After 6 months, 19 countries, 14 flights, 44 different hotels/hostels/guesthouses, 72 buses, 18 subways, 9 trains, 8 boats, and 37 taxis/rickshaws, our trip has come to an end. While we have each done a fair amount of traveling in the past, this has been the first time we have ever technically traveled around the world on a single trip. It all started in Iceland and we are now in Japan, our last stop. We've staying with Yoshimi's Grandma in a small fishing village.

In Japan they are very proud of their four seasons. And while they are certainly not the only place in the world to have four seasons, no where are they more distinct than in Japan. Each season has its own special foods, festivals, and activities. We usually visit in autumn, so this is the first time either of us has experienced a Japanese winter since we left 9 years ago. Electricity is expensive here and the houses are poorly insulated, so everyone gathers in the one room in each home that is heated, giving it a warm & cozy feeling. Seasonal fish & vegetables are eaten family style out of a hot pot while a heater under the table keeps everyone warm. Yoshimi's Grandma greeted us with her signature dish, mixed sushi, steamed rice combined with 14 different ingredients, mostly grown in her garden.

The Japanese take their baths seriously, and in winter, hot springs are especially popular. Yesterday we took her Grandma to a Japanese style hot springs resort. There were indoor & outdoor baths of varying temperatures, waterfalls, steam baths, salt saunas, and the infamous denki furo--electric bath. They seem to feel that its healthy to sit in a bath with an electric current running through it. To me it feels more like an attack from an electric eel. In a few days I will return Portland. Yoshimi will stay here for two more weeks. This will be the last posting on our blog.

There are many reasons for NOT traveling: a 30 year fixed rate mortage, an empty employer matched 401(k), a metallic gray Honda Civic Hybrid, a yellow lab puppy named Cooper, or a ticking clock of the biological sort. These are each options we've considered for ourselves at one time or another. However, you can't have everything in life and very few of us can afford all of these things and travel for extended periods of time. Choices need to be made. We've chosen to travel. Long term travel has always been a chance for us to take a step back from our lives and analyze it from a perspective that is not possible when you are a little too close. One of the things we've figured out while on the road is that this isn't a once in a lifetime trip. Its something we hope to continue doing again and again. Travel, for us, will remain a priority. Now its time to return to P-Town, go back to work, and start saving for & dreaming about the next big trip.

Shawn