This is the last part of my frenzied travel schedule from 2013-2020 March. It covers the period starting from May 2019 when I retired from Kazakhstan and moved to Kolkata and ends at March 2020 when lockdowns were imposed due to Covid-19. Since then, alas, all my travels stopped like everyone else’s!
June 2019 By this time, I knew that I was not coming back to KIMEP – I was retiring for good! Came back to India with all my clothes, documents, books and all. And immediately went to Phnom Penh . From Phnom Penh , two friends and myself took off to Koh Rong islands off the coast off Cambodia, near Sihanoukville. The island is beautiful, remote, undeveloped – no roads, no public transport. There are hotels on a sliver of a beach around the island – they get their supplies by boat. Most of the hotels have cottages or tree houses, there are a few restaurants and stores near the docks. The inside of the island consists of uninhabited forest. A lot of “gap year” kids from Europe and Australia and some drop-outs, they party hard till early morning. There are some regular tourists as well. If you have money, you can go to exclusive resorts on nearby tiny islands- one fancy resort on each uninhabited island – they cost $500-2000 per night!!
My friends with two Chinese girls from Singapore 
Our Cottage
August 2019 – Went to Phnom Penh again
September/October 2019:
This was a long trip. From Kolkata, I first went to Paris, stayed for four nights. Afterwards, went to Lawrence, Kansas for about a month.
Took a side trip to Boulder, Colorado to visit my son
Finally came to Madrid , Spain for five days and then on to Kolkata.
The Louvre 
Arc De Tromphe 
Inside Louvre museum
Boulder Hotel 
Royal Palace 
Plaza at night 
Paella
November 2019:
My friend from Kazakhstan agreed to come to Bangkok. I met her at the airport and we spent three days at Bangkok Riverside. After she left, I went to Phnom Penh for a few days.
December 2019
Digha , near Kolkata
February 1 – Phnom Penh, again
French Restaurant, Phnom Penh 
German Restaurant , Phnom Penh 
Inside Night Market 
Water Festival 
Water Festival 
La Croisette, Phnom Penh
March 1 -Almaty again! I came back on March 7 . Lockdown started soon afterwards!
Kebab plate, Almaty 
Fruit Stall, Almaty
Hotel Kazakhstan – Lobby 
So, in conclusion, was it worth it? How much money did I spend on all this?
I do not know, I am just glad I did it, and possibly will not travel at this frenzied pace again. Well, as they say in Almaty “All Good Things must come to an End”!!
Ciao!!