New Friends & The Next Big Thing(s)!!
May 24, 2011 in North America, Travelogue, United States
Marshmallows- by our friend, Bryan Powers
There are nothing like cool nights, sticky marshmallow fingers and music around a camp fire.
The rain let up just long enough for us to have a quiet weekend. We did plenty of laughing, played a few games, bounced a basket ball and hiked the celery green spring forest.
The best part was making new friends.
That’s the best part of our whole lives, really, the people we love and who love us back. Because we move around so much we’re always finding new friends and we’re always missing the old ones.
This particular family is just our kind of crazy. They’re in the middle stages of planning a major life change that will move them around the planet as a family of nomads. We like that.
There was a lot of gypsy “geek speak” going on:
- Where we’ve been
- Where we’re going
- How to juggle education and work on chicken buses or Chinese trains
- What to do about toddlers and adjustments
- Gear comparison
- Simplicity struggles
- Healthcare abroad
It’s not often we find families that live in the same world that we do and actually get to MEET them in the real world.
The Mussler Family is nothing if not inspiring. Listening to their dreams and their plans, the action they’re taking now and how far they’ve already come just got our creative juices flowing again.
We’ve spent the last mont on re-entry, which is always a tough process. Now we’re ready to think about the next big thing.
It’s not just one big thing, actually, but two, and they’ve been in the works for a while now.
1. The Mama Bus Adventure
My friend Lois has had a long term dream of taking a cross country road trip with her kids. She has seven of them, aged 2-15. Last fall she and I started talking about the feasibility of doing that trip together, which would bring the kid count to ELEVEN aged 15 and younger. I’m about to remember what traveling with toddlers is like, again!
My backpacking friend pointed out, with an incredulous stare, that we were Bat $#*! crazy. Perhaps he’s right, but we’re going anyway.
June 1st we’ll launch the website for that adventure and there will be lots of exciting ways to get involved. Needless to say, it’s a road trip of epic proportions and you’re not going to want to miss a moment of this adventure.
If you’re in the USA, then perhaps you can meet us somewhere!
2. Asia!!!
There’s been a lot of talk this winter about “what’s next.” Our overarching goal has always been to get the kids’ feet on all of the continents before we launch them into the world on their own paths.
Asia is definitely next and we’re ALL wildly excited!
The big question: How to get there?
- The Trans-Siberian Railway is our first choice. We’d like to fly into St. Petersburg, Russia, doodle around the west coast a while then take the train Moscow to Beijing through Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Talk about the trip of a lifetime, but we’re not sure we can swing it financially… it’s not cheap!!
- Fly into India. This seems the most likely secondary scenario. Air travel is not our favourite and it’s always our biggest budget item. We just need to get on the ground somewhere for as cheap as possible and from there we can walk, bus, train, ferry, or whatever. If you have experience or thoughts on this that would save us some foot work, SHARE THEM PLEASE!!
The next big question: When?!
As soon as possible!
- If we get our wish: this fall.
- If not, then perhaps January.
It all depends on how much work Tony has over the summer and how quickly we get our financial ducks clucking happily on our nest egg again. Either way, it won’t be long and there is MUCH to arrange before then, not the least of which is sorting the visa situation, country by country. That will be a new rodeo for us!
So those are our big announcements! Let the flood of questions begin!!
If you have any thoughts, ideas, contacts, or input on either of the aforementioned projects, PLEASE contact me and enlighten me!! We’re in full on planning mode over here!
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Sounds wonderful all around… new friends, road trippin’ with a passel of kids, and Asia! I want to come too!
Have you looked into flying in to Bangkok and taking it from there? I don’t know if it’s still the case, but when I traveled Asia ten years ago it was a good way to go, super easy to get from Bangkok to other places in Asia. India is good too, but it’s definitely jumping in with both feet!
My kids and I are actually studying India right now and I’ve been showing them all my pictures from my time there… we’re all longing to go now.
I linked to your blog in my post yesterday. So glad to have found you! It’s inspiring to find others who are doing what we want to do. Blessings!
Thanks Rebecca, I’ve considered Bangkok, what makes you suggest it over India? Having never been either place, we’re soliciting all sorts of real world, on the ground advice, so feel free to share what you know! Where were your favourite places? What should we not miss?
Thanks for the link love too… I’m following your blog these days, I’d love to meet your family… perhaps on the road trip? Where are you?
We’re in Oregon… it would be lovely to meet!
I suggest Bangkok, partly because it’s where a lot of travelers “start” Asia. Because of that, there are tons of opportunities and travel agents, plus lots of well seasoned travelers to talk to. It’s also, at least it was, cheaper to fly into Bangkok and ticket the rest of your trip from there, than to ticket from North America. Again, this was ten years ago, so it could be different now. We flew into Bangkok, spent a couple weeks in Thailand, and then flew over to Nepal. From there we traveled by bus and train around Nepal and India for several months.
Additionally, India is very intense. I know you’ve traveled a lot, so maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal. But starting in Thailand kind of eases you into Asian culture, whereas India just smacks you in the face!
There is so much to see and do in all of these places! Thailand is amazing… spend a couple weeks Island hopping in the south. My favorite place was Koh Lipe, very off the beaten track as it’s a day’s boatride out into the Andaman Sea. The snorkeling there was the best I’ve seen. Nepal is amazing as well, I think I would live there if I could. The people are beautiful and strong, the geography is amazing, etc. In India, my favorite places were Jaiselmer in Rajasthan, and Mcleod Gang, home of the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan people are incredible, and it’s as close to experiencing Tibetan culture as most of us will get. Gorgeous area too.
Having spent nine months traveling in these places I still feel that I only scratched the surface. I’m excited to see how your plans unfold!
And if you make it to the West Coast we’d love to meet up!
Yep. We’re viewing a year as a MINIMUM for Asia and I know we’ll leave feeling like we’ve seen almost nothing.
I’ll definitely look into Bangkok. I like your rationale. We’re always looking to minimize Continental Shift trauma for the kids (and us) and while we’ve traveled a little, every place is new and presents a new set of challenges!
Do you mind if I e-mail you closer to time (or when we’re there) to ask again about specific recommendations for places? I always think I’ll remember and then forget!!
Nepal and Thailand are definitely high on our list… India too… though my husband is less enthused about that country than some others (perhaps another reason not to start there?!) I’m excited too.
And if you’re in Oregon, you’ll see us. That’s where we plan to dip our toes into the Pacific. Lois has family there!! 🙂
Yes, please feel free to email me anytime!
I do think Thailand is a good entry point. I’d been in Nepal and India for several months when I flew back to Thailand and met my brother and sister there. They’d just flown in from USA and were both a bit overwhelmed by how noisy and crazy and busy and dirty Bangkok was. From my perspective, it seemed so very clean and orderly! I also think it’s nice to visit Nepal before India, for the same reasons. India wasn’t high on my list either, but now that I’ve been there I love it and think it’s a place not to be missed if you’re in Asia.
Will look forward to meeting you when you make it to Oregon!
I am curious if you can get to India from China via Tibet and Nepal. Just to mix it up a bit.
Thanks a bunch Jenn. I am excited to see where you guys will go on the road trip this summer. I hope we can meet up.
I am very much in favor of the railway.
I think Russia and Mongolia would be awesome.
I can’t tell you how jealous and excited I am 🙂 You guys will have a BLAST!!
YAY!!
Rebeca, can’t wait to meet you in OR. Melissa, SO excited to finally meet you IRL! 🙂
Yes, we are crazy…in all the best ways! I’m so excited about our road trip, we need to soak up as much ‘Miller Time’ as we can before you take off for a year or more.
I would agree that India is true culture shock. I haven’t been there in 34 years, but I doubt if much has changed. It’s just that kind of country…I don’t know much about Bangkok, but feel India, with all its poverty and (how to put it?) entrenched dark ways (deliberately maiming children so they can be more successful beggars) might not be the place to start. Maybe there is better sanitation now and you can actually drink the water from the bathroom sink–we couldn’t back when my family lived there. Had servants boil up water to drink and brush our teeth with. Sigh. It’s still a place to see, despite scenes that will make you sad.
So glad to hear that you and Lois are doing the roadtrip. I was all for it when I first saw the van pic! Wish I could go along as a nanny or something, but I have a “kid” to take care of 🙂