We usually try and steer clear of checklists and counting things off, but statistics can be interesting, and often quite handy! We will be updating this page as needed. If there is something you think we should add, please make a suggestion with a comment below.

2011-12 Trip Final Stats

Countries Visited – 14

Days on the Road – 303 (End of trip March 9th 2012)

Free Nights – 76 or 25% of Total Nights! (The sum of Hotel Redemption, Nights Spent in Transit and Friends/Family)

Photos Taken – 12680 or 42 per day

Number of Flights – 20

Number of Borders Crossed – 18

Scuba dives- 11 each, all in Indonesia. 5 from Gili Air and 6 from Labuanbajo

Islands Visited- 22

• Japan- Honshu, Kyushu, Sakurajima, Shikoku
• South Korea- Jeju
• Hong Kong- Hong Kong, Lantau, Chek Lap Kok
• Thailand-Phuket
• Indonesia-Bali, Gili Trawangan, Gili Air, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Rincha, Java
• Singapore-Singapore, Sentosa
• Cambodia-Koh Trong
• Vietnam-Cat Ba
• United Kingdom-Great Britain

Craziest Taxi Ride

The auto rickshaw ride from Varanasi Train Station to our guesthouse. We were involved in 3 incidents along the way. First, hitting another rickshaw leaving the parking lot. Later, being rear ended by a motorcycle. Last, we rear ended a man on a bicycle who took it all in stride with a head bobble and wave of the hand. Oh and did we mention that the entire ride the driver seemed to be playing chicken with any and every oncoming vehicle!

Scariest Boat Ride

Hired a glorified canoe between Gili T and Gili Air. Left just as a rain storm was picking up and the seas were churning. The captain did well but even the locals were showing some concern in their faces. We were able to make jokes with a German couple which in some small way lightened the mood.

Bikes Rented/Borrowed

Japan: Takamatsu, South Korea: Sokcho, China: Xi’an, Pingyao, Indonesia: Sanur, Cambodia: Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Vietnam:  Hoi An, Hue, Ninh Binh, India: Khajuraho, Bundi

Haircuts (All D3)

5.7.11 Norcross, Ga, USA courtesy of Ms Sheila Lee
7.21.11 Pingyao, China-20 ¥ or $3
9.9.11 Chiangmai, Thailand (beard trim only) 200 baht or $6.50
10.3.11 Phuket, Thailand- 200 baht or $6.50

11.25.11 Kampong Cham, Cambodia – $1.50 (They use dollars commonly)
1.27.12 Bundi, India – 50 Rupees or about $1
*** T had her first hair treatment on the same day. Henna hair color for 350 Rupees, about $7

Airline Mile Redemption

100,000 American Airline Miles each with an estimated value of $4750 per ticket.

Los Angeles – Tokyo, Tokyo – Seoul, Shanghai – Hong Kong, Hong Kong – Bangkok, Bangkok – New Delhi, New Delhi – London, London – Chicago, Chicago – Boston

Hotel Points Redemptions

Comfort Hotel- Nihombashi (2), Nagasaki (2), Kumamoto, Kannai (2), Nihombashi, London (2)

Marriott- Seoul Courtyard Times Square (3), Shanghai Courtyard (2), JW Shenzhen, Marriott Hong Kong Sky City, Phuket Mai Khao (timeshare-7), Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua (2), Singapore Marriott (5), Renaissance Kuala Lumpur, Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel, Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel

Holiday Inn- Chengdu (2), Stirling, Edinburgh

Hilton- Millennium Bangkok(2)

Total Nights = 40 (13% of total nights)
Total Estimated Dollar Value = $7750

Friendliest People

Cambodian children. No matter what they are up to they yell “Hello!” and wave with a giant smile. You can’t help but smile and wave back.

Dirtiest Day

Leaving Bokeo NPA in Laos. After a great couple of days in the jungle doing the Gibbon Experience we had a couple hour trek out to get to our transport back to the town of Huay Xai. We were told that sometimes the trek out could be up to 5-7 hours depending on the conditions of the trail used by the truck that would be picking us up. Our guides were surpized when we saw our truck because of how far the driver had managed to make it in. After only a few kilometers we had a bit of an issue, and the front drivetrain on the 4 x 4 decided to give up for the rest of the journey out. We then joined in with the pushing behind the truck as it repeatedly became stuck in the mud. As one can surely imagine after a few hours of pushing behind a vehicle spinning it’s tires in the mud we were quite a sight!

Coldest Day

Tagong, Sichuan, China. At 3700 meters or over 12,000 feet the nightly temperatures were quite low. Reaching a low of about 5 degress Celsius or 41 Farenheit. Luckily our guest house, Khampa Cafe, provided thick, cozy bedding in our lovely and rustic wood-lined room.

Hottest Day

Luoyang, China. Visiting the Longmen Caves sounded like a great idea for a day that was 43 degrees Celsius or roughly 109 Fahrenheit, too bad the “Caves” were reserved for the 100,000 statues carved into the rocky hillside leaving us with little to no shade. Amazingly beautiful but scorching nontheless.

Nights Spent in Transit – 13

(Los Angeles-Tokyo, Xi’an-Pingyao, Pingyao-Xi’an, Luoyang-Nanjing, Shenzhen-Guilin, Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Lombak-Sumbawa, Ho Chi Minh City-Danang, Hue-Ninh Binh, Delhi-Varanasi, Varanasi-Khajuraho, Bikaner-Delhi, Delhi-London)

Accommodation Nights Saved By Staying With Friends/Family/CouchSurfing – 23

Special thanks to the Hashizume Family in Chiba, Takemura Family in Yokohama, Higashi Family in Sakurai, Akira in Daito, Shinoda Family in Gifu, Meikle Family in Coventry, Carey/Simpson Family in Glasgow, Pam in Glasgow and McIlvenny Family in Buxton.

Okavango Fly Over

2008-09 Trip Stats

Countries Visited – 13

Days on the Road – 236 (as of the end of the trip: March 23rd 2009)

Number of Flights – 21

(including sightseeing flights, like over the Okavango Delta, Botswana and Nazca Lines Peru)

Number of Borders Crossed – 19

Stamps in Passport – 34

Luggage Delays (of more than 24 hours) – 3

British Airways-This was the second leg of our very first flight. One bag didn’t arrive in Cape Town, but was delivered to the hostel two days later.
South African Airways-No bag on arrival in Livingstone, Zambia, just before leaving for a month of overland travel with no chance of anyone catching up until return to Cape Town. The airport wasn’t convenient to get to, and it was virtually impossible to reach anyone there by phone. We spent several days back and forth until an angel found the bag buried in a back room.
Emirates-No bag on arrival in Perth, Australia. Customs didn’t appreciate their form being filled out without a matching bag. Having left the key with them, they were able to inspect and have it delivered two days later.

Flight with Connections – 5

Vehicles Rented – 5

Cape Town, South Africa: tiny silver Opal, first left-hand drive
Perth, Australia: bright yellow Hyundai Getz, very flashy
Adelaide: Yaris
Darwin, Australia: Bart Simpson Wicked Campa
Cairns, Australia
Auckland, New Zealand: Ford Focus
Christchurch, New Zealand: Nissan Vannette from All-Ways Rentals -outfitted for camping

Nights Camped (in tent or van) – 44

Accommodation Nights Saved By Staying With Friends/Family – 53

Special thanks to the Cormack Family in Adelaide and the Castro Family in Caracas!!!

Accommodation Nights Saved By Sleeping in Transit – 12

National Parks Visited – 24

New Wild Animals Seen – 52 (list below)

New Animals Eaten – 8 (list below)

First Left-hand Drive – Cape Town, South Africa

Coldest Night- Namib Desert, Namibia

Maybe it had something to do with the contrast between day and nighttime temps, compounded by the distance to the basic, cold-water bathrooms, but we wore everything we were carrying to bed and still froze in the tent.

Close runner-up was Curio Bay at the southern point of the South Island of New Zealand where we slept in the van, parked among the reeds in the wind and slushy snow. It didn’t help that we went to bed pretty damp from running back and forth trying to spot Yellow-eyed Penguins down below on the beach.

Hottest Night- Kakadu, Northern Territory, Australia

Another night in a camper-van. We were trying to save money (idiots) and got the model without air-conditioning. We figured we couldn’t keep it running overnight anyway. We “slept” about 10 minutes total, interrupted by having to get up and put bandaids over the holes in the screened windows, which were letting the mosquitoes in to feed and bathe in our pools of sweat.

Best Pre-trip Purchase- MSR Pac-lite Towel

Favorite Instant Meal

D3 – Spicy Mi Goreng, HT – Single Serve Couscous with instant Indian sauces or curries

Animals

Africa – Springbok, Kudu, Oryx, Cape Buffalo, Lion, Zebra, Giraffe, Black Rhino, White Rhino, Leopard, Dik Dik, Cheetah, Elephant, Hippopotamus, Impala, Wildebeest, Jackal, Hyena, Ostrich, African Penguin, Rock Dassie, Gazelle, Hartebeest, Cape Fur Seal, Warthog, Honey Badger

Australia – Kangaroo, Wallaby, Wallaroo, Koala, Emu, Cassowary

New Zealand – Sperm Whale, Yellow-Eyed Penguin, Crested Penguin, Elephant Seal, Southern Bottlenose Dolphin, Wandering Albatross

South America – Sea Lion, Guanaco, Llama, Commerson´s Dolphin, Vicuña, Andean Condor, Chinchilla

Central America(Costa Rica)- Capuchin Monkey, Howler Monkey, Titi Monkey, Two Toed Sloth, Three Toed Sloth, White Nosed Coati, Agouti

Animals Eaten – Springbok, Zebra, Oryx, Kudu, Ostrich, Crocodile, Kangaroo, Ants, Cuy (Guinea Pig), Alpaca