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!
We just got back from 18 magical days in Europe. We took an 11 day Mediterranean cruise to Croatia Greece and Italy. We spent additional days before and after the cruise in Rome. We documented the trip on Instagram and Facebook but wanted to save a record of the trip here as well. So here are our favorite photos and memories of the trip.
Touring Rome via the Hop On Hop Off bus…a great way for a first visit to any city.
We woke to this beautiful sunrise on our first day at sea.
First cruise port was Dubrovnik Croatia. Lots of walking and exploring the old city.
Corfu Greece was amazing! We loved walking around the ancient city, especially the views.
We were pretty tired so a quick trolly ride to the beach in Katakolon Greece was enough for our third cruise stop.
Santorini Greece was one of our favorite stops. I loved the cable car ride to the top of the island. We hopped on a local bus a visited the beach.
Next stop: Mykonos Greece and a visit to the lovely museum there.
Athens Greece is a big bustling city. We got a good overview using the Hop On Hop Off bus. We especially loved walking through the National Gardens.
Our next cruise stop was back in Italy. From the port of Naples we visited the ruins of Pompeii. Amazing and thought provoking about mortality and the power of nature.
From the port of Livorno we visited Pisa. So much more to see than just the famous leaning tower. Beautiful!
Our cruise over we headed back to Rome where we spent hours every day exploring.
We can really see why it’s the Eternal City.
Our last stop before heading home was a visit to the Vatican Museums.
We had an amazing time in Europe. Kathy threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain so we will definitely return.
Our home for 11 days, the Norwegian Getaway was a beautiful ship. Kathy and I love cruising and I will soon be sharing cruising tips, pros and cons.
Travel during the time of Covid is complicated, stressful and confusing. Regulations and rules seem to change constantly. Kathy and I are all set (we hope) for a trip to Italy and a Mediterranean cruise. We’ve checked and double checked our paperwork, made copies, got our covid tests (negative) and are hopefully on our way to Europe tomorrow morning.
We can’t wait to share this trip with. In gratitude and love, I envision the highest and best outcomes and feel assured that all is in divine order. Trip or no trip all shall be well.
Whether by plane, cruise ship, RV, train or car Kathy and I love to travel! This month we look back over our 14 years of travel. We hope you enjoy these pictures of some of the places we’ve visited.
BelizeZanzibarWhale Watching Baja California Sur, MéxicoVietnamBaliVietnamBeijing ChinaHawaiiGrand Canyon, ArizonaThe Great Wall of ChinaFamily Cruise 2019South AfricaMerida MexicoChichen ItzaSelma to Montgomery Alabama Yee Ping, Chiang Mai ThailandChiang Mai ThailandEnsenada, Baja California MéxicoOur RV, WinnieNiagara Falls NYCanadaSingaporeTanzaniaMalaysiaMalaysiaHa Long Bay VietnamThe Mouth of the Mississippi River, Minnesota
This past Monday we met up with a few other folks and enjoyed a walking tour of central Merida. The guide was well informed and shared lots of little tidbits about the history of this ancient city.
Our Guide, Fernando
Merida is a really beautiful city and we had lots of opportunities to take beautiful pictures.
I would highly recommend one of these tours. Visit the website to book it for Merida and several other Mexican cities.
Being a consistent presence on YouTube is hard work. We really appreciate folks who make wonderful and informative videos about traveling life. There are many great channels out there but today we are going to spotlight our top four focused on life in Mexico.
Wandering Soup
Wandering Soup
Wandering Soup is a very helpful channel filled with information about traveling as Black lesbians. The hosts, Kat and Amber, are humorous and delightful.
Our dear friend, Toni Denise, has a lovely channel devoted to helping mature women, in their 50s and 60s to “Rise Up and Bloom”. If you want to travel or just need some inspiration in your life, her channel is the right place.
Kathy and I really love Mexico! The people, the sights , the natural beauty and the affordability all make Mexico one of our favorite countries.
Mexico has 32 states, 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, big cities (Mexico City is the largest in North America), quaint pueblos, beaches, mountains and deserts. Different regions are vastly different in culture, food, and history. All of this makes Mexico a wonderful country to explore.
Our week’s stay in Oaxaca has been wonderful! This city, located in southwestern Mexico, is known for its architecture, delicious foods and Zapotec culture. It did not disappoint!
What we liked best: Temazcal Ceremony.
One of the most unforgettable things to do in Oaxaca City is to experience a traditional sweat-lodge or temazcal ceremony. This ritual is intended to purify your mind, body and spirit. It was a truly amazing experience led by a woman well versed in her Zapotec heritage. She had so many words of wisdom to share. The heat was not oppressive but we did sweat a lot and felt much lighter at the end of the ceremony. https://m.facebook.com/ceviarem.temazcal/
What We Recommend: Walking Tour
There is so much history to learn, amazing architecture to see and interesting cultural facts in Oaxaca City. I think the best way to experience your first day in Oaxaca is with a walking tour. The tours are free, except for a tip for your tour guide. Ours was excellent! https://oaxacanexperiences.com/
Not For Us: Market or Food Tours
Oaxaca has many, many fabulous markets, full of food, colorful clothing, souvenirs and more. We did go on a few paid market tours and a food tour. Personally, we prefer just exploring local markets on our own. They are great places for food tastings, shopping and just enjoying the sights and sounds.
Always a BOLT Must: Serendipity
We don’t like travel that is too heavily scheduled. We love just walking up on random events and things to see and do! There was lots happening this week because of the yearly Guglegatza Festival.
Enjoy Something New!
The food in Oaxaca is varied and delicious. I tried grasshoppers which I found crunchy and delicious!
Any Questions or Comments?
Want to know more about travel in Mexico or anything about the BOLT travel model. Please share with us below. Thank you so much for visiting our blog.
Water is my happy place and because of me, we choose to live in smaller apartments that have pools. I came to accept this about myself after our first 6 months here in Merida. We had a lovely 2 bedroom home but no pool. I became a “pool beggar”, visiting friends with pools frequently. Now we are in a much smaller place and I love my daily time in the pool.
Our Shared Pool here in Merida
There are so many benefits to swimming and exercising in the water. Including:
Water supports the body, putting less stress on your joints and muscles.
Working out in water helps build strength.
Water pressure helps put less strain on the heart by moving blood around the body.
The impact of gravity is less in the water allowing a greater range of motion.
It keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body.
It builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness
It helps maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs.
It tones muscles and builds strength.
It provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.
Swimming or water exercise are relaxing and peaceful, alleviating stress improving coordination, balance and posture, improving flexibility, and providing good low-impact therapy for some injuries and conditions.
Especially here in very hot Merida having time in the water provids a pleasant way to cool down on a hot day.
I’d love to hear about your “must haves” in finding the home that is right for you. Please feel free to share in the comments section. If you have any questions please contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com
BOLT: Black Old Lesbians Traveling 