Homecoming...

Lisa's Concluding Thoughts

Homecoming...

How to articulate an around the world adventure. It was the best year of my life; a long-awaited dream. I return home with a sense of wonder and appreciation. We were continually humbled by the people we met along the way; humbled by living and working conditions, natural beauty and wonders, and by the generosity, support, encouragement and hope. Although it wasn't always easy, I return home feeling complete.

The real challenge now comes with keeping the experiences alive and fresh in our memories; of not letting everyday routines and the media overpower or dull our experiences of joy and harmony.

I return home in awe of my husband. Of his character, compassion and generosity. I continue to learn from him and be honored to be married to such an incredible person. Thank you Ari.

Thank you also to everyone who opened their hearts, homes, and kitchens along the way- the Julians, Matt and Amy, Susannah and Eli, the Randalls, and the Kristos to name only a few. Thank you to our family, friends, community, and neighbors for your support and encouragement, you were all a part of our journey.

Ari's Concluding Thoughts

On some level, it feels like a blur, whirlwind, and distant memory. Did we really walk on the Great Wall, cycle across New Zealand, play and camp on Croatian beaches, take a cruise in Halong Bay in northern Vietnam, walk 500 miles across Spain, backpack and explore Patagonia...? While I have trouble comprehending all that we did, experienced, and felt in 2007, I can also easily remember with acute precision what we felt and experienced while eating at the night market in a central Thailand city, walking through the Angkor Wat ruins of Cambodia, or sipping gourd after gourd of kava in Fiji...I get goose bumps remembering and reflecting on the uncountable number of adventures of which we partook and the incredible people we befriended (without the people we met and saw, the trip would have been just a list of places we visited). It was a dream year, an epic year, a year beyond either of our expectations.

But the year was so much more than the people, places, and things we saw in the 12 countries we visited. It was an interpersonal journey as individuals and even more so as a couple. We were challenged in ways we may never be challenged again. We hit lows (as individuals and as a couple) that we queried whether we were were able to dig out of. But, we did, and we are now stronger for it. I think the true strength of our relationship and love will evidence itself as we embark on the next chapter of our lives, whatever that may entail. I am so thankful to Lisa for being the impetus behind this dream year. Without her vision, discipline, it would not have happened. Her patience, insight, and strong sense of self never cease to amaze me.

On an interpersonal level, this trip was about being and becoming better, more peaceful people and true citizens of the world, not just of a town, state, or country. This is not something we could accomplish in one short, quick year, but something we will continue to nurture and explore, whether in Bend, Olympia, or some tiny village in Southern France...

Thank you to all of you, family and friends...you were with us throughout our journey and will be as we continue down our "Camino..."

Chile and Argentina Photos

Vilches National Park in Chile...


Volcano outside Curacuatin in Chile

Volcano outside Pucon, Chile (note: smoke is coming out of the crater)...
Valdivia, Chile Fish Market (notice the sea lion waiting for fish scraps)

Chiloe, Chile...
Petrohue, Chile...
Refugio Frey, outside Bariloche, Argentina...
Penguins outside southern Chilean Patagonia


Famous Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile...

Perito Moreno Glacier (Argentinian Patagonia)...

Christmas BBQ in Mendoza, Argentina...

Argentinian Long Haul (double decker) Buses. At one point we spent 3 out of 4 nights on such buses...
El Chalten/Fitzroy National Park in Argentinian Patagonia...

Camino de Santiago Photos and more

Just before starting the Camino, we met up with our friends Jon and Shana in the Loire Valley, which is the home of wine and Chateaus...

Camino Photos

The route across northern Spain (in blue)...

The Pyrenees...
Rough translation: Three necessary things in the life of a pilgrim are: good legs, good food, and at the time for drinking, a cup of wine in place of water...The wine fountain...
Patricia and Stefan from Switzerland walked from Switzerland to Santiago, over 1300 miles...
Marjean, from Baltimore, was 73 and walked as fast if not faster than us...
Al and Dale from Thunder Bay Canada. Dale (on right) had a heart transplant. They definitely walked faster than us...
Sheep and cow herder...
Frank (middle) is from France and is blind. He did the Camino with his wife, who helped lead him along the way...
We made it...The beautiful church in Santiago.

After the Camino and before heading to South America, we spent a week meditating at Thich Nhat Hanh's monastery near Bordeaux, France. Below is a photo taken during walking meditation...