The Return of ProbeTheGlobe

As I begin to embark on a journey of epic proportions (to speak as self-inflatingly as possible), it is time once again for ProbeTheGlobe to crank its gears and keep all of you informed on my whereabouts and misadventures.

I’m setting off on a 13 month odyssey across four continents and probably a couple dozen countries. Here is the basic itinerary I have mapped out:

Feb. 13 – fly to Beijing, China

Feb. 13 – June 20 – Make my way through China and Southeast Asia by land

June 20 – fly from Singapore to Stockholm, Sweeden

July 15(ish) – fly to Valencia, Spain

Aug. 5^th (ish) – fly to Siena, Italy

Aug. 20^th – fly from Rome to Tel Aviv, Israel

Aug. 20 – October 16^th – spend time in Israel, Jordan, and Egypt

Oct. 16^th – fly from Cairo to Delhi, India

Nov. 25^th – fly from Delhi to Cape Town, South Africa

Nov. 25^th – Jan. 25^th – Make my way through SE Africa

Jan. 25^th – fly from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Rio, Brazil

Mar. 15^th – fly from Buenos Aires, Argentina to home

I’ll be following festivals around the world. I’m shooting for the pace of one big festival per month. I’ll be starting with Chinese New Year and ending with Rio Carnival. I’ll be at a full moon party in Thailand and the world’s biggest food fight in Spain and many other places in between. I know, you all feel very sorry for me in this endeavor.

The whole way, I’ll be chronicling stories and photos and posting both to this webpage. Hopefully, I’ll do a better job in terms of frequency in my posts than in the pasts, but that depends largely on where and when I have an internet connection.

The basic premise for my trip around the world is this: to use festivals around the world as a launching point of exploring the common ways that we celebrate our basic humanity. On a daily basis, we hear about the horrors of the world – war, famine, terrorism, crime, poverty, etc. – that paint a bleak picture of human nature and the perseverance of decency. We see pictures of people grieving over lost loved ones and videos of the vocalization of hate. Every news channel, regardless of partisanship and bias, tells the stories that speak only to our sadistic desires to fear. In the midst of an era of the broadcast of misery, it’s easy to forget that people also celebrate. Whether it’s religion, manhood, coming of age, a successful harvest, or just an excuse to come together for debauchery or a giant food fight, every culture hosts events that celebrate the basic qualities that make us human.

That's the premise on paper. There is also, of course, always the pursuit of (mis)adventures.

*I'd like to add that I did not shoot this picture of the world.