A Strange Competition

An interesting website, where you can check boxes to define what countries you've visited and it creates a map for you. I'd always felt that I'd been to a few places and now looking at my map makes me realize how much more there is to see.

You can make your own at:
http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedCountries/

This reminds me of a TV program I once saw that highlighted a club where members competed to visit the most countries. I think at that time there were 317 countries in the world and entrance into the club was granted to people that had been to 100. Competitors would take day-long detours -- and pay visa fees! -- just to get that border stamp, or would make specific journeys to countries that were about to break up or disappear, like Yugoslavia or the German Democratic Republic. There were even rules disallowing airport stop-overs or in utero visits.

I was a bit disturbed by people itching to canonize themselves for the most different border crossings. I ran a quick search on the web that produced blog titles like: "Bangladesh. Been there. Done that." Is that really what traveling is all about? Although it is gratifying to possess a passport full of stamps, it seems more rewarding for it to serve to provide memories of being itinerant and not persevering.

Whatever you reasons are, the map is an entertaining way to lose a good half hour at work.

Ok. Time to get back to work.