It’s been a long, hard slog to get our project poised for success. We’ve worked as hard on this endeavor as anything I’ve done in this life thus far. And we’re not done yet.

However…I’m dying to do some more traveling soon with or without camera crew in tow. Despite what some of you may romanticize about my travels, there are innumerable places that I haven’t been. And plenty of others where I’d be thrilled to return. Considering that Swat Valley in Pakistan has agreed to impose Sharia Law, and that Thailand is quickly headed toward martial law & a collapse of its government, I’ll cross those two off the Return List for now.

Of the places I’ve never been, I’m not sure how long the “No, thanks” list would be. It’s shorter than it would be for most Americans. For example, Iran is somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for many years, inasmuch as I inquired about a visa at the Iranian consulate in Peshawer, Pakistan, a town that is now in disarray as militant Islam gains traction in the region. There are obvious “No Gos” like Somalia. But others that sound unthinkable, like Sudan, I would consider (I’ve heard their ruins rival Egypt’s.)

If you had a choice to go anywhere on the planet right now- April, 2009 – where would it be?

I’m obviously working on my answer for the same question.

And, no, I’m not talking about this picture:

But rather the evolution of “The Laughing Planet” as illustrated by our logo. Prepare for a pictorial journey about how

THIS became THIS

(more…)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3: