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?!)
I then embarked on my maiden solo voyage using London’s public transport system. I’d also been forewarned that this was complex to navigate and that Londoners were mostly “heads down” and wouldn’t go out of their way to be helpful or friendly. But my London opposite-world experience continued. I actually felt like people were much more helpful than people would be on the DC Metro…strangers carried my suitcase up stairs for me! At one point I was waiting for an elevator (aka lift) in the station along with several other suitcase laden travelers and a women with a stroller. In the States I’m quite sure that those who had been there first would have gotten on and the others would have to wait. But here, stroller lady got priority without question and then stroller lady worked with the other riders to arrange a Tetris puzzle that would allow all of us and our bags to fit. Teamwork with a Capitol T!
It was a blustery London day and the tour ended at a pub, where I sat and chatted with a new friend from the tour over fish and chips- she’s from Brazil and her name is Alathea. This confusing during introductions when she said “I’m Alathea” (pronounced Ala-Teha) and I replied “I’m Teha” and she said “No…I’m Alathea” to which I responded “and I’m just Teha.” Soon after we sorted this out, two gents timidly approached our table and asked for a favor…they work for a market research company and were testing a new hard cider. They had the nerve to ask if they could give us each a free pint of cider and ask us a few questions on camera. AND, as if this weren’t enough of an imposition, they also wanted to PAY us ten pounds for the huge inconvenience. Um…YES and YES! Alateha commented with glee that these things just don’t happen to her. I admitted that these things seem to happen to me all the time. Here we are with our paychecks: 
So, while planning my day that morning I’d checked out a last minute theater ticket app and entered a raffle for a first-row ticket to see Kinky Boots for 20 British pounds (which is equivalent to $28). I checked the app at the designated time and saw that I had not won the first row raffle (and I usually pride myself on my raffle-winning skills) but I was offered a 7th row seat for the same price. I guess that would have to do! 
My seat and the show did not disappoint- both were amazing! And apparently my row was celebrity-central that night. I was chatting with a group of six women in my row before the show and noticed the two ladies sitting next to me staring and whispering. They later told me they couldn’t believe I’d met the band “Girls Aloud,” which is apparently a British Spice Girls-esque band. The group had apparently broken up so it was BIG NEWS that they were together at the show. Oh the drama! One of my seat mates exclaimed, “I can’t believe there are celebrities sitting next to us! This NEVER happens to me!” I refrained from commenting this time.
On Friday I met up with Bhavika (aka B) who I’d met in July on the Flash Pack Vespa tour in Spain and she took me to the Tate modern as well as other assorted sites, before we met up with two other fabulous females from the same trip, Emily and Sacha. The four of us went to a super-cool bar that is World War II themed. It’s underground (and actually hidden with a secret entrance) and decorated as a bunker. You wear a bad-ass uniform jacket while decoding various clues, selecting a series of smells, colors and tastes, and radioing in the selections…which end up being the components of individualized hand-crafted cocktails. They claim to never make the same one twice but who knows. Mine was delicious so I do hope they make it again! 
The next day I was excited to FINALLY meet the infamous owners of my favorite tour company, 
I then met Rob at his cricket club where there was a big rugby game on TV, but I forgot to watch the game as I was too busy chatting with people. The next morning Rob had a soccer (aka football) game that I went to watch. It’s with guys (aka mates) he went to high school with and they still play against other former high school rivals! I was immaturely entertained hearing grown men on the field (aka pitch) saying things like “lovely shot mate!” The “British language” really never ceases to entertain me!
Essentially she cooks delicious food and people come to her house to enjoy it. The kicker is that often she doesn’t know any of the people (nor do they know each other) and most attendees are just individuals who want to enjoy a “proper Sunday lunch” and potentially make new friends. It’s a popular concept in London apparently and a “brilliant” idea. Emily is an out of this world chef and the consummate hostess, so it’s not at all surprising that her lunch club has been so successful! 
I saw Emily and B again a few days later for a delectable “afternoon tea” at none other than the infamous Harrods. I knew the Brits were known for “tea time” but didn’t realize it was a thing that many restaurants offer in the afternoons. A very cool experience with two very cool ladies. 
I checked out the London museum on my last day in the city and was horrified to learn more about all the city has been through over the years…fires, plagues, wars etc. Talk about a resilient city! I have to say that my time in the city made me leave wanting more, which is exactly how I like to leave a place. I especially need to see St. Paul’s cathedral next time, as Tom Cruise had it occupied this trip for filming Mission Impossible 12 (or whatever number we’re on now).
As I walked into the cathedral at 5:30 on-the-dot, the woman at the entrance stopped me. I explained “Oh, I’m just here for the concert” to which she replied “This is a religious service.” At that point my deeply seeded Catholic guilt came out (odd since I’m actually not Catholic) and I feared if I turned away at that point I’d be struck by lightening. So…I sat through an entire mass. There was actually a choir, but it consisted of middle aged to old men- definitely no children. Whoops! It’s such a beautiful place that I definitely did not feel bad for myself. 
The next day Louise and I got sucked into some Winter Olympics viewing in the morning. As explanation, I’m minorly obsessed with the BBC’s coverage of the games as it’s SO different from how the Games are covered in the U.S. First of all, there are NO commercials and they actually show LIVE coverage, that includes showing athletes who are NOT from Team USA. What a novel idea! I will say they definitely focus on events where Team GB has any shot in hell for a medal, but that’s only a few events anyways. I learned that Ireland only has five athletes at the Winter Games and has never won a medal. Louise read me a headline from a local publication, about an Irish skier’s “success” in their event the previous day. I assumed that meant they had made history and medaled! Um…not exactly. Success is apparently defined as (and I quote) “finishing the run with no major issues” and placing in 56th place! Once again…perspective gained.
That night we went “out on the town” with Louisa’s fabulous friend, Fiona, and ended up at an authentic and infamous pub called O’Donahues, where we saw a “proper session” of folks jamming Irish music with an array of impressive instruments. It was pretty phenomenal and also cool to see the photos on the walls of the dozens of celebs worldwide who have been there to enjoy the music.
So, I took off from Siam Riep and hopped over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After posting that I was in Cambodia I was informed by my friend, Mel, that Malaysia is close to Cambodia (yes, I actually own the bright yellow book “Geography for Dummies.” I haven’t gotten too far, obviously). I met Mel when I spent a college semester studying abroad at the Univeristy of Western Australia, in Perth. While I had many friends who also chose beautiful Australia as their study abroad destination, I was the only one who chose the most remote city on the planet as my home for six months. Literally, it is the most remote city on earth! A fact validated by John Glenn, who when he first orbited the earth reported that Perth was the only city he could differentiate from other cities. A distinctive and lonely grouping of lights, I guess? So, my college friends mostly lived in group houses in Sydney, with each other and other American students. Their experiences reminded me of the MTV show “Real World.” On the other side of the country/continent I lived in a “college,” one of several affiliated with the “uni” and it was a place where I slept, ate, and participated in a range of social activities with my new “mates,” who were mostly Australian, closely followed by residents of Singapore and Malaysia, a handful of POMs (Prisoners of Mother England), and just a few Americans. It was like I lived in the most down to earth (and all over the earth) fraternity, named St. Thomas More College. My time there was both formative and transformative, as it’s when I first had the opportunity to immerse myself in different cultures and gain perspectives that would forever alter how I viewed the world. I also made many friends who still (and will always) have a special place in my heart. It’s funny how six months of my life are still so important and impactful, many years later. I digress…so, my friend Mel was one of my St. Tommy’s mates who hailed from Malaysia. And when he reached out I jumped at the chance to check out a country I’d heard so much about over morning tea and vegemite toast 20-years prior. Here we were, at a uni ball (Mel is second from right): 
I was first impressed by the accommodation options in Kuala Lumpur- I stayed at a beautiful, centrally located Le Meridien for about $50 a night. No joke. Next, I was impressed with the infrastructure of the city. I whizzed through the huge and well-designed airport, to the efficient and well-designed high-speed train, only to be deposited in the main train station (in the torrential downpour). But before I could look up the address of my hotel on my phone, I saw a sign for it- in the train station! I followed the series of signs that took me through some walkways and overpasses and deposited me in the hotel lobby- having never been subjected to the outside elements!
Mel and I continued catching up the next day when he served as my tour guide extraordinaire and took me to the stunning Thean Hou temple, where there were multiple weddings going on (a popular nuptials destination and even an office on-site to procure a license.) 
We then swung by the Islamic Arts Museum, which is a beautifully designed building full of historical, fascinating, and aesthetically pleasing displays. There was a special exhibit about the recent trend of Australian fashion designers focusing on how to modernize/spice-up female’s traditional Muslim attire. Admittedly, I had never thought about fashion trendiness as an issue specifically for Muslim women before, but I totally get it.
After bidding Mel farewell (and promising our next meet-up would be in <20 years) I culminated my Malaysian experience with a tour of the massive Petronas towers. They are about as tall as I expected, although I did have the added advantage of having produced a documentary about “the world’s tallest twin towers” in my first post- collegiate job, with the Discovery Channel. At the time I felt like I knew TOO much about those twins from having edited hours of video! Alas, it was a very cool experience to finally see them live and in-person. 
My next stop was a quick swing through Thailand, as one does when traveling from Malaysia to London. I revisited my favorite beach from my one other time in Phuket- Nai Yang.It’s also the beach closest to the airport, which is especially convenient when you have less than 48 hours in your itinerary. This time I stayed at a hotel named “The Happy Place” and it lived up to it’s name. Some quality sun-time, several swims and beach-walks, a cheap and awesome massage,, and a few delicious meals later, I was off to chilly London. But at least I had a tan! 
My flight from Phuket to London (via Cologne) took way longer than I’d expected (having not paid attention to the flight times…hence my need for a geography boot camp). Anyways, many hours later I did arrive in London and connected with my host for the long weekend…the handsome and mostly funny Rob, who I’d met during my Flash Pack tour of India & Nepal two months prior. We’d kept in good touch since the tour and decided a visit was in order (it may have been a factor that at the time I’d thought Thailand was just a hop, skip, and a jump from his home city). Regardless, it was a great visit and I loved seeing London all decked out for Christmas. We went to a “Winter Wonderland” where I even got a view of the city from a Ferris wheel! This is a selfie from the Ferris wheel…guess I forgot to take a picture of the view 🤦♀️. 
Oh wait, here’s a London view shot- 
I also had a true British experience by attending a holiday celebration at Rob’s cricket club (btw, the only thing I know about cricket is that each match is 6-7 HOURS long. It makes baseball seem like the 100-meter dash). The theme of the cricket club party was the classic “ugly holiday jumper” (could this be more British?!) and Rob fully represented (although unclear if his jumper is for Thanksgiving or Christmas).
The next day I was sad to say goodbye to the handsome and mostly funny Rob (not so torn up about leaving his jumper) but time to move onward to D.C. for the holiday homestretch!
The front desk guy laughed when he saw me putting up the display and said he’d wait for the phone to start ringing. Okay, so there there may have been just a COUPLE of concerns from other building residents last year. Mostly because it’s possible that I was perhaps a smidge over-enthusiastic promoting holiday cheer via the use of “star showers,” which I used to project hundreds of lights onto the front of my building, making it look like the ENTIRE building was covered in strings of lights! It was SO COOL! (P.S. Some of the lights even blinked!) Well, apparently there are either a few Scrooges in my building or a few people who are annoyed by a couple of stray blinking lights projected onto their TV screens. Most likely both 🤨 Bottom line: I scaled it back this year, in true Bah-Humbug fashion.
I joined my friend Sarah and her family for a lovely Christmas dinner at her parents’ house on Capitol Hill and when I got home I decided a Christmas Day viewing of ‘Love Actually’ was in order. This is mostly because I’ve heard (about a trillion times) what a fantastic holiday movie it is, and I’ve disputed this, as I was NOT a fan. Some of my friends are incredulous about this harsh, and sometimes divisive, reality.