5 hrs, 2.3 kms
Day Totals: 16 kms, 10 .4 kms

I think I've got time for one more interesting site before I'd better call it a day and make a beeline for the airport (my flight leaves tonight). There's supposed to be another Hindu temple called "temple at the sea" that should be interesting. I ask a couple of people how far away it is and they all agree "too far to walk".

But then again, "too far too walk" is very relative statement. I figure I'll just walk for a while, and if it gets to be too late I'll hail a car. Unmarked cars it seems are the buses of these parts.

So I continue on a long stretch of road lined with decent looking houses. Still seems to be primarily a South Asian Hindu/Muslim community who it seems are quite business minded. Once again, it is nice to see a country in the Western Hemisphere that has a nice balance of 3 of the worlds major faiths--and everyone seems to be getting along fine!

I could probably hike all the way to the temple--but I'll be pushing my luck, so when a car passes that seems to be looking for passengers I hop in .

The Temple by the Sea, is a a sort of a park area on a rather muddy stretch of the Caribbean coast. Then there's a little walkway leading out to a shrine out in the sea. While the Hanuman statue temple was a more crisp and clean more Westernized version of the Hindu faith, this feels more like what I was used to seeing in India. A bit grubby... with hundreds of flags (many of them pretty tattered) waving in the wind.

Not the majestic temple I was kind of hoping for, it is a very peaceful spot, watching the day fade from this shrine in the middle of the water.

Oh! and there's music being played! A beautiful Indian woman is playing equally beautiful steel drum music while being professionally filmed and recorded. It's amazing how many tones a simple steelpan can express.

A fitting finale to my unforgettable Caribbean Journey.

And with that I head back to the road ... catch a car back to St Marys... another one back to Chaguanas... another one to Port of Spain... grab a quick snack... another bus to the airport... wait for my plane...

...And bid farewell to this beautiful adventure.

Postvisit: End of the Journey
Feb 26, 2015
Day Totals: 10 hrs, 0 kms

My final adventure day doesn't involve any grand new discoveries. Basically it consists of waiting for my flight at 1:30 in the morning... trying to sleep on the plane... doing my ritual walk from the airport to the cheaper subway station... Riding the subway with the morning commuters... Wandering around the bus station looking for the bus, dodging the hustler wanting to "give me directions..." Riding the bus to Morristown... wandering around Morristown while I wait for my next bus...

Oh! Wait a minute! I actually did discover something new today! This is my first time exploring Morristown . So the obvious thing to do would be do a quick concert and video clip and tick it off my list...

Well, that was the old days... Nowadays I like to keep my towns organized by region. And I know I'm going to come back to explore this region some more (it's the greater Philadelphia region). In fact Morristown will probably be part of my "Megalopolis Superhike" from DC to New York... So why rush things?

But I will say, after a month in the Caribbean, it sure feels lonely and abandoned, wandering around the downtown of an American city. On the other hand, I appreciate the sturdy, beautiful architecture much more...

And then it's time to get on the bus where... wait a minute... is someone smoking weed on this bus? Sure smells like it! Turns out the driver gets the same impression as me and comes back and corners the suspect (who now has a mouthful of breathmints) gives him a good scolding, but lets him be . He got off easy. I remember a driver in California throwing off a rider in an empty town in the middle of the desert--for smoking a cigarette!

... I arrive in Harrisburg, where I take a couple photos of the Susquehanna river frozen over. This only happens when the winter gets really cold...

... Then on the commuter bus to Shippensburg, where my wife and kids pick me up.

And I'm home.

And this ends not only my Caribbean journey, but it's also the end of my 2014 Adventure (albeit 2 months late!)

And that's not all: I've reach my 2,000 Town milestone. So it's time to go back and do a full review of all my adventures over these last 8 years, print out my entire blog... and bask in my accomplishment for a bit.

But first lets just look back at 2014

A Look back at 2014

2013 was a climatic year with hikes across the Alps ... the the highest peak in North Africa and down the other side... all across Tuscany... along the Assisi pilgrimage route... across the amazing mountains of Tafraoute. With 403 towns visited, 3,228 kilometers hiked, 6,937 photos taken and 136 days spent on the road, I knew I had reached a peak, and things were going to slow day afterwards.

And so I did in 2014. I spent a record 16 months stuck in one country and basically did little more than hike within a 150 mile radius of my home.

It was a time for reflection. A time to take a step back and look at myself and ask "why am I really doing this?" To realize that even traveling to new places can eventually just become a routine if I'm not careful.

I took time to look at the entirety of my life journey and try to figure out how all the phases fit together into one singular adventure. I finally finished writing the blogs from my 2004-2006 travels .

I was suddenly struck with the realization at how easy my life was in Morocco. And of course, part of me would like it to continue that way. But another part of me realizes that it's by taking on new challenges that helps me grow stronger and forces me to keep asking those important questions.

And then, in January of 2015 I finally had the opportunity to go on a journey and spend a full month immersed in the Adventure Life--parkbenching an entirely new region of the world: the Caribbean. During this time I visited the most "first time" countries in a year since 2007 (5)... as well as make the most international flights in one year (7)

2014 was still was a relatively slow year. But I think quality improved a bit. I wrote more about every day, met more people and really tried to hone my observation skills to appreciate the subtle details that I completely overlooked back when I first parkbenched the Northeast USA back in 2007-2008

Here are some of my comparative stats of the year:

Towns visited: 189 (lowest since 2008)
Days on the road: 92 (lowest since 2008)
Photos: 2,408 (lowest since 2008
Interesting Encounters: 101 (4th highest)
New Countries: 5 (highest since 2007)