A year ago today we were wandering around Arequipa, Peru preparing for my dad’s upcoming arrival. A year ago tomorrow would be the first time seeing either of our families in nearly eight months, a record we hope we never have to approach again. We reminisce every day about our travels, which now feel like they occurred decades ago. Sometimes there’s simply an unspoken acknowledgment of the hundreds of pictures on our walls, on our coffee table, in my office cubicle. Other times it’s a bit more obvious: a couple weeks ago we shared stories with one of our newfound friends who was visiting nearby Washington DC from her home in Italy.
This week though, we have a new, more public way to reminisce. We’ve been published in a free photo ebook featured here on Lonely Planet’s website! (Please beware that the book pdf may take a minute to download.) This book was a collaboration between us and 39 other travel bloggers, almost all of whom put us to shame because they are currently traveling and blogging. I’ve been amazed by the different places and perspectives covered in the ebook, and even more amazed that some of the authors travel and write about it full time.
Speaking of writing, holy cow this is difficult! I have no idea how Zhou and I churned out award-worthy material day in and day out for 299 consecutive days. I’m only just beginning my third paragraph of this weekend and I am out of breath. To put this in perspective, we have been looking into converting our blog into a set of books, but found out that it would take about 8-12 volumes and cost over $1,000. Jimmy Encyclopedia himself probably didn’t have that much material when he printed his first edition. (For those of you wondering, yes, Jimmy Encyclopedia was good friends with little Billy Bolivia.) Now I’m stretching myself just to write 200 words…
I do though, have one more piece of news to share. Zhou and I have accepted my parents’ invitation to join them in celebrating their 30th anniversary, and in doing so, we’ll be heading to Europe in one month! My parents are taking my brother and us on a cruise in the Mediterranean, followed by a couple days in Rome and in Venice. Zhou and I plan to follow this up with a trip to Cinque Terre and then Paris on our own. In total, our real next, longer around-the-world trip will actually be much shorter (27 days) and will not come anywhere near circling the world. The question is, should nohurrycurry return? It would be an entirely new chapter – gorging on buffets, dressing up in fancy clothes, gambling, and showering nearly every day – and one that I’m not entirely comfortable with. Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t wait to ditch the smelly clothes and dirty hostels when we hit the road again! This will, unfortunately, be our last around-the-world trip until retirement, so we’ll be sure to make the most of it. If we choose to start blogging again, see you all from across the pond.
Oh, and happy anniversary, Mom and Dad, and happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
