Introduction: nine months, accumulated dust and detritus of 34 countries … few scars along the way … and the journey comes to an end. During the past two-months, 8,000 kilometers (5,000-miles) train journey from Tbilisi Georgia to Lisbon Portugal.
From the Philippines to Pakistan to Portugal, and everywhere in between … Phuket, Pak Beng, Pakse, Phnom Penh, Paro, Pokhara, Pune, Peshawar, Prague, and Porto.
TUE 01 SEP: bus from Vaduz Liechtenstein to Sargans Switzerland, and onward train to Zürich. Buildings surrounded by scaffolding, skyline dotted with construction cranes.
Dignitas – to live and die with dignity – located outside Zurich, safeguards the freedom for people to choose the time and manner at end of life. Person must be: 1. diagnosed with terminal illness or incapacitating disability, 2. be of sound judgment, and 3. have the ability to administer the life-ending drug (sodium pentobarbital).
I was born into this world without choice, I should be able to depart this world with choice; there is little dignity being left to rot inside hospital or nursing home. My twin brother has agreed to accompany me on this journey, if it becomes necessary. I promised black car service to the airport, and business class airplane tickets.
Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever!
United States Marine Corps, First Sergeant Dan Daly, Battle of Belleau Wood (1918)
WED 02 SEP: feel the BERN; mid-morning train from Zürich to Bern. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world (average hostel bed $80 USD per night), it mutes any joy to visit the region, and explains why I am passing through so quickly. Forget about dining out, and the grocery store, perhaps I may fast for the week.
THU 03 SEP: morning train from Bern to Lausanne Switzerland; lush, green countryside. Views of Lake Geneva, split between Switzerland and France; underwhelming AirBnB.
FRI 04 SEP: one-hour morning train from Lausanne to Geneva Switzerland. There is a scenic four-hour ferry across Lake Geneva; skipped due to limited time in the region.
Travel every day for the past week, tiring. With the end in sight (fewer time zones and weather forecasts on iPhone), and cumulative fatigue, begin to lose patience.
Pleased to move on from Switzerland, mostly discouraged and underwhelmed. Expensive, but detached from quality, is only expensive. Travel is often iterative, will likely return in the future. Hopefully, exchange cities for mountaintops.
SAT 05 SEP: moment of truth, train from Geneva to Lyon France, or not. France is one of three countries (Belgium, Netherlands) that does not accept emergency passport at any port of entry (not chip enabled). Rules are opaque if a person, previously admitted to the European Union, may transit France with an emergency passport.
Train crossed border from Switzerland to France, and immigration agents did not board train for passport inspection, most ideal. When I crossed EU border from Bulgaria to Romania, and Czechia to Germany, Romanian and German immigration agents boarded train for passport inspection. It is possible that French immigration agents would say nothing, it is also possible that they would give me a hard time, but allow me to transit France, demonstrating proof of onward travel to Spain.
If turned back at the border by French immigration agents, back-up plan was to overfly France, from Geneva to Barcelona. Often criticized for conducting research (measure twice and cut once) and not traveling spontaneously. Tend to believe that a person needs to know and understand the rules in order to bend (but not break) the rules. Plan for the worse; hope for the best; your mileage may vary.
MON 07 SEP: five-hour Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) from Lyon to Nice via Marseille; average speed 300-km/h (180-mph). Arrive Nice-Ville station; step from the train, and wonder if I stepped into Dr Seuss story. Welcome to the Côte d’Azur, French Riviera.
Tuesday, thirty minute train, morning visit to city-state of Monaco; one of the Formula 1 race locations, with its infamous, Fairmont Hotel hairpin turn. Weather is uncomfortably humid, and luxury is mostly lost on me. My level of consumption does not mirror Monaco. I could afford to stay overnight, but felt that the expense was foolish, what I label stupid money, money poorly spent.
I am financially independent, but not wealthy. Former is often a quiet habit, the later is often a loud display. I earned, saved, and invested money; I was given nothing (but education and opportunity). I quit work at age fifty, and financial independence allows me to travel the world. Splurged to visit Antarctica (2024), once in a lifetime experience, and even then, shared sleeping cabin with three other people.
Forty years ago, still recall high school classmate that said, if you have to ask the cost, you cannot afford. No one can make you feel poor. I mostly view money as a resource. Example, money was beneficial to get off Unalaska Island (Aleutian Islands) to Anchorage Alaska when all commercial flights were cancelled due to inclement weather (2022). Money may not buy happiness (happiness is not for sale).
WED 09 SEP: brief train ride from Nice to Antibes France, lodging remains expensive along the French Riviera, but Antibes is more affordable than Cannes. There are small, sandy beaches, not just rocks and pebbles.
Thursday, visit Cannes. Explore after sunrise; weather forecast threatens rain. Energy is palpable, as merchants set-up for the day, and absent claustrophobic crowds. Weather reminds me of San Diego (2011-2013). Wonder why Roger Ebert, who was awarded Pulitzer Prize for his thoughtful prose, was not awarded a star along the Cannes boulevard.
Bakeries are busy in the morning, and the viennoiserie (of Vienna) displayed in the pastry case is beautiful. Alternating layers of dough and cold butter (50% by weight). Dough may be laminated by hand with rolling pin, or by lamination machine. In either case, the dough is kept in refrigerator to keep the butter from melting. After proofing, the items are baked, and the water content of the butter steams out, yielding light and flaky treat. Ask me how I know; summer (2020) at the San Francisco Baking Institute. Look forward to returning home, and trying new recipes.
FRI 11 SEP: twenty-five years ago, it was a beautiful fall day in Connecticut, clear blue skies. Would I have rushed the cockpit; would I have jumped from the twin towers.
Early morning train from Antibes to Marseille, literary homage to Albert Camus. Do not remember how I was introduced to his writing, but, captivated by his philosophy.
Camus viewed the absurd – crushing gap between desire for meaning and a silent universe – as an existential threat. People search for a purpose in life, and when the universe offers no answer; some people may adopt religion to escape the void.
People may argue that they are able to create their own sense of purpose, but any individual purpose is arbitrary (delusion) not universal; Sinwar had purpose, too.
Is this it, is this everything. Am I a failure if I fail to derive meaning or purpose. Person travels to the end of the world, to the ends of the earth, only to discover that there is no meaning, that there is no purpose.
To ascribe meaning where there is no meaning, is delusion. How does a person exist in such an (absurd) vacuum, and not go mad. This is why I struggle to exist, but I endure (myself), and get out of bed each morning before sunrise. Is there any liberation, any freedom, to stare into the void, and acknowledge the vast emptiness. Which do you choose: red pill (truth), or blue pill (delusion).
SUN 13 SEP: enjoyed Marseille; appreciated its diversity and its indelible Middle East and North Africa influence. Marseille is un-fussy, un-pretentious, and un-Paris.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. France often presents two versions. High-end shopping, fine dining, wine and spirits, espresso and pastry. But also, beggars, drug-addicts, drunks, over-flowing garbage, street gutters that reek of urine, and dog shite on the sidewalk. Which France do you experience.
Intention was to travel from Marseille to Toulouse France (to visit Airbus factory) with onward travel to Andorra. While Andorra is wedged between France and Spain, it is not part of the European Union, and is not part of the Schengen area.
Cannot exit France (at any port of entry) with emergency passport, which also precludes legal entry to Andorra at same port of entry. Instead, five-hour train from Marseille France to Barcelona Spain; must understand the rules to bend the rules.
TUE 15 SEP: parents walk their children to school; others sit on park bench and read the newspaper. Scenic bus ride to Andorra la Vella. Two-lane road is teaming with bicycles, motorbikes, and camper vans. Bus does not stop or pause for immigration.
Andorra sounds like far-off, magical place; its economy is driven by tourism. Without a car, activities revolve around high-end shopping and dining. Sunrise run along the pedestrian mall, and hiked Rec del Solà Trail, tucked along a ridgeline, away from tourists; mostly locals and dogs (on a leash).
THU 17 SEP: three-hour bus to Barcelona Spain; reminded of Hunza Valley Pakistan, and feel claustrophobic. At times, highway tunnels through Pyrenees Mountains may be blocked by avalanche (rockfall or snow and ice). View Andorra in the travel atlas, but found the experience underwhelming, perhaps day trip is more appropriate.
SAT 19 SEP: metro to Barcelona Sants station; three-hour Renfe AVE train (Alta Velocidad Española) to Madrid Atocha station. Charming city, enjoyable to return. Mostly civil, except pre-dawn run; harassed by drunkards, ugly prostitutes, and sidewalks strewn with broken glass.
MON 21 SEP: pre-dawn, light rail to Chamartín station, 10-kilometers north of Madrid. Four-hour train travels at blistering speeds to Vigo, up to 300-km/h (180-mph).
Vigo is considerably smaller than Barcelona and Madrid. Town and hostel teams with Camino de Santiago pilgrims, like ants. Hikers are easy to identify with scallop shells attached to their backpacks. Outside of the charming pedestrian mall, the town smells like run-down port city.
Historic Castro Fortress offers sweeping views of the town and port. Quiet solitude of Contemporary Art Museum (MARCO) provided an opportunity to find my breath.
During past nine months, mundane administrivia: grocery shopping and meal preparation, laundry, exercise (outdoor parks) and barefoot run, balance checkbook and pay credit card (weekly), file Federal tax return, and assorted phone calls.
WED 23 SEP: prior to COVID, there was an overnight train between Madrid and Lisbon. Post-COVID, train from Madrid to Vigo allows onward train through Portugal, except, for summer track repair. Bus from Vigo to Portugal border; onward train from Valença to Porto. Smoke from nearby wildfires turns the sky an ominous shade of green.
Life drifts sideways for 24-hours. Hostel with faulty router, internet does not work on laptop, trouble-shooting does not resolve. Call brother (at work) for work-around. Overnight, wake to bed bugs at hostel (first time in 39 weeks); assigned to new room and new bed. Hostel washed my clothes, and discovered hole in back of my pants, where backpack chafes. Even my pants are worn out and ready to quit this journey.
Challenging days, when travel goes sideways, often listen to Bach-Busoni D-minor Chaconne performed by Hélène Grimaud. Tertiary, ABA form (minor-major-minor); often mirrors the range of emotions that I may have experienced during the day. Reminded of my piano-score-reading professor at university (thank you, Karl).
FRI 25 SEP: I am supposed to enjoy Porto, but I did not. City is steep, a lot of climbing, even if physically fit. Ready to travel onward, two-hour train to Coimbra Portugal.
Barefoot run more than 125-miles over six months; unable to run for three months (India & Pakistan). Often run at sunrise, to avoid disparaging looks. Priority is safe place to run, free from traffic (ie. parks, promenade). Body adapts with time; body receives constant feedback (proprioception), not masked by over-padded running shoes, and less risk of over-training (do not train if there is lingering pain). Bare feet not impervious to cobblestones, gravel, broken glass, and scorching hot pavement. Walked seven-miles per day; walked 1,800-miles during the nine-month journey.
SUN 27 SEP: Coimbra is small and compact, and less steep than Porto. Found little to sustain my interest; ready to travel onward. High-speed train to Lisbon Portugal, metro to city center; put a fork in me, I am done; to return to United States feels surreal.
As I prepare to return to United States, Patagonia Houdini jacket (of ten years) completely disintegrated and shredded; mostly poor barrier against wind or rain.
THU 01 OCT: am I home yet; United Airlines to Newark, Amtrak to Connecticut, home by 9pm. Will Global Entry (known traveler) permit me to bypass US immigration.
Limp back to US on emergency passport; used two of five (visa) pages over three months. Additional scrutiny was unpleasant, but grateful to salvage the journey.
Appointment to obtain new ten-year passport (#4) on Friday (fee-waived), but pay for expedited processing and expedited shipping. US Government only funded until December 11th (and may need to coordinate one sticker visa for 2027).
Four months in United States; rake leaves, visit friends in Houston, Orlando, and Washington DC, and home for the holidays. Next journey, depart February 2027 for eight months: southeast Asia, five (former Russian) STANs, Italy, Balkans, Poland.
You must go on. I can’t go on. I will go on (Samuel Beckett, The Unnamable).
Essentials: during the past nine months:
– Backpack: Tom Bihn Synik 22-liter (2025 | 7-kg fully packed)
– iPhone 15: 128GB (2023 | fewer than 220 pics | transfer most pics to laptop)
– Laptop: Microsoft Surface 7 (2024 | 13.8-inch | 16 GB memory | 512 GB storage)
– Adapter: Ceptics 70W Universal Travel Adapter (all 34-countries except India)
– Cargo pants: Duluth Firehouse Flex (30W x 30L)
– Sandal: Deliberate Life Designs – Perception (size 8.5 narrow | 7-mm thick)
– Medication: Sumatriptan (migraine) and Diamox (altitude sickness)
Cost: cumulative travel costs, during past 279-days (40-weeks).
Lodging: $7,354 total | $26 day (private room: 160 nights | 57%)
Transport: $7,752 total | $28 day (plane | train | bus | ferry | taxi)
– – Philippine Airline ($1100 JFK – MNL, 18-hour non-stop, $61 flight hour)
– – Four flights ($300 Bangkok, Myanmar, Bangkok, Chiang Mai)
– – Six flights ($1,600 India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Nepal)
– – Seven flights ($1,000 inter-India on IndiGo; Karachi Pakistan)
– – Two flights ($300 Islamabad to Skardu; Kabul Afghanistan)
– – Three flights ($500 to Tashkent; to Baku; to Tbilisi)
– – Return flight (United Airlines, Lisbon to Newark, frequent flier miles)
Food: $1,011 total | $4 day
Other: $5,050 total | $18 day (FX | ATM | visa | tourism | RV & motorbike)
– – Bhutan ($1,375 five-day, four-night | travel prohibited without guide)
– – Afghanistan ($2,500 seven-day, six-night | Untamed Borders)
Total: $21,167 total | $76 day | $27,700 annualized
– – Cash burn: $799 | $3 day (when credit card not accepted)
Contactless credit card widely accepted; final currency exchange in Turkey.
Currency: Philippine Peso (PHP), Myanmar Kyat (MMK), Thailand Baht (THB), Laos Kip (LAK), Cambodia Riel (KHR), Vietnamese Dong (VND), Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR), Bhutanese Ngultrum (BTN), Nepalese Rupee (NPR), Indian Rupee (INR), Bangladeshi Taka (BDT), Pakistani Rupee (PKR), Afghan Afghani (AFN). Uzbekistani Som (UZS), Azerbaijani Manat (AZN), Georgian Lari (GEL), Armenian Dram (AMD), Turkish Lira (TRY), Moldovan Leu (MDN), Romanian Leu (RON), Hungarian Forint (HUF), Swiss Franc (Liechtenstein, Switzerland), and Euro (Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czechia, Germany, Austria, France, Monaco, Andorra, Spain, Portugal).
Conclusion: travel over a long-enough period of time, one country, one-hundred countries, two-hundred countries, does it matter. Forty-weeks, traveled to 34 countries. One-third of countries required visa (visa on arrival, eVisa, sticker visa), one-third visa free, and one-third European Union (Schengen area). To date, visit 93 of 200 countries; difficult to see lifetime travel beyond 140 of 200 countries.
Some people tell me that they cannot or will not travel like me. Is this an observation, judgment, criticism, or compliment. Do not know; choose to let be, choose to let go.
Meditation is good for nothing; world travel is good for nothing. Much of my travel is a reflection of me – superficial – one mile wide but only one-inch deep.
Am I boring; if I have to ask, I already know the answer. My writing is not interesting, my insights are not interesting, and I am not particularly opinionated. No risk, no reward; is there anything that I may do that has not already been done. Maybe I am just fatigued.
What memories stand out during the past nine months: Angkor Wat at sunrise (Cambodia), Taj Mahal veiled by fog (India), rugged beauty of Afghanistan (five years of Taliban rule), remote Ani Ruins (Turkey), and the kindness of strangers. Right shin remains bruised after hit by a scooter (India).
World travel, two extreme points of view, like a split diopter. First: kindness of people, the kindness of strangers, people who share what little they may have with noble heart. Second: no limit to man’s brutal nature to harm, maim, and kill, in the name of religion, hatred, violence, or revenge. In between, a region often dull and muted.
Is it our friend we are grieving for, whose life we knew so little, or is it our own loss that we mourn; have we traveled far enough that we may allow our tears to fall.
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
