My first card from the U.S.A. also happens to have been the slowest traveller to date.  But it came all the way from Alaska so I suppose that accounts for something!  In fact, Alaska is one of the few states which I never got around to visiting despite having a strong desire to do so.  I’d much rather go there than, for example, Hawaii!

Postcrossing ID#US-2374134 was mailed from Anchorage on 20 August, taking a dismal 38 days to travel 10,417 km (6,473 miles).  The previous “record-holder” was 28 days for a card sent from China. The caption on the card states that Anchorage “is known as the ‘Crossroads of the World,’ and the city of nearly 300,000 is one of the busiest air freight hubs in the world.”  The man who sent the card works as a steward for an airline.

The card shows an aerial nighttime view of Anchorage with mountains in the background.  I love city-view cards!  Jesse wrote:

Hello Mark,

Greetings from Anchorage Alaska.  I envy you, my goal is to retire abroad.  Right now I’m thinking of The Philippines.  What advice do you wish you’d had before you left the States?  Anyhow have a great day and a happy life.

Jesse Wilson

When I registered the card, I sent him a message that I couldn’t think of anything I wished I’d known before moving to Thailand but that the only real hassle was learning to deal with the total disregard of things we regard as “common sense” back home.  Ignorance of established traffic laws is at the top of this list!