World Trip Update # … (where did we leave off again?!)

More news on our upcoming world trip, even though it’s been kind of quiet lately. Something that we do do every week is going downtown to see what’s on sale. We discovered last year that prices drop to an ultimate low in January and February, so we’ve been searching the stores for knock-offs for almost two months and ended up buying a lot of great stuff, like backpacks, rucksacks, camp gear and this great tent that is super small and ultra light but still houses two people in extreme weather. We also went to the Vakantiebeurs (Dutch for: Holiday Fair) and bought some small necessities like a travel pillow, travel sheets and one of those toiletry bags that has a hook so that you can hang it in any gross bathroom that you might (and will!) encounter during your travels. We also became members of Joho and received a bunch of information to browse through, so we’re basically having a lot of fun getting excited about the possibilities. We also think that we have finally chosen two possible routes from this infinite number of possibilities, but we have discovered that people’s opinion about said routes can be divided into two camps. There are those who think that if you are going on a 9-month world trip you might as well try to see as many different things as possible. This is the side that we’ve chosen. But there are also those who think it’d be better to just visit one region and really get to know it (and then there are also those who actually move away to, say, Brussels, but that’s really taking it too far). I do like the idea of really exploring one region, but how would you even choose a region from all of the great options available? I, for example, really want to go to South America, but Jochem insists on going to Australia. Compromise, anyone? Besides, I think 9 months offers you the opportunity to see more of the world than just one region, and since we really want to go on a WORLD trip, we came up with these two routes:

(1) Amsterdam – Beijing//Bangkok – Cairns//Melbourne – Christchurch//Auckland – Tahiti – Easter Island – Santiago de Chile//Lima – Guatemala City – San Francisco - Amsterdam

(2) Amsterdam – Windhoek – Amman – Mumbai – Bangkok – Cairns//Melbourne – Christchurch//Auckland –Tahiti – Easter Island – Santiago de Chile//Lima – San Francisco – Amsterdam

We’re already halfway through anticipating the whole thing.

And on a slightly different note: do you know that song called "Maybe Tomorrow" by Stereophonics (probably, since I am always at least a year behind everything)? I once saw it played during a travel show on TV and now I always have to think about our world trip when I hear it. Just like I always have to think about our Provence trip whenever I hear the soundtrack to Amélie. Perhaps this means that I only enjoy music in circumstantial settings (because it reminds me of something) and not because of its inherent quality... Can we still be friends, Kiran?

I have to go - I convinced Jochem to see Valentine's Day with me at the movies on Valentine's Day (hihi) and it starts in an hour and a half and I still need a shower...