Asia-Epilogue

We arrived home last night after traveling twenty-four hours from Beijing. All went smoothly. We had a five hour layover in Tokyo, then a twelve hour flight from Tokyo to Dallas. We did our best to stay up most of the trip to get our bodies moving back toward Central Standard Time. We managed to stay awake about twenty of the twenty-four hours. Finally, the most welcome sight of our family greeted us upon our arrival home.

This experience will be a chapter marker in my life. It’s hard to even realize how much has happened over the last twenty days, and really much longer as the planning and execution is an integral part of the experience as well.

Besides our travels by air, we experienced China and Tibet at ground level, some 2,525 miles by train, over three hundred miles by Land Cruiser, and many more miles across Tokyo and Beijing covered by subway, train, taxi, bus, and feet. We traveled vertically from near sea level to over 17,000 feet. We experienced high altitude living, feeling its effects on our minds and bodies. We experienced other cultures in ways we perhaps never imagined. Finally, we experienced the unique wonder that is the Olympic Games.

Thank you so much to all who helped this become a reality. To my family, without whose support and encouragement this would have only been a dream. To Aaron, my traveling partner, I would have been incredibly thankful just to spend twenty days anywhere with you. But, to experience this together, to have your efforts, mind, and encouragement poured into this, made this something much more special. To all at my office, this couldn’t have happened without your excellence put into what we do each day.

Rick, your expert advice has proven so helpful in all my travels. If anyone reading this needs any kind of outdoor gear or gear advice, contact Rick at Backwoods in Wichita, Kansas (www.backwoods.com/locations-wichita.html). From backpacks to clothes to equipment, everything I’ve purchased there I have used over and over again, and all have made my travels much more pleasant.

China Travel and Tour (http://www.chinatravelandtour.com/) made the Tibet part of our trip happen in every way we had hoped after we had spent months continually running into closed doors.

Thanks to you who have followed this trip here. Our trip was much more fun sharing our travels with you. Please check back soon as I prepare to leave for Uganda in September for what promises to be another great life experience.