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| We stopped at a gluten-free bakery, but there wasn’t an item I could have when they all contain starch and sugar. |
After many days of research and discussions, we’ve finally pinned down our travel goals for the next 852 days. This extended period is a lofty goal. We realize we’ve left out some parts of the world we’ve yet to visit, primarily China, India, and Japan which we’ll save for the future.
We’ll return to Europe to live in many other countries we’ve also yet to explore and would love to visit down the road in due time. The world is a huge place, and we pray for good health to make it all possible in years to come.
As you review this itinerary, you’ll note that we’ll be in and out of South Africa, staying for 89 days on each occasion. Our intent during these multiple stays is two-fold; one to “lick our wounds” from the upcoming pricey Antarctic cruise and two to savor our last foray in living in my favorite place in the world, the Conservancy of Marloth Park, where animals roam free around the bush houses.
So here it is, folks (cruises are noted in turquoise shading):
| Location |
Days
|
Dates |
| Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel |
20
|
1/2/2018 -1/23/2018
|
| Ushuaiai, AR – Ushuaiai,AR – Antarctica Cruise |
16
|
1/23/2018 – 2/8/2018
|
| Buenos Aires, AR – Prodeo Hotel |
2
|
2/8/2018 – 2/10/2018
|
| Marloth Park, South Africa – Bush home selected |
89
|
2/11/2018 – 5/11/2018
|
| Zambezi River Cruise – Victoria Falls |
8
|
5/11/2018 – 5/19/2018
|
| Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home |
89
|
5/19/2018 – 8/16/2018
|
| Uganda – See gorillas and the “Cradle of Mankind.” |
7
|
8/16/2018 – 8/23/2018
|
| Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home |
89
|
8/23/2018 -11/20/2018
|
| Mozambique, Africa (get visa stamped) |
1
|
11/20/2018 -11/21/2018
|
| Marloth Park, South Africa – Rent a bush home |
89
|
11/21/2019 – 2/17/2019
|
| Valparaiso, Chile – Rent vacation home or hotel |
36
|
2/17/2019 – 3/24/2019
|
| Cruise – San Antonio, Chile – San Diego |
14
|
3/24/2019 – 4/8/2019
|
| San Diego, CA – Fly to Minneapolis, MN – Family visit |
13
|
4/8/2019 – 4/21/2019
|
| Cruise – Fort Lauderdale, FL- Dublin, Ire (1-day hotel stay) |
15
|
4/21/2019 – 5/6/2019
|
| Ireland – Rent country house – Research Tom’s ancestry |
90
|
5/6/2019 – 8/1/2019
|
| Amsterdam, NLD – Hotel stay |
11
|
8/1/2019 – 8/11/2019
|
| Cruise, Baltic – Amsterdam, NLD – Amsterdam, NLD |
12
|
8/11/2019 – 8/23/2019
|
| England – Rent country home |
62
|
8/23/2019 – 10/24/2019
|
| Southampton, UK – Fort Lauderdale, FL |
15
|
10/24/2019 – 11/8/2019
|
| Henderson/Las Vegas, NV – Los Angeles, CA -Scottsdale, AZ |
25
|
11/8/2019 – 12/3/2019
|
| Ecuador – Galapagos – Rent vacation homes on islands |
89
|
12/3/2019 – 3/1/2020
|
| Peru – Machu Picchu – Rent vacation homes, visit site |
30
|
3/1/2020 – 3/31/2020
|
| The Pantanal/Amazon River Cruise – Brazil (2 cruises) |
30
|
3/31/2020 – 4/30/2020
|
| Number of days |
852
|
You’ll note we’ve added some locations we’d never mentioned in past posts for those avid followers of our site. As we began pinning down places and dates, Tom continued searching for cruises that can get us from Point A to Point B in many instances.
In other cases, we included 89 or 90 day stays in countries before or after specific cruises. Additionally, one may wonder, why are we going back and forth to South America? This was a plan Tom had suggested long ago, which I didn’t think made sense.
 |
| Artistic painting on a wall on a narrow street. |
Now, as we map this out and, based on available cruises, it makes all the sense in the world to me. In reality, there isn’t much “jumping around,” and after all, we’re doing it precisely as we see fit, not by some preconceived notion as to how we “should” travel.
As always, we’re doing it exactly as we’d prefer, always considering the best possible experiences befitting our tastes along with the most reasonable costs in the process.
 |
| Diners sitting outdoors at a local dining establishment |
There are a few other points we should mention, including Ecuador one year from now. Through our extensive research over these past years, we’ve discovered we can rent vacation homes on three of the islands in the Galapagos, enabling us many private tours to the areas where wildlife is found, rather than going out on tour with lots of other tourists. This is especially appealing.
Another point to mention is regarding Machu Picchu…by staying in the area for one month, the experiences will be more comprehensive and rich in culture, and we’ll have plenty of time to acclimate to the high altitudes staying at varying points partway up the mountains.
It’s too early to book the cruise to The Pantanal in Brazil, the world’s most extensive wetlands (10 times the size of the Florida Everglades) and home to 3500 plant species, 656 bird species, 325 fish species, 159 mammals, 53 amphibians, and 98 reptiles. Our kind of place.
 |
| On a narrow road, we walked in the Serrano Plaza area. |
From there, either before or after The Pantanal, we’ll cruise the Amazon River. This type of journey may not be for everyone, but it fits well into our objectives of experiencing nature at its fullest.
From there? At this point, we aren’t even thinking of terms of what will be next. Indeed, we’ll visit family in the US. By that time, we’ll have a handle on where we’ll go next, primarily locations we’ve never stayed in in the past.
This morning our friends from the UK left to head to their home in the UK, and now it’s just the two of us. We’ve been highly social with others since November 23rd, and now we’ll happily return to our normal happy state of being “just the two of us.”
 |
| Inside the mall near Jumbo market. |
St. Petersburg, here we come! Tomorrow, we’ll be back with more, including some details of the Baltic cruise we locked in last night, one we hadn’t seen on the horizon for quite some time based on high prices. But, when we could get the balcony cabin for an excellent price, it was time to book it.
Five years ago today, we boarded the first cruise (for either of us), embarking from San Diego, heading through the Panama Canal (we recently transited the canal a second time during the most recent cruise), and ending in Fort Lauderdale. Here is the link from that first day!
Enjoy your day with any plans you may have on the horizon!
Photo from one year ago today, January 3, 2017:
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| Trespassers entering this field in Tasmania, thinking they could “get high” from the unprocessed poppy/opium, have died from doing so. For more details, please click here. |