HeatherThis could be the first time we have written a year in review at the time you are supposed to write it – at the end of the current year. Yay us – and thanks for your patience as we get caught up! [This was technically written in 2023, even if it didn’t get posted until the first day of 2024, but whose judging right?]
Wonder what we got up to in 2022? You can read about the first half of 2022 here and the second half here.
2023 a year of themes for us – traveling in south east Asia, attending weddings, cycle touring and taking care of business.
SE Asia – January – April
What happens when you mix four lifelong friends (two of which are newly retired), a hot humid climate, and scooters?
Road side Karaoke of course!
In January, our dear friends Rob and Anne joined us in SE Asia to begin their new life of retirement. We spent a bunch of time travelling together and a bunch of time on our own. It was so much fun to meet up after being apart for a few days to share stories of our adventures with each other. We are very lucky to have friends like these two, and they really did make our time in SE Asia so much fun!
Here are some of the highlights from the places we visited:
Philippines
This was a new country for me, and we went to parts of the country Matt hadn’t been to before. We went hiking, snorkeling, scooting, and spent a night at a party hostel where we learned the value of only having one complimentary shooter. Our adventures here were just a taster of all the things the country holds. Can’t wait to get back!
Singapore
We got to catch up with some old friends who teach and live in this city state. . We did NOT apply the lessons learned in the Philippines and may or may not have imbibed a bit too much while hanging out in their pool. It was so good to see Sarah, Patrick and their wonderful kids after far too long.
We tried to visit all the spots in Crazy Rich Asians, and discovered for ourselves that the street food in Singapore is to die for – more Chicken Satay – yes please!
Thailand
My-oh-my has this place changed a lot since we were last here! There are still many beautiful beaches and temples to explore, but the impact of decades of tourism can surely be felt. We found a cute little island that was less party and drink your face off than others we were at. While in Bangkok, the four of us enjoyed a cooking school where we got to make everything from Massaman curry to sticky rice. Turns out we can cook!
One of the items on our list for our time in Thailand was to get back into diving. We shamefully realized it had been 10 years since we had last been. That didn’t stop us, however! The Similan Islands off the coast of Thailand are known to be a world class diving location so we headed that direction. I have to admit, during our dive refresher course my inner monologue was saying things like: “Oh, my… I forgot all about buoyancy.”
Needless to say the first few minutes underwater I was hyper alert and a bit stressed. Once I calmed down, however, I began to look around and OH MY GOD… what an incredible place to explore. Corals, fish, sea snakes, incredible visibility until we got hit with an upwelling current. We did 4 dives and each one was more incredible than the first. We have GOT to do this more often!
Vietnam
Vietnam was a destination that none of the four of us had really explored so we were all excited to poke around in the country – individually and together.
When we were together hilarity ensued. This is where roadside karaoke happened. We also rented bikes in Hoi Ann and spent the day slowly exploring the countryside – hoping that we weren’t too lost (you can only trust google so far). We got in touch with our inner Lawrence of Arabia, scooted quickly down a mountain on a Mountain Coaster, and did some archaeology.
Matt and I read about a large cave system that exists in Vietnam, so naturally we signed up for a two day hike in extreme heat and humidity to check it out. The pictures really do a great job of showing how incredible this place is!
After caving, we set our sites further north in the country to the province of Ha Giang. This region is quite close to the Chinese border and up until quite recently it hasn’t experienced a lot of tourism. Now, the Ha Giang Loop is THE thing to do on the backpacker circut. Naturally, we signed up!
We were the oldest participants on the trip, however we were the only ones NOT whining about our sore butts. Not to say we didn’t have sore butts. Maybe all that bicycle riding has toughened our backsides if not our ability to put up with discomfort for the sake of an incredible experience!
Indonesia
Matt and I were super keen to hang out with the Komodo Dragons on this trip, and Rob and Anne were looking forward to some quiet beach time – so we all headed to Indonesia. This was the first time any of us had been to this country and we discovered that we need to go back and spend more time.
We started with a quick tour down to the Island of the Komodo Dragons – these are impressive creatures, and well worth the effort of getting here and away. The park is well maintained, and there are lots of other wildlife (that the Komodo’s have not eaten) to see.
We also did a beach/snorkeling day trip while we were in the Komodo region. This is where we learned about how incredible the undersea world is in Indonesia – and how aggressive the currents are! At one point, the tour promised we could swim with the Manta Rays. When it was time, the guide said: “leave your snorkel gear on and when I say jump- get into the water.” The boat slowed down in what seemed to be the middle of the ocean. “JUMP.” So we did.
The current was so incredibly strong we started to get whisked away at top speed. Once I realized the captain was aware this would happen and would pick us up wherever we were taken to, I started to relax and stick my face in the water. The feeling of swimming with these incredible large Manta Rays is indescribable. The currents bring the food which brings the Rays and lots of other fish. I could have stayed in that water for hours and hours but would have ended up in Australia! We can’t wait to get back to Indonesia to do some more diving and snorkeling.
We joined Rob and Anne at Gili Air – an incredibly laid back and beautiful island. They had been there for a few days so they played tour guide for us which was really nice. We spent our time snorkeling, drinking, beaching, and laughing together in this island paradise. We never found the lost shaker of salt, however.
Borneo
When this trip to SE Asia was conceived all four of us shared a desire to see the Orangutans in Borneo. Matt and I arrived a few days before Rob and Anne, and used that time to fly to a no-wheres-ville national park with more caves. We hiked in the heat and humidity and explored a totally different kind of cave system than we found in Vietnam. I have given up trying to take photos of caves, but trust me when I tell you they were very interesting and full of amazing creatures.
There are three countries on the island of Borneo: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. We spent most of our time in Malaysia, but did get the chance to explore Brunei. We found it to be the most delightfully boring country we have ever been to. It is a very muslim nation and we were there during Ramadan so that may have impacted our view. It was nice, however, to find a place with clean, orderly streets after the chaos of so many other places we had been. We also liked the price of gas!
Once we rejoined Rob and Anne we went in search of Orangutans and got a lot more than we bargained for. We saw sun bears, lizards, the orangutans, and lots of other monkeys. It would seem that none of them stayed still long enough for me to take a good photo of them, however.
Poor Rob had been attacked by Macaques while in Bali, Indonesia so he was a little gun shy of being around them. Imagine the hilarity when we found ourselves alone on a path, completely surrounded by a troop of Macaques, in the pouring rain.
To be fair to Rob, it wasn’t actually fun at the time.
Looking back on it does bring a smile to my face when I think of the four of us huddled together trying to talk soothingly to the monkeys while cautiously backing away trying not to slip on the wet walkway.
Places like this are disappearing at a fast rate – Palm Oil plantations, deforestation, climate change, war, overpopulation, corrupt governments, you name it our poor planet is in trouble. We continue to feel very fortunate that we get to see these incredible places and are really hopeful they will still be around for years to come.
Weddings – May, July and Sept
Years ago, when Matt and I lived in Alaska we got to spend a lot of time with a little boy who didn’t like it when I babysat him because “you make us do stuff like clean up after ourselves.” That little boy has grown up into a wonderful young man and he and his equally delightful bride invited us to their wedding in Hood River, Oregon, USA in May. I must have been allergic to something in the Columbia valley because my eyes watered a bunch.
In July, we ironed our wedding uniforms again as we got to watch Katie and Luke get married in Wolfville, Nova Scotia Canada. Like Sam, we have both known Katie since she was a little girl and it was such an honour to be present to watch her get married to a wonderful man. I have also discovered that I have an allergy to vineyards from the Wolfville area because my eyes watered there too.
In September we took a break from our bike trip and returned to Calgary to watch Matt’s nephew Robert marry the love of his life – Sarah. None of the guests at this wedding had been at the other two, so we were able to recycle our wedding uniforms (oh, wait now our secret is out of the bag!). It would seem I have some seasonal allergies to the Calgary area as my darn eyes watered a bunch during this event too!
Bike Tour(s) – May, and Aug – December
Matt and I got quite acquainted with our bike seats this year. In total we cycled over 5,000 kilometers (3,106 miles) in three countries. Some of the route was pavement and some of it was off road. On each route we carried everything we needed to be self-sufficient – a full campsite, kitchen and food – which means our fully loaded bicycles weigh somewhere between 65 to 85 pounds (30-39 kilograms). We stayed in a variety of campsites, wild “stealth” campsites, hostels, hotels and warmshowers. On each route we met and visited with amazing people, challenged ourselves and had so much fun!
Here are the routes, and some of the adventures we had on our bikes in 2023:
Portland Oregon, USA to Oliver British Columbia, Canada (and a brief stop in Disneyland)
I refer to our first bike tour as less of a get from point A to point B type of route, and more like a two wheeled ADD adventure. We went wherever the winds and our whims took us.
We took advantage of the warmer weather in May in Oregon and started our bike trip when we said goodbye to friends who were also in the region for Sam and Emily’s wedding. We headed south from Portland, Oregon USA to Eugene, Oregon, and then headed West to the coast and highway 101. From there, we headed south until we got a hair brained idea to go to Disneyland.
Yes, we did take a ‘vacation’ from our trip and buzzed down to Disneyland.We still love this place and we got to go on the Rise of the Resistance Ride which was new for both of us. This side road trip also allowed us to reconnect with some wonderful friends we had met in 2019 on our Uncruise trip in Costa Rica and Panama.
Back on the bikes again, we headed north to Oliver, British Columbia where we met our running friends.We had all rented a large house for the week and spent our time playing pickleball, wine tasting, bicycle riding, and telling lies and stories about the good times we have all shared together.
August – October – Great Divide Mountain Bike route
The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is VERY well known among bikepackers. It stretches from Jasper to the USA/Mexico border in Antelope Springs, New Mexico. Most of the route is off road and it does not follow a straight efficient line to get between point A and point B. Here is how the creators of the route (Adventure Cycling Association) describe it:
“The entire route is basically dirt-road and mountain-pass riding every day. In total, it has over 200,000 feet [61,000 meters] of elevation gain. Nearly 2,100 miles [3,380 kilometers] of the route is composed of county, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Canadian provincial unpaved roads.”
https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/great-divide-mountain-bike-route/
During Covid, we cycled the section from Jasper, Alberta to Sparwood BC so this was our opportunity to finish the route. We left High River, Alberta on August 4 and followed an ill advised route to Sparwood where we would join the official route. Maybe it wasn’t ill advised, maybe we were just out of shape – but those first few days of the trip really had me questioning if I was physically capable of cycling this route!
Fortunately, we recovered from those first few days, found ourselves on some easy downhill pavement and landed in Fernie, BC. A night at the legion celebrating our accomplishments of the last few days helped remind me that we were in charge of our experience – we could take as long or as little time as we needed. I remembered it is important to take each mountain pass as they come instead of thinking about them all at once. A good life lesson really.
We crossed the great divide over 12 times and gained and lost so many feet/meters of elevation we both lost count. We cycled through Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and into Colorado. Each State/Province was unique and beautiful. All contained gravel roads, steep grades, rocky paths, cute little towns to resupply in, and total wilderness.
The Colorado section of the route has the highest elevation – we were consistently at 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) above sea level with mountain passes over 11,000 feet (3,300 meters). It gets quite chilly at night in October at these elevations. After the third morning of waking up to frozen water bottles we knew we either needed to buy more gear, cycle faster and further each day to ensure we were sleeping at lower elevations (where it is generally warmer), or come up with a different plan.
It was not an easy decision to finish our Divide Ride near Denver, but it did allow us to stay on our bikes while working on our spanish skills – enter: Baja, California Mexico.
Baja Mexico – October – December
We made our way to San Diego where we started our Baja Bike trip. Dry warm desert greeted us each day, and often we did our planning based on where next to fill up the water bottles. I had no idea a human could consume so much water – 4 + litres a day was not uncommon! Occasionally the road is near the beach and the vistas of the shore are great for camping and falling asleep to the lull of the ocean. Of course, a trip to Mexico is never complete with tacos and beer!
We stuck to pavement and it was nice to be able to put in a lot more kilometers each day compared to the Divide. But, it also meant managing traffic on roads that either have very little shoulder or no shoulder and are often twisty and turny.
Most people we met called us crazy for riding on these roads – and they really aren’t wrong. What surprised us was generally how gracious the Mexican plated vehicles were to us – especially the large semis. We encountered some issues with USA and Canada plated ‘land yachts’ on the way down for the winter – some were either ungracious to bicycles or they really didn’t know the size and handling of their rigs. The roads and traffic make this route one for seasoned road cyclists only.
We arrived in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico as our odometer reached 4,515 kilometers (2,805 miles). Our bodies were honey “bronced”, and used to exertion in high temperatures. I do think we both sweated out our body weight a few times while in the Baja.
We took advantage of having a great friend on vacation in the Cabo area and arrived in time to hijack her vacation. Thanks for sharing your holiday with us Sherry!
Taking Care of Business (June – August)
A question we get asked all the time is how we afford to travel. One of the biggest ways we fund ourselves is through the rental of our home in Calgary. In June, we learned our tenant would be moving on so we spent a good chunk of time finding a new tenant, and preparing the house for them to move in.
While we were managing the logistics of moving one tenant out and moving another in, we got to spend two glorious weeks dog sitting in Cochrane, Alberta. Skoki and Wilson kept us on our toes with frequent trips to the dog park, cuddle sessions on the couch and finding ways to cook without stepping on one of their large bodies curled up on the floor!
We often joke that we are homeless, but the reality is we are super fortunate to have people who help us out immensely when we are home. My Mom stores our gear in her garage and she is happy to have us stay with her when we are home. It’s really like we are 20 something – except we do our own laundry! We are also lucky to have amazing friends that really help us out – offering places to sleep in the city, trips to the airport with large bike boxes, cars to borrow when needed, and generally being up for Tom Foolery at a moment’s notice! If you are one of these people, THANK YOU!
Current Situation
That brings us to now. We are back taking care of Wilson (the dog) over the holidays and are thrilled it is warmer for our daily walks. It is also helpful to be reminded how small a king size bed is with two adults and a 155 pound Irish Wolfhound in it!
2024 – a look ahead
We do have some things up our sleeves – but like every year things are likely to change. Here is our plan:
- January – trip to Belize with our running friends
- February– Off to Sri Lanka with the bicycles to tour the ‘teardrop of India’
- March – parking the bikes and exploring southern India before it gets too hot
- April – The Rickshaw Run. Nope not a race, but an adventure where teams drive a rickshaw (also known as a tuk-tuk) from the extreme NE corner of India to the extreme SW corner of India.
- May – ?? Pamir Highway (part II) yes we will be returning to Georgia and continuing along the famous Pamir Highway thru all of the ‘stans’ in Central Asia. Can’t wait to get back to our route and continue where we left off in June of 2022.
- ?? – August Hopefully at the end of Pamir, we can figure a way to take the bicycles to Mongolia (thru Russia) or Pakistan (thru China) no details yet and this will remain a dream until the actual date!
- Maybe Sept – December let’s assume we will be finished cycling in the stans and other parts east by the end of August. Our plan if this is the case is to head to Denver and finish the Great Divide route thru Colorado and New Mexico
As you can see, our late summer, and fall plans are pretty fuzzy. There are so many unknowns with respect to visas, borders, and weather. We figure it’s best to operate in the gray and be ready to pivot to whatever fits our fancy.
We continue to love this lifestyle, even though we don’t get to spend enough time with friends and family. It means a lot to us when you follow along on social media, drop comments here and pass on supportive comments when you see us. Thanks so much for all of your support.
Happy Holidays everyone!
