Back in New York

I am back in New York after spending eight long years in 43 countries. I can easily say that I spent the best eight years of my life on this trip. Besides having great experiences, I learned a lot about life and myself – this also ended up being a spiritual journey within myself. Moreover, I came back speaking two new languages fluently.

As usual, I tried to avoid flying on this trip and I traveled overland as much as possible. Accordingly, my itinerary was as follows:

Latin America: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.

It took me 27 months to cross all Latin America overland – I had to take a cargo boat from Panama to Colombia, as there was no road connection. There was also no ferry service at the time.

The Caribbean: Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

I made side trips to Cuba and the Dominican Republic by plane.

West Africa: Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal.

I crossed the Sahara Desert from north to south in two and a half months.

East Africa: Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

I flew to Kenya and traveled to the other two countries overland.

East Europe: Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus.

I flew to Ukraine and made a circle visiting these three countries overland.

The Balkans: Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

I made a side trip to the Balkans from Turkey after one of my family visits.

The Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.

I flew to Azerbaijan and visited two of its neighbors overland.

Southeast Asia: The Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar.

I had to fly between the Philippines and Thailand to cross the ocean and then, I went on to Myanmar overland.

Traveling can get exhausting and I started feeling mentally exhausted after my first few years on the road. So, I decided to revisit some of my favorite countries for extended stays in the second part of this trip. Hence, I lived in Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay for a few years.

Everything about New York feels incredibly distant in my memory because of the length and the intensity of my travel experience. It almost feels like it is my first time here in New York. Regardless, I am excited to be back!