Bulgaria to Greece, October 2020

Green Bird Farm, Bulgaria, Sep-Oct 2020 My 90 days without a visa in Bulgaria were almost up. It was time to move. I thought long and hard about my next destination and chose Greece where the number of COVID-19 cases was low. The coronavirus made traveling really tricky. There were many factors to consider. What […]

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Green Bird Farm, Bulgaria, Sep-Oct 2020

Green Bird Farm, August 2020 At the farm I went to the ostrich farm a few more times and finally met other volunteers there. Many who wanted to come this year had to cancel their plans because of the travel restrictions.  So during my first 2 visits, I was the only volunteer there. The main

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Green Bird Farm – Day 1, Bulgaria, August 2020

Byala, Bulgaria, August 2020 It was one of the “idle days” when I thought that I should spend some of my free time on doing good deeds instead of lazing around. Googling volunteer opportunities came up with a new site workaway.info that I hadn’t seen before. Apparently, it is possible to volunteer almost anywhere in

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Byala, Bulgaria, August 2020

Belgrade, Serbia to Byala, Bulgaria The time in Byala is always pure enjoyment. It is not a kind of feverish excitement but a blissful relaxed state that comes from being surrounded by beauty and nature. The biggest part of it is of course the sea. I can see it from anywhere in my apartment and

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Byala, Bulragia

Belgrade, Serbia to Byala, Bulgaria, July 2020

Denver to Amsterdam Passport control at the airport asked no usual questions about the purpose of my trip, length of stay and so on. I showed my Australian passport, got a stamp and was free to go. Serbia did not care. My driver met me outside of the airport. As I explained in the previous

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Amsterdam airport Schiphol

Denver, USA to Amsterdam, July 2020

Denver, USA to Europe, July 2020 My one-way ticket Denver – Dallas- Amsterdam – Belgrade on American Airlines was $600. It was for Wednesday, 22nd of July, which was only 4 days away. I intentionally bought it for the next cheap flight to have more chances to leave as planned. The tickets to and from

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Denver, USA to Europe, July 2020

“Travel, which is nearly always seen as an attempt to escape from the ego, is in my opinion the opposite. Nothing induces concentration or inspires memory like an alien landscape of a foreign culture. It is simply not possible (as romantics think) to lose yourself in an exotic place. Much more likely is an experience

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Houston TX

Houston, TX, July 2020

A quick round trip from Denver to Houston was a necessity. Otherwise, I would never venture into a COVID-19 hotspot amid the pandemic. The thing is that once a year, I must show up at a Russian consulate to confirm that I am alive. A notary public could issue a paper certificate in Colorado where

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Concepción, Nicaragua

Concepción, Nicaragua, Dec 2012

My husband, Sergey, and I got up at 4 a.m. Our breakfast was leftover pizza from the last night’s dinner. I was on edge and could barely swallow a cold slimy slice of pizza. Our guide, Luis, met us at the hotel at 4.45 a.m. and we walked to a bus stop. The first morning

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Ometepe, Nicaragua, Dec 2012

Ometepe, Nicaragua, Dec 2012

Nicaragua So the big climb was scheduled for the following day, Sunday. My husband and I had all Saturday for ourselves and spent it exploring the island. We began with a pool called Ojo de Agua or Eye of water. It is a natural spring pool filled with water from an underground river that comes

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