A Note on Competition as we moved across the world.
Sally and I are traveling as a team in the Global Scavenger Hunt competition. Our team name is Fillies - in part because we met growing up in Philly.
We are competing, but not really. We are only participating in the first half of the trip. We will peel off after Day 12 of 23. Thus, it is not possible for us to win the game. However, each country we visit is a separate leg, with its own scores and rankings. We can and do compete in each country.
The data from the legs are rolled into overall scores after weighing them for level of difficulty and number of days spent in that country. For example, one day of scavenging in Vancouver was a par 1, versus four days in Myanmar, assigned a par 5.
Our scores:
- Vancouver- we are pretty sure we won, but the leg was a trial run. No scores were posted. In wrapping up the Vancouver leg, the trip leader, Bill Chalmers announced that the Fillies (that’s us) did the most scavenges and he called us overachievers. Alas, it doesn’t count.
- Vietnam- We came in 4th. (I was a little cranky because we thought we would be first. We were out the door at 5:00 a.m., hard charged strategically and followed the rules assiduously. But, we got dinged by an alternate interpretation).
- Myanmar- dead last. No surprise, because we chose to break the rule limiting in-country flights to two. It cost us a 750 point penalty. We took three flights: Yangon to Mandalay. Mandalay to Bagan. Bagan to Yangon. We did it to position ourselves to be in Bagan before sunrise for the dreamy hot air ballon experience that I have wanted to do forever. Figuring we were in the red anyway, why not go deeper so we could maximize our visit and see the most of Myanmar? We broke two other rules: no internet research and limiting a taxi to two scavenges. All said, we got to see a lot more of Myanmar than we ever could have if we hadn’t decided to “go red.”
- Bangkok- We came in 2nd.
- Abu Dhabi - No idea. We left before the scores were announced.
Really, the scores don’t matter unless you win the whole competition. The prize for winning is getting to go again the next year for free. The fun is in doing the scavenges and in racking up points while playing.
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| Departure area of Abu Dhabi airport. This cheesy camel photo prop, is in the corridor on the way to US Customs and Border Patrol Preclearance. After clearing immigration in Abu Dhabi's airport, when you land in the US, it's as though you arrived on a domestic flight. No immigration or customs lines required. |