Author: BOLT

BOLT = Black Old Lesbians Traveling Our mission is to inspire fearless, serendipitous and penniless travel. We are Kathy and Marci Halili Akoma, two retired African-Americans. Join us as we share our travels with you. We hope to hear about yours. Contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com. Like us on www.facebook.com/pages/bolt. Follow us @boltraveling THE WORLD IS OURS...SEE YOU THERE!

BOLT Reviews: Palm Springs Thousand Trails RV Resort

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, Long term travel, retirement, rv, RVing, Thousand Trails, Women

Kathy and I recently joined the Thousand Trails RV system. For about $500 dollars per year we can stay for 2 week periods at a wide variety of RV parks in California, Nevada and Arizona. Additional states can be added for under a $100. This seems to be a great deal for RVers. The average one night stay in most RV parks is $30 in California.

The Palm Springs park is our first Thousand Trails stay. I’ll be reviewing all the parks we visit.

This is a very small, basic park. It’s like a big parking lot. However, we find it quite pleasant. There are palm trees everywhere and I find them beautiful.

There’s a wonderful pool and hot tub…very clean, uncrowded with plenty of lounging areas.

There are nice, air conditioned areas for family and adult activities like games, poker and billiards.

There’s a very small playground but not much else for children to do. It’s very hot so the pool is the spot to be.

There are really cute little cabins that visitors without RVs can rent.

Our first Thousand Trails experience has been a good one so far. We will be here for a week. If you are interested in a Thousand Trails membership please let us know. We are happy to answer any questions or help you to arrange a visit.

Advertisements

Sonoyta Border Crossing

by BOLT, posted in African American, family, generational, Long distance, Mexico, retirement, RVing, Travel

Compared to our last border crossing (Tijuana with a 6 hour line of cars and bomb threats), today’s crossing was a breeze. We left Puerto Penasco this morning around noon headed for the border at Sonoyta.

Sonoyta is a small town in the Mexican state of Sonora. It’s right next to Lukeville, Arizona. The crossing station is only open from 6am to 6pm daily and is little used. There was one car ahead of us when we crossed at 11:30 am.

We had our passports ready and encountered no real problem. A U.S. Department of Agriculture agent did come into Winnie and left with a carton of eggs, some frozen chicken, potatoes and soy chorizo. Had we known we could have left those things in Puerto Penasco. Here’s a link for what foods can be brought from Mexico to the U.S.

The drive after crossing was quite lovely. Lots of cacti and small towns. We took highway 8 all the way. Right now we are spending the night in Campo, California and enjoying a beautiful sunset. One great thing about RV life is that home is where you parked it!

Preparing For Your Move Abroad

by BOLT, posted in Travel

My friend, Kimberly, has written an excellent post. So much good advice about preparing for your trip abroad. With her permission, I am sharing it with you, our BOLT followers.

A Bit About Puerto Peñasco

by BOLT, posted in Travel


Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, is a Mexican fishing in the state of Sonora, Mexico. It’s got a long and interesting history. Pancho Villa fostered revolution here. Al Capone sold alcohol here. The U.S. government saw it as a strategic point during WWII.

Puerto Peñasco is the closest beach to Arizona. This weekend it was filled with beach goers from both sides of the border.

It is also an RV paradise with over 10 RV parks, many of them right on the beach. It’s a favorite spot for ATVers. We see dune buggies and quads everywhere. You can ride horses right on the beach if ATVing is not your speed.

It’s a city of contrasts to me. I see fancy beach resorts and houses but I also see a lot of poverty among the residents.

We like Puerto Peñasco, but we haven’t met any black folks or made any friends yet. It’s home for the next month and I’m enjoying exploring.

Descanso, BOLT Style

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Black, Long distance, Long term travel, retirement, RVing, Travel, WOC, Women

Descanso means rest in Spanish. After 7 lovely days on the road in Baja California, Mexico we crossed over into the mainland. We are currently in the Mexican State of Sonora in the town of Puerto Peñasco.


Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, is a Mexican fishing and resort city on the Gulf of California. It’s known for dune-backed Sandy Beach and Bahía la Choya’s tidal pools.

For BOLT, Puerto Penasco will be a place of rest. We have found a lovely RV park, just blocks from the beach, and plan to stay a month.

Sunset RV park has a beautiful salt water swimming pool, an area for barbeques, laundry facilities and everything else we need.

Kathy and I are looking forward to a wonderful month of descanso and exploration of this part of Mexico. We are very close to the U.S. so please come visit!

Cooking with BOLT!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Lentil Chilli, Lentils, Long term travel, retirement, rv, RV cooking, RVing, vegetarian chili

One thing I love about RV life is lots of time for cooking. I didn’t cook much in Thailand because, well, Thai food!

Anyway we cook a lot while road tripping. The kitchen in Winnie is small but it has everything I need. From time to time I thought I’d start sharing some of my recipes with you.

It’s cold here and so I thought today was the perfect day for my Lentil Chilli. Here’s what you need and what to do:

  • 1 white or yellow onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 green or red bell pepper
  • 1 pasilla chilli
  • 2 zucchini or chayote squash
  • 2 large ripe tomatoes
  • Olive oil for sauteing
  • pound bag any color lentils
  • Chilli seasoning (garlic powder, cumin, chilli powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper)
  • Grated jack or cheddar cheese
  • Fritos

Cut all veggies into chunks and saute in the olive oil until tender.

Add lentils and cover with water.

Cook on medium heat until lentils are tender (about 2 hours).

Add seasonings to taste.

Serve topped with grated cheese and Fritos.

Perfect for a chilly day in Baja California! Healthy and vegetarian too!

Chiang Mai to Ensenada… We made it!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Baja California, Chiang Mai, Thailand, dogs in Mexiso, Ensenada, Lesbian, Long distance, Long term travel, Mexico, Old, queer, retirement, rv, Tokyo, Travel

I’m too tired and jet lagged to write much but the BOLTs have arrived safely in Ensenada, Baja California Norte, Mexico.

We are reunited with the BOLT dog, Kahlo.

And are back in the cozy Winnie.

The trip was grueling with a 5 hour layover in Bangkok and a 12 hour one in Tokyo. We ventured out from Narita Airport, by bus, into Tokyo. I don’t recommend this. The bus ride is 3 hours round trip and all we saw was the big, bustling, business part of Tokyo. We will definitely visit Japan when we have time to explore and enjoy.

We arrived safely in San Diego after a 10 hour flight. From San Diego we enjoyed the Blue Line Trolley which took us right to the Mexican border.

Crossing the border was easy, the Mexican immigration folks are lovely and friendly.

We took a taxi from the border to Ensenada, less than 2 hours, for $80. There are cheaper ways to go (by bus) but we were very tired. We arrived safely at the Mona Lisa RV park. And are enjoying the Pacific Ocean Views.