The Journey...
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August 1
Day 1
Moose Jaw
to
New York
Day 1
Moose Jaw
to
New York
Landing in
New York City
Click the pic to view all photos for this entry.
New York City
Click the pic to view all photos for this entry.
Blank Pages
Part One
Europe
Europe
Part Two
Asia
Asia
Millions of thoughts go through your head before leaving on an epic 100 day trip around the world. Double-checking that you haven’t forgotten anything, making sure your passport is where it’s supposed to be a dozen times, tying up any loose ends of the life at home that you’re leaving behind for the next few months. There's also thoughts of excitement and anticipation. Dreaming of all the sights you’re going to see and the cultures you’re going to experience, the thought of how rich your life will feel when you get home, and wondering what all your new-found friends will be like as you meet them along the way. After going though all this last year I knew what to expect on a journey like this, but I still couldn’t settle my mind and calm the nerves. I think no matter how many times you travel, the pre-trip excitement remains the same. There’s nothing like the anticipation of going off into the unknown. And because of that, on the eve of my next big adventure, I couldn’t sleep.
I tried to go to bed early last night - around 7:00pm. My flight from Regina to Toronto departed at 6:00am and I didn’t want to spend the first day of my holiday walking around like a mindless overtired zombie. I fell asleep without too much trouble, but I woke up two and a half hours later and couldn’t get back to sleep. After laying there for another hour or so I gave up and spent the last few hours writing a few final messages on Facebook - counting the minutes until I had to leave for the airport.
One of the big lessons I learned about traveling: don’t overpack! Last year I took a MASSIVE black suitcase filled with lots of clothes I didn’t need and hardly any room for the stuff I bought along the way. This time I had a 80L backpack, a little over half-full. I was basically forced to take a backpack this year since one of the travel companies I’d be traveling with, Intrepid, recommended that their clients don’t use suitcases. The only familiar piece of luggage I had with me was my trusty day pack (a regular sized backpack) that had traveled with me to every country I’ve been to. Both these backpacks were currently ready to go and waiting by my back door.
3:00am rolled around and it was finally time to leave. It was still a bit early, but my mom was driving me to the airport and we wanted to go for breakfast before I left. I hauled my bags out to my car and got my mom to take a picture of me with my backpack on in front of it. It was my first photo of the trip. File name IMG_0001. It would be the first of nearly 9,000.
I tried to go to bed early last night - around 7:00pm. My flight from Regina to Toronto departed at 6:00am and I didn’t want to spend the first day of my holiday walking around like a mindless overtired zombie. I fell asleep without too much trouble, but I woke up two and a half hours later and couldn’t get back to sleep. After laying there for another hour or so I gave up and spent the last few hours writing a few final messages on Facebook - counting the minutes until I had to leave for the airport.
One of the big lessons I learned about traveling: don’t overpack! Last year I took a MASSIVE black suitcase filled with lots of clothes I didn’t need and hardly any room for the stuff I bought along the way. This time I had a 80L backpack, a little over half-full. I was basically forced to take a backpack this year since one of the travel companies I’d be traveling with, Intrepid, recommended that their clients don’t use suitcases. The only familiar piece of luggage I had with me was my trusty day pack (a regular sized backpack) that had traveled with me to every country I’ve been to. Both these backpacks were currently ready to go and waiting by my back door.
3:00am rolled around and it was finally time to leave. It was still a bit early, but my mom was driving me to the airport and we wanted to go for breakfast before I left. I hauled my bags out to my car and got my mom to take a picture of me with my backpack on in front of it. It was my first photo of the trip. File name IMG_0001. It would be the first of nearly 9,000.
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The drive to Regina Airport from my home city of Moose Jaw takes about 40 minutes. When we arrived my mom and I went for some coffee & bagels at Tim Horton’s and then made our way to the airport. As usual, I parked in the long-term parking since it’s a lot cheaper than having to plug the parking meters. As soon as I got out of the car I realized that my cell phone was no longer hooked to my belt. The belt clip was still there, but everything else was gone. I began to panic. I’d just bought this phone a few weeks ago (a Motorola Razr) and paid a small fortune for it. Last year my phone didn’t work overseas and I was looking forward to finally having a phone that’ll work almost anywhere in the world.
My first thought was that it dropped out in my car. My mom and I searched everywhere for it, but no luck. Since it wasn’t in my car, I was really hoping that I’d lost it somewhere in my house. I looked at the photo that my mom took of me in front of my car, and it was still on me then too - which meant that it was definitely not at home. My next thought was that I lost it in the Tim Horton’s parking lot. Since I had lots of time to spare, we got back in the car and began our way back to the restaurant. When we got to the airport parking lot’s ticket booth where we were had to pay to leave the area, we discovered that the booth wasn’t open until 7:00am. Since the entrance was blocked by a gate too, there wasn’t any way out until 7:00. I did NOT want to begin my trip on this bad note. I had to find a way out of the parking lot.
I parked my car again and ran across the lot into the airport. I found a security guard and told him that I had to leave the lot immediately. He said he’d go open the gate for me, but it took him for ever to do it. I was starting to get a little pressed for time and started to stress.
I took back-roads to Tim Horton’s so I could speed along the way. When we arrived back at the restaurant parking lot I searched the area where I parked, but still nothing. I went back inside and searched where we sat - and yet again nothing. I even asked the lady working there if she’d found a phone - and of course she didn’t. The only other possible place it could have been was sitting in my driveway. I figured it must have fallen off when I took my backpack off to put it in the trunk of my car. It was too late to go back home and check, so I’d have to leave without it. Disgruntled, I drove back to the airport.
Today was a series of three flights. My first, Regina to Toronto, landed at about 11:00am Ontario time. At 12:15pm I had to board my second flight to New York City which got into La Guardia Airport at 1:45pm. After that I had to transfer to JFK Airport and try to kill some time until my flight to Iceland at 8:30pm. If you know me personally, or read the travelogue of my trip last year, you’d know that I HATE flying. I despise every aspect of it. The food, the seats, the people on the plane, take off, landing, the time in between, EVERYTHING. Being in an airport has a way of automatically ruining my day. On top of all that, every time I step foot on one of those flying pressurized tubes of gasoline I think I’m going to die.
As usual I asked for a bulkhead seat when I checked in for the flight. Bulkhead seat = leg room. Unfortunately it often also equals screaming children, as that’s where kids are usually seated. I do this flight to Toronto a couple times per year to visit family in Ontario, and this flight is usually full of stuffy business men instead of families, so I wasn’t too worried about it.
With my first two boarding passes in hand, I said goodbye to my mom, went though security, and boarded my flight. As the plane took off I watched the green, ripe Saskatchewan prairies disappear off into the distance. I knew that by the time I saw them again they’d be brown or possibly even covered in snow. It also hit me that from this point on I’d be on my own for the next few days until I joined my new Contiki tour. I didn't like the throught of being alone, but I’d done a lot of research on Iceland and knew that it was a great place for solo backpackers. The only thing I was worried about was my phone.
Before boarding the flight I was still a bit nervous. My trip last year was the best experience of my life, and I knew this one would be just as good (if not better), but I still couldn’t get over the jitters. I think I was most nervous about leaving normality once again, but also excited to be diving back into the fantasy world of travel where there’s no worries and no cares. But as soon as I boarded the plane my traveler’s mentality suddenly kicked in automatically, and I became independent & confident “Traveler Dave” - part of me that had been dormant for the past year. Almost as if time hadn’t passed, I felt like I did when I traveled one year ago. Other travelers will know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s almost like you hange into a different person. It felt good to be back at it again!
My flight to Toronto was three hours long and went well as usual. During the flight I talked with a lady sitting next to me who was on her way to Ottawa with her daughter. She’d lived in many places in Europe and Australia and we had a good time chatting about the world and travel. It made the time pass quickly.
My first thought was that it dropped out in my car. My mom and I searched everywhere for it, but no luck. Since it wasn’t in my car, I was really hoping that I’d lost it somewhere in my house. I looked at the photo that my mom took of me in front of my car, and it was still on me then too - which meant that it was definitely not at home. My next thought was that I lost it in the Tim Horton’s parking lot. Since I had lots of time to spare, we got back in the car and began our way back to the restaurant. When we got to the airport parking lot’s ticket booth where we were had to pay to leave the area, we discovered that the booth wasn’t open until 7:00am. Since the entrance was blocked by a gate too, there wasn’t any way out until 7:00. I did NOT want to begin my trip on this bad note. I had to find a way out of the parking lot.
I parked my car again and ran across the lot into the airport. I found a security guard and told him that I had to leave the lot immediately. He said he’d go open the gate for me, but it took him for ever to do it. I was starting to get a little pressed for time and started to stress.
I took back-roads to Tim Horton’s so I could speed along the way. When we arrived back at the restaurant parking lot I searched the area where I parked, but still nothing. I went back inside and searched where we sat - and yet again nothing. I even asked the lady working there if she’d found a phone - and of course she didn’t. The only other possible place it could have been was sitting in my driveway. I figured it must have fallen off when I took my backpack off to put it in the trunk of my car. It was too late to go back home and check, so I’d have to leave without it. Disgruntled, I drove back to the airport.
Today was a series of three flights. My first, Regina to Toronto, landed at about 11:00am Ontario time. At 12:15pm I had to board my second flight to New York City which got into La Guardia Airport at 1:45pm. After that I had to transfer to JFK Airport and try to kill some time until my flight to Iceland at 8:30pm. If you know me personally, or read the travelogue of my trip last year, you’d know that I HATE flying. I despise every aspect of it. The food, the seats, the people on the plane, take off, landing, the time in between, EVERYTHING. Being in an airport has a way of automatically ruining my day. On top of all that, every time I step foot on one of those flying pressurized tubes of gasoline I think I’m going to die.
As usual I asked for a bulkhead seat when I checked in for the flight. Bulkhead seat = leg room. Unfortunately it often also equals screaming children, as that’s where kids are usually seated. I do this flight to Toronto a couple times per year to visit family in Ontario, and this flight is usually full of stuffy business men instead of families, so I wasn’t too worried about it.
With my first two boarding passes in hand, I said goodbye to my mom, went though security, and boarded my flight. As the plane took off I watched the green, ripe Saskatchewan prairies disappear off into the distance. I knew that by the time I saw them again they’d be brown or possibly even covered in snow. It also hit me that from this point on I’d be on my own for the next few days until I joined my new Contiki tour. I didn't like the throught of being alone, but I’d done a lot of research on Iceland and knew that it was a great place for solo backpackers. The only thing I was worried about was my phone.
Before boarding the flight I was still a bit nervous. My trip last year was the best experience of my life, and I knew this one would be just as good (if not better), but I still couldn’t get over the jitters. I think I was most nervous about leaving normality once again, but also excited to be diving back into the fantasy world of travel where there’s no worries and no cares. But as soon as I boarded the plane my traveler’s mentality suddenly kicked in automatically, and I became independent & confident “Traveler Dave” - part of me that had been dormant for the past year. Almost as if time hadn’t passed, I felt like I did when I traveled one year ago. Other travelers will know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s almost like you hange into a different person. It felt good to be back at it again!
My flight to Toronto was three hours long and went well as usual. During the flight I talked with a lady sitting next to me who was on her way to Ottawa with her daughter. She’d lived in many places in Europe and Australia and we had a good time chatting about the world and travel. It made the time pass quickly.
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Since La Guardia isn’t an international airport, I had to go though American customs in Toronto. I hadn’t flown to the States since 2004 and had heard that customs was much more strict than it was in the past. Not today I guess. The customs officer barely looked at my passport photo, asked me where I was going, and handed my passport back. Simple. Security was easy too.
Second flight! This time I sat next to a lady who frequently flies between TO & NYC for her software company business. I also watched the pilot episode to the new show “The Class” which was pretty good. The one and a half hour flight seemed to end before it began and before I knew it the New York skyline was visible out my window and we were landing in the Big Apple.
I’d been to New York City back in 2005 and loved it. I really wished I’d booked a few day’s layover here to spend some time in the city, but unfortunately all I’d see today was the freeway between La Guardia and JFK.
I got off the plane in La Guardia and realized what a dump this airport is. I quickly collected my backpack and caught one of New York’s yellow taxis to JFK airport. The drive only took about 20 minutes and cost $27. I’d flown with Air Canada up until now and they don’t offer meals on their shorter flights, so by this point I was starving. Got some Subway and ended up paying $10 for a foot-long cold cut. I generally pay $6 at home. Gotta love the jacked-up airport prices.
Second flight! This time I sat next to a lady who frequently flies between TO & NYC for her software company business. I also watched the pilot episode to the new show “The Class” which was pretty good. The one and a half hour flight seemed to end before it began and before I knew it the New York skyline was visible out my window and we were landing in the Big Apple.
I’d been to New York City back in 2005 and loved it. I really wished I’d booked a few day’s layover here to spend some time in the city, but unfortunately all I’d see today was the freeway between La Guardia and JFK.
I got off the plane in La Guardia and realized what a dump this airport is. I quickly collected my backpack and caught one of New York’s yellow taxis to JFK airport. The drive only took about 20 minutes and cost $27. I’d flown with Air Canada up until now and they don’t offer meals on their shorter flights, so by this point I was starving. Got some Subway and ended up paying $10 for a foot-long cold cut. I generally pay $6 at home. Gotta love the jacked-up airport prices.
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I waited around JFK for 5 hours and sat outside the US Airways check-in counter where there was some quiet seating. While I sat there I was entertained by all the rude check-in employees bitching at the people checking in. There was one lady who would get infuriated if people didn’t want next to the “Please wait here” sign - even if there was no line-up. I also called my mom from a payphone to let her know I arrived in NYC ok. She had some good news for me - she’d found my cell phone! As suspected, I’d dropped it in my driveway at home. I wouldn’t have it for the next few days, but I had the address for my hostel in Copenhagen, so she’d Fed EX it to me there.
Finally the time came to board my flight and I made my way to the Icelandair check-in desk where the employees were much nicer. Checked in, got my boarding pass, and went through security. By this point I was getting pretty tired. I’d been awake for almost 20 hours.
With luck, my boarding gate was right next to a BAR! I had time to kill before I boarded, so I had a quick nightcap in hopes that it would help me sleep during the flight. It was also my first official beer of the holiday. Many more would follow over the next three months.
At 8:30 I boarded my third flight of the day to Reykjavik, Iceland. I sat next to a very eccentric couple from Long Island. They were very nice people, but they wouldn’t quit talking for the first few hours - and all I wanted to do was try to sleep. Finally I just put my headphones in my ears and closed my eyes. I drifted off into a light sleep for about an hour, but as usual getting a decent sleep while flying was almost impossible. I hoped this 6 hour flight would pass quickly
Finally the time came to board my flight and I made my way to the Icelandair check-in desk where the employees were much nicer. Checked in, got my boarding pass, and went through security. By this point I was getting pretty tired. I’d been awake for almost 20 hours.
With luck, my boarding gate was right next to a BAR! I had time to kill before I boarded, so I had a quick nightcap in hopes that it would help me sleep during the flight. It was also my first official beer of the holiday. Many more would follow over the next three months.
At 8:30 I boarded my third flight of the day to Reykjavik, Iceland. I sat next to a very eccentric couple from Long Island. They were very nice people, but they wouldn’t quit talking for the first few hours - and all I wanted to do was try to sleep. Finally I just put my headphones in my ears and closed my eyes. I drifted off into a light sleep for about an hour, but as usual getting a decent sleep while flying was almost impossible. I hoped this 6 hour flight would pass quickly
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