Logo- The Iconic Hand 

  • By Thong Do
  • •
  • 15 Feb, 2016
  • •

In the fall of 2012 I took a 10 day trip that would forever inspire me and forge a new path. I took a vacation to Machu Picchu, Peru and the Easter Islands. I've had some travel experience before but what made this trip so memorable was seeing my first Wonder of the World. The altitude, scenery, human ingenuity, and people made such an impression on me compared to the many other iconic sites I've seen.  


When the holidays later arrived, I made a New Year's Day resolution and promise myself to see the 6 remaining Wonders of the World within a year. Fortunately, I had enough vacation time saved and just had to save up. I lived extremely modestly and did EVERYTHING I could do save up for this. My next trip was in the Spring to see Chichen Itza, Mexico and Christ the Redeemer, Brazil. In the Summer, I went to see The Petra, Jordan and The Colosseum, Rome. In the Fall went to see The Great Wall, China and the Taj Mahal, India.  


As I stood there in the sunset next to the Taj Mahal, I just sort stood there and was in shock for a while. Slowly, it was sinking in that I had accomplished something truly incredible. I realized that not everyone has the opportunity to see a Wonder of the World, let alone seeing all 7 of them, or seeing all of them in a 1 year span. This travel milestone is something that takes a lifetime for most people. While I was standing next to the Taj Mahal, I put my hand on it and was just feeling overwhelmed with the emotions of seeing such an extraordinary and beautiful piece of human ingenuity as well as the knowing how much determination and sacrifice it took to complete this amazing journey. My ambitious journey had finally come to a close and it was difficult to accept that one of my dreams actually became true. I mean really, how often can one actually say that?  


So, I took a picture of my hand on the wall as personal reminder of what I was feeling. Later, after doing my photo editing I realized how much I liked that photo and began to take photos of my hand on the following trips I made since.    


My hand + the iconic places I've been = The Iconic Hand

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