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Monday, March 3, 2008

9 days to go...

With only nine days left until we return to Boston Kevin and I are still trying to sort out some of the final details, such as how to ship his bike home (which he is taking care of at this moment), and I am trying to figure out how this trip has affected me.

It has been a bit over one year that we have been living out of our panniers and backpack and wash-and-wear has taken on a whole new meaning for me, that we have been sleeping in hotels, tents, stranger's homes and eating out in restaurants and road-side huts, that we have been crossing borders and learning new languages on a weekly basis, and that we have been spending every hour of every day, 24/7, together.

As honeymoons go, this has been one for the books! When it is all said and done, we will have traveled for 376 days, ridden over 32,000 miles, visited well over 200 cities in more than 40 countries, and made countless friends throughout the globe. But this trip has been about more than numbers and statistics. During this journey I have come to discover much about myself and to confirm things I already knew. I am as strong as I always perceived myself to be but I am more stubborn than I would like to be. I love the presence and support of my husband and companion, but I crave space, silence and solitude especially in the mornings and the evenings. I am not a tremendous social creature and have to make a real effort to be open to spontaneous conversation. I prefer to do my own riding instead of riding on the back of anyone's bike. I take instruction well as long as it is presented in the form of constructive criticism but I do not respond well to the "do as I say and not as I do" method of teaching. I need to shower/bathe on a daily basis, Chapstick is my constant companion, Listerine is not a luxury in my opinion and Pringles 'N' Fanta makes a good meal. I'm absolutely sure that as I digest the trip over time, I will have quite a bit more to say about my "learnins" on the road; but, for now th..th..th..that's all folks!