I'm COLD!!

I just had a pretty good flight. BA sat me just behind the business class folks who have reclining beds and I had all the leg room in the world. Plus they have these wing things that come up by your head in the seat, eliminating the need for the travel pillow that I lost the plug for a while back. I slept about 5 hours of the flight and hope I can do the same on the next. I have to tell you though -- when I walked off the plane toward the gate, I just about froze my ass off. And now that I'm sitting in the terminal killing time, I'm still cold. I don't know how these Brits do it.

So am I ready for this mid-life crisis trip to end? Yes and no. I am really tired of living out of a suitcase and can't wait to wear something different. And sleep in my own bed. And see all of the people that I've been missing. And be able to read the signs and know how to get around. And be able to ask questions when I have them. On the other hand, it'll be back to the same 'ole, same 'ole and I won't be experiencing new cultures and meeting new people the way I have been.

I pretty much am pinching myself when I think back on this trip. It's seems pretty unreal at this point, but here's just a quick, off-the-top-of-my-head kind of list of some of the things I did:

rode elephants
camped on "the beach"
visited the Taj Majal
saw Everest
bathed an elephant
went treking in the Himalayan foothills
visited Petra
bobbed like a cork in the Dead Sea
visited the Great Pyramid of Giza and went inside to the center of the one next to it.
visited both the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens and hiked partway between the two.
spent two days and nights sailing and sleeping on the Nile.
Went on safari in Africa
Rode a hot air balloon over the Serengeti

Now it really seems unreal. Would I do it all over again? Hell yeah. Would I do any of it differently? Absolutely (less time in India and Egypt, more time in Nepal and Africa and add on Laos). Am I ready to go home? I think so and will probably know so by the time my next plane lands.

By the way: 17 flights, 17 different airports in 13 different countries (not counting the Everest flight), 6 countries really visited, and just about 30,000 miles flown. No wonder I'm tired.