General

Additional Fun Facts

November 22, 2016 /

A lot happens while we were traveling. We hope you enjoy our additional fun facts:

Lost/Damaged Items

Gisela

  • 2 underwear (found them)

  • broken sunglasses

  • 2 ripped tank tops

  • 2 holes in a pair of pants (sewed)

  • lost gloves

  • lost towel

  • lost earrings

  • zipper pants broke twice (fixed)

  • 3 holes in pants (sewed)

  • 2 pair of pants damaged

  • lost two bras

  • raincover ripped (fixed)

  • damaged bra

Salvador

  • lost belt

  • lost chapstick

  • 3 holes in an underwear

  • broke backpack clip

  • lost camera battery and charger (recovered)

  • lost electric adapter

  • ripped shoe

  • broke shaving machine

  • hole in shirt (sewed)

  • sandal sole coming off

  • hole in pants

Both

  • damaged camera

  • damaged several tripods

  • lost hard drive

  • broken tent cover zipper (fixed)

  • holes on tent cover

  • tent poles broken (replaced)

  • phone battery died

  • daypack ripped (fixed)

  • replaced zippers of camping tent

  • tablet cover damaged (replaced)

  • broken camera

  • lost laundry bag

Longest Train Rides

  • 101 Hours on the Transiberian from Ulaanbatar, Mongolia to Moscow, Russia

  • 2 days from Adelaide, Australia to Darwin, Australia

Longest Boat Trips

  • 2-day Ferry from Shanghai, China to Osaka, Japan

  • 2-day Felucca trip from Aswan to Kom Ombo, Egypt

  • 25 hour ferry from Monkey Bay to Likoma Island, Malawi

  • 4-day Ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, Chile

  • 36-hour Ferry from Belem to Santarem, Brazil

  • 14-hour Ferry from El Rama to Big Corn Island, Nicaragua

Longest Bus Rides

  • 11 hours from Storms River, South Africa to Mthatha, South Africa

  • 12-hour-bus ride + 4 hours waiting in immigration from Johannesburg, South Africa to Masvingo, Zimbabwe

  • 13 hours from Mbeya to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

  • 12.5 hours from Arusha to Mwanza, Tanzania

  • 14 hours from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa, Sudan

  • 15 hours from Cordoba, Argentina to Mendoza, Argentina (5 hour delay due to bus breaking down)

  • 20 hours from Mendoza, Argentina to Bariloche, Argentina (2.5 hour delay due to bus breaking down)

  • 22 hours from Bariloche to El Chalten, Argentina

  • 23.5 hours from Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

  • 16 hours Chiclayo, Peru to Guayaquil, Ecuador

  • 20 hours, 7 buses from Loja, Ecuador to Chachapoyas, Peru

  • 21 hours from Chachapoyas to Lima, Peru

  • 15 hours from Campo Grande to Sao Paulo, Brazil

  • 17 hours Brasilia to Seabra, Brazil

  • 13 hours from Salvador to Recife, Brazil

  • 14 hours from Recife to Fortaleza, Brazil

  • 13 hours from Sao Luis to Belem, Brazil

  • 17 hours from Medellin to Santa Marta, Colombia

  • 14 hours from Cartagena to Medellin, Colombia

  • 24 hours from La Paz to Tijuana, Mexico

Longest Flights

  • 17 hours Los Angeles – Nadi – Auckland

  • 20 hours Frankfurt – Dubai – Cape Town

  • 20 hours Casablanca – Dubai – Buenos Aires

Roughest Bus Ride

  • 10-hour-ride from Sunuali, India to Varanasi, India

  • 8-hour-ride from Luang Prabang, Laos to Vientiane, Laos

Roughest Boat Ride

  • Ko Tao Island to Chumphon, Thailand

  • Likoma Island to Nkhata Bay, Malawi

  • Santa Cruz Island to San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

Countries Without Coins

  • Laos

  • Myanmar

  • Cambodia

  • Vietnam

  • Nepal

  • Mongolia

Countries Without Their Currency

  • Zimbabwe

  • Ecuador

  • Panama

  • El Salvador

Countries With Two Currencies

  • Cuba

Passport

  • Added 48 pages to our passport at the US Embassy in Vientiane, Laos

  • Gisela obtained a new Colombian passport in Lima, Peru

  • Sal renewed his Salvadorian passport in San Salvador

What Countries Gave Us Trouble at the Border or to Request Visas

  • China

  • Russia

  • South Africa

  • Ethiopia

  • Sudan

  • Jordan

  • Israel

  • United Kingdom

  • Morocco

  • Bolivia

Countries Where We Did CouchSurfing

  • New Zealand

  • Australia

  • Singapore

  • Malaysia

  • Vietnam

  • India

  • Hong Kong

  • China

  • Japan

  • South Korea

  • Mongolia

  • Russia

  • Finland

  • Sweden

  • Norway

  • South Africa

  • Zimbabwe

  • Zambia

  • Tanzania

  • Uganda

  • Kenya

  • Ethiopia

  • Sudan

  • Egypt

  • Jordan

  • Israel

  • Turkey

  • Italy

  • Switzerland

  • Germany

  • Belgium

  • Britain

  • Ireland

  • Morocco

  • Uruguay

  • Argentina

  • Chile

  • Peru

  • Ecuador

  • Bolivia

  • Brazil

  • Colombia

  • Panama

  • Costa Rica

  • Nicaragua

  • El Salvador

  • Guatemala

  • Mexico

Countries Where We Did WWOOFing

  • New Zealand

  • India

  • Japan

  • Tanzania

  • Ireland

  • Chile

  • Ecuador

  • Panama

  • Honduras

Illnesses We Experienced

Gisela

  • Cold

  • Gastroenteritis

  • Bronchitis

  • Scabies

  • Head Lice

  • Skin Fungus

Salvador

  • Cold

  • Gastroenteritis

  • Altitude Sickness

  • Scabies

  • Head Lice

  • Dry Eye

  • Eye Infection

Doctor Visits and Medication Expenses

Gisela

  • $10 USD (Myanmar)

  • $4 USD (India)

  • $1 USD (Jordan)

  • $6.9 USD (Ireland)

  • $8.25 USD (France)

  • $20.78 USD (Spain)

  • $6 USD (Argentina)

  • $9.70 USD (Colombia)

  • $3.80 USD (Bolivia)

  • $9.35 USD (Honduras)

  • $3.4 USD (El Salvador)

  • $6.78 USD (Guatemala)

Salvador

  • $3.30 USD (Thailand)

  • $3.80 USD (India)

  • $1 USD (Jordan)

  • $6.9 USD (Ireland)

  • $8.25 USD (France)

  • $20.78 USD (Spain)

  • $6 USD (Argentina)

  • $9.70 USD (Colombia)

  • $12 USD (Chile)

  • $8 USD (Bolivia)

Nationalities We Have Been Confused the Most With

Gisela

  • Israeli

  • Spanish

  • Colombian

  • Mexican

  • Lebanese

  • Italian

  • Argentinian

  • Japanese

  • Brazilian

  • Chilean

  • Chinese

Salvador

  • Hindu

  • Arabic

  • Israeli

  • Pakistani

  • Italian

  • Japanese

  • Mexican

  • Colombian

  • Egyptian

  • Turkish

  • Lebanese

  • Argentinian

  • Spanish

  • Peruvian

  • Chilean

  • Bolivian

# of Times Sal Cut His Hair

1

# of Times Sal Shaved

3

# of Times Gisela Cut Her Hair

1

Countries Where We Scuba Dived

  • Australia

  • Thailand

  • South Africa

  • Malawi

  • Tanzania

  • Egypt

  • Ecuador

  • Cuba

  • Nicaragua

Books We Read

  • La Hija del Sepulturero – Joyce Carol Oates

  • Vivir Para Contarla – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  • Aleph – Paulo Coelho

  • Dreams of my Father – Barack Obama

  • A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela

  • Just Kids – Patti Smith

  • History and Country References in Many Guidebooks

  • The Fault in Our Stars

  • Escape from Camp 14

  • Wild Swans

  • Cataclismo de Damocles – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

  • El Cuento de Mi Vida – Andres Caicedo

  • The Next Thing on my List – Jill Smolinski

  • The Hidden Summit

  • White Oleander – Janet Fitch

  • El Olvido Que Seremos – Hector Abad Faciolince

  • The Shock Doctrine – Naomi Klein

  • El Llamamiento del Dalai Lama Al Mundo

  • Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

Movies We Watched

  • Genghis Khan Discovery Documentary

  • Underground – Julian Assange Story

  • We Steal Secrets – The Story of WikiLeaks

  • A Long Walk to Freedom

  • 12 Years of Slave

  • John Akaii Bua – An African Tragedy

  • Nairobi Half Life

  • Many Ted Talks

  • Django

  • Village at the End of the World

  • Big Fish

  • Qué Hice Yo Para Merecer Esto

  • Lord of the Rings Trilogy

  • Omar

  • Lucy

  • The Good Lie

  • The Fault in Our Stars

  • Camp X-Ray

  • Midnight in Paris

  • Goten Tag

  • Ramon (Good Day, Ramon)

  • Gifted Hands

  • Untouchables

  • Los 33

  • Beast of No Nation

  • El Abrazo de la Serpiente

  • The Jungle Book

  • Spotlight

  • Ella Es Ramona

  • The Danish Girl

Common Questions We Were Asked

  • Where are you from?

  • How long have you been traveling for?

  • Where have you been?

  • How much longer you plan to travel for?

  • Are you working along the way?

  • How much is the trip going to cost?

  • Of the countries you have visited, which one you would like to live in?

  • What has been your favorite country?

  • When are you going home?

  • What are you going to do after the trip?

  • Do you have children?

  • Do you juggle at traffic lights for money?

  • How long has Sal had his beard?

  • What weird food have you ate?

Do you have any other Fun Facts you are wondering about? Please feel free to make suggestions.

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