Nov. 23 - 25: Seven months of notes, people’s names, addresses and reflections, are gone. On Nov. 23 somewhere between the Athens and Oslo airports, I misplaced my personal diary.

Possibly at McDonalds between frenchfries and a coffee, or on the plane hidden in the net meshing between a vomit bag and a magazine. As long as I don’t lose my memory, I will remember the journey. But, it’s a small disaster.

***My personal travel journal is gone. Gone - seven months of written travel logs. Gone - reflections. Gone - people’s names and addresses.***

Carelessness. In times when I am rushed or have other things on my mind, I lose focus. I have to add the loss of the black diary to several losses during the trip including a water pump, kayak straps, sponge, toothbrush, shampoo, fleece, one Nike shoe, one iPhone, two power banks, one paddle, one Piece Prize cap ... and a number of other things.

To avoid clutter during the trip, I reduced the number of dry bags from eight to four. I sent home clothes and equipment that I didn’t need. I find that the lesser amount of things to take care grant a greater overview of what I have. Easier to manage.

Maybe its just like getting fit. You have to build the muscle to be focused. Hah, which muscle can I train in my brain.

RESTLESS NIGHTS AT HOME

I wake up not knowing where I am. The last few nights have been restless. I dream about routes, weather, and ocean conditions. The waking up process is turbulent. It takes time to orient myself and I feel I am going through some type of extreme travel metamorphosis before I figure out where I am.

I have never undertaken such a journey before and all these months of extreme pressures and experiences have left their mark. Obviously my brain is still working. And I am still in a processing information mode looking to solve problems.

Makes decisions.

I now realize that during the months of kayaking, I have been processing information, preparing and making decisions while I sleep. :) Haha. Surprise.

Creates and consolidates memories.

OK. The black bound travel journal is gone, but I read that while I sleep my brain is busy forming new memories, consolidating older ones, and linking more recent with earlier memories. So, all is not lost.

Makes creative connections.

After a stressful paddling day, I slept 10 hours. Exhausted. I went to bed worrying about a section of the Albanian coastline and how to get around it. When I woke up I had the answer. Sleep can be a powerful creativity-booster. Haha.

But how to get my black book back? I don’t think I will find that solution. ( have contacted the most ).