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.

Goddess Experience in the Hood!

by BOLT, posted in African American, Black, healthcare, Korean Spa, Old, retirement, rv

There’s a little piece of heaven in Los Angeles, just east of Crenshaw on Olympic Blvd. The Olympic Spa is a traditional Korean style spa and a place of respite and bliss.

I used to come here a lot when I was primary caregiver for my mother, now deceased. For $15 I would enter, turn off my phone, sink into the mugwort tea hot tub and let all my cares float away. The $15 is now up to $25 which is still a great value. Called the “simple soak” it includes use of all the spa facilities including jade laden steam sauna, the hot “mugwort” tea pool, The Himalayan salt therapy room and the healing heat of the mineral sauna.

You can stay all day (the spa is open 9 to 9) and even enjoy a delicious Korean meal in the cafe. I always take a little nap on the heated jade floor too.

Thailand has spoiled me with regular massages. For this visit I decided to treat myself to the Goddess spa treatment.

According to the website it is
“the ultimate moisturizing experience. We start with a full body Korean Scrub to exfoliate the skin, followed by an aromatic seaweed body shampoo. Now relax and enjoy a wonderful Aromatherapy Massage to melt all those knots away. A rejuvenating essential oil scalp massage will instantly lift your spirits. It doesn’t end here, your face is then massaged with toxin releasing strokes and a purifying facial mask is applied to refresh and tighten the pores. After an aromatherapy hair shampoo and rinse, a luxurious body emulsion is soothingly applied to hydrate and moisturize. This treatment is exclusive to us and not available anywhere else.”

They do not lie or exaggerate! Expensive by my Thai standards it was 1 hr 45 min of pure bliss for $155.


The Goddess includes use of all the spa facilities. In addition to the mugwort bath, I especially love the Himalayan salt therapy room. It is a super heated cave like room filled with Himalayan salt crystals. It is a great idea for detoxing and relaxing.


For obvious reasons, I couldn’t walk around the spa (naked women everywhere) taking pictures. So I grabbed the above images from the web. While doing so, I came upon this sister’s blog post. It’s a beautiful blog about her dance with cancer. Turns out the Olympic Spa was one of her favorite places. Rest in paradise, Caridad, thank you for sharing.

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.

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!