After an uneventful flight from Taipei, we landed on time in BKK. When we disembarked, there were staff in full PPE giving directions where to go, probably a staff member every 10 feet or so. It was fairly easy to follow since everything was roped off and we could only go one way. We were in the first group to disembark so we were lucky to be in the front of the pack.

December 13, 2020 and we are off on our next adventure… hopefully! We packed up the apartment and Paul’s parents took us to the Cranbrook airport for a quick hop to Vancouver. Once there, we masked up and headed to the Marriott Vancouver where other then the Covid-19 tests, the plan was to hideout until Wednesday at midnight when our EVA Air flight leaves. If everything goes to plan, we will then be on our way to Thailand.

We have been hiding from the wrath of COVID in a small town which until recently had less than 5 cases… lucky us! In October we had moved into our little apartment out in Lister, BC and expected to continue working on the van. Unfortunately the universe decided to continue the spread of COVID and it was becoming even harder to get items we needed. Sure we could get a few things but it was turning into more of a struggle, delays were longer and costs increasing.

We decided to skip the ferry this time and flew from Kuala Lumpur to Hat Yai. While we were in KL we tried to find sanitizer and masks, but didn’t have any luck. When we landed in Hat Yai there were sanitizer stops to get through customs, temperatures were checked and sanitizer again when finished. We stopped to get some water before heading to our taxi. While there, we asked if the store sold sanitizer and the lady gave us a bottle.

This was a very short visit… less then a week in all. We decided we needed to see the dentist for a cleaning, it had been a year! That and we liked the food and comforts of Kuala Lumpur. There was a lot more caution around travel at this point, people were wearing masks and using sanitizer. We had tried to get some masks but they were sold out everywhere.

Kampot again you say… well yes, there are a few places that we have been that keep us coming back and Kampot would be one of those places. Of course, being able to see our friends like Lee, Dean, Dhieu and the kids, Paula and Sydney. Hang out at our favorite places like the NYNY with Tavi, Stumble Inn with Harry and Keemi, Aroma House with James or Couch Potatoes with Jem.

Hanoi January 11 - 22 We flew from Chiang Mai to Hanoi, it was a short flight and we arrived in the afternoon. We cleared customs and headed out in the chaos to find the bus. There was a shuttle that was advertised by Vietnam Airlines that could take you down by the Hoan Kiem Lake for 35,000VND. We thought we had found it but they wanted to charge us 200,000VND so off we got.

John and Rita dropped us off at Cranbrook airport on December 12. It was a nice morning but there had been some snow. We’d left early so we could take our time on the drive and went for coffee together before leaving. Our flight this time was Cranbrook-Vancouver-Tokyo-Bangkok. I had arranged to meet my sister Jayne at the airport. We were supposed to have 2 hours in Vancouver but it was pouring when we arrived and took over 30 minutes to get a gate and get off the plane.

Leaving the PCT was one of the hardest decisions we have made but we both believe that it was the right choice. Paul’s knee was getting worse, my feet were constantly sore and neither of us was feeling right. We called our parents from our last camp spot to discuss options. All of them were so supportive and encouraging about our decision. It helped us to feel more comfortable about the decision to return.