toddecus' VirtualTourist Home Page

As a boy my parents took me on many trips throughout the united states, Canada, and Mexico. Highlights of my trips included catching a Coho Salmon in Vancouver and scuba diving in San Carlos.

This experience culminated with the incredible scuba diving visit to the Cayman Islands. Perhaps the most peaceful and beautiful piece of ocean I have experienced.

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I talked my friend into getting passports, "Just in case, you never know". Not more than a year later we both got the call to go and teach Java and e-Business around the world for IBM. While we were on different teams for portions of the year, we both got to travel to an extroadinary list of countries. in 1999 I visited over 31 countries.

A typical work week was two days of teaching one or two days of helping students with laboratory work and one day of site seeing. I am sure we often missed critical places we should have seen. For example only after I returned to the states did I find out that "Den Haague" was "The Hague" and that I was in the center of the International courts world without knowing it.

If I could say a couple of things about the experience:

The perception of Americans was radically off from reality, because of the limited number of Americans that actually travel internationally. The old people and super rich that seem to be most peoples experience of Americans leaves me saddened.


The people the world over were incredibly generous with their time, energy and good will. Food, ideas, places to see, what to do, where to go, were abundant in my experience, whether in Santiago, Dubai, Seol, Warrick, Casa Blanca, or Toronto.


Thank you to those of you who contributed to my incredible experience!

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I am unable to speak on travel without acknowledging the impact this experience has had on me. I was on Royal Jordanian airlines on the way to Shannon Ireland on this fateful day. I shall never forget the experience of being trapped outside my homeland, the limited nature of press in other countries, the generous fealty expressed by the Irish, nor the haunting emptiness of O'Hare when I first landed back in the states.

Alas this will not deter me from future travels, but its mark sits upon my brow.

I am saddened at how poorly our President has handled this event. I am saddened by the association of this event with the Muslim religion, with millions of believers find the action abhorrent yet finding themselves lumped in with the perpetrators. I am proud of the Americans who were entangled in the event, their courage moves me. I am frightened for the mob mentality of the country and its eagerness to surrender its freedom for a false sense of safety.

I speak in "our" terms now as my wife and I began a life together with a trip to New Zealand and the experience of the Kiwi hospitality was wonderful. We hope to do many more trips out into the vast world.

Looking to complete the right of passage of visiting every state in the union. So close yet so far...

Happy St. Patty's Day!
Slaving away here at the VT office.