It’s been a while since I have updated the year of travel and beyond. At the end of March, I set out for Asia with an end goal to explore an entirely new continent to me until June and rendezvous with Lisa in Europe. Plans changed and along the way while taking in the country of Georgia I booked a one way flight home early.
It wasn’t an emergency or anything dramatic but when I surprised Lisa at our local coffee shop she thought something was wrong. Ultimately, I had taken a year of travel to see the world and after over 30 countries and countless memories I was only getting started on exploring the world. One thing was missing, someone next to my side to share it with.
Lisa and I met as most do these days, on the apps (Hinge) as I was visiting my sister in Connecticut (technically still homeless and traveling) over the winter holidays. It was only a quick cup of coffee and a hike with a shortcut that led to the past year of us exploring 15 states on many road trips up the coast and out west to the Tetons. Those stories will be told next as this is now “Two Teachers Out for Recess” with many upcoming adventures in the works.
With that being said, here is the recap of Asia. I set out for India with a group of fantastic photographers. The group mostly consisted of Utah wildlife photographers and enthusiasts all itching to get a glimpse of their first tiger in the wild. With the help of the extraordinary Lala, the mission was an absolute success.
Spencer, Kasie and I rode the hot streak of spotting animals and lucked into finding a mature male leopard which was a major highlight of the trip. Our guides and drivers were as top notch as the incredible food, culture, and animal sightings. We also visited the Taj Mahal.
I loved India so much I decided to go solo after the rest of the group went home and visited the famed Jawai area for leopards. The terrain was rugged and the weather was against us but it turned out to be a worthy journey with many sightings of leopards, cubs, andean bears, and even a rare spotted cat.
From there, I found all new experiences traveling solo in new lands of Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Georgia. I arrived in Thailand on their celebration of the New Year (Songkran) where it was a 3 day festival in the streets which was basically half party half waterfight. The people were always smiling, the food incredible, and the beaches picturesque.
Visiting the Maya Bay where they filmed the movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio (even though you couldn’t get in the water due to a protected species of sharks that had laid eggs in the bay).
A few of the highlights were taking a Thai cooking class with a group of strangers (I was the only American). We went to a local market with our chef Amy and made pad thai, spring rolls, soup, and dessert. It was delicious and so much fun.
Here are pictures of Georgia, Malaysia and Cambodia. They were unique, fascinating, and well worth visiting and I encourage anyone to get out of their comfort zone to see new places. The journey continues on…now as two teachers who are out for recess.
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