You can see these hops yourself from your own computer using traceroute, which is available on all popular platforms. At one time, the NAPs were the place to be. If your ISP could get your packets to the NAP in a hurry, you were in great shape. They still do, and they're not going to get better any time soon. The NAPs are the last place you want your packets to pass through, and counting hops to the NAPs just tells you how soon your packets will get clogged in the NAP traffic jam.
Full duplex is the same as half duplex.
This is one of those myths of omission. A telecommunications line is either full duplex or half duplex. Many companies are now selling Ethernet connections, which they call 10-Mbps lines. That's a misleading appellation. Ethernet is half-duplex.