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33 Countries, 2 years, 8 months and 11 days

Reading Time: 12 minutes

 Thorai – Topi

 

First and foremost, Thank you for your kind words, Victor.

And Thanks to all the amazing people who went a step further to help this awesome wanderer live his dream.

Victor Alarcon writes on his facebook - 

"Alright, dear friends, I really don’t know where and how to start. It’s been 23 days since I got back in Mexico, my homeland. I wanted to write something as soon as I would be back here but it hasn’t been easy. I wanted to let you all know that I’m grateful for everything you helped me with and I also want you to know how much I miss you, but again, I can’t think of the right words to describe what just happened, well, what happened before coming back here. I don’t want to be dramatic and I don’t want to bore you out either, so I’m going to try to summarize everything I have in my head.

I quit my job to travel and I started the trip on Agust 19, 2014. I didn’t have a fixed schedule. I only wanted to see the world, fulfill my dream to visit different countries, make friends, learn, give, help, live adventures, admire landscapes, get in touch with different cultures and just let myself go with the flow. I saved up money for 2 years and then Ieft. Among many other things, resigning my job to travel has been the best decision I’ve taken so far!

I think about the trip and I still can’t believe what I pulled off, then I think of all the places I went to, all the people I met, I take a look at the photos, gifts, and I feel a mix of sensations. I feel nostalgic, happy, melancholic, anxious and thrilled as I’m writing this!

I set off on a journey that lasted 2 years, 8 months and 11 days. I roamed more than 118,475 km. I visited 33 countries: Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Spain, Morocco, Poland, Macedonia, Georgia, India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, China, and Canada. I slept in more than 150 different surfaces, I took 29 flights, I hitchhiked in most countries, I hitchhiked almost every country, but most important of all, I made a lot of amazing friends!

I wouldn’t have done this without your help and support. Also, without the support of strangers that later on would become friends whom I wish to see once more, someday. I want to thank to all the people who helped me. Thanks for all for your efforts, for your words, for your smiles, for your time, for your friendship and for your kindness. This trip let me met amazing people, really, all of you are amazing!

Now I’m gonna try to name a few of you, it’ll be a long list, sorry for that!

Mexico: First of all, thanks to my parents and family! Guys, I missed you so much! My mom Vianey De Jesus, my dad Ernesto, without you I wouldn’t even be here. While I was out there I noticed how similar we are and how much I want to travel with you. My sis Apple Martini, I´m sorry that I was gone for such a long time, I missed you silly, thanks for being there for me always, you guys were one of the strongest pillars. I’m sorry that I missed your birthdays and other special occasions. I’m sure you understand 🙂 I love you! Also, thanks to Kutzandi Salinas, Maria Padilla Mtz, Mónica Luna Molina, Nelson Aldape, Jose Carrasco Montejano, Rod Dz, Eugene Kurolap, Jojo Bombardo, Anne-Laure Chevalier, Tom Plattenberger, Hector Padilla A, Maria Gomez Rubio A, Ulysez Luna, Ilse Pérez Benítez, Luis Trimmer, Emilio Cota Garcia, Luis Hull, Gaby Ramírez, Ray DP, Armando Quevedo, Sofía Garduño, Hecka Abraham Blancarte, Francia Yanez, PollitoLokito De Cilia Edgar Vázquez, Rodrigo Gomez, Nanu Alegria. My mexican and international friends, thanks for helping me get to know more of my country. You made my trip in Mexico amazing! Also thanks to Gustavo Cejudo, Maria Salinas, Maria Ceballos, Patt Carvel, Jess Huitrón Rodarte, Lety GoBa, Skarleth Condés, Keren M Rumpelstinszki, Samantha Hernandez, Javier Hernández, Victor Hugo Mendoza Robles, Ana Arroyo, Adriana Cejudo, Mariana Cejudo, Aline Cejudo, Thania Thanix, Pamela Rubí Cejudo Nevarez for always being there and for tracking my whereabouts, you are a charm and amazing friends. Belize: Kevin Abimael Méndez, I had so much fun there, I will always remember hill top 😉 Guatemala: Mynor L. Reyes, I was a pain in the ass but thanks for taking me to the hospital and for being so friendly! El Salvador: Ramsses Gio Repreza, Ernesto Monge, Marvin Tree Rosa, Geral Din, you guys made me fall for your country, I lived great moments there and I really want to go back there! Belgium: Nicolas Rogge, I laughed so much and I can’t think of a better welcome into Europe that being with you. Germany: Ricardo García Villar it was awesome to be there with you brother, looking forward to meet up again! Amr Mhish if I ever go to Berlin again, seeing you will be a must! Shukran! Estefanía Estefanómono Estefanidída Estefaníta seeing you in Germany was a blast, when are we going again? 🙂 Sonja Fesser, thanks for hosting us and showing us the wacken Hotel! Daniel Schütz, Johnny Be Good, Betty Breitkreuz, being at Wacken with you was AWESOME! Felix Brade I miss my time in Karlsruhe! Enrique Llanito Caudillo oh man, I was so happy to see you after so many years, I am glad we’re still friends! Titus Tatus danke für deine Zeit Freundschaft. Ich hoffe, dass wir noch einmal ein Bier teilen können! Jenny Coffee, thanks for everything. I learned so much from meeting you. I hope you are doing well. Czech Republic: Lenička Šlajsová I miss you dear, thanks for you amazing support. Radek Procházka you showed me the best czech vibe! Austria: Mar Tha it was great seeing you in Vienna! Fabiola Schiess, Daniel Jokanovic thanks for your friendship and patience 🙂 Jen NY I owe you SO MUCH! Thanks for everything you did for me, you are priceless. I don’t have enough words to express my appreciation for your aid. Hungary: Dudás Anikó it was so great when you stopped to give me a ride. I felt super happy with you and Hungary got better right after meeting you! Croatia: Marija Zlojtro, Igor Zlojtro, Magnus Dei guys, I miss you so much! I fell for Croatia because of you, thanks for your support. for those party nights and for the homemade rakija 😉 Bosnia: Elma Korda I still remember how surprised you were when I told you I was mexican, thanks for the ride! Lutz Koslowski I had a memorable time in Sarajevo and I’m glad you were part of it. Sabina Ruzdijic it was cold but Jajce was great because of you! Srdjan Bojic I wonder how you are brother! Dragana Savić, you became one of my favourite persons in this trip. Your will to do things, your great positive vibe and frienship are unbelievable! Stefan Marjanovic, Marija Marjanović, Tatjana Marjanovic, my serbian family…thanks for embracing me, for showing me the serbian life and spirit and making my first days in Serbia awesome! Ciclo Troficoh, Matic Debevec Novi Sad was a blast just because of you and those cumbia and reggae nights! Sofia Christopoulou I will never forget my time in Belgrade, I hope your family is doing fine! Julia Jurieva wow, this one is difficult. I will never be able to summarize how grateful I am with you. I am so lucky that I met you. Without you this trip wouldn’t have been the same. I loved being with you, dancing with you, hitchhiking with you and spending amazing moments together. You are adorable, mishlentse, and can’t wait to see you again! Обичам те красавице! <3From the day I met you, Bulgaria stayed in my heart. Also, Нана Ицкова, Alex Dzhermova, Martin Mitov, Gergana Shopska, your friendship worths so much for me. I miss you and I would love to see you again! Maybe again in Morocco! Spain: JuanFra Rodríguez, you made our visit amazing! Thanks for the beers. You always made me laugh! Turkey: Kıran Ali, Olga Naumova, Aşkın Gökçe, Günnur Çetinler, Betül Aras, I remember Edirne and Estambul as if I would have been there yesterday. Thanks for your warmth and kindness, I will never forget you! Ebru Bozkaya, thanks for those cool days! Sevginaz Işık amazing is not enough to describe you. I am lucky that I met you! I miss you girl, so much! Our breakfasts and walks around Bursa, and seeing you again at the dock after coming from Estambul! Wow! Metin Dönmez, Cem Canseven thanks for your hospitality. Egypt: Rami Shehata you and your family were great! So much kindness, so much peace at your place, I loved laughing while driving around Cairo and other places. Thanks for showing me a part of Egypt brother, I hope we can meet again there, in Bulgaria or Mexico! You know you are welcome here always! Aly Gamal El Din part of my stay in Egypt wouldn’t have been as fun without you brother. The day we went to the beach was unforgettable. Mohamed Esam Refaat you have one of the best vibes ever! Thanks for hosting us in Dalmietta! Adham Adassi you made me feel like a king! Twice! 😀 I’m in debt with you, twice! Bashar Sh Haddad I had a great time in Alexandria, jordanian coolness in Egypt! Mostafa Salah, you saved me that night in Suez remember? That was awesome! Alaa Moussa, thanks for coming all the way from your house to see me in Alexandria and share a tea and a cool day with me! Georgia: Anuki Mosiashvili too bad we couldn’t meet there Ani, but hopefully next time we’ll hang out! Nina Vaxanski, despite we didn’t get to meet, thanks for your advices on Kutaisi and the rest of Georgia. India: Vipin Poulose, congratulations for your marriage! And thanks for taking care of us when we were there. You have a great family! Shubham Jain I’ll never forget going around on your motorbike, thanks for showing me Chandigarh! Dhanyavaad! Palash Sharma when are you coming to Mexico? Thanks for showing us indian food and taking me to see cool places!

Nepal: Bijay Shrestha you were super kind with me on that rainy night without knowing me, thanks for letting me enjoy a nice dinner with you and your family!

Ram Prasad Gautam, Chhaya Kali, thanks for welcoming me in Pokhara, it was great talking to you everyday. Myanmar: Orchid King, Aye Mya Sandar it was fun to be with you on my last day in Myanmar, thanks for the ride to the border! Thailand: Jordan Alexandra thanks for letting me rest and cook! I hope you can come to Mexico someday! Mirantee Kaewsringam you are amazing! We should reunite someday again! I had so much fun with your jokes and laugh! 😀 Pariwat Wichianchot, I hope you’re still cooking burritos and the business is going well! Ganesh Salian my brother from another mother, you are a blast! Thanks for making my stay in Bkk awesome! I have amazing memories from there! Es ThaKham thanks for the ride and letting me spend 1 night at your place. I enjoyed a lot! Next time you’ll take me on your big boat? 😀Sawinee Pattamasatienchai you reived me twice and despite spending only 2 or 3 nights there, I noticed how affective you are! Andrey Borue, Milena Boryu thanks for your russian kindness and for those amazing cakes! Udomporn Mink Udomrithawut you are a charm! Thanks for letting me get to know you and for those amazing days there. The ride around Surat Thani was amazing! Hurt’z A. Fahmie you and your family made me feel a part of the family too! I loved the ride on the private taxi and those moments at the temples! Cambodia: Ingrida Virksaite Pilipaviciute, Juozapas Žygas, Lenka Bokisova, you became my traveling buddies whom now I can call friends, remember that time at Ko Tha Kiev island? Amazing isn’t it? Laos: Kinda Kingkeo, when are we attending another wedding? Thanks for the ride and letting me get in touch with an amazing cultural aspect of Laos! Fren Love thanks for the time you let me be in your place and those delicious dinners! Khek Ksv, you guys were the perfect example of how friendly people are in Laos, thanks for the dinner and beers! Len Muansouli-ngeun my last days in Laos were amazing! I couldn’t have a better closure in Laos! Thanks for letting me live such a great experience! Vietnam: Nguyễn Pie, what an amazing start in Vietnam! Your family, oh my God, you’re such an amazing family! Phươngg Títt I can’t believe you helped me in the night. You guys were amazing, thanks for the dinner, the beer, but most of all, for your hospitality! Tốt Lắm everyday I felt the vietnamese warmth and you were not an exception, I had super happy days there, thanks for introducing me to your friends and rescuing me that night! Ngoc BAo too bad we didn’t hang out much, but Ha Long was pretty because you helped me there 🙂 Bích Hoàng, Thanh Huyền Nguyễn, I miss you girls! You were so sweet! What a great family, thanks for everything! Mo Hoang who would say we would meet again? From Thailand to Vietnam! I had a great time with you and your kind family! Nguyễn Hoàng, Bạn Nam, Đỗ Bá Trung, An Hòa, you guys are crazy an amazing! Vietnam is full of kindness and amazing people! I’m glad and lucky that our paths came across! Đào Thiện Tâm, I will never forget our motorcycle ride through the mountains, thanks for the food, the photos and for your friendship! Thuận Quang Huỳnh, Dũng Võ Như, I believe being there cured me! Remember how sick I was and how happy I left? Thanks to your amazing vibe I got healed! Thanks for an amazing time! Ita Nguyễn, it was fun to drive around Saigon! Oh, i laughed so much! Thanks for showing me more of the vietnamese culture! Sơn Thế I couldn’t have a better end in Vietnam than staying with you. It was fun and interesting to spend time with you and your family! Korea: Selene Garcia, you will always be one of my favourite persons ever! Thanks for helping me so much during my stay in Seoul. You are a charm and a priceless human being. I will never forget that I was there with you! 감사합니다! Yejun Kimme it was fantastic meeting you! I felt like a member of a cool family! Anthony Montesinos, 4 mexicans in Andong, the middle of Korea! What a fantastic time there! Chris Madden, Stephen Vosberg, you guys are amazing, awesome and lovely! You almost made me cry for what you did for me. Such great human beings…I really want to see you again, hopefully in Mexico or in Busan! 이성경 thanks for the ride, the food and for your kindness, I hope we can meet in Mexico! 🙂Jakun Koo how’s your spanish going? Thanks for letting me rest in your cool place! Junman Kang with you and your family I felt like a korean, like a far relative who came to visit. Thanks for all your great support! Nami Kodama thanks for getting me ready for Japan! I’ll never forget that crazy night at the karaoke! Akira Sasaki, thanks for your advices and introducing me to your friends in Tokyo, also, it was great meeting you in Myanmar! When are you coming to Mexico? Kazushige Kuryu without you I wouldn’t have had the chance to taste such delicious food and laugh every day. Thanks for making my first days amazing! Yu Kukiyama, Hideaki Toshida you guys were adorable! You saved me from sleeping in the street, and not only that, you also let me live great days! Sorry for making you wait that night with the dinner! Nao Miyamoto you’re such a cute girl. Thanks for hellping me so much in Mexico and Japan! Without you I wouldn’t have met Tomo Yamamoto, a person whose vibe makes you happy. You both are incredible! Thanks to you I had the most amazing time in Japan. Genta Hayashi, Kenrou Okamoto, wow, I still can’t believe how fortunate I was to be with you! You guys made me feel the japanese warmth and kindness! THIS IS JAPAN! Remember? I’ll never forget you guys, please come to Mexico! And by the way, good luck with your projects! Yi Ping, one of my favourite chinese friends 🙂 I had an awesome time with you! Christian Tartarello Grazie per l’aiuto il fratello! Sorry for leading you to the highway! 😀 Reiko Yoshizaki my Kendama teacher! You are so cool! Next time we gotta drink beers or wine by the castle. Kana Takami, the mortal samurai! Remember our conversations about you being deadly with a sword? 😀 I had a great time with you and your sweet family. Next time we gotta drink more and dance more! Thanks for an amazing time in Tokyo! Canada: Dan Rogers, oh man, I can’t thank you enough for hosting me 2 weeks in your amazing place! Two weeks! Who does that? I was super lucky to meet such a great guy like you. Being there was perfect, and I hope I can pay you back somehow, someday! Elberto Pollak with you I hitchhiked last in this journey. You guys were the last ride! And you picked us up just because we met before, what were the odds right? Thanks for letting me live such a great final hitchhike experience! Lizzie Dizzy, Vaughn Scott guys, you almost made me cry. Such amazing souls…I’m glad that I had the chance to meet you. You’re fantastic persons!

Well, as you could notice, I couldn’t say much. I just want to say that thanks to you my life changed, that you made me a better man, and I hope that I also added something valuable into your lives. I hope that I helped you in a way, I hope that we had learnt something from each other. Whoever is reading this, I encourage you to travel, hitchhike, step out of your comfort zone, trust people, explore, get lost! You made me addicted to travel. Because of you now I trust again in humanity. THANK YOU, SO MUCH FOR HELPING ME FULFILL A DREAM. I WOULDN’T HAVE ACHIEVED IT WITHOUT YOU. I LOVE YOU ALL. 

Hopefully I’ll see you again, some day! "

Be Humble. Be Kind. Be Humanly Possible.
Thanks once again Victor.

Mum and Dad both says thank you for remembering us.

 

❤️

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