Neil peeps in through a porthole aboard the M/V Tarago.

Journal by Justin Mounts

The big blue ocean is spread out before me. Like no ocean I’ve seen before, I am captivated by its beauty. Crossing the Indian Ocean, I am struck with a new sense of wonder. A quick check of the atlas reminds me of how far we’ve come. A second glance reminds me of how far we still have to go. Our ship-bound voyage is quite helpful in that we are covering a lot of earth in a short amount of time. By the time we dock in Singapore, we will have left the Southern hemisphere for good.

It does just seem like yesterday that I was packing and unpacking my bags repeatedly to determine what should stay and what should go. Now, I’m on my 2nd bag of the expedition, having destroyed one and having shipped about 50% of what I originally packed home. How is it that I still seem to have more items than I began with?

The great thing about the ship is that in between all the time that we’re spending working, I actually have time to reflect on the journey behind us. We have collectively traveled through 16 countries. We’ve driven somewhere in the vicinity of 20,000 miles. We have met thousands of people, many of whom are now fast friends.

The amazing thing about this journey is how quickly one can adapt to all of the new places you go. Each day brings a barrage to your senses. New sights, sounds, tastes, feelings, and smells attack the five senses in an endless wave. Sure, every now and then you really get a craving to go see a baseball game or return to your favorite restaurant, but on the whole every day brings something new, and if you can handle the constant change, you have entered a life unlike any other.

So, to each of you sitting at home right now, I have a challenge for you: with your next vacation—be it a week or a month, consider going someplace that you have never thought about before. Push your personal boundaries to new limits. If there’s something you want to see or do, now is the time to capitalize on that urge. Besides, the hardest part about travel is deciding where to go. The easy part is getting moving.

The only question left is how far do you want to go?

Until next time, I wish you all well from the far side of the world.

The sun sets over the side of the ship.

Photo by Justin Mounts

Logbook for May 22nd, Day 204
Start: Indian Ocean
Time: N/A
S: N/A
E: N/A
Finish Indian Ocean
Time: N/A
S: N/A
E: N/A
Mileage: 000
Notes: Last day aboard ship! We disembark tomorrow, and we’re sort of sad. We’ll miss the comfort and the crew of the M/V TARAGO. Thank you, Wallenius Wilhelmsen! This was a major highlight of the entire expedition.

(N.O.)

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.