A 15-year anniversary journal
May 12 — September 4, 2011
The whole packing list
Everything I carried for nearly four months fit into a single backpack.
A few changes of clothes. Three pairs of footwear. A laptop, an e-reader, basic toiletries, a camera—and the small golden jeepney that would appear throughout the journey.
Traveling with so little made it possible to keep moving.
The reconstructed itinerary
Beginning in San Francisco—with a stopover in Los Angeles—and ending back home in San Francisco, the route crossed Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the American East Coast.
The golden passenger
The miniature jeepney became the journey’s signature: set against temples, towers, deserts, palaces, and waterfronts—always carrying “Mabuhay” into the next city.
The travel journal
Macao & Hong Kong
From the Philippines, we flew to Macao and crossed into Hong Kong. We climbed the steps of the Ruins of St. Paul and looked over Hong Kong from Victoria Peak, even as the skyline disappeared into the haze.
Cebu & Bohol
We flew from Manila to Tagbilaran and explored Bohol by motorbike, passing old stone landmarks and the surreal landscape of the Chocolate Hills. In Cebu, Magellan’s Cross connected the journey to a much longer history.
Singapore
Singapore brought an abrupt change of pace: immaculate streets, a transformed waterfront, and familiar faces waiting when we arrived. The Merlion and Marina Bay Sands became the first unmistakable skyline of the trip.
India
From Delhi and the Taj Mahal, we crossed Rajasthan through Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, and Ranakpur before reaching Mumbai. Monumental architecture stood alongside the spontaneous encounters that made the road unpredictable.
Dubai
After crossing India, we arrived in a city reaching confidently into the future. The Burj Khalifa towered above the desert, while a safari beyond the city revealed the older landscape beneath Dubai’s monumental ambition.
Egypt
We entered through Alexandria and continued to Cairo. At Giza, the pyramids were at once exactly as imagined and more immense in person. The route continued south along the Nile to Luxor and Aswan before turning toward Sinai.
Jordan
Jordan paired the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea with the rose-colored stone of Petra. Floating required no effort; reaching the Treasury through the narrow Siq felt like entering another age.
Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, histories and faiths occupied the same ancient landscape. At the Western Wall, beneath the golden Dome of the Rock, centuries of devotion remained visibly and powerfully alive.
Athens & Santorini
From Tel Aviv, we flew to Athens and climbed the Acropolis beneath the summer sun. The next day, a ferry carried us from Piraeus into the Aegean and on to three nights in Santorini.
Across Turkey
Turkey unfolded as a succession of extraordinary landscapes: the classical ruins of Ephesus, Pamukkale’s brilliant mineral terraces, the valleys of Cappadocia, and finally Istanbul—a city spanning two continents.
Sofia
Crossing from Istanbul into Bulgaria brought gilded domes, open countryside beneath Vitosha Mountain, and the friendships that had become as important as the landmarks themselves.
Florence & Pisa
In Tuscany, the journey shifted toward cathedral domes, red-tiled roofs, and the view from above. In Pisa, the jeepney joined the city’s famous tower in refusing to stand upright.
Vienna
Vienna offered the long approach to Schönbrunn Palace, an evening of classical music, an enormous schnitzel, and nights shared with new friends. By now, the moments between landmarks carried their own weight.
Bratislava & Budapest
From Vienna, we continued to Bratislava and then Budapest. Parliament rose dramatically along the Danube while the warm waters of Széchenyi offered a distinctly local way to slow down.
London & Oxford
London brought the journey to the Thames. From there, we traveled to Oxford and wandered among its colleges, libraries, and debating traditions—from the Radcliffe Camera to the gates of the Oxford Union.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam unfolded along canals and over bridges, among bicycles, boats, and narrow brick houses. Beneath gray skies, the city felt intimate, energetic, and immediately lived-in.
Dublin
The European chapter ended with music, pubs, and characteristic Irish humor. Temple Bar supplied the iconic setting for the final stop before crossing the Atlantic.
Philadelphia, New York & Boston
Crossing the Atlantic did not immediately end the journey. The final days passed through Philadelphia, beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, inside Yankee Stadium, and through Boston before the last flight west.
September 4, 2011
More than 25,000 miles after setting out, the final flight returned to San Francisco. The backpack came home lighter in some ways—and carrying far more in others.
2011 → 2026
These photographs are no longer simply records of where I went. They hold the person I was, the friendships formed in motion, and the experiences whose meaning changed with time. This site is an invitation to travel that route again—with the perspective that only fifteen years can bring.