A very thoughtful blog. It seems to me that the year 2020 was, for many different reasons, one of the saddest state of affairs in my life time. Sorry your trip had to be cancelled! Missing out on the trip you had so looked forward to was reason enough to be disappointed much less everything else related to the COVID fallout. I guess your 6th sense must have been working well. Even had you been able to go, you might not have been able to re-enter the country for who knows how long when flights were cancelled and most borders started closing.
Thank you! I concur. The year February 2020-January 2021 is definitely the most disorientating and destabilizing year of most of our lifetimes. I could definitely have gotten stuck, but what a TravelBlog I could of written about the struggle to get home. ;)
I love going back to old memories... and look forward to fruther installments of your time with your mother and family. I hope to visit where our ancestors came from in Scotland in June so this is inspiring.
This year's writing project Since my solo spring trip was cancelled, which I usually document all during the following year, I was left with an unfulfilled writers itch. So I decided to write up a recent family trip instead. Tons of photos, but no notes! Hope your June plans come to fruition.
Home Sweet Ancestral Home A delightful Scottish stroll, Tommy. Bright one day cold & blustery the next. Must have been wonderful to have shared it with your relatives' embrace. Hope your Mum & you are surviving in NY...kinda different to the wilds of Scotland.
Traveling with mom What a great trip and thanks for sharing. Mom must have been frantic not finding the passport. We loved the concert we listened to at St. Martin in the fields. I'm so glad she was able to make this trip before things changed. Hopefully, again soon.
Carpe Diem Thank you. The lesson of taking advantage of the time given you has definitely been hammered home this year. If/when international travel opens back up Mom now has her own travel list: Greek Islands, Chauvet Caves, and of course more return trips to Britain!
Return to the Swinging Sixties A wonderful reminisce of some special times you brought back for and shared with your Mum. And it says a lot about you Tommy. I was touched by the warmth of your words and relationship. Thanks for sharing. Well worth the telling.
Journey Back to Old London Town Thanks Dave. I guess it's best to write about what you know. Little did we know what the rest of the year had in store!
Fires, floods...why why why Corona In Australia we endured the worst, most extensive, most destructive bushfires in history from June 2019 to February 2020 following up to 10 years of drought. Then the rains came and started filling dams and rivers giving farmers hope. Those rains brought extensive flooding washing away bare topsoil reducing the prospects of recovery and that short lived hope. Meanwhile in December 2019 there was talk of a mysterious virus in Wuhan, China that reached Australia in January 2020...our first death on 1 March...borders closed...country in virtual lockdown. Will it ever end? We realise we are better off in Oz...24 hours from anywhere now our solace...possibly the best place to be as the virus travels like wildfire around the globe...still raining here so many areas now green after years of brown. Is breaking of years of drought a blessing or a cruel joke? Considering the past year we have had in Oz...hard not to wonder what could possibly be next. Recession or depression? Gotta retain our social distancing and humour or we certainly will have no chance as the waves keep approaching to drench some of us...the unknown being how many will be smashed and the size of the surf. Relax & Enjoy...its gonna be quite a ride. Oz has been known for many years as "The Lucky Country"...at least we can hang onto that.
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay happy. Well said, Dave. Here in New York the situation feels pretty immediate. It warms me to think of populations in far flung regions where there is more distance between them and the scourge. But with the internet bringing in global reports it is hard for anyone to feel truly removed. Both blessing and curse I guess. One day, this too will pass. Embrace these times and learn their lessons.
How bonkers? Guess I will never know. We grieve for New York in Oz...we get frequent updates daily and they seem to get worse and worse. Can't imagine the sense of loss and uncertainty you must feel in that city. Then there is Europe and we wonder where it could be worse. Or whether China is really letting us know how bad it can get...as the virus stretches its claws into other parts of the World. At least you have your travel plans to hang onto...like approaching light at the end of a tunnel...only the length of the tunnel and any unexpected obstacles that may be thrown can impede your way. I hang onto my mantra..."I do not want to be the One...the One who infects someone or is infected by someone else. I do not want to be the One." I know if I am true to that there will be an end to this. But the uncertainty...I grieve for your uncertainty...and your New York.
I've had this suspicious notion that if I pre-plan a trip in detail or write a blog in advance of the events actually happening... I will jinx the trip. I first raised this concern in my blog "Did I jinx American Airlines" posted in April 2013. This year I really put that suspicion to the test. I plan(ned) to visit the ancestral castles of my wife in Scotland in September. There much history around each ancestor and their castle that I wanted to write down so that I wouldn't have to write these details while on the road. These draft blogs would also help me plan what to visit and in what order. Well, I've written four draft blogs with a total of 5500 words. So you can blame me for all the cancelled travel plans around the world!
We know who is to blame, and its not you:) A draft blog? Never thought of that before. It actually sounds pretty clever. Helps you plan your trip and saves you future work. I like it! I am sure that you can still use these in the future even if your trip gets postponed, although in September you might be ok. So no jinx. Prepare away!
Global Celebration World travelers are chomping at the bit to get on the road again. We loved our month in the Philippines and would love to go back. We enjoyed Manila and surroundings. We also went to Bohol, Malapasqua Island and Palawn. Such a lovely country. Stay healthy and hope you can get on the road soon.
Just a pause Happy to hear that you enjoyed the Philippines. I am actually looking at this as a blessing as I can now properly plan a suitable trip around the country instead of winging it, like it seemed I was headed to do. You too, stay well.
Not all peaches and roses You made a sound decisions to discontinue your swimming. That could have turned out much worse than expected. Leave no beach shack unvisited. It sounds like you really enjoyed your time in this part of India. Farewell for now.
Goodbye India I definitely missed swimming in the ocean, but there are worse things to do than drinking tropical drinks on a beach in Goa. Farewell for now indeed. Looking forward to when we all can get back out on the road again.
The power of prayer! I also experienced two miracle the same week with my two daughters, which I posted about on 8 June 2016. I've enjoyed following your journey around India.
Thanks for Reading! I love that no matter how much I am faithful or believe, God continues to find ways to astound me. I am happy you enjoyed my travels through India.
I am 41 years old. I am currently living in New York and enjoying my life as a semi-retired teacher. Although I spend a most of my time in domestic tranquility it is my aim to take one major solo trip each year. My three most recent journeys are a pilgrimage through the Holy Land, a crazy month in Cambodia, and a return to India. Life is one gloriously unpredictable mess. My travels have taken me to many different places and I hope to experience and venture out to many more.
I have filled in many of the gaps between my 2000 graduation up until today. Well apart from the five years living in... full info
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Family time is good
Time with mom is always good.