Seasons Greetings

As the year draws to a close it is once again time to look back and reflect. For once I can honesty say I am not thinking, “Where has this year gone?” Instead I am marveling, “Did all this really happen in just one year?”

To begin with I wish each and every one of you a spectacular finale to 2017 and all the best for your dreams and aspirations in 2018. Living with appreciation and taking time to value the small stuff is truly one of life’s greatest blessings. I hope this is the way you begin the coming year and it continues to shape your adventures as the year progresses.

2017 always promised to be one of those years from which we would count forward or backward in the future – a turning point from which things would be measured as before or after 2017. It was singled out to be a year to remember from the moment we decided to leave Bhutan and it has proved to be exactly that.

It began with leaving the magical kingdom we had grown to love. By New Year’s Eve we were in a hotel in downtown Thimphu with all our possessions finally sold and moved or packed. We knew the decision to leave was right for us but it still pulled on our heartstrings to walk away from so many people and experiences that had shaped our lives and changed us forever. Spending the beginning of January, and our last days in Bhutan with a dear friend who was visiting for the first time, softened the blow of departing. It provided us with the opportunity to share what we love about the country and focus on the many positives as well as visiting old haunts and savouring everyday events and sights.  Nightly circumambulation of the Memorial Chorten, one last climb to the monastery at Tango, final prayer flag flying at Chela La and dzong visits gave us closure and time for reflection.  Dear Maki San, we thank you for that and the perspective it gave.

For the first time in more than four decades of travel we paid excess luggage when we exited and we arrived in Bangkok with bags packed for a short stint in Sri Lanka, the long haul to Australia and beyond, as well as a box of household items and things of sentimental value to be deposited there and collected in 6 months time. Whittling all that we had into those 90 kilos and moving it, was indeed a mammoth task and we took great pleasure in heading off to visit Katja in Colombo with less that 10 kilos each.

Going to Sri Lanka was one of those last minute decisions born of the fact that an old friend lives there and we have never been and would possibly never be so close again. It also provided some time for just the two of us and the distance we needed to make sense of the plans we had laid before returning to Oz, where the question predictably enough would be, “What now then?” It was exactly the right thing to do but going from the Himalayan winters to the scorching sun and humidity also allowed us to slow down and take a much needed break after the frantic final months of school, farewells and travel in Bhutan. This trip became a holiday and the downtime was much needed and fully appreciated. After a night in the capital and a brief visit to the stunning tea plantations and Nuwara Eliya, we headed to Mirissa and lazed about on the beach and walked the coast enjoying the quiet and food, while focusing on truly unwinding by swimming and reading.

Another flying visit through Bangkok and we were home in Adelaide in time to celebrate Australia Day and Chinese New Year with family and friends. The usual rounds of medical appointments and making a concerted effort to reduce our stored possessions and relocate some into a smaller unit consumed the first couple of weeks at home but after that it was all fun and frivolity. Due to the generosity of Jane we were able to step back and enjoy most of February in Glenelg, punctuating our days with regular visits to the Central Market, social catch ups, beach walks, country drives and planning and booking the upcoming adventure.

Our Oz time ended with the Overland train to Melbourne and a few days with Lisa. This has become something of a tradition and by the time we flew to Washington DC via Beijing our only concern was whether or not we would be granted visas on arrival, as newly elected President Trump was creating immigration nightmares. Spending five hours waiting for take off on the tarmac, in the plane in Beijing only heightened our anxiety and added another airline to the list of never agains! But “all’s well that ends well.” As it turned out we breezed through immigration and were warmly welcomed by friendly and courteous staff.

Spending a prolonged time in the US was only possible because Anthony welcomed us into both his Washington and New York apartments. We arrived to near blizzard conditions and winter storms raged and we wondered in those first few days if we had enough clothing to survive the brutal weather outside. However we quickly took to walking as much as possible and this both warmed us up and gave us better insight into the local lifestyle. Catching up with a recently returned old friend from Bhutan, Mark, who now resides in DC and old cycling buddy from Japan days Barry, who flew in from LA were highlights of our Washington stay. The weather was conducive to visiting many of the Smithsonian museums and other excellent exhibitions and events and we lapped up the culture and wonderful parks with abundant birdlife and hiking opportunities.

New York has long been a favourite and sharing time there with Anthony and a prolonged period alone was amazing. We made a point of doing something new everyday, instead of returning to old haunts and favourites. Living in Harlem amid constant noise, sirens, traffic, incredible nightlights and an unending stream people on the streets couldn’t have been more different from our living situation in Bhutan, where even in the capital only the howling of dogs punctuates the nights. Catching up with live entertainment and exploring the city on foot as well as making daily use of the subway kept us warm and engaged. I love the vibrancy and the friendly; strike up a conversation with anyone, feel of the Big Apple. We explored parks, wandered Chinatown and Little Italy, saw shows, ate amazing vegetarian food, visited museums and art exhibitions and did self-guided walks. This month long celebration of my sixtieth birthday was exactly what I imagined when we dreamed up this plan and it was dissected by a five-day sojourn into Toronto.

We arrived by bus in Toronto in the early morning and had no expectations about what it would be like. The multicultural population, the huge numbers of homeless, the distinct racially determined districts, abundance of parks and birdlife as well as the ‘walkability’ of the city are our lasting impressions. Once again two friends from early days in Bhutan, who now reside there, made time in their busy teaching schedules to meet up and catch up with us. Thanks to Nick and Kira, and as a result of their influence we took to cider drinking in TO. There is something about those with whom we have shared time in Bhutan that connects us for life regardless of the time, distance or age differences. 

 Peru and Machu Picchu in particular have long been on my bucket list and Lima was our next destination. This was always going to be the biggest adventure. It is not only a country we had never visited, but also a new continent and a whole region of mostly non-English speaking people. This was to be a challenge with no return tickets and a sense of adventure to travel the old-fashioned way; no booked in advance hotels, no clear concept of the route to take and open hearts and open minds to guide us. We loved it from day one, despite being told that Lima was not worth much time by others, we ended up extending our time there and returning for a few extra days at the end of our trip and did not regret it at all. Initially it enabled us to get a feel for the culture and was temperate and offered lots squares and backstreets to explore in the old centre and in the end it was a comfort to realise how well we had fitted into the South American way of life.

We instantly loved the down to earth, get the job done attitude of the people with lively if somewhat noisy interactions extending long into the night and always accompanied by as much loud music as possible. There is heaps of tradition, peppered with enough modern technology to be convenient. Without language skills it took time to get a handle on acquiring healthy vegetarian food but we enjoyed discovering the architecture, culture, history and traditions and exploring the markets in every location. The quirky street entertainment and militaristic displays of security took us by surprise but were ever present in every region we saw. We did only a small circuit travelling by air, bus, train and on foot. It included Cusco, Agua Caliente enroute to Machu Picchu, Puno for Lake Titicaca and Arequipa to see the condors riding the updrafts and returning to Lima. Each place offered so much more than the sight we initially went to see. Although it is only a small taste of Peru, the diversity of the places, the unique wildlife and variety of landscapes, we did see and the legacy of the Incas left a lasting impressions and a hunger for more.

From Puno we took a brief detour into Bolivia. We knew we were close enough to visit the famed resort of Copacabana (yes Brazil stole the name) on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. Having already viewed the Peruvian shores we were impressed with how different the lake and its shore was in each country.  From there we were inspired to venture on to La Paz as well.  Both destinations were well worth the bus journeys and showcased the culture in varied ways. Walking across international borders is also something that delights us, and this detour provided us with that experience twice. There is something so otherworldly about walking into another country in this day and age. We got but a small glimpse of the similarities and differences in culture between Peru and Bolivia but once again it was the street life, the markets and the lively exchanges between people that we thoroughly enjoyed. Those famous bowler hats, the brilliantly painted street art of the capital, the sunsets over Lake Titicaca, the sky scape of the Andes in La Paz and the barren tundra landscape between the two are lasting memories.

We eventually planned an exit from South America, which involved a cheap flight through LA, which afforded us the opportunity to meet up for a few days with my one-time boss and dear friend from Japan days, Barry again. Some much-needed sunshine hiking and a stroll on the beach at Santa Monica, reminded us of the heat and humidity we were about to embrace back in Asia. McKenny provided us with accommodation in his absence and we just managed to meet for a few hours before we winged our way back to Bangkok

From there the real challenge of whether we could set up our lives in a long term capacity in Cambodia faced us. We had a list of possible places we might want to live and planned to travel to each and make a decision but after arriving at the first, we instantly knew this was it. Kep was chosen and the process of acquiring long-term visas and finding rental accommodation took priority.

After an initial period of three months, in a spectacular bamboo house in dream location among the rice paddies, all thoughts of this being a trial and the possibility of moving elsewhere were shelved. At this point in time we have established ourselves in a little house near the centre of town and taken to volunteering at a school and a monastery a bike ride away in both cases but in opposite directions. We feel settled and content: leading a simple life, swimming regularly, cooking up a storm and making local friends. As we approach the Xmas season we are looking forward to a couple of weeks break from volunteering at the school so that we can play host to our first visitors, though we will of course continue to teach the little monks for whom Xmas is an unknown thing.

 

We feel that we have a great deal to be thankful for and that the plans we made almost a year ago now have panned out very much as we hoped they would. It was not only the travel but also the chance to reunite with so many old friends, many of whom were in their home countries that made this particular year of new beginnings so memorable.

All that remains is to wish you and your families the blessings of happiness, prosperity and gratitude. May you all stay in contact and feel blessed. If you want more detail, though I suspect this epic is more than enough detail for most, you can read the blow by blows and the reflections and impressions in previous entries here on our blog. 

With love and best wishes,

Peace always,

Vicky and Ian