We Made It to the USA, Matcha's Story, Italian Wine Windows, Unbelievable Photos and More...

Hi,

We made it! It was a very, very long and stressful trip but we are now safe and sound in Florida.

THE JOURNEY

The first flight, from Jakarta to Istanbul, was 100% full. And these days, that makes for an intense flying experience as you simply can't avoid being up close and personal to so many strangers. I just sat there for 12 hours trying not to move much.

Luckily, Matcha was super chill the entire time. She slept, played and slept some more.

Then we arrived in Istanbul.

At the security check, Matcha jumped straight up onto my shoulder, which is what she does when she's scared. So getting her down from there was challenge number one, much to the delight of the other passengers and security staff.

Challenge number two was getting her back in the travel case after I let her run around for 2 hours on a leash.

Challenge number three was getting her to go to the bathroom. I finally found success when I went to the IGA Lounge and snuck Matcha into the shower room. I set up her litter with a makeshift tray and amazingly, she did her business. I then spent 20 minutes picking kitty litter off the floor.

Then came the second 12-hour flight, from Istanbul to Miami.

This flight was only 30% full and we had our own row. It would have been quite relaxing if I didn't have a massive headache by this point. Matcha remained calm though and only started getting agitated about an hour before we landed. I was impressed she held out so long.

The whole experience was crazy stressful though, constantly worrying about Matcha. I managed to sleep for about 2 hours during the entire 40 hour trip and that headache didn't go away for 2 days!

THE ARRIVAL

Should I even be surprised?

Upon arrival at the Miami airport, we breezed through immigration and customs. Not one question was asked, not one health form was collected, not one health check performed. Nothing.

The immigration officer collected my Global Entry receipt and simply said, "Good luck". He meant it. That's probably as fitting of a welcome to the US as there could be these days.

While passing through customs, nobody even asked to see Matcha's paperwork. Several officers saw that I had a kitten but they just let me pass and didn't say anything.

It felt like entering a destination that had already given up.

MATCHA'S STORY

The request for more information about Matcha, including photos and videos, reached an all time high last week. The amount of messages I received too, asking for updates and wanting to know that Matcha was safe and sound was simply heartwarming and very much appreciated.

As a result, there was only one thing to do.

I asked Matcha to write a blog post about her life: My Name is Matcha and This is My Incredible Story!

She even added a very cool video at the end that shows her journey from the day we found her in the Bali jungle.

One year ago I was leading a tour around beautiful Romania, traveling without worry at all. Sigh.

COPING WITH TOUGH TIMES
My friend Jodi from LegalNomads.com knows what it's like to have your life upended and thrust into uncertainty. Her latest post about how to surrender to the present moment is well worth reading. It offers excellent insight on how to cope with tough times, which many of us can relate to these days.

Here's the rest of this week's travel email...

ITALIAN WINE WINDOWS
In Tuscany, tiny wine windows once sold wine 'to go', back in the 15th century. They're popular once again, offering a safe, socially-distanced way to drink. These should be everywhere!

BELARUS PROTESTS

The situation in Belarus is continuing to heat up. Unprecedented protests are sweeping the country after the highly questionable results of their latest election maintained the rule of Alexander Lukashenko.

BUDGET TRAVEL
What happens to budget travelers who save money by staying in hostels? In these times of social distancing, will hostels survive? If not, the cost of travel will certainly rise for many.

GEISHA WORLD
It's certainly eye-opening to learn about the secret, surprising reality of geisha in Japan.

BAD ART

In the basement of a theater in Boston that I used to go to when I was younger, there is now the Museum of Bad Art. You can look at their um, interesting collections, online.

OLD SCHOOL...BUSES
One company is converting old school buses into livable hotels that can accommodate the lifestyle of those who can work and travel at the same time.

AMAZING WORLD

Johan Vandenhecke takes stunning drone photos of destinations around the world. After five minutes of looking at his photos, I wanted to visit every single place he's been. You will, too.

Stay safe and say hello if you have a moment!

Regards,
Derek

WanderingEarl.com

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