So this year’s travel will be a little shorter than last year’s. But it’ll still be some pretty good stuff. It’ll be my first around-the-world trip, and I’ll see a pretty wide variety of cultures, climates, and activities. Throw in some friends and some friends-of-friends, some good physical adventure, and entirely too much tech gear, and I think it’ll be a pretty great time. Here’s the itinerary:
Stop 1: Tokyo (July 28 – August 1)
I’ve never been to Japan, and it was time to fix that. I’ll be spending 3 days in Tokyo, which is both exciting and a little intimidating. Fortunately I’ll have a local guide for some of that; my friend Sègun “Shuggi” DeSilva has spent quite a bit of time there, and one of his local friends is going to kindly help me out. It should be a blast. And there has been some mention of “wine bars.”
Stop 2: Dubai (August 1 – August 4)
Too good to pass up. By all accounts, Dubai is just crazy. I’m a bit of an architecture geek, so I just have to see the ridiculous buildings (no, I’m not staying in the Burj — rooms started at US$600/night). But there’s other interesting stuff, and it’ll be interesting to contrast this relatively new city with the ancient places I saw in Jordan and Egypt last year.
Stop 3: Abu Dhabi (August 4 – August 7)
Also in UAE, Abu Dhabi gets less press than Dubai, but looks pretty amazing as well. I’m actually not at all sure what I’ll see or do here, but since it’s two hours away from Dubai and a good friend (hi Steve!) spent a lot of time here, I figured I had to see it.
Stop 4: Switzerland (August 8 – August 19)
This stop merits a whole post in itself, which I’ll get to at some point. The short version is that I’ll be climbing the Eiger and Monte Rosa with the Climb For Kids crew. There’ll be some time in Zermatt, and my first experiences with Alpine huts, and my second experience outdoor climbing. But we’ve got great guides and I feel pretty good about it (though I’m sure I’ll be utterly terrified when the time comes).
We’ll also spend time in Grindlewald and Wengen, two of my favorite places in the world. Heck, everyplace in Switzerland is one of my favorite places. There’ll just be a day or so in Geneva at the beginning/end of the climbing trip, but I’ll take advantage of that too. Geneva is one of my favorite places in the world.
Stop 5: Warsaw (August 19 – August 23)
Kind of a random choice here — I needed some place to spend a few days between Switzerland and Valencia, and Warsaw’s been on my radar for a little while. It’s got an interesting (and often depressing) history, and I’m definitely going to track down the Enigma machine at the Polish Military Museum. And hey, a 5 star hotel for US$60/night? After a couple of weeks of climbing and hiking and stuff, I’ll be ready for the luxury.
Stop 6: Valencia (August 23 – August 28)
What better way to end a month of travel than being covered and soaked in tomato? Yep, I’m going to hit La Tomatina, and I’ll do so in the company of Dara and Glyn, two friends I haven’t seen in years. La Tomatina is only an hour and I’m in Valencia for four days, so I’ll also get around and explore the city.
Know someplace cool along my itinerary? Know someone who’d want to get together for a glass of wine? You know how to find me!