Hey, it’s Sebastian Modak. 52 Places Traveler for The New York Times. Been here for two minutes. I’m already lost. Just had my first ever surf lesson. That’s the stuff dreams are made of. Just hit the halfway point. There’s been too many once-in-a-lifetime experiences to list them all, but here are just 26 of the moments I’m going to remember forever, from the first 26 stops of this trip. Here we go. Puerto Rico, the best pork ever. Seriously, this guy’s a genius. Fresh off the spit. Panama, swimming with this whale shark. Houston, all the food. Ontario, hunting for ice caves. I hope I don’t get impaled by an icicle. Las Vegas, going back in time. Wyoming, feeding bison. Hey, Gene Simmons. Columbus, Ohio, an immersive art experience. Huntsville, Alabama. “Oh, hello. Welcome.” These new friends, they showed me around the whole city. “So we’re at Lowe Mill, the largest privately owned arts facility in the United States.” Williamsburg, Virginia, living history. Oh, and for some reason, pancake houses everywhere. Walking from the bottom all the way to the top of Manhattan. We might have cheated a little bit. I walked most of Manhattan today. I still think I like my neighborhood best. Doha, Qatar, the totally bonkers architecture. And there’s the crazy building behind me, Uzbekistan, watching riders fight over a goat carcass. Might be my new favorite sport. In the chaos, right in the chaos. Batumi, Georgia. “You have to come to Georgia to learn how to love.” All the booze. I’d rather forget the hangovers. Why does fun have to hurt so much? Israel, this jam session. Plovdiv, Bulgaria, these springtime walks. Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, hiking all alone. Aalborg, Denmark, my guild induction. “And found you worthy to be taken up as member of the order — ” And getting the keys to the city. “Whoa.” Everything in Norway. I basically dragged my jaw around. I feel like I’m in some magical fairy tale land. I mean, look at this. Look at these houses behind me. Turn after turn. Are you kidding? Just how beautiful this country is. I mean, this is my job. What? This is the kind of terrain where I totally could run into an elf right now, and I wouldn’t even be surprised. I hope I do. Texel, Netherlands, hanging out with this sheep farmer. Aberdeen, Scotland, all of this street art. Who knew? Salvador, Brazil, the music. It’s everywhere. Costalegre, Mexico, these empty beaches and doing absolutely nothing. Chile, a total solar eclipse. I was literally shaking. That was just unreal. Unbelievable, closest I can think to a religious experience. Wow. Falkland Islands, hanging with king penguins and their fluffy babies. Vevey, Switzerland, cooling off in Lake Geneva. Hot summer day, Lake Geneva’s the solution. While scenes from an acid trip paraded by. The first night of this winemakers’ festival that happens once in a generation. It’ll be the best party I’ve ever been to. Zadar, Croatia, getting on a boat and away from the crowds. One thing that I’ve learned on the first half of this trip is that the world constantly surprises you. I have no idea what I just ordered. I think there’s horse meat involved. I tried to not go into this trip with any expectations. Casual, the Roman ruins behind me. I’m going to try to finish it with none either. I think I pulled something. So let’s see what happens. Here’s to more jam sessions. More fluffy animals. More empty beaches. “Wow.” And fewer Georgia style hangovers. I met some people. “Cheers.” “We ended up hanging out, drinking wine until 2:30 in the morning. Oh, I’d kill to sleep like two hours, maybe four. Also, there’s half a year left. Hit me up. What do you think I should check out more of over the next six months? Follow me on Instagram: @sebmodak. And hit me up with a message. Can’t wait for the next 26 places. Catch you on the other side.”