03.01.22
This is part II of our three-year recap since leaving the US on Feb 17, 2019. If you haven’t read the first part, here it is:
Back in the day…before pandemics…
Like most of us, Kathleen and I entered the year 2020 with great excitement. After almost a year on the road, we left Europe and headed to Asia, a first for both of us. We had a last-minute weather scare getting out of Greece, but we left on New Year’s Eve and looked forward to yelling “Happy New Year” over the ocean in an unknown time zone. We landed in Singapore at 0300, it was dead, and killed time till our room was available. It was HOT, HUMID, and very different than what we were used to. As it was, we only spent three days in Singapore and, like everyone who visits, we were overwhelmed with the architecture, tall buildings, and very comfortable English-speaking environment. Then it was off to Thailand, where we committed to for 60 days.
Bangkok, the most visited city in the world, was a shock to my system. Crowded, smoggy, very energized, and I did not take it well. We had a beautiful room on the 38th floor of a 42-story building, and even with the infinity pool, gym, and lounge, it still wasn’t comfortable for me. We decided that we would use Bangkok as a BASE and visit different places, which is what we did. Chang Mai, Chumphon, Vietnam, and Cambodia visits made it more worthwhile, and overall we had a great time. But then that C-word messed everything up, as Kat got COVID very early, the second week of January, before anyone even knew what it was. But that was just the first domino as the virus spread worldwide and affected most of our travels, even up to now. Our return trip to the US did not come off as planned, nor did Kat’s son’s wedding, scheduled for the second week of March, just as things were getting crazy.
As it turned out, our visit to the US was cut WAY short since we were fearful our two-week break in Mexico would be jeopardized. That was the least of our problems as our intended quick visit turned into 15 months since we could not return to Europe, the US, or venture any further south. We made the best out of Puerto Morelos, a small seaside fishing village with about 10,000 people, and we liked being close to the beach, meeting new friends, and the highly affordable lifestyle. Like most of the world, our color coding and the effects of the virus went from extremely dangerous, to light, then back and forth, and we never knew when we’d be able to move on. That finally happened in June 2021 as Kat went to Ohio for the summer to spend time with her son’s family—and new grandson– and I traveled solo through Mexico and Ecuador. We reconnected in Peru for 17 days and visited much of the country, including Machu Picchu, so that was a unique experience. Then it was hurry, hurry, rush, rush, as we both made it back to the US and I jetted to Dubai (a first) for a business expo, then returned 10 days later. A quick business event in Nashville, and then, finally, we reconnected AGAIN, ready to return to our favorite country-Croatia.
October started there and we spent two months in Split, and it was the first time we felt almost settled for quite some time. We stayed in two different locations, including an amazing room right on the Riva (waterfront), which we got for a sweet price. We were able to get out to the island of Hvar, and really enjoyed that, but otherwise, it was more relaxation and writing than anything else. After about 60 days we came to Turkey since we were chasing warm weather and avoiding our 90-day visa limitation. And that brings us to where we are now, Antalya, Turkey.
Turkey has replaced Croatia as being our favorite but just by a very small amount, primarily due to the scenery, the cost of living, and the ease of gaining residency, which we now have. For two years we are “secure” and not forced to move, and as a nomad, that is a HUGE advantage. We will be in Antalya until July 1, then hit the road—on a motorcycle—up the western coast, and our plan right now is the country of Georgia to the east, or Greece and Eastern Europe to the west.
Which way will our brave senior nomads go? I guess you will have to continue watching our journey here at Travel Younger. Meanwhile, you can go to www.TravelYounger.com/blog, or purchase our two books called Traveling the World Six Weeks at a Time, volume I and II.
