My crazy travel schedule, 2013-2019, Part 1
This part covers 2013- August 2014 only
Yes I traveled a lot during these six years.
Although I traveled inside USA quite a bit, I never traveled much outside USA. From 1975 to 2000, basically went back and forth to India only. Always used the direct route over the Atlantic. Stopovers in Europe were expensive then, so I did not take any. Around 2002, I found that I can buy a ticket to Bangkok by flying over the Pacific, and the fare to Bangkok from USA was about the same as the fare to India. Then there was a sweet new airline called Airasia, which will take me from Bangkok to Kolkata and back for about $150. By doing this I was able to visit Thailand a couple of times and Hongkong once. That was it.
Boy that changed fast from 2013! I lived like a jet-setter till February 2019 when Covid hit – sadly, have been stuck in India ever since. Sometimes I am amazed at myself that I did so much over these six years! Please read on to check my hectic schedule – Cambodia has a prominent place in all this – because its proximity to India, my personal preference for Cambodia and its people (ladies!! – but that came later!!)
This is not a travel blog, it is merely a recap of my travels during 2013-19. When I get dementia, this will help, I hope!! Also, the Covid Pandemic might change permanently the way we travel, so this blog will remain as a hallmark of old-fashioned wanderlust.
January 2013: Angkor Wat was on my bucket list for a long time. I visited Cambodia from India for the first time – after two days in Phnom Penh with my friend Partho .
I continued working at the university of Kansas during 2013-14 academic year. Received an unexpected job offer from KIMEP university in Almaty, Kazakhstan.. They even allowed me to join from August 2014. During my last year in USA I wanted to revisit my favorite spots in USA that I visited before. So the following was my schedule from 2013 summer to 2014 summer.
May 2013, – Before my semester ended, I squeezed a few days off and visited my favorite couple in Phoenix. From there, drove to Grand Canyon for my third visit , the rocks were as spectacular as ever!!
July, August 2013 – Went to Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville for a couple of days, then went to India for a month before coming back to Bangkok and Phuket for a couple of days.
January 2014 – Went to Kolkata, India again during my Christmas break from USA, and stayed in Bangkok and Cambodia for a couple of days on the way back, The highlight of this trip was Khao yai National Park day trip.
June 2014 – In May 2014, I was officially retired from the university of Kansas. In June 2014, I flew to Seattle, rented a car and visited Olympic National Park for the second time.
This was just the warm up!
Part 2 will cover August 2014- May 2016