world travelogue...

idea courtesy of ej and george:

i've always wanted to have a physical list of countries i've visited but never got around to it. what better way than this? countries visited are in red and it makes me realize how much of the world i haven't seen.



create your own visited country map

in alphabetical order except the first one:

bangladesh: home - born and partially raised and visited frequently now that i live in chicago
bahamas: my first real beach vacation back in december 1999 with an old college roommate/best friend
bahrain: a 24 hour layover on the way home to bangladesh
canada: niagra falls when i was a kid and then 5 hours in vancouver to renew my u.s. visa back in october 1999 (i later found out i could've done it all via mail)
france: a 2 hour layover at charles de gaulle. since i never really left the airport, does that count?
india: several times while living in bangladesh - kolkata, tamil nadu, madras, delhi, agra (taj mahal)
indonesia: family trip to bali last september
japan: a 2 hour layover at tokyo narita.. again, does it count?
kuwait: a 24 hour layover on the way back from bangladesh
mexico: a 3 day trip over labor day weekend back in september 2000 which deserves an entry unto itself. i went to guadalajara chasing after a trifling young thing i had a summer weekend fling with and then we drove to puerto vallarta with two of her friends. (stealing from michelle) mama said drama.
nepal: a 5 day getaway, just me and my sister when i was home for the holidays back in december 2000
puerto rico: a 2 hour layover in december 2002 on the way back from st. lucia
saudi arabia: 24 hour layover during one of my trips home
singapore: back in january 1988 with my uncle and aunt as a pre-graduation present
st. lucia: most of you know about c's and my adventures and misadventures out there
thailand: a few days after the singapore trip in '88 and then a 24 hour layover several years later where i did get to go out and explore a little
united arab emirates: 24 hour layover in abu dhabi where i did get out and explore (being in that city is like sticking your head in an oven.. wow). i've since gotten savvy and started taking direct routes from london to bangladesh to avoid these 24 hour layovers. ugh.
united kingdom: several passings through heathrow, but a couple of times i took advantage of the stop overs and stayed a few days to visit close friends in london.
united states: no explanation needed. perhaps i'll do the state map one of these days so i can figure out where i want to go next while i'm still living in the u.s.

wow, it seems like i've visited a lot of countries, but according to the map i've barely scratched the surface! future plans/dreams include: several countries in africa (tanzania - zanzibar...mmm.), maldives, sri lanka, bhutan, australia, new zealand, fiji, several countries in south america, jamaica, cayman islands, tahiti, amsterdam.. the list goes on. however i think amsterdam is the only place in europe that i have an inclination to visit. europe doesn't do much for me. nor does russia.

in fact, i'm looking into maybe visiting ethiopia sometime this summer (if work allows) as a friend's friend is getting married there and i've been invited to attend. what better excuse? somehow though the thought of a week in africa just doesn't seem to be enough.