).
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