If it was not for Swiss Customs trying to arrest me as a deserter, the last leg of my world-trip would have been uneventful.
Now I can breath out and say: “Been there, done that!” After 2 years, 43 countries and 100’000 kilometres I have arrived in Pratteln/Basel last Saturday around 3PM.
„Gsund und munter!“ (=“healthy and alert“) my god-father said!
Well, all that alert I was not since one day before my arrival, I had had a “pre-arrival” party with my Bavarian university friends in Munich.
Anyway, after I had gotten some text messages from friends asking me where the heck I had gotten lost (the first one I got at 3.01PM, being 1 minute delayed – welcome back to Swiss culture :-
) I was very happy to arrive back home in Pratteln, Switzerland at 3.10PM, Saturday 12th, April 2008. I hugged, kissed, padded shoulders and even got to shake some hands belonging to not all that familiar faces – the local press had pre-warned Pratteln’s citizens. It was a great welcome party! (check out the video clip here)
Alright, ask me: What kind of profound experiences did influence or even change my character strongly? After 2 years around the world, after crazy risk-taking and danger, there must be some insights, no?
I have to disappoint you: I have not “found myself” (I had never lost myself in the first place) and neither did I turn to Buddhism. Also, I am still the same impatient (yet lovely I assume) character as I have been before.
However, one thing I really want to state here: you should not be afraid of travelling to foreign countries and visiting strange cultures. However different they are, whatever crazy temperatures you will face – PEOPLE generally are friendly on this planet and will help you with kindness, hospitality and generosity.
For a different matter, I would like to add that there will not be “the right moment” to realize your dreams. There will be opportunity costs. It was the same when I started my world-trip. In spring 2006 I was not at all a 100% sure whether this was THE moment to leave. In a ex-post perspective I can say: 1) There right moment might never come and 2) Even if it was the completely wrong moment, it was great and I could not think of anything better! Realize your dreams. Today.
I would like to thank you for your interest in www.panmundo.com. In one of the next weeks I will update my homepage so that you can navigate through the blog-entries according to their geographical connection.
One day in the future I will also let you know, what life was like after Panmundo.com.
Vaya con dios!
See u at Panmundo 2.0 ;-)
Tobias Reichmuth
