THANKSGIVING - 24 NOVEMBER, 2022
The tour bus of 20 or so Taiwanese who arrived at our small harbor town noon-time yesterday...
As a person of travel, you do not just pack a bag, walk out the door, and transport yourself to somewhere else… you plan.
Although there is always that middle of the night work assignment callout, or a just insanely spontaneous “lets go!”, most of us plan ahead, we do some quick research on our destination, lodging choices, and compare the modes and costs of travel, we think about house, pets, the payments and bills, our prescriptions, inoculations, we do a weather/climate check, “what” to pack clothes-wise, and perhaps consider language translators (live, in-print, or hand-held)... we do a lot of prep.
After all of that, we miss knowing about the “local holiday” schedule… it for me has been almost comical in results, even embarrassing, and sometimes dangerous. That quiet, get away from it all destination is just kicking off their “Carnival week”, or celebrating a world soccer trophy, hosting a Grand Prix, “tall Ship regatta, or commemorating the arrival of King whatshisface.
This can go the other way too, planning the wild, full abandon, orgy-like party down ? then running into the solemn faces, empty streets, closed businesses, and prohibition of music, casinos, dancing or gaiety in the week-long remembrance of some National person or event.
Oh, we never conduct business during… the beaches/restaurants/casinos are “always” closed while… taxis/tour busses/charters do not operate when… there can be clothing codes, food and drink choice, or availability restrictions, that upend (destroy) your plans and morale… “totally”
Then, of course there is also your arriving on the last plane/boat in before the coup, military uprising, national revolt, bank failure or pox-plague shuts everything down (including phones, internet, embassy, and the sanity) to make for simply the most exhilarating, life threatening, seek cover in place AIRBNB search for a foxhole trip… ever !
We get used to the lost “forever” luggage, the two 4 hour layovers not on the list, the unplanned two day stay in port at XXX, and the Typhoon/Hurricane/Severe Air Turbulence delays and scares, the lost/stolen wallets, credit cards, passports, visas, or rent-a-cars… the cold water bathing, even the accomodations being 10 years older than the picture in the travelog, or forgetting that winter up north, is summer down south (and vice-versa), we might learn to eat with chop sticks, and enjoy the monsoon or the oven, but, we always miss the foreign “holidays”.
Of course, none of this has “ever” happened to me (experienced traveler that I am), I am just passing along what I have heard.