Category: Long term travel

Our Colorful Chiang Rai Trip

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, buddhist, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Chiang Rai, Thailand, Long term travel, POC, retirement, Thailand, Travel, WOC, Women

Chiang Rai is known for its colorful edifices. Our lovely group of 10 set off from Chiang Mai to explore the Blue and White Temples and the Black House. We left at 6 am for the 4 hour drive to Chiang Rai in a comfortable air conditioned van. Our driver, Pituk, was friendly and helpful. We made one stop half way there at a local hot springs. There we had a restroom break and were able to purchase some local fruits, goodies and clothes.

Arriving in Chiang Rai our first stop was Baan Dam. Commonly known as the Black House it’s a park containing a diverse and sprawling series of buildings, displays, sculptures and installations. The park and highly eclectic contents are the life’s work of local and nationally renowned artist Thawan Duchanee. We spent a delightful hour exploring the grounds and exhibits.Our next stop was for lunch. Lesson learned: don’t ask your driver for restaurant recommendations. Leelawadee was overpriced with not very good service. The food was delicious though and we had a nice view of the river.Full from lunch, we ventured on to the Blue Temple. For me this breathtaking temple was the highlight of our trip! I understand that this is a fairly new temple. It is built at the site of a ruin of an temple abandoned 80 to 100 years ago. In 1996, the villagers decided to rebuild a temple here. The construction started in October 2005, the White Buddha was completed in 2008 while the main hall was only completed on 22th January 2016. There are so many intricate carvings and paintings to enjoy!Our last stop was the White Temple which is the most famous temple in the Chiang Rai area. I’m sorry to say that the temple was closing when we arrived. It turns out there is a special event there right now where they illuminate the temple in the evenings. As we only had our van until 10 pm we had to leave for the 4 hour drive back to Chiang Mai before the illumination began. We did get some good photos, both of our own and a very kind Thai lady who shared hers with us.Overall our trip was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the time spent with members of our beautiful Chiang Mai community and visitors!

BOLT REVIEWS: Huay Kaew Arboretum

by BOLT, posted in African American, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Huay Kaew Arboretum, Long distance, Long term travel, nature, retirement, Travel, WOC, Women

One of the big advantages to living long term in a variety of places is that you get to explore some of the less touristy attractions. The urban forest at Huay Kaew Arboretum was just such a find!

Kathy and I spent a lovely hour walking around the peaceful and shady grounds.

It was kind of a whimsical place too, with lots of apparatus for children to play on.

I especially enjoyed the signs on the many trees, telling us their names, ages and reminding us to not forget their importance.

There were lots of informative signs too.

Arboretum admission is free and very close to an the busy Nimman area. So if you are in Chiang Mai and want a place to get a good walk in, visit the Huay Kaew Arboretum.

National Museum of Chiang Mai Excursion

by BOLT, posted in African American, buddhist, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Long distance, Long term travel, spiritual, Thailand, Travel

The National Museum of Chiang Mai is a small space, located on lovely grounds. The majority of the exhibits were of Buddha statues. There were also exhibits on the history of the Lanna Kingdom. My intention is to do once a month excursions to local spots of interest. A small group joined me today and I enjoyed this first excursion greatly!

BOLT Reviews: Lynchburg RV Resort

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

There is a long and winding road through rural Virginia to get to this resort but Oh! is it worth it! This is one of the most beautiful RV parks I’ve been to.

There is a lovely and tranquil lake with swans.

There are wonderful trees everywhere.

The campsites are shady and spacious.

There is a great pool, surrounded by plenty of lounge chairs.

There are two activity centers (family and adult) and both have delightful decks.

The lake has a beach and swim area.

There are outdoor activities like shuffleboard and playgrounds.

I especially love the many walking trails, both paved and dirt.

Kathy and I are very satisfied with our Thousand Trails membership. We have enjoyed exploring the states and having nice spots to stay.

Reflections…

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, generational, Lesbian, Long distance, Long term travel, Old, queer, retirement, RVing, Travel, WOC, Women

A friend asked me about how Kathy and I began to consider prepare for and experience BOLT (Black Old Lesbians Traveling) life. As I answered her, I decided to also share my answers in this post.

Kathy and I have talked about a life of travel from the moment we met. It was something we always considered. We traveled a lot even while working. We found we travel well together.

In 2014, after years of caring for my mom (an ancestor now) and being at my job for 32 years, Kathy and I set our intention to be”home free” travelers by the time I turned 60 in September 2015.

It took us about a year of preparation and letting go of stuff, property, etc to be ready to hit the road:

  • We had yard sales, donated stuff, gifted things to friends. We sold our house and cars.
  • We made living wills as well as traditional wills.
  • We got bank accounts with no ATM fees (Charles Schwab is good).
  • We digitized all our important documents and keep them in the”cloud”.

A few guidelines and agreements we made:

  • We could each have one rolling bag, one backpack and one purse which must hold everything we need.
  • We limited ourselves to one bin of stuff to save: pictures, mementos from my kids, etc. These are in Kathy’s mom’s garage.
  • We made budgets and savings plans.

We talked a lot about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go.

Then we set out. The 30 day cruise was the perfect way to begin world travel. We went to over 10 new destinations and traveled from Seattle to Singapore with no jet lag.

I still had too much stuff, broke our 1 rolling bag rule and had to give a bunch more stuff away while traveling. It worked out ok because the the cruise and hotel staff benefited.

After a year in Asia we decided to pursue another dream: RV travel. I love road trips and seeing beautiful North America has been wonderful. But full time RV life is not for me. I like mixing it up with long term stays in foreign countries. I have not found the same connections to community with RV life.

Somethings I’ve learned about myself are:

  • I don’t like fast travel. In the beginning we would stay places a week or less and they became a blur.
  • I like staying in places long enough to get to know folks, find meetings, activities etc.
  • Kathy and I get along well in small spaces but it’s important for us to have solitary time daily. I have quiet time in the morning and I take a solo walk daily.
  • I’ve always been a neat freak but in RV life it’s super important. A place for everything and everything in it’s place!
  • I’ve learned I don’t need as much stuff or variety of stuff as I thought… cosmetics, vitamins, hair care stuff, jewelry are some of the many things I carry only small quantities of.

I’m not sure if I answered my friend’s questions but these reflections have been rewarding to me and I hope helpful to someone. If you have any questions about a life of home free travel, please email us at boltraveling@gmail.com.

BOLT Reviews: Verde Valley RV Resort

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

We are on the road, heading to DC and then Alabama. We are taking it slow. Probably no more than 300 miles a day. Using our Thousand Trails membership we took a nice break at Verde Valley in Cottonwood, Arizona. It’s really hot here (100 degrees) but I did take a walk and got some pictures of this lovely park.

We found a nice shady spot for Winnie.

There are many interesting walking trails.

The pool was very inviting.

I think the thing I liked best were all the beautiful varieties of trees.

You can stay here permanently if you choose.

But we will be leaving in the morning… heading to Sedona!

Getting a Thai Visa

by BOLT, posted in African American, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Long term travel, Thailand, Travel

5 Thai embassies

There are many types of visas obtainable for travel to or living in Thailand. If you are visiting for less than 30 days this post is not for you. You are able to fly in and obtain a visa exemption on arrival at no cost.

However, for those who wish to spend a significant amount of time in Thailand here is some information you might find helpful.

There are 5 Thai embassies here in the U.S. Luckily there is an embassy right here in Los Angeles. While it is possible to obtain many types of visas in Thailand we found the process much easier here.

If you are 50 years or older you can get a retirement visa, good for a one year stay. The big advantage of getting it in the U.S. is that you only need to provide proof of 800,000 Thai Baht (approximately $25k) in the bank. If you get this visa in Thailand you must put your money in a Thai bank. This is probably perfectly safe but we do have some concerns. The cost of this visa is $200. See the link above for all details.

Another good visa option is the Multiple Entry Thai Visa.

No matter what type of visa you want, read the information provided in the links carefully and do your best to follow the directions to the letter.

Some things we found out:

  • No matter the type of visa, you must pay by cashier’s check or money order. Cash is not accepted. We saw several people turned away because they missed this in the instructions.
  • Arrive in the morning. Long lines but the service is pretty fast.
  • Don’t pay for expensive passport photos. Take your own. There are several apps that can help. We saved over $60 dollars doing this!
  • Have all your paperwork in order. The more organized you are the easier it seems to go.
  • For the retirement visa you must obtain notarized statements from your bank. Our credit union provides free notary service which made it easy.
  • Also for the retirement visa you must have a clearance from your doctor and a letter from local law enforcement. The instructions say these must be notarized as well. Turns out this means that you sign the clearance reports and have your signature notarized.
  • We felt kind of overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork… breathe deeply, take your time, check, double check and recheck.
  • The laws and regulations can be confusing, they change a lot too. Be sure you visit the official Thai government websites and don’t hesitate to ask questions (I called the embassy at least 4 times).

I hope this information is helpful. Thailand is such a wonderful country, the visa processes are relatively easy and most importantly…BOLT will be there! We hope to see you soon.

BOLT Reviews: Soledad Canyon RV Resort

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

As promised, here is another review of a Thousand Trails resort. Like the one we shared about in Palm Springs, Soledad Canyon is included in our membership.Soledad Canyon RV Resort is located in the Antelope Valley. It was a pleasant hour and a half drive from south Los Angeles.Its an enormous park with lots of full hook up sites to choose from.Its very cold here this weekend but I took a very nice walk and got a lot of pictures of the amenities.There are lots of cabins for rent.Im hoping it will be warm enough to get in the pool and jacuzzi today.There are cute little playgrounds throughout the park.The recreation lodge is very nice and well equipped with billards tables, puzzles and comfy chairs.Soledad Canyon offers RV spots that you can lease year round. These people have theirs set up very well.I love to walk and explore. I’m looking forward to checking out this walking trail when Kathy can join me.While the coldness is not ideal, Soledad Canyon offers a peaceful and spacious get away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. If you are interested in a Thousand Trails membership or have questions about the RV life please contact us at boltraveling@gmail.com.

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.

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!