Timing is everything. If it’s meant to happen it will, at the right time for the right reasons.
Reflecting back, it was not as easy to make this decision to start traveling. Not only did it take a lot of determination to make sure that we did not add any more to our existing treasures, but also to figure out the financial aspects of travel.
Discussions on where to travel and where to stay were ongoing. Our decision to select places to visit depended on good local transport connections and at the same time to be in a location that would be central to make day trips to see local sights. With that in mind, we started mapping our first 6 months. With resources on the internet, we mapped out our desired route. Vacation rentals were identified, dates finalized and accommodation booked.
Life events shape our time! Our story is not very different. We decided life is really short and we need to do things we want to do while we are able to do them. So the dream of travel that we had started taking shape. As mentioned before we were in a rented apartment and now had to decide on a departure date. Once this date was fixed we had to work towards it to get our ducks in a row.
Decisions had to be taken again, do we keep furniture that we had? Do we box up everything or sell it or donate it? Our first move from our house to the apartment a year ago had taken care of a lot of things. But, we still had belongings that we had to decide if we keep or give up. We decided to keep more things in storage. Reason being that we would return to California next year and would rent an apartment for and would need some of the furniture. Travel date of July 1st, 2015 was finalized. Immediately, I started boxing up things that I wanted to store. Trying to let go is hard, and I know it first hand. A lot of thoughts was given to what to keep and what should go.
In between all this, I made a trip to India to spend time with my dear mother who was going through chemotherapy. No one should have to go through what she is going through at 82. Once I was with her she was very happy. My mother is also a traveler. She has been to countries that one only dreams of. Africa being her most favorite destination. She can talk about her experiences there with so much passion. During my one and half month visit with her, she wanted to go someplace during the break she got in between her Chemo’s. She is amazing! Due to the short notice, she was unable to get a visa to go to Switzerland where she really wanted to go. So we settled on Dubai! Seven days of exclusive time was spent with my mother, and I would have it no other way. My brother and his wife stopped on their way back from Turkey and we had a day of family time in Dubai. I took my mother to the Burj Khalifa as she had never been there. That was the highlight of her trip. Her encouragement to continue to travel and her support that I was going to different areas was exciting for her. We even planned on meeting again during these six months of travel so she could get a short trip, with her doctors permission.
On my return from India, we had to sell our cars. Hemant’s car first as mine was the workhorse to haul boxes to storage as needed. We had not sold cars for some time and did not know what to expect. Hemant’s car sold in a day! That was quick and fast and we were surprised and happy and also a bit sad at the same time to see it go. After all, we had owned it for nine years!
Back to packing and boxing up. Movers were scheduled to come to move the larger items. We had to get out of the rented apartment and if anyone has done it before, you already know the process. Packing is laborious and difficult. After the move, cleaning of the rental apartment is required. Carpet to be shampooed before the walkthrough is done by the landlord. All these people were scheduled. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping everything goes as planned. But does it? The storage unit that we had booked was
5’ x 12’. Or so we thought! We planned on what to keep according to the size of the unit as far as the furniture goes. We took most of the boxes into storage and our son helped to stack them up to optimized space. Once the boxes were gone the apartment only had furniture we wanted to keep was left for the movers.
My car, the workhorse.
My car was up for sale next. That was also sold in one day! Must I say we were lucky or was the timing right?
Movers were scheduled to come in the afternoon. To make matters difficult, they came an hour late. The storage facility closed at 7 pm. We had 5 hours to get everything done. A challenge? Yes, it was. I would highly recommend scheduling movers to come in the morning and never in the afternoon.
To our dismay, the storage unit was 6” short each way. Fortunately, we had reserved another small unit just in case we needed more space.
After this fiasco, and the manager of the storage facility saying, “ this is really egg in my face, I did not know that the units were smaller”, we managed to complete the move. Tired and happy at the same time, that we had successfully executed our plan of action, with little stress. Timing is everything! To get the movers and move the items into storage, getting the apartment cleaned and carpet shampooed, in that order, in a day and a half was accomplished. A sigh of relief and a well-deserved drink was a welcome! We were Home Free and looking forward to spending a couple of days with our son before we left on our 6-month adventure.
4 Wonderful Weeks in Ghent, Belgium
We just finished four full weeks (30 days to be precise) in Ghent, Belgium. This is what I’ve learned, what I’ve loved and what I’ll want to see again. Ghent is a city you can walk and discovery. What you’re probably most interested in the cost, financial or otherwise.
Things I’ll miss :
Monthly Pass for Trams and Buses by De Lijn in Flanders
Transport Systems Buses, Trams, and Trains:
The Public transport is superb. We bought a one month De Lijn (https://www.delijn.be/en/). The trams and bus connections are incredible and timely. Frequency of both left us with no need to have a car. Of course, we had the time to travel by buses. We even went to Antwerp by bus from Ghent to see the smaller villages and towns along the way. Brugge, Oostende, Knokke Heist, are all linked by the De Lijn transport system. If you have the time, this is the best transport your money can buy. For Euros 38 we had unlimited travel on all their buses and trams. The Train system is equally great. Weekend tickets cost half the price. The special tickets are return
tickets only. The weekend starts on Friday and ends on Sunday midnight. So if you leave on Friday you need to come back on Sat or Sun. But if you want to do a day trip. You can leave on Sat or Sun and come back the same day.
Ghent is beautiful during the day!
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At night, the Historic Ghent lights up!
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Restaurant Inside Aula.
AULA
: The most amazing soup served every day. A different daily soup offered by Aula at Euro 1.80. So satisfying to have a bowl of soup and a piece of freshly baked bread.
This shop has everything you need to satisfy your palate. The different varieties of cold cuts, cheese, and desserts. They also have a lot of great pre- prepared ready to cook meals.
You can also eat at its very unique dining area, located in the center of the shop.
Proxy Kouter Staff were always smiling. Great customer service.
PROXY :
The local grocery store just minutes away from the city center. They have very helpful staff and great service. We got to know the staff during our month and they got to know us because we asked them many questions, since we could not understand some of the food labels. How do you find Buttermilk? Aha, that was a good one right? A great selection of Belgian beers. If you want to bring beer and cheese home, this is the place.
The Cuberdon – soft raspberry centered sweets unique to Ghent!
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Things I’m happy to be without, for the time being:
Its hard to find something that I will not miss, but in parts of the city the streets smell of sewage. I will not miss that. I am not sure why this is. Maybe the city will do something to clean this up. Living in a compact city has its problems. You see garbage bags in streets till they are picked up by the garbage trucks. But how the heck does one put a garbage bin in an apartment. And most of the residences are apartments. They certainly have a good recycling system and schedule. They separate plastic, paper, glass etc. This would not deter me from coming back here again.
On living the Belgian lifestyle:
Belgians seems to be happy with their lives and content with what they have. Most people own their own homes. They love to sit outdoors in cafes drinking coffee with cake, or beer with snacks. Friendly, smiling and happy!
Best Chocolate Shop
: We went to Brugge to one of the best Chocolate Factory..or so we think anyway. Where would you get to eat marshmallows in liquid chocolate? and that to complimentary to tease your taste buds. I would recommend a visit to this place even though it’s not in the old town of Brugge. You get all the handmade Belgian delicacy a chocoholic wants. http://www.chocolate-world.be/
Best night out:
We were privileged to enjoy the Ghentse Feesten. Anyone who loves music and the performing arts needs to schedule their trip to Ghent during these festivities. You will be treated to the best music, beer and food and fun!
Place I’d like to:
Would love to spend more time in Aalst. It’s a smaller town than Ghent. We got only a day in this City. Alast has a carnival in Feb, which would be interesting to experience.
Favorite Church
: Saint Bavo Cathedral
. Saw the restored Altarpiece which resides in this magnificent Gothic Cathedral. The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painted by Hubert and Jan Van Eyck in 1432. One of the world’s best masterpiece.
Favorite drink:
Beers of course. 1500 varieties of Beer a taste for every palate.
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On vacation Apartments
: We found the apartment as we saw it in the pictures on the internet. Jan-Pieter and Wendy Temmerman’s apartment in Ghent on Koestraat 46. The apartment is centrally located on the first floor. With four large windows. No elevator. But not many steps to climb. It is a spacious studio. But more like a one bedroom apartment as the bed is a bit recessed. There is a pull out sofa bed, extremely comfortable for extra people if you ever have a guest or so. The toilet is separate which is a great advantage. All linens, towels and necessities are provided. The bathroom is extremely spacious and clean. In Fact, the entire apartment is exceptionally clean. There is a washing machine to wash clothes and a drying rack. The owners are a young couple, very friendly and approachable. We have recommended a few improvements which they are considering. Adding a freezer for food as the refrigerator does not have a freezer. This is necessary if one is staying for a longer time. There are only 2 or 3 local channels on TV as they do not have cable. But we suggested they change the old TV as it does not allow to stream from a laptop. Also to provide the option for those who want English channels during long periods of stay. We loved Ghent and we hope to come back again soon and would highly recommend this apartment to anyone considering visiting Ghent. You can book it directly from their website http://www.koestraat46.be/en/index.html?lang=en
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Places to visit next time:
There’s no question in my mind that I want to return to Belgium. Aalst is a small place than Ghent and like I mentioned before, I would love to come back and spend more time in Aalst.
We used “Spendingtracker”:
The total cost of four weeks in Belgium:
This is the number that everyone wants to know.
Well, Hemant has crunched the numbers and in 30 days, we spent a total Euro 3200. This includes accommodation and all transport. While most of our meals were at home, w
e also splurged on a few nice meals and pretty much drank beer as we were trying out some of the 1500 beers Belgium has to offer. If you examine the cost on a per-day basis a little over Euro 100
/day,
really isn’t that bad. It’s about what my monthly budget for living in California would be. Who can complain about that?
BONUS:
we saw the open air free Piano Play in Ghent. The city has placed 8 Piano’s in Ghent for everyone to enjoy and play music. So at night we went to see who was playing. We got there at 11 pm just a few minutes late, because the city official had come to lock up the Piano. We got into talking to her. We asked her about the Town Hall, as we had not been able to go in. I told her I am writing a blog on my travels and she was gracious to tell us to come the following day and she would give us a private tour of the Town Hall. She gave us her business card and told us to give it to the reception and ask them to call her. What Luck! So we went just after 10 am and told them at the reception that we had an appointment with her. She came down from her office and shook hands with us and gave us a guided tour of the Chapel where couples get married. Also, we got to see the Coronation Hall which is preserved in its period. She took us down to what used to be the Kitchen, where the old stove is still preserved. But the room is used as a meeting room for the city. It is very charming. We are grateful to Kaat Heirbrant who was so gracious to show us around and gave us information on this part of Ghents history. The same day, there was a scene that was going to be shot in the coronation room, as we saw lights placed strategically for the movie shoot. We Thank you Kaat, for giving us an opportunity to experience your rich culture.
I guess we were there at the time when the “Emperor” shooting was scheduled. Large sets with people dressed in Medieval costumes in large numbers is what we saw. An original setting for a historical movie, the birthplace of King Charles V.
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Making Friends as we Travel
For some, leaving friends behind is an emotional moment. Friends are an important part of everyone’s life. I am not talking about Facebook or Whatsapp friend’s, because those you carry along with you in your phone or laptop. The real contact, the everyday interactions of having a coffee with someone or going on a day trip with a friend.
People who travel with groups can make new friends with other travelers. But independent travelers like ourselves, is a different story. We have to make an extra effort to connect with the locals.
We found that we could connect with people in several ways. During our rushed travel in our earlier years, we would take the free guided tours that everyone is fond of. Invariably you meet someone who is on the same wavelength as you and friendship strikes. In our current situation, we do not have structured trips or routine. So how do we make friends and connect with locals?
We go for long walks every morning. Besides getting a cool start to a summer day, it is an excellent exercise. We do not plan our walks. We try different routes daily. During our walks, we are exploring the area, discovering new places to visit at our leisure later. This gives us an opportunity to ask people questions along the way, such as direction or explanation about a building structure interpretation of road signs etc.. Sometimes we get lucky and the person who is giving us information about the area, asks us where we are from and how long we are visiting etc.
In one such an instance, we met a lady last week. She was getting into her car to leave when we stopped to ask her what the big building that she came out of was. It turned out to be a large Hospital complex in Ghent. She explained the area, the hospital and the other residential buildings around. She said she had lived in Ghent for 25 years but had moved out of the city into a smaller town when she had her children. And also to be closer to her mother who lived there. Then we asked her how we could get to the Turkish quarter from there? Of course, we could have got on to Google Maps! But then we would not have this interaction with this lady. So she gave us some directions and then asked us where we were from. And so the conversation started. We openly told her our travel plans and she was surprised. She told us about her vacation that she had in Italy. And gave us her perspective of how the Belgian people live. We ended up chatting with her for over an hour. Before we parted we had exchanged telephone numbers, email addresses, and facebook contacts. I suggested to her that, since we are here for a few weeks, if she and her husband were free at the weekend we could meet again. With that, we left and carried on with our walk.
Two
days later we got a text message from her, inviting us to spend the Saturday with them. We were excited that she had contacted us and accepted her invitation. Saying, “Yes” and trusting people and your own instincts is very critical during travels. We met this couple on Saturday at 1 pm at Kouter where she had suggested. Kouter has a Sunday flower market and our apartment was very close to it. Some flower vendors were already there. Her husband had parked his car in the car park below. She introduced us to him and we exchanged pleasantries. Then he said that they thought we might like to go and see the World War I site “ Flanders Fields”. Ypres was a place we had on our agenda to visit. We were really lucky to have met these wonderful people. Not only did we spend most of the day with them and evening followed by dinner and did not get home till 11 pm.
To relate another instance, we were again walking in the evening looking into shop windows and generally wandering the streets of Ghent. We stopped in front of a real estate office to see the display of properties for sale and rent. Everything was written in Dutch. But we could decipher most of the language by now. Our vocabulary had certainly increased since we arrived. There was one word that we could not understand. While we were peering at this window, another man walked up to look at the pictures too! Of course, I turned to him and said, “please excuse me, but we are new here and do not understand this ( and I pointed to the text) can you explain why this advertisement says 40 sq m and 250 sq m?” So he said that the apartment was 40 sq m and the land on which the building was built was 250 sq m. That was the beginning of the conversation. He was as curious as us, so he asked us where we had come from? After telling him that we live in California, he told us he used to live in Delaware when he was working with Dupont. An initial interest sparked a friendship.
We
said goodnight to them and left after exchanging email address and phone numbers. Both of them wanted to meet with us again and told us to send them a message the following week as they were headed out to Champagne, France the next day, with friends to buy champagne from the wineries for the year! How exciting was that? So a week later I send them a text message and they said we could meet for a coffee at Belfort Stadt Cafe at 4.30pm. We arrived at the cafe on time just as they walked in. We ordered the coffee’s and talked for a good 2 hours. They gave us their perspective on life in Belgium. Both were born and had lived all their lives in Ghent. You could tell that they loved their city. We talked about the bicycling culture in Belgium. They asked us about all the places we had visited. Our one boat ride was left and they informed us that there was one from Ghent that went all the way to Brugge. They told us about their traveling experiences in Japan when they were living there as expats. Telling us about their favorite places to visit during their vacation, Spain. We knew that we had once again found someone who had similar interest as we did. The love of travel and meeting new people. It’s amazing that one does not have to look far during travels. It’s just a matter of not being shy and starting a conversation.
Gorgeous Ghent – Historic Flanders
While still in California, we pulled out the map to see which central location we should be in on our first month in Europe. We had traveled to many major cities in our prior vacations. Since we had not been to Belgium we decided that would be our first stop. In Belgium, we were considering Brugge and Ghent. Ghent won the toss. Being centrally located and well connected by trains. After being here for two weeks, I know we made a very good choice. Not only is Ghent centrally located, but the place is absolutely gorgeous. We found out that Ghent was the second largest city in the world after Paris from the year 1000 to 1500!
Looking for apartments in Ghent was not difficult. There are a lot of vacation apartments available for varying budgets. I wanted some space as you know the Amsterdam room was tiny and if we were to be in one place for a month, a bit more space was necessary. As photographs are deceptive, I had made sure by writing and asking the apartment owner a lot of question about the apartment. The location and the floor it was on, the square meters etc. Yes, space is measured in square meters and not square feet. I found out it did not have air conditioning. Now not having air conditioning is not uncommon in Europe. So I asked them if they would provide a fan. After about 25 emails back and forth, I finally booked this apartment.
We arrived on the train at Gent Sint-Pieters station. As the train pulled in I saw part of the station was under construction. We got out and dragging our carry on’s boarded tram no 1 to go to our apartment. A 5-6 minute ride and a block of walking got us to our apartment. The owner was waiting for us. We walked up the one flight of stairs and entered the apartment. The apartment was as it was shown online. We loved it the moment we moved in. Since we had arrived just after lunch, we had half a day to explore the area. The Gentse Feesten was in its last few days. There were a lot of people, music, cafe’s with people eating and drinking. The weather absolutely perfect. As we walked around the corner, we saw “Belfry” (Bell Fort) its tower so impressive that we stopped in our tracks. An awesome sight! Our first thought was,” We made the right decision to come here”. Cobbled streets, Belgium chocolates, 1500 varieties of Beer, music to accompany it, and medieval architecture….Was this a dream?
But what struck me as awesome was the artwork on ceilings at the train station. The outside looks like a castle. A station built in 1912. The bus and tram system is just amazing. They run every 5 to 10 minutes and cover most of Flanders. We have bought an OmniPass for one month like a local from the transport company called De Lijn. The cost of the pass is 38Euros per person for the month. What a deal! If you have the time you can travel in Flanders where the bus system operates. The country has two languages, Flemish in Flanders or the northern half and French in Wallonia the southern half.
Our routine was decided when we left California. Every place was going to be like our home. So when we wake up in the morning, and that is no longer with an alarm, we have our first cup of tea and breakfast and head out for a walk. Our walks have been interesting. We take a different route without pre-planning where we will go. We walk for about an hour and head back home. Our guide to getting back home are the Spires of the churches and cathedrals! We have a couple of local grocery stores (chains), where we have been several times now and the staff has got to know us. Makes us feel at home. On Fridays, there are two major markets. One selling a variety of cheeses, meats, and fish. The other selling fruits and vegetables. We go to both the markets as the prices of food are much better and it is interesting to communicate with some English that they understand and sign language to get what we want from the vendors. The first few days were challenging to read all the names as everything is written in Dutch. But now we can tell what it means, and it’s only been 2 weeks, or maybe we are making good guesses. LOL!
Being in the center of Ghent there are a lot of apartments around us. Large windows of the apartments are common and people do not shut the blinds. We look into each other’s apartment. Across the street, opposite our building, we see a young lady come home every evening. One day Hemant saw someone cleaning her apartment. He thought she was the owner of the rental apartment. It happened to be the mother of the young lady who was renting the place. The mother had come to clean her apartment. What a lucky girl! But then a couple of days later we saw the young lady herself, cleaning the apartment all over again. It is a small area, how often would one need to clean it? Read on more and you will find out why!
People are mostly friendly but keep to themselves. So we decided that we would stop and ask directions and then get into talking to them. We were successful many times. One lady we talk to yesterday told us that people in Flanders are all about cleanliness. They keep cleaning their apartments all the time. And if one gets invited over ( I am hoping one day soon) they will say “ please ignore the mess” when their apartment is absolutely spotless. Explains why that young lady cleans her apartment every night!
Most people after having kids move to the smaller towns and villages as they want more space for larger families. But with transport which is so efficient and punctual, they are only 20-25 minutes away from the bigger cities. We found that it’s also a very safe place. Several times when we came home late, we saw young people walking around without any worries. Hemant said that a couple of times, when he woke up at around 2, am he peeked out and saw ladies walking without any fear. Speaks volumes about safety in this city! The roads are 3 lanes: a track for trams, and a lane for cars and buses, and a lane for the cyclist. The bicyclists have their own traffic lights. Yes, watch out for the bicyclist here too!
The Ghentse Fest is a 9-day event. One of the largest festivals in Northern Europe after Oktoberfest. There were 38 venues for the festival with music, plays, puppet shows and more. Something for everyone. And the cafe’s and bar were offering all the mouthwatering food and drink to confuse your palate. We went to the open air performances where latin, jazz, pop and you name it music was entertaining large crowds. It’s like, all worries of the world are forgotten this week! Even the rain one evening did not dampen the spirit. It was wonderful to experience this vibrant city with its canals with boat rides and food to enthrall the most pickiest of people.
A lot of energy and a lot of fun!
Fear the Bicycle
A beautiful morning today, as I sit here writing, by the window, of our lovely apartment in Belgium. The weather is perfect 57F at 9 am.
It’s now been almost one month since we left California. Fifteen days in New Jersey just flew by. Besides spending a lot of time with family, we also managed to get to know New York a little better. Walking the HI – Line, Central Park, and going to a boat restaurant on the water called the “Frying Pan”. A nice place to sit after a long day for a drink. The weather was the only factor pulling us down, it was hot and humid. However, we still managed to walk three miles a day. This was good practice for walking in Europe. After saying our goodbye’s to family in New Jersey, we started our true adventure.
We arrived in the Netherlands, Amsterdam our first stop. Friends and family had advised, ” be careful, there are bag snatcher and pickpocketers”. The folks that you have to worry about are the crazy cyclists. They ride old bikes with large bells and if one does not have the bell to ring they yell at you to move out of their way. Do they slow down for you as you cross the road? NO. I was told that every person in the Netherlands owns a bicycle. They transport almost everything on their bicycles like groceries, suitcases, children.
Amsterdam is a tolerant city. Except, of course, the cyclists! There are rules, but one wonder’s, when you see the “Coffee shops” selling cannabis. If you are looking for a cup of coffee, look for a coffee house, not a coffee shop! Prostitution is legal. The Redlight district is a tourist attraction. The law says you cannot take photographs. If you do you might be on the wrong side of the law. There are 1500 canals is what I was told. We crossed many and everyone was picturesque with small cafe’s everywhere.
We stayed in Amsterdam for one week. When I was looking at booking accommodation, I looked at many options on the internet, hotels, apartments, B & B and came across a room that was for rent in Jordaan. So I booked it. The room looked reasonable and the price was good. The photographs mislead me. Agreed, that we had downsized and are traveling with minimum things, and we are prepared for whatever comes our way. We were not prepared for the size of the room. Added to this there was no window that could be opened for fresh air. A lesson learned! The positive side was that we were in the best part of town and close to all services like grocery stores etc. We would pull out the two small chairs from our room on the road outside and sit there in the evening like the locals drinking wine and chatting with the neighbours. We made most of the seven days, by visiting every possible corner of Amsterdam on foot. Walking 4 miles or more daily, taking in all the sights of the city.
We bought a 24-hour pass on the last day and also visited Edam cheese market, Volendam, Marken and Broeke in Waterland.
Clearing Clutter
Travel addiction has its positive side! Especially once you get the flavor of roaming the world. We decided that we would start looking at all the “Stuff” we have and try to evaluate its usefulness in our lives. We had made up our minds that we would rent out our house and move into a small apartment until we were ready to turn on our travel mode.
Back from our Bahamas vacation I was all energized to start living our dream. I looked around and sat down with a sigh! How was I going to get rid of all the
things
in the house? Of course, the first place that I head to find out is Google. I Googled “downsizing” and came across so many good pointers on how to go about getting started. My first project took 2 months to complete. Scanning all our family photos and digitizing them so it is easier to locate them. I needed a scanner to start this project and did not want to spend a fortune on any equipment. After all, I was trying to reduce my things and not increase them. So finally after a lot of research found a small scanner that could scan all sizes of pictures and also scan 35mm negatives (Yes, I had a few bags of these!). So, I ordered a scanner that I thought would do the trick and get all my photographs and film scanned.
The scanner arrived by courier in a few days and I read the instructions on the optimum way to utilize it before I started scanning. The scanning head had to be cleaned with a strip they provided after every 50 photographs scanned. Think that was slow? Not really. I scanned only at the weekends since I was still working a full-time job. But managed to put in at least 6 hours on each Saturday and Sunday for 2 months. And sometimes in the evening for an hour or so. I scanned the 35mm film first. It was interesting to see the negatives turn to positive pictures digitally, like magic! Once all the prints were scanned I stored them in 3 places. My computer, on a cloud and on a flash drive. The project was completed in approx two to two and half months, 34 years of photographs were all digitized.
My son came home one day and saw a box full of photographs that I had pulled out of all the albums we had over the last 34 years, he said, “ What are you going to do with these?” I said, “ I am going to shred all the photos.” He was shocked. So I offered them to him if he wanted them, and that he was welcome to them. He said,” Where do I have the place to keep this?”. So we agreed the best thing is to shred them, and we did! We did have good digitized copies of course. It was liberating!
The next step was to look through the mountains of paper that we tend to hoard. Why? Because we think we will need something one day. Over the years, some of these old documents could have been shed. But as everyone knows, it’s always last on the to-do list. So more boxes of paper we identified were filled with this paper and went for shredding. Did you know that free shredding days are advertised by the local shredding companies? What a great feeling it was, to get all this junk out of the house. Attention went to clothing next. Gently used items went to the Cancer Society as a donation for cancer research. We were doing great! We also advertised a garage sale and put out the furniture and all the odds and ends that we did not want. Its true when they say, “one man’s junk is someone else’s treasure”. The most unexpected things sold. Garden furniture that was falling apart, went first. We realized that garage sales are visited by bargain hunters. The good stuff did not sell because, we were not prepared to just give it away. At the end of the day, we were left with a lot of things. Knowing that our donated items went to a good cause made us execute our next action. We called the Salvation Army Van and scheduled a pickup for donating it. Some more choice items went to the American Cancer Society as a donation as well. It was good feeling knowing that some of the proceeds from this would go to cancer research. A small contribution from us to the society and community that we were living in.
Now the house had started looking empty. We closed the doors of the rooms that had nothing in them. In about 8 months, we had managed to get to a stage where now we could say, “yes, its now going to be easy to pack some of this into a storage unit. We packed things that we wanted to keep in boxes and labeled each box to tell us what was inside each box. These boxes went into a storage unit ( a 5’x 12’), where they would await our arrival after we had our fill of the travel bug that had infected us. Looking at our clutter free life was liberating, and has reduced all the extra work that it made us do. We then rented our house on a lease for 2 years and moved into a smaller rented. We still had some sorting to do and that would come in a few more months. That time would be when we were ready to take the final step to be permanent travelers.
TRAVEL BUG
Nassau, Bahamas is described a paradise in books, magazine, TV ads and the internet. Everyone who goes to the Bahamas talks about green/blue water, sandy beaches…
My annual vacation took me to the Bahamas in July of 2013. Nassau, on Providence Island.
Our flight got delayed in New Jersey due to mechanical problems with the plane and we took this opportunity to people watch at the airport. It is great past time if you have nothing better to do. After a 6 hour delay we finally reached the place that we had planned on our rest and recreation vacation. It is amazing, we humans want to go somewhere and plan on doing just nothing. This was one of those vacations where a book by the beach, or just lazing was in order. I had never done this before and was wondering as to what my thoughts would be on it after we left. Most of the time when we went on vacation, it would be to see some history, or a tour of the city, or be on the move. So much so, that I would feel the need for a vacation on returning home!
This was going to be different. On arrival, we were welcomed with a “Bahama Mama”
.
Our timeshare exchange was in a nice resort with a lagoon in front of our apartment, and also home to a school of stingrays! We saw them swimming many times in and out of the channel that came in from the ocean. A gazebo at the end of a pier was like being in heaven, at peace with nothing around but your thoughts. The water blue green and so clear that you could see your shadow in the sand below as you look down. The sting rays looked like little battleships weaving their way around the bottom of the gazebo. Making “plopping” sounds as their bodies propelled them forward. We were mesmerized by their movements. The agility of their bodies carrying them silently in unison.
Cruise ships came in and out of the port at a distance every day, and we were told that most tourists from the ships go to Paradise Island. Of course, we had to see what Paradise Island was all about. So, one morning, we woke up a bit early and took the local bus, (which cost only $1 each way )to take us into Nassau town. The bus itself was a unique experience. There were folding seats that covered the aisle as well. If someone from the rear wanted to get out, all the people sitting in the aisle had to get out of the bus to let this one person out and then re-board the bus. We were surprised at how small downtown Nassau was. Totally touristic, with vendors selling all the memorabilia ( of course made in China!) that tourists want of their visit to the Bahamas.
A 10-minute ferry ride took us to Paradise Island. An affluent island, and a hideout for the rich and famous. Large luxury yachts lined the harbor. A crew from all over the world worked on these yachts. I spoke to one yacht staff who was from South Africa. He told us that the owner had come there for the weekend and had to go back to work so he flew out and would be back after a week.
So the staff was enjoying their time in the Bahamas while the owner worked! What a life! I took a picture in front of one of these mega yachts, pretending I owned one if only for a moment. Dreams are free, right?
John Watling’s Distillery, the oldest Rum distillery in Nassau, was off the main street of Nassau. Visiting any kind of historic place was like a compulsion on our trips. Climbing uphill in the heat was exhausting. Yes, we decided to walk up the hill not realizing how hot and humid the Caribbean can be. Got drenched in sweat in the high humidity of the tropics by the time we arrived. After the tour of the distillery, we saw some people walking towards their cars and asked them if they could give us a ride back into town. I did not want to walk back. A Bahamian agreed to take us back to the main street. Talking to him on our return trip, he told us that he managed Shakira’s property that was being developed on one of the small islands. Talk about the rich and famous! He felt compelled to prove that he was part of the rich and famous elite by showing us pictures of Shakira with him on a beautiful island. His story was certainly amusing!
After a full day in the sun, exhausted and tired, we went back to our resort, to the peace and tranquility of the still blue water and to our school of stingrays “plopping” around in the water. By now we knew that we had be bitten by the travel bug. Yes, we made a decision to revisit our wanderlust and our dream of travel.
ON THE MOVE
” A man sees in th
e world what he carries in his heart” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I still remember the butterflies in the stomach, as I was being driven to the airport by my father in 1981. I was leaving my comfort zone of “home”. My first solo trip overseas. Going to a place where the language was different, the food was different and way of life was different. Looking back on that day, I know it has changed me forever.
On my return, I had this strange feeling that everyone around was different. But, the one who was really different was me. My travel experiences and my stay in overseas had given me a different perspective to life. And for many days, I was in a post travel depression. Instead of feeling that everything at home was the same, I felt people were different. Really? Then it struck me, that it was me,
I had changed
. People at home were still the same. My world had expanded. My way of looking at life had altered. An annoying inner voice telling me I should be traveling and seeing the world. My life was destined to be on the move. And so it did, the travel bug had bitten me.
On my return, I knew I was going to travel again soon. This time a different adventure! Getting married and moving to Singapore. There was excitement and apprehension. Fear, yet happiness. Two days after our wedding I moved to Singapore, where my husband had a job. Now I was an
Expat
, in a country that I had never lived in before. The excitement of exploring and learning a new culture was uppermost in the mind. Singapore is a city that never sleeps. Singapore gave me seven years of tropical south-east Asian experiences. Initially, battling the heat, and the foreign smells of food from the open air food courts. With limited resources that we had, we traveled to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia whenever there was an opportunity. I was blessed, my hubby loved travel too! It was the excitement of traveling, which would take me places I had never been before. Now I had someone I could share it with. A companion who encouraged me to explore the South East Asian region.
After moving 4 countries and many jobs, we had plans to travel and explore the world. Living like a local but thinking of the world as our home. Every place we go to and every friend we make is a cherished experience. Discussions with friends and family, always lead to “ how can you do this?” “ I like to come home after 2-3 weeks”. I guess I am different and so is my husband.
Home is where the heart is.
No attachment to brick and mortar, like apartments or houses. I carry my home within me. Having said this, I wonder how I will feel when I will have to stay in one place. What will happen once the feet stop moving and once again become an armchair traveler. But till then the mind says, “keep moving”!
COURSE CORRECTION
“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.” ― C. JoyBell C
“I am not happy with what I am doing”. “Everything happens for a reason”. “I want to feel excited when I wake up in the morning and spring into action”.
How many times have you heard things like this or said it to yourself? I bet many times. Easier said than done, right? What is this change that we crave for?
You cannot change what you refuse to confront!
So here I am, looking forward to an interesting transition, a course correction. From working full time for 20 years,to becoming a blog writer. Some might ask, “Why this sudden shift?” No, it is not sudden. Searching internally, I feel alive with the change. I look forward to the unknown. The reason to wake up every morning and say that another adventure awaits! Its an emotion felt for many years. Have I done anything about it? Yes, changed jobs, moved houses, changed countries. And this emotion still continued to haunt me.
My Son, wanted me to write a book. I was always discussing with him about “Pace of life”. That its too fast. My little brain was trying to keep up with new technology, and my inner voice was telling me if I don’t, I am going to be left behind. Reading about the change is great, understanding without application is not.
What makes one feel ALIVE? I get this feeling that I need to keep moving and doing things that inspire me to be myself. Engaging in something new, not having to fall into a pattern. I have adhered to norms of society…boring at times. And have also gone out of my comfort zone to do things that were not successful. Happy, that rejection has made me stronger and has given me the courage to say that I am going to start writing a blog. Letting go of my fear that I will not be able to write, was the first step towards this blog.
Then of course came the learning. The fun parts, like, coming up with a name, what colors to use and how the layout should be. It started becoming interesting. Finding a name, and what to write took 2 years! Or more likely my procrastination. Better late than never, right? I knew, I wanted to write about travel, and places, and people I meet and all that I experience. But, I was only an armchair traveller, being tied to my business for the
last ten years. One week vacations were not enough. I wanted to be permanantly on vacation. Only then I would find the time to write. Write peacefully, meaningfully and diligently.
Once this decision was clear, things started falling in place, like finding one piece of the jigsaw puzzle that fits and the rest comes together. The idea got planted, while vacationing in the Bahamas. We stayed in a timeshare apartment for the first time. A small space completely fitted with everything one needs. I was in paradise.
Relaxing in one of the gazebo’s over the ocean, watching sting rays float by like they were part of our lives. I was free and felt carefree. That is how I wanted to feel for the rest of my life. The seed had started germinating. Discussions with Hemant, on how to change course were fun, feisty and fabulous. I was on the track for my course correction.