A rough and very conservative estimate is 120 000 km by air, sea and land. After 10 years I have the 4th backpack, 5th laptop and 3rd camera. Uncountable shoes and clothes came and went; from the start only three items survived to this day: the sleeping bag, a belt from my late father and the hair trimmer/shaver.
I was bitten by a Korean and two Californian dogs; by a bullet ant and dozens of green tree ants; by gazillions of mosquitos and bedbugs. In return I tried to eat silkworms and dogs, I found both disgusting. But the kangaroo was good.
I drunk soju, makkoli, shochu, umeshu, Ozzie moonshine and lots lots of beer everywhere. I drank Italian wine, French wine, Spanish wine, Californian wine, Australian wine and, unfortunately, also Korean wine. That was a bad idea. But the persimmon wine was good.
I saw pythons, fugu blowfish, crocodiles (from far far away), cassowaries, redback spiders, bullet ants, red-bellied black snakes, roadrunners, coyotes, wallabies and kangaroos, habu snakes, iguanas, ryukyu wild boars.
I harvested sugarcane, rice and marijuana; picked Korean radish, cabbage, onions, persimmon, strawberries, lemons, olives, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
I built houses of brick, stone, wood or cob; built gudeuls (floor heating), ovens and stoves; dry walls, roads and riverbanks.
I've been with buddhists, catholics, protestants, muslims and all kinds of newagers. I turned from radical atheist to radical anti-theist.
I've been with anarchists, communists, populists and right wingers. Occasionally I had better time with rightists than with leftists, but my political view went further in the unexplored realms of the extreme left.
I met people of all possible skin colorations and found out that stupidity is extremely politically correct, equally distributed regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or age.
I saw deserts and oceans, mountains and coral reefs, volcanos and jungles, rice fields and vineyards, crazy skylines and soothing sunsets.
There are days I feel tired and sick of it all; but the day ends, a new one starts and I feel ready to go, to a new place, see a new face, make a new friend, drink another beer.
I was bitten by a Korean and two Californian dogs; by a bullet ant and dozens of green tree ants; by gazillions of mosquitos and bedbugs. In return I tried to eat silkworms and dogs, I found both disgusting. But the kangaroo was good.
I drunk soju, makkoli, shochu, umeshu, Ozzie moonshine and lots lots of beer everywhere. I drank Italian wine, French wine, Spanish wine, Californian wine, Australian wine and, unfortunately, also Korean wine. That was a bad idea. But the persimmon wine was good.
I saw pythons, fugu blowfish, crocodiles (from far far away), cassowaries, redback spiders, bullet ants, red-bellied black snakes, roadrunners, coyotes, wallabies and kangaroos, habu snakes, iguanas, ryukyu wild boars.
I harvested sugarcane, rice and marijuana; picked Korean radish, cabbage, onions, persimmon, strawberries, lemons, olives, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
I built houses of brick, stone, wood or cob; built gudeuls (floor heating), ovens and stoves; dry walls, roads and riverbanks.
I've been with buddhists, catholics, protestants, muslims and all kinds of newagers. I turned from radical atheist to radical anti-theist.
I've been with anarchists, communists, populists and right wingers. Occasionally I had better time with rightists than with leftists, but my political view went further in the unexplored realms of the extreme left.
I met people of all possible skin colorations and found out that stupidity is extremely politically correct, equally distributed regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or age.
I saw deserts and oceans, mountains and coral reefs, volcanos and jungles, rice fields and vineyards, crazy skylines and soothing sunsets.
There are days I feel tired and sick of it all; but the day ends, a new one starts and I feel ready to go, to a new place, see a new face, make a new friend, drink another beer.
