Travel opens your eyes. To idyllic landscapes, delightful new foods, cultural experiences, local realities and new ways of thinking. These are all reasons we love it. But human connection is why we travel. You escape the bubble of everything you know, and open your eyes to every race, every religion, every culture…and it’s only then that you discover people become people, all connected in the world with way more similarities than differences. 

In this post, we celebrate a small sampling of the people who have made our journey one that will last a lifetime. And there are so many more people and stories we didn’t include simply because we don’t have your picture, but we certainly haven’t forgotten you. It begins with our initial 22-month around the world adventure which we kicked off in July 2018. At this time, we thought our nomad life would only be 2-2.5 years. However, COVID came along and changed everything making our travels a bit more indefinite.

Kullavik, Sweden (July 2018)

The hospitality bar was set extremely high right off the bat when we opened up our trip by staying with the amazing Ek family in July 2018. The Eks, whom Mandy knew well from a previous job, went over the top by preparing our room with a little Swedish flag and sweet treats, taking us sightseeing, kayaking and exploring, and feeding us some gloriously good Swedish home-cooked eats, by our very own Swedish mama, Tina. Before this, we never once said, “Mmmm…I really want some Swedish food for dinner/lunch.” But now, we still talk about those shrimp sandwiches and vegetarian Swedish meatballs! We love this family and are so thankful they opened up their home to us!

Prague, Czechia (August 2018)

1. Ryan & Sophie, an adorable friendly (and matching couple), from Sydney, Australia who we bonded with as flat mates during our stay.
2. Reconnecting with Greg’s former students and colleagues from when he worked at Charles University…Kim, Theo and Pavla.
3. Another incredible family to open their doors to us was at the Mair’s, Greg’s good friend, Dan, and his wife from Prague. 
4. Oh, and who can forget their silly daughter Becky, who seemed to bring out Greg’s inner five-year-old. Becky, for the record, already speaks English and Czech and was learning French and Chinese at the time. She also made funny faces and farted a lot. It’s good to have a balance after all.

Eger, Hungary (August 2018)

We couldn’t have asked for better in Hungarian hospitality! We arrived to the town of Eger (egg-air) which is about 2.5 hours from Budapest and then took a local bus to another nearby small village of Egerzolat. (Not to be confused with nearby EgerzolaK a mere 5 miles away!) When we tried to speak our fumbled Hungarian while getting on the bus to Egerzolat, the driver simply smiled and nodded encouragingly, and gave us our tickets. They did this a lot… seemingly excited to have tourists and new faces. But when we arrived to our airbnb homestay, the hospitality rocketed to all new proportions. Steve and Eva greeted us with more alcohol than we could drink, including homemade fruit brandy, wine, and what would end up being our favorite meal: Letcho, a stew of peppers, tomatoes, onion and sausage. Oh, and paprika. (Because it’s not Hungarian without it.) This continued for our entire 3-night stay with meals of gulas, caprese sandwiches, and desserts we can’t pronounce! We loved getting to know them, chatting, and learning about Hungary through them.

Lviv, Ukraine (August 2018)

While these people we knew quite well, we were sure happy to have Greg’s parents, Larry and Grace, with us on two separate occasions. While Ukraine is not the “typical” place you meet the parents, it was beyond surprising and quirky and we all really enjoyed it. Lviv is a city saturated with theme restaurants, factories and experiences. In this picture, our first stop was the discovery of Dim Legend, (House of Legends) a five story fun and theme house with a very famous Moskvich car on… its… roof. 🙂

Chisinau, Moldova (August 2018)

Next we took the parents across the border to the tiny, easy-to-misplace country of Moldova. Moldova is not one of those countries most people dream of going to. In fact, it’s even off most Europeans’ radar. We feel lucky to have been some of the only 11,000 annual tourists to visit this off-the-beaten track European destination. The Moldova people were incredibly hospitable and kind, and so happy to see us traveling there! While there, we also met amazing people through the ladies at OK Travel. Mandy even made a real connection and had a coffee date with Tonya the day after.

Black Sea Crossing (September 2018)

Crossing the Black Sea from Ukraine to Georgia by car ferry was one of our favorite ways we traveled. And while on this three-day journey, we met some pretty wonderful friends…

1. Jerry, the intrepid retired backpacker from our home state of Oregon, who will forever be known as “Jerry from the Ferry.”
2. Our tables were assigned so we got the pleasure of having all our meals with Swede Anna-Maija, German Hans, and Danish Arne, all planning to motorbike across Georgia! We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and talking with them about food, culture and of course, the inevitable subject, American politics…sigh…
3. Olivia and Bea, the traveling mother daughter duo from London who we also got to delightfully meet up with once again in Tirana, Albania. 

Akhaltsikhe, Georgia (September 2018)

Probably one of the most memorable homestays of our entire trip (lives!) was when we experienced the ultimate in Georgian hospitality at “Old House Guesthouse”. Mama Cico, who sadly passed in fall 2021, or “house boss,” as she called herself, without a doubt ran the show. But, her entire family welcomed us with open arms into their home and family. Cico cooked us lavish, and copious amounts of Georgian food for every meal encouraging us to “EAT, EAT!!” & “DRINK, DRINK!!” In fact, she humorously scolded us the one time we (foolishly) tried to go to a restaurant during our three day stay, saying, “my tourists, no eat at restaurant!!!”

She also taught Mandy to make Khinkali, while Dad David helped pour us endless amounts of his homemade cognac and Geogian wine (gvino) while we stumbled through conversations using Google translate and laughter, and we even had a “dance party” on the last night with fellow tourists, Anna and Piotr from Poland. Their son, Zaali, and daughter Tamo even taught us some dance moves during one nights festivities. Zaali, we learned had only just recently retired from the Georgian National Ballet, an esteemed position in Georgia. He showed off his talents by doing the splits and drinking a glass of wine at the same time (when his mother wasn’t watching! 🙂 Our time with the Old House family in Akhaltsikhe was priceless and memorable… exactly the kind of warm and delightful travel experience that makes you realize how connected everybody on this earth is.

Signaghi, Georgia (September 2018)

Strolling through the lesser touristy part of the village, we walked by this lady who was out in her garden. When we said our usual greeting “gamarjoba” to her, she smiled and immediately followed with, “where are you from?” It was then we noticed a small sign by her fence that said, “Nino’s: Tea & History.” Excited to hear we were Americans, she immediately launched into her story in surprisingly well-spoken English. She had studied European Literature & History, as well as English, for many years in Tbilisi and recently moved back to Sighnaghi to take care of her aging father. Nino told us many facts about the history of Sighnaghi and invited us onto her ramshackled patio for tea, so she could show us her “museum,” which consisted of some 18th century wooden artifacts including wooden spoons, a spindle and a garlic press, which had been handed down for generations. She apologized profusely for the mess of dirty dishes all over her patio saying something about not having water. It was very evident that she was incredibly poverty-stricken. But her eyes were so kind and it was apparent she just wanted conversation. Her history “lessons” were well worth opening our pocketbook for and the appreciation on her face was heart wrenching. This is why we travel…

Maramures County, Romania (October 2018)

Our home at Casa Carolina, where we were welcomed by the hostess Viorica, who had carved and placed lit jack-o-lanterns on the porch to celebrate the fact it was Halloween night, and served us a delicious home-made soup, (we suspect a pumpkin base), including a proper Romanian welcome drink of blueberry flavored brandy. What a warm welcome! We also chose to do a traditional breadmaking experience right at home. Mandy, Viorica and her mother-in-law Valeria kneaded (and pounded) the raw dough to get the process started. (Notice Mandy’s piddly little dough-ball compared with Valeria’s?.) This was hard work! But wow… so special to be able to understand a process that has gone on in these homes for centuries. No special tools required, just a strong back, hands, and arms. 

Nuremberg, Germany (December 2018)

Our favorite pet-sit award goes to Mr. Kitty and his wonderful mum, Natalie. We were in a lovely home with more than enough space to be comfortable and got to watch a cuddly feline named who we quickly fell in love with thanks to his friendly, vocal and mischievous spirit. On the night before Christmas he even brought in a guest to our party of three…a live field mouse…as a present(?) for us all to share. Creatures were stirring all through our house!

Colne, England (January 2019)

In East Lancashire County, Colne is probably not on the travel radar for most people, but we were lucky enough to be invited into the beautiful home of Mandy’s friends’ parents, Sue and Pete. We couldn’t have asked for a better couple to stay with in U.K…they took us on countryside explorations, joined us for proper pints in the pub and we had wonderful long, free-flowing conversations about anything and everything. We are so grateful to have met them and know they will be in our lives for the long haul.

United Kingdom (February 2019)

Three more very special people we saw during our time in U.K.:

1. Laura, in York… who Mandy knows from her previous job.
2. Xanne, in Bristol…Mandy’s friend she met while living in Prague hosted us for a wonderful week
3. Natalie, in Oxford…Mandy’s former colleague and friend from her previous job. 

Jordan (March 2019)

In 65+ countries and counting, we’ve never met a culture quite like the Jordanians. When you cross paths with a Jordanian person, they’re almost guaranteed to smile at you and say two things…”where you from?” followed by a sincere “Welcome.” And there’s no other motive!! The Jordanians are overwhelmingly hospitable and some of the most welcoming and genuine people we have come across…anywhere. This remains to be true three years later.

1. The highlight was getting invited for dinner and tea into the household of a giant, authentic Jordanian family. We feel very lucky to have a real family here and even though there is technically no blood relation (Mandys cousin is married to a Jordanian), we couldn’t have been more welcomed. Such kind and generous people! Mohammad (from Indiana’s) mom is sitting next to Mandy.
2. At our homestay near Petra we had a delicious breakfast consisting of hummus, falafel, eggs, and yogurt which we shared with (Dad) Twfeeq and his adorable family. They were beyond kind to us and we loved staying in their home. Not to mention all the neighbors who wanted to get to know us every time we went outside, we got shouts from across the street  or greetings of “hello, how are you?” And “welcome!” The girl next door was even a “huge Seattle Seahawks” fan.
3. Mandy takes a tequila shot (yep, that’s right!) with Mohammed from Indiana’s cousin, Mohammed from Amman. 😉 (Did I we lose you?)

More of the wonderful Abu-Hussein family at right.

Wadi Rum, Jordan (March 2019)

In the Wadi Rum Desert Bedouin camp we were introduced to more Jordanian hospitality, with singing, dancing in a traditional Arabian circle dance, and stuffing in piles of delicious Jordanian food. It’s also where we met Milly…a spunky Bangladeshi-American who lives in California and we still keep in touch with. In fact, we were delighted to later hear we had inspired her to take her own round the world adventure.  

Antalya, Turkey (March 2019)

We couldn’t have asked for better AirBnB hosts in Feriha and Robin. It was truly like hanging out with friends, and we enjoyed having thoughtful political, religious and cultural conversations with them over drinks and breakfast. Not to mention, there were lots of nice little touches including a remarkably yummy Turkish breakfast all for $17/night. By the way, breakfast quickly became a time to celebrate, and our favorite meal of the day in Turkey.

Three and a half years later, we returned to Turkey and ended up staying for our full three-month visa allowance. At that time, we met up with Feriha and Robin again in Cappadocia for a few days, and then they invited us for a full month to stay in a tiny home near their home in Finike for a discount price of 300 Euros. Since this was an offer we clearly couldn’t refuse, we were delighted to spend even more time with them.

Patmos, Greece (April 2019)

On Easter night, we were lucky to meet up with a Greek friend of a friend, Katerina, who we joined for a traditional Easter festival. She even managed to drag Mandy onto the dance floor for some traditional song and dance(it wasn’t that hard…they were also giving away free wine!) What a fun authentic evening!

Shkodër, Albania (May 2019)

Another great thing about travel is meeting up with friends you’ve met along the way. Mandy grabs a beer with British Natalia from the blog, “Something of Freedom” who we met originally with her partner, Sam, in Sibiu, Romania.

Albania (May 2019)

American travelers, Zoe and Julia who we met on our trek from Valbona to Theth. Zoe astonishingly happened to be from Vancouver, Washington…the same city that Greg is from. Zoe and Julia, had hitched into Valbona that afternoon from Kosovo and came bearing Raki and lots of stories. It had been awhile since we’d chatted with native English speakers so it was enjoyable to have some relaxed conversation.

More Albanians live in other countries, than within it, but the ones who stay behind are AMAZING. At top right is Eda from the Stone House 1850 who smartly ran the place alongside her parents, helping with English translation and 21st Century tech business savvy-ness. This younger generation of Albanians helping their parents navigate modern capitalism so that they all might thrive together is something which seemed to be quite commonplace. A wonderfully smart and healthy adaptation to handle any generational knowledge/skills gaps they have suffered after the fall of communism. Tragically, we learned that young Eda passed away in early 2022 from a brain tumor. Stark reminders of why we live the life we live.

Spending a week in Ksamil really gave us a chance to live as a local and experience Albanian life in a local home. As with every Albanian we’ve met, our hosts were incredibly hospitable, and always, always smiley. We kicked off our time with a shot of mandatory homemade raki with them, and complimentary conversation assisted by google. For the record, Albanian Raki, which is essentially a fruit brandy (usually made with grapes) and a close cousin to Italian Grappa, is distinctly missing the anise flavor found in Ouzo in neighboring Greece. All Albanians seem to have a huge personal stash of homemade raki, usually filled in repurposed clear plastic soda bottles and stockpiled in a kitchen cabinet. The grape made Raki is potent at 40%-65% ABV, it is clear and slightly woody or tannic with no smoothness on the way down. It’s not for the weak stomached! We took no great pleasure in getting to the bottom of our shot glass, but we did appreciate our hosts. 

The “Dentists” (Malta, Albania, India)

Between 2018-2020, we saw dentists in three different countries along the way…Malta, Albania, & India, all offering checkups for between $10-$20, which seems to be the going rate outside of the States. 

1. Dr. Poonam at Sofiya Dental Clinic in Arambol. Very professional and friendly!
2. Dr. Eni Shehu in Sarande (Albania) was tremendously personable, spoke excellent English, and had a sparkling clean clinic with modern dental equipment and materials.
3. Dr. Alba at Kiss Dent in Tirana installed Mandy with a complete set of new sparkling veneers with state-of-the-art materials from the US and Japan and had 50 excellent reviews on google. The cost? A rock bottom $1680 for 10 teeth or ($168/tooth). Mandy was quoted $960/tooth for this procedure in Portland. 

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro (June 2019)

White water rafting in the Tara River Canyon started with a shot of Rajka (because why wouldn’t it?) and we made quick friends with our boating companions.

1. Greg tests his Rajka with Steven and Jo from U.K. It still tastes like gasoline.
2. We also got to know Andrea, Birgit, and Karin from Austria. They wanted the world to know they were Austrians…not Germans! As usual, we just wanted the world to know…we didn’t vote for him. 

Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina (June 2019)

We spent the day road-tripping in the Bosnian countryside with Kim, a friendly, fun and well-traveled Brit from our hostel. We had an amazing time visiting waterfalls, forgotten medieval villages, scouring ruins and swapping travel stories and notes. She immediately raised her travel cred when she mentioned she’d been to East Timor. 

Ohrid, North Macedonia (August 2019)

We met up with Jenn and Steve, (@sjtravelagain) fellow travel bloggers from Philadelphia for a couple beers and to enjoy the sunset. They, like us, had been traveling for about a year so we had lots to share with one another. Plus, it’s always nice to speak English with native speakers so we don’t have to edit our idioms, slang and velocity of words.

Eastern Bulgaria (August 2019)

Mandy’s first yoga retreat which later led to to a much bigger decision in Goa. She loved the intimate group of four at Tranquil Times. Jo, her instructor was originally from UK has lived in Bulgaria for 13 years, Piia from Finland and Luiza from Uzbekistan. Serendipitously, while Mandy was receiving her yoga teacher certification in India, Jo also happened to be there so they reunited. 

Varna, Bulgaria (August 2019)

Some of the most generous Booking.com hosts ever, Zhivko and Ivelina, gave us multiple rides, stocked the kitchen with little goodies, and even took us to dinner at a funky outdoor food cart. They exceeded all expectations. Such kind-hearted people, and we are still in touch with them. 

Istanbul, Turkey (August 2019)

One of the best things about travel is reuniting with friends. Turk Sila and Mandy were friends, and nearly roommates, in Prague and it was so good to share an amazing meze and raki meal on her home turf and meet her husband. 3.5 years later we met again when we spent a month in Istanbul. We even got to celebrate Mandy and Sila’s joint birthday together!

Wadi Shab, Oman (September 2019)

Wading/hiking through the Wadi Shab Canyon, we met all kinds of fun characters, particularly this sweet and welcoming group of Nepalese expats who lived in Muscat. They made us very excited for our time in Nepal. 

Sur, Oman (September 2019)

On the final two nights, we stayed at an AirBnB hosted by a wonderfully welcoming British expat and eccentric English teacher named Debby. She had been teaching in Oman for over a year and turned out to be an absolute whirlwind of information and insights…truly a barrel of laughs and a joy to get to know. Debby’s place was utterly comfortable and was strongly air conditioned just a few steps from the sea. 

Debby has us laughing all evening as she took us for a spin in her 4×4 up the mountain to a small village that was the most authentic and seemingly untouched place we had seen in Oman. As we got out of the car for a stroll, all eyes were on us, it was as if they had never seen white people before. We quickly became surrounded by little girls in vivid handmade dresses while their mothers sat timidly on the stairs regarding us with cautious interest. When one man shook hands with Greg, and then turned to Mandy to do the same, Debby informed us that Mandy never should have shaken his hand and he was merely trying to “cop a feel and would probably be fantasizing about this all night” ?

Tanzania (September 2019)

1. We couldn’t have been happier with our safari group and Victor of Golden Dreams Safari. In addition to Victor, we were joined by Karin, Roos and Bess, a wonderful mother and two adult daughter trio from the Netherlands. Bess had just finished a four-month nursing program in Malawi and was beginning a nine-month gap year, with sister Roos intact for the beginning of the adventure. 
2. When Mandy met Monya at dinner in one of our safari camps, she was floored. She was a fellow camper who crazily happened to be from her hometown in Indiana and now lives in Los Angeles.
3. Zanzibar, Tanzania: Rolling into our first off-the-grid African village, we didn’t even really get why we were there, but all of a sudden we entered mud-brick homes, and what looked like a village lost to the modern world. A dozen+ kids suddenly came running jumping up and down to our mini-van screeching “Mzungu! Mzungu!” (white people, white people.) When Kelvin, one of our Tanzanian tour trainees, rolled open the van door, the screeching halted and we were greeted with virtual silence and stares… with at least ten sets of adorable and curious little brown eyes evaluating us. Kelvin jumped out and before long the group of kids started high fiving him and chattering away in Swahili. We sat dumbfounded, never feeling so foreign. In the meantime, the kids’ excitement grew towards undoubtedly the highlight of the day and they started trying to maneuver their way into the van. One opportunistic kid immediately snatched an empty used juice box that lay on the van floor as if he had struck gold… a prized possession that was all his. Mandy jumped out and joined in on the excitement while Greg guarded the van. It was overwhelming, exhilarating, and perplexing to be around all these beautifully curious kids who were just excited to hang out with us two Mzungu. 

Lalibela, Ethiopia (October 2019)

Two great guys we met on our shuttle ride from the airport…Rohma and Abel. They were in Lalibela on business and were so genuine! We didn’t plan to hang out with them again but they walked into the Tej bar we were in one evening so we got to have a drink together! 

Trekking in Ethiopia (October 2019)

Greg and our terrific guide Solomon, who accompanied us in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. We talked to him about anything and everything…including, yes, US politics (again)

There was never a dull moment with our first porters, who danced (complete with Fred Astaire cane moves), sang, pantomimed, and giggled often. Naturally, we couldn’t understand a word they said but the entertainment was undeniable. Not to mention, they were very professional, down to their slightly wrinkled, dapper attire! 

Bottom left is Aregahgn, our guide on the Lalibela trek, who graciously invited us to his house for dinner to meet his wife and daughter. We even had a cooking lesson! (Shero Tegamino, top right?) Many people don’t have full kitchens/stoves so we cooked in a teeny charcoal stove in his living room. 

Ethiopian Highlands (October 2019)

Living at an altitude of 3000 meters (9000 feet) these lovely girlfriends endure blustery winds and cold on a very regular basis. Like everyone we encountered on the trek, they seem to have no coats, but only wrap themselves in any layers they have and blankets for warmth, have little contact with the outside world and survive predominantly on what the land provides them. They prepared one of our lunches and coffee in this tiny hut using a fire on the floor. But their smiles say it all. 

Lucknow, India (November 2019)

We will never forget Airbnb host, Prem Lata, and her incredible family. Walking out of our room the third (and biggest) night of Diwali, we were greeted with diyas (tea candles) trailing down the stairs, an exceptionally welcoming family who clearly treated us well, and the absolute best meal we had in India. Everything was delectable. In addition to an absolutely insane meal, our hosts were a real pleasure to converse with. Well-educated, well-traveled, and well-spoken, and we had stimulating conversations on everything from history, to politics (new and old) and law, to cultural insights like the caste system and differences and similarities between our two countries. This picture is of Mandy with Mama Prem and daughter Shipra. Mom (and dad) are lawyers and Shipra was an economist who lives in Delhi and had also studied at NYU for a while. Such lovely people!

Annapurna Trek, Nepal (November 2019)

1. For our last night on the trek, we slept in the village of Tatopani. While here, we became best friends with a group of Koreans on their first major trek experience, and a vivacious solo gal named Lea from Germany (but who sounded Australian.) Jade, one of the Korean guys, was kind enough to buy all of his newfound trail friends a round of beers. In the mood to celebrate and after no alcohol for many days, we very eagerly accepted his big-hearted offer.  
2. In the village of Swanta was where we met “Giggles”, and her giddy son at, the aptly named, Happy Valley lodge. “Giggles” unfortunately couldn’t speak a lick of English, but she chuckled hysterically at everything and nothing. She had a truly admirable garden out back and even though cannabis grows wild in Nepal, we’re thinking there must have been some giggle-inducing substances planted within her garden somewhere…
3. In Ghorepani, we stayed at a wonderful lodge called the Glacier Hotel, which it turned out was the best tasting food of our trek, by far with a cute lady we named Chickie Lady because she was constantly caring for a roost of baby chicks. It’s also where we met Renee, an adventurous solo traveler from the States who was trekking with a group of Spaniards. We still keep in touch with her.

Dharavandohoo, Maldives (December 2019)

1. Our waiter, who we saw on more than one occasion because there were only four restaurants on the island, holds up a bottle of garlic chili sauce, which is pretty much dumped on  everything. Ketchup is also served with everything, especially noodle dishes. Yuck. Speaking of this waiter, Grace embarrassingly commented on his physique and asked him what he did to keep in shape on the island. ? A valid question considering there’s not too many LA Fitnesses on little Dharavandhoo. His response was, among other things, using five liter water bottles as weights. Yes, what a way to improvise! 
2. Grace poses in a traditional chair with the fabulous UNO sisters from Paris. We called them this because, yes they were unbeatable at this card game, which we played a lot thanks to the not so perfect weather.
3. The exceedingly helpful and friendly staff at our resort included Hai, who was a very professional 18-year-old student studying hospitality management. We still keep in touch with her too!

Sri Lanka (December 2019)

The Sri Lankan’s might be the biggest competition for the Jordanians when it comes to hospitality. We were lavished with kindness, huge mouth-watering meals and smiles on a daily basis while traveling through the extraordinary teardrop of India.

1. This Christmas we were extra fortunate to have spent our holidays at Ranji’s Homestay on the southern coast of Sri Lanka near Tangalle. Ranji, who is a fisherman by trade, ran his homestay (guesthouse) along with his cook extraordinaire wife and daughter. They welcomed us with open arms and hearts from the moment we arrived providing us with the best Sri Lankan meals we ate the whole time. Ranji even took us out on his “catamaran” which is a term we use loosely for the wooden fishing boat hardly wide enough for a cheek of your bum.
2. Our sweet hosts and their playful pup, Roxi, at Every View in Ella. Also, we loved meeting Danu at our homestay in Sigiriya, (not pictured.)
3. The instant friends we made from across the aisle on one of our Sri Lankan bus rides. From the moment we sat down they couldn’t resist smiling at us, trying out their English, and excitedly welcoming us to their country. 
4. Back at the Ranjis house, he had incredibly gone out and bought a small Xmas tree to help us celebrate. Decorating the Christmas tree was an amusing experience. Ranji’s 16-year-old daughter, being Buddhist like the rest of the family, had never done this before. When Mandy came out of the room on Christmas Eve, she witnessed her with the tree covered in garland, ornaments, and a massive lop-sided silver star which was rigged to stay positioned in the tree using the inside of an ink pen. She eagerly held up a string of lights, clearly not realizing the lights are always the first thing on the tree. Mandy helped her perfect the little tree despite the unconventional order, and together they added a scarf as a mock tree skirt. 

Arambol, India (January 2020)

Talk about making friends for life! Mandy couldn’t have asked for better people to have the experience of getting her yoga teacher certification with. Phenomenal people, and phenomenal teachers. She recommends Diya Yoga in a heartbeat to anyone wanting to do this certification!

Malaysia (February 2020)

1. While in Penang, Mandy met her former coworker, Clea, from her time living in Prague for a drink.
2. Meeting up with Mandy’s hometown friends, Jeramy and Allison, who had been living and working in Kuala Lumpur for the last 18 months. They welcomed us to the city by taking us to Restaurant Siu Siu which was a very authentic Malay/Chinese joint packed to the brim with locals celebrating Chinese New Year. It was such a fun introduction to SE Asian culture!

Thailand & Cambodia (February/March 2020)

1. Bangkok: We met up with a Portland acquaintance Dana and his Laotian girlfriend Som for dinner and drinks one night. We mistakenly chose a craft beer bar where Greg reluctantly paid a whopping $8 for a bottle of beer (because that’s what craft beer costs here!) Thus, we were happy to allow Dana and Som to guide us to a much more budget-friendly local eatery called Nana Market where we gorged on fish, seafood curry, and pad Thai.  Dana has been living in Bangkok for the past five months so we were thrilled for them to show us a local’s touch and learn more about what it’s like to live in Thailand. 
2. Koh Lanta: We were greeted by Sao at our guesthouse, Mada Lanta Mai Keaw, who teasingly scolded us for not using her driver (aka her husband) who drove a real car. (In fact she had quoted us the same price which we thought was astronomical!) She quickly won us over with her beaming Thai smile grazing her face.
3. Kampong Phluk, Cambodia: our homestay family was incredibly kind, cheery and welcoming. Lam, the one in red was our primary translator and contact. His nephew, the one the Bart Simpson marijuana t-shirt (ha!), also spoke some basic English. Although this picture isn’t a good indicator, we loved the grandpa who just never stopped smiling, and was trying his best to engage with us despite the language barriers. We only wished we could have had a conversation with him. I’m sure he had lots of stories to tell.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (March 2020)

Last, and certainly not least of our pre-COVID adventure, are Annabelle and Yi, a couple we met in Sri Lanka from Montreal who had been traveling long term like us. In fact, we got along so well that the day after we met, we planned to meet up with them again in Borneo to do a jungle trek at the end of April. Thanks to COVID, of course, that never happened, so we couldn’t have been more happy to cross paths with them again in Phnom Penh where we got “stuck” together during the beginning of COVID. We were so grateful for these two. Even though Borneo didn’t work out, we have a distinct feeling we’ll still be traveling together in the future… 

Guadalajara, Mexico (December 2020)

After a seven month COVID hiatus in the States, we headed on our way south of the border for six months. During that time, we began shifting to a life of “slow travel” but a downside to “COVID times” was that it was definitely harder to meet others as well. We didn’t have that problem with Rick and Eunice. We found them through Trusted Housesitters when they asked us to watch their two kitties for them. Thanks to this, we became fast friends, even spending Christmas Day with them. Because their oven was used as storage only, (Eunice hadn’t moved in yet!) it was a bit of an adventure cooking a traditional “American” Christmas dinner for them, but we did the best we could, and had so much fun speaking Spanglish, trying to sing the lyrics of “Despacito” together and laughing endlessly.

Oaxaca, Mexico (May 2021)

Mandy met Yumi, a Japanese American while we were living in Oaxaca. Yumi started as an Explorer Genes follower and became a fast friend when they finally crossed paths with her in the same place. It was actually wonderful to cross paths with quite a few long-term travelers throughout Mexico. Thanks to Mexico’s less stringent COVID restrictions to get in the country, it was a hotbed for digital nomads and travelers ready to escape in recent months, from all around the world.

Bucaro, Panama (September 2021)

Together with Canadians Marcy and Ray, we helped rear a baby rescued jaguarundi cub while housesitting for them in the Panamanian jungle. They’re an extraordinary and warm-hearted couple who we really enjoyed being around and we’re excited to be returning in February 2023. We also loved getting to know their housekeeper Mita and gardener Ameth who were a huge help while living on their property.

Armenia, Colombia (November 2021)

We had a lovely time going out for dinner with Ruby and her family, who we met through a Digital Nomad/FIRED group we’re in called “Go With Less.” Ruby is originally from Colombia and she and her husband (from the States) have brought their kids down here to introduce them to a new kind of life. They all speak Spanish fluently. We very much admired how they were raising their kids and wish them all the best. Thank you for also introducing us to the trendy, up-and-coming side of the city which we seemed to be missing otherwise!

Arequipa, Peru (February 2022)

We couldn’t have asked for sweeter hosts in Rosita, Frederico, and their sister in law. Mandy and Rosita got to have a (too much fun) girl’s night of Pisco Sours and they also practiced yoga together (but not on the day they were hungover ) They were over the top sweet and kept sharing Peruvian delights with us. Despite our language limitations, we became quick friends and had even planned to meet up with them in Paris, but unfortunately that didn’t work out.

Colca Canyon, Peru (February 2022)

We met Swiss/French couple Magali and Bryan while hiking the Colca Canyon. We got along immediately and had very similar interests and also, seemingly hiked at the same the speed, which is always imperative in trekking buddies! We enjoyed sharing hot springs, hostels, meals, drinks and even a dog with them for a solid four days before we had to part ways!

Salkantay Trek (March 2022)

We met fellow Portlanders, Melissa and Pavel, while hiking the Salkantay Trek. They were there during the beginning of Mandy’s shoe/foot challenges and were just so kind and helpful. We found ourselves staying at the same guest houses each night and they were just a real pleasure to chat with!

Pero Viseu, Portugal (May 2022)

We felt beyond grateful in the serendipitous meeting of this wonderful, emotionally inspiring, positive, and healing little family…Harry, Katherine, Merlin & Murphy. They came along as a last minute housesit, having just joined Trusted Housesitters, when we were struggling to know what to do in Mandy’s foot healing process. Thanks to three weeks of watching their home amongst stunning and tranquil surroundings, Mandy made great progress. And…we also discovered something we never would have otherwise known had we just visited Porto and Braga…how enchanted with Portugal we actually are. We’ll undoubtedly be back and continue to keep Harry and Katherine as close friends!

Mur-de-Barrez, France (July 2022)

If you’re paying close attention, you might recognize the face on the right. Laura appeared in the UK post above. Since that time, in December 2021, she and her husband Aleksey moved from the States to live permanently in the fetching medieval village of Mur-de-Barrez in the Occitanie region of France. We couldn’t have been more grateful to spend an entire two weeks living like a local in their little provincial village and experiencing true French culture and life. We’re in love with France because of these experiences.