Who is this chick?

Jan.25/18

Well this page obviously needs an update since I am now retired and just ran away from home LOL.

I am tapping this out whilst lounging in a hammock looking out over Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

Now if you know hammocks you will know I am more contorted than ‘lounging’ and I’m not actually looking at the lake since the goof who hung it did so that I would mostly see the hammock. Reality is a subjective thing.

But I am on my way to a year of travelling the world to see what, at the age of 65, I am made of. The plan is loose, controlled by pet sitting opportunities and eye treatments. The latter is a serious pain in my butt and would really appreciate it if the researchers could hurry up and cure Macular Degeneration soon. Roaming the earth letting strangers stick needles in my eyes is not comfortable! Not that knowing the doctor makes it comfortable, it’s a matter of degrees I guess. It helps when you have a common language too.

Back to the plan… I’m starting in Guatemala, likely moving towards the Yucatan via Tikal and Belize.. up to Mexico City. About June I will hop on a cargo ship bound for Asia where I will likely go back to Thailand, then to Sri Lanka, India and back to Africa: Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia. All this could change given enough temptation.

At this point it is surreal and hasn’t really settled into my brain that this is going to be my life for a while. After all, I was at Lake Atitlan a few years ago so there is a familiarity to it… I could just be on one of my vacations and will have to return to work in a few weeks. I wonder what it will feel like when it does… I wait with bated breath.

I’ve kept the original bio below since that is still me but the circumstances have changed, just adding layers to the onion. I’ll try not to make you cry :}.

Hope you decide to follow me and come back to visit often.

hugs,

donnae

 

 

You know all those wonderful women travel bloggers out there? The beautiful, fresh, young and vivacious young women? The ones that you just know can walk into a room anywhere in the world and instantly make BFF’s? Yeah well that’s not me. I’m in my early 60’s, single, slightly overweight, neurotic, suffering through bouts of shyness balanced with occasional attacks of fearlessness. As I was trolling through travel blogs for the past few months looking to see if there was a place for me in this blogsphere, I realized I never saw “me” in any of them. So I figured I’d share my kind of travelling, including the inner journey that I go through to travel.  Maybe some woman somewhere might be inspired to step out of her comfort zone and onto the road, thinking “Hell if she can do it so can I!”. Plus I might supply comic relief for those amazing young women that roam the earth with such courage and confidence. They are the ones that inspire me.

I love everything about travel, well except for planes… between the government and the terrorists the fun has been sucked right out of that. But the rest? My adrenaline surges just thinking about it. I am not the kind of traveller though that jumps off a plane and wings it (pun intended). I really come into my own when researching and planning my next trip, putting all the pieces together creating a wonderful collage of experiences and adventures. I am an artist (clay) and have discovered a love of writing so it all seems to be merging together into an interesting stew that will be this blog… I hope.

Recently it occurred to me that I would be retiring in 4 years (less now!). At 20 that may seem like a lifetime but at 61 due to the accelerated time warp of aging it is but a nano second. I had planned on living in a developing country since I  knew I wouldn’t be able to handle living in Vancouver, B.C. financially once I retired. But now I realize I have no plan, no place in mind and certainly no support system in place when I get there. Guess I’d better get on that. So this blog has taken a lane change from what it started as, now it is going to be about my journey to find my place in the sun, finally a home where just maybe I will finally feel like I belong.

Kendwa Rocks, Zanzibar 2006

So that’s me. I will do my best to be honest and entertaining. Here’s hoping some people come by and say hello and give me some feedback. If not, well I’ll just keep plodding along and do my best to enjoy the journey.

donnae

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55 thoughts on “Who is this chick?”

  1. You are off to a great start, keep the momentum going! I know I will be watching for new stories from you. I loved your tweet about not being heard in the forest too. Thanks for following my wacky adventures @roatanvortex

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  2. Love your blog Donnae, is there no end to your talents? I envy your eye when travelling and your command of the written word. I hope you find your place in the sun.

    Keith.

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    • Good Lord woman… I just read some of your blog and I don’t know if I’m impressed or what… I’m into roughing-lite… some would say fluff-roughing. Anyway so you’re going to be at Jaguar, most excellent! Check out my postings and it may give you some idea of the area and its vib… and believe me, lots of vib. I wouldn’t really recommend the place I stayed, for one, because it was expensive. I will give you Poo’s email and she should be able to turn you onto a few places, she volunteers as the co-ordinator as much as possible. So read my stuff and if you have specific questions just write. I look forward to reading your posts from the east coast.

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      • No deadline but no worries.. just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your blog a lot, really enjoying your stories! I have 11 days before the big trip starts and honestly I can’t wait… Finally giving some real input to my weblog =)

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  7. Pingback: Intolerants Rant: The Liebster Blog Award « FOR THE INTOLERANTS

  9. I saw this quote once and I loved it…if I were to give up sarcasm, that would leave interpretive dance as my only means of communicating. So glad that you’ve found other ways to communicate…including sarcasm. Blessings.

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  11. You go girl! can’t wait to read about more of your travels…sadly have hardly left town since my son was born so it’s a much welcome window into fun. And thanks for the follow…

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    • Thanks Jackie for the follow! Well from what I’ve witnessed, having children are a full time adventure so hang on to your hat! Besides, I have met many families that travel together (some I wish I hadn’t 🙂 ) so don’t give up on travelling yet.

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  12. Hello! 🙂

    I think your Blog is awesome! I have nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award. Congrats! Please see my ‘Awards’ page to find out how to accept the award and pass it onto fellow bloggers.

    – Kate

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    • Thanks Kate, that is so cool! I will trot on over to your site soon and check it out. I’m in a Art Studio Tour this weekend so I am a tad distracted right now, read you soon. 🙂

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  13. Hi Donnae I really enjoy your blog and have referred others to it who are of a similar frame of mind. I am interested in how you go about your research for your travels. As it will be quite a while before we take our next trip and the last one involved a lot of on the road research which was exhausting I want to be much better prepared so I can really get the most out of our travelling experiences – including time for the unplanned ones !

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    • Well thank you very much for your support, I really appreciate it and I am glad that you enjoy what you have read.
      I research the freak out of my trips, it is one my the joys of travelling for me and I don’t have the luxury of a lot of time to meander around. Almost all of it on line though I am a great believer in the Lonely Planet, it is my bible. Trip advisor is another go to site. Initially I just throw an idea at google and see what pops up. Last trip I knew I wanted to volunteer with elephants so that’s what I entered and, well you can read about what ended up as an awesome trip just from that google search. What ever I find I cross reference it on Trip Advisor as well as Lonely Planet. For places to stay it is usually http://www.hostelbookers.com/.
      Sorry this is so long. If you have any specific questions please feel to toss them to me.

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  14. Reading your blog has inspired me to continue writing, so I’ve nominated you for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award! It’s ok if you don’t want to “play”! 🙂
    The rules for receiving this award are:
    1. Display the award logo on your blog.
    2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
    3. State 7 things about yourself.
    4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for this award and link to them.
    5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

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  15. Hi! I can’t adequately express how much I love this blog, the idea behind it, your dreams and honesty and writing style. What you do is what I want to do at your age. Good luck with everything.
    Lorna xx

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  16. Just wanted you to know I’ve been here – I will try to read some of your stuff tomorrow (it’s pretty late here). But I’m so glad to know you’ve gotten enjoyment from my 50 Shades recaps. Thanks for letting me know. It made my night.

    -Alice

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  17. Thank you for your heartwarming first comment on my still very new blog! Had to look you up immediately and liked what I found. Let’s keep exploring …

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  20. Holy Guacamole!! I just stumbled on your blog and a whole damn barn door has been opened up to me!! I saw your Puerto Viejo slide show and I still have tears in my eyes. ¡La Pura Vida! I went to Costa Rica in ’95 and thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I got off the plane in San Jose. I am SO looking forward to reading the rest of your blog and future entries as well as some of the blogs from the people who have commented on here. I think I just found me a new past time!! PS – I started following you on FB too. We crones gotta hang!!

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    • Thank you! So glad you dropped by and I hope you come back again. And I sincerely hope that you will go and volunteer at JRC, or at the very least visit them. It is an amazing org. with brilliant people running it.

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  23. I just found your blog. I am a fan over over-50, overweight, neurotic women travelers myself. I can’t imagine why that is, but it is so. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!

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  24. Well a kindred spirit (I think). In reading your intro it was like talking to me. I also am an over 60 woman who will not be able to stay in BC once I retire. I have done some traveling throughout my life and moved to London for a year in the 70’s. The rest has been vacationing, Brazil, Mexico, Bali, Europe,Carribeann etc. Some high end and some “fluff roughing” as you say. To leave everything you know is rather frightening but also exciting. I have 2 years to plan where “my place in the sun” might be. I am trying now to take trips to places I am interested in. I will follow your blog with great interest. Sparkle on and safe travels to you. Nanci

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  25. Some of the best things are found by simply following a thread to see where it leads:0)) I was glad to find your blog – the name “travelling crone” caught my eye, as I am a “travelling fool” in my late 50’s as well. Isn’t Costa Rica beautiful?

    Thanks for some some lovely turns-of-phrases and the evidence that there are other women out there enthusiastically planning their own trips and travelling the world at this wonderful time of life. I hope to do the Camino Santiago de Compostela in September for cultural reasons.

    Best wishes for your continued blogging experience!

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  26. I admire your writing and sense of adventure in these troubled times. I’ve not really been adventurous in OS travel since way back in 1976 when I spent almost a year gadding around in the Middle East, Europe and the UK. I was lucky enough to work in Vancouver and a few other spots in Canada in the early 90’s and also in New York, San Francisco, Los Angles and a few other US cities plus a stint in Paris, then back to UK, London and various spots in Wales.
    The wanderlust never leaves and I’m looking forward to reading more of your adventures. I only wished I’d discovered your work prior to this.

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  27. hi Donnae,

    we met many moons ago during Blogging 101 and i am still loving your blog and ethos. i finally accepted a Liebster Award that i got during that time and was reminded of your wonderful writings. so i nominated you if you want to participate or not — no pressure! but it’s there on the webs and i am sending you lots of nomadic spirit love through it!

    http://lobsterbird.com/2015/12/13/lobsterbird-accepts-a-liebster-award/

    hope you are well!

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