The Only Planet/Travel Rat Index: the numbers behind the stories

Countries Visited: 28 where we either stayed the night or got passports stamped:
Japan, South Korea, China, Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Germany, France, Italy, Vatican City, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Czech Republic, USA

Total distance traveled: 78,405 km (48,719 miles) That’s over two times around the globe
Time to circle the earth: 298 days
Average speed: 11.0 km/h (6.8 mph), or 8:48 minutes per mile if we were to run the whole time
Farthest travel in one day: 8408 km (5224 miles), Christchurch New Zealand to Singapore
Number of train trips: 17
Distance traveled by car: 3519 km (2187 miles)
Number of Ferry Trips: 4
Number of Plane trips: 39
Number of Camels ridden: 1
Number of Elephants ridden: 1

Total number of days homeless: 365 before returning to Portland, where we’re still counting
Places stayed from 6/12/05 until 6/13/06: 101
Weight of packs:
Day of departure: Andy 20kg (44 lb) Dylan 8kg (18 lb) Loey 12kg (26 lb)
Day of return: Andy 18kg (40 lb) Dylan 4kg (9 lb) Loey 9kg (20 lb)
Number of shirts we each packed: 5
Number of boxes mailed home: 85 (half for us, half as gifts for others)

Most expensive meals: Gordon Ramsay’s at Claridge's & Nobu, both in London
Cheapest meal: other than when someone hosted us, the MBK food court in Bangkik Thailand. For US$5 we ate like kings!
Places we ate Mexican food: Chengdu China, Hong Kong, Chiang Mai Thailand, Singapore, Paris France, and Cork Ireland
First meal upon returning to USA: Europa Café, NYC, an American breakfast!
Best popsicles and bubblegum: Korean bottle popsicles, Chinese Babol gum, Japanese green apple gum

Number of Pictures taken: 18,000+
Places Andy had his hair cut: Beijing China, Saigon Vietnam, Florence Italy, Glenwood Springs Colorado USA

Museums visited:

• Japan: Edo Tokyo Museum, Studio Ghibli & Hiroshima Museum


• China: Shanghai Museum, Forbidden City


• Thailand: National Museum


• Singapore: Asian Civilizations Museums


• Macau: Macau history Museum


• Australia: Natural History Museum, National Maritime Museum


• New Zealand: Te Papa, Christchurch Art Gallery, Antarctic Center, Kelly Tarleton


• India: Mahatma Gandhi’s residence


• Egypt: The Egyptian Museum


• Germany: Pharmacy Museum in Heidelberg


• France: Musee D’Orsay, Louvre


• Italy: Vatican Museum, Uffizi


• Switzerland: Bern Historical Museum


• Netherlands: Anne Frank House


• Belgium: Chocolate Museum


• United Kingdom: British Museum, Tower of London, Imperial War Museum, Tate Modern


• Ireland: Blasket Island museum, Queenstown Experience


• Czech Republic: Mucha museum, Museum of Communism, technology museum

Monuments & Must-do’s:

• Japan: Todai-ji Temple, Tsukiji Fish Market, walking in Shibuya or Shinjuku, Kyoto, Silver temple, Gion, ryokan


• Korea: Insadong shopping, Lotte World


• China: Peace Hotel, walking along the Bund, Shanghai Acrobats, Yu Yuan Gardens and dumplings, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Duck dinner Tiananmen, Lama Temple, dirt market, Great Wall, visiting a Hutong, haircut on the street, Terracotta Warriors (over-rated, but if you’re in the country…) Panda Reserve, Chengdu Peoples Park (with sugar rats)


• Tibet: Portola Palace, Jokhang Temple, walking the Bharkor


• Hong Kong: taking the tram to the top of Victoria Peak, just to see the buildings looking like they’re sideways. Tea at the Peninsula, window shopping at Shanghai Tang, Dim Sum at Maxims, Star Ferry, Escalator, Ocean Park Aquarium


• Macau: St. Joseph's


• Thailand: Wat Pra Khaew, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, the carriage room at the National Museum, eating at MBK, the floating market at Damneon Saduak, Chiang Mai. Erawon Temple


• Malaysia: The Petronas towers, staying at the Mandarin Oriental


• Singapore: tea at Raffles, lunch on Serangoon Road, shopping for a sari in Little India, walking on Orchard Road, fortune telling parrot


• Australia: Koala Sanctuary, Australian Zoo, Melbourne Zoo, driving the Great Ocean Road, Sydney Harbour and Opera House, QVB, The Rocks, Sydney Tower, Powerhouse


• New Zealand: Tamaki Maori Experience in Rotorua. Zorbing, swimming with dolphins


• Vietnam: Reunification Palace, Cao Dai Temple, Cu Chi Tunnels, crazy house


• Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, the Bayon


• India: The Gate of India, Taj Hotel, Dhobi Ghats


• Egypt: The Sphinx, the pyramids of Giza, the ancient bazaar


• Germany: Schloss Auerbach, castle in Heidelberg


• France: Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Sacre Coeur, St. Sulpice, St. Eustace, catacombs, Eiffel Tower, Pere Lachaise, Parthenon, Arc de Triomphe


• Italy: Trevi Fountain, St. Peters, Pantheon, Palatine, Coliseum, Spanish Steps, Capucine Church, Pointe Vecchio, Boboli, Baptistery, St. Croce, St. Marco, Rialto Bridge, just walking around


• Switzerland: Bern clock, Bahnhofstrasse, altstadt


• Netherlands: Red light district, boat tour


• Belgium: Grand Place, Mannequin piss


• United Kingdom: Buckingham Palace, Kings Cross station, Millennium Bridge, Foyles at Charing Cross Road, St. Pauls, London Eye, day trip to Oxford


• Ireland: Trinity College, Page of Kells, Guinness Factory, Blarney Castle, Peat house experience


• Czech Republic: Jewish Cemetery & Synagogues, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge