The two weeks since I left Myanmar are best described as an amazing hodgepodge of activities. On my way back I swung back through London, and got to experience this English countryside thing for the first time. My friend Daisy (I met her on the Flash Pack tour in Morocco) lives in Hungerford, which is a picturesque village about 90 minutes outside of London. The Main Street is absolutely adorable and includes some charming antique shops (not shockingly they have older stuff in England than we do in the U.S.) as well as equal amount of quintessential local pubs. Daisy led me on her daily walking route, through the beautiful countryside and then along an equally picturesque riverbank, dotted with homes and a few old stone churches. You kind of feel back in time.
As we walked, Daisy told me about a black mark on Hungerford’s history, due to he now infamous “Hungerford Massacre,” which occurred in the 1980’s, when a mentally unstable person walked down the streets of the town randomly firing a rifle at people and taking 16 innocent lives. Following the tragedy, the gun laws in England were severely tightened (including a ban on semi automatic weapons altogether) and the incident remains one of the deadliest mass shootings ever in the UK. It was a timely anecdote to hear as an American, and also frustrating to be reminded that much of our current gun violence is actually preventable. Sigh…
Tangentially, I also recently learned that in England it is illegal to attack someone who is breaking into your house, in defense of your property (self-defense is different). A British friend explained that their strategy is to make the intruder a cup of tea and try to convince them to leave. Ha! Although I wouldn’t be shocked if that has actually happened at some point… those Brits certainly love tea and hate conflict.
I digress…. back to Hungerford! After our walk, Daisy showed me the true Hungerford Sunday Funday experience. It was faaaantastic! English pubs are just the best! They all have such a cozy and welcoming vibe, and to people of all ages, families, and even dogs! Also, get this- most pubs don’t have TVs and the focus is on conversation and community building. What a novel idea! I realized pretty quickly that Hungerford doesn’t have a lot of American visitors and I kind of liked being a novelty show. Daisy’s parents even came out for the viewing of the American in Hungerford! 
Upon meeting her parents, it was obvious where Daisy gets her contagious personality- her parents are great people and I have no doubt their family home was full of laughter (like all the time) while Daisy was growing up.
A few days later I headed back to good ole DC, realizing I’d been gone for seven weeks during this travel stint- guess I’d lost track! I was glad to be heading home, if for no other reason than to dump some of the excessive luggage I’d been lugging around. It was an Epic Packing Fail. In my defense, it’s not easy to pack for seven weeks (did I even know I’d be gone for seven weeks when I packed?) and to account for weather in Finland and Myanmar alike. Oh, the trials and tribulations of Teha’s Travels! (Not complaining, I swear!)
At home, I spent a day going through mail and doing laundry and, of course, I motored over to my brother’s house to see my nieces and nephew (and you guys too, Seth and Keke). No offense to my family and friends – as you know I adore you- but it’s my nieces and nephews who I miss the most when I’m traveling. I think they were just a little excited to see me too! 
No rest for the weary though… I had an upcoming Travelling Trio adventure to tend to! You may recall our last adventure was to Portugal in October. For a March destination we’d tossed around Costa Rica (all of us are dying to go) but schedules didn’t allow the time so we decided on a domestic weekend trip to… Richmond, Virginia. An obvious second choice to Costa Rica? I have to say I was certainly not complaining about not getting on another plane and the train ride was quite lovely (and convenient!) So, I’ve driven through Richmond a few times (meaning I know what route 95 looks like there) and I’d seen the University of Richmond during my college touring (the dealbreaker was a HUGE lake separating the girls dorms and boys dorms- it seemed like an unnecessary barrier). But, until now, I hadn’t actually spent time in the city. And, I have to say, I liked it a lot! In fact, the entire Traveling Trio was pleasantly surprised by good ole Richmond! It’s definitely a lot more happening than I expected- a smidge edgy (this surprised me) and with a lil’ industrial feel, including lots of old warehouse based developments underway. Here we are being edgy! 
Richmond also has the laid-back vibe of a college town but combined with the maturity of an epic historic location, and with the confidence and character that goes along with that. The people are also really friendly- with a southern charm that isn’t over the top and almost seems more midwestern at times. We had a jolly old time exploring the city, including it’s bourgeoning restaurant scene and historic highlights, such as a ridiculously fancy brunch at the Jefferson Hotel (Page had us on a waiting list and we got the green light at the very last minute). 
I then headed up to New England for the main event of my March America fly-by. I spent a few days visiting my New Hampshire nephew contingent (and upping my snowman game) before heading down to Boston. 
Hugo was NOT happy when he came home from school and Frosty was no more. The hard knocks life throws at a four year old! 
So, I’ll be honest that it would have been slightly more convenient to remain in Southeast Asia in between trips to Myanmar and the Philippines. Even with my shoddy sense of geography, I know that much. However, this was not an option! It turned out that on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, my most amazing Dad was to be the honoree at a large and prestigious gala in Boston- it was an extremely well-deserved tribute to him following a 40-year career in social services, during which (according to personal testimonies at the event) he’s impacted gazillions of lives. Obvs, I HAD to be there! Those of you who know Mark Kennard understand completely… my Dad is just THE BEST! He really is. And, his acceptance speech was absolutely incredible (I may be slightly biased, as he may or may not have referred to me as “our 8th Wonder of the World” in the speech). Here’s the man of the hour! 
The whole family was very proud to be there, especially at the head table with THE Honoree! Here are a few pics of some of my Dad’s entourage (which included Baby Theodore strapped to Tobi’s front!). 
Of course, Seth was trying to hog the spotlight during the red carpet photo shoot. Brothers!
Conveniently the next day was was St. Patty’s day, and what better city to celebrate in than Boston?!? (Okay, yes, Dublin is better…but still pretty solid in Bean-town!) We jumped right into the festivities, including joining an impromptu parade with a bunch of bagpipers. It seemed totally normal at the time and we blended right in! 
I stayed with my friends Porsha and Dennis the next night and was entertained by their hilarious kiddo, Makayla, and her sidekick, Gatsby. Porsh and Dennis moved to Boston from DC last year and it was great to catch up with them. 
Then it was back to DC for packing once again (in true consultant fashion, I implemented some process improvement measures as a result of of my lessons learned from last time). I was planning to arrive a day early for my next Flash Pack tour (the Philippines!) but Mother Nature intervened and instead I spent an extra day in DC, playing in the snow with a real cast of characters.
Thankfully I was rebooked on a flight that got me there JUST in time for the first tour activity. The flight did have an 11 hour layover in Doha, an airport I’ve become very familiar with, and just to kill some time I went on the free bus tour of the city that Qatar Airlines offers. I already did this tour during a layover in December and not much has changed but the sites were far superior to those of the airport. 
Now, I’m finally here and ready for whatever adventure the Philippines has in store for me! (I guess I could look at the trip itinerary to see what that is but why ruin the fun?!)
My few hours only made me want to go back for more- both to Lima and Peru as a whole. I’ve also heard lots of rave reviews about Argentina and am officially adding both countries to my “someday but hopefully soon” travel destination list.
Yes, it was a smidge chaotic as well, with the little ones having just been reunited, so I was not super-sad to pilot Uber New Hampshire a few hours later to meet my besties (Maegan and Nichole) for a birthday celebration for Maegan. I’ve known Mae and Cole since I was 10 and 2 years old, respectfully. 
Those additional eight years I’ve know Cole have become pretty much insignificant over-time and the three of us are the closest that friends can be. (Minus Cole and I playing much tag and Red Rover in our bowl haircuts and Velcro sneakers- you really missed out Mae!). So, this was a big bday for Maegan, (sort of like her 30th) and her amazing hubby, Ken (aka Pic), planned an entire extravaganza that, conveniently for me, was taking place in New Hampshire- while I was in New Hampshire! 
We enjoyed drinks and an amazing dinner, that could not have been more perfect. They even cracked a yolk in the middle of my pasta and stirred it in when served…Yum! 
It was such a great night catching up and celebrating Maegan- one of nights where your heart sings with happiness (okay, that could really not be more cheesy but it’s kinda true). It reminded me that no matter where my travels take me or what people I meet along the way, nothing will ever be the same as time with my first and best friends. And, my parents moving out of my hometown doesn’t change that at all (huge phew!).
There really is no place like home. [Sidenote: yes, I changed my mind while writing this…my parents’ new house is home after all. I realized it’s the family who make it so, not the brick and mortar or location].
On the Wednesday before turkey day my five year-old nephew, Felix, and I embarked on a short road trip to Beverly (my hometown) for an annual apple pie baking “contest” with Nichole and Maegan (more like we bake apple pies together and trash talk each other’s). While I clearly piloted the journey to Bev-town, Felix played a key role as navigator extraordinaire. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. The little dude sat in his car seat directly behind the drivers seat, but leaned in towards the middle seat so his head was sideways and he had a clear view of the road. He then proceeded to direct me (I’m talking turn by turn directions) using only route numbers. Example: “Auntie Teha, we need to get on Route 101 to 95. It’s exit 6.” On the way back he did the same thing- in the dark! I questioned him once (the exit number didn’t seem right) and he just shook his head, knowingly. Sure enough, Felix was correct! It was uncanny. Google Maps, be gone with you!
This year I brought my A-game (not having a job increases time available to focus on apple pies), and according to our crowd-sourced Facebook voting process…I won! (BTW, voting included both our high school calculus teacher and field hockey coach- gotta love small town crowd-sourcing).
I was especially impressed that Auntie L kept her cool during a minor candied yam issue, and I think we were all laughing too hard to do anything about it! 
My 92 year-old Nan was also in attendance and I was happy she agreed to spend two nights at our “home” as she usually prefers her own. Here she is catching up on my blog. 
My sister and I took Nan to the spa for a massage on the day after Thanksgiving- her second massage ever. Her first was on her 92nd birthday and she loved it, so it was time to bring on number two! This one was equally well-received and the three of us were pampered with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries after the treatments (tea for Tobi since she’s preggers with number three- less than a month to go!)
Then, before I knew it I was scrambling to pack and headed off to the airport (two things I’ve done a LOT of lately). Goodbyes were bittersweet, as it had been a great week with the fam but I was excited for my next adventure to Vietnam and Cambodia. And the next time I see my sister she’ll have a new bambino in her tribe!
My “figuring it out” involved some quick googling, multiple calls to companies in Vietnam to who claimed to be able to procure visas in 15 minutes. I sent in one application, waited 15 minutes, and received nothing back. I finally stumbled across a company run by a gent named Tony who promised to hook it up for me. Tony was true to his word- phew! [note to self- in the future check if you need a visa before the day of your travel. Duh!]. I was so happy to get on the plane that I didn’t think about my 10 hour layover in Doha, Qatar until I landed. Then I thought about it…Ten hours is a long time! Again, I turned to Mr. Google who informed me that Qatar Airlines offers free three-hour city tours for passengers with long layovers! What a relief! They even provided a free 24-hour visa and an English speaking guide. It was fascinating to learn more about the country (only 2.6 million residents and 85% are ex-pats, mostly from Asian countries). Qatar has a lot of new fancy desert-style developments , with more underway (much of it in the form of 5-star hotels and luxury shopping) and we learned that it’s cheaper to buy a liter of gas than water! 
Our last stop was a local market where we had some time to explore and take in the sites and sounds.
