| The Question period is over. We hope you had fun asking questions and learned a lot about the world. |
| Name: | travis samate |
| School: | james irwin charter middle school |
| Grade: | 8th |
| Asked... Question: what kind of food is eaten in Laos? Answer: When we were in Laos, we were able to find French bread, cheeses, and other French food. This is because Laos was a French colony at one time. Check out Laos Food for more traditionally Laotian food. | |
| Name: | bob |
| School: | is192 |
| Grade: | 6 |
| Asked... Question: how old are you? Answer: The team members range in age from 23 to 36 years old. | |
| Name: | nic |
| School: | st.george elementry |
| Grade: | grade 6 |
| Asked... Question: is there a computer game that u travel in a sweet ride around the maritime provinces. Answer: I am not sure if there is currently a game like this. We would like to create a Drive Around the World video game that would recreate the driving experience around the world. | |
| Name: | Kishanna |
| School: | I.S61 |
| Grade: | 8 GRADE |
| Asked... Question: HOW MANY TIMES DOES IT RAIN IN DENVER. Answer: Rainfall is not measured in number of times rain occurs per year, it is measured in the amount of rain that falls per year. Records are kept every year and the average rainfall that occurs in Denver is about 15.4 inches of rain per year. Some years have more than 15.4 inches, and others have less, but the overall average is 15.4. | |
| Name: | Justine |
| School: | Eisenhower middle |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: can you learn me how to speak Spanish or Chinese. Answer: Of course you can learn how to speak Chinese or Spanish, however, I wouldn't be the best teacher. To learn these languages I suggest taking a class in school and finding some fluent speakers so you can practice. To learn a language well you have to practice speaking it. There are many people that would be willing to help you, if you asked them. | |
| Name: | Darcy |
| School: | Andrew Jackson |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: why do people eat bugs in different countries? are they full of protein? Answer: Certain bugs are very nutritious and delicious. People's diets are generally based on what is available in their environment. In some environments there are not a lot of nutritious plants or animals to eat. It is sometimes easier and better for you to catch bugs for eating rather than hunting other animals or searching for edible plants. In any case it is important to remember that not all bugs or plants are edible to eat. Some plants and insects are poisonous and will make you very sick or even kill you if you eat them. | |
| Name: | Jasmine Granas |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: I think I saw 3 of your cars driving in Los Gatos the other day, in the beginning of March. Are you at home now? When do you leave again? Answer: We have arrived safely back in the States. It is good to be home. We will be heading across the country starting in April. | |
| Name: | Tony |
| School: | keyser middle school |
| Grade: | 8 th |
| Asked... Question: which is stronger? tornados or hurricanes Answer: It is difficult to compare the two. Hurricanes bring torrential ran and high winds, but they can last for days and can blanket large areas. They can inflict large amounts of damage, but are normal weather patterns for certain areas like Florida. Tornados strike hard and fast. There are six different classifications of tornados based on their strength (an F-5 is the most ferocious). A tornado has stronger winds in its brief existence, but hurricanes damage much more property than tornados do. | |
| Name: | gab |
| School: | nlms |
| Grade: | 8 |
| Asked... how far/ high can an Australian kangaroo jump? | |
| Name: | Cristobal |
| School: | Espanola middle school east |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: how many people live in North America? Answer: It is estimated that over 328 million people live in North America. | |
| Name: | eliza |
| School: | hillcrest |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... how kangaroos protects itself from danger weather? | |
| Name: | Randy Paker |
| School: | Marshall Middle School |
| Grade: | 6 |
| Asked... what are some waterfalls in Hawaii and their latitude and longitude | |
| Name: | samuel azanaw |
| School: | burnt mills e.s. |
| Grade: | fourth grade |
| Asked... Question: Where do all video games come from? Answer: Video games come from a variety of countries. Even you can create a video game by learning how to program a computer. | |
| Name: | duhsportplayer02 |
| School: | Seitz |
| Grade: | 8 |
| Asked... Question: How old do you have to be to drive in China? Answer: You have to be at least 16 to be eligible for a driver's license in China. | |
| Name: | kiera taylor |
| School: | mock road |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: How can you put 3,613 into 4. Answer: You can divide 4 by 3,613; the answer will be a very small number! | |
| Name: | pauldylik@hotmail.com |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: what time is open angkor wat?? Answer: Ankgor Wat opens early in the morning, I remember being there for sunrise. I don't the specific hour when it opens. | |
| Name: | lisa |
| School: | cashmere |
| Grade: | 13 |
| Asked... Question: how much is the average cup of coffee cost in argentina? Answer: You can buy a great cup of coffee for about one dollar. | |
| Name: | Jenny |
| School: | Taylor |
| Grade: | 8 |
| Asked... Question: Why did Burma change it's name to Myanmar? Answer: Myanmar and its capital Yangon are not new names created by the State Law and Order Restoration Council. In fact, Myanmar and Yangon are the original names before but being renamed Burma and Rangoon by the British Colonial Administration. http://www.mewashingtondc.com/Myanmar_Burma.htm | |
| Name: | sabrina |
| School: | bluecreek |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: when does hurricane season start? Answer: The hurricane season in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico runs from June 1 to November 30. The hurricane season in the eastern Pacific basin runs from May 15 to November 30. The hurricane season in the central Pacific basin runs from June 1 to November 30. | |
| Name: | Dominic |
| School: | Compton Drew iLC |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What is the hardest 6th grade math question in the world? Answer: Tough question. Mathematicians and Physicist can come up with some pretty complicated ones. Solving equations that have multiple variables are pretty tough. | |
| Name: | ashle |
| School: | dolphins creek |
| Grade: | 10 |
| Asked... Question: what is Argentinas main transportation? Answer: Argentina has many modes of transportation. While I was there I took a car, plane, train, bus, and taxi. I would say the most popular city to city transportation is by bus. | |
| Name: | джон |
| School: | джон атанасов |
| Grade: | - |
| Asked... ха здравейте- знаете ли кой съм аз? | |
| Name: | me |
| School: | big bucks school |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: are there any poisonous plants and animals in the tropical rain climate? If so what are they? | |
| Name: | Casey Seline |
| School: | Swanson |
| Grade: | forth |
| Asked... Question: How do you get used to all the time changes in your trip? Answer: You never really get used to them you just have to deal with them. How do you deal with them? | |
| Name: | Bill Baggarly |
| School: | University of Californai Riverside |
| Grade: | 16th |
| Asked... Question: In your opinion... what is the best country you have been to this trip? Answer: Every country has both positives and negatives. Over all I liked Australia the best. It was nice to speak English again, the culture was similar, but they have a different perspective. The animals and plants were new and different, and I found the people to be pretty darn friendly. | |
| Name: | Muliawan |
| School: | Profesional |
| Grade: | - |
| Asked... Question: How far the distance of silkroad from the far east (from China) to the far of west(until Afghanistan)? Answer: There are many different routes of the Silk Road. From Eastern China (Xian) to Modern day Western China (Kashi) it was about 2000 miles. The road split in Kashi, the northern road going to Bukhara and the southern Road going to modern day Afghanistan (Balkh or Bactra). From Kashi to Balkh it is about 600 miles. So it is over 2600 miles from where the road began in China to its terminus in Afghanistan. | |
| Name: | Nick Seline |
| School: | Swanson Elementrey(Omaha,NE) |
| Grade: | 5th Grade |
| Asked... Question: When are you guys going to get back from Thanksgiving and the Holidays? Answer: We all made it home for the holidays. We will setting out for Alaska on Jan 30th 2005. | |
| Name: | Nick Seline |
| School: | Swanson |
| Grade: | 5th Grade |
| Asked... Question: What is the most dangerous part of your journey yet? Answer: The most dangerous part of the expedition was traveling through Russia. The temperature and the weather is what made it dangerous. When the temperature was right at the freezing point (32°F or 0°C) the roads were very slippery, so we had to be really careful. When the temperature dropped down to -20°C and below, it was not slippery anymore, but we all knew that the cold could kill us if we were not careful. | |
| Name: | Anthony Sells Jr. |
| School: | Jefferson School |
| Grade: | Fourth |
| Asked... Question: I need a fourth grade math book. Answer: You should probably ask your teacher for help. | |
| Name: | ryan |
| School: | git r done |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: r u insane or do u like traveling so have you been close to finding the disease //___lil jon and the eastside boys r great ___what?yeah//ok!!!!!!!!!! Answer: We are all a bit insane to travel so much! I believe we are making a difference with this disease too. I hope you all your doing well. | |
| Name: | Celine |
| School: | Dubois area Middle School |
| Grade: | 6th |
| Asked... Question: What is the latitude and longitude of the mausoleum at halicarnassus? Answer: This is located in the modern city of Bodrum 37° O2'N and 27° 25'E. | |
| Name: | d waters |
| School: | hunter |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: which ocean would you have to cross to get from china to north america Answer: You would have to cross the Pacific Ocean to cross from China to North America | |
| Name: | AMIR KHAN |
| School: | business |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: HOW YOU FEEL IN HUNZA HAVE YOU ENJOYED ARE NOT WHAT IS THE RESULT YOU HAVE OBTAIN THAT WHICH IS THE BEAUTI FUL PLACE OF WORLD? Answer: The team was agreed that Hunza was one of the greatest places on earth, and definitely one of the greatest highlights of the expedition. I hear so many wonderful things about Hunza, I am sorry I was not able to enjoy it like the rest of the team. | |
| Name: | nadeem |
| School: | hunza public school |
| Grade: | 13 |
| Asked... Question: CAN I ASK THE TEAM OF DRIVE AROUND THE WORLD THAT CAN YOU HELP THE NEEDY AND POOR PEOPLE OR THE INSTUTIONS WHICH NEED HELP? EMAIL- HUNZWEI@HOTMAIL.COM Answer: I will pass your message on to the rest of them team. | |
| Name: | john doe |
| School: | lake point high |
| Grade: | 11th |
| Asked... Question: how many people suffer from parkinson's in the U.S. Answer: Surveys show that there are over 1.5 million people who suffer from Parkinson's disease in the United States alone. | |
| Name: | Sarah Stiles |
| School: | McComb |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: Why are facial gestures as well as hand gestures expressed differently and mean different things in other countries? Answer: Facial expressions and hand gestures are a part of language and they have as many differences as different languages around the world. Facial gestures and hand gestures depend on what you are doing. If you are a welder your hands are usually full, so hand gestures are more difficult. If are a baseball coach your hands are empty so you can use a lot of signals. | |
| Name: | Hollis Martinez |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: When you went on a ferry boat did you see any sharks or sea animals? What was your favorite animal that you saw? What is your favorite color? Answer: While on ferries we have seen dolphins, seals, whales, and many different kinds of birds. One of my favorites were seeing penguins in Chile. These birds are amazing and they look really neat! My favorite color is green. It reminds me of plants and trees! | |
| Name: | Noah Ghotbi |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: What was the food like in Argentina? How many continents have you been too? Answer: Argentina had some of the best food I have ever eaten. The steaks in Argentina were amazing!!! I liked the cheese as well. There was a lot of Italian food there too! I have been to 6 continents, North and South America, Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa. The only continent I have never been to is Antarctica. | |
| Name: | Benson Woo |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: How old is Jackie's brother? What did he eat in China? What was the most interesting animal you've ever seen. Answer: Jackie's brother Nick is 36 years old. He ate a lot of different things in China, Peking Duck, Noodles, Shrimp and a vegetable called bak choy. Chinese food is very good! The most interesting animal I have ever seen is a penguin. It is amazing to see them swim through the water, they are like bullets! | |
| Name: | Trevor Perry |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: Have you played the Chinese musical instrument the Bega? Answer: Although I have played many different instruments I have never played an instrument called the Bega. | |
| Name: | Cassandra MacQuoid |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: Do you miss your home? What is your favorite country? Did you run into a kangaroo? Answer: Although I love traveling I really miss home. Where I am right now, it is very cold (Russia) I look forward to being warm again. I am loving Russia right now, even though it is very cold. I have found the people to be very friendly and quite helpful, this is an amazing country! I have never run into a Kangaroo, but my teammate Justin has. | |
| Name: | Jordan Abernathy |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: Can you teach me how to speak Chineese? Answer: I can teach you some Chinese. Ne how ma- how are you She shay - Thank you | |
| Name: | Yasenia Baltierra |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: What is it like in China? Answer: China is amazing! China is very large and has many different regions. China has some large deserts, jungles, and great mountains! Mt Everest is in China! | |
| Name: | Amber Renish |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: When you unrolled your sleeping bag, how big was the nest of spiders? Answer: It wasn't that big, but it was big enough to make me jump! | |
| Name: | Ian Gust |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: How many days did it take to get to China? How far can kangaroos jump? Answer: It took us 270 days to arrive in China. We had some delays with shipping and paperwork, so we should have arrived there earlier. Kangaroos can jump up to 30 feet, wow! | |
| Name: | Andie Olson |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: Did you meet anyone else with Parkinsons Disease? Answer: We have met people with Parkinson's Disease in nearly every country we have visited. | |
| Name: | Christian Gallardo |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: What dangerous animals did you see so far? What's your favorite country so far? Answer: We have seen sharks, poisonous snakes and lions. Fortunately no wild animals have threatened us so far. I have really enjoyed Russia so far! The people have been very friendly and country is very beautiful. They also have good pizza here! | |
| Name: | Eni Soyinka |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: What is your favorite animal that you've seen on the trip? What was the best and worst food you've tasted on the trip? What was the biggest animal you've seen? Answer: Penguins are my favorite animal that I have seen on this expedition. I love to watch them swim! The best food I have eaten on this trip was Steak with Bleu Cheese in Argentina! The worst things was worms in Thailand. The biggest animals I have ever seen are elephants. They are bigger than our vehicles! | |
| Name: | Sarah Medina |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: What was the worst thing you ate and what was the scariest animal you saw? Are you having fun? Answer: The worst thing I ate was a worm in Thailand. The scariest animal I saw was a pit viper in Malaysia I am having a lot of fun! | |
| Name: | Miles Cortez |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd Clark/McEachern |
| Asked... Question: Is the food gross in other countries? Answer: One of the best things about traveling is trying all kinds of different foods. I have eaten some gross things, but for the most part you can find good food in just about any country you go to. I don't like to eat fish, so in the countries where fish is common it is difficult for me. | |
| Name: | Mark Sanders |
| School: | JL Jackson High School |
| Grade: | 8 |
| Asked... Question: Do you ever fight with each other because you see each other so much? Answer: We fight with each other, but not too much. We all have our own cars so we can get away from each other when we need to. | |
| Name: | Kabilan Pillay |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Will you be seeing the Taj Mahal? Answer: We saw the Taj Mahal in Agra India. It is very beautiful! | |
| Name: | Kabilan Pillay |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What is the most common spoke language of the people you have met on the trip so far? Answer: Although we spoke Spanish for the first 4 months of the expedition. The most widely spoken language is English. English is spoken in the US, Australia, Singapore, India, Pakistan, and many other countries. It is the most common language of travelers as well. | |
| Name: | Angela Brown |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: What country do you think was the most exciting and why? Answer: Currently, Russia is the most exciting. We are traveling across Siberia as the weather is getting colder and colder. The weather might stop us, therefore we have to be very careful. It is a big challenge to cross Russia any time of the year! | |
| Name: | Angela Brown |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: While you are in a country, do you get to go see things (i.e. national monuments, or famous landmarks)? Answer: We try and visit as many famous sites as we can. In India we visited the Taj Mahal, in Peru Machu Piccu, and in Australia we visited Ayers Rock. | |
| Name: | Angela Brown |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: Do you enjoy visiting so many places around the world? If so, what is your favorite part of getting to see so many countries? Answer: I love visiting all kind of places around the world. My favorite part of traveling is making new friends, learning about different countries, and trying all the different types of food there are. | |
| Name: | Lauren |
| School: | Short Pump Middle |
| Grade: | 6th |
| Asked... Question: are there any famous people with the name Lauren? Answer: Lauren Becall is the most famous person I can recall. She was a famous actress who was married to Humphrey Bogart. I have a niece named Lauren as well. | |
| Name: | EELII |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7TH grade |
| Asked... Question: How can you catch the disease? Answer: The causes of Parkinson's are not well understood at this time. It is thought that there are chemicals causes as well as some genetic causes. | |
| Name: | ERIKA |
| School: | ETIWANDA |
| Grade: | sixth grade |
| Asked... Question: How do you take showers? Answer: We take showers when we stay at hotels. When we camp we bring extra water in order to keep clean. | |
| Name: | ERIKA |
| School: | ETIWANDA |
| Grade: | sixth grade |
| Asked... Question: how can drive one the ocean? Answer: We drive as much as we can on land, but sometimes we have to place the vehicles on a ship to transport them across the ocean. We shipped the vehicles from Argentina to Australia, Australia to Singapore, and soon we will ship them from Russia to Alaska! | |
| Name: | James Fan |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: How much money have you guys raised for the Parkinson's disease? Answer: We have raised over $50,000 so far. We plan to raise a lot more when we return to the States. | |
| Name: | James Fan |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What city have you guys most enjoyed? And why have you liked it so much? Answer: Cuzco, Peru was a lot of fun. It was a beautiful old city! We were surrounded by ancient Inca ruins. The nightlife was a lot of fun as well. Every building you went in seemed to have an amazing history. | |
| Name: | Akane Otani |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What has been the hardest city to get around in? Answer: Without a doubt it was Mexico City. We were lost for 3 hours there! | |
| Name: | James Fan |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Who speaks the most languages in the team? And what are they? Answer: Neil speaks Spanish fluently, but I speak Mandinka and quite a bit of Spanish. Most of the team speaks a fair amount of Spanish and Justin speaks some Russian. | |
| Name: | James Fan |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What types of foods do you guys eat when your traveling in your cars? Answer: While in our cars we eat snack food, biscuits (cookies), fruit (Pakistani apples are really good), nuts, soda pop, and we drink a lot of water. We often skip lunch and have bigger meals when we get to our destinations at night. | |
| Name: | Liza Doolittle |
| School: | Fayweather |
| Grade: | 6th |
| Asked... Question: what kind of pets are found in India? Answer: Many people have dogs, although they are not generally fenced in. I did not see too many cats, but I know they are around. Some people even have monkeys as pets. | |
| Name: | Akane Otani |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: What has been the most exotic food you've eaten? Answer: We have eaten guinea pig, sea snails, crickets, and worms. | |
| Name: | Rias |
| School: | Pakistan |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: When you return home, how will continue your Parkinson's Programs? Answer: We hope to speak to many of the Parkinson's communities in the United States and continue fund raising until we meet our million dollar fund raising goal. | |
| Name: | Shanice |
| School: | Wilson |
| Grade: | 4grade |
| Asked... Question: 4grade is hard because we start stuff early then the other class Answer: Fourth grade is difficult, but it can be a lot of fun to! A good challenge is always fun, most of the time. | |
| Name: | martez powell |
| School: | ella dolhonde elementary |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: look for a6 Answer: I will keep my eyes peeled! | |
| Name: | Ned and his Dad |
| School: | Ann's Nursery School |
| Grade: | Pre K |
| Asked... Question: How many of the seven wonders of the world have you seen between the two expeditions have you have embarked on? Answer: The seven wonders of the ancient world include, the Pyramids of Giza, the hanging gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Pharos of Alexandria, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. Unfortunately, we have not seen any of these during any of the expeditions. | |
| Name: | Will Baggarly |
| School: | St. James |
| Grade: | First |
| Asked... Question: Can you have as many kids as you want in China? My Dad heard you can only have 1 or 2 kids. Is that true? Answer: Unless you are a minority you can not legally have more than one child in China. The terms aunt, uncle and cousin are words that are not being used anymore. In the reality, minority populations can have more than one child, if you have money you can acquire permission to have more than one child, and if you are creative there are other ways of getting around this single child policy. | |
| Name: | Robby Baggarly |
| School: | St. James |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: Are you going to drive along the "Great Wall" of China? How long is the wall anyway? Answer: We will not see the Great Wall of China this time. We will only be in far western China, where there is no wall. | |
| Name: | kate Halsted |
| School: | darfield all sanits |
| Grade: | year6 |
| Asked... Question: where are mountains are found? Answer: Mountains are found all over, on every continent. However, Australia seemed like the flattest continent I have ever seen. | |
| Name: | Akane Otani |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: How long do you stay in each city? Answer: This depends on where we are and what we have to do. In Delhi, India we stayed a week because we had to do some maintenance on the vehicles and we also had to obtain visas in order to visit upcoming countries. Some times we just pass through. We are trying to get to Magadan, on the east coast of Russia by the end of October, so now we are not staying anywhere very long. | |
| Name: | David Codron |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: How much have you had to pay to provide gas for car so far? Answer: Figure we have driven about 26,000 miles so far. The vehicles get an average of 12 miles per gallon, and gas on average costs $2.75 per gallon. | |
| Name: | Kabilan |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Why did you decide to do a longitude expedition, not latitude? Answer: In 1999 we did an expedition called latitude where we drove from Beijing, China back to San Francisco. This time we decided to do something different. | |
| Name: | Amber R. Tobin |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what other semi famous people or other people that really interested you? Answer: Many famous people have interested me. I have always been a Beatles fan so I would love to meet the remaining Beatles. It was great meeting the Dalai Lama! | |
| Name: | hank |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Was the dali lama really holy and super nice?! Answer: The Dalai Lama beamed with joy and he giggled a lot. He had a presence about him that made me want to be like him. | |
| Name: | Michael Brienzo |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: In which place that you have visited have you felt like you didn't belong? Answer: There are parts of Pakistan that I felt that I was really not welcome. This is a problem when people look at you as not who you are but what you appear to represent. Many Pakistani's have witnessed the effects of war and aren't really excited about Western influence in their country. | |
| Name: | jimmy |
| School: | wadster |
| Grade: | po |
| Asked... Question: do you miss your family. Answer: There are many days that I would want nothing more than to sit down and have a cup of coffee and cheesecake with my mom and dad. I miss my whole family very much! | |
| Name: | jim |
| School: | lot |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: how was the dalai lama? Answer: It was great meeting the Dalai lama, he was as happy as I imagined him to be! | |
| Name: | Michael Brienzo |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: you think you are learning more by driving around the world than flying from one place to the next? Answer: You definitely learn more when you drive from place to place rather than fly! When you drive you get to see the natural boundaries between populations, you get to see how far things really are from each other, and you get to see the gradual environmental and food changes. One last expedition where we drove from Beijing to San Francisco I learned how large Kublai Khan's empire really was. It extended from China to Europe! During the first two months of that expedition, we were always within the boundaries of his empire. Driving it gave me a good feeling for how big it really was; the largest empire the world has ever known! | |
| Name: | teddy hull |
| School: | los gatos high |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: have you had to eat any raw meat? Answer: I have eaten raw meat, but I am very careful about where I eat it. It can be very dangerous to eat if it is not prepared under the correct conditions. Sushi, steak tar tar, and an prosciutto (sp?) are all examples of raw meat. To tell you the truth I prefer my meat cooked. | |
| Name: | Mira Parfitt |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Which country has the best food? Has any of it made you sick? Answer: I think Mexico had the best food. I am really jonesing for a good burrito right now. Argentina was second for the best food. I haven't been sick from any food yet. | |
| Name: | Amber Tobin |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: I was wondering what type of food you particularly enjoyed? Answer: I am a true cheese head. I love cheese more than anything! | |
| Name: | Brienzo |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: are u irritated with any of your teammates Answer: Of course I get irritated with my teammates. Who wouldn't? If there is on going irritation you have to do something about it, otherwise you need to shut up just deal with it. | |
| Name: | Natalie Brand |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what has been your favorite country so far and what is a new type of food that you have eaten? Answer: It is hard to say what my favorite country is, every country is unique in it's own way. Australia probably tops my list, as I really liked the wide open spaces, the friendly people, and the unique plants and animals that were there. | |
| Name: | Mike Floyd |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 10 |
| Asked... Question: what's responses have you had from people in other countries? How is it explaining what your doing and your case to others in different countries? by the way good luck!!!! Answer: We have had pretty good responses from people all over the world. Most people are pretty curious when they see us roll up. Many people don't know about Parkinson's disease, however, when we mention Muhammad Ali's name everyone seems understand, or at least have a fond memory of him. | |
| Name: | mark johnson |
| School: | los gatos high |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: have you seen any lions? Answer: We have seen lions. We saw them in South America and a couple of other places. Unfortunately these were lion that were a part of traveling show or zoos. Lions are found in East Africa, unfortunately we will not be going there during this expedition. | |
| Name: | Michelle Johnson |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: y'all having fun? Answer: We are all having fun. Traveling is an incredible experience, you will never be the same after spending time abroad. The world, the news, and life will just make more sense after traveling. You will get a broader view of the world, which will give a you a better understanding of it. | |
| Name: | torrey |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: how do the people that live there treat you? Answer: Most people treat us very well. Most people are eager to start up a conversation with us. They ask me where we are from, and what we think about their country. We are often asked political questions, and question Americas foreign policy. | |
| Name: | Rob Couchee |
| School: | los gatos high |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have you come to face any anti-American threats while traveling? Answer: I won't kid you, there is plenty of anti-American sentiment in the world. The key to these situations is to diffuse them, listen, joke, discuss, or leave things alone. The most important thing is to make people realize that you are a person, and by being a person you have a lot in common. | |
| Name: | emi |
| School: | lghs |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Is gas for your car cheaper over there? Answer: Gas prices very from country to country. It was about $3.50 in India, but it is only $2.75 in Pakistan, a little cheaper in China. | |
| Name: | mark johnson |
| School: | los gatos high |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Which place has the best waterfalls? Answer: I think Thailand, or Laos has the best waterfalls. | |
| Name: | Samuel A . Moisenco |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: how has your outlook on eastern society changed after meeting the Lama? Answer: My outlook has always been sort of eastern, a kind of live and let live outlook. The thing about Asia is that it is crowded in most places. People have to get along. What was amazing about India was that people could argue and get upset at each other, but then walk away smiling. Things were quick to explode, but easy to relieve. I liked that quality as I have a way of internalizing things and being mad for longer than I should. | |
| Name: | Kathleen Richter |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have you come across any anti-American sentiments in your travels that made life more difficult? or was it generally easy to overcome differences while on a world-round tour? (especially since you have a good purpose?) Answer: There is definitely ant-American sentiment in many places. There is a large number of people who have difficulty with many American foreign policy decisions. You have to be smart about handling these situations. I do not want to argue with people, to me arguing is when two people are talking, but no one is listening. I am always willing to discuss any issues, but if people just want to argue and vent, I politely change the subject or excuse myself for the situation. Many people just want to complain, but the hard part is to come up with solutions for problems that are occurring. Generally if you challenge a blowhard to come up with a reasonable solution to something, the subject will soon be changed. | |
| Name: | Ashleigh Hill |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Hi- I'm a student in Mr. Homa's class. I really admire what you all are doing. You all are an inspiration. Keep up the good work. What inspired you to take this trip? One person in particular or did you just want to help the cause? Answer: As a result of our families being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, we felt we had to do something. The question was what??? When the National Institute of Health suggested that it would take one billion dollars to fund a care, Nick realized that is the most effective thing we could do to combat the disease, raise money. That was 3 years and 26,000 miles ago. | |
| Name: | Erika Hight |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: I'm from Mr. Homa's class-- Is it very difficult to communicate with all of the people speaking so many different languages? If any of you do speak multiple languages, do you ever get confused as to what language any one person is speaking? Answer: You are right there are a lot of different languages that are spoken. This makes it very difficult to communicate. While we know Spanish and I know a West African Language called Mandinka, these languages do not help us much in Central Asia. Hand gestures and a willingness to want to communicate go a long way, and often times there are English speakers around. An effective method to communicate in a market situation is by using a calculator. Numbers are pretty universal. If you are at a market, you usually need to communicate about prices. By picking up a calculator and typing a number in, you begin the process of haggling for whatever item you have pointed to. | |
| Name: | Jasmine Granas |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do you have to wear different clothes in some countries? For example, do the women have to cover up more in some Arabic/Islamic countries? Answer: We do wear native dress sometimes, and Chanda and Nancy did have to cover up while we were in Pakistan. We are now in Kashgar, China looking for cool hats, coats, and gloves for our winter drive through Russia. | |
| Name: | sarah roberts |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What is the best dish you have had from a foreign country so far? Answer: This is hard to say! I liked the Tom ka guy soup in Thailand, the masala in India, and the steaks in Argentina. However, I would give anything for a burrito right now! | |
| Name: | Kathleen Richter |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have their been some cultures/customs that have been easier to adjust to than others? did some of the ones that you adjusted to well surprise you? Answer: I think it was extremely difficult for Chanda and Nancy to adjust to keeping themselves covered in Pakistan. I have difficulty with littering that goes on in many countries as well. It wasn't hard to adjust to the lifestyle in Argentina, people were out late, it wasn't uncommon for high schoolers to come home at 7:00am on weekends or be out hanging out at the ice cream shop at 12:30am on a school night. In fact you saw people of all ages hanging out at 2:00am or 3:00am. | |
| Name: | Keenan Murray |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do you feel that the trip was worth while for your goals to help park.? Answer: Yes, we hope that this expedition will inspire more and more extravagant fundraising events for Parkinson's Disease in the future. | |
| Name: | Keenan Murray |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: I am wondering, are u traveling the furthest distance on water or on land? Answer: We will be driving more than 32,000 miles. We will have shipped the vehicles approximately 16,000 miles. Keep in mind that shipping is not always very direct. For instance when we shipped for Argentina to Australia we had to ship through the Panama Canal. | |
| Name: | Keenan Murray |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Is there any part of a foreign culture that you plan to combine with your daily life? Answer: I would like to drink more tea. I like how in India and Pakistan everybody invites you to take tea with them. This will take about 20-30 minutes, but it is great way of making new friends. | |
| Name: | Steve Edlund, Naomi Abel, and Brittany George |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How do you deal with relationships during this trip? Have you been able to keep in touch with your family and boy friends/girl friends? Also, have you contracted any foreign diseases? How many immunizations did you have to get for all the different varieties? Any really unusual immunizations that most people would not get here in the U.S.? Have you picked up any languages on your trip? And...if the car breaks down, who usually fixes it? Any car geniuses? What is the most valuable skill or value that you have learned on this journey that you will apply when you get home to the U.S.? Thank you for answering all our questions! We really appreciate your cause and admire your determination! KEEP ON TRUCKIN' !!! Answer: Nick and Chanda are married, but the rest of us do not have any significant others at home, at least not anymore. We keep in touch with our families primarily by e-mail, but we use the phone as well. We have not contracted any foreign disease, that we know about, but we have all had the usual intestinal problems, colds, and flu. We all had to get about ten different immunizations, yellow fever, typhoid, hep A and B, tetanus, to name a few. The universal immunizations are mumps, measles, diphtheria, small pox, and tetanus. We all got fairly good at speaking Spanish, but in many other countries we only have time to learn a few phrases. If the car breaks down I am usually the one who fixes it, if a Land Rover dealer isn't close by. Nick and Adam usually come over to look over my shoulder and offer advice. Between the three of us we are pretty handy. The most valuable skill I have learned is how to deal with people. You have to have patience to deal with the same 7 people day in and day out, sometimes in very stressful situations. Also, you never know what the road is going to throw at you so you have to have patience, resolve, and perseverance to make it during and expedition like this. | |
| Name: | Jen Werner |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 Homa |
| Asked... Question: I also agree with Jenny Tighe that what you are doing is awesome. It is defiantly really cool to know that there are people like you out there who take a year off and do good for the world! I traveled to Mexico this summer to build houses with my church and the experience was unforgettable. I hope that you feel the same way about doing such a fulfilling thing for others. How did this get started....what encouraged it? Good luck on the rest of your trip! :) Answer: What started this expedition was the belief that we could make a difference. We have set out to make a difference in the lives of Parkinson's patients around the world, and we have touched a lot of people in the course of the journey. Thank you for you well wishes, we appreciate all the encouragement we can get! | |
| Name: | Tina |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what do u miss most about the states? Answer: My family, burritos, and high speed internet! | |
| Name: | studious mcFrugal |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what are the bathrooms like? is it as easy to use as it is back home? Answer: Nothing is as easy as using something you are totally accustomed to. The latrines range from trees and bushes to toilets with beau deas (sp?) and everything in between. | |
| Name: | matty |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: I was just wondering if you ever felt really at home in any particular country....so at home that you wanted to stay there and live there?....with your fluffy teddy bear Answer: There are many things different countries have to offer, some countries I would like to stay for a couple of years, however, I love the USA and especially my family. I imagine I will live a lot of different places but always call the USA home. | |
| Name: | Lo |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do you have any humiliating stories that you want to share about your trip? about MR. Homa? Answer: There are no humiliating stories at all. As for us and Mr. Homa, I don't think that we have ever been humiliated in our lives! | |
| Name: | Erika Hight |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do the experiences- meeting amazing people being immersed in a totally different culture- and personal gratification of driving around the world ever outweigh the thoughts of your cause? Answer: The beauty of this adventure is that we can be moving forward the cause of Parkinson's Disease will learning from and interacting with all kinds of interesting people. | |
| Name: | Jenny Tighe |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What has been the biggest cultural shock so far? For ex, what has been taboo for them but valued/accepted in the US? OR what has been taboo for us but accepted/valued there? Answer: One thing that comes to mind is shorts and attire. In Xinjiang, where we currently are, women generally cover up and men generally where long pants. To be taken seriously you need to conform to these norms, if you don't you won't be as respected and the women will generally be thought of as loose. While traveling it is much more common to see someone going to the bathroom on the side of the road. The plumbing systems are not as extensive here as they are in the USA. | |
| Name: | Jen Werner |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 Homa |
| Asked... Question: Have you encountered severe amounts of poverty? Has there been famine in any of the villages you have traveled to? Answer: Yes we have seen severe poverty. When we were driving through Assam ( a state in Eastern India), the area had been devastated by floods. Most people were living in tents on the highest ground around. Their tents were often placed within sight of their flooded houses. | |
| Name: | sarah roberts |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Has anyone on the trip contracted a bad disease while traveling? Answer: We have all had some type of illness or another, but no major diseases. We all had a variety of immunizations before we left and we are all very careful of what we eat and do, as to avoid disease. | |
| Name: | Tina Zhu |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: how do the locals react to foreigners? what was the biggest culture shock while visiting these places? Answer: Most locals are very curious about us. They wonder what we are doing there and are interested in looking at the cars. Many people are amazed at my blonde hair, and the fact that I have hair on my arms. The hardest thing to get used to in Asia is the absence of personal space. There are so many people, so there is always a crowd around. I sometimes get claustrophobic. | |
| Name: | sarah roberts |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What is the biggest difference you have noticed between American people and people of other nations? Answer: At the end of the day we all have more in common than we have differences. This statement aside, the biggest difference is that Americans (or most of my friends) were raised with the idea that anything is possible, that we can do anything. Many people in other countries do not have access to the resources and education that we have as Americans. Without access to resources and education, people are most often destined to do exactly what their mothers and fathers did. How many people in America have done exactly what their mothers and fathers did? | |
| Name: | Jenny Tighe |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Hi, I'm Mr. Homa's student. I wanted to first thank you so much for doing this. What you are doing is truly inspirational, and it completely amazes me. I hope your travels are more enjoyable than not. Anyway, I have a few questions. I'm interested in joining the peace corps. Where have you gone so far that seems to be in the greatest need of volunteers or workers? Answer: I think it is great that you are interested in the Peace Corps. I spent two and half years in West Africa in the Peace Corps. It changed my life! It was a tremendous experience! There is need all over the world for different things, forestry, agriculture, English, medical, etc. There are so many ways in which you can contribute to making a better world. The most important way to make changes for the better is to cultivate the human spirit, help people realize that they can make a difference and help them towards their goals. Once people realize that they have the power to make changes, great things will happen. All this to say, there are many places you can go, and many things you can teach, but the power to make a change is the most important thing you can propagate wherever you are. | |
| Name: | T Ravis |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Now that you have encountered many different cultures and locations, would you ever think about settling down at one of them? Answer: I guess this will depend on the person who I find to settle down with. All this countries have something to offer and challenges to deal with, however, it all depends on who your with as to how much you enjoy yourself anywhere. | |
| Name: | Matt |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Why didn't you go to China, I heard it is lovely this time of year? Answer: We have already been in China twice. We are heading there within the next week. Read about the Xinjiang province it is really interesting. | |
| Name: | scarface |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what kind of music do you listen to on the road? what is your preferred choice of music, while on the road? Answer: Depending on the car, you can hear reggae, techno, R&B, pop, Rap, Classical, Jazz and nearly anything else you can imagine. Scenery changes so does the music. | |
| Name: | JC Thiel |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: I have recently come to know that your group was lucky enough to meet the Dahli Lama. What was it like? Answer: The Dalai Lama exudes joy. After meeting him, he stands out as person I would really like to be like. If I am grouchy I think about the Dalai and his smile and I get in a better mood. I would like to give people what he gave me, a real zest for life! | |
| Name: | Ryan Hunsaker |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12th |
| Asked... Question: Did you all enjoy the Thai food? How is the cuisine in these Asian countries? What area has the best dish? Answer: Thai food is great, I am in China and could really go for some now. The cuisine has been great in all the Asian countries. We are really lucky we can get most of this stuff in the States. The best dish in Asia is probably Tom Ka Guy soup! | |
| Name: | Rebecca M. |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How many total times have you had to make bathroom stops. Answer: Being as though we have been on the road for 11 months, we have made plenty of bathroom stops. It would be interesting to write a book about bathroom stops around the world. | |
| Name: | David Wang |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12, Mr. Homa's Class |
| Asked... Question: Have you had any car accidents? Answer: Thank fully we have not had any serious fender benders yet. We were pleased to get through India with only a broken mirror caused by an oncoming truck in our lane. | |
| Name: | Keenan Murray |
| School: | Los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have you had an conflicts with any of the locals? If you have, what happened, and how did you handle it? Answer: There have been minor conflicts over bills and being overcharged, but these are always resolved by talking and on occasion heated exchanges. When we were in Thailand we found a great camping spot, however, we did not know that it was on private property. When the guards of the property found us, the told us to get out and fired a few rounds to let us know they were serious. We quickly left, but the following day we managed to meet the owner of the land and patch things up. In fact we had a very nice lunch and we are good friends now. | |
| Name: | Wes |
| School: | LGHS (Mr. Homa) |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do you have to do a lot of off-roading, or are most of the roads flat? Are most dirt or paved? Answer: We come across every type of road imaginable. In Pakistan we drove on a six lane beautifully paved highway. In the North of India, the roads wound through the mountains, sometimes dirt, sometimes paved, sometimes washed away and sometimes potholed. In Myanmar we were psyched to hear that we would be traveling on a newly built road, however, when we got there it didn't look very new. Although it was built less than one year prior, the surface had broken down and we had nothing but deep mud to drive through for 60 miles. While on that road we winched 6 vehicles out of the mud and helped repair a bridge that we needed to cross. We spent nearly 10 hours covering this ground. In Australia, while on the Gun Barrel Highway, the road wasn't clearly marked so we chose the best path and used our GPSes, that was really off road. It was so remote there, we saw a sign that said next petrol 817km. | |
| Name: | Jen Werner |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What types of food are you eating? Is the water safe? Answer: While I drink the water nearly everywhere, I wouldn't recommend this. I have built my immunity over the last ten years of traveling. I love the food in Asia. Now that we are in Central Asia we have been eating spaghetti type noodles called lakman. I think spaghetti originally came from this area. We have a lot of dishes with rice, in India we ate masala, in china cashew chicken, and Thailand pad thai noodles, man all this stuff is good, but I still miss burritos. | |
| Name: | Kai[BrunnenG] |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: where would you go next? Answer: We are currently in Pakistan, heading to China. | |
| Name: | Kai[BrunnenG] |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How much gas did it take for your whole trip? and how much did it cost for your gas on the whole trip? what was the most difficult part of your trip? Answer: You can do some figuring on the gas question. We get about 12 mpg and we have traveled over 26,000 miles. We have four vehicles and gas costs about $3.00 on average per gallon. For the whole trip figure we will drive a total of 40,000 miles. The most difficult part of the expedition is having to deal with all the unexpected stuff, delays, paperwork, border crossing, bad roads, etc. In Myanmar we were told it would take 5 hours to drive a brand new road. Although the road was new, it was a complete mess, instead of 5 hours it took us 14 hours! | |
| Name: | Melissa (again) |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | S |
| Asked... Question: In what places did people treat you poorly because you're American? Answer: Many people give us a difficult time about American foreign policy, however, if you are polite and don't get drawn into an argument then things are generally OK. People are often surprised when I agree with their assessment of things. I think I have had to wait longer in lines at embassies due to being an American. Our immigration policies are not very popular with the rest of the world. In Brazil Americans, and only Americans, are required to be fingerprinted upon entering the country. | |
| Name: | Sara Ramsey |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what do u miss the most about the USA Answer: I miss my family and good burritos more than anything. | |
| Name: | Melissa |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | S |
| Asked... Question: Naturally, being a teenager, my mind tends to drift around the subject of food. How's the eating? Have you encountered any meals considerably funky by American standards? Answer: One of the best things about traveling is trying all the different kinds of food. There are a few really funky things that we have eaten such as guinea pig, sea snails and crickets. It was difficult to eat the guinea pig because it still had the head on it when it was served to me. | |
| Name: | Cassie Peppard |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do you guys have Harry Potter in Pakistan??? Has the Dali Llama read it??? As the Harry Potter Club President I am prepared to make you all honorary members if you would like. The Dali Llama is invited as well. Please feel free to invite him Answer: Harry Potter is all over the world. I have seen Harry Potter books available in most countries (even in Spanish). In fact I saw a Harry Potter movie in Thailand. The Dalai Lama hasn't had time to read Harry Potter, but he is probably happy that you are excited about it. | |
| Name: | Matt Showalter |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: do u stay in the villages or do u stay in hotels? do you have more luxuries then the people that live there have? Answer: We stay in the villages, we camp and we often stay in hotels. Most of the time we have more luxuries than most people, we have air conditioned vehicles. | |
| Name: | Melissa Eisner |
| School: | Los Gatos High School, Homa's Econ Class |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: I'm so jealous you got to meet the Dali Lama!! How was it? He radiates happiness by the truckload from his pictures. Is his presence really so beautiful as it appears, or is he just exceptionally photogenic? Did you get to speak with him for any length of time? If so, what did you talk about? Answer: We only got to hang out with the Dalai Lama for a short time. I think he thought it was cool signing the hood of our vehicle. We just walked up to his place with the hood, he came out giggling, blessed each one of us and signed our vehicles. He was just laughing and smiling with every step he took. I want to be like the Dalai! | |
| Name: | Liz Caillouette |
| School: | Los gatos high school |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: What was it like meeting the Dalai Lama? Did he give you any good advice? Does he really laugh that much? Am I spelling Dahli Lama correctly? Were India and Sri Lanka awesome? How is the food? Answer: It was really cool meeting the Dalai Lama. His smile and his confident giggle were a joy to experience. I just want have the smile has and encourage others to have it as well. Unfortunately were did not have time to go to Sri Lanka, we really wanted to meet Arthur C. Clarke. It is awesome, but a definite challenge! | |
| Name: | Beau Brigham |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Do you get odd impressions from people you encounter? Answer: We often get stared out wherever we go, blonde hair, decked out Land Rovers, and a bunch of goofy Americans. | |
| Name: | Terrill |
| School: | Los gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Where do u sleep? what do u do for fun? who has the best food? are u happy u made this expedition? Answer: We sleep in our tents or in hotels. We like to camp if we can, but Asia is very crowded so there haven't been really good places to camp like in Mexico and Australia. I think Thailand has the best food. I am certainly happy that I am on this expedition, although I do get homesick. | |
| Name: | Beau Brigham |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have you got in any near death experiences on the trip? Answer: Driving in India is always a near death experience. The roads are narrow and the oncoming trucks really barrel down on you. An oncoming truck got so close to D2 it broke it's side mirror. We have also been shot at, but that situation was quickly resolved. | |
| Name: | Joseph |
| School: | los gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Mr. homa is forcing us to ask questions in hopes that you write a novel, but I am interested in the activities and situations that you have encountered on your trip. why do the people you encountered hate bush? do people really hate America as much as or entertainment, I mean news shows, say they do? Answer: Your question, why do the people we encounter hate Bush? is a difficult one. From the day we left the country we haven't heard many positive things about our current president. If the election were global I can tell you it would be a pulverizing landslide in favor of Kerry. Many people view America as very imperialist and that our foreign policy is based on control rather than the democratic values it claims to promote. In terms of hating America, people have a love hate for it. America is renowned world wide for it's freedom and economic opportunities, but it is feared because it seems to put itself above the international community. Since America presently is the strongest nation on earth, many countries feel like they have to bend to the will of it, or suffer serious consequences, and this leads to a lot of irritation world wide As an American I listen to a lot of people's complaints. I also ask people what alternative they would suggest to current crisis's. I try to promote a discuss about these issue so that I can learn a variety of perspectives and ultimately have a greater understanding of issues. As I have mentioned earlier, I avoid arguments, because in my opinion nobody listens. | |
| Name: | brendan |
| School: | lghs |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what's the highest and lowest gas prices you've seen? Answer: The highest gas prices are about $5.00 per gallon. The cheapest gas was in Iran, it cost about 15 cents a gallon, that was four years ago. | |
| Name: | Kai[BrunnenG] |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: how did you get your sponsors? what type of letter did you write these companies for them to endorse their money into your cause? Answer: In order to obtain sponsorship you have to convince potential sponsors to believe in your vision and that you will follow through on what you say you will do. Before we even approached Land Rover we had completed two expedition on our own (privately funded). Our track record was strong. Once you obtain sponsorship from the first company, other companies are more likely to support, trusting the first company made a good decision. The most important thing is to ask companies to help, if you have the courage to ask, your chances are much higher that you will receive. | |
| Name: | Liam Smith |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have any of you run across a shark in Australia? Answer: As a matter of fact we did see sharks while we were swimming in the Great Barrier reef off the coast of Australia. | |
| Name: | Josh |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what is the top speed on a land rover ? Answer: Since our Land Rovers are expedition equipped (very heavy). I feel they lose their stability at about 70 to 75MPH. | |
| Name: | Mike Lopez AKA Silly Goose |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: What was it like to visit the Taj Ma Hal ? Answer: The Taj Mahal is one of the most amazing buildings in the world. There was supposed to be a mirror image (another building that looked like its reflection) across the river. However, Shah Jahan, the ruler who commissioned building the structures was jailed due to his lavish spending habits on building. | |
| Name: | Holly Walker |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How often do you shower? Answer: This depends on if we are camping or not. We try to shower everyday, but sometimes we go a couple days without showering. | |
| Name: | Jen |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: WHATS UP Answer: We are just chillin in Pakistan. | |
| Name: | Liz Caillouette |
| School: | Los gatos high school |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: What was it like meeting the Dalai Lama? Did he give you any good advice? Does he really laugh that much? Answer: It was great meeting the Dalai lama, he was as bright and cheerful as everyone says. His smile told us that we in the right place doing the right thing. He really does laugh a lot, his laughter and giggling is really infectious, something I want to be able to emulate. | |
| Name: | Mel Chan is kool |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How tall is the Dolley lama? Answer: The Dalai Lama seems to be about 5'8. | |
| Name: | Derek Norman |
| School: | Los Gatos Highschool |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What country is the coolest that you've visited so far? Answer: It was really cool to be in Myanmar! It took a lot of work to be able to drive through and the people there were extremely friendly! It was great to have another image of Mandalay, other than Las Vegas. Mandalay is an old city in the middle of Myanmar, it has one of the oldest Buddha images in the world. This image is ceremonially washed every morning. | |
| Name: | Felicia Bersano |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have eaten anything weird? Answer: We have eaten guinea pig, sea snails and a variety of different insects. | |
| Name: | Eleena |
| School: | Los Gatos high |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Is it difficult to keep sanitary during your trip?? Answer: This is not a difficult task. If we don't stay in hotels, we have water with us so showering is always an option. However, the shower water isn't always very warm. | |
| Name: | matt |
| School: | lg |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what is done to the land rovers over stock? locking differentials tire size, lift? what have u broken on the cars? if anything Answer: We have added roof racks, Old Man Emu suspensions, a compliment of Hella lights, and larger tires from BF Goodrich. Most things have held up well, however, we have broken a couple of motor mounts, and now are in hardcore testing area for vehicles, as I am sure they are tired, like we are at this point. | |
| Name: | Kyle bakken |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: have you gone fishing in any of the nations you have visited? if so where? Answer: Nancy has been fishing in Argentina, Chile and Australia. | |
| Name: | Charles Talpas Better known as "Chas" |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How Are YOu? Answer: We are all doing well, but we are looking forward to getting home. | |
| Name: | ian anderson |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: have your land rovers really been pushed to their limit or have you mainly stuck to roads? I never liked land rovers though I've always wanted to. I'm curious as to how they have performed. Answer: We have pushed the Land Rovers to their limits! In some places the roads and terrain has been so tough that it has caused three motor mounts to break so far. The vehicles are holding up well, despite the punishment the roads dole out. Land Rovers are cool vehicles, it is not very hard to like the most well traveled vehicles in the world. | |
| Name: | Chuckles T4 |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Are you afraid to be an American in Pakistan? Answer: I have been in Pakistan before and the people are, for the most part, very friendly and hospitable. However, wherever there are pockets of ignorance there can be dangers. Many Pakistanis have been lead to think that Americans represent a very imperialist country, some of their thoughts are justified and some aren't. There are places in Pakistan, like in America, where fundamentalists have drawn their conclusions and are not willing to listen to anyone who thinks or acts contrary to their beliefs. These are the people who scare me. | |
| Name: | M To The BO |
| School: | RUCKA |
| Grade: | 13 |
| Asked... Question: Did you learn to speak any new languages? Answer: We always try to learn a few words in the local language wherever we are. For instance in Ughyer (the local language of Xinjiang, China) here are a few things. yakshimu siz - hello rach med- thank you | |
| Name: | Ashley Zanotto |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Does the Dahli Lama still know that guy from the movie "7 yrs in Tibet" Answer: Unfortunately I have not seen that movie, and I didn't get a chance to ask him personally. I will have to check out the movie and maybe I could give you an educated guess, or I can ask his nephew when I find out who the person in which you are referring. | |
| Name: | Max Hollander |
| School: | Los Gatos High Shool |
| Grade: | 12th |
| Asked... Question: If it gets too late into the fall and winter season. will you be able to drive through Russia? Answer: Although we do have to fight the cold, the roads sometimes get better in the winter. The rivers can freeze up so they are easier to cross, that is if the ice is strong enough to support the weight of the vehicles. You have to be very careful in the cold, because if you are not prepared, the cold will kill you. | |
| Name: | Emily Feather |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Are you continuing through the colder areas like Russia? Answer: We will be heading into Russia in the next two weeks. We are now in Xinjiang, China buying winter weather gear, big coats, gloves, thermals, etc. I sure hope the vehicles don't break down. | |
| Name: | Kyle bakken |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: did you had any weird encounters with animals while in Australia? Answer: We saw a lot of camels and kangaroos in Australia. A couple of kangaroos threw themselves under Justin's car, unfortunately. | |
| Name: | Cindy |
| School: | los gatos high school |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what has been the most interesting thing that you've seen, done, or experienced? Answer: Varanasi, India is one of the most interesting places I have ever been. The lifestyles and the customs there are so different than anything I have experienced, that is what made the place truly stand out. I don't know if I will ever return, but seeing the burning bodies, seeing people hanging out ready to die, and seeing dead carcasses of babies and animals in the Ganges have forever imprinted themselves in my brain. People have different customs and different ways of doing things and this is very apparent in Varanasi. | |
| Name: | Paris |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Would you consider living in any of the countries you have visited? Answer: This is hard to say right now. I am feeling homesick, so nothing sounds as good as returning to the United States and hanging out with my family. I would consider moving to Australia, or living in South America for awhile, but I will always call the USA home. | |
| Name: | Allie Lemon |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Which country has been your favorite? Why? Answer: Australia has been my favorite country. I really enjoyed being out in the middle of nowhere. I thought it was cool to only see camels, dingoes, and other animals for days on end. | |
| Name: | Kyle bakken |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Have you embarrassed yourself because you didn't know the counties culture? and if so what did you do to embarrass yourself? Answer: Nancy was asked to go home and put some cloths on when she was walking around in shorts in Ecuador. There it is frowned upon for women to wear shorts. | |
| Name: | Jessica |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How many rounds of the alphabet game have you played while driving? Answer: This game is hard to play when you don't see any signs, people or other vehicles for 817km. | |
| Name: | Travis Fatahi |
| School: | los gatos high school |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Are The Land Rover Discoveries fast? Do you race them when you are driving across the desert? Answer: When we were in Australia we and the road split into three different tracks, we raced the rovers. It was fun darting in and out of the bush. If you weren't careful your track would end, and you would have to turn around and let the others get ahead. The Land Rovers aren't that fast, as they are loaded with gear and are not designed to be racers. However, they have plenty of power and get us to where we need to go. | |
| Name: | Shaw cichowski |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What is the drinking age in Cambodia? Answer: I am not sure what the drinking age is, I would assume it was 18 years. In any case the drinking age is not strictly enforced. | |
| Name: | Cindy |
| School: | los gatos high school |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what has been the most interesting thing that you've seen, done, or experienced? Answer: They city of Varanasi was the most interesting place that I have seen. It is a sacred Indian city on the Ganges river. Many Hindu come here to die. Bodies are washed in the sacred water and then burned on the banks. The city had a very strange feel, but I will carry the awkward feelings I experienced there for the rest of my life! | |
| Name: | Brian Register |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How much has the trip cost so far? What was the most interesting? Answer: The trip has cost quite a bit, mostly in gas. The most interesting thing is figuring out all the details involved in completing an expedition of this scale and dealing with all the unexpected stuff the comes up along the way. | |
| Name: | Neil Schuet(Homa) |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What is the worst weather you had? Answer: We drove through torrential rainstorms in Malaysia. We were there during the monsoon season, so it wasn't unexpected. It was some of the hardest rain I have ever witnessed. | |
| Name: | Heather Arnold |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 Homa |
| Asked... Question: What is the weirdest animal you have come in contact with? Answer: The strangest animal we have seen are cassowaries. The are these big huge flightless birds from Australia that can run up to 30mph. The have sharp toes that can really hurt you. Oddly enough the males are the ones who incubate the eggs. | |
| Name: | Rona |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: what inspired you to do this? Answer: The belief that we can make a difference in the world by doing something we loved to do. | |
| Name: | ashley |
| School: | los gatos high |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: did you see elephants in person? Answer: We have seen elephants in Thailand, Myanmar, and also in India. They are amazing animals, they seem really gentle. | |
| Name: | Katrina |
| School: | los gatos (Homa) |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Where do you buy gas? How much does it cost? Answer: There are gas stations all over, but we carry extra gas in case there is none available for a long time. Gas prices range from about $1.50 to $5.00 a gallon. | |
| Name: | heather |
| School: | los gatos |
| Grade: | 12 Mr. homa |
| Asked... Question: What is the weirdest food you have eaten? Answer: In Thailand we tried crickets, worms, and other insects. It was hard to get over the fact that I was eating bugs. | |
| Name: | John Emison |
| School: | LGHS (Mr. Homa) |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: Favorite/most unique latrine facility yet? Answer: This is a tough question because there have been a lot of unique stops. The most unique latrine experience was a hole over a lake where fish we feeding upon whatever was being dumped into the lake. | |
| Name: | Gary Qwozniak |
| School: | School of Hardknocks |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: What country in the world has had the best looking girls? Answer: Argentina has the best looking girls, however, I did not make it to Brazil, where I hear they are pretty amazing. | |
| Name: | Sean Simpson |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Did you learn any languages? Answer: We always try to pick up as much of the local language as we can during the time we are in a particular area. When we were in South America we had a lot of time to learn Spanish, everyone's Spanish skills improved as a result. | |
| Name: | Shannel Vespe |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Did anyone get sick on the trip? Answer: We have all been sick at one time or another, but nothing serious. Colds, flu and some intestinal problems are the usual ailments. | |
| Name: | Wallace |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: What is it like driving around all the way around the world? Answer: It is a great opportunity to see all kinds of different people, eat all kinds of different foods, and see all kinds of cool landscapes. The best thing about the expedition is that you are forced to learn new things everyday! | |
| Name: | erik charles rollin |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | hopefully an A |
| Asked... Question: How is the Mexican food in Pakistan? Answer: I have not had good Mexican food since I left Mexico. I would kill for a burrito right now. There is not a lot of good Mexican food outside of Mexico and the Southwest USA. | |
| Name: | Hilary Norcott |
| School: | Los Gatos High School(Mr. Homa) |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Isn't it boring just driving for so long?(like the longest road trip/car ride ever) Answer: There is always cool stuff to see and people to meet. Everyday is different so it never gets very boring. | |
| Name: | Kim |
| School: | LGHS |
| Grade: | 11-Mr. Homa |
| Asked... Question: what has been your favorite food you've tried-from any country? Answer: My favorite food is Tom Ca Guy, it is a coconut based soup from Thailand, mm mm good! I know that there are places you can get this in the states. | |
| Name: | John Emison |
| School: | Los Gatos High School (Mr. Homa) |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: Are you primarily staying on the roads or do you have to trail blaze parts of the trip? If so, how do you keep from damaging the terrain? Answer: We stay on the roads most of the time. However, don't think the roads are like 880. When we were in Northern India and Western China, it would take us 8 hours to cover 250 km. It would take us this long because the roads are washed outs, pot holed, or seriously windy roads. We do take our own paths sometimes. When we were in Australia, the dirt track would just fade out so we would have to make our best guess as to where the road was suppose to go. If we are going off road we keep our speeds slow and are very conscious of plant life as to not hurt anything we don't have to. | |
| Name: | Alex Henry |
| School: | Los Gatos High |
| Grade: | 11 Homa |
| Asked... Question: where is your next stop? Answer: We are currently in Kashgar, in the Xinjiang province of China. Our next stop is stop is to pick the vehicles back at the border (they are currently in customs) in a city called Tashkurgan. | |
| Name: | Riana Damon |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Where there any parts on the trip that completely shocked you? Answer: I was completely shocked by Varanasi, India. It is a sacred city where many people go to die. The dead bodies are burned by the river side. We saw dogs gnawing on human bones, and dead baby bodies floating in the river. It was a very interesting city, but very hard to take. | |
| Name: | caitlin |
| School: | los gatos high |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: are you sick of the people you're traveling with Answer: Sometimes. | |
| Name: | Katharyn Roberts |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12th Homa |
| Asked... Question: What was the weirdest thing that you have eaten? Answer: In Thailand we ate crickets and worms. I prefer other things to eat. | |
| Name: | Vanessa Luna |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: Mr. Homa says hi! I was curious - Of all the places you've been thus far, which do you think was you favorite and why? Which foods/ religions/ climates/ cultures did you enjoy experiencing? Answer: My favorite place on earth so far is Alaska. It seems to be nature at its finest! Wild animals, endless forests, rugged mountains and vast openness. Alaska just swallows you up. Another thing that endears it to me is the fact you have to learn a lot to live there. Alaska can kill you very easily so you have to learn to respect it. In the process of learning to respect it there are many other things you learn along the way. In terms of food, religions, all countries have great food and all religions have something to offer. The fun is in trying things on to see how they feel. While I was in The Gambia, I learned a lot about Islam I fasted sometimes during the month of Ramadan, that was very difficult, but I gained a profound respect for it because I tried and learned why they did it. | |
| Name: | Jessica Landrum |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12-Mr. Homa |
| Asked... Question: What is the most interesting thing you've encountered on the trip? Answer: The most interesting thing is how people use their resources. In many places nothing is thrown away. People come up with creative fixes for everything, shoes, cars, walls, and all kinds of other things. Back home, we just seem to replace things because resources are so plentiful. I am always very impressed with solutions people come up with when they don't have a lot of resources. | |
| Name: | Josh Weingarten |
| School: | Los Gatos Highschool |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: Which country has the best food? Answer: There are a lot of countries which great food. However, right now I am missing Mexican food more than anything! | |
| Name: | Jessica Saunders |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How often do you stop and go to the bathroom? :) Answer: This depends on how much we drink and if anyone is sick. Generally we stop four or five times during the course of a 10 hour drive. We have to stop every 300 or so miles to fill up with gas. | |
| Name: | Forest Gallien |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 11 Homa |
| Asked... Question: What insight, if any , did the Dali Lama give you? Answer: The Dalai lama reminded me that smiling was one of the best things in the world. | |
| Name: | Chuckles T4 |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How tall is this llama, and where did he get his humanistic features? Answer: The Dalai lama is about 5' 8 in my estimation. He gets his humanistic features from finding and celebrating the joy in each day. | |
| Name: | Wes |
| School: | Los Gatos High School (Mr. Homa) |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How many miles are on the Land Rovers right now, and how many do you estimate they will have at the end of the trip? Answer: There are about 35,000 miles on the Land Rovers currently. When we return there will be about 50,000. | |
| Name: | Kate H. |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: Was it hard to leave your life for so long? What is it like driving around the world, what is the best part? Answer: It is not like your leaving your life, it is like your embracing it. Many people dream about driving or traveling around the world, we have the opportunity to do it. It is difficult to leave family and friends and the good times that could have been had at home, but there are many adventures and stories to be created on the road. The best part is meeting all sorts of new people. I have seen pictures in books of all these places but it is nothing like seeing the sights, smelling the smells, and interacting in these new and different environments. Everyday is a new challenge, so you feel a sense of accomplishment by the end each day. | |
| Name: | Laura Garnett |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: If you could recommend going to one country what would it be? why? Answer: You would need to decide how you would want to be challenged and then ask this question. Countries are like people, they have personalities and they will push you in many different directions, but you always have the potential to learn from the experience and what they have to offer. Africa is very difficult to travel in, but the people are amazing, Asia is very crowded, but if you can see through all the crowds you will make a lot of friends, Europe is beautiful and very easy to travel in coming from the USA.. Keep in mind that sometimes you have to develop your personal comfort zones before heading off to a really remote places. | |
| Name: | Ryan Martin |
| School: | Los Gatos High/ Mr. Homa |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How do you think your perspectives and philosophies have changed from your journey to various places in the world? Answer: Traveling allows you to develop personal bonds with people. It allows you to see how people live and helps you gain a respect for the daily challenges that people have to face. You can understand more fully how policies or changes (floods, wars, famine, peace, or development) can affect peoples lives for better or for worse. The most important thing is that these people are now your friends, and it has a greater importance to you to see their lives improve. | |
| Name: | Emily Harper |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Which place has the best food? Answer: Nick says, "Argentina has the best food, steaks, ice cream, cheese, and potatoes were all really, really good!" | |
| Name: | Emily Augustine |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Hey Homa told us to ask you guys a question! I was wondering how you kill all that spare time when you're driving around? Answer: When we are riding in the vehicles there is a lot of writing that needs to be done to maintain the website and sponsor relations. The navigators have to keep their eyes on the road signs, and there all always new things to take in a long the way. The driving is sometimes pretty intense so that two people need to concentrate on the road. When we are driving on the left side of the road, the passenger often needs to help the driver verify that it is OK to pass. I guess there is always a lot going on, but we listen to music as well and Colin has perfected his skill at a number of game boy games. | |
| Name: | Brooke Hulteen |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12, Mr. Homa's class |
| Asked... Question: What has been your most frightening experience on this trip? Answer: The most frightening experience was probably being shot at in Thailand, or some of the near misses while driving in India. | |
| Name: | Jessica Landrum |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12-Mr. Homa |
| Asked... Question: What has been the hardest part of being away for so long? Answer: The hardest part is being away from my family. I have a new niece that I have not seen yet. She was born in July. | |
| Name: | Abby |
| School: | LOS GATOS HIGH SCHOOL |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: What is the most unique meal you have eaten? Answer: The most unique thing I ever ate was guinea pig in Peru. While I am glad I tried it, I don't think I would order it again. | |
| Name: | Morgan Branon |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: Are you homesick? Answer: Yes I am homesick. Despite all the exciting things I am learning and doing, I really do miss my family a whole lot! | |
| Name: | Philip Kay |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12th |
| Asked... Question: What kind of exotic dishes have you tried? (I'm in Mista Homa's Class) Answer: I have tried guinea pig, sea snails, crickets and worms. | |
| Name: | Shannan Billingsley |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 Homa |
| Asked... Question: How does one manage to keep groomed while crammed in a car all day? Answer: We keep ourselves fairly clean, in the hot areas it is nice to be in the air conditioned car, so you don't sweat so much. Nobody worries about impressing any of the other team members so if you have a bad hair day it is no big deal. | |
| Name: | David Wang |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How is the water? I am in Mr. Homa's Class. Answer: The quality of water depends on where you are. I drink tap water in most places, however, I was very careful when I was in India. I don't recommend drinking the tap water for short term or new travelers, you must build up your immune system first! | |
| Name: | Hilary Norcott |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 12 |
| Asked... Question: How much money will you have spent on gas for your car by the time the trip is over. Answer: A lot! Figure we have four vehicles, traveling 32,000 miles, we get about 12 miles to the gallon and we spend on average $2.75 per gallon. | |
| Name: | Chris Wu |
| School: | Los Gatos High School |
| Grade: | 11-Mr.Homa |
| Asked... Question: What was it like to meet the Dalai Lama?? Answer: It was amazing meeting him, he has such and infectious smile you just want to be like him! | |
| Name: | Akane Otani |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: What has been your favorite country to visit? Answer: My favorite country so far has been Australia. I loved the wide open spaces, the people and the interesting plants and animals there. | |
| Name: | Angela Brown |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: How long do you stay in the countries or places that you visit? Answer: How long we stay depends on what we have to get done or what team members want to see. We are always moving especially since we want to get home by Christmas. I have been in Islamabad, Pakistan for the last 3 days, I hope to return to the mountainous north in the next day or two. | |
| Name: | Kelly Wilkens |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: What is it like to be in India? Is it fun? Answer: India is the craziest place on earth! There are so many people in India! While driving in India you are sharing the road with bikes, cows, elephants, mopeds, motorcycles, cars, buses, tractors, people, monkeys, trucks, and countless other things. The people in India were really nice and there was some amazing sites likes the Taj Mahal. The food was really good as well. India is huge, we were only in the north and central parts of India, I hear the south is pretty amazing as well! | |
| Name: | Kelly Wikens |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What is the Latitude and Longitude of Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India? Answer: Latitude 32º 13' N and Longitude 76º 19E. | |
| Name: | Kyle Oliver |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: In India what's the most famous food dish?? Answer: I don't know what is the most famous, but my favorite is chicken tikka masala, with garlic butter nan, mm mm good! | |
| Name: | Jennifer |
| School: | Orr Middle School |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: What is the Longitude and Latitude of South America Answer: South America spans from 10 degrees north of the Equator to 55 degrees south of the Equator. From east to west is span from 80 degrees to 30 degrees west of the prime meridian. | |
| Name: | big man |
| School: | marcy open school |
| Grade: | 6th |
| Asked... Question: how many miles is it around north america? Answer: This depends on which way you go. If want to encircle North America, Mexico, United States, and Canada, leaving out Central America and the islands I would suppose it would be about 12,000 miles to do a general circle of North America. | |
| Name: | Steve Smith |
| School: | University of Washington |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Where did you guys get all your route planning info? I want to plan a drive from Seattle to Lima but don't know where to start looking for info. Answer: The first place to start is with the idea (which you have). After you have the idea you can break the driving down into segments. Get some good maps and look at the terrain and distances between places. Lonely planet books and www.horizonsunlimited.com both offer really good information. Decide how much time you want to spend 3 months, 6 months or however long. While you are creating this outline different questions will arise. How do I get my vehicle across a border, are there dangerous places along the way, is Tikal out of my way? Treat each problem individually, don't let the number of questions you have overwhelm you. The most important thing to do is set a date in which you will start your journey. Without setting a departure date, your journey will never leave the driveway. Let me know how things are coming, I will be happy to answer as many questions as I can. | |
| Name: | Cheyenne |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What is considered valuable there? What luxury items separate the classes? Answer: Many things that are considered valuable are driven by tv and magazines. Many people have cell phones, DVD and CD are very easy to purchase (many of them are pirated), and everyone has a radio. Only the rich have cars, unless driving is your profession. Many people that own cars, have drivers who drive them. | |
| Name: | Sai Tit Kyauk |
| School: | University of MCC |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What is the most beautiful place in the world? Answer: In my opinion Alaska is the beautiful place on earth! It is unbridled nature, and that is amazing! Alaska has mountains, forests, beaches and lots of wildlife. | |
| Name: | Lauren Nalan |
| School: | Darcy's Daycare |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Have you watched any tv on your trip? Answer: Sometimes there is TV at the hotels in which we stay, however, many of the programs are in different languages. Is really funny watching the Simpson's in Spanish. | |
| Name: | Cory Nalan |
| School: | Kirkwood CC |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What is the most unusual food you have eaten thus far on your journey? What was the tastiest food? Answer: The most unusual food we have eaten is either worms, crickets or guinea pig. The tastiest food has been the bleu cheese and steaks in Argentina! | |
| Name: | Kristin Nalan |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What are some special occasions when families gather together? Do people travel long distances to be together for religious events, such as a baptism? Answer: There are always many reasons to celebrate. Most often people celebrate religious holidays such as the day Buddha became enlightened, the feast after Ramadan, or marriages. People can travel long distances to celebrate these events, however, I don't know of any place where people are as spread out as in the United States. For the most part families live in the same village, if not the same house. | |
| Name: | Kristian |
| School: | |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: When do young children leave their mothers for daycare and/or school? Is it the same in rural and urban areas? Answer: In the urban areas daycares are becoming more common, especially as women move into the work force. However, in most places the family still lives in the same area, or even in the same house. This being the case it is very common for grandparents to have a major responsibility in raising children. In rural areas daycares are virtually non-existent. | |
| Name: | Lauren Nalan |
| School: | Darcy's Daycare |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: How do you say, "I love you" in the language of Myanmar? Answer: Nint Go Ngar Chit De. Nint Go= to you, Ngar= I, Chit De = Love (answer provided by Chetry) | |
| Name: | Cory Nalan |
| School: | Kirkwood CC |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: Is it difficult to go to high school and or college in Myanmar? Answer: School in Burma is easy to enter. High school is pretty much open to all. College is also easy to enter. Keep in mind that Burmese college is the equivalent of a US high school (ie....not worth much) tho..... A masters here is the equal to a US BA etc...) Answer provided by Greg Miller a teacher in Burma) | |
| Name: | Fred Tuerk |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Will you be driving through Vietnam? Answer: Unfortunately, we do not have time to go to Vietnam. We did get a chance to visit Cambodia and Loas. | |
| Name: | RAGA |
| School: | NA |
| Grade: | 63 |
| Asked... Question: how do the peole live in southeast asia Answer: There is a great variety of lifestyles in South East Asia! You have everything from very wealthy people who live in mansions to very poor people who live on the street. Generally the cost of living is a lot lower, people do not make as much money as people do in the US, and people have less disposable income. Also, it is common for several generations to live in the same family compound, or very near one another. | |
| Name: | Liza Groshell |
| School: | Terra Nova High School |
| Grade: | 12th |
| Asked... Question: How are you planning for winter? It looks like the remainder of your trip will be in the north. What will the seasons be like? Answer: We are very anxious about Russia. The winter is coming and this can pose a big danger. Luckily, North Face is one of our sponsors and is going to send us winter gear. Also, we must plan much more carefully. We are doing our best to get through Russia by mid October before the harsh winter sets in! | |
| Name: | Angela Scatena |
| School: | Terra Nova High School |
| Grade: | 10th |
| Asked... Question: Have you eaten any bugs? I had a brother who went to Thailand and ate a very large bug. But I hear that its a good source of protein. Answer: Most of us have eaten bugs, crickets and worms. I didn't like them very well, but they are a decent protein source. | |
| Name: | Russ Batchelder |
| School: | Serenity High School |
| Grade: | 11th |
| Asked... Question: I read in your journals that you will be traveling through Myanmar. How are you preparing for this portion of the trip since it has been decades? Answer: We are preparing for this journey by doing lots of paperwork. In order to drive through Myanmar you must have permits for China and India. Myanmar is concerned with entry and exit. It is extremely difficult to obtain a protected area permit (PAP) to enter Eastern India, as this area has a lot of insurgency activity. In order to obtain permission to enter and exit Myanmar you must be patient and know the right people! | |
| Name: | Dante Groom |
| School: | home schooled |
| Grade: | preschool |
| Asked... Question: are there dinosaurs where you are? Answer: There are no dinosaurs that I have seen yet. However, I know that wooly mammoth bones have been found in Russia. | |
| Name: | Sue Seline |
| School: | Omaha, Ne.Mom |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: If you can buy a cool suit in China for $12, how much is a jade rock? Answer: Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find out what a jade rock costs in China. However, I will try and check and get back to you as soon as possible. | |
| Name: | Sue Seline |
| School: | Omaha Mom |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: After you cross Myanmar, what other countries will you cross enroute to Nepal? Also, How long do you expect it to take to cross Myanmar? Answer: It will take us about one week to cross Myanmar. Unfortunately this is a short time to see an incredibly beautiful country. After Myanmar we will be heading to India, before arriving in Nepal. We would have liked to see Bhutan and Sri Lanka, but due to time constraints we will not be able to this time. | |
| Name: | T.R.M.N Sten |
| School: | TARAGO |
| Grade: | Dansing KING |
| Asked... Question: I hope all are well I am home in Norway now and it is good Send me a mail if you get taim for it Answer: Greetings to our Norwegian hosts! Can you please send me an e-mail as my e-mail address book is not exactly he model of organization. todd@drivearoundtheworld.com | |
| Name: | Karen |
| School: | Los Angeles Mission College |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Will you have guides as you travel in Myanmar? Answer: Yes, self driving tours require guides. I am really looking forward to seeing what Myanmar is like, what kind of food they eat, and what the people look like. | |
| Name: | Alpha |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What kinds of wood are used to make furniture? Is it comfortable? Answer: Furniture is made out of all kinds of materials. Bamboo is used quite a bit in South East Asia. Hard woods are also used for chairs and tables, I will have to take a closer look to see exactly what type of wood is being used. | |
| Name: | Harold |
| School: | San Gabriel |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What are the houses like and how are they furnished? Answer: The houses change based on the economic status of the people who inhabit that house. Also, housing changes quite a bit depending on the environmental conditions. In warmer areas houses can be built with bamboo and grass roofs. In areas where flooding occurs houses are built on stilts, we saw a lot of these in Cambodia. In the cities houses are commonly built out of cement blocks. Furnishing varies also, based on economic status. I have seen houses with a couple of chairs, a trunk and a bed as well as houses that were wall to wall carpeting, sofas, and glass ornaments on shelves. | |
| Name: | Margaret |
| School: | San Gabriel |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Now that it is raining and the rivers are high, are there bridges at regular intervals for crossing the rivers? Answer: This is an interesting question! I know there is a lot of flooding in the areas that we will be heading into, we are monitoring this situation closely, but we are prepared to do some serious river crossings, if bridges are not available. However, we anticipate the roads and bridges to be in good shape. | |
| Name: | Bruce |
| School: | San Gabriel |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What does the average person's house look like? Are they different as you go from one country to another? Answer: Houses are different wherever you go. The similarities between them is that fact the usually have some type of chairs and a room with beds in it. The outward appearance can vary from round to square to recangular. The building materials always vary as well, in Pakistan, there are lot of brick houses, in Eastern India, there were a lot of wooden houses, and in Central America the houses were often made form cement blocks. | |
| Name: | Karen |
| School: | Los Angeles Mission College |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Is the food in Laos and southern China different from Thailand? Answer: Yes the food is very different from China to Thailand. In Thailand they used a lot of coconut and made a lot of curries. In China they fry a lot of their food in oil. All places serve a lot of rice and noodles as bases. | |
| Name: | luke smith |
| School: | n/a |
| Grade: | n/a |
| Asked... Question: what type of modifications did you have done to your vehicles for the trip, and what brands did you use? Answer: We have added a roof rack with a tent. We Each vehicles has an Optima auxiliary battery, an Old Man Emu suspension, and a Warn winch. We have added GPS units, power inverters, and Hella Xenon lights. The Hellas are amazing to drive with at night. We call them Alien abduction lights because that is what it feels like when some one beams you with them. | |
| Name: | Gwen |
| School: | Cullen |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: Why won't you be going to Vietnam? Answer: Although we would love to go to Vietnam, we do not have time to go. By the time we return home we will have been gone or over one year. | |
| Name: | Nuriban |
| School: | Stanton |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Do kids play PlayStation or XBox games in other countries? Answer: Video games are popular all over the world! Especially here in Asia. People fill internet cafes to play online games, game boys are popular and I have seen almost every kind of video game imaginable! | |
| Name: | Paulina |
| School: | LaFetra |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: there many poor people in Guatemala? Answer: Many people struggle to have money in Guatemala. A result of this is most people do not get any type of vacation and can't afford to travel. The need for income often leads kids to drop out of school or leave school because they can't afford books and school supplies. | |
| Name: | Kaylee |
| School: | Cullen |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Are there many motor boats on the lakes? Answer: There are not many motor boats on the lakes. People do not have enough money to by boats that are for fun. There are a lot of boats, but they are used for fishing or transportation. | |
| Name: | Megan |
| School: | Sellers |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: What is the landscape of China like? Answer: We are now in Southern China. It is very mountainous here! In some ways it reminds me of Southern California with the huge mountains, however, it rains a lot here and everything is very green. There are a lot of rice fields too. | |
| Name: | Samantha |
| School: | LaFetra |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Have you seen many waterfalls in Thailand? Answer: Yes, we have seen waterfalls in Thailand. It is now rainy season, so there are a lot of them! | |
| Name: | YuYi |
| School: | Sellers |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Are you ever in danger? Answer: We are sometimes in danger, but we do our best to avoid danger. | |
| Name: | Elian |
| School: | Stanton |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: What is it like in a jungle? Answer: The jungle is really beautiful. It is very green! It is hard to walk through it because there are so many branches and leaves in the way. Also, it is very humid and you can hear the bugs singing! | |
| Name: | Arturo |
| School: | Williams |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: How many flat tires have you had? Answer: We have only had a couple of flats. We had one the other day in Laos. A local guy helped us out with a tire patch and we were quickly on our way again. | |
| Name: | Anthony |
| School: | LaFetra |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: How many miles have you driven so far? Answer: We have driven over 22,000 miles so far, we are almost 3/4 done with the expedition. However, Russia is really big and it will be a challenge to drive through there! | |
| Name: | Megan |
| School: | Sellers |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Are the rules different in different places? How are they different? Answer: Yes the rules are different. From Australia to Thailand we had to drive on the opposite side of the road, like the British. In most places it is illegal to make a right turn on a red light (We got a ticket for that). | |
| Name: | Victoria |
| School: | Stanton |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Where are you right now? How is it different there? Answer: We are in Dali, China. It is raining here, the buildings look a lot different, and we are only eating Chinese food, which is really good! Click on China world bytes to see photographs! | |
| Name: | Amanda |
| School: | LaFetra |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Have you every been pulled over? Have you been to India? Answer: We were pulled over twice in Laos, one for running a red light, that we didn't know was red (red lens was missing) and we got pulled over for making an illegal right turn. We were also pulled over in Mexico. We have not arrived in India yet. We will be there in about one month. | |
| Name: | Paulina |
| School: | LaFetra |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: In Guatemala, did you see a lot of lizards and monkeys? My family is from Guatemala. Did you see a lot of water in Guatemala? Answer: Guatemala is Beautiful! We didn't see a lot of lizards and monkeys, but we saw a lot of volcanoes! We saw a lot of water too! You must be really proud of the country, I look forward to returning there! | |
| Name: | Kaylee |
| School: | Cullen |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Are you tired of driving? Answer: Some times we all get tired of driving! However, it is just so much fun to see everything. You always get inspired by what is around the corner! | |
| Name: | Christine |
| School: | Williams |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Do you speak Spanish? How do you get along in countries where you don't speak the language? Answer: Neil speaks fluent Spanish, he lived in Costa Rica for about 3 years! Several of us knew a little and now know a lot. It was a lot of fun to learn. We use phrase books, hand gestures and a lot of smiles when we don't know the language! | |
| Name: | William |
| School: | Sutherland |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever run out of gas? What do you do? Answer: We have run out of gas, but we always carry extra gas on the roof rack. Generally there are plenty of gas stations. | |
| Name: | YuYi |
| School: | Sellers |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Which parts of China will you drive through? Answer: We will drive through Yannan province in the south as well as Xinjiang province in the north west. | |
| Name: | Samantha |
| School: | LaFetra |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Have you had to cross many rivers? How many do you think you have crossed? Answer: We have crossed about 12 rivers, but we have many more coming up. It is rainy season now in South East Asia and the rivers are big. There has been some flooding in eastern India, so we have a lot of adventure ahead of us! | |
| Name: | Martha |
| School: | Stanton |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: What can you order at McDonald's in Thailand? Answer: Most of the menu is the same in Thailand as the USA, but there are some differences. You can get a pork burger in Thailand, and the dessert pies are made out of corn and taro instead of apples. You can also buy an Ice cream cone for about 30 cents. | |
| Name: | Cory Nalan |
| School: | Kirkwood CC |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: Is drug use very common? Are national policies more liberal or less liberal than in the US? Answer: Drug use is common all over the world! Thailand is part of the Golden Triangle, which includes Laos, and Burma. This is a major opium producing region. Singapore has a no tolerance policy, fines and jail time are very strict. But drug policies seem to very all over the world, many countries just do not have the resources to enforce many drug policies. I think the United States seems to have a middle of the road to slightly conservative policy compared to the rest of the world. | |
| Name: | Jake K. |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: My favorite food is pizza. Do they have pizza there and is it good? Answer: I love pizza too. Here in Thailand it is really good. Pizza Hut is here and so is the Pizza Company. However, Thai food is really good, although it is very hot and spicy. | |
| Name: | Jake K. |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: We are getting ready for our County Fair. Are there fairs over there? Answer: There are not any traditional country fairs here, not the type that people go to an compete for prizes. Since it is the tropics things are quite warm all year around, you can find open outdoor markets pretty much everywhere you go. If you click on the camera icons, on the map on the left, you are sure to see examples of many of these outdoor markets. | |
| Name: | Justin Barrett |
| School: | Red Bluff Union H.S. |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Have you seen any Thai kick boxing matches, or any shows there? Answer: Thailand is the home of kick boxing. Until the 1920's these matches would be to the death. Now, although they are very brutal, they don't have the severe consequences. Adam has been to matches, but the rest of us haven't made it there yet. | |
| Name: | Justin Barrett |
| School: | Red Bluff Union H.S. |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: how many hours do you normally travel in one day? Answer: This depends on where we are. When we drive we usually drive hard. This means, on driving days, we are usually in the vehicles for about 12 hours. Driving long hours enables us to maximize our time in really cool places. | |
| Name: | Justin Barrett |
| School: | Red Bluff Union H.S. |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What is the best food that you have tasted in all your travels? Answer: Chanda says that Tom Yum soup has been her favorite thing to eat on this expedition. Tom Yum soup is from Thailand. This soup has chicken or shrimp, lemon grass, ginger and chilies, mmm good! | |
| Name: | Karina Krall |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | Teacher |
| Asked... Question: What is the one creature comfort that you miss the most, and what is the first thing you want to do when you return to the States? (Hi, Todd!) Answer: I miss a nice living room. A place in a private house where you can sit and have a conversation. No music playing, no crowds, just a comfortable place to hang out. The first thing I will do when I get home is go visit my family, hopefully my mother will have made a cheesecake. I will give my father a giant hug, and drink coffee with my mother. This thought keeps me going through the day to day hardships of the expedition. | |
| Name: | Chuck K. |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | post HS |
| Asked... Question: What is the biggest difference between the cultures of Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand? Answer: Unfortunately we will not be able to go to Vietnam this time. So far we have been to Thailand and Cambodia. Thailand is the most developed nation in this area of the world. The wealth of Thailand can be seen in the cars, the skyscrapers, the public transportation systems and the clothing styles. Also, a big indicator of wealth in a country is if you can by pet food. Although Thailand and Cambodia share a common religion (Theravada Buddhism), the biggest difference in the countries is the fact that Cambodia has been at war and has been very unstable for quite some time. Languages are different and Cambodia has been greatly influenced by the ancient India. | |
| Name: | DeAnna |
| School: | West HS |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Approximately how many people in the US are afflicted with Parkinson's Disease, and how does that number compare to the number of Parkinson's sufferers in other countries? Answer: It is estimated that there are over one million people in the United States with Parkinson's disease. However, the number is probably larger, based on the fact that not everyone gets diagnosed. The rate of incidence in the United States is similar to the rest of the world, although it is very difficult to collect data from undeveloped nations. There are also higher incidences of Parkinson's in rural areas rather than urban areas. | |
| Name: | Gina Donato |
| School: | Santa Fe |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What are some things that you would normally do in the US that would be seen as discourteous in some of the foreign countries to which you've been? Answer: It is impolite for a woman to touch a monk in Thailand. If a woman wants to hand a monk something, she will have to put it on a table or something so she will not be touching it while the Monk is touching it. It is also impolite in Thailand to step over someone, or touch their head. | |
| Name: | Karina Krall |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | Teacher |
| Asked... Question: What are the Top 10 Greatest Learning Experiences you've had so far? Answer: Rather than list 10 I will list one for right now. I was most surprised to learn that there were camels living in Australia. In fact the breeds are so pure that Australia actually exports camels to the middle east. No matter where you go you can always find something interesting and something that will surprise you! | |
| Name: | Marty Krall |
| School: | Solon |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: How are women treated in the job market in Thailand? Are there corporate career women or are most stay at home moms? Answer: In Thailand women are represented in the job market. However, generally women are not as well represented as men, and often receive less money then their male counterparts. As you can imagine, although it is possible for women to achieve careers, it is not as easy for them as men. Although you will find women as managers, you will seldom find them as executives in Thailand. | |
| Name: | Kristin Nalan |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: What has been the most severe weather condition you have had to drive through on this trip? Has weather really been an issue? Answer: The weather has not been an issue at this point. Currently we are in the monsoon season here in South East Asia and we have experienced some serious rainstorms. The rainstorms have slowed the convoy down, but haven't prevented us from driving. During the monsoons here, we will be affect by road conditions and washouts. A four wheel drive vehicle will be necessary for us to negotiate upcoming road conditions. Flooding and washouts are occurring in Manipur (Eastern India) right now. We anticipate more extreme weather in Russia. Right now we will be forced to adhere to a very strict schedule as we need to beat the oncoming winter. It is important, when planning an expedition like this, to be aware of weather condition. Our original schedule had us traveling during ideal weather conditions in all countries, however, due to delay's we have not been able to keep our original schedule. | |
| Name: | Kyle K. |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: It has rained a lot her in the last month. How much rain do you get there? Answer: We are in the middle of the rainy season here, or the monsoon season. It pretty much rains everyday here. | |
| Name: | Kacie K. |
| School: | Buena Vista University |
| Grade: | sophomore |
| Asked... Question: I am home from college for the summer. Do they have year round school or do they have summer vacation? Answer: Thai schools begin in the end of May and continue to October when they have a month break. They resume again in November when they will continue to April and then off for another month until the end of May. | |
| Name: | Mark Krall |
| School: | Solon |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: How did the drive around the world get started? Whose "brainchild" is this and why? Answer: Drive around the world was founded as a creative response to the helplessness that some of us felt upon hearing the news that our family members were affected by this disease. Since we were not doctors or scientist, we figured we could raise money and awareness for the disease. We were committed to being proactive about the diagnosis. Nick Baggarly, steered the project from brainchild to reality. He worked for three years bringing his dream into reality. | |
| Name: | Lila |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: What does Sri Lanka mean in English? Answer: In Sanskrit, an ancient language of Indian, Sri Lanka means resplendent Land. | |
| Name: | John |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | kindergarten |
| Asked... Question: Do they really eat dogs and cats there? Answer: In some of the more remote places dogs are eaten, especially black dogs. I know the dogs are eaten in China as well. I do not believe that cats are eaten here, at least if they do, it is not very common. | |
| Name: | Dan |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Do any of you carry weapons with you for safety purposes, and if so, how does this work when crossing into another country? Answer: We don't carry weapons of any kind. We are often searched at border stops. Weapons are strictly prohibited. We have not run into any situation where a gun would have been helpful. We are very careful to keep abreast of hot spots and avoid them whenever possible. | |
| Name: | Paul Hazelett |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: Who is the linguist in your group? How many different languages do all of you speak, and how do you manage in the countries where none of you speak the language? Answer: We all do our best with we know. Neil was fluent in Spanish, and a couple of us were pretty good. In Central and South America it was really nice because we were only speaking Spanish. Now that we are in Asia, things will be different. Many places we are going in Asia have a strong English influence, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and even Thailand. We will be required to have government guides in China and Myanmar (former British Colony) so we will be able to get by. Justin has studied Russian in the past, so hopefully he will be able to dust that off while we are up north. Generally we can get points across using bits and pieces of the language we know, pointing and using calculators for haggling. | |
| Name: | Jan Isabel |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: What kind of religion or belief system do most of the people follow in Thailand? Answer: Most Thais are Buddhist. More specifically Theravada Buddhists. | |
| Name: | Helen |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Do kids in South East Asia go nuts over brand name clothing like they do in the States? If so, do they have some of our brand names, or what are the popular ones there? Answer: Walking around Bangkok you see tons of Diesel and Van Dutch stuff. It is very cheap here, as it isn't the real McCoy, but it is very popular. | |
| Name: | Jim |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What crops to they import and export in Thailand? Answer: This area of Asia is called the rice bowl. Huge amounts of rice are produced in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. | |
| Name: | Karina Krall |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | Teacher |
| Asked... Question: How long is the school year in Thailand, and what kinds of breaks/holidays do they observe? Answer: The school year is nine months long with a month long break in October and two months in April and May. In Thailand there are several holidays during the school year, the king's birthday, December 5, the queen's birthday August 12, the day of enlightenment for the Buddha July 31, and Thailand's new year celebration April 13,14,15. | |
| Name: | Jackson Donato |
| School: | Santa Fe |
| Grade: | preschool |
| Asked... Question: Do they have pizza in Thailand? Answer: They do have pizza in Thailand. Two big pizza chains include The Pizza Company and Pizza Hut. | |
| Name: | Jason Donato |
| School: | Santa Fe |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: Which country you've visited has the best music, and what's it like? Have any of you purchased any music to bring back to the States with you? If so, what artists? Answer: My favorite place so far was Brasil, without a doubt. I arrived on the last day of carnaval and there were live samba drum troops playing in the streets and in clubs all over Rio! These samba troops, or "schools" are groups of Brasilians who practice all year to compete and play music during carnaval, and it is unbelievable! They are filled with hundreds of people playing different percussive instruments which provide a booming samba rhythm. You can't stand still when you hear it all, it overwhelms your body and soul. Everyone is dancing samba, sweating and moving in a feverish motion, it is truly fantastic. And that is just the samba drum troops. There are other small clubs that I went to many nights where I was listening to live bossa nova and samba played by groups of 3-10 people, and in all of these places, people were dancing, singing and having a wonderful time. Bossa nova is the most sensual music I have listened to. Everywhere you go in Brasil, you hear tunes from Joao Gilberto and Carlos Jobim, and many other Brasilian favorites who play "Corcovado", "Girl from Ipanema", "O pato", etc. It is so beautiful. I grew up listening to these bossa nova tunes with my Mom and being able to come to Brasil and listen, dance and see it all live was a dream come true. I did also discover quite an array of wonderful music as well, that I was not familiar with before, such as Jorge Benjor(my new favorite), or even some other cool music that was a mix of Tango from Argentina and hip hop, called "Gotan Project". Another samba musician is Argemiro Patrocinio. There are endless Brasilian musicians out there, and I hope that you start planning a trip to Brasil soon, you will never regret it. And if you can, look around your local town and find a Brasilian Samba class or group to go check out, you will love it. Neil | |
| Name: | Gina Donato |
| School: | Santa Fe |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: I manage a high end boutique with a wide variety of merchandise. What would my salary be if I did the same in India? Is there such a thing as working on commission there? Answer: In Thailand, It would be the same as in the | |
| Name: | Gina Donato |
| School: | Santa Fe |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: What is the cost of living like in Thailand, and what are some of the general salaries paid out for various jobs, from large to small in pay? Answer: On average people make about 10,000 Baht per month (40 Baht equal one dollar) if you work for a company. Government workers make less, something like 6-7,000 Baht per month. A doctor would make about 20,000 Baht per month. Lawyers would generally make more than doctors. | |
| Name: | Alana |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What celebrities in the US (movie stars or singers) are seen as famous in the countries to which you've traveled? Answer: All the latest movies are released all over the world. In fact I have seen Spiderman II and the latest Harry Potter movie. Pop music is the same way, all the latest stuff we get in the US is present throughout the world, in fact I hear the Beatles over the radio right now. Every country has their own stars of TV and radio. | |
| Name: | Loy |
| School: | Starmont |
| Grade: | teacher |
| Asked... Question: What is your reaction to John Kerry choosing John Edwards as his running partner for president? Answer: It seems like a pretty strategic choice, however, I have not been able to keep up with all the political positions in the United States. I get a lot of international news, but I couldn't tell you exactly where John Edwards stands on many issues. | |
| Name: | Fred |
| School: | Starmont |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What do you use to protect you from the bugs and mosquitoes as you travel? Is there any danger of you contracting the West Nile Virus where you are? Answer: Most team members use insect repellants, although I don't. I just will the mosquitoes away and put up with the bugs. Once you get used them they are not the bad. I don't think West Nile virus is very common in this area. | |
| Name: | Ruby |
| School: | Starmont |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Have any of you come across any dangerous animals in your travels through South East Asia? Answer: We have seen poisonous snakes, crocodiles, and monkeys. Although monkeys look very cute, they are very strong and will attack you if they feel threatened. | |
| Name: | Eileen Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | retired teacher |
| Asked... Question: What types of fine arts programs can you find in the elementary and high schools in India, or do they concentrate mostly on core curriculum like math and science? Answer: Indian schools are based on the English model. The core curriculum is emphasized (which is the same in the States), but I am sure that there are additional programs that are unique to India. When we arrive there I will look into some these programs. | |
| Name: | Roger Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | retired teacher |
| Asked... Question: In the US when a teacher retires, there is IPERs and social security. What kind of retirement plans can teachers in some of these foreign countries get, if any? Answer: In There are also private programs and insurance policies just like in the states. | |
| Name: | Jordan Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | 3rd |
| Asked... Question: I like all sports. What kinds of sport do the kids in Sri Lanka play? Answer: Sri Lanka is a former British Colony, therefore many sports introduced by the British are popular there, these sports include; soccer, cricket, badminton, tennis, and rugby. | |
| Name: | Gavin Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | kindergarten |
| Asked... Question: Do kids in Thailand have kindergarten? What do they learn in school at that age? Answer: Kids in Thailand go to kindergarten. It is a lot like kindergarten in the United States except they speak Thai instead of English. | |
| Name: | Kory Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: I like to spend time at our cabin swimming, boating, skiing, and fishing in the Mississippi River. Do the kids in any of those countries have those kinds of opportunities? Answer: Not a lot of people have cabins here in Thailand. Most people do not generally have the money to have two houses, or boats to ski behind. Also it is more crowded here, so there are not too many places where you can go to get away from the crowds. Kids like to swim, fish, play video games and shop. In the rural areas many kids have a lot of work to do when they are not attending school. | |
| Name: | Dena Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: How do you go about showering and doing your laundry on this trip? Did you all bring enough appropriate clothing or have you had to purchase some along the way? Answer: We generally shower when staying at hotels. We have water so that we can take showers when we are camping as well. All though we don't shower everyday when we are camping, but don't let ourselves get too out of control, we have to ride in cars together, so we police ourselves. Part of the fun of traveling is buying cloths along the way. There are different styles wherever you go, there is a certain style of pants here that are really baggy, but they are great for the heat. | |
| Name: | Barry Klingman |
| School: | Nashua-Plainfield |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Do you sleep in your land rovers or do you find hotels or other lodging as you travel? If applicable, describe some of the lodgings in which you've stayed. Any amenities? Answer: We sleep in our Land Rovers where we can. In the cities we often sleep in hotels or guest houses. In all major cities you can find a whole range of hotel accommodations, from ones that have a slightly clean mattress to four star spreads. Since we have vehicles we are very careful about finding safe places to park, parking often dictates where we stay. Most all of the hotels we stay ate have most of the amenities. Here in Thailand some of the selling points of hotels are whether it has AC, hot water, TV, or private bathroom. We have stayed at some rough places out in the rural areas, but nothing too bad. | |
| Name: | Karina Krall |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | Teacher |
| Asked... Question: Describe what has touched you most emotionally about the countries you've been through; pick a specific instance or circumstance and explain why it is something you will never forget about this trip. Answer: I will never forget Cambodia! After reading the horror in which they have been through and to see them smiling and very friendly is a lesson to all of us. I would imagine there is hardly a person in that country that hasn't been personally affected by all killing that has gone on their in the last 50 years, a mother, a father, a friend..... | |
| Name: | Larry Cassabaum |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: Which country(ies) have been the most difficult to get permission to drive through and why? Answer: The most difficult countries to drive through have been Myanmar (Burma) and India. Our current route has us heading into China to Myanmar and to India. We would have liked to drive from Thailand through Myanmar, but due to governmental restrictions and insurgent activity we had to choose a different course through China. The most difficult place to get driving permits is far Eastern India, Assam, Manipur, and that area. There is a lot of political unrest in this area and the Indian government, therefore a lot of this area is very restricted. Nobody has driven through this area since 1953. | |
| Name: | Barb Kabela |
| School: | West Branch HS |
| Grade: | graduate |
| Asked... Question: In the various countries to which you've traveled, how are unmarried, older women viewed? For example, is there any stigma attached to being 40 yrs. old and never married? Answer: In Thailand people are usually married by 30 years old. Now it is not uncommon for women not to marry. Career women are thought to be smart, and lucky because they do not have to depend on a husband for money. In the past unmarried older women were not as well accepted, but things are definitely changing now in Thailand. If I asked me this question, the answer might be different. | |
| Name: | Ashley Krall |
| School: | Solon HS |
| Grade: | 8th |
| Asked... Question: I am at the point where I'm starting to be interested in dating. At what age do foreign kids, like in India, start dating and how do they go about it? What are the social dating customs, and what role do the parents play in deciding who is appropriate to date/marry? Answer: This is a tough question because it changes so much depending on the country. Most people start becoming interested in dating when they are about 16. I will begin interviewing people about this and give you some answers. | |
| Name: | Camille Krall |
| School: | Solon HS |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: I collect Beanie Babies. Do the children of any of the countries you've been to know what they are or collect them, too? If not, what kind of toys and things do the kids collect? Answer: A couple of the people I talked to collected stamps and coins. There are all sorts of little toys and gadgets here as well. I have seen a lot of Gameboys as well! | |
| Name: | Marty Miller Krall |
| School: | Solon HS |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: As a mother of two young girls, I find I spend most of my summer running them to practices and lessons of all kinds (sports, music, swimming, etc.). In what kinds of activities do the children of Thailand participate in the summer months? Is it similar in any way? What do some of these activities cost? Answer: Summer activity will directly depend on a families income level. Sports, music, dancing, and schooling are all available, if the money is available. Often times both parents work so parents will only be available to drop their children off and pick them up. Many students and children us the public transportation systems, these include motorcycles for hire, and buses in the cities. It is amazing to see young girls riding side saddle on motorcycles. I am not sure what these activities cost, what I do know is that you can buy a great dinner for less than $1. | |
| Name: | Mark Krall |
| School: | Solon HS |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Does Thailand have four seasons like in the Midwest US, and what are the high and low temperatures throughout the year? Answer: Thailand does not have four seasons, it has two seasons. The two seasons are the rainy season and the dry season. Currently we are in the rainy season (or monsoon season) which extends from May to September. Now it almost rains everyday. | |
| Name: | Paul Hazelett |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: I am a huge Harley motorcyle fan. What kinds of motorcyles (if any) do you find in the various countries? Is it a popular way to travel? Is riding motorcyles in these countries for entertainment or purely functional? Answer: Motorcycles are everywhere! They are really common here in Asia. They are real benefit as they always get to the front of the traffic lines and they are fairly inexpensive to operate. They seem to have their own set of rules, it seems like they are driven more like bikes in the USA. I have seen them being driven down the wrong side of the street andI have seen them occasionally popup on the sidewalks as well. It seems somewhat chaotic, but no one seems to mind. Check out some of the pictures (camera icon) we have posted, and check the journals as well, there are quite a few traffic pictures. I will also try to post a few motorbike shots in the future! You don't see a lot of the touring bikes on the road here, however, it is the rainy season. In the less developed countries motorcycles are mostly used for functional purposes. It is amazing to see how many people can fit on a motorcycle, I have seen entire families riding on one! I have seen mostly Hondas and Kawasaki's, the average size seems to be about a 750. | |
| Name: | Jan Isabel |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: You all have been away from your families and loved ones for some time. Individually, what changes (in your personal lives and in the U.S. in general) do you anticipate when you return home? Answer: After my most recent excursion to Cambodia, I will never look at Cambodia the same way again. After learning about all they went through in the past 50 years, and the fact that you still see people with smiles on their faces everywhere, it was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I hope not to be quick to judge and appreciate people more for their experiences! | |
| Name: | Karina Krall |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | Teacher |
| Asked... Question: As you travel through these foreign lands, what do you find is the current consensus of the people in regard to the U.S. war with/occupation of Iraq? Has the war hindered your trip in any way as far as being allowed access into certain countries? Answer: I get the feeling that many countries are questioning the United States judgment. I have received a number of negative comments focused on the US foreign policy. I am fairly good at diffusing tensions and changing the subject. I can only think of a few situations where this prevented me from getting done what I needed to in a timely fashion. | |
| Name: | Karina Krall |
| School: | North Cedar HS |
| Grade: | Teacher |
| Asked... Question: Choose a country to which you have recently been on this excursion and describe the most amazing thing you have seen there in terms of natural beauty of the countryside. Answer: I thought Australia was absolutely beautiful. The dirt was a deep red, contrasting beautifully with the wispy blue sky. In between these colors there was an endless carpeting of low lying plant life. The flora seemed to appear as throw rugs on a giant red hardwood floor. In addition to this sedentary scene add camels. These beasts created a prehistoric feeling that seemed to envelope you. I felt I was in the land of the lost. | |
| Name: | Gamble |
| School: | loveland |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: How many months in a typical year do Thai kids go to school? Answer: In Thailand students attend school about 9 months out of the year. They have a two month break in April and May and a one month break in October. | |
| Name: | John S. |
| School: | Iowa City |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: What type of animals are typically kept as pets? Answer: In Thailand the most common pets are dogs and cats. | |
| Name: | Deb |
| School: | Bankers |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Have you touched any monkeys? Answer: Yes I have touched monkeys. When we were in Costa Rica we had the opportunity to hold sloths. You must be careful around monkeys as they can be very dangerous if they think you might hurt them. They are also very clever and like to steal food. | |
| Name: | patricia |
| School: | gale |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: How do you say I Love You in Thai? Answer: I love you in Thai sounds like "Chan ra coon". I can't spell it in Thai as they have a different alphabet then we do. | |
| Name: | gina |
| School: | edgewood |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What is a "typical" family like in Thailand? Do grandparents, parents, children & grandchildren all live with each other or in very close proximity? Answer: Family members often times live very close to one another. Often times there are family compounds where the family will keep building more buildings to house new families as they are created through marriage. However living arrangements depend largely on family income. If the family income is low, the family will be in much closer quarters than one that has more money. | |
| Name: | Garrett Rees |
| School: | Riverside |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: What has been your favorite food so far? Answer: My favorite food is cheese! They had the best cheese in Argentina. Bleu cheese is my favorite! | |
| Name: | Connie Rees |
| School: | kirkwood |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What are the gas prices in Thailand? Answer: In Bangkok, Thailand gas prices are about 15 Baht per litter. There are 3.8 liters in a gallon and about 40 Baht per dollar. 15x3.8/40= $1.42 per gallon | |
| Name: | Gamble |
| School: | loveland |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: I remember I heard nick the group leader on the radio and the guy on the radio asked you what you ate? you said you ate a guinea pig did you eat it with any special sauces that were a delicacy to any natives. Answer: The people of Peru liked fried guinea pig, much like we eat fried chicken, just by itself. Although, you could put ketchup on it or some special sauce, it tasted ok on it's own. I think my guinea pig came with french fries. | |
| Name: | skubal |
| School: | regina |
| Grade: | 6 |
| Asked... Question: can you find cheap labor over in Thailand? Answer: The cost of labor is much cheaper in Thailand than in other places in the world. | |
| Name: | skubal |
| School: | regina |
| Grade: | 6 |
| Asked... Question: are the natives restless? do they pose a threat? Answer: In almost any country there is a certain amount of restlessness. There are definitely some spots you want to stay away from, but for the most part things are pretty peaceful. | |
| Name: | skubal |
| School: | regina |
| Grade: | 6 |
| Asked... Question: are there crazy snakes out there? Answer: There are some pretty crazy snakes here, especially in Australia! While I was in Cambodia the other day I saw people playing drums that used snake skin for drum heads, I was really surprised! There are pythons, and many kinds of poisonous snakes here. You really have to be careful! | |
| Name: | Gamble |
| School: | Loveland |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: how long do you spend each day answering these questions? P.S. Do you like getting questions? Answer: The amount of time I spend answering question depends on how many I get. I generally spend about 1/2 hour on 10-15 questions. Some times I know the answers, sometimes I have to ask other people for help. I do enjoy answering questions. I really like to learn and find out answers. It is interesting to me what people ask. I have gotten some really good questions! | |
| Name: | Remy |
| School: | Loveland |
| Grade: | 3 rd |
| Asked... Question: What kind of animals did you see in CAMBODIA? Answer: We saw elephants and monkeys in Cambodia. Although I did not see a deer, I saw a deer crossing sign in Cambodia. I was really surprised to see that! Other animals that live in Cambodia include; tigers, bears, many types of birds and snakes. | |
| Name: | Gamble |
| School: | Loveland |
| Grade: | 5 th |
| Asked... Question: Do they have the same pets we do in Thailand? If not what kind of pets do they have? Answer: For the most part they have similar pets in Thailand as we do in the United States, mostly dogs and cats. However, in Thailand it is possible to have a monkey or another kind of exotic animal that is native to this country, although this practice is not common nor recommended. In Phukett it is now illegal to have a Gibbon (a type of ape) as a pet. | |
| Name: | Cheyenne |
| School: | home school |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: How have people viewed pets where you have traveled? Do many people own pets and treat them as they do in the U.S.? Answer: I have often thought about writing from a dog's point of view. I would state what I liked about a country and some complaints. At the end of the expedition I would decide, if I was a dog, where would I like to live. To answer that question now I would say if I was a dog I would probably like to live in Chile or Argentina. It seemed like the dogs were well taken care of and had a certain freedom to roam. In Thailand, there are many dogs on the street, although it seems as the people are very respectful of dogs and cats. They give them extra food scrapes and never seem to beat them or throwing things at them. | |
| Name: | Kristin Nalan |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: What is the typical work week for someone who lives in a small town in Thailand? Answer: In small town Thailand one of the most common jobs is rice farming. However, this is becoming less and less important as Thailand's manufacturing and tourist industries continue to grow. Most people in Thailand work at least 10 to 12 hour days. There is always a lot to do when it comes to farming. | |
| Name: | Kristin Nalan |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: Have you heard much about the Olympic Games as you have traveled? Answer: We haven't heard much about the Olympic games, but we have heard a lot about the European Soccer Cup. The games came on here at about 2:00am. The cab drivers here in Thailand attributed their decline in business to the European Cup. The road to Lisbon was everywhere. | |
| Name: | Kristian |
| School: | Darcy's Daycare |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Have you celebrated any birthdays while on your trip? How have you celebrated? Are birthdays important to people in the places where you have been driving? Answer: Almost the whole team has celebrated their birthday on the road. All but Nick and Chanda, at this point. Nick's birthday is on July 23 so send him a birthday greeting nick@drivearoundtheworld.com. We have had little celebrations for everyone, we try to buy people a beer or something, but we are often on the road and birthdays pass without too much or a hurrah!. Birthday's are celebrated all over the world. Here in Thailand the King and Queen's birthday's are national holidays. | |
| Name: | Lauren Nalan |
| School: | Darcy's Daycare |
| Grade: | age 3 |
| Asked... Question: What are the names of some of the kids you have met while traveling? | |
| Name: | Kristin Nalan |
| School: | West Branch |
| Grade: | post high school |
| Asked... Question: Often when we travel, we are reminded that the world really is a small place...what experiences have you had that remind you of home and that people really aren't that different regardless of where you live? Answer: When you see people smile and laugh, you know that without a doubt we are all very similar. I am reminded of home every time I see a twinkle in someone's eye. | |
| Name: | mrs.grant |
| School: | diasy elementry |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: When im in middle school can i visit Answer: Where would you like to come visit? | |
| Name: | Robyn |
| School: | Birmingham |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: What has been your biggest challenge in adapting to the different cultures you have come in contact with? Answer: The biggest challenge is learning to use the native language. Communication is really important! When you can't clearly communicate with someone, a job, a favor, or a request for help is much harder. Nothing is simple when you are trying to communicate in a different language. | |
| Name: | Robyn |
| School: | Birmingham |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: Do you miss the States? If so, what do you miss most? What do you miss the least? Answer: I miss hanging out at home, drinking coffee with my mother. The thing I miss the least is that everyone seems to be in a hurry in the USA. I don't get the feeling that people are always listening to each other there. | |
| Name: | Robyn |
| School: | Birmingham |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: What has been the most difficult part of the trip? Answer: The most difficult part of the expedition has been being away from our families. Most all of us have experienced some kind of homesickness along the way. The constant packing and unpacking the of bags is difficult too, always living out of a bag. | |
| Name: | Christina |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 12th |
| Asked... Question: How did each country differ from each other (culture/climate/people)? Answer: There are so many differences between all the different areas in which we have traveled. In terms of climates we have traveled in cold snowy climate in the high Andes, tropical climates in Central America and South East Asia, and deserts in Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Australia. These are just a few examples of the varied terrain and climates we have experienced. The food has also been an interesting marker of cultural differences. Now in Thailand we eat a lot of rice and noodles. Things are very spicy here. In Argentina we ate a lot of beef and things weren't very spicy. In Peru we ate a lot of chicken and potatoes, which wasn't very spicy there either. In Mexico, the rice and beans were very spicy! We haven't had a lot of beans in too many other places. People's sizes are a lot different as well. In Northern Peru and Ecuador people were very small. People were much bigger in Chile, Argentina, and Australia. Now that we are in South East Asia people are much shorter again, it is sometimes hard to find shoes and sandals that fit. | |
| Name: | ally |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: did the leaches work on Nancy's swollen ankle? Answer: Nancy got a foot massage at the same time as she tried the leeches. She says that her foot got better, but doesn't know if it was due to the massage or the leeches. Maybe it was both. | |
| Name: | Gina |
| School: | Home schooled |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: How are you communicating with so many different people? Answer: It is often difficult to communicate in so many different languages. We are fortunate that English is very widely spoken. Many people understand English, or English speakers are often around to help translate. However, sometimes we have to do a lot of pointing. Another useful tool is a calculator. When we are in markets we can often bargain with calculators, they show us a number, and then we can reply back with a different number. When we finally agree on a price we just nod our heads in agreement. | |
| Name: | Liew-Seong Chee |
| School: | Malaysian PD Association |
| Grade: | Vice President |
| Asked... Question: May I see your journals while in Malaysia, and pictures taken on May 29, 2004 at the Charity Dinner of MPDA in Summit Hotel, Subang Jaya? Answer: Yes, I will post some of them this week, 15- July. Thank you for asking about them! | |
| Name: | Sunita |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: While driving how do you know what way you are going north south east or west? Answer: We have GPS units and digital and magnetic compasses. GPS stands for Global Positioning Satellites. This unit, with the help of satellites, calculates your speed, position, heading, and a lot more. Despite this technology we sometimes get lost. | |
| Name: | shyrley |
| School: | universidad catolica |
| Grade: | 5° |
| Asked... Question: quien es el que repsonde las preguntas? Answer: Me llamo Todd. Yo respondo casi todas las preguntas! | |
| Name: | Glenn Rogers |
| School: | Plymouth |
| Grade: | 8 |
| Asked... Question: Are you going to see the bridge on the river Kwai, didn't that take place in Thailand? |Answer: Yes, we went to see the bridge on the River Kwai. The movie was filmed here in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Although the actually story is fictional, the building of the bridge with POWs and civilians was true. Do to the number of deaths while building the railroad, the railroad earned the name "Death Railway". | |
| Name: | Asia Chantell Black |
| School: | Detroit Academy of Arts And Science |
| Grade: | 7th |
| Asked... Question: How are your reactions on how many innocent women men and children die from this deadly disease does this boost up your stamina to help more and put more effort and time in? Have you all ever thought of adopting the needy children there bring them back and give them a better life? Answer: Although Parkinson's is a terrible disease, as it slowly takes ones physical abilities away, it doesn't usually kill you. Also, while it effects young adults and middle aged adults, it primarily strikes when people are 60 or older. We have been interviewing people all around the world with this disease, there personal stories and the challenges they face inspire me and increase my resolve, daily, to defeat this disease! There are needy children all over the world, including in our own country. While I have thought about adopting a child, I would most likely start by looking locally for someone to adopt. | |
| Name: | Dan Baldwin |
| School: | Freemont |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Can you please eat a scorpion and tell me what it tastes like?? Answer: Neil has volunteered to eat a scorpion. He will tell you all about it in the upcoming week! | |
| Name: | Alicia |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: why did you guys or girls go to Malaysia? Answer: We went to Malaysia because it is a beautiful country, and it was on our way. We had a great jungle walk there were we saw giant walking sticks and a pit viper! | |
| Name: | Emi |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever been to India. Answer: Nick, Chanda, and I have been to India. It is a wonderful country. The food is great and many people there speak English. | |
| Name: | Emi --- Jean |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever been to Myanmar? Answer: This will be the first time to Myanmar for all of us. | |
| Name: | shawn |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 th grade |
| Asked... Question: do you like driving around the world? Answer: Driving around the world is great! We get to taste all kinds of food we have never tasted before, see animals roaming in their native habitat, try to speak many different languages, and see all kinds of interesting sites. There is so much you can learn while traveling, it is very exciting! | |
| Name: | shawn |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4th grade |
| Asked... Question: I like bug good by? Answer: Excellent! | |
| Name: | shawn |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 th grade |
| Asked... Question: do like bugs like mosketos flies butterflies ants grasshoppers? Answer: I like to study them because the look really neat. I don't particularly like to eat them, because I don't like the way they taste. I also don't like the way mosquitoes bite me and flies buzz around my head. I do like honey that is produced by bees and I think butterflies are very beautiful! | |
| Name: | shawn |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 th grade |
| Asked... Question: do you travel around the world a lot? Answer: Actually this is my third time traveling around the world. The first time I did it by train, last time I did it by car (east to west), and now I am doing it by car again, going from North to South. Traveling is great! You learn a lot and always come home very inspired! | |
| Name: | shawn |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 th grade |
| Asked... Question: have you ever traveled to china before? Answer: This will be my third time to China. Nick and Chanda have been there as well. China is huge! It is wonderful to see Mt Everest in Tibet, the Great Wall, and eat Chinese food everyday! | |
| Name: | shawn |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4grade |
| Asked... Question: do you like catching snakes? Answer: Snakes scare me. Australia has 10 of the 10 most deadly snakes in the world! I stay away from snakes, but if there is a snake handler around I would go near them. You have to know what you are doing if you are going to go into the snake catching business! | |
| Name: | Jenna |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Were the eels big in south east Asia? Answer: I have only seen small eels here, but that doesn't mean there are not some really big ones here. I think there are some giant eels in the Mekong delta in Vietnam and Cambodia. Also, there are giant Morey eels (2.5m) off the coast of Australia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. | |
| Name: | Jenna |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Do you like being in south east Asia? Answer: It is great being in South East Asia! It is a huge change from being in Australia. The language has changed, the food has changed, and the weather has changed. The food here is very spicy, the weather is hot and it rains everyday. The people are great and it is wild to see elephants walking down the road! | |
| Name: | isiah gardner |
| School: | brayton el. |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: are there any posinus snakes there or any animals that are there poisonous? Answer: Australia is home to the 11 most deadly snakes in the world. However, there are poisonous snakes here. The other night the team walked right by a pit viper without even knowing it! You have to be careful here? Can you name some of the poisonous snakes in the United States? | |
| Name: | Jenna |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: where the eels that you saw big in south east Asia? Answer: I have only seen small eels here, but then again I haven't been scuba diving here. There are some huge eels here in the oceans and rivers. The only eel I saw was in a market, it was very colorful! | |
| Name: | Kira Elizibeth Armstrong |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: What do you eat when you are stranded on a island. Do you eat people .Can you eat people. DO YOU??????? Answer: First of all, I hope we never get stranded on an island with no food. In order to survive, some people have resorted to eating other people, but that would only be a last resort for us. We usually are pretty well prepared so we hope it doesn't come down to that. We have extra food along with us so that should hold us for awhile anyway. We also have a satellite phone so we could order something to be delivered. | |
| Name: | ISAIAH GARDNER |
| School: | BRAYTON EL. |
| Grade: | 4TH |
| Asked... Question: HOW MANY SNAKES ARE THERE OR SPIDERS OR POISONOUS ANIMALS TELL ME NOW? Answer: There are all sorts of these things! Australia is home to the 11 most deadly snakes in the World! You have to be very careful here and mind where you are walking. When there are snakes around it is important to shuffle your feet, this lets the snakes know you are coming, because they can feel it. Snakes don't want to bit you, but they will if you get to close and they feel threatened. There are also constrictors here, and all sorts of other animals! | |
| Name: | nathan mcmillian |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: Do hurricanes sometimes occur there? Answer: Hurricanes do not occur here, but monsoons do. Monsoons are heavy rains, but do not have as forceful of winds like hurricanes do. | |
| Name: | David Taylor |
| School: | Brayton Elementry |
| Grade: | 4thgrade |
| Asked... Question: what is sunga art and what is barhut and what is the stupa? Answer: A stupa is Buddhist shrine, temple, or pagoda that houses a relic or marks the location of an important event. Barhut is a town in India Sunga is time period in India. In England time periods were market by the kings and queens, therefore, we have a Victorian Period, and Elizabethan period. In India it is the same way, the periods were marked by who was in charge. During the Sunga period the Sungas were in charge. | |
| Name: | Jenna |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever been to the museum in India? Answer: We have not made it to India yet, but I am looking forward to seeing the museums there. | |
| Name: | nathan mcmillian |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4th |
| Asked... Question: What is Buddism? Answer: Buddhism is a religion that is practiced all over South East Asia, China, and Japan. Buddha was a great teacher that lived a long time ago. His teachings are very peaceful. | |
| Name: | David Taylor |
| School: | Brayton Elenmentry |
| Grade: | 4th Grade |
| Asked... Question: have you learned any different languages while traveling around the world if so, what languages are they? Answer: We all spoke Spanish for the first three months of the expedition. Now, since we are in Thailand, we are doing our best to learn Thai! Thai is much harder to learn than Spanish. In the future we will have to speak Chinese, Russian, and a few other languages! | |
| Name: | timothy |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: do you know how long birds have been there Answer: I don't know how long they have been here, but they have probably been here longer than humans! | |
| Name: | David Taylor |
| School: | Brayton Elementry |
| Grade: | 4th grade |
| Asked... Question: while you have been traveling around the world, have you eaten any different kinds of foods in south east Asia china etc. Answer: One of the best things about traveling is trying the different types of food. In fact, last week I even tried to eat fried worms. I don't think I will do that again, but I had to try it, that is the adventure of it. Colin ate a grasshopper, and we all tried sea snails in Chile and guinea pig in Peru. I am not sure what we will try in China or Myanmar, but I look forward to it! | |
| Name: | David Taylor |
| School: | Brayton Elemenetry |
| Grade: | 4th grade |
| Asked... Question: my question is why are u doing this thing any way? whats the purpose for doing it? why do u want us to donate money and what is the Parkinson's disease or wat ever it is and another thing, do you just do this web site for fun, or are u really going to answers all our questions that all these people have written and when are you going to? another thing to, wat the daisy is a Parkinson's disease? 1 more thing to my question, I think ive heard about you traveling around the world if so, have u witnessed any hurricanes, tornados, or any natural disasters, or what kind of animals have you seen in your traveling please answer me back! ps. do you travel almost 24/7? Answer: Parkinson's Disease is a disease the affects the nervous system. People with Parkinson's disease gradually loose control of there muscles over time. They become weaker and are not as steady on the feet as people without Parkinson's Disease. Many of us have family members with this disease. We don't want to see them suffer, and firmly believe that a cure can be found very soon. Money is needed to help Doctors and Scientists find a cure. We would like people to donate money so a cure can be found soon. As you can see, we have answered all the questions that we have been asked. I will generally answer questions within a week of them being posted. I would like to answer them faster, but sometimes I am in the middle of the jungle. In Thailand the monsoons have set in. You should see the rain as it pours down. It has rained everyday since we arrived in Thailand two weeks ago! There are all sorts of animals here in Thailand. You can see elephants walking down the street, I even rode one! You can see monkeys, cats, lizards, and all kinds of different birds! | |
| Name: | taylor |
| School: | brayton elementry |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: how can you stand that weather 22 dagrease wow. Answer: Is that 22 degrees F or 22 degrees C? 22 degrees is not too bad in either scale! | |
| Name: | tim |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: what is it like being in many countries? Answer: It is a lot of fun. You always have to learn new things. When you go to a new country you generally have to change money, learn about new types of food, and sometimes learn another language. Traveling is challenging, but you can see many new things and learn tons. I encourage everyone to go traveling! | |
| Name: | taylor |
| School: | brayton elementry |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Nancy what animals live there? Answer: Here in Thailand you can see elephants, monkeys, giant lizards, snakes, and many types of birds. It is a lot of fun to see all the different types of animals. | |
| Name: | Schuyler williamson |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: What is the dress code? Answer: There is no specific dress code. When we are doing visits we wear our Drive Around the World expedition shirts. When you are traveling it very important that you respect the local customs in terms of what you wear. When we were traveling in Iran it was important for Chanda to cover up. When traveling it fun to buy and wear local clothing as it usually is perfectly suited to the environment you are in. | |
| Name: | taylor |
| School: | brayton.e. |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: what do you do while your there? Answer: While we are here we do a variety of things. We can drive through the highlands seeing the tea plantations, we can look at the many temples around, we can take boat trips up and down the canals in Bangkok, or just hang out an watch a movie. Thailand has everything you can imagine. | |
| Name: | Daryl |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: What is your favorite car you have drove in? Answer: Land Rover's of course! Chanda, says that one of her favorite cars is a Freelander, she says they are very comfortable, very capable and inexpensive to operate. | |
| Name: | Taylor Gerhart |
| School: | Brayton .E. |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Where are you write know. Answer: We are in Bangkok, Thailand right now. We will soon be heading north to Laos and China. | |
| Name: | Jenna |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Is it fun in south east Asia? Answer: It is a lot of fun here! It is amazing seeing elephants walking down the street, riding in a tuk tuk, or walking by a golden Buddhist temple. | |
| Name: | natalie serrano |
| School: | Brayton E |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: what do you do for jobs. Answer: We all have very specific jobs on this expedition. Adam is the film director, Chanda is the web designer, Nick is the leader, and I keep up the educational web site. | |
| Name: | timothy |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: what kind of animals have you seen? Answer: We have seen all kind of animals; camels, kangaroos, gibbons, sloth, cattle, snakes, and many others. One of the coolest things about traveling is you can see a lot of animals in the their native habitat. It is really neat seeing them just roaming around! | |
| Name: | Daryl |
| School: | Brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever rode in a boxer? Answer: Chanda has ridden in a boxer. | |
| Name: | timothy |
| School: | brayton |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: what are you doing? Answer: We are driving around the world raising money and awareness for Parkinson's Disease. | |
| Name: | Renate |
| School: | Los Gatos |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Do typhoons and hurricanes rotate in the same direction in the northern and southern hemispheres? Answer: Hurricanes are cyclonic, meaning the air mass rotates counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere (SH). A typhoon is basically a hurricane just a different name that applies to regions of the Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes have very low pressure in the eye, surrounded by the cyclonic flow. In general air masses flow counter-clockwise around lows (pressure lows) in the NH, and clockwise around lows in the SH. This is due to the force balance between the pressure gradient and the coriolis force. The coriolis force acting on a moving air mass is opposite in direction in the NH and SH, thus the moving air masses have the low pressure side of the pressure gradient on the left in the NH and low pressure on the right in the SH. (answer provided Dr. Robert Menzies) | |
| Name: | Jim |
| School: | Rock |
| Grade: | A |
| Asked... Question: Have any of you found a better place that you would rather live permanently than here in California? Please take into account health care, cost of living and cultural and educational opportunities. If so, why? Also, do you think that SCO has any basis at all in the GNU/Linux lawsuits? Answer: Although there are many magical places around the world, California will always be home to me. I will answer the Linux question soon.... | |
| Name: | Emma Spak |
| School: | Rickter Intermediate School |
| Grade: | 6th |
| Asked... Question: How do you donate money toward Parkinson's? Answer: All you have to do is go to www.drivearoundtheworld.com and click the flashing Land Rover on the left. | |
| Name: | Emma Spak |
| School: | Rickter Intermedeate School |
| Grade: | 6th |
| Asked... Question: Why did you decide to raise money for Parkinson's? Answer: We decided Parkinson's would be our cause after learning that several of our family members were affected by it. | |
| Name: | Carly Schroeder |
| School: | Rose Pioneer Elementary |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: What's the best thing you've seen so far? Answer: The best thing I have seen so far are the camels roaming in the Australian outback. Camels are huge and it is just a lot of fun to seem them just hanging out doing their thing. They have a certain spirit to them when the are out in the wild that you don't see at the zoo! | |
| Name: | Guy Farrar |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 3rd grade |
| Asked... Question: In the journal log book I understand start time, finish time and miles driven, but what is the N and E stand for? Answer: The N stand for North and the E stands for East. If you are north of the Equator the distance north of the Equator will begin N and a number. If you are south of the Equator the distance will begin with an S for south. Distance East and West are measured in terms of the Prime Meridian which runs north and south through Greenwich, England. If you are East of Greenwich, your location will begin with E, if you are west it will begin with W. Latitude and longitude are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds, those are the numbers that follow the letter. | |
| Name: | Elle Farrar |
| School: | Western Christian |
| Grade: | 5th grade |
| Asked... Question: I read about The Plague Of Locusts in Australia. Did u encounter these bugs?????????? Answer: We saw a lot of different bugs in Australia. We did see a lot of grasshoppers and we are still pulling them out of our grills! However, the most annoying things were the flies in Western Australia. There seemed to be thousands of them, we all developed special techniques of trying to get them outside out of our vehicles, ugh! | |
| Name: | Peter Clemares |
| School: | North Springs H.S. |
| Grade: | 9 th |
| Asked... Question: How did you get such great sponsors like Land Rover etc. Good luck Answer: One of the most important factors in convincing them to help us, was the fact we have done this before unassisted. Back in 1999 we drove around the world using vintage Land Rovers, from Beijing to San Francisco. Having done this Land Rover was more willing to look into our latest project LONGITUDE. | |
| Name: | Karen |
| School: | Los Angeles Mission College |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: When I look at the map, it appears that you are going west and south a long way before you go north to China. Why? Answer: It just seemed like a cool thing to do, drive down to Sri Lanka. Our original plan was to meet Arthur C. Clarke in Sri Lanka, but time seems to be running out. We are currently working on a route that will take us through Laos, China, and India, before finally turning North for the final Stretch. We are in the middle of paper work right now, so we will see what the future brings. | |
| Name: | Shanelle |
| School: | Corltand Acadamy |
| Grade: | 3 Grade |
| Asked... Question: what is it like to be around the world Answer: It is really cool driving around the world. There is so much to see and understand. Driving helps you understand how big the world is and also enables you to see all the neat stuff between cities. We saw a Komodo dragon the other day just off the road. We get to taste all sorts of interesting food (including bugs), and we get to try to speak all kinds of different languages. There is so much to learn and experience, I am just thrilled that I can be a part of this. Travel like this will definitely change your life and how you think of the world. | |
| Name: | BRANDON ALBERT |
| School: | CORTLAND |
| Grade: | 3TH |
| Asked... Question: D o you ever run out of gas. DO YOU EVER RUN OUT OF GAS? DOES THE TIRS GO FLAT? Answer: We try not to run out of gas. We have to carefully plan so that we don't. In Australia we saw a sign that said 817km to the next gas station. We had to carry extra fuel on top of our vehicles so we could make it all of the way. We have had to change a couple of tires during our travels. Most of these have been caused by the tremendous pounding the car receives from the bumpy roads. | |
| Name: | Daniel Banks |
| School: | Cortland Academy |
| Grade: | 3rd |
| Asked... Question: Why do you have to so much stuff and you got all you need? Isn't it cool or hot? Answer: There is a lot to do when running an expedition. We have to keep the vehicles running, we have to constantly research changing road and weather conditions, as well as political situations. There is certainly a lot to keep us thinking. Right now in Thailand it is very hot and humid outside. It rains everyday. However, everything is really green.! | |
| Name: | Sam |
| School: | Rose Pioneer Elementary |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: I mean is the Thailand nightlife hot 24/7? Answer: Thailand nightlife is hot 12/7. After the sun comes up it is not nightlife, but things are always hopping in Bangkok! | |
| Name: | Amy & Sam |
| School: | Rose Pioneer Elementary |
| Grade: | 3rd & 5th |
| Asked... Question: Is Thailand hot 24/7? Answer: It doesn't seem like you ever need to wear a jacket it here, even though it rains every day. It is constantly warm or even hot! | |
| Name: | Amy & Sam |
| School: | Rose Pioneer Elementary |
| Grade: | 3rd &5th |
| Asked... Question: Are you close to finding a cure? Answer: We are learning more everyday, so I guess that brings us closer to a cure. We are also raising money everyday, so that helps scientist on their way to find a cure. All in all, were are getting closer and closer to finding a cure! | |
| Name: | shyrley |
| School: | universidad catolica |
| Grade: | 5 ciclo |
| Asked... Pregunta: te acuerdas del cusco? Contesta: Si, me acuerdo del Cusco. Cusco es una cuidad my interestante. Yo quiero regressar alli en el futuro. | |
| Name: | allison and kyle |
| School: | home |
| Grade: | preschool |
| Asked... Question: Yesterday we went on It's a Small World at Disneyland. We thought of you. We saw a lot of things that you have shared on your website. In the S.America area there were these straw horses with straw cowboys that looked sort of like scarecrows. Do you know which country these are from? Answer: I know there are straw figures made in Norway. If you look at Norwegian-American Christmas decorations you might find examples of these. I would probably need a picture to make and official diagnosis, however. | |
| Name: | Haley Holmes |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Have you seen any festivals on your trip? What were they like? Did you like them? Answer: We have seen a wide variety of festivals on this expedition. We have seen the celebrations of the Virgin Mary in Nicaragua, News in Guayaquil, ANZAC day in Australia and a variety of others. Each have different tones. But let me tell you there is nothing as dangerous as New Years in Guayaquil, it is like the whole town is on fire! | |
| Name: | Chris Jackson |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Didn't It take a long time to ship your car to Singapore? it usually takes about a month or 3 Weeks. Answer: We shipped the vehicles from Perth, Australia to Singapore. This journey was about and took about 5 days on a ship. | |
| Name: | Chris Jackson |
| School: | Singapore American School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Doesn't it get boring while driving around the world, what do you do for fun? Answer: We see a lot of neat thing along the way. We try a lot of new food and meet a lot of new people. There is always something new and exciting to learn about. | |
| Name: | Heidi |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: IS it hard to adjust to so many different cultures and foods? Answer: I love trying all kinds of new and different foods. Now that we are in Asia, we will have trouble always having to learn new languages. For the first couple of months during this expedition the only language we used was Spanish, here we have Malay, Thai, and all sorts of different languages. | |
| Name: | Heidi |
| School: | SASS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Do you find it difficult to travel threw so many countries? Answer: It is a great opportunity to learn about all these places, although it gets confusing always changing money and languages. | |
| Name: | Robbie Barnhill |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Did the ocean look any different in Asia then it does in North America? Answer: The ocean had a deeper blue to it than I have ever scene. Maybe because we were out in the middle of nowhere and the ocean was very deep! | |
| Name: | Robbie Barnhill |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Did you go through Vietnam, and if you did was there any sign of leftovers of the Vietnam War? Answer: We will not make to Vietnam this time, however, we might go through Laos. If we do I will let you know if I see any remnants. I know that unexploded ordinances are a major problem in South East Asia. The continue to blow limbs off of unsuspecting people | |
| Name: | Robbie Barnhill |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Was there a certain country where the food was superb? Answer: Argentina had the most amazing steaks you will ever taste! The cheese was wonderful as well. Man the food was good in Argentina! | |
| Name: | Nishant |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Did you have trouble in some parts due to your ethnic differences Answer: I have not had much trouble due to ethnic differences. However, most everyone will make a comment about politics if they know I am from the United States. | |
| Name: | cilla |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Have you learned lots of new languages from the experiences? Answer: On the first part of the expedition we only spoke Spanish. Now that we are in Asia were are learning all sorts of languages. Languages change relatively often here. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: When is your next journey around the world? Answer: We are not sure about this one. Hopefully in the next five years or so. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: When you travel any distance on a boat, does it count? Answer: We haven't counted any distance that we have not driven. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: When will you be passing through Southeast Asia again? Answer: Hopefully sometime during a future expedition. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Are the scientist who are working on a cure for Parkinson's Disease getting anywhere? Answer: Many people are hopeful that Parkinson's will be cured in the next ten years. There is a lot of very promising research going on right now. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What can we do to help prevent ourselves from getting Parkinson's Disease? Answer: It is not really well understood how people get Parkinson's disease, therefore I can't tell you stuff that would reduce your chances of getting the disease. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What do you eat while traveling around the world? Do you bring your own food, or get the food from the country that you're in? Answer: This depends on how far our money takes us. We are now in Thailand were food is cheap. It is actually cheaper for us to eat street food then go to a market and make stuff for ourselves. However, when we were in Australia we camped a lot so we needed to buy food from the market. It was also much cheaper to make your meals in Australia rather than buy them. | |
| Name: | EE |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: How can we help? Answer: Great question! There are a couple of ways that you can help. 1) Learn more about Parkinson's 2) Teach others about Parkinson's 3) Donate to Parkinson's Research, 4) Encourage others to donate to Parkinson's Research or 5) Volunteer at the local Parkinson's disease association. | |
| Name: | Robbie Barnhill |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Was there any sign of political instability in the countries in Asia that you went through? Answer: I have not seen to many signs of political instability yet. However, I know that many of these governments have been subjected to coups in the last 50 years. | |
| Name: | Robbie Barnhill |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Could you see how tall the Himalayan Mountains were from the road? Answer: Although the Himalayas are very tall, they don't look as giant as they really are when you are there. For instance, when I stood at the foot of Mt. Everest I was already at 16,000 ft. That means that from where I stood (on the Tibetan Plateau) that Mt. Everest only stood about 13,000 ft above me, about the height of Mt. Shasta in California. | |
| Name: | Robbie Barnhill |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | ninth |
| Asked... Is the culture very different from one country to the next? | |
| Name: | Antonia |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: Where's your favorite place you've been to so far? Answer: My favorite place that I have been so far was Australia. I loved driving across the Gun Barrel Highway. Camel and kangaroos were the only thing we saw for a couple of days. | |
| Name: | Felix |
| School: | SAS |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What were the top 5 countries you visited and why? Answer: My favorite 5 countries would be Australia- the diverse wildlife- New Zealand- the earthquakes reminded me of home Peru- there was just so much to see Guatemala- the place was really colorful and Mexico- the food is the best in the world! | |
| Name: | Won |
| School: | vejar |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Answer: Where are you? Question: We have just arrived in Singapore, a small island country next to Malaysia. | |
| Name: | Michael |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: What if there is a road block and you can't past it? Answer: If you can't pass it, you can't pass it, but we will do everything in our power to move it, get around it, get over it, or get under it! | |
| Name: | Lianna |
| School: | TN |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: When you visit other countries, do you ever buy CDs or tapes of the music to listen to even if you don't understand the language? Answer: Yes we do! I have gotten some cumbia music from Argentina, some of the other team members have bought samba music in Brazil, and also tango music in Argentina. It really colors the places you visit and always reminds us of the places we have been. I love international music, despite the language barrier! | |
| Name: | Kim reed |
| School: | roth school |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: What is your favorite Thai food? Answer: Pad thai noodles is a favorite of mine as well as the peanut sauce! | |
| Name: | Kasey Hall |
| School: | United Methodist |
| Grade: | Preschool |
| Asked... Question: What kind of food did you bring on your big trip? Answer: We did not bring much food because local food is really good and quite in expensive. Tacos in Mexico, and lots of rice until South America where we ate a lot of potatoes and meat. However, sometimes buy candy bars and we are suckers for ice cream. | |
| Name: | Michael Hatfield |
| School: | Terra Nova |
| Grade: | 9 |
| Asked... Question: Was there a difference in climate at the equator than any other place? Answer: It was interesting when we were shipping from Australia to Singapore. As you head to the Equator, the climate becomes warmer. Everyday has we headed towards the Equator it got more hot and humid. Now we are in Singapore one degree north of the equator. Also, there is a lot more rain around the Equator. | |
| Name: | Carl-Michael |
| School: | Lincoln |
| Grade: | Senior |
| Asked... Question: What is it like not having your family around you, or not being able to be in contact for some time? Answer: We all miss our families, it is difficult to be away. My oldest sister became pregnant while I was on this journey. I won't be home until after the baby is born. However, with e-mail and modern communications systems it is not that hard to stay in contact with them. I am looking forward to the day when I get home and my whole family can be together. | |
| Name: | dive |
| School: | Lincoln |
| Grade: | 11 |
| Asked... Question: Did you see many of those cool holy white cows and three wheeled taxi-motorcycles in India? Answer: We haven't seen this yet, but I will post a picture when we arrive there. | |
| Name: | shalini |
| School: | lincoln |
| Grade: | 10 |
| Asked... Question: did any of you guys get to speak a bit of Hindi? or like some words? Answer: None of us speak much Hindi, but we are looking forward to learning some. Fortunately English is widely spoken in India. | |
| Name: | Won |
| School: | vejar |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: Isn't India poor? do cars go crazy? I heard that they drive like crazy don't they? Answer: India has very wealthy people as well as very poor people. It is the second most populated country on earth. India is very interesting, however, driving there is a bit crazy. The hardest thing about driving in India is the variety of stuff that is on the road; pigs, donkey carts, motor bikes, rickshaws, tractors, buses, trucks, cars, people,--- you name it you will be sharing the road with it. | |
| Name: | Won |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: how do you travel by the sea? I know that the car can travel by water but... Can it travel by Mariana Trench that's the deepest sea? Answer: We just completed a shipping leg where we shipped our vehicles from Perth Australia to Singapore. We were sponsored by a great shipping company from Norway! We traveled west of the Mariana trench, which is indeed the deepest part of the earth (almost 7 miles deep). | |
| Name: | bernie |
| School: | vajar |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: what kind of food do you eat? Answer: This depends on where we are and the costs of the food. In Australia food was very expensive so I had sandwiches and cereal all the time to save money. When we head to Thailand the food will be cheaper, therefore I will eat a lot of Thai food, noodles, rice, and peanut sauce. Yum! | |
| Name: | won |
| School: | Vejar Elementary School |
| Grade: | 5TH |
| Asked... Question: is the southern Asian food good? Answer: I love Thai food and I am looking forward to learning about Malaysian and food from Singapore. | |
| Name: | thepowerpuffgirls |
| School: | st cyprian |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: do you like pizza? Answer: Pizza is one of my favorite things to eat. You can't beat cheese for good eats! | |
| Name: | Blake Sturm |
| School: | Beacon Home School |
| Grade: | 7 |
| Asked... Question: How many different languages on spoken in Southeast Asia? Answer: This is a tough questions, there are so many different languages spoken here. I could name about 10 or 15 off the top of my head. However, this doesn't include many of the dialects and languages that aren't talked about very much. | |
| Name: | Joshua |
| School: | home schooled |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever ran into someone who believes differently than you? Answer: There are people all over the world that think differently and speak different languages than we do. It is fun to learn about how they think. I love to ask people what they believe, but it is important to listen to them. Although they think and believe differently than you, it doesn't mean they are wrong to think what they think. | |
| Name: | Faith |
| School: | home schooled |
| Grade: | K |
| Asked... Question: How many people are there is Asia? Answer: As of the year 2000 Asia has more than 3.73 billion inhabitants that is more than 3/5 of the world's population. How long would it take you to count to 3,730,000,000? | |
| Name: | Buddy |
| School: | home schooled |
| Grade: | 3 |
| Asked... Question: Do you have a chance to play video games or watch television? Answer: Yes we do have a chance to watch television or play video games. We all have laptop computers in order to do our work, but sometimes we need to play Half Life or other games like that. Televisions are everywhere. I have not been to a country that doesn't have TVs. When we treat ourselves to a hotel they will usually have TVs. | |
| Name: | Billy |
| School: | |
| Grade: | K |
| Asked... Question: How do you raise money for your cause in other countries? Answer: We raise money by appearing in local newspapers, talking to people we meet, and encouraging people that we do business with to donate to our cause. People get excited with the prospect of winning a Land Rover, like the one we are driving; a $10 donation will qualify you to part of this raffle when we return. We also hope the cause is just as exciting as winning a Land Rover. | |
| Name: | Home schooling Mom |
| School: | |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: What is the most memorable part of your trip and exploration of Asia? | |
| Name: | Amy Le |
| School: | Walnut High School |
| Grade: | 9th |
| Asked... Question: Did you find the weather hard to adjust to in Asia? | |
| Name: | Tammy Phang |
| School: | Suzanne Middle School |
| Grade: | 8th |
| Asked... Question: What is the best food you ever tasted? Answer: As of right now, the best food I have ever tasted is Cheese. I love cheese! Cheese is different all over the world. When I lived in West Africa we didn't have cheese, unfortunately for me. In Norway, they eat a lot of goat cheese, which also has an interesting flavor, not for everybody. France is known for it's aged cheese such as blue cheese (my favorite) and brie (and many others). In Central America I found the cheese to be salty, not so smooth and always white. Most cheeses are naturally white, but are colored in the manufacturing process. Cheese is definitely my favorite food! | |
| Name: | Megan Phang |
| School: | Vejar Elementery |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: How do you go to the restroom with out a toilet? Answer: If there is no toilet you will have to dig a hole and squat over it. Once you are done you will need to cover the hole back up. This is similar to what a cat does. This is a good sanitary practice when you don't have a toilet. | |
| Name: | Howard Phang |
| School: | Vejar Elementery |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: Are you going to Malaysia? Answer: We will be going to Malaysia after we leave Australia. I am really looking forward to it. | |
| Name: | ALEJANDRA |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 5th grade |
| Asked... Question: Did you like visiting El Salvador? Answer: El Salvador was beautiful. I was really happy we had the opportunity to go. Although we couldn't stay too long, we were able to get a feel for it. The people were really friendly. | |
| Name: | Madison |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 5th grade |
| Asked... Question: What is it like? Answer: It is everything; tiring, inspiring, exciting, and frustrating all at the same time. You never know what is going to happen, that is the fun of it. | |
| Name: | Kavita Mehta |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 5 |
| Asked... Question: How long will it take you to get to India? Answer: Since we are behind schedule it doesn't look like we will get to India, before May. | |
| Name: | Michael Le |
| School: | Vejar Walnut Elementary |
| Grade: | 5th |
| Asked... Question: Have you ever been to Vietnam Answer: I have never been to Vietnam, but I am looking forward go to going. I will let you know with pictures and words what we are seeing! | |
| Name: | Kevin |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: What have you seen in Brazil. Answer: Only a couple of us will make it to Brazil, Neil, Justin, Colin, and Adam. I will send them this question. | |
| Name: | Timothy |
| School: | Vejar |
| Grade: | 2 |
| Asked... Question: how many miles have you been traveling? Answer: As of the end of Feb. we have complete over 13,000 miles. However, we have another almost 20,000 to go before we return. | |
| Name: | Colette |
| School: | Swanson, Omaha |
| Grade: | 4 |
| Asked... Question: What was the most disgusting food you ever tasted? Answer: I happen to not like fish, even though I have tried to like it on many occasions. Catfish is probably the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten. | |
| Name: | Sue Seline |
| School: | Omaha Mom |
| Grade: | |
| Asked... Question: Why not go from Singapore to Sri Lanka? What do you really want to see that prohibits you from taking that shortcut? Answer: We might have to take a shortcut that will get us around Myanmar. The government there is not very friendly to foreign visitors. Actually, many governments are trying to put pressure on Myanmar to change some of it's policies. Anyway, about the shortcut. We want to drive as much as we can without taking any significant risks. Driving through Southeast Asia will be a treat and an adventure. If wee took the shortcut we would miss a lot of unique things in that part of the world, landscapes, culture, and history to name a few. I especially like to see how different geographies and people transition into each other. To take a shortcut like this would mean and abrupt change in culture and landscape. We like to prevent this abrupt changes if we can. | |