Travel Stats

By now, my dear friends from work are probably worried sick that I have been traveling for over a quarter and still have not posted any travel statistics. Worry no more - here they are!:) If you have any interesting suggestions as to what else can make my highlights list, please let me know.

South Africa

• Total full days in the country: 10
• Number of towns visited: 3
  Countries visited: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana
• Total distance traveled inside the country: 2,868 km (1,784 mi)
  Cape Town, South Africa - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe = 1,923 km (1,195 mi)
  Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe - Johannesburg, South Africa = 945 km (589 mi)
  Johannesburg, South Africa - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia = 8,534 km (5,303 mi)
• Types of transportation used: plane, car
• Number of dives: 0
• $$$ spent: not too much due to the specifics of my trip; otherwise - food is very affordable, wine is cheap, hotels are outrageously expensive, tickets to and from are very expensive.
• Favorite food: antelope
• Favorite alcoholic beverage: Pinotage wine (and, surprisingly, South African Chardonnay)
• Favorite non-alcoholic beverage: N/A
• Most wonderful experience: safari
• Most awful experience: passport control in Zimbabwe
• Strangest experience: Carnivore

Malaysia

• Total full days in the country: 18
• Number of towns visited:
• Total distance traveled inside the country: 3,819 km (2,267 mi)
  Kuala Lumpur - Penang = 292 km (182 mi)
  Penang - Kota Kinabalu, Borneo = 1,733 km (1,077 mi)
  Kota Kinabalu - Brunei = 172 km (103 mi)
  Brunei - Kuala Lumpur = 1,622 km (1,008 mi)
  Kuala Lumpur - Tashkent - Saint-Petersburg = 5,322 + 3,356 = 8,678 km (3,307 + 2,086 = 5,393 mi)
• Types of transportation used: plane, car, ferry
• Number of dives: 0
• $$$ spent: everything is pretty cheap (including 5-star hotels)
• Favorite food: roti canai
• Favorite alcoholic beverage: N/A
• Favorite non-alcoholic beverage: Original Nescafe (milk and sugar) in a can
• Most wonderful experience: fireflies show
• Most awful experience: trying to find the stupid Lake Gardens in KL
• Strangest experience: the shortest flight in my life

Argentina

• Total full days in the country: 32
• Number of towns visited: 8
• Total distance traveled inside the country: 6,468km (4,021mi)
  Buenos Aires - Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay) - Buenos Aires = 59km (36mi)
  Buenos Aires - El Calafate (including the unscheduled detour to Ushuaia) - Buenos Aires = 5,020km (3,118mi)
  El Calafate - El Chalten - El Calafate = 244km (152mi)
  Buenos Aires - Isla Margarita - Buenos Aires = 300km (188mi)
  Buenos Aires - Cordoba - Buenos Aires = 645km (401mi)
  Cordoba - La Cumbrecita - Cordoba = 100km (63mi)
  Cordoba - Colonia Coroya - Cordoba = 100km (63mi)
• Types of transportation used: plane, bus, car, boat, buquebus
• Number of dives: 0
• $$$ spent: delightfully affordable (the best steak dinner of my entire life included, naturally, a steak, a bottle of awesome Malbec, and a salad, and cost me $20!)
• Favorite food: bife de lomo a punto (bloody steak)
• Favorite alcoholic beverage: Malbec wine
• Favorite non-alcoholic beverage: yerba mate
• Most wonderful experience: falling in love with Buenos Aires
• Most awful experience: a long migraine
• Strangest experience: spending a week in the middle of nowhere
  
  

Brazil

• Total full days in the country: 35 + 1 transit day in the dentist's chair
• Number of towns visited: 8
• Total distance traveled inside the country: 4,970 km (3,088 mi)
  Rio de Janeiro - Paraty = 245 km
  Paraty - Ilha Grande = 150 km
  Ilha Grande - Rio de Janeiro = 125 km
  Rio de Janeiro - Buzios = 180 x 2 = 360 km
  Petropolis - Teresopolis - Petropolis = 50 km
  Petropolis - Rio de Janeiro - Petropolis = 70 x 2 = 140 km
  Rio de Janeiro - Tiradentes - Rio de Janeiro = 325 x 2 = 650 km
  Rio de Janeiro - Bonito - Rio de Janeiro = 1,625 x 2 = 3,250 km
• Types of transportation used: plane, bus, car, boat
• Number of dives: 0
• $$$ spent: Let me just disclose that Brazil is MUCH more expensive than I expected from a South American country (their economy is really on the rise, after all, and it is well reflected in the prices).
• Favorite food: Brazilian BBQ
• Favorite alcoholic beverage: caipifruta (caipirinha with various fruits, including but not limited to cashew fruit - yum)
• Favorite non-alcoholic beverage: fresh pineapple juice! I have never tried fresh juices like this before - they are so fluffy and light and absolutely heavenly. I think I am going to miss that the most outside Brazil (well, after my new friends I have met here, of course)
• Most wonderful experience: night trekking in Tiradentes
• Most awful experience: yupping tourists in Bonito
• Strangest experience: picking up the heart-shaped amethyst with my eyes closed

Mexico

• Total full days in the country: 102 (February-March - 60; June-July - 42)
• Number of towns visited: 3
  Total distance traveled inside the country: 80 mi
  Cozumel - Playa del Carmen - Punta Allen
• Types of transportation used: car, water ferry
• Number of dives: 189
• $$$ spent: being a scuba-diving touristy place, Cozumel is not as cheap as other locations in Mexico, but still very affordable, although diving prices make it an expensive vacation no matter how you slice and dice it.
• Favorite food: octopus at La Perlita (both in the ceviche and sauteed forms)
• Favorite alcoholic beverage: margatira at Wet Wendy's
• Favorite non-alcoholic beverage: jamaica (hibiscus tea)
• Most wonderful experience: private dive with Javier at San Juan
• Most awful experience: puking pressure headache at Eagle Ray City
• Strangest experience: talking to this guy under a palapa at Punta Allen with Ana during the pouring rain, having absolutely no idea how he looked like because of the pitch-black darkness.