Today’s post is #4477 after writing to each of you over the past almost 13 years (as of March 15, 2012). Yes, we’ve missed posting a few days, especially at the beginning of our world travel when we didn’t post daily, on travel days, on sick days, and mainly on days with a poor WiFi connection.
Confidently, we can say we haven’t discussed politics, sex, or religion (other than worldwide cultural observations) or made any effort to impose our beliefs on our loyal readers. Based on our personal experiences, we’ve made endless suggestions about world travel, safety precautions, locations, venues, travel-related expenses, and health and food-related topics.
Sometimes, our suggestions have proven wrong, outdated, or biased. We apologize for any inaccuracies or unintended misrepresentations. We’ve overwhelmed our readers with my health issues and resolutions, endless exercise and fitness routines, and continuing passion and dedication to a low-carb/keto way of eating, suitable for me but not for all.
Above it all, through it all, and beyond it all, we are thankful. We are grateful for our loyal readers who’ve continued to read our posts during outrageously boring times when we haven’t posted interesting photos and experiences, even during the ultra-dull ten months we spent in lockdown during the pandemic in a hotel in Mumbai, India, in 2020/2021 or after many months of recovery after my open heart surgery in South Africa.
And, most recently? Where do I begin? You’ve read about my unrelenting fear, expressed here, of having another open-heart surgery after being misdiagnosed with valve disease by three cardiologists in three countries, including the US, only to discover after coming to the leading cardiac center in the world, Cleveland Clinic.
Ultimately, they discovered that I didn’t need surgery after all. I developed Afib the day I tested positive for COVID-19. Later, I took drugs for Afib, which resulted in side effects with symptoms indicating I had valve disease on tests.
Once off the drugs, these awful symptoms are now gone, and although I still have heart disease, I don’t need surgery now or in the near future. The Afib, from Covid-19 has ended. We’ll have spent 3½ months in Cleveland, staying longer than expected when only weeks ago we were given the “good to go” by the cardiac doctors saying, “You can return to your life of world travel with peace of mind.”
No, this isn’t a guarantee that something won’t change in the future, but I’ve let those thoughts waft away as we’ve begun planning our future travels with hope and joy. Thank you for hanging in there with us. We leave here in 16 days, heading to Nevada, and then flying to South Africa in 93 days.
The bottom line is that we are thankful for my newfound good health, safety in our travels, the love and acceptance by our family, the friends we’ve made throughout the world, the opportunity to continue to travel the world, and for each and every one of you who have shared this at-times-unusual and more often enchanting journey with us.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate this US holiday and to those readers worldwide that we thank today and always.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, November 28, 2014:
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