“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” – Anonymous

September 21, 2023

This is a break from our regularly scheduled programming. Just a check in to let you know how things are going. I apologize as there are not very many pictures. I’m doing very well actually. Although there are days that I miss home, I am usually looking forward to what is coming next. The days I am tired, I remind myself I can go home at any time but the next destination calls to me. I have visited 18 countries in these three months, which is crazy, but a few were whirlwind stops. I will be taking it slower over the next 9 months.

So far there have been no my glitches in my travel. My flights generally have been on time, I haven’t lost my luggage, no-one has stopped me at the border, my travel mates on tours have been awesome, and my accommodations range from more than adequate to wonderful. It’s easy to traverse the world since we have so much in common. Airports operate the same everywhere – check-in, go through passport control, security and then to your gate. Signage looks the same as in the US except they’re written in English and whatever language is spoken in that country. Restrooms are clearly marked. Credit cards – mostly Visa or Mastercard, though occasionally AmEx, are accepted most everywhere. ATM’s are available and easy to operate, giving you the currency you need for the country you’re in. Taxi’s and Uber – when available, are familiar and plentiful.

I’m generally happy and upbeat. I have found myself chuckling at more things than I did before – crazy thing people do or wear, stupid movies on flights, or the books I read. Usually quiet and reserved, I am now the one that hops on the bus and says “good morning” and then start asking where people are from, how long they’re in the country, what they saw that they liked or are looking forward to seeing. It has started many conversations and I have phone numbers and emails for people around the world. I hope I meet some of them again one day. My health has been good and let’s hope it stays that way. I usually reach my activity goals 3 to 4 times a week, sometimes more.

Travel planning takes a lot of time. There are often quite a few tours available in any given country, so filtering through them can consume hours. They is so much to consider – time, cost, accommodations, size of group, dates, and activity level. Then when I don’t take a group tour, I need to find an accommodation so searching through AirBnB and hotel sites requires paying attention to details and researching areas where the properties are located. Being in the right location makes a big difference, it may cost more per night but easy access to restaurants and activities is important. I like AirBnB’s, as I usually have access to a washer and dryer – even if it’s a rack on the porch in the heat. Though inexpensive laundry services are wonderful and utilized when I can find them. I am usually booked one to two months out, right now through 11/22.

And then there are flights to schedule. I have been on a lot of regional airlines on this trip, as most of my flight have been 1 to 4 hours. It’s a little disconcerting booking flights on these unknown companies and researching them doesn’t help. There are usually lots of complaints which makes it a little worrisome. But so far so good. On flights longer than 5 hours and those with any overnight time, I have been booking business class. It’s more expensive but I decided my comfort is worth it. I’m getting spoiled though and am finding it harder to get comfortable in economy.

If I’m not on a group tour -one that has scheduled all our stops and accommodations, I easily find day tours on apps such as GetYourGuide, Viator, or TripAdvisor or through AirBnB Experiences. Further google searches provide additional options and information. Deciding between the options again takes time but there is usually interesting things to do everywhere. I’ve used hop on hop off buses twice and they are a good option to gain general knowledge of any city but can be time consuming -one loop in Cape Town was two and a half hours. Ideally, I like to be in areas where I can walk to interesting sights and restaurants.

I have liked the mix of group tours and solo days or weeks that I have scheduled. Group tours are usually very fast paced, with early mornings and sometimes late nights. And I have to pack and unpack every few days – not an easy task. So they can wear you out. But being part of a group is fun and enjoyable and the guides have so much valuable and interesting information. They also often take you to places you couldn’t find on your own. And you don’t have to eat dinner alone. Solo weeks, give me time to unwind, do laundry, planning and catch up with friends and family. And I can plan day tours on my schedule. I do have to make a lot more decisions on how to spend my free time. Overall, I think they cost about the same per day.

I did not make a budget for this trip. I know myself and knew I would spend moderately and didn’t want to limit myself by watching every dollar. But it is going to more expensive then I originally thought, mostly because travel costs have gone up so much in the last few years. And although occasionally I count the dollars in my head – I am an accountant so how can I not, I dismiss the thoughts and move on. I’m always surprised at people commenting on how expensive it must be. I reply that it’s all relative. I could easily be spending 4 or 5 times what I do, or travel for half of what it’s costing me. I wouldn’t be happy at half, I do like my creature comforts, but it’s available. I usually splurge on one or two nice meals in each location but take advantage of the hotel’s morning buffets and make avocado toast in my AirBnb’s for breakfast. Some countries are more expensive than others but I guess it evens out overall.

People have asked if I have been able to find enough to eat as a pescatarian. It really hasn’t been a problem. Even in countries that have a major meat focus, vegetables are plentiful. And eating fish has helped, especially in those countries close to the ocean – which have been a lot. I try to taste new things, and will pick things off the buffet that I don’t recognize, order something new on a menu or opt for the local dishes. And most often I can get almost any kind of food, so I have familiar foods such as pizza, pasta or risotto every now and then. Mexican is probably the hardest to find and I love Mexican food. I don’t have any new favorites yet that I will be incorporating in my diet at home, except maybe those little bananas, if I can find them. I have started drinking coffee in the morning, mostly because it’s on the buffet or there is an Nespresso maker in the AirBnB. I also drink any offered juice, especially after physical activity, as I pick me up, mango is my favorite. I find kombucha in about every other country and miss it when I can’t locate it.

Dealing with the currency exchange is an interesting feat. Not that it really matters, it costs what it costs to do the things I decide to do. I’m not making any big purchases where it would make much of a difference. Just to give you an idea $10 US is equal to 108 Norwegian Krona, 4 Oman Rials, 122,120 Uzbekistan Som, 45,000 Madagascar Aviary or 37 Dubai Dirhams. I mean how do you keep track of all that! I do have an app that is helpful for currency conversion.

I have also used Google translate ocassionally. I find that using it with taxi driver’s is very helpful. The other day I had a conversation with a deaf Russian. It’s kind of fun to have a conversation you won’t have had before this tool was available. Another tool that is used a lot is a calculator, not by me but by shop owners. You ask how much and they type it into the calculator and then show you the price. They don’t always put all the zeros in though, which can be comical, when you hand them a 200 note and they really meant 200,000. At least so far we all have chuckled.

My suitcase and backpack are very organized, everything has it’s place otherwise I would not be able to fit everything I have with me in them. But there is no way to keep the cubes organized, so packing and unpacking takes time. Which cube did I put what in? I tried to keep them sorted by warm weather and cold weather clothes but then they often cross over, it’ll be 80 today but I need a sweater in the morning when it’s 55. Then you want your dirty clothes separate from your clean clothes, so you have to move things around. It’s a constant shuffle. But I’ve used everything in my luggage at least once, most multiple times. Although, sometimes I would like to have one more of this or one more of that, I generally have had what I’ve needed. I did buy a pair of linen pants in Uganda which have been very well used and a t-shirt in Cape Town – to support the ocean. I replaced my white shirt twice – I left it behind once, and it needs to be replaced again-jungle hikes in the mud. I had to replace my jogging jacket as the zipper broke and my black sweater as that was left on a ship. I may get tired of some things – we’ll see, but it helps to move between climates to change what you’re wearing every so often.

Toilets. I want to talk about toilets. For an old lady you gets up once or twice a night to pee, remembering where the toilet is in the dark is a challenge. Is it down a hall, to the left, to the right, do I have to step up, duck down or both? Just when you get used to it, you move to a new location. Then, there are different types of toilets available. In many places you have the usual western toilet with a seat. They all have different flushing mechanisms but generally that’s pretty easy to figure out. Then there are the toilets without seats. Supposedly they are more sanitary, easier for the proprietor to clean for sure, but it’s like sitting down when your husband, son, or grandson left the toilet seat up. It doesn’t feel right. Then there are the squat toilets, a porcelain or metal basin with a hole in the middle and foot print looking indicators where you put your feet, and then you squat. I actually like those better than the seatless ones, especially if the bathroom is dirty which is relatively frequent in some places. You have to be sure to carry toilet paper with you because there’s a 50/50 chance there won’t be any. Sometimes all they have are bun guns – hoses to rinse yourself off. I haven’t figured those out yet because you’re still wet when you’re done and for the back end – well let’s not go into that. And they are often bidets which I haven’t used. I really like the malls, airports, hotels and restaurants that have attendants who clean the restrooms regularly because one of my pet peeves is woman who sprinkle when they tinkle and aren’t neat and don’t clean the seat. In Europe, you often have to pay for that service but not in places like Oman or Dubai.

One of the things I have been very happy about is my phone service with T-Mobile. I have had service in every country I visited. As soon as I turn on my phone when we land in the airport, I get a text – Welcome to ….insert country… you have free data and text at such and such speeds and voice calls for only $.25/minute. No SIM cards for me to purchase. All my lodgings have had some kind of wi-fi – some hi speed, some only available in the lobby or main tent, and some sporadic based on the weather. My blogs require hi-speed to save and post so I am happy when I have it. My phone however has been problematic. It’s only 18 months old but the battery usually doesn’t last the day. I’m thankful I purchased a good battery pack. I went it the Apple Store in Dubai to get it looked at and she reset my phone but it hasn’t helped and it screwed up my Apple Watch. I also had to reinstall all my apps and lost some of my contacts. It’s very frustrating. And there won’t be another Apple Store for some time.

I always open to have someone join me in any part of this adventure. If I’ve inspired you let me know and let’s see what we can work out.