Oh, You're a Vegetable: And Other True Tales of a Solo World Traveler

By Tracy Backer

Comments:

Your descriptions of the places you have been and the things you are doing are not only informative but quite amusing.
Bobbi M.

Were all living this awesome opportunity through you (of course, me personally, without the visuals of halter tops).
Lori B.

You make me want to visit Turkey even more than I have wanted to already.
Monica H.

Do you think that youll give up your day job and become a travel writer? It would be really fun for all of us!
Jenny D.

Like everyone else, I LOVE reading your journal entries. Your writing is very witty, articulate & clever!
Dido O.

Tracy---I have enjoyed reading your stores. I feel like I am there with you. The pictures are so LOVELY.
Manilath S.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 24, 2007
• ISBN: 9781477173626

Book preview

"Oh, You’re

a Vegetable"

And other true tales of

a solo world traveler

Tracy Backer

Copyright © 2007 by Tracy Backer. 39182-BACK

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007903842

ISBN:    Softcover        978-1-4257-7140-9

              Hardcover      978-1-4257-7141-6

              ebook              978-1-4771-7362-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or

mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

information storage and retrieval system, without permission

in writing from the copyright owner.

Book Designer: Angelica Cabias

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

For my dad

Acknowledgements

This is an opportunity that most people never get, to thank all the people who have supported them and encouraged them, and now that I have it, I am scared to death. I have been blessed with so many great friends and I am afraid of forgetting someone, so in an attempt to avoid that, I want to thank all of my friends, the ones who feed me, the ones who drove me around, and the ones who read my blog and shared my journey, many of whom I now consider my Minnesota family. I want to thank my company, GMAC ResCap, for giving me the opportunity to take my sabbatical and do something I have always wanted to do. I do need to single out a few people. Please know, that any omissions are on paper only, you are all in my heart. Lynn, thank you for checking in on my mom while I was on this great adventure; Brenda and Kelly for your efforts to build my multi-media empire; Mary M, for giving me the final push to complete my journey; Barb T., you were an inspiration throughout my travels and we are all so much better off for having known you. Melissa, you have my heart. Dad, you could have asked me to stay home or postpone my trip, but you didn’t, and I knew you never would; I miss you every day and as I write this, I hope you would enjoy reading it. Thanks to my brothers and sister, Howard, Beth, Harold, Jeremy and Cristan, even though I always wanted to be an only child, I am so glad mom and dad didn’t listen to me; you have made my life richer by being in it.

And mom, you are the glue that has held us all together and prove that strength does not always manifest itself in muscles and power. You are my hero.

Introduction

I have always loved to travel, since I drove with my grandmother and great-aunt to Dayton when I was 11. So, when I was awarded the Partner award by my company, I knew I would go somewhere, I just didn’t know where. Normally I hate the whole top-the-topper mentality, but for this, I was thinking big and unique. What would be bigger than going around the world? And so it began. The planning was almost as much fun as the adventure itself. I picked my destinations based mainly on long-held ambitions and childhood dreams. Some of ideas for sight-seeing came from the book 1000 Places to See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz, and from the reality show, The Amazing Race. After watching that show for many seasons, I knew that if those people could travel around the world, then I certainly could do it. I planned to travel by myself as I have in the past. I did not give much thought to that, until people started to suggest that they could never do that and wasn’t I scared? I never looked at it that way. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have moments of self-doubt or temporary insanity, but overall, it was more thrilling, exhilarating and enriching than I could have ever imagined. It’s a big world out there, and there is so much more to see.

I undertook the blog as a way to keep in touch with my friends because I was too lazy to write individual e-mails, if I’m going to be honest. It took on a life of its own, being sent to people across the country, some of whom I have never met. On the days when I was a little tired or out of sorts, I knew I had to do something worthy of my friends reading the blog. I wrote the blog using an informal tone; I have pretty much kept that for this book. My intention was to convey my experiences in the moment, so I have not done too much post-trip editing.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed assembling it.

Around the world in 7 weeks

a trip journal

August 2006

My trip starts in about two months, but the planning has been going on for a while. I am waiting to hear back on my visas (if I don’t get them, it will be a very different trip). I will write more when I am on the road.

Here is the itinerary for this global adventure (an Amazing Race, if you will, without the challenges):

10/21 Minneapolis to Los Angeles

10/22 LA to Beijing

10/26 Beijing to Bangkok

10/29 Bangkok to Bombay or Delhi