THANK YOU!!

A big THANK YOU to the family and friends for your support and involvement; we wouldn’t be here without you. The most difficult part of this journey has been our distance from you.

Many thanks to our couch surfing hosts around the globe: Nan and Benson in Shanghai, China; Jessica and Martin in Hangzhou, China; Alice and Fred in Changsha, China; Pietro in Guangzhou, China; Roddy in Hong Kong; Rajib and Mr. Ray and Mama India in Hindmotor; Barbara in Delhi; Derreck in Istanbul; Terry and Ivan in Haskovo; Tim and Velina in Sofia; Manuel in Nis; Marcos in Belgrade; E; Clivia in Marseille; Paulina in Casablanca; and Elisa in Dublin. We were so lucky to find new friends in you; thank you for sharing the world through your eyes and homes.

We are grateful to the many kind strangers that took a chance on two funny-looking hitchhikers: Lisa; a kind Polish salsa dancer; a couple of knights from Nottingham; a quiet truck driver with an overheating truck; a land developer who treated us to cay and cherries; a petrol king who sent us on our way with 7 kilos of bananas; a grudgingly helpful park ranger; a sweet family who were obviously unaccustomed to picking up hitchhikers; a few tour guys who introduced us to new Turkish culinary delights; a Turkish cigarette smuggler; a husband who got in big trouble with his lady for forgetting to pick her up, but managed to give us a ride anyway; a semi driver who cemented our love for Turkish kebob and shared meals; Chris who offered maple syrup instead of a ride; Richy and Momcilo; a sweet couple who were in the midst of wedding ring shopping; a series of short rides to Marseille, including one with a Moroccan illegal who sipped beer and smoked a joint the entire way; and the many, many other people who offered up kindness and gentle communication and warm friendship, though we never got their names.

Dōmo arigatō to Hoshi and Fey and Yasuko and the rest of the Come On Up gang; your hospitality was an incredible way to begin our journey. Xie xie to Alice and Fred and little Lisa for your friendship and hospitality. Good luck and many thanks to Angel and Jason, and a big thank you to Helen and James and Lily for being part of our trip to Changsha. Thanks Kara for joining us for lunch and sharing your view on China and disasters. Thank you to May and Alfred for a lovely night out; spending time with you was a real highlight of our trip. We hope to see you again soon! Thanks to Marvini for the Shanti Lodge recommendation and to Perry for the wonderful adventures in Koh Kood. We have the scars to remember! J Thanks to Stephen and Mark for being such a great welcoming committee, and kob kun krab to the hostess with the mostess - Noi: we had such wonderful times in Trat with all of you. Merci to Nathalie for letting us be your guinea pigs and for making such an effort to see us again in France! Thank you to new friends in Haridwar, Guruji in Rishikesh, and our dear friends the Chauhans in Jabalpur. We really look forward to seeing you in the States! Thank you to the exceptional spirit of Mahatma Gandhi and to the generosity and love of his devotees at the Sevagram Ashram.

Thank you to our many friends in Mumbai and Ahmednagar, we look forward to seeing all of you upon our return in 2013. We recognize and appreciate the important work that you do.

Thanks to Gina and Tony in Addis Ababa, we gained so much from the stories and examples that you shared with us. Amesege'nallo to our kind Ethiopian family in Lalibela, we will always remember you with fondness and love and we hope to locate your son in D.C. Many thanks to our many friends in Kemba, including Birhanu and his hardworking office. Thanks to Black Shanti and the rest of the Asylum Down neighborhood, we’re carrying the sound of Ghana around the world! Yawo, you were such a memorable part of our time in Togo, we look forward to your next world tour. Thanks to Coach Tony in Cape Coast for involving us in your great project and to the friendship of the guy at the shai café in Alexandria. Many, many thanks to two separate people for their techie aid: an internet café in Mumbai, and an emergency trip to Silifke - we and our computer thank you! Thanks to the CS crew in Nis for a fun evening. Grazie to a sweet storeowner in Valvasone for helping our with a package shipment, and to new friends for delicious wine, Spritz, and proccuito-wrapped breadstick - Esme, you were an amazing hostess!

Many thanks to Samuel and Anne for the exceptional gift of relaxing in your beautiful home, and to Jorge for hosting us in Barcelona. Gracias Antonio, Beth, and Santiago for welcoming us to Estepona with open arms and for your kind generosity.

Thank you to Mohamed in Marrakech for your kindness and generosity, and thanks to Anton, Stephanie, and Priscilla for the kind wedding gift. Thanks and wahoo to the Chicago girls - having your faces be the first familiar ones in seven months was an incredible gift.

And the biggest thanks of all to the people of the world whose names we will never know, and whose smiling faces we may never see again. Thank you for your faith in strangers, thank you for the time you took to be friendly and welcoming, thank you for your warmth and generosity and kindness, with nothing to gain. Thank you for giving love to a couple of weary travelers, for sharing your stories and lives with us. You have given our journey the richness and the depth which we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

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