I can’t believe it but I am back in Holland for more than a year now. And from the day that I am back my feet are really itchy about traveling again. But I can’t effort to go away for a year again, so I am trying making plans for a normal 3 to 4 week holiday this year.

Now there are many things I am thinking about, like which country to go to and what kind of activities I want to do. I know that I am a very active person that love multiple day hikes, climbing and bouldering, nature, big cities with great architecture but also a nice beach to relax.

With so many interests, so many beautiful countries that I haven’t been to, but also with many things to consider like traveling by my self and a limited budget I really have to make choices.

For a while the idea of climbing the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is in my head. It’s the highest mountain in Africa and also the highest freestanding mountain in the world. And it’s only 5895 meters high. Man I have been on 6088 meters so this should be much easier right?

But I also read that it takes multiple days to get up there and that you shouldn’t take it too easy. Or I do this hike with an organization – including all meals, sleeping places, people carrying gear up and down, a good guide, etc – or maybe I can find enough people around me who also want to climb Kilimanjaro and try to find a guide for us. This way it would be less organized but still save. Right?

Anyway, that’s just one of my ideas for this year. Another one is Japan. No special reason for this country other than exploring the country, do some trekkings and maybe some climbing. The last thing is kinda difficult given the aspect that I am traveling by my self. So I need to find a climbing partner that I trust or find a local climbing organization.

Another country on my top list is South Africa. I really would like to rent a car and drive from Johannesburg all the way to Cape Town. Of course going into as many National Parks as possible to see the wild life. But doing that on my own is kinda risky and really expensive. I better wait with that idea and save up enough money so I can effort all the National Parks.

Then there is New Zealand. I’ve heard many amazing stories about NZ. You can go swimming and skiing on the same day. How amazing is that! But here again it would be awesome to rent a camper and drive from south to north. And for that a travel partner plus a bag full of money is needed.

What other countries would fit into my profile for this year: Borneo, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, Israel or maybe Australia?

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Amsterdam is one of the jewels of Europe and, although it may have lost some of its lustre over the years, it is still bright enough to draw visitors from all over the world. The variety of sights and activities is staggering and this is what accounts for the diverse cross section of visitors that stream into the city each year.

The main attraction for me is the architecture of the Old Centre, where it is possible to see and even feel the passage of time which has moulded the city around you. Thankfully the city escaped the worst of the damage caused by Europe’s many conflagrations of the last five hundred years and so, like a fossil record, presents visible evidence of the evolution of the city, with most of the best examples now preserved. In addition to the buildings the canals and bridges which give Amsterdam so much of its unique charm make it a great place to take a relaxing walk, soak up the atmosphere and lose yourself in another time.

Perhaps one of the most famous and tragic former residents of Amsterdam was Anne Frank, and her house is now a museum dedicated to not only demonstrating the terrible conditions of the Frank family when they lived in the attic here but also the bravery of those who protected and fed them. The museum has some interesting exhibits on the persecution and discrimination that is still going on today which is a powerful addendum to the history of the holocaust.

The Rijksmuseum is one of the great traditional museums in the world and anyone who loves Dutch painting should make it their first port of call. Even casual visitors will greatly appreciate a visit as there are so many originals seen almost every day in reproduction along with interesting background on the genre and artist of each. The museum also has collections of art from the former Dutch colonies in South East Asia which give the museum a fresh feel and contrast well with the old masters.

Visitors may want to save the Van Gogh Museum for a different day than the Rijksmuseum so that you don’t feel ‘arted out’ but it is worth a visit when you are in the city. The museum is well presented and informative and it sometimes feels that the only thing not on display is the famous ear, to the disappointment of hordes of visiting youngsters.

Finally, any list of the sights of Amsterdam is incomplete without a mention of the famous, or infamous, Red Light District. It is tacky, tawdry, coarse and crude and is fascinating and repellent in equal measures. The easily offended should probably stay away but anyone with a sense of adventure or passing interest in human nature should stroll through one evening and see what’s happening in there.

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Are you tired of the usual tourist attractions where you see what the ordinary traveler see? How about visiting the most unhygienic attractions for a change? Here is a list of the ‘germiest’ tourist attractions. Get ready. Call your travel agent and book the first flight to these filthy places.

1. The Blarney Stone (Cork, Ireland)

Kissing the stone will endow the worshipper with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). This tone was set into a tower in 1446. Imagine how many lips have kissed the stone. Go ahead. Kiss it.

2. Gum Wall (Seattle, USA)

True to its name, the wall is made of brick, which is now covered by, what else? Chewing gum. People have been sticking their gum to this wall. Twice, the wall was cleaned only to stick them again. So, the officials made it a tourist attraction, if you please. Imagine the dried saliva and germs in each gum. Good luck!

3. Oscar Wilde‘s Tomb (Paris, France)

Don’t be surprised to see lipstick marks on the tomb. It’s a tradition to kiss the tomb of the Irish author and playwright. Pray that you see a spot with no lipstick yet.

4. The Piazza (Venice, Italy)

Pigeons, a.k.a. flying rats, rule the roost in Venice’s legendary town square.

5. Grauman’s Chinese Theater (Hollywood, USA)

Among the theater’s most distinctive features are the concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day. Would you get on your knees and stick your fingers into the cracks and crannies on any random sidewalk in your hometown?

6. Karni Mata Rat Temple (Deshnok, India)

Known by many as the 8th wonder of the world, Karni Mata is definitely one of the most unusual places on the face of the earth. As impossible as it may seem at this Hindu temple, humans live in perfect harmony with thousands of rats completely unafraid of humans. These rats are treated like hairy little princes. Remember, you have to remove your shoes when you go inside the temple.

7. Friendly Monkey Valley (Everland Amusement Park, South Korea)

The first place ever for 12 kinds of apes and 145 monkeys. Enjoy your time there.

8. Glastonbury Festival (Somerset, England)

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly known as Glastonbury or Glasto, is the largest green field open-air music and performing arts festival in the world. The festival is best known for its contemporary music, but also features dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and many other arts. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of hygiene-challenged music fans converge for several days of dancing, partying, and (more often than not) acres and acres of filth.

9. Any Children’s Ball Pit

Don’t give too much thought to what’s at the bottom of that pile of colorful plastic balls. And definitely do not dwell on how often those gum-popping teenage employees clean it out.

10. Disaster Emeritus: CBGB’s Bathroom

While the stage at the legendary music venue on Manhattan’s Bowery featured acts like Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, the Ramones, Youth of Today, Bad Brains–need we go on?–the club’s dank, graffitied, sticky-floored bathroom welcomed generations of anonymous punks (most of whom had awful aim). CBGB closed its doors in 2006, but legend has it the bathroom walked away of its own accord.

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This is it. Today was my last day here in Mexico City. Right now, I am just waiting for my taxi which picks me up at 5 PM. And around 9 PM I will take off, heading to Heathrow first, and tomorrow I take another flight to Amsterdam. I have no more plans, no more money, no more extensions. After 11 months it’s time to go home!

It’s been a wonderful journey to 16 countries – been to some of them even more than once! I met more and more new friends from all over the world and I even visited some of them in their own country. Learned how to say ‘Hi how are you doing’ in more than 10 different languages – if only I could remember them (note to myself: write more down!).

I spend Christmas in the snow.
I went skiing twice!
I experienced temperatures from +40 Celsius to -25 Celsius.
I swam in 3 different oceans.
I went from white to black and turned white again.
I tanned dark brown and back to normal again twice.
I went only 6 meters below sea level.
But reached 6088 meters above sea level.
I flew 17 times covering more than 36.000km.
Traveled more than 25.000km over land.
Collected 38 stamps in my passport.
Updated my blog 106 times.
Made almost 250GB worth of photos.
Lost or broke 3 cameras.
Luckily I got ill only twice.

In the many conversations I had with people some questions were always asked: What’s your favorite country? What’s you greatest experience? What’s your worst? Where would you go back to and why? Are you looking forward going home again? What will you do when you come home again? What is your next destination? Well, allow me to answer those questions.

Well, until recently my most favorite country on this trip was Colombia! But since my visit to Canada I felt in love with that country. So both countries are on my number one position. Both countries are amazing and worth many more visits!

On the Q what would be my greatest experience I can only say the entire trip. Yes I had so many highlight during this trip, did so many things I dreamed of for so long or never thought I would do them ever. I summed my top 5 a while ago – which I still have to update btw – but after thinking for it for a while the only logic answer can be the entire trip. Being able to travel, being able to do all the amazing things I did, being able to meet lovely people from around the world and sharing time, moments, impressions, cultural experiences, happiness, sadness, laughs and tears – that’s the greatest experience this trip gave me.

In 11 months you encounter many worse moments. From a camera that got stolen to being ill for a few days. But nothing comes close to having to say goodbye to people you travel with over and over again. Although that is part of the whole trip, having to say goodbye is my worst experience. But getting my huge camera stolen – AGAIN – comes on number two!

I would – and I absolutely WILL – go back to Canada! If I had to choose today where I want to go tomorrow, then it would be Vancouver. I want to visit every other country too, because every country is unique in their own way.

And am I looking forward of going home again? HELL YEAH! Can’t wait to eat all the delicious Dutch things we have, sleep in my own bed (!), cook in my own kitchen, take a number two on my own toilet but most important: seeing, talking and feeling my friends and family again.

The time of returning to my own country is coming faster and faster. Right now I am only 4 days away from the touch down! 4 DAYS LEFT ONLY! Once I am back it’s time to do that what everyone has to do: go back to work. Yet I don’t have a company to work for. But I do know what I want to do! So all I have to do is spread the word, send some letters, and hopefully the economy allows me to find a new job soon. Offers are welcome btw, email me!

And then there is always the question ‘what’s your next destination’. Well my friends, there are many! I have many new ideas what I want to do or where I want to go to. Crossing the Himalaya’s, road trip in New Zealand, backpacking in Israel.

But I learned some things from this trip. I want to change the way of traveling the next time. I want to share my next big adventure. I want to share it with a friend, a lover, a soul mate. Traveling alone is great, it’s the ultimate freedom of doing whatever you want to do without having to consult the other party. But we all know the famous quote “Happiness only real when shared”. You do share happiness, but only with strangers, not with someone you really know.

So for now I would – once again – thank everyone who was part of this amazing trip and experience. I love you all and would love to see you all again somewhere sometime. And remember that you’re always welcome in Holland!

It’s been a great year full of excitement, filled with happiness, great highlights, unexpected positive changes and finally a change to reflect the past and think about the future. Can’t wait to get home again!

Peace. Paz.

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