worldtrip

Well, my world trip has finally come to an end.  I visited, in order, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Egypt, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Holland.  The pace was a little dizzying; there were definitely a few times when I would suddenly stop and realize that I had no idea which country I was in, the time or date, etc.  I guess compared to some of my fellow travelers, 4 months is not a long time to  spend on a trip like this.  I think I spent an average of about a week in each major stop, which is really only long enough to get a brief taste of a place.  One of the advantages, though, is that seeing such dramatic changes in culture, religions, and environments in a short period of time lets you compare things while they are still fresh in your mind.  Going from the temples of Angkor Wat to the temples of India in less than a day, for example, gives a sense of the continuity between these cultures; they were really created by different waves of the same people.  The religions and gods changed over time, but the style and magnitude of  the temples were similar.Another interesting thing about this trip was the chronology of the sites I visited.  During one part of the trip I went from the cradle of civilization at Olduvai Gorge in Africa  (about 4 mya), to the pyramids (about 3,000 yrs BC), to Greece (about 400 BC to 300 AD), to Prague (about 1400 AD and up).  Not to mention the ancient Khmer and Hindu civilizations, and all the hill tribes that still inhabit SE Asia, and the equally ancient Chinese dynasties.  Quite a lot to take in while you’re traveling- I’m just starting to read about some of the history I missed while I was taking photos.Another point regards the environment.  I’m a biologist with a particular love of the ocean, so I definitely enjoyed seeing the changes in fish species from the Gulf of Thailand, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Mediterranean. I’m particularly interested in evolution, and it was great seeing the similarities and differences between species from region to region.  Seeing a whale shark in Thailand was a high point, but so was kayaking out with the Arab dhows in Zanzibar to snorkel on a distant island reef, or seeing the incredible diversity of marine life in the Red Sea, just yards offshore from seaside restaurants in Dahab, Egypt.Africa was spectacular of course.  Struggling to reach the top of Kilimanjaro was something I’ll always remember and I’ll try to convey some of the beauty and magnitude of that place to my students.  Also, visiting Serengeti, Ngorongo Crater, Uganda, etc. and seeing the animals I have looked at my whole life in books, TV shows, or zoos was an incredible experience, as was meeting some of the people that have lived in that environment for ages.  Another impression I had while traveling was the extreme heat and drought of many of the places I visited.  In India, I saw people plowing bone-dry fields and waiting for the monsoon rains to arrive, while they drew muddy water from a puddle 20 feet down a community well.  In Tanzania, the corn fields were dead and brown for as far as the eye could see in some places; one person told me that the people were starving because the normal rains didn’t come this year.  I certainly agree with the majority of scientists who feel that global warming is a reality that should be addressed immediately, but seeing these kinds of scenes was something that makes a real impact.  I haven’t looked at the statistics yet, but the people I talked to definitely seemed to think that things were changing rapidly, and this year was abnormally dry.  I get the impression that things will be changing dramatically in the near future for many parts of the world. As for my own future travel plans, I definitely want to continue to visit new places for as long as I can.  I’d certainly love to go back to Thailand, maybe visiting Vietnam, which I missed this time, and possibly getting over to Myanmar and Tibet.  Now that I’ve hit some of the major “must see” sights, I’d like to check out some of the more “off the beaten track” places.  I’ll keep this blog open (hopefully) and update it the next time I travel.  Cheers,  Phil Light      

I’ve been in Europe now for 2 days – it’s nice to finally see some rain again, after almost 2 months of solid heat and sunshine.  Prague is amazing, of course – I’ll send some pictures in a day or two.  Greece was quite spectacular, as you can see, but it was also incredibly expensive, mostly due to 2 factors:  1) I went during the heart of the tourist season, without reservations and 2) I let a tour company arrange the details, without shopping around for the best price.  I’ve actually never stayed in such luxury – my last place had 5 beds just for myself!  Anyway it was good to see the islands, and if I ever do it again I might know how to do it fro a reasonable price.  It has also been great seeing all of these cultures in such a short time frame – it gives some sense of continuity among these ancient civilizations.  Right now I’m surrounded by a city of medieval Christian and Jewish monuments – a lot of it pretty grim, but still fascinating.  My next post will probably be from Amsterdam, my last stop on this world trip – will send the Prague pix then.