Reflecting: 2011
Reflecting back on 2011 here are 99 of my top memories (in chronological order). Thanks to all that shared in the experiences!
- Shared life goals and dreams with great friends at the Sanctuary of Truth in Ancient Siam, Thailand
- Smobbed through traffic running from the police on some janky scooters in Bali, Indonesia
- Scuba diving in the Gili islands of Indonesia
- Whitewater rafting down the Telaga Waja River in Bali, Indonesia
- Got buzzed off Luwak coffee in the hills of Ubud, Indonesia
- Listened to the chanting and watched the traditional Kecak Dance at the Uluwatu Temple in Bali, Indonesia
- Bungee jumped a BMX bike off a platform into a pool below in Bali, Indonesia
- Witnessed traditional Thaipusam rituals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Smelled the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Made $100,000,000,000,000 (that’s one-hundred-trillion) Zimbabwe dollars in Malaca, Malaysia
- Kayaked through the waters of Halong Bay, Vietnam
- Saw Ho-Chi-Minh’s body in Hanoi, Vietnam
- Nearly got run over by hundreds of scooters in the street of Hanoi, Vietnam
- Saw dogs heads for sale (presumably to be eaten) in Hanoi, Vietnam
- Got fitted for a custom tailored suit made in Hoi An, Vietnam
- Hiked through the MySon Relics of Hoi An, Vietnam
- Celebrated Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) with a spectacular fireworks show in Nha Trang, Vietnam
- Rode a red-eye sleeper train from Nha Trang to Saigon, Vietnam
- Shared beers (with dirty ice from a burlap sack) with some old Vietnamese men that didn’t speak a lick of English in the streets of Saigon, Vietnam
- Crawled through the underground Cu-Chi tunnels and fired an AK47 used during the Tet Offensive in Saigon, Vietnam
- Witness the effects of Agent Orange at the War Remnants Museum in Saigon, Vietnam
- Hiked through Angkor Wat during sunrise in Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Watched the sun fall from atop a temple in Angkor Thom in Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Donated to the Cambodia Landmine Museum Relief Fund to help them remove more active landmines from the Cambodian/Thailand border
- Got tickled by fish that ate the dead skin off my feet while I sipped on a glass of wine in Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Road a horse through the old rice fields of Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Toured the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Drove my RV on the famous Daytona Beach in Daytona Beach, Florida
- Ate a feast at The Wilkes House in Savannah, Georgia
- Peered through others peoples prayers at the smallest church in America in South Newport, Georgia
- Took a bike ride around St. Simons Island, Georgia
- Boated out to the start of the Civil War at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina
- Went rock climbing in Charleston, South Carolina
- Relaxed in the shade of the giant 400-year old Angel Oak Tree outside of Charleston, South Carolina
- Sat on “A Bench By The Road” on Sullivan Island, South Carolina
- Hollered in Spivey’s Corner, the “Hollerin’ Capital of the Universe”
- Deciphered the original Rosetta Stone at the British Museum in London, England
- Straddled the international dateline in Greenwhich, England
- Walked through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France
- Climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
- Listened to hymns at Notre Dame in Paris, France
- Road bikes and dominated baguettes & babies in Versailles, France
- Picnicked on the grounds of Marie Antoinette’s old Palace of Versailles in France
- Saw Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa at Musée du Louvre in Paris, France
- Avoided paying for an overpriced ticket to Moulin Rouge in Paris, France
- Ingested a “Mother of Pain” currywurstspezialitäten (1,000,000 on the Scoville scale) after signing a liability waiver in Leipzig, Germany
- Witnessed the atrocities of Hitler’s concentration camps in Auschwitz, Poland
- Participated in a scavenger hunt through downtown San Francisco, California
- Launched a new version of MFI new hobby of kiteboarding in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
- Retraced the path of the Wright Brothers first 4 flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
- Marveled at the Bodies exhibit in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Witnessed an amazing 4th of July fireworks display in Savanna, Georgia
- Tried smoked rattlesnake meat in St. Augustine, Florida
- Witnessed the final launch of the Space Shuttle program (STS-135) in person in Titusville, Florida
- Flew my first international flight as a pilot in a Cessna 172 from Florida, USA to Freeport, Bahamas
- Snorkeled in the crystal clear waters from a catamaran of Icacos, Puerto Rico
- Whitewater rafting down the Pacuare River in Squires, Costa Rica
- Slept in a hammock at Rockin J’s in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
- Scuba diving in Bocas del Toro, Panama
- Took a private water taxi to Star Beach in Bocas del Toro, Panama
- Zip-lining through the tree canopy in Red Frog Beach, Panama
- Watched ocean-liners pass through the Panama Canal
- Performed my first “elevator jump” bungee jump into the fog above a river near La Fortuna, Costa Rica
- Soaking in the hot springs during a violent thunderstorm while lightening illuminated the silhouette of a volcano in La Fortuna, Costa Rica
- Went on a nature walk and saw sloths, monkeys, toucans, frogs, lizards, and more in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
- Spent the night on a converted oil rig in the waters of Semporna Malaysia
- Scuba diving in one of the Top 10 diving locations in the world in Spipidan, Malaysia
- Followed a Xmas parade down the cobblestone streets to a soccer game in Antigua, Guatemala
- Disconnected and relaxed along the shore of Late Atitlan, in Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala
- Saw the ruins of Joya de Cerén in San Salvador, El Salvador
- Climbed the old Myan pyramids of Tazumal where the heads from human sacrifices used to roll down in Chalchuapa, El Salvador
- Roamed the colorful streets of Grenada, Nicaragua
- Hiked up and volcano-boarded down the black ash of Volcan Cerro Negro in Leon, Nicaragua
- Thumbed my nose at an antiquated embargo and traveled to Cuba
- Navigated precarious and unmarked roads in a rental car with a bent rim to Cienfuegos, Cuba
- Lived with Cuban families in “casa particulars” and learned about life in communist Cuba
- Listened to rumba music on the steps of Casa la Musica in Trinidad, Cuba
- Galloped on horseback across the Cuban countryside to a waterfall up in the mountains of Trinidad, Cuba
- Witness firsthand as Cubans lined up in a breadline (and milk-line) for their weekly rations in Trinidad, Cuba
- Sampled Cuba’s infamous $7.00 CUP ($0.40 USD) street pizzas in Santa Clara, Cuba
- Witnessed the final resting place and monument of Ernesto “Che” Guevara in Santa Clara, Cuba
- Stayed in a 5-star resort and relaxed on the white sand beaches of Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba
- Drank an overpriced, watered-down Mojito at La Bodeguia Del Medio in La Havana Vieja, Cuba
- Sipped daiquiris at Floradita Restaraunte Bar, Earnest Hemmingway’s old watering hole in Havana, Cuba
- Marveled at the communist propaganda throughout Havana, Cuba
- Photographed old school cars parked outside of the Capitolo in downtown Havana, Cuba
- Met the famous Cuban artist Leo D’Zázaro at his studio El Ojo Del Ciclón in Havana, Cuba
- Strolled down El Malecón while sipping on Havana Club rum in Havana, Cuba
- Watched kids playing stickball with a broom and bottlecap in the streets the Centro district of Havana, Cuba
- Shared a Xmas eve feast — Cuban style — with my hosts in Havana, Cuba
- Hitched a ride in a old “Yank Tank” with a Cuban, Mexican, and Lebanese to Playa de Este, Cuba
- Ate a Xmas day pig roast on the Santa MarÃa del Mar beach in Havana, Cuba
- Toured Partagas Cigar factory and bought some Cohiba cigars from shady factory workers in Havana, Cuba
- Walked through Necropolis Cristóbal Colón at sundown in the Vedado area of Havana, Cuba
- Swam from Playa de Cerado out to a reef and then scuba dove (because Cubans aren’t allowed on boats) in Ciamito, Cuba
- Ate a $1.00 CUP ($0.04 USD) scoop of ice cream at the state-run Coppelia in Havana, Cuba
- Photographed the murals and sculptures of Salvador González Escalona on Callejon De Hamel in Havanah, Cuba
- Celebrated the end of the year and the start of the next on Calle del Arco in Antigua, Guatemala
