Nothing much to add here myself since I barely left Melbourne. But we're coming up to the end of the year and I'd be interested in hearing some reflections from those of you who have been out on the road.
What experience that you had this year surprised you? Maybe you didn't have high expectations and it turned out to be far more interesting. Or maybe you were surprised to find nobody was visiting a destination that you thought would be very popular.
The drop in the value of the yen vs. other currencies, including the U.S. dollar, resulted in a surge of foreign tourists in Japan. Even so, after spending four weeks there in the fall, I found traveling in Japan still cost much less than traveling in the U.S. and some regions in Europe. I stayed in three-and-four-star-rated hotels that cost the equivalent of a budget motel in the U.S. The rooms were clean and comfortable and hospitality was great. I hope to return next year.
My greatest surprise in 2024 was that I wasn't able to travel. (Due to health problems) In my dreams I still walk onto planes or trains. Even during Covid (in 2020) I still visited cemeteries, and I went up the road to have a minor operation. And I was traveling again in 2021. But the only place I've been this year is to the hospital and doctor's offices - except my kids did take me out to the annual Oyster Festival in the next county. It was nice but whoever put together the program did a crap job. In the past you could figure out what booths had beer, and where you could get shrimp, oysters or pit beef. This year, if you didn't know where those things typically were, you were SOL.
In 2024, I managed Andorra, Malta and Saudi Arabia as new countries - all three were very different but all very good. Andorra would have been great if I'd been a skier but it was still good. Malta in January was fairly quiet but almost a mini-Britain. Saudi Arabia was the stand-out - lots to see, the people were so hospitable and it was very easy to get around.
Sadly, do to the death of my father at age 90 in Arizona, my only trips this year were 4 round trips driving between my home in Idaho and Arizona via Nevada which is only about 850 miles one way. Bought a new used car this April and immediatly put 10,000 miles on it, most of it going thru Nevada to Arizona. Sad part, my Dad died, good part, I won money in the slots in Nevada. Think I broke even if not just ahead after all 4 trips. Think what surprised me is I did a couple mini detours on those driving trips just to say I did it. I usually don't do that but it was nice in the end. I can now say that I am done with Arizona and most of Nevada, been there done that with all the visits I've done via my parents home over the last 25 years.
My 2025 surprise was having age give a good kick to the backside. We took a road trip out west (Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, etc.) to do some outdoor exploration/hiking in places which were both old friends plus some new. This flatlander really felt the increase in altitude this time, and knees/hips objected to climbing that didn't use to bother as much. Ugh. Had to come to the sad realization that it was the last time for some favorite hikes, and denial about my 70 trips around the sun isn't working anymore. Damn.
The good news is that there's still much to do that doesn't involve either altitude or knee-crushing ascents/descents. Vermont was fun: lots of scenery, architecture, history, very nice people, and easy on the knees and lungs. 