Flying During the Pandemic, Bamboo Bicycles in Ghana, US Ghost Towns, Extreme Destinations and More!
March 19, 2024
Flying During the Pandemic, Bamboo Bicycles in Ghana, US Ghost Towns, Extreme Destinations and More!
Hi,
The packing has begun. Our departure from Bali is near and we're already getting an idea of how travel works these days...
PANDEMIC FLIGHTS
Georgiana's flight to Lisbon with Qatar Airways was rescheduled and then cancelled. Now she's been rebooked for Thursday, with an extra flight involved and an expectation that there will be more changes to come.
My flight to the US with Turkish Airlines is on the 11th. And while I travel light after all these years (one small suitcase and a carry-on messenger bag), I'm facing a little challenge.
Turkish Airlines only allows a maximum of 4 kg (8.8 lbs) as carry-on at the moment. My laptop and messenger bag combined weigh that. I still need to carry supplies for Matcha and a few other items I'd like to have with me for our 9.5 hour layover in Istanbul and two 12 hour flights.
I never thought I'd be that person but looks like I'll be wearing several layers and loading up the pockets!
UP A TREE
Matcha has a new hobby. It's running up a thorn-filled tree in the yard and staring at us as we try like fools to get her out. Usually it ends with me getting a thorn stuck in my foot or hand and then rolling around on the grass while Georgiana actually gets Matcha down.
WEEKEND EXCURSION: ULUWATU
With local tourism opening up again, we wanted one last weekend trip before leaving Bali. Off to the Bukit Peninsula we went.
First stop...Uluwatu Temple, a clifftop Hindu temple with sweeping views over the longest waves I've ever seen. That was great. But then I ignored the security guard's advice to put my sunglasses away. A few minutes later I was face to face with an angry monkey who had grabbed on to my shirt. He wanted my sunglasses real bad. The rest was a blur, but somehow I shook him off and kept my shades. That could have gone badly.
Second stop...Uluwatu Beach. This small, beautiful beach, and popular surf spot, is carved right out of the dramatic coastline. On this day, it was just a handful of visitors and a handful of monkeys. (Without tourists, those monkeys sure have reclaimed a lot of land.)
Our final stop...Melasti Beach and its famous high cliffs. After a wrong turn, dead end and then driving along some sleepy roads, we arrived just in time for sunset. With a long stretch of golden sand and perfectly clear water, I have no complaints about the last beach I'll see in Bali this time around.
*Side note: We take a great deal of caution on these mini-excursions. We're always wearing masks, social distancing and staying well away from any type of crowd.
The Uluwatu Temple - If I could only have this view every day.
INSPIRATION OF THE WEEK One social enterprise in Ghana employs young people to build sustainable bicycles out of bamboo. They even donate bikes to rural schoolchildren so that they don't need to walk hours to school each day. And it's all thanks to Bernice Dapaah, the enterprise's determined founder.
Here's the rest of this week's travel email...
CREEPY GHOST TOWNS Every state in the US has at least one. Here are the coolest ghost towns you can visit all over the country. What a spectacular theme for a road trip!
Maybe I'd heard of Leeuwarden, Netherlands before, but I'm not certain. Now I have and now I want to visit next time I'm over that way.
NATURAL BRIDGES OF INDIA An enchanting collection of photos of living tree bridges that are used to cross rivers in the lush northeast Indian state of Meghalaya. (I love this part of the country!)
Thanks for reading and let's keep on doing the best we can these days. As with any challenging situation, staying positive is the key...and the occasional donut.
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