Posted August 11, 2013
PART 15 (DAYS 33-35): “How’s everything here?” I asked Chris, the manager at Southern Laughter Lodge, when I arrived back in Queenstown for a day in order to catch a homeward bound flight early the following morning.
“Oh, it’s quiet. It’s finally slowing down,” he answered.
“Oh, is the ski season over?”
“No, the season can go all the way until October,” he told me. “But all the Aussie kids have gone back to university.”
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted October 19, 2003
It is the night before I leave (well, technically, the morning of the day I leave) and I’m more or less all packed. Leave it to me to wait until the last minute. Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator. In fact, I only tried to reserve my hostel for my first night in Quito earlier today, with no reply just yet.
There is a weird feeling I have; part anxiety, part sadness. Funny how on all my previous trips, the feeling of going away never really sunk in until three days into a trip, and here I am on the eve of The Global Trip 2004, feeling almost nauseous over what is about to happen. (Or is it just the exhaustion of partying all weekend long?) For months, I was notoriously nonchalant about everything, and now, it’s all happening so fast. Never before have I embarked on such a grand — and long — trip. But, as I’ve told people before: “If you’re anxious or nervous, that’s why it’s gonna be good.”
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted October 18, 2003
A tradition has developed between one circle of friends of mine: when we all go out partying, whoever does NOT decide to go out that night is inundated with a series of drunken voicemail messages. There’d always be at least one person who didn’t go out on a night of partying, and to this person (different every time), we’d call, pass a cell phone around, yell at them for not coming out and lay on the guilt trip. And we’d always end the voice message with crazy monkey noises.
My friend Mienri said it best when he said, “If everyone goes to your bon voyage party, who’s gonna get the drunken monkey noises?”
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted October 16, 2003
So I went the other day to Commerce Bank in Hackensack, New Jersey to cash in the 35 lb. (15.876 kg) can of pennies I had collected over the years, to see how much it would add to my trip finances. Commerce has a machine that counts coins for you, targeted for kids (but not exclusive to them) called the “Penny Arcade.” Basically, it’s like the CoinStar machines in the supermarkets, only free-of-charge and more accurate.
The machine interface is a touch screen presentation with a cartoon character named “Penny” (of course) and she talks you through the process. Penny told me to pour the contents of my jar, and so, I poured the entire 35 lbs. of pennies into the little orifice, probably only meant for a small piggy bank worth of coins.
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted October 14, 2003
...but 35 lbs. (15.876 kg) of pennies, is how much earned?
I’ve had this empty tin can from Danish Butter Cookies that I’ve filled with pennies over the years, whenever I’ve remembered to. Realizing that I’m about to leave for a really long time, it’s about time I cash it all in and see how much it actually is.
How much do YOU think it’s worth?
Post your guess as a comment. The closest guess without going over (Price Is Right style) gets a postcard!
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted October 11, 2003
Well, I’m officially within the 10-day countdown to The Global Trip 2. The past couple of weeks has been less about planning the trip and more about finishing up things in New York — including being a tourist in my own home city and seeing things that I wouldn’t be able to see abroad, like the newly renovated Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History. I have fond childhood memories of the great hall and its big lifesize model of a blue whale, and I just had to see it one more time in its new “underwater hall” environment.
Other than that, I’ve gone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, done more barhopping in the Village, and even attended the last outdoor roller disco of the year in Central Park. In a way, my tour around the world has already begun.
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted October 05, 2003
Because so many people send me emails asking the same question, I’ve decided to answer it here:
Q: What is the name of the song in “Would You?” and who is the artist?
A: The name of the song is “Nara” and the artist is DJ/composer E.S. Posthumus.
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted September 30, 2003
When I originally started this website last year, it was just supposed to be a simple, single page where travel editors could quickly review my clips of published work.
Over the months, it has evolved into the place where people would come to see my videos and pictures, plans for my upcoming trip, and above all, that “Would You?” slideshow that seems to have been forwarded all over the world so far (and continues to be.)
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted September 25, 2003
Yes, I know I’ve been a blog slacker, but there really isn’t much to say. (I’m still HOME you know.)
The past couple of weeks, I really haven’t been planning the trip so much; it’s been a lot more of taking care of unfinished business before I leave — freelance jobs, prepping my car for sale, cleaning, etc.
That’s not to say I have ignored trip planning altogether….
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted September 09, 2003
Hey all you blog readers and friendsters out there! (Please tell me you get the joke in the subject heading.)
Anyway, SAVE THE DATE: October 17, 2003.
That Friday night in New York City will be my big bon voyage party — quite possibly the biggest party I’ve ever thrown. Those of you have been to one of my house parties may know what to expect. Well, be prepared to expect the unexpected.
Details to come as the date approaches…
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted September 01, 2003
I’d like to give shout outs to Alice Mao and Rina Cantimbuhan for pledging to my cause. Thanks!
If anyone else is willing to pledge, you can do so by buying TGT apparel here:
http://www.cafeshops.com/theglobaltrip_p
or donating via PayPal to
theglobaltrip@yahoo.com.
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted August 26, 2003
A couple of weeks ago, I called up my travel medicine doctor for an appointment for any immunizations I would need on my big trip. The conversation went something like this:
RECEPTIONIST: So how’s August 26th at 4pm?
ERIK: That sounds good.
RECEPTIONIST: Just tell me what countries you’re going to now, so I can look them up before you come.
ERIK: Sure. Um, you gotta pen?
From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted August 18, 2003
Well, according to my countdown on http://www.theglobaltrip.com/2004 , I leave in 61 days from the writing of this entry. Am I excited? Still, the answer is no. In all the trips I’ve taken so far, it never really phases me that I’m going on a trip until 2 or 3 days of actually being in the destination already. I don’t even get too excited at the airport because they’re all generic.
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted July 31, 2003
Some may think my traveling around the world is a crazy idea, but in fact, outside the USA, it’s pretty normal. Every time I’ve gone away before, I’ve always run into a Brit, Aussie, Canadian, or Kiwi that was on sabbatical for a year, touring the world. They all thought I was crazy at the time for only going away for “two weeks.”
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted July 30, 2003
So everyone lately has been asking me, “How’s the planning going?” Well, the short answer is that there isn’t much planning at all…
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted July 28, 2003
AirTreks received my payment today for the first half of my flights, and the tickets are in the works. I should have them in a couple of weeks. I was only able to book the first half now, as airline ticket inventory only goes so far into the future. The other half I’ll book on the way. Perhaps by the halfway point my itinerary will be completely different, and I’ll just go where the wind takes me. Only time will tell.
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted July 27, 2003
Well, that was short-lived. After just three weeks of my break out into the travelogue column scene at Lycos-Asia, it is no more.
Continue reading...From the trip blog: "The Global Trip 2004: Sixteen Months Around The World"
Posted July 12, 2003
“This is the best day of my life.”
That’s what I told the Chief Operations Officer Paul Finer of ACTV in my exit interview when I got laid off on June 19, 2003. My Re-Birthday.
Continue reading...