Good Bye, Un-ited States of America!

Today is the day. Part one of the world tour comes to an end. 10 weeks travelling across the United States of America. Seen a lot, maybe even too much. I’m sitting at the airport in LA waiting for my flight to Honolulu. Let’s just count Hawaii as non-USA. Fortunately, the French don’t speak Italian these days either.

It was nice, exhausting, surprising and sometimes pretty dull. America is not one country. America is 50 individual countries. Each one is different, some completely different. In one country you pay $100 for one mile too much, in the next you pay nothing for 10. In one country there are no bends, in another there are no straights.

People are everywhere, just as you meet them. Sometimes like this, sometimes like that. I’ve met some heartthrobs and, to put it mildly, completely blind and deaf idiots. Towards the end of part one, I was left with a somewhat bland aftertaste. I was probably very lucky at the beginning of the journey. Towards the end, I met some strange people who believed what they were saying but seemed to think differently.

Everyone in the United States has an opinion, which they express. Some are well-founded, others don’t even stand up to critical scrutiny. Everyone is in favour of environmental protection. Nobody switches off their computer overnight. Everyone wants to live a healthy life. Many bang their heads as well as Kurt Cobain. Everyone is completely open. But few people really get into it.

A few are different. At first they seem a bit closed off, but then on closer inspection and listening they are a real treasure trove. I hope to see some of them again. Treasures are always nice. Good bye, USA!