Vietnam by the Numbers

Posted on October 31, 2013 by lisafindley

Delicious pork-based meals consumed: 20+

Delicious pork-based meals that were bun cha: 10+

Items of bespoke clothing purchased: 3

Animals seen: 10 or so (easily the fewest of my entire trip)

Entombed heads of state briefly glimpsed: 1

World Heritage sites admired: 2

Instances in which I was run over by a four-door sedan: 1

Packages of Oreos and Ritz crackers offered as recompense for being run over by a taxi: 4

Weeks for burns to heal: 4

Weeks for puncture wound to heal: 7

Major sightseeing trips canceled due to injuries: 2 (see you next time, Sapa and Halong Bay!)

Total money spent: $1,468.40

Number of days in the country: 28

Average amount spent per day: $52.44

Total money spent, minus the hospital costs: $1,026.30

Average amount spent per day, minus the hospital costs: $36.65

New friends made: 6

Old friends happily re-met by chance: 2

Reasons to go back and see more, uninjured this time: 100+

Cambodia by the Numbers

Posted on August 30, 2013 by lisafindley

Ancient temples clambered upon: 14

Times the A/C went out at my guesthouse in Siem Reap, on days when it was 90% humidity and 90*F out: 5

Times I said “oh my god” in horror at Choeung Ek and S-21: 15

Times I said “oh my god” in wonder at Angkor: 15

Teenagers who chatted with me over a couple hours of lunch: 3

Water bottles purchased so those same teenagers wouldn’t lose their day’s earnings: 3

Fish spas undergone: 1

Contented pizzas consumed: 3

Friends who I first met in Laos and then had meals with in Cambodia: 4

Total money spent: $706

Number of days in the country: 11

Average amount spent per day: $64.18

Total money spent, minus the flight from Laos: $514

Average amount spent per day, minus the flight from Laos: $46.73

Times I nearly passed out from the heat: 3

Times I complained about the heat, then and since: innumerable

Seconds I’d take to consider going back and seeing more of this country: 5

Laos by the Numbers

Posted on July 25, 2013 by lisafindley

New friends made over a big do-it-yourself hot pot meal: 3

Pick-up badminton games observed: 8

Laotian wedding karaoke performances stumbled upon: 1

Meals that made me cry from the spice level: 1

Bears seen playing in the bear rescue center: 2

Bears seen napping through the heat in the bear rescue center: 4

Monks and novices spotted: 56

Conversations with novices: 3

Boats used for transportation: 4

Buddha statues seen: 4,034

Total days spent in Laos: 10

Total money spent: $562.79

Average per day: $56.28

Total money spent, minus gifts: $341.04

Average per day, minus gifts: $34.10

Shifts volunteered at Big Brother Mouse: 3

Meals shared with students from Big Brother Mouse: 1

Total days I could easily have spent in Laos, given more time: 40

Good morning!

Thailand by the Numbers

Posted on June 10, 2013 by lisafindley

Attempts to say ‘thank you’ in Thai before I got remotely close: 23

Attempts to bargain at night markets: 8

Successful attempts to bargain at night markets: 5

Elephants hand-fed: 10

Baby monkeys cooed at: 1

Fruit shakes consumed: at least 30

Laundry I washed myself during my six weeks in the country: 0

Meals I cooked myself during my six weeks in the country: 2

Oceans fearlessly kayaked in: 1

New fruits tasted: 5

New favorite fruits: 5

Meals that introduced a whole new meaning to the word ‘spicy’: 3

Total days spent in Thailand: 44

Total money spent: $2,947

Average per day: $67

Total money spent, not including airfare: $2,802

Average daily cost, not including airfare: $64 (yes, that is much more than many backpackers spend while there, but I got a lot of gifts and some comfortable private rooms, not to mention a week with the elephants, on that budget)

Pools, rivers, and oceans swum in: 3

Wats (temples) visited: countless

Times I tired of admiring the symmetry and detail of a Thai wat: never

Wat Po in Bangkok

New Zealand by the Numbers

Posted on April 19, 2013 by lisafindley

Hot spring rivers frolicked in: 2

Sights that made me say “wow”: at least 12

Sheep spotted: ~100,000

Cows spotted: ~80,000

Glaciers hiked: 1

Couches surfed: 8

Times I had no idea what vowel a Kiwi was using while talking: at least 9

Concussions sustained: 2

Road trips enjoyed: 3

Radio stations picked up on entire 8 weeks in the country: 2

Times I heard the inexplicably popular song “Maneater” on those radio stations: 9

Number of different tracks off the 12-track “Jagged Little Pill” I heard on those same radio stations: 6

Total days spent in New Zealand: 55

Total money spent: $3,965

Average per day: $72

Christmas carols sung at full volume while driving through the mountains: 8

Carols we knew more than the first verse to: 0

Dolphins swum with: at least 30, possibly more; magic is hard to quantify

Australia by the Numbers

Posted on February 5, 2013 by lisafindley

Miles traveled: ~6,030

Kilometers traveled (after all, it’s the unit of measure here): ~9,800

Methods of transport used: 5

Times an Aussie actually said “G’day, mate”: 0

Times an Aussie called me “mate”: at least 10

Times I heard the unofficial anthem “Livin’ on a Prayer”: 16, or that’s as high as I counted before I started crying as a stress response to hearing it

Days spent in medical care: 15

Sweet treats purchased after visiting doctors: 6

Possessive wallabies admired: 1

Wild kangaroos spotted, ever so briefly: 1

Parrots permitted to perch on my head: 1

Wild koalas spotted: 3

Wild penguins spotted: 8

House pets befriended: 3

Total days spent in Australia: 69

Total money spent: $6,098

Average per day: $88

Total money spent, not including airfare: $4,573