The simple way to answer that would be to write this in the year 2022 after our trip is completed. But where’s the fun in that?
The simple answer is – with patience, internet search (“ask Google, Google knows everything”) and lots of late nights on youtube.
Preparing for a year long trip is certainly no simple matter. We have a lot of things to sort out with our house in Hong Kong. We have already been doing decluttering and getting rid of some of the things that have been acquired over the years. What to keep and what to remove? Almost every item has to be interrogated of it’s worthiness to remain. With each pass the qualifications to remain become stricter and the hurdle to stay becomes ever higher. We are happy that we have found a nice couple who will be able to stay at our little house and look after it while we are away. Getting our things packed away and the house ready for them to stay will be a big task but an essential one.
Really? Now? Have you seen the news?
It’s a question we are being asked and one we need to answer. Why are we planning to go on a bike trip during a global pandemic? It’s an important question. I believe we can do it safely. We just won’t go if we don’t believe that. Cycling on a tandem is a two-person activity. Certainly we won’t be socially distanced from each other. But then most married couples are the same.
Bicycle touring is by its nature a safer activity than many others. And it is also a healthy activity. We will be avoiding crowds and gatherings, we will be avoiding most of the big cities except of course the capital cities that we are going to.
Yes, we will be staying with friends, we will be moving from town to town, state to state. But we will be going slowly. We will comply with any restrictions that are in place at the time and of course, if we are unfortunate enough to show symptoms we will be prudent and careful and seek the medical assistance we need. So of course we will have to get medical insurance. Another thing for the to-do list.
If the restrictions in place mean we can’t realistically or safely do the trip, then it’s important for us to accept that. If the timing is not right then we just have to call it off. There will be other times for us to do it. In the meantime there are sure to be places that are open that we can travel to.
Being normal in abnormal times.
We are living in strange times. 2020 will be a year that will be remembered for the way it changed the way we live. The way we work and the way we learn. The way we spend time with family and friends. But I don’t believe it will change everything.
There will always be that urge to travel. That desire to explore and see new horizons, new lands, and new vistas. To see what lies beyond. And all the time making new discoveries about what lies within ourselves. Challenging ourselves and each other and finding out not only what is out there, but also what is in here.
It takes some planning to do and I’m certainly not going to let a pandemic stop me from planning. It’s all part of the journey. Our life’s journey.