Bozeman Montana:

Population: 35,000
Truck Owners: 30,000
Gun Owners: 25,000
Hunters: 20,000
Skiiers: 15,000
Average Commute time: 10 min

Thats about all there is to do in Bozeman.

Some random experiences in Bozeman from the week I was there include meeting some of the nicest people in America. There were a lot of 'how are you?', 'nice to see you' and 'have a nice day!' from total strangers. It was very refreshing.


The pumpkin farm was having a special that gave fathers 2 for 1 white pumpkins if they came before 5. 'Better leave work a little earlier than usual today folks' said the radio announcement. EARLIER THAN USUSAL? Yes, they actually work 9 - 5 here!!! AMAZING!

Two men were arrested over the weekend for cleaning a deer carcass....IN THE LOCAL CAR WASH!!!!!!

RightNow Technologies is the largest employer in Bozeman with just over 600 employees. Only Montana State University employs more.

Greg, the CEO of RightNow moved his family here in the early 90's to raise his 4 kids in a nice and clean environment. After a few years of retirement, he got restless and coded a piece of software that now brings in over $100 M in annual revenue.

The... Continues...

Stats:

115 travel days, 40 take offs and landings, 22,324 miles flown, 2,600 miles driven, 15,200 feet peak reached, 110 feet underwater dive, 5 continents visited, 8 oceans snorkeled, 14 visa stamps, 40 cities walked, 47 different beds slept in, 33 addresses exchanged, 6 one time email exchanges, 3 multiple exchanges, 5 books read, 7 pounds lost, 8 pounds gained, 3 police traffic stops, 2 tickets, no arrests.

One 45 liter (4 day) back pack, 3 pairs of shoes, 5 pairs of socks, 4 pairs of underware, three pairs of pants, two pairs walking shorts, one pair running shorts, one pair board shorts, 4 shirts, toilette kit, electronic kit, miscellaneous kit; 13 Kilos or about 22 pounds.

One shoulder bag, travel Sony Vaio laptop, Canon Digital SLR Camera, Sony compact digital camera, passport and travel wallet, two books, iPod (until fatal drop from balcony in Malta!) and various DVDs; 4 Kilos or about 12 pounds. One note book lost with important info and numbers….lost on LAST day of trip…

Random Observations and lessons learned:

Travel light. Get SKYPE and keep in touch. You are never too old to surf. Vegemite tastes better with toothpaste. With 25,000KM of open road, the... Continues...

Summer in the Baltics is incredible! The weather is amazing and the crowds can easily be avoided, in fact the majority of locals in Helsinki and Tallinn, leave the cities for the country side!

I spent two nights in Helsinki, with one full day to explore around the empty city. The marina and the main park that leads from it to the city center is where I spent most of the time. The market at the marina is great, very similar to the Pike Place market in Seattle meaning you can buy anything you want from food to pants. Locally caught salmon on Finnish rye bread was my main staple while walking around. I hope you will agree with me that the fermented herring that had been buried in a cabbage roll for a year did not sound that good.

My hotel was right on top of THE place to go on Thursday nights, but the 90 minute wait in line was not on my top ten list, so I stayed quiet and jumped on a ferry the next day to Tallinn, Estonia.


Nordic Jet offers a direct ferry across the Baltic in 2 hours 15 minutes for only about $20. Not bad, and it was pretty cool to think about where I was on the map.

Tallinn is a very pretty town built in the early 1200’s and attacked by every country... Continues...

I called the NW Airlines elite line at 11 PM London time, 6 hours before my scheduled departure time to Delhi, and was AMAZED at the level of service I received. In just a 30 minute call, I was able to cancel one flight I had, putting the miles back in my account, and change the flight that was leaving in only a few hours.

To Russia with love! I booked a flight to Helsinki, and will visit St Petersburg, Russia and Tallinn, Estonia for my last two weeks of the trip.


For the last week, I have been chilling out in Paris, Dijon, Chamonix, and Geneva. This was my third time in Paris, and I must say, I enjoyed myself immensely. I was upset and frustrated enough with the dickhead in the embassy in Germany that I decided to break the budget and stay in a very nice place. Bring in L’hotel, St Germain des Prez, and the Oscar Wilde suite. This is where the famous play write spent his last, ugly, penniless days in Paris before he died. Funny story if you don’t know who he is (of course I did!), look him up. The note from the manager of the hotel is on the wall along with his $500 unpaid bill. Great place, in a great location in a great time of year, not too hot and no where near the... Continues...