The Southern Cross has changed since we were last south of the equator two and a half months ago. It is slightly more upright and higher in the night sky. It's good to see it again. This is my fourth visit to the southern hemisphere and seeing it is like meeting an old friend after a long absence. We arrived in Johannesburg a week and a half ago after a long but comfortable flight from Doha. After retrieving our rental car, we went back into the airport for ...

Qatar is a speck of a country sticking out of the Arabian Peninsula like a pimple into the Persian Gulf. To the southwest lies massive Saudi Arabia. A stone's throw across the Gulf is Iran. At the base of the Gulf is Kuwait and, looming over it, Iraq. None of these ominous place names danced through our heads as we began dreaming about a year-long voyage around the world five years ago. The Middle East was one of the few places we'd decidedly scratched off t...

Affective science suggests that there are four basic human emotions: happiness, sadness, fear and anger. Some studies also include surprise and disgust. I hereby make the case for a new addition to the list(s) - "hot shower sour." It's one of those universal first world experiences. That sinking feeling you get when you realize, standing naked and cold at the edge of a shower with your hand under the cold water, that it is NOT going to heat up. You will NOT ...

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we arrived safe and sound in Kathmandu. Not sure where we are staying, but it's awesome. No garbage or cows on the streets and I'm actually sitting in a bar enjoying a real drink with real music playing! A few months back I heard the news of Lou Reed's death while traveling from some country to the next. Today I was saddened to hear of Pete Seger's passing. Wow. End of an era. Just ordered another Manhattan and am humm...

Today is an important date on the around the world trip calendar. Not only is it my birthday (Happy Jerry West to Me), it is also the physical, psychological and temporal halfway point of the trip. We left home 5 months and three weeks ago, and in five months and three weeks (mid-late July) we will be back in Yellowknife. We are almost exactly on the opposite side of the world from our home. When it's bed time here, our friends and family are getting out of b...