I finally finished adding up the huge number of ATM receipts (thank goodness for the wonderful First Republic Bank policy of not charging for ATM transactions anywhere in the world!) plus credit card charges for the trip and it came to $13,500 - more than I expected/hoped (which was about $10k) but still - I didn't really stint anywhere except by trying to get cheap hotel rooms where necessary (i.e. where I wasn't staying with a friend) without getting anything too creepy. I went to nice restaurants once in a while and treated friends also to at least a meal (which is only fair!)
Other figures I've come up with - number of countries visited if you count those where I never left the airport (Hong Kong, Germany and Japan) - 14
Number of flights - (including side trips not part of the fabulous prize - several on Air Asia, Asian equivalent of Southwest Airlines, which is definitely no-frills but absolutely great for short hops - interesting contrast between landing after an Air Asia flight and then the next day being treated like royalty or maybe even a minor deity in a First Class lounge) - 21
Number of airlines - 8 Star Alliance carriers (part of the prize) plus 2 others (Air Asia and Bangkok Airways) within SE Asia.
Number of different currencies I used - Hong Kong dollars, Thai baht, Cambodian riel (although they use US dollars most of the time), Vietnamese dong, Singapore dollars, Malaysian ringgit, UAE dirhams, Turkish lira (euros accepted or even required sometimes), euros, UK pounds, Brazilian rials - 12
How to say Thank You (without trying to include tones) - kop kun ka (Thai from a woman), aw kun (Cambodian), com an (Vietnamese), sheh sheh (Mandarin in Singapore), trimakasi (Malaysian although I think I was more using the Indonesian way), shukrahn (Arabic), teshehkereh ehdurim (Turkish), moltas gracias (Catalan), muchos gracias (Spanish), ta very much (English), vielen Dank (German), obrigada (Portuguese from a woman), merci (Canadian)
