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Hello
Happy New Year, it's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter! update I'm Suspended from Facebook When it comes to sharing my travels, that is now a bit more difficult. I learned that my Facebook pages (both my personal and my Wandering Earl FB page) have been suspended. The reason? Facebook requires you to confirm your location under its new rules. In order to do this, you need a permanent address where you spend most of your time. They track your location on your phone and it must match the location of your permanent address more often than not. Since I travel nonstop, I do not have a permanent address and therefore, Facebook cannot confirm my location. After going back and forth with Facebook support, they told me that there is no solution for constant travelers and basically, I'm out of luck. As a result, I currently do not have access to my Facebook pages and I might not have access to them again. Fun stuff. If you happen to have a contact at Facebook/Meta that might help me find a solution to this, I'd be very much appreciative! ------ South Korea and Taiwan As for my actual travels... that's a better situation. After a week in Seoul, South Korea over Christmas, we flew to Taipei, Taiwan for a week over New Years. Seoul was crazy cold (about -15C) and so very windy and it was very difficult to go outside. But we put on our winter coats, hats and gloves and did as much as possible. We took an excellent day trip to the arts and culture-focused Nami Island and the Garden of the Morning Calm which was definitely a highlight (see below). It's my second time in Taiwan and thanks to warmer weather, we managed to go outside every day, all day. The walk from the Ximen neighborhood to the Dadaocheng neighborhood was particularly memorable - from bright lights and crowded pedestrian shopping lanes to historical streets full of traditional buildings. We also spent a significant amount of time eating incredible food at Taipei's famous night food markets, such as Nanjichang, Raohe and Ningxia. There are so many night markets in Taipei that are worth visiting! New Year's Eve turned out great, too. Despite the clouds and light rain, the fireworks display from the Taipei 101 tower was impressive. We joined tens of thousands of people in the city center for the event. It was very fun to celebrate another New Years in yet another random destination. ------ Off to Palau Tomorrow, it's time to visit...Palau! That's right, for the next week we'll be in this tiny Oceanic nation with a population of 19,000 people. It was not part of the plan but we discovered inexpensive and direct flights... so off we go! The wonderful Garden of the Morning Calm outside of Seoul, South Korea. 2022 - the good and bad
With 2022 complete, I do think it's worthwhile to spend at least a few minutes reflecting on the past year. Here's what came to mind for me... The Good
- A great year for tours: After the 2 years of Covid shutdown, we ran more Wandering Earl Tours tours than ever before. And 2023 is looking good as well. I really am so proud of the entire team that has helped create this wonderful business that allows us to share the world with other travelers. It's been a remarkable journey.
- Lots of personal travels: I ended up visiting 12 countries for non-work related trips (16 countries overall) and it included destinations in the Caribbean, Central America, Europe and Asia. Certainly no complaints about that at all.
- The hip feels good: 10 months after having arthroscopic hip surgery to fix a torn labrum and hip impingement, I'm feeling almost 100% and have no limitations whatsoever. The Bad - Also the hip surgery: While the surgery went as well as possible, it did keep me sidelined for a couple of months and added several thousands of dollars to my yearly medical expenses. (Thank goodness I have US medical insurance though.)
- No home base: Setting up a home base was a big goal for 2022 and I simply didn't do it. In the end, I traveled a lot, both for work and personal, and that kept me from establishing a place to call home. I'm very happy with my travels but I do need the home base. 2023 is the time to make it happen for real.
- Lack of exercise: The hip surgery put exercise on the shelf for a bit and then my travels kept me so busy that I had a hard time getting into a solid exercise routine. It's another thing that needs to change this year. - No more Matcha: Matcha, the cat I rescued in Bali when I was stuck there in 2021, ran away 10 months ago and hasn't been seen since. She was a wacky, wild jungle cat but it sucks that she's gone.
- Goodbye to Sunny: My grandmother, Sunny, passed away in September. That was a really tough one for me. She is certainly missed and I think about her often. I always looked forward to my phone calls with her from random destinations I was visiting. We both enjoyed those calls and it became a regular and very important part of my travels, a part that is sadly no longer. around the globe
The Afterlife of Hotel SoapWhat happens to used hotel soap? As you'll see, one organization is trying to change the fate of the millions of used soap bars that are discarded every day. The Garden of Morning CalmAs mentioned above, about 1.5 hours away from Seoul, the Garden of Morning Calm is a must-see arboretum. With themes that change with the seasons, we were lucky enough to see the winter version. I can only describe it as a spectacularly peaceful, mesmerizing and wondrous park. While walking around I even forgot about the freezing temperatures! (Their website often doesn't work but check the additional photos in the link above to see what's it all about.) Tasmania MagicI've been to every state and territory of Australia except for Tasmania. But after coming across Tasmania's official tourism website the other day, I was left wondering why more people, such as myself, don't include it on their itinerary. The section about quiet places to ponder nothing at all was particularly appealing. Quite a Monastic LibraryAustria is home to the world's largest monastic library, which also happens to be one of the most beautiful libraries you'll find anywhere. Exchange of ListsFor the past 32 years, on January 1st, India and Pakistan exchange lists of nuclear facilities, their locations and citizens being held as prisoners.
This week, congratulations goes to Francis and Steve for guessing the location of the photo above!
The image is of Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal. **For now, I'm not going to continue the 'Where in the World?' photo contest. I'm working on some new ideas in order to change things up and keep things interesting!** |
Thank you so much for reading!
Derek
(my middle name is Earl) *If you received this email from someone else and want to sign up to A Life of Travel, simply click the button below: |
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