letters from our readers 1999
(most recent on top)
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How did it end? And what did it cost?Hi Eric and Joan
I loved your story about your trip around the world. Thank you very much for taking the time to write it and put it in the public domain. The Internet is a wonderful thing for people who like to take a different path than most of the population. I was wondering about a few things and figured that I would write to you and ask. I have several ideas to several such as
you did too. Did you ever try to canoe any of the canals of the UK or Europe? I thought that this might be an inexpensive way to get around. I did a little in the UK and loved it. Small canals with 4 mph speed limits.How did your story end? I saw a link to page #9 in the Pennsylvania section but it didn't work.
If you don't mind me asking, how much did the 26 months cost you? Just rough is fine I was trying to figure out what it would cost me. Last but not least, do you know of any sites where I might meet someone to travel with for these extended trips. I have quit working already and I am just in the planning stage of where to go next.
Thanks for your time, hugs Rob
29 December 1999
Our Response:
Hi Rob,
Wow, canoeing around the canals sounds like a lot of fun! We haven't tried it yet, but maybe someday. Would love to hear about your adventures, though.To answer your questions:
1. The end: whoops, we forgot to put up Pennsylvania chapter 9. We'll get around to it soon. But since you asked, we had a great ride back to Pittsburgh, PA, where Eric's parents live. Then we got in a car and drove to California. Our plan was to stay in California for two months, long enough to visit friends and make enough cash to go ahead with our plan to move to Washington DC.
But while we were in San Francisco, Eric had a bike wreck with a car. He broke both of his arms, but amazingly, felt hardly any pain. In fact, he told the driver he was fine. Unfortunately, he had no insurance, and without the driver's name, we had to pay cash for all his hospital bills. That inspired us to stay put in SF, where Eric has a good job. So that's where we are now. San Francisco. Give a shout if you come by.
2. Total cost. It's somewhere on our page ... in a thing called "the list"--the best/worst/statistics of our trip) (http://www.ericandjoan.com/list.htm). But in a word, the answer is ... US$58,000 for everything, including airline tickets, train tickets, shipping costs, hotels, food, scuba diving, the handheld computer we used to keep our journal, etc. Our costs are probably higher than most, because ours include a lot of overnight shipping of photographs from overseas to the U.S.
Good luck, and keep us posted on your journey.
From a fan in Seattle
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So I have been reading your page for the past couple of months. When the weather is bad I'll eat at my desk and follow your adventures. I love it. I live in Seattle, am a bike nut, and am finally starting to get that future trip into focus. You guys are an inspiration.I am curious if y'all are still on the road. I can't tell from the articles ( no date references that I have noticed)
Garwood Nichol, Seattle
8 December 99
Our Response:
Hey Gar,
Glad you like the page! And even gladder it's helping you get your own trip in
focus. Sorry many of our pages don't include dates. To answer your question, we finished the bike ride on July 31, 1999, and have just been trying to reintegrate since then. Many days we still wish we were on the road.If you have any questions while you're in the planning process shoot 'em over.
Dear Eric and Joan,
Rarely do I sign guest books or e-mail authors of web pages, but rarely do I encounter travelogues as fine and extensive as yours. To put it simply: wow, and thank you.
I'm glad I could see so much of the world from ground level, from thoughtful writers who seem to have the same travel interests. As a geographer, it is thrilling for me to see the physical landscapes of far away places.
Mind you, I would travel at the same pace through the same places if I had the money or time. For those of us who lack these things but have the gumption and the thirst for such travel, your pages are great.
I suppose the mail you receive cannot be compared to the blessings of your unique experience and the personal growth and discovery that came from them. Still, I felt compelled to write.
Robert K.
Our Response:
Robert! Sometimes we wonder why we and our unpaid web mistress put so much effort into this site. Now we know. Thanks for your very kind note.
Here are few places on the web to find a TON of travel films on video, as well as in-person presentations of the films by the actual filmmakers.
http://www.travelfilms.org/ (Intrafilm)
http://www.trailwoodfilms.com/ (Trailwood Films)
http://www.encountervideo.com/ (Encounter Video)
http://www.rvadventurevideos.com/ (RV Adventure Videos)Take care,
Steve S.PS: Thanks for the warning about Timberland boots! I have a pair of Danners that I bought for a Yosemite trip about ten years ago, and they're still going strong. :-)
Our Response:
Hey, thanks for your note. We'll check these out. Glad to hear about those Danners.
Read your trip to China. very inspiring. i am going
there to teach so will buy a bike and give it a go.
your pictures are great.Shar
Our Response:
Shar, glad you liked our site. Shoot over any questions you have.
I've been watching your trip with interest, sounds like a lot of fun! I'm heading over to Europe this fall and might end up in Hungary and the Czech Republic too, and was happy to see your thoughts on those places. But we need closure, the last we heard was you were heading back to Pittsburgh PA in July. Did you make it? Are you all working now? Are you living in Washington DC like you said you might, or have you settled somewhere else?
Thanks for sharing your excellent adventures with all of us!
Tom
Our Response:
Hi Tom,
Ok, here's some closure! we did make it across pennsylvania on bikes. those chapters are going up soon. after that we lazed around Pittsburgh and Washington DC, jumped in a car and raced west to San Francisco, where we lived before we started this trip. Now we are living in San Francisco.
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Cost of travel, carrying cash, connectivity, etc.Eric and Joan,
I came home the other day, and told my wife that I thought we should jettison baggage (both figuratively and literally), take a year off, and tour the U.S. and Europe by bike. A complicating factor is that we have three children (12, 8 and 5). At any rate, being the born adventurer that she is, she quickly became excited about the idea! We will have too many questions to burden you with, I'm sure, as we delve into the detail. But, one of the first questions is, of course, that of cost. What can we expect to expend on a monthly or quarterly basis? Our intent is to camp, mainly, as it appears you do. The cost of feeding the children would be additional. Can you give us any insight? Also, have you been able to bring in cash by any means? Another question at the top of the list is "connectivity." Can you tell us a little more about the Newton, your Web page maintenance, etc.? We look forward to your reply, and a Spring/Summer 2000 departure. Your courage is inspiring.
Sincerely, John, Denise, Jake, Zach and Kelsey
Our Response:
Hi John, sounds like an incredible plan. We've met people traveling with several kids, so we know it can be done.
Costs: for two adults, mostly camping and eating groceries (but succumbing to the occasional hotel and one restaurant meal a day), I'd count on spending at least $55 total per day.
We spent about $63 a day on average, which is a mix of Asia (quite cheap), Europe (horrifically expensive) and the US (cheap for us since we mostly stay with relatives). That figure included all our on-the-ground expenses, including buying and repairing camera, computer and bike equipment while on the road, and regional airline/train/ferry tix. The price did not include intercontinental airline tickets, our phone and internet accounts back home, health insurance, or the approximate $5,000 we invested in computer/camping/bike gear before we left. Our total costs for 26 months was about $56k?
You'd have a better idea than we do about how kids would change the prices.
Cash: our ATM cards worked fine in the following countries: Canada, Costa Rica (only a few cities), New Zealand, Australia Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand (only a few cities).
The following countries didn't have ATM machines, or their machines wouldn't accept non-local cards: Laos, China, Tibet Nepal.
In Europe, it was always a crap shoot. Even when the symbol on our card matched the symbol on the ATM machine, it only worked for us 50-70% of the time. We still don't know why one worked, and one next to it wouldn't. Or sometimes, a machine wouldn't work for us in the morning, but did in the afternoon.
So my advice is, rely mostly on your ATM cards, keep a few travelers checks stashed. and be ready to make a credit card cash advance (that worked in every big city) if necessary. Do not write "SEE ID" on the back of your credit cards. That's a great way to deter theft in the US, but other countries don't understand it, and gave us a hard time over it. Also, VISA is still the number one recognized card (no, we don't get any ad money from VISA). A lot of people in Asia won't accept cards like Amex's Optima, etc. We met a couple traveling with an Optima card and they could never use it because most people hadn't even heard of it.
Cash: keep a few hundred dollars of cash stashed, and if you plan on traveling in developing countries, make sure that cash looks crisp. Even a tiny rip can render your $100 bill useless in most places in Asia. Also, make sure you bring the *latest* version of 100s and 20s, etc. It will be a lot harder to circulate the old ones.
Connectivity: The Newt worked fine. We used it to write all the text that appears on our web site, but we didn't update the site ourselves. We just emailed the text to Eric's sister, our awesome unpaid Web mistress Katy, who updated our site for us. We took regular (non-digital) photos, mailed them home, and let Katy pick which ones to scan and post.
You could probably update your own web site yourself from the road, but I think that would really detract from that vacation feeling!
Good luck, and write with more questions.
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Good bye Pork Pie (a cult movie in & about NZ)As you speculate, GPP is a cult classic - at least in our family (mum, dad, son, 2 daughters). We have the video, watched it frequently at one time, and still get it out for an airing 2 or 3 times a year. It became the source for a fun game our family played once over dinner at a local restaurant.
It started accidentally when someone quoted a phrase from the movie in response to something that happened in the restaurant. We then took turns to quote more classic phrases or pivotal comments from the movie. Unexpectedly, the game went on for over half an hour. We've even driven parts of the route (yes, it was all filmed in NZ) down the West Coast of the South Island (where the Traffic Officer drives his car and mistress into the lake) and across the Haast Pass (where a second traffic cop "busts his leg"). The latter location we believe is a touch of editing room magic - when driving the Haast 2 years ago we looked for the spot where the police car went off the road and found a place that looked like the exit point, but with no further run off, then saw a second location that resembled the run-off with the wrong exit point.
The film is now becoming a historical record too - the Traffic Police no longer exist, having been merged into the Police Force, and the gravel road over the Haast has all been tar sealed (we have driven over it before and after). Some of the lifestyle, culture and attitudes have changed too. A week ago TVNZ showed the movie on late night, and followed up this week with Smash Palace. We can hardly wait to see what's on next week. How did I find your site? Needless to say, I used HotBot to search for "Goodbye Pork Pie". Now I'll browse the rest of your web pages.
Thanks. -- Gordon, NZ (first place to see the sun), June 1999
Our Response:
Gordon! Thanks for clearing up the Goodbye Porkpie mystery for us Yanks. It would be fun to go back to NZ some day and do a GPP tour. (and it's amazing, the power of Hotbot. I do think it's the best engine out there).
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TibetDear Eric and Joan,
I truly admire your travel spirit, and am grateful for sharing your adventures with the world. I'm planning on traveling from Chengdu to Tibet in august. I have two questions about this. On the chinese visa application, it asks for an itinerary, place of entrance and exit. Clearly, I'm not writing tibet as a part of my itinerary, but what about point of entrance and exit? WIll I be fined for any 'changes' in my plans? Second, I'm not a biker, unfortunately. Is there alternate means of traveling the friendship highway, and not being stuck on a bus full of tourists? I'd like to take my time and see all the places that interest me along the way, and by hiring an expensive four-wheeler with six other tourists, this won't work. What would you suggest on this level? Finally, I'll be in laos a bit earlier, and am concerned about bandits. You apparently had no problems, but would you suggest this to all, or do you just feel lucky? Did you carry all of your cash for the trip on you? Thanks for your help!
Yogesh R., May 1999
Our Response:
Yogesh-- here are some answers.
1. When we went, it didn't matter what entry and exit cities we put down. I think we said we would come in at beijing, and leave by shanghai. we didn't do either and no one made any fuss when we showed up on bikes at the border crossing from Boten, Laos, or when we left by bike from Tibet to Nepal. So just name a big city and wing it. But CHECK this out with the latest Lonely Planet, and any other stuff you see on the web. Things change fast in China.
Also, when we went, we thought we could only stay in china for 30 days, maybe a maximum of 60 (at the time the Lonely Planet said we would be lucky to get just one visa renewal). But it turns out, when we were there, it was quite easy to get numerous renewals. Obviously some of this depends on China's relations with your country.
2. Tibet. Well, if you're not going on bike, which is quite hard, and you're not going on jeep, you can TRY to make it across on a public bus, say from Lhasa to Gyantse, from Gyantse to Shigatse. We did meet people who did this, but after Shigatse, even they had to join up with a jeep of two or three other tourists to continue on to Nepal. A few solutions. If you have the money, you can rent a whole jeep for yourself (and maybe a friend). But don't think the jeep will go anywhere you want. When we were there (again, everything changes fast, so who knows what's true now), the jeeps stayed on a very set route and the drivers got upset if you didn't want to stay at their suggested hotel. Also you had little control over how long they stopped. A lot of jeeps raced up to Everest Base Camp, stopped for 30 minutes, and then raced on, regardless of whether the mountain was temporarily behind clouds.
Another solution: we did meet some Americans who managed to hitchhike across, staying in guest houses in cities. But I think they were very lucky, because they met up with a Tibetan monk, who spoke English, and helped them negotiate with truck drivers, etc. Even then, the Americans didn't get to see Everest either, they just had to try to peek out from under the truck canopy as they raced by.
Laos. We had no problem with bandits. We heard there were bandits between Kasi and Luang Prabang (we wrote all about it in the Laos pages), but when we were there, there were no bandit problems.
Hope this helps. Have a great trip.
Hi there!
Sounds like you guys are having a ball!I found your web site very interesting because I have two daughters which will be traveling around the world like you two. We are from Thunder Bay Canada but both my daughters are living and working in Japan right now. This spring my oldest daughter, Charlene, will be leaving Japan with her husband to travel the world on bikes and my youngest daughter Alison will be starting her trek in August by herself (backpacking). I am very worried for their safety. Can you put my mind at ease a little. I know this is a great opportunity and the lessons learned are going to be great. I don't want to sound too pessimistic but this is starting to occupy my every thought.
From the cold weather in Thunder Bay,
Claudette M.Our Response:
Hi Claudette! Thanks for your note. We actually passed through Thunder Bay (in a car) at the beginning of our trip, on the way to a canoe trip in Quetico. You live in a beautiful place.
Yes it's a grand old time out here. We aren't parents ourselves, but we have parents, and we know that even though they're happy to see us travel, they also worry.
What can we say to put your mind at ease? Well, in more than 20 months on the road, we've never really feared for our personal safety, except for when we were bicycling on Java. We've met lots of great people, including some who have taken us into their homes. We've had great food and we've learned a hell of a lot more than we ever did in any geography class. We've had some rough spots--a bit of gastro-intestinal illness here and there, but really, nothing worse than we go through in our normal lives back home.
I think we heard from your older daughter, who is planning the cycling trip. Sounds like an excellent time. We hope to hear from her more as she and her husband start their journey.
As for your youngest daughter backpacking alone, I wouldn't worry too much. We saw a lot of backpackers all over Asia, and we noticed that many of them hooked up with, and traveled with other backpackers. Even the ones who start out traveling alone usually end up surrounded by people their age who speak their language. I don't know where she plans to go, but as you can see from our photos and stories, many backpackers live quite a luxurious life, at least in Asia, which is totally set up for tourists. We stayed in great hotels and ate great food, and every once in awhile we just sacked out and did boring things like watching CNN and hanging out at Net cafes. Also, medical care is generally pretty good in Asia's largest cities. We did have to stay overnight in a hospital in Bangkok for some test. We got top-notch care and the total bill was just $370. It would have been 10 or 15 times that in the U.S.
Also, we found lots of Net cafes! So even if your daughters can't afford to call home often, you can keep in regular touch via email. Our parents have been able to follow us quite closely that way.
Eric and Joan:
I have just spent the end of my last two evenings reading about your trip down "Ole Miss". What a great adventure! I have to admit that I haven't tapped into the world tour ... quite frankly, I have a wander lust for the good old USA. It's nice to see that someone else other than my husband and I feel that there is more to life than the 9 to 5 grind that most of the rest of the herd live by.
We quit our "white-collar world" in 1995 and moved to the Fla. Keys. Of course, we were being bums and waiting tables and such. We were trying to hatch a plan to see the country when my brothers suggested that we learn to drive a truck. They share the same wander-lust, thanks to my Dad, who dragged us across the country more than once with his work when we were kids. We found a company that trained us and we got our licenses and took off. What a great trip it was! We spent a year on the road, staying out a month then coming home for a week at a time. We crossed the country so many times that I lost count and were off the beaten path as often as on. (Sometimes that was not pretty in a 70-foot truck.)
We met hundreds of people and saw a thousand sights ("Oh My God Look At That" was a pretty common utterance for us) from the Moose Crossing signs in Vermont to the backside of "The Grapevine" (Interstate-5) descending into the San Joaquin Valley in California. It was a year that I will never forget. I have an understanding of our country and it's inhabitants that I would never have realized any other way. And we got paid for it! We called ourselves paid tourists. We came home last spring and are trying to keep from getting that wild-hair feeling. I still get the itch to get behind the wheel of a truck and back it up....that comes from seriously suited and heeled insurance agent! Go figure.
Anyhoo....I just wanted to share a little and let you know that you have now washed, set and blow-dryed that wild hair of mine. I may have to have a little chat with the hubby. We keep our licenses up to date for that Just In Case feeling...hmmmm. Keep up the freedom and travel! By the way, are you still at it? Or have you covered most of it?
Take Care! Mary F.
Our Response:
Jim &Mary!! Your truck driving adventures sound excellent! sounds like it would be a lot of fun to do. We have both traveled a bunch around the U.S. (Eric crossed it on bike three times) and still want to do a lot more. Any tips for our readers on who to contact to learn truck driving? are there schools all over? Click here for link to truck driving info
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BaliHi Joan and Eric, I found your site via the Bali Travel forum (I'm going in June) and I have been reading it for hours. What an inspiration! One question: after an adventure like yours, what will you do when you finally settle down? Or, maybe you will just keep going!
Lena, San Francisco April 99
Our Response:
Hi Lena! Thx for your note. At the end ... we will have to get jobs! Bummer. But hopefully we can still sneak some major trips in. Have a great time in Bali.
Hi Guys: Sound like your hemorhoids were acting up when you came into Gold River. Too bad that you focused on your problems and the things that you did not like instead of the many good things here. I have lived in many places in the US, Canada and Asia and settled here about 11 years ago because it was one of the quietest, peaceful and friendly communities to be found anywhere. Top it off with pristine drinking water that has no chlorine or other industrial waste added to it, great scenery, and wonderful fishing. So we do not have six shopping malls, traffic jams, smog, measurable crime, or some of the other amenities of more populated areas, sorry that you could not enjoy them here, but that is what makes us different.
Sorry, too, that we are more laid back than you are used to, and probably not nearly as demanding. Sometimes it helps to relax and go with the flow. As for our water taxi, we have a saying "Indian time," which means in a way that sometimes things come up and you just take everything in stride. And, there really is a Charlie, he is an immigrant from Turkey and a good cook too! His soups are awesome, and it is not every restaurant in a small place like this that makes such delightful use of fresh herbs which he grows on the premises. Some day when you are back on the Island you should come up in a better mood and get to know the place. Meanwhile, study Mark Twain's style, a sense of humour is priceless when writing about people and places.
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Jerry W.
Editor/publisher/janitorOur Response:
Hi Jerry! Thanks for your note. We just reread our Gold River chapter to see if we really said bad things about it. Well you are right, we were definitely not feeling great about Gold River after all our flat tires and the overpriced root beers at Charlie's and the pizza place that wouldn't serve pizzas and all that 'Indian time.' A little Indian Time is a good thing but after several days in a row it can drive you nuts. Plus the kid who panhandled us was just downright weird. We actually did see a lot of humor in our difficulties there; sorry you missed it. And if you read Mark Twain more closely you'll see that even in his humor, he is quite unimpressed with his surroundings from time to time.
That said, we did think Gold River was gorgeous country so we aren't surprised to hear that someone who actually lives up there likes it a lot. It's probably a lot better to live there than just try to cross through it.
We are glad to hear there really is a Charlie, and if we are ever welcome back, we would like to try his fresh herbs. Please tell him to lower the prices on his Root Beer.
My name is Noel and I live In Fremont, California. I came across your website and I really thank you for sharing your Philippine trip. I really enjoyed reading it and made me really homesick. I am originally from the Philippines and was raised in the city of Baguio. I have not been back home since I left the country 22 years ago at the age of 12. I still remember my early days back in the Philippines and your website does bring out vivid memories. thank you and I will keep watching out for your site. Be careful and be safe. Thanks , Noel
Our response:
Hi Noel, Thanks for your letter. Sometimes we ask ourselves, why are we making this web site? Does anyone care? So it´s good to know that someone we don´t know can read even just a part of it and get something out of it. We really loved the Philippines. I hope you can go back to visit soon.
We lost Charlene's letter asking for info on health insurance. Here's our answer:
We had some trouble finding insurance for our trip. We priced a lot, but it just cost way too much. In the end we went with a fly-by-nite cheapie company that we got through Council Travel Insurance (a big insurance co. for students, which sells even to non-students like us). We paid only $250?? each for one year of coverage, up to $3,000 per incident, plus $25k in evacuation insurance. Well, they really were fly by nite. We had to get some hospital tests in Bangkok, and when we tried to get reimbursed, it took us three months to find out their new address! First we called them, and they answered and promised to send a claim form pronto. they didn´t. With help from several relatives in the U.S. we finally tracked them down and got reimbursed. The cost for all those tests, which would have really been high in the U.S., was only $370 at the best expat hospital in Bangkok. So my advice is, if you don´t have lots of cash and you´re going to be traveling in Asia, wing it, and just count on paying as you go. Even if you do have insurance, you´ll have to pay all those costs up front anyway, most likely. If you want real ace insurance, try Lloyds of London, etc. We know someone whose parents did that for them. At the moment, we are in Europe, and we are taking a risk--no insurance. Then again, it´s not like we have a house to lose. Good luck, let us know.
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LaosHi there, Enjoyed your site. I was in Laos this past Feb and going back for more eye and nose abuse in April. Would like to use a link to your site from mine. Hope it's ok with you guys.
DennisOur response:
Thanks! and no problem with the link.
Hi, I read your review of your trip to Costa Rica. We are going in May for our late honeymoon. We are looking to stay in Tamarindo. We are looking to rent a car and drive. Do you have an opinion about driving in Costa Rica. Any additional reading material that you found useful would be great.
Thanks...Cayenne K. Jan 1999
Our response:
Hi Cayenne,
We didn't make it to Tamarindo but hear it is excellent. There are many places in Costa Rica to rent 4WDs but they are expensive (about US 300 dollars a week?) The roads are rough but not impassable. Drive slowly and it won't be so bad. Try to make it to Tabocan hot springs near San Jose; A real treat. Check out our chapter on Tabocan. Congratulations!!
Hi,My name is Charlene and my husband and I are leaving on a world tourin May, 1999. We are planning to take four years to travel the world. Do you have sponsors? If so, how did you get them? We have secureda few sponsors but times are tough, no one seems to want to bite. Any help you have to offer will be greatly appreciated.
Charlene deB.
Our response:
Charlene,
Joan and I both earn money while we tour by writing stories about ourtrip. We intentionally avoided sponsors so we could write candidlyabout all our equipment and so on. So I'm afraid we have no idea abouthow to find sponsors. The following web page has a lot of excellent information on planning trips though and might be of help.
http://www.travel-library.com/rtw/html/
click here to read letters from 1998 and earlier
last updated Feb. 13, 2000