Confession: I May Have Judged My Fellow Travelers a Bit Too Harshly

I am pleased to report that my fellow travelers weren't nearly as awful as I initially made them out to be (with the exceptions of the food-sniffer and the Swiss girl). I suppose everyone has a story, if you're willing to listen and/or drag it out of them.

For instance, the not so secret racist is actually not racist, just a little clueless (and neurotic). She and her husband also get sympathy points for having an 18 year old daughter with the mental ability of a 2 year old, with bonus points for being so upbeat.

Some of the younger people are making good, brave decisions. One recent college grad decided not to return to England, given the economy, and will be taking a course in order to teach English in Thailand. Another is thinking of looking for internships in DC (presumably Capitol Hill).

And one of the most recent additions to our now finished tour is a banker who is working on becoming a screenwriter. (Also: he's related to Sir Walter Scott and Rob Roy--pretty cool, although not an actual accomplishment.)

I could say something good about everyone, but that would be tedious. It will have to suffice that I think well of all of them, for different reasons, and that they are all very kind, sometimes funny, and often fun. I'll try to judge less harshly in the future. Of course, not doing 10 1/2 solid weeks of organized tours will make that considerably easier.