2020

Oh right.

That year.

How quickly we moved on from that one, right?

I mean, we're going to be in the history books.

Nuts.

Anyway, I had a great time!

Here's how the weirdest year (so far) we've ever had went:

Ireland

Georgia (the country)

Thailand

Istanbul

Albania

Northern Macedonia

Croatia

Serbia

Jan - Ireland

We start off the new year with one of my favorites (and Vienna's most-celebrated atelier), Magdalena on the west coast of Ireland, out on the Cliffs of Moher.

Jan - Latvia (Riga, for like 13 hours)

Had a long layover so spent it in Riga.

Think I'd like it if I had more time.

Jan - Tblisi

Back to Georgia - a city I'd been lucky to have spent a few months in last year.

Deserving of all the praise.

(Much in part to them handing everyone who flies in a bottle of wine, as this is the birthplace of wine.)

Feb - Tblisi

Reunited with Miles...

... and got so drunk at a traditional wedding that I must have slipped in the shower (I don't remember anything after the 25th toast) and cracked my head, resulting in tinnitus. When I say this might have been the scariest moment of my life - waking up not remembering anything, and then realizing I probably gave myself brain damage - I'm not kidding.

Laid low that month - exploring more of Tblisi and showing my mate Ollie around...

... then packed up Miles, shipped him off to Thailand on a cargo jet and hopped on another flight myself.

March - Bangkok

Said "cargo" got flagged somehow and customs at Bangkok International would end up charging me $450 to bring a used bike in. This was to be most of my budget for that month (Airbnb had thankfully already been paid), meaning I had to sell my favorite bag in the world. A friend stepped in and send a pile of money, telling me she didn't want to see me have to sell it.

... and Bangkok suddenly got very, very quiet.

My friend Ashley flew in from Tulsa and thought the same thing. She mentioned people on her flight talking about wearing masks or something about some sickness, but didn't pay it a lot of mind... until now.

We headed down to Phuket for a beach-y weekend, with Ashley getting on one of the last flights allowed back in the States.

Meanwhile, the surreal-ity of being in an Asian capital as a pandemic broke out began.

April - Bangkok

Closures, nose-swabs, shutdowns and booze bans.

... I had fortunately gotten an Airbnb in the Dusit District - the area of town north of city center (where the king lives), a district that kindof played by its own rules, resulting in the outdoor food stalls staying open, which meant I ate very, very well. Add to that, being able to reunite with my best friend from the Shanghai days, Scott, who took me on a bicycle adventure - the first time I'd actually been on it since arriving.

May - Bangkok

Bans lifted, bans reinforced, booze windows, as well as more and more tempuratue tests being given everywhere. Spent time with my friend, the legendary Joe Cummings, as well as with another good friend, Alyssa, who gave me cooking lessons at her school.

... got an apartment that would usually go for $60-70 a night during normal days for less than $25 a night, so moved in for a month. Meanwhile, my buttons had started to stage their own local bans.

June - Bangkok

The weight came frighteningly on, as did the reality that Covid was a very real thing - much in part to me attempting to drop off a handful of postcards, only to be turned away by the Post Office, who refused to even touch them, and as nice as the apartment was, I began to think maybe cycling south, to Malaysia, wasn't such a bad idea, so packed everything up...

... threw it in the back of my friend Mui's car, who drove me south - down to Mui Ne, where another friend, Robert, was waiting out the pandemic himself.

... Long, hot days on the bike - many of them spent hiding under the midday heat.

... occasionally finding refuge in a cheap room - once, unknowingly at a Love Hotel.

... I cycled south, en route to Malaysia, but was told by local authorities that the borders were closed, meaning I wasn't getting out anytime soon.

July - Koh Tao

The visas were granted once more, so - having just been told all land borders were shut - cycled (slowly, hot-ly) to the east coast, where I hopped a ferry to the island of Koh Tao.

To be on a famous island with no one around and everything 50% off was quite the treat in the midst of all the madness.

... and with the time being had, I was finally was able to launch the (ill-timed) Vol II of my Letters From A Queen, with the (immense) help of Selfor Media.

... lazy days, spent either on the balcony of my hotel (I was the only person there) or in a hammock on the beach (I was the only person there).

Unfortunately (and unknowingly), I had ended up on what the New York Times once labeled "Death Island" and began reading, researching and writing my own piece on it.

... which, in turn, turned me paranoid beyond belief - securing doors and setting handmade alarms for any would-be intruders...

... so I hopped a boat back to the mainland, and back up to Bangkok.

Aug - Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai

Back to Bangkok, but - having spent plenty of time there this year - decided to head north, so it was an overnight train to Chiang Mai for my birthday...

Happy to be back in Northern Thailand, for cool weather, laid-back vibes and, of course, the highly-addictive Khao Soi.

We rent a scooter, and take the gorgeous Mae Hong Son Loop...

... and landing in Pai - a once-paradise, now-known tiny town. Still fun, and still nostalgic - revisiting the house I stayed in way back in 2008, of which one of the more hilarious anecdotes from my book was experienced/written about.

Sept - Northern Thailand

A gorgeous months, gorgeous rides, gorgeous scenery, a frightening treehouse guesthouse and relaunching Rough Sundays.

Oct - Bangkok, Istanbul, Albania

The borders finally open up, so it's time to leave Thailand - with immense gratitude for being "stuck" in probably the perfect place... although my clothes might disagree. We put Miles back up at Mui's studio, say goodbye to our friends - namely La and her family, whose street food kept me alive...

... and head to the airport for one of the strangest travel experiences I've ever had - not only empty, save for the occasional Chinese tourist in a HAZMAT stui, but also being forced to sign an indemnity clause before boarding, removing all responsibility from Qatar Airways, should Istanbul decide not to take me in.

... fortunately they do, and we spend a glorious few weeks in my favorite city - the first one since lockdown.

... we then hop a short flight to Albania (a place I swore never to return to) to begin hiking all around the Balkans - a way to stretch our legs after the pandemic scare and lose some weight. Plus, I really liked the Balkans.

On a random boat ride in a random part of Albania, I meet a Bolivian named Ursula. We hit it off, became a quick couple and decided to travel together,

starting in the stunning Montenegro…

… then up through Northern Macedonia…

… and to Croatia - where we witnessed an empty Dubrovnik (something I never thought I’d see) - as well as reuniting with one of my favorites, Heather, exploring the Old Town (myself revisiting a bench that meant a lot to me and was mentioned in the book) and all celebrated Biden/Harris taking things back to adultland.

Dec - Croatia and Serbia

A bit more time in the empty + beautiful Dalmatian Coast, and to another empty train station…

… finishing the year with spomeniks, hearty food, heartbreaking history and ending it at our wonderful apartment in Belgrade that we rented for a month.

--

Wildest year of my, and probably your, life.

But a fantastic one as well.