Chicago to Philadelphia

Trip Start Jan 31, 2010

Trip End Feb 14, 2010

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Flag of United States Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sunday, February 14, 2010

I'm now on-board my final flight of this journey, the 13th flight segment of the trip. My Boeing 757 is only about two-thirds full, and I had no trouble getting a window seat in First Class (6A to be exact). I've watched the sun set for the second time today, and one could say that today is the longest day of my life -- with the time zone changes and crossing the international date line, Sunday, February 14, will last 38 hours for me. I'm feeling a little tired, but not nearly as exhausted as I feared. I'm sure I will sleep well tonight, and I hope I won't have too much jet lag when I'm back at work tomorrow.

So much has happened on this trip, and it feels like Lucas and I started the journey ages ago, rather than the two weeks that it actually was. I took over 1,300 photos, and I also have copies of Lucas' photos to go through. I'm sure I will be quite busy every evening this week selecting some of the better pictures to upload to my Flickr account (I will post the link in this blog when they're ready)

Standby list

. *** Update: http://www.flickr.com/photos/philamike/collections/72157623443763502/ ***

Before the trip, I wondered if the experience would be "life-changing" in any way. But I'm not really sure how to define that term. Surely, everything that happens in our lives can be "life-changing," some things more than others. But to have this experience, to travel to places where so few of those I know have been or will ever be (and will I ever be again?), surely that will leave lasting impressions on me. I just might not realize them right away.

But if there's one impression from the trip that stands out most, it's definitely the friendliness and hospitality we experienced from the people we encountered -- not only from the staff of the hotels and restaurants, but the everyday people we encountered; how everyone in Yap says hello to you as you pass by, how people in remote villages in Palau would smile and wave as you drove through, and how Guamanians maintain their rich Chamorro culture in a diverse environment, in a land that saw much war and bloodshed only 70 years prior.

I teased my friends a lot during the trip by posting pictures and updates of the beautiful beaches and warm weather I was experiencing, but I really do miss my friends, family and co-workers, and it will be nice to see them again. As amazing as these adventures were, truly, there's still no place like home.

:-)

Philadelphia hotels Slideshow