FINALLY – We Have Planned and Booked Our Next Adventure

On April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Africa20 Comments

It has been 19 months since our last extended trip out of the country and we have been waiting for the opportunity to go almost anyplace. There are still many places that aren’t open to travel, but slowly many of them are starting to resume tourist activities. We have planned a trip to Kenya and Tanzania for the first two weeks of July. We have made sure to check all cancellation policies, travel warnings, and talked to local tour operators. Before COVID, this would have been an easy decision, either we go or don’t go. Now there is a lot more to consider before making such a commitment as it is never cheap to travel, especially for a trip such as this.

The Mountains of Ninh Binh Province in Vietnam – Our Last Adventure

We are doing a 10 day safari that will take us through the Amboseli National Park, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, and Masai Mara. We are obviously very excited, but it wasn’t an easy decision. We have always been able to plan trips relatively quickly, but after a year and a half without traveling, it felt as if we were planning the very first overseas adventure ever. We are optimistic that nothing will change and our trip will happen as planned, but in the current world, there are no guarantees. It seems that people fall into two camps when it comes to traveling post-pandemic. Many people only want to travel somewhat locally and not take the risk of going internationally where they might get quarantined, sick, or have restrictions. Then there are others who have the “itch” like us who simply can’t wait to get back out into the world. Perhaps we’re a little crazy, but we are so glad to have an adventure to look forward to. Which camp do you fall into?

Looking Forward to Seeing the World from Our Airplane Window Again

When “Groundhog Day” Becomes Reality

On February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel TipsLeave a comment

Tomorrow is officially Groundhog Day in the United States when a groundhog is supposed to determine whether or not winter is going to last longer based on whether the groundhog casts a shadow. The term has also become to represent the notion of every day repeating itself over and over without changing. Ever since the pandemic first caused the world to shut down last March, almost a year ago at this point, we have felt as if we’ve been trapped in our version of Groundhog Day where we keep hoping to be able to travel once again. Depending on where you are located, your ability to travel might be more open than other places. For us, although we can travel within the United States, traveling outside of the United States hasn’t been an option unless we are willing to quarantine for a while after arriving in a location. With the costs and time associated with traveling, we’ve basically been in a constant holding pattern when it comes to travel. (We don’t have photographs of groundhogs, so these other cute animals will have to do.)

We are optimistic that things are going to improve and, as of right now, we are hoping to take our first trip out of the country at the end of April to Portugal. Assuming that we are able to travel, it will have been a year since we cancelled our trip to Turkey last year. Last March, we didn’t think things would last long and were originally hopeful not to cancel our trip. Then we thought that things would be better by October and when that didn’t occur, we were hopeful for December. Each time it seemed like things were getting better, the world would do another revolution only for us to wake up and feel like it was the same as it was back in the beginning. Let’s hope that the groundhog predicts the lack of travel will come to an end early, regardless of whether there will be six more weeks of winter.

Seeing Wildlife in the Country of Panama

On October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Central America6 Comments

Although Panama is a narrow country, it is also a very biodiverse country with oceans and rainforests. There are so many fascinating animals that live in Panama and we were fortunate to see many different varieties during our time there. Seeing animals in their natural habitat is certainly a highlight of visiting any country like this and we took several tours specifically hoping to see some of the nation’s wildlife.

We kept our eyes on the tree limbs above our heads to see the different varieties of monkeys, sloths, and birds. We also saw a tree-climbing anteater as well as a somewhat cute rodent called an agouti. The tarantula spider that climbed out of the tree above our heads when we stopped to eat lunch was interesting and yet creepy at the same time.

We have been fortunate enough to see a wide variety of wildlife in various parts of the world, but we have to admit that Panama provided us some of our most interesting encounters. It is important to have your camera handy and having a telephoto lens often helps too, but when you get as close as we were able to get, it isn’t required.