Random Stats

Throughout the trip, we will be keeping track of some eclectic bits of information that you might find interesting, strange, or amusing. If you have any other categories to add to this page, please let us know.

After 431 days on the road, here are our combined stats:

GENERAL

Planning...
---> Pre-trip bag nights (May-Sept 2004): 70
---> Total number of emails sent in trip planning: over 600

Geography...
---> Continents: 4
---> Countries: 45, including those in transit
---> Time Zones: 13

Transportation...
---> Hours on buses/trains/airplanes: 977/205/57
---> Free rides: 49
---> Different Modes of Transportation: car... taxi... bus... foot... metro... microbus/camioneta/combi/minibus/collectivo/sharut/opelet... back of a pickup truck/bemo... motorboat... John Deere tractor... airplane... bicycle taxi... motorcycle taxi/moto/bekcha/cyclo/becak... train... sailboat... bicycle... rickshaw/tuk-tuk... camel... ferry...

Lodging...
---> Number of different hosts: 44
---> Nights slept outside: 101 (tent was sent home after bike trip)
---> Nights slept in a vehicle of transport (moving): 62

Food and Health...
---> Strangest foods eaten: rabbit (this was at the beginning of the trip!)... cactus... mole... heart (not sure of what)... beef tongue... octopus... eel... inky canned squid... yak cheese... ais kacang (shaved ice with a corn/kidney bean/noodle/syrup/ice cream topping)... seaweed... blood soup... half-developed chicken in egg... Tibetan butter tea... large chunks of fried pork fat... tarantula... worms (silk and bamboo)... grasshoppers... crickets... beef intestine...
---> Animals killed for food: a rooster
---> Sick days: about 10 each

Safety...
---> Attempted robberies (toward us): 5
---> Successful robberies (also toward us): 3
---> Times we have claimed a Canadian identity: around 50 (majority during 3 weeks trekking in Nepal)

People...
---> EMU faculty/students/graduates we have met: 40
---> Home countries of other travelers we have met: United States... Germany... Ireland... Ukraine... Great Britain... Canada... Switzerland... Denmark... France... Italy... Australia... Belgium... Holland... Japan... Argentina... Venezuela... China... Slovenia... Sweden... Poland... Czech Republic... Brasil... New Zealand... Spain... Finland... Israel... Hong Kong... Taiwan... Chile... Dominican Republic... Puerto Rico... Mexico... Slovakia... Quebec... Finland... South Korea... Japan... Russia... Norway... Nepal... India... Kuwait... Thailand... Malaysia... Nigeria... Singapore... Uganda... Jamaica... South Africa... Texas... Iceland...
---> Photos of us taken by local females: 16
---> Our current nationality, as determined by the locals: We're really not sure anymore...

Religion...
---> Places of worship visited: around 300
---> Worship services attended: 46
---> Number of presentations given (in churches or schools): 7

Other...
---> Current weight of pack: a lot less than when we started!
---> Bribes necessary: 4, that we know of
---> Books Read: 42
---> Items lost: bottle of bug spray... sunscreen lotion... earplugs... glasses... a couple pens...
---> Items found: Transition lenses in Dave's exact prescription... a sternum strap for a pack... blue baseball cap on Israel Trail... daypack in the trash can at a hostel in Krakow... half an umbrella... Japanese flute... a lighter... Israeli swimming trunks...
---> Gifts given to us (besides food, lodging, and money): roll of TP... crochet hook and yarn... a knit beanie... "¿A donde vas?" T-Shirt... Spanish grammar books... Guatemala travel guides... Canadian flag pins... assorted antibiotics... care package from The TESK... ¨La Antorcha de la Verdad¨magazines... sunscreen lotion... Peruvian knit hats... care package from Dave´s family... dinner out at a nice restaurant (from Duncan and Julia)... candy bars from Eric's family... USB card reader... sailing experience on the Mediterranean... 2 bicycle inner tubes (Slovakia & Czech Republic)... Tibetan "farewell" scarf... tsunami relief t-shirt... a cigar... anti-itch mosquito bite ointment... Korean figurine and postcards... and the list goes on...

Website Statistics for the Past Year...

Asia

Trekking the Himalayas:
---> Highest Elevation reached by foot: 5,545m
---> Highest Elevation reached by bus: 5,325m
---> Total elevation climbed on trek: 13,750m

The Subcontinent and Southeast Asia:
---> Hours on trains in India: 142
---> Different languages encountered: ?
---> Nights spent sleeping on wooden floor: 27
---> Saleswomen in Bangkok trying to sell us wooden frogs: too many
---> Consecutive meals eaten at same restaurant in Chiang Mai: 6 of 7

Europe

Biking Eastern Europe:
---> Total distance covered: 4240 km
---> Longest day: 181km
---> Top Speed: 73.1 km/hr (Kurt in Slovakia)
---> Highest mountain pass: 1200 m
---> Flat tires: Dave 8, Eric 2, Kurt 2
---> Dog attacks: none that were successful
---> Wrecks: Kurt coming out of a grocey store, over-the-handlebars style
---> Turtles hit by cars: 8+ (all in Greece)
---> Number of oranges eaten in Greece: 48
---> Strangest campsites: Greek Orthodox churchyard... a town park... inside the fence of a water pumping station...under the roof of a town park's concession stand, near a flooded mining shaft, under the roof of a huge overhung cave, a bus stop in Croatia, at a monument/tomb in Czech, half-constructed gas station in the rain...
---> Acts of hospitality: six oranges... three cups of Greek coffee... an evening of food and fun in Tirnavos... picture frames from a supermarket manager... chocolate with coffee and drinks... coffee from a minimarket owner... cherries... free phone calls...sausages grilled over a fire, wonderful dinner with a Croatian family... and countless more...

Middle East

Sailing the Mediterranean:
---> Distance traveled: 684 nautical miles
---> Hours logged: 151
---> Top speed: 7.1 knots
---> Nights at sea/anchorage/marina: 3/4/20
---> Roughest conditions: 3-4 meter waves, near gale-force winds

Israel National Trail:
---> Hiking Days: 25
---> Hours on the Trail: around 180
---> Total kilometers hiked: 650 +/-
---> Hot showers taken: 4
---> Israeli school groups encountered: 9
---> Wrong turns made: lost track...
---> Military training operations encountered: 5
---> Rainy days: 1
---> Different animals seen: lots of birds... ibex... mouse... rabbit... cat... dog... horse... groundhog... scorpion... donkey... deer... lizard... assorted bees and insects... jackal... turtle
---> Number of thru-hikers met: 11
---> Sucessful hitchhikes: 22
---> Gifts given to us on the trail: water... army-ration cupcakes... sandwhich and soda... internet... cookies and coffee... oranges and a Diet Coke... chocolate wafers and a Jewish blessing... a place to stay!... bag of sandwiches... hot tea... pita bread with zataar... three more nights of lodging... BBQ cookout dinner... Swiss chocolates and potato chips... free tour of a taxidermy museum...

Other...
---> Security checkpoints: probably near 100
---> Prejudiced comments overheard: ...did we really think we could keep track of this???
---> People we've seen for a second time here: 17