Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Now that I’m back in the States, I’d like to take the time to thank the many people who made this trip possible.

To everyone who donated money after the shipwreck:

Thank you so much.  I am blown away by your kindness and generosity, and though I spoke to each of you privately, I want to acknowledge you here as well.

The shipwreck and the days that followed were awful, and your kind donations brought me to tears — and helped me quickly replace my computer, clothing and toiletries.  I cannot tell you how moved I was by your messages as well.

(Once I get my insurance refund, which is still pending, I will announce the amount of money I am donating and to which charity.)

To everyone who hosted me on my travels:

Thank you for opening your homes to me, whether it was for 10 hours or 15 days.  You’re always welcome in Boston, or wherever I end up living.

To my friends from travel:

Thank you for more fun times than I ever could have imagined.  I will always look back at the memories with such happiness.  I had the time of my life with you, and I’ll never forget it.

I’d like to give a special shout-out to my friends with whom I traveled through Thailand’s beaches, my friends from Sihanoukville to Luang Prabang, and my friends from Vietnam and beyond.

To my friends from home:

Thank you for virtually joining me for the ride and keeping me up to date on hometown news.

To my family:

Thank you for always being there and respecting me for going after my dreams.  I’m sorry I put you through a lot of worry.

To the travel blogging community:

Thank you for your visits, your comments, your promotion, your tips, your contacts, and more!  I’m happy to be part of such a wonderful community.

To my sponsors:

Thank you for making so many of my adventures possible, and bringing my site to a new audience.

Special Thanks

There are a few individuals I’d like to single out.

To Adam — thank you for finding my Moleskine diary on Koh Chang, holding onto it as you traveled through Laos, and returning it to me in Bangkok, without even reading it.

To Mike — thank you for talking me off a virtual cliff via gchat on multiple occasions.  You saved me from self-destruction.

To Andrea — thank you for quickly squashing the family rumor that “the baby on board” who survived the shipwreck was my own.  My dad has fewer gray hairs because of you.

To Beth — thank you for not hesitating to call me in Indonesia when I was unable to Skype.  It means more than you know.

To Dave — thank you for showing me, time and time again, that anything’s possible.

And — most importantly — to my readers!

THANK YOU for reading this site.

THANK YOU for recommending it to your friends.

THANK YOU for each an every comment.

THANK YOU for making my Facebook page such a fun community.

THANK YOU for showing me, every day, that I’m in the right business.

This trip was better than I ever could have hoped — and I thank you all for that.

Much love,

Kate