What's over there?
HANOI, VIETNAM – Several years ago, Melanie and I decided that when we retired, we would sell our house and all our belongings and then travel the world.
The first step was pretty easy. We stopped buying anything we didn’t really need.
Continue reading “Who knew getting rid of all our stuff could be so complicated?”
HANOI, VIETNAM – For most of the three-and-a-half weeks we’ve been in Hanoi it’s been around 70 degrees during the day (except for a brief cold spell, and a few days that were near 80) — a far cry from the chilly weather we experienced just before we left the Pacific Northwest.
Skipping winter from now on was one of my main desires when we were looking for a place to stay for a while. That and easy access to a market where we could buy fresh food.
So far we’re winning on both counts.
Continue reading “Southeast Asia – Come for the weather, stay for the fruit”
As Melanie and I traveled around the U.K. over the last two and a half months, many people, after we tell them we’ve sold everything and are traveling the world, have said things like:
“That is so cool!”
“I wish I could do that.”
Most people have had quite positive reactions.
But occasionally someone will ask, “Don’t you miss your home?”
Continue reading “Don’t you miss your home?”
UNITED KINGDOM – Back home in Washington state, one of my favorite beers has been “Scotch Ale” from Bellingham’s Boundary Bay Brewery. Another favorite (which seems to be no longer available) was Jenny’s Scotch Ale from the Skagit River Brewery in Mount Vernon. Both are quite sweet, with just enough hops to add body, but not so much that they cross over into “bitter beer” territory.
So when Melanie and I set out to visit Scotland, I looked forward to drinking a lot of similar brews. After all, where else would one expect to find real Scotch ale?
Continue reading “Desperately seeking ‘real’ Scotch ale”
UNITED KINGDOM – We’ve been traveling around the United Kingdom for just over two months now, and I have to say…
And thank God for decimal-denominated money.
Luckily for us, we haven’t had to deal with guineas, crowns, shillings, farthings or any other extinct denominations of British money. Continue reading “Pounds, pence, meaty money and more”