The Shape of Things to Come...

I realized recently... Hell, I've always known that I've allowed my medications and convalescence to allow me to grow in both weight and girth.

If I'm going to be bouncing around the world, many sights are going to require some pretty strenuous physical activity to both get to and enjoy. Due to diet and excersize, I'm already down to below 240lbs for the first time since last summer. I have MUCH farther to go. I will continue to work it through 5Ks and hopefully beyond to get back to where I should be. My tumor, the pain that goes with it, and the pain management medications are no longer an excuse for anything...they can't be. My Oncologist recently told me not to worry about limiting myself in the fear of making the effected area worse.

In the spirit of the "bucket list", I've started making my own "Fuck it! List". The "F" word has many connotations and I use it here purely in the excited & adventurous "what have I got to lose" or "Bring it on, life...you beautiful son-of-a-bitch!!" sense. So my "Fuck it List" is a good thing. There's no point in waiting until I'm too old and filled with too much regret to ponder what I wished I would have done.

Much of the list will consist of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, both of cultural significance and of natural earth beauty. From Machi Picchu to the Galápagos Islands, to Easter Island, to Angel Falls in Venezuela...once I reach Spain, I may even run with some bulls! So in the coming weeks, I'll be scouring the interwebs, going down the list on the UNESCO website, to narrow down what interests and inspires me the most. As I post updates, if there's some location or site of special magnificence that you, my digital companions, feel I've overlooked...please let me know!

As I'm starting in South America, that's mainly where I'll begin my focus.

                         Fuck It! List: 

Many UNESCO World Heritage Sites!

Peru:

• Machu Picchu
• Cuzcotopia
• Nazca  Lines

Ecuador:

• The Galapagos Islands

Chile:

• Easter Island

Brazil:

• Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Venezuela:

• Angel Falls, Canaima National Park

Cambodia:

• Angkor Wat
• Temple of Preah Vihear (dedicated to Shiva)

China:

• Great Wall of China
• Chinese Terracotta Army
• Forbidden City

Spain:

• Run with the bulls in Pamplona

Africa:

      * Ol Pejeta Concervancy, Kenya

Random:

• Skydive

Where I've already been...

I'm still playing around with this blog thing, so I'm going to backfill you, my digital companions, in on where I've already been... If you're ever planning on taking a vacay to any location listed, hit me up! I can give you some pointers! I'll leave out the Contiguous States because I've been to all but two or three. The list may seem random, but its easier for me to remember them in mostly chronological order. If I list a city or town in a foreign county, it's safe to assume that I've also explored the surrounding areas outside of the location mentioned.

St. Croix, USVI
St. Thomas, USVI
Ceiba, Puerto Rico
Cartegena, Spain
Benidorm, Spain
Alacante, Spain (hitch-hiked to get there from Benidorm)
Barcelona, Spain
La Maddalena, Sardinia
Naples, Italy (x2)
Rome, Italy (x2)
Vatican City, Vatican City (x2)
Rijeka, Croatia
Mikonos, Greece (The ending of the 1st Bourne Identity movie was filmed here with the windmills!)
Delos Island, Greece
Limassol, Cyprus (x2)
Haifa, Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel
Jerusalem, Israel
The Suez Canal (x6)
Manama, The Kingdom of Bahrain (x2)
Dubai & Jebel Ali (AKA Gerbal Alley), The United Arab Emirates (x12+)
Gdynia, Poland
Gdansk, Poland
Kiel, Germany
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Cork/Cobh/Blarney Castle, Ireland
Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands
Corfu, Greece
Sailed through the Strait of Messina (x2) (As seen in the movie Kingdom of Heaven)
Heraklion, Crete
Marmaris, Turkey
Ephesus, Turkey
Pamukkale, Turkey
Adana, Turkey (Incirlik Air Base)
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Bagram, Afghanistan
Sharan, Paktika Province, Afghanistan
Ali Al Salam Air Base, Kuwait
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Ramstein, Germany
Kaiserlslautern, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
Busan, South Korea
Phuket, Thailand
Honolulu, Hawaii

I'm probably forgetting a few, let's just blame that on super strength Euro-beer...

Sort of a Mission Statement...

Hello all! As it says in the description, I've started this blog to chronicle and share my post-Navy adventures as I plan to backpack around the world for a bit. Yeah, I've some some time still, so for the time being, this will help me share my thoughts, motives, and plans and I prepare to be a savvy vagabond for awhile.

Several quality friends have appropriately asked if this was just some way of running away from my problems. This is far from it, this is running toward my dreams. I've always loved to travel and have already been fortunate enough to have circumnavigated the planet and I've seen more countries than most people have US states, but it's always been on the Navy's terms, with curfews and burdensome requirements... This will allow me to see our amazing planet and all of it's beautiful people and creatures on MY terms, where my only limitations will be lack of imagination. That's why encourage and ask anyone to share any location specific advice or sites to see. I wouldn't want to hop a flight out of Equador only to realize later that I missed out on some amazing Inca ruins that I wasn't even aware existed.

Also, I'll be posting gear that I'm considering purchasing to assist with documenting my adventures and any feedback from anyone that has experience with such gear (GoPro, lighter laptop, etc...) would be appreciated to help me make more informed decisions.

I'm well aware that once I begin, internet hotspots will be few and far between, so I plan on saving pics and videos and uploading them to the blog and dropbox as opportunity allows. I'll have my pension rolling in, so I won't necessarily have to hitch-hike everywhere and I imagine I "should" be able to treat myself to quality lodging at least one every two weeks to digitize the notes from my journals and upload pics, vids, etc...

So please feel free to share this blog with anyone you know who might know me and gain an occasional smile seeing what that crazy Nick is up to now...