A year (or so) on the road

After 2 years of "planning", I quit work in July, 2007, and hit the road in early August. I traveled East into northern Europe, entering Russia via train from Estonia. Then trained across Russia, into Mongolia. 5 great weeks around China followed, then 3 weeks in Nepal with my dad. I met up with 4 friends from home at various points over the next few months, working my way through Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia. After 2 brief weeks at home to pack away my apartment, I headed to South America, starting in Rio de Janeiro, for Carnival. From there I headed South, and made my way all the way to Antarctica. I then spent the next 4 months making my way back North, transversing the entire length of South America in buses: Ushuaia, Argentina, to the Caribbean coast of Colombia, while visiting Chile, Bolivia, Peru & Ecuador in between.

After 2 months "resting" in various places in America, I decided to visit the Middle East & Africa for 4 months. Turkey, Syria, Jordan to Egypt overland, and then a few weeks in Ethiopia. End the year in South Africa, around Cape Town, and perhaps a quick trip into Swaziland & Mozambique, before returning to the "real" world.