Welcome to our website. The image of us above was taken in the Chiang Mai, Thailand airport on January 28, 2020 while in transit to points in southern Thailand for the remaining six weeks on our six month-long Heart-to-Heart Tour — all while the COVID-19 pandemic was exploding around us in slow motion.

While smiling under our masks for this pic we actually were a little nauseous having just exited a van packed with western tourists that barreled down an exceedingly winding mountain road (precisely 762 curves, many hairpin, navigated at breakneck speed!) from the town of Pai, a sweet little tourist destination less than four hours away. We’d spent a week at the super conveniently located Pai Village Boutique Resort surrounded by mainland Chinese tourists on holiday for the Chinese New Year celebration all while the news was screaming about the worrisome viral outbreak in China. With cool nights and hotel room walls of just bamboo, Rich was battling a really bad cough that eventually sent him to the local hospital clinic. It had all been a little intense.

We kept a keen eye on this alarming public health development but continued with our trip to Pattaya, Bangkok and Phuket before returning home to the United States in mid-March. Friends and family were coaxing us to expedite our return but as this was the tail-end of our sometimes grueling excursion we had arranged to kick-back and stay (with the exception of Bangkok) in quiet, remote locations away from most folks. We felt safe enough. We considered riding out this storm staying on a remote Thai beach. Certainly some daring tourists and a lot of retired ex-pats have.

Whew. But we arrived home just in the nick of time! We were on the last direct Delta Airlines flight through Tokyo to Portland before flights started shutting down. The flight, normally packed, was shockingly only about 20% full!

Now we’re back home until this COVID ordeal is sorted out. Rich thinks it will be two years. Paul: three. We just might not be going anywhere on an airplane until a vaccine can be (hopefully) formulated and administered to most if not all 7.8 billion of us!

Consequently, our fall/winter 2020 first-time visit to South America to sip wine in Mendoza, Argentina and celebrate the new year in Punta del Este, Uruguay are canceled and relegated for now to just our dreams. The fabulous Sposato Family Vineyards and the exclusively gay Undarius Hotel among other destinations we were already planning will have to wait for another time! We are home for all the 2020 holidays and beyond as this horrific slow-moving and sneaky 9-11-like event unfolds.

If interested, visit our Countries, Excursions, Podcasts or other pages in the site navigation above. We continue to add content from what has been four rewarding years of what now seems like non-stop travel. It’s time to reflect on our adventures and assess future international travel or retirement abroad possibilities, if any.

And to all our friends at home and around the world whom we’ve connected with through our travels we think of you often, we thank you again for your warmth, encouragement and generosity. You’ve changed our lives and we love you lots. Wishing you all the best during these trying times.

With deep gratitude,

Rich and Paul
The Hotel Guys

Top of Page