This week I hosted my second couchsurfer, Choony. She received her Master’s from Yale University earlier in the year, and is spending the subsequent months traveling around the United States. When not attending Ivy League schools, Choony works for an NGO (non-governmental organization) back in Seoul, South Korea.

We talked for about 4 hours the first night, mostly exchanging perspectives on cultural norms in our respective countries. I found the experience of hosting her to be very enlightening. On her second night, which coincided with my birthday, she offered to take me out to dinner as a “thank you.” I happened to have Washingtonian Magazine’s list of 100 best restaurants for 2007, and picked out #47 - Thai Square - which was only a few miles from my apartment (and quite a bargain).

I forgot my camera, so you’ll just have to picture our tasty meal:

• Tom Yum Koong - Shrimp and straw mushrooms simmered in a hot and sour lemon grass broth.
• Roasted Duck in Red Curry Sauce - Tender slices of roasted duck in spicy red curry with diced pineapple and basil leaves.
• Pad Thai - Thin noodles stir-fried with shrimp, chicken, ground roasted peanuts, scallions, and bean sprouts.

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Last month I mentioned my knackered knees were causing me to worry about the pain I might experience on the road. If I think about the last 4 months, I do believe I’ve experienced some improvement, however an extra 10-12 minute walk in my day will still leave me hurting for several days after (which obviously shouldn’t be the case!). A good friend, who listened to my complaints, suggested I see an orthopedist (vs a podiatrist). I picked one near work, and finally got in to see him on my birthday.

The first thing I noticed in the waiting room of the orthopedic clinic was how I was about 20-30 years younger than the other patients. The surgeons at this particular clinic specialize in joint (knee/hip) replacement, and apparently business is booming. A radiologist x-rayed both of my knees, and I patiently awaited the doctor. Before he came into my room, I could hear him in the hall dictating his last patient’s visit, noting he/she had opted for double knee replacement surgery.

The doctor introduced himself, and I gave him a brief rundown of my problem/history, and my upcoming plan to backpack around the world. The first thing he pointed out in my x-rays were the shape of my kneecaps. Apparently a normal kneecap is one round piece of bone. My right kneecap had two pieces of bone, and my left three! Given this surprising news, I asked what percentage of the population have knees such as mine. His response was less than 1%. Lucky me!

He felt around my knees, where those little extra pieces of bone were, and as the pain wasn’t in those areas, he deemed it unrelated to my freak-of-nature kneecaps. He said this was good news because the treatment would’ve been to surgically remove the smaller pieces of bone. He then suggested that the pain is consistent with soft tissue problems in the inner knee, and that treatment would be non-surgical in nature (thank god for such a response from a surgeon). He wrote me a prescription for a month’s worth of physical therapy, as I had hoped.

Before his assistant brought me the prescription, I could hear the doctor in the hall dictating again, and this time about me. My favorite part was when he mentioned the fact that I intend to go backpacking around the world!

Unfortunately, I’m planning to give my notice at work within the next 1-2 weeks, which is not going to be enough time to see results from the physical therapy. I don’t feel like it’s enough of a problem to turn back now though, so I’m going to do the physical therapy, follow all their suggestions, and try to get back to normal in the time I have left.

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September 25th marks my 31st birthday, so to celebrate, a few friends took me out to dinner at Delhi Club, a local Indian restaurant I’d been wanting to try out for a few years. The dinner was worth the wait. The top photo was my friend Jason’s sizzling dish of tandoori lamb, chicken, shrimp, and salmon. I think it looks even tastier in the photo (the restaurant was dimly lit)!

As for myself, I love curry chicken, and there were plenty of options to choose from on the menu. I went with malabar curry, which was coconut based with crushed red pepper and curry leaves. It was rich and delicious, with just the right spicy kick!

Lastly, as seen below, we ordered up a variety of naan (bread).

To wash it all down, I had a couple of authentic, Indian Kingfish beers. Apparently they’re the “Budweiser” of India. Sometimes beer is just beer, and I can’t really tell the subtle difference between them, regardless of their country of origin. The only beers that disagree with me are the ones with super high (like 10+ percent) alcohol contents.

After dinner, I went to my friend Mark’s place and promptly lost $20 in a poker game. I’m not much of a gambler - I always expect to lose, though I did win one hand with a full house.

Special thanks to my friend Phil, who gave me a birthday gift in the form of a donation for my backpacking trip.

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This week’s backpacker video is Hostel, an amateur backpacking show. I came across an episode on YouTube, and thought it was well done. It wasn’t glossy and overproduced. It felt real. It was shot in Montreal, and it seems like the creators are trying to market it out on YouTube.

About This Video

 

Youth travel backpaker show . Follow Phife and …

Youth travel backpacker show . Follow Phife and Kevin as they travel the world and explore the subculture of youth backpacking and hosteling equipped with only $50 a day and a desire to party!

I couldn’t help but pick up on the girl that comments around 2:55 about how she’s on month 10 of a trip around the world. It’s less what she said, than her tone. It sounded as though she was tired of saying it. I can sort of relate. I’m getting a bit tired of the term “around the world” and I haven’t even left yet!

What do you think - do Phife and Kevin have a potential hit on their hands?

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I’ve been following the always entertaining Jeremy David (of Choose My Adventure) as he gallivants across Europe on his first backpacking adventure. Like me, he hit the road soon after graduating college. The premise behind his trip and blog is that the readers direct him where to go. I’ve been struck by how much ground he’s covered in his first 3 weeks - England to France to Spain to Portugal and now on to the Italy by way of Nice along the French Riviera.

Along the way, he’s shot quite a few video clips, including a few of him on the various trains he’s been riding. At the end of his most recent clip, he’s on another night train from San Sebastian, Spain to Nice, France. Fully prepared for the 10-hour ride, he brought a cheap bottle of wine.

If you’ve ever ridden the rails in Europe, holding the all-important rail pass, then you’re probably starting to recollect some of your own experiences by now. Rail passes equal a beautiful freedom in Europe - access to timely and efficient trains carrying a wildly diverse crowd of locals and travelers back and forth across the continent.

If you’re headed to Europe for an extended period, or even just a few countries in less time, a rail pass can save you quite a bit of money. They need to be purchased in advance though. Buying them is has become easier than ever, as online suppliers grew quickly as the Internet expanded over the last 8 years.

I first learned about Rail Connection in 1999, when I signed up with them as an affiliate. Back then, there weren’t a whole lot of sites about backpacking, and I reaped the rewards by collecting $30-$40 in referral payments per sale. I recently put up an ad for Rail Connection on this site (left sidebar). If you’re in the market for a rail pass, I suggest you check out their low prices and extra offerings by clicking here.

For those reading with a blog or travel website, try joining as an affiliate and see how you do!

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PS - If you look closely at the 1st day on my pass above, you’ll see it sort of looks like 13….or 17. Hard to tell, isn’t it? That was because I used the pass for two train trips instead of one. Soon after, I picked up an erasable pen to make it even easier to stretch the value of the pass. As you can tell, I only needed 8 of 10 travel days (or slots) for my 2-month trip! On only one occasion, during a night train, were me and my friends questioned. We played dumb after being caught, and simply added the current date in a new slot on the pass.

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Eurorail passes are definitely an essential, as well as great hotels.  Whether need to find hotels in Barcelona, or you are looking for Amsterdam hotels there is sure to be a great place for you!  Don’t forget the Rome hotels that are also very affordable!

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Trekking in Nepal is at the top of my adventure list, and this video reminded me why. With a little luck, in 8 months I’ll be able to post my own panorama from the top of the world!

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Special thanks to my Dad for sharing this Zits comic strip with me. Enjoy!

Son: Taa-Daah! My life plan in four steps.

1. Play guitar in high school.

2. Play guitar in college.

3. Backpack around the world for ten years.

4. Retire comfortably.

Father: Um, I don’t see anything in here about a career.

Son: It’s just an outline. I’ll fill in the minor details later.

To IT professionals, their training matters a lot, whether it is an mcdba we are talking about, or a cisco certification. Of course microsoft certification changes it all, but even if it is an itil certification or the advanced ccna certification, a pro would take it all in his stride, with pride and enthusiasm.

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Julia is a travel writer (and publisher of The Travel Junkie) from Canada who completed a backpacking trip around the world a year or two ago. She has some interesting videos posted on YouTube, and the one below was my favorite. Her latest venture is a behind-the-scenes TV show based on the life of a travel writer, which is taking her to 13 countries as we speak.

I’m starting to think they’re giving out TV shows like candy up there in Canada!

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