Highs and Lows
Highs and Lows
Divided as follows...
- Tour 1 — 05-Dec-2000 to 05-Dec-2001 (365 days)
- Tours 2-4 — 28-Dec-2001 to 02-Oct-2006 (1685 days)
- Tours 5+ — 23-May-2007 and beyond (5227 days)
| Tour 1 | |
|---|---|
Hottest Place: Jaisalmer, India - 45°C (113°F)  |
Coldest Places: Enclosed: Eisriesenweld, Austria;
ice caves - 0°C (32°F)  Open-Air: Mont Blanc, France/Italy;
3842m (12,600ft) - 2°C (35°F) Camping: Norway - 3°C (37°F) |
| Highest Point: Mont Blanc, France/Italy; 3842m (12600ft) |
Lowest Point: Koh Tao, Thailand - scuba diving; -22m (-72ft) |
| Northern-most Point: Flötningen, Sweden; 62° 18' N. Latitude |
Southern-most Point: Singapore; 1° 17' N. Latitude |
| Best Exchange Rate: Vietnam; 14,500 Dong to 1 USD |
Worst Exchange Rate: Malta; .40 Pound to 1 USD |
| Least Expensive Country: Vietnam (followed closely by Thailand) | Most Expensive Country: Japan (followed closely by Norway) |
| Least Expensive Day(s): We actually had several very cheap days - spent at the homes of friends we made during our journey... namely: Ayako in Friedburg, Germany; Curt and Helen (and family) in Ljungby, Sweden; Helmut in Berlin, Germany; Heidi in Oslo, Norway; Andy and Sue in Laudinie, France. | Most Expensive Day: The train ride from Butterworth, Malaysia to Bangkok, Thailand on the Oriental Express; a 30-hour trip for $1000(US) each! |
| Tours 2-4 | |
| Hottest Place: Melbourne, Australia; 42°C (108°F) |
Coldest Place: Furano, Japan - skiing at 3000m (9850ft); -10°C (14°F) |
| Highest Point: Furano, Japan - 3000m (9850ft) |
Lowest Point: Hobart, Tasmania to Melbourne, Australia aboard Yoko - sea level  |
| Northern-most Point: Furano, Japan - 43° 20' N. Latiude |
Southern-most Point: Maatsuyker Island, Tasmania - 43° 43' S. Latitude |
| Best Exchange Rate: South Korea - 1165 Won to 1 USD | Worst Exchange Rate: Australia - 1.53 AUD to 1 USD |
| Least Expensive Country: Philippines | Most Expensive Country: Japan |
| Least Expensive Internet: Shenzhen, China - I got online at China Telecom, for as long as I wanted, for free!... though they did exercise their right, granted by the Chinese government, to monitor everything I did online. [Update: I know free Internet isn't so amazing these days because most public places have free WiFi, but in 2002, it was quite rare indeed.] | Most Expensive Internet: Tokyo, Japan - $5(US) per hour |
| Tours 5+ | |
| Hottest Place: Abu Simbel, Egypt; 50°C (122°F) |
Coldest Place: Busan, South Korea; -5°C (23°F) |
| Highest Point: Kunming, China - 1920m (6300ft) |
Lowest Point: Diving at Dahab, Egypt; -18m (-60ft) |
| Northern-most Point: London, England; 51° 30' N. Latitude |
Southern-most Point: Hobart, Tasmania; 42° 54' S. Latitude |
| Best Exchange Rate: Laos; 10,000 Kip to 1 USD |
Worst Exchange Rate: Australia; 1.20 AUD to 1 USD |
| Least Expensive Country: Laos | Most Expensive Country: Greece |
| Least Expensive Day: Any of the many days spent hanging out at Joma Bakery in Vientiane, Laos, working on my websites. | Most Expensive Day: The day (or, rather, two days) I traveled from Taiwan to France to help Andy and Sue move out of their 12th Century Villa. The airfare to London was expensive enough, but when I missed my connection to France, I had to stay one night in London and take a train instead of flying (with NO refund on my flight ticket). All totaled, that trip cost me $1300(US). |
| Least Expensive Internet: Vientiane, Laos - Free! (at Joma Bakery) | Most Expensive Internet: Bangkok, Thailand - $4.50(US) per hour (at Starbucks) |
