so this is it.

Hi everyone,

I guess those of you following me via facebook have figured by now what this post is about due to my posting, a few days ago, of  the first leg of my itinerary. For those of you who are still in the dark, I am shortly due to board a flight to Mexico City which will, officially, represent the beginning of my 4 month round-the-world trip. Now that we are all on the same page, let me tell you that it is hard to describe how one feels. Well, generally speaking, there is an evident feeling of excitement and, essentially, a feeling that I am facing the opportunity of a lifetime. As most of you know, I have had the great chance / privilege of travelling somewhat during my youth and early adulthood. On most occasions, particularly as a kid, this travel habit was more out of necessity than self-imposed. This early and continued exposure to foreign countries and cultures nurtured a truly genuine interest in exploring those environments beyond the boarders of my country of origin or, as a matter of fact, of residence. At times, this passion has been somewhat contained by third parties, such as the time I spent in London - where, due to my professional responsibilities, I was unable to travel as much as I would have wanted to. Nevertheless, now that this stage has been left behind and while I await to begin my MBA in Chicago in September, I now have just over 4 months to explore and discover the world round. My Feb-Mar Balkan/CEE "escapade" was, in fact, a preparation for the bigger course, and intro to the real deal. And so, here we are... this is it.

In these four months I will set foot in most continents and discover, in most cases for the first time, truly unique and extremely appealing countries. After Mexico, I will head to to South America, where I will tour Peru, Colombia, Brasil and Chile. Following a 20-hour Pacific pond jump, and a c. 2-week stay in Australia, I will arrive to Japan. Then, China, Hong Kong and a number of South East Asian countries (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, etc.). Finally, the last leg of the trip will consist of India, Jordan and Turkey. Back to Madrid in mid August, in the midst of the summer holidays, where most will have fled to "cooler" areas pursuing the sun, the beach and the chaos of Spanish coastal areas (not only from a real estate perspective, but also because these areas - such as Marbella, Costa Brava, etc. get absolutely packed with people during the month of August. In animal behaviour terms, not that I am any expert in the field, one could compare it to cockroaches fleeing from insecticide-filled urban areas).

As I did during my trip across Eastern Europe, I am hoping to keep this blog up as my main means of communication with my (I am hoping vast! hehe) community of followers. I will aim to publish 1/2 posts per country, depending on the internet connectivity I am able to find... You never know. In any case, "Ad Infinitum" will start becoming more frequent than during this "time-off" period I have just spent in Madrid.

Safe travels to all of you... and let's keep in touch.

pv