A Life of Travel: A Reunion with Matcha! (the cat we rescued in Bali)

A Life of Travel: A Reunion with Matcha! (the cat we rescued in Bali)
Current location: Florida, USA
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A Life of Travel

Hello
 
It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter!
update

My apologies for skipping last week's newsletter. After arriving in the US from 4.5 months of being in Europe and Africa, it took some time to get into my rhythm.
 
You know how it goes. I sit down to do some work, the phone rings and my grandmother says that her laptop is not working at all and she needs to get on it right away. So I head over to her place, turn on her laptop, it works perfectly, she says "Well, it didn't work for me" and then I leave. By the time I get back, I've lost my motivation to work and another day passes!
 
But, then came...
 
-----
 
A Matcha Reunion!
Yes, the past 4 days were spent in North Carolina, having an excellent visit with my sister and, that's right.... Matcha!
 
For those who aren't familiar with Matcha - she's the 3 day old kitten that Georgiana and I found in the jungle last year while stuck in Bali. She was not in good shape when we found her. But, somehow, we managed to nurse her back to good health and raise her.
 
When it came time to leave Bali, there was no way I was leaving her behind. So I took her with me on quite an adventure to Mexico and the US over the following 8 months.
 
Once travel became possible again, I had to find Matcha a proper home. And that's when my sister decided to take her in. I dropped Matcha off in North Carolina and now, four and a half months later, I was back to visit her again!
 
It only took Matcha 10 seconds to recognize me. She started sniffing my hands and face when I walked in the door and that was it. Then we immediately went into play mode and it was as if no time has passed at all.
 
This worked out so well. Matcha stays in the family, she's being very well-cared for and I get to visit her whenever I want!
 
Phew!!
 
Matcha
The Sweetest Thing Ever
At 109 years of age, Australian Alfred Date spent his free time knitting tiny sweaters for penguins affected by oil spills. The results were naturally heart-warming.

all things travel

The Best Photos of 2021
Straight from National Geographic - 18 of the best travel images from their contributors.

 

New Flight to Antarctica
An Airbus A340 landed in Antarctica for the first time, bringing supplies to an upscale adventure resort. The video of the landing on the icy runway is impressive.

 

Sunny Jim's Cave Store
Now here's a unique gift shop in San Diego with a staircase inside that leads you down into a 100-year-old bootlegger's tunnel that then leads through the cliffs into a beautiful sea cave. Not what you'd expect from a gift shop!

A Different Side of Haiti
One traveler returns to her homeland to discover a beautiful Haiti that others rarely hear about, far different than the image most of us have of this Caribbean nation.

UNWTO Best Villages 2021
The United Nations World Tourism Organization has chosen 44 villages around the globe that meet its high standards of sustainable tourism development. Visiting these villages would make for a most epic world trip!

 

It's Mulled Wine Time!
Yes, it is that time of year. And after making some (delicious) mulled wine during our stay in Romania a couple of weeks ago, I was curious about the history of this cold-weather, global drink.

 

The Most Expensive Cities
A study by the Economist Intelligence Unit reveals the most expensive cities in the world right now. #1 is Tel Aviv.

where in the world?
Somewhere in the world

Congratulations to Kim, Erin, Mary, Steve, Tim, Ethan, Ian, Ariana and Hemang for correctly guessing the location of the photo above!
 
This is a photo of the Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

When I went to Singapore for the first time, I didn't really enjoy it. But when I went again, and spent more time there, I loved it. It's now one of my favorite Asian destinations. The food is incredible, the vibe positive, it's so walkable with so many neighborhoods to explore and there are plenty of impressive sights to visit such as the Gardens by the Bay. It's definitely a destination that I look forward to visiting again once it's possible.
 
And now...
 
World
 
This week's photo
 
Where in the world is it?
 
The Rules
 
1. Try to figure out where the above photo was taken.
2. Reply to this email with your guess.
3. The more specific the guess, the better!
4. The location will be revealed in next week's newsletter.
 
Good luck :)
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Thanks so much and I appreciate you reading!

Derek
(my middle name is Earl)
 
 
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