Where We’ve Been
China: Shanghai (Julie – 57 long days, Drew – 46 days), Anhui Province (Drew – 4 days)
US: Park City, Salt Lake City (Drew – 7 days)
Sri Lanka: Columbo, Galle, Tangalle, Yala National Park (4 days)
Highlights
Finally On Vacation: It’s been a minute since we’ve been on a proper no-email, do-whatever-we-want vacation. By my math, our road trip in Ireland was our last full-on holiday. This week we are tearing around Sri Lanka, and here on May 1st, we are about halfway through our adventure. We have been to Sri Lanka once before, when we were the talent in a real life commercial, but that trip was spent at a single resort for a week, where the ad was filmed. This time, we’re exploring the south half of the island, and I’m writing this from the comfort of a fancy-schmancy hotel where twice daily safaris and private plunge pools are the norm. Pinch me.
Drew’s Big Surprise: Over Christmas in the US, Drew hatched a plan with a good friend that he would crash the annual ski weekend of a group of friends. Drew’s not a skier so he doesn’t normally attend this weekend, but the idea of a fun surprise was too good to pass up. His weekend of elaborate surprises, hanging out around Park City and connecting with people who we’ve known for the better part of 20 years was definitely a highlight of his year (or life).
Giving Back: Drew’s other adventure over March and April was attending a several-day trip to Anhui province with Heart to Heart, the charity he works with in Shanghai. It was an amazing experience, by all accounts, and brought a worthy cause to life for him. He loved meeting the kids who had received life-saving heart surgeries and visiting schools that were the recipients of donated libraries.
Lowlights
Work, Work, Work, Work Work: I, unlike Drew, spent the vast majority of March and April in Shanghai, working. I’m so ready to be out of town it isn’t even funny. Last week, I literally counted down the hours to our departure for Sri Lanka and packed multiple days in advance. When tragedy struck the country on Easter Sunday, we hesitated for a few minutes and discussed postponing the trip, but I couldn’t bear the thought of waiting even longer for such an anticipated holiday. Apparently, I’m someone that needs to roam and two months is the absolute maximum I can be in one place without completely wanting to melt in a puddle of self-pity and sadness.
Creative Rut: It is probably connected to my long hiatus from travel, but I’ve also been feeling blah lately. I think it is a need for some kind of creative outlet beyond my work life. I’ve been thinking about photography and making more videos and how amazing it would be if we could start a tour company that turned the travel industry on its head and also provided a lifestyle of more consistent travel from now until forever. (Do you sense a theme here? I REALLY needed a break.)
The Queue at Roaring Rapids: We actually got a kick out of our recent weekend visit to Shanghai Disneyland. It was so much fun to hang out with our good friends and to see the magic of Disney through the eyes of about a million kids. The worst part of the day, by far, was standing in a single queue for 165 minutes at the Roaring Rapids. It was a fun ride, as most rides are, but nothing is worth that amount of time in an endless line. If we were riding high after a blissfully short wait at Tron, the marathon at Roaring Rapids knocked us down to a simmering loathing for the world. We made a beeline for the Cheesecake Factory after that to feel better (worse?) about ourselves.
What We’re Loving Lately
Spring in Shanghai: Spring is many Shanghai-ers favorite season and it’s easy to see why. After a long, cold, rainy winter, the veil lifts and we are rewarded with consistently warm and sunny days. Windows are flung open, cherry blossoms burst to life and patios open up for a season of outdoor eating and drinking. We have had our share of patio partying lately, from an epic boozy brunch at Bull & Claw to rooftop tacos at Tacolicious, to a few weekend nights on the back patio of Stone Brewery. We’ve also continued our quest for the best burger in the city and have started a new quest for the best Bloody Mary. These are lofty goals, people, and we will stop at nothing to achieve them.
Weeknight Routine: In a last ditch attempt to not go stir crazy at home for two months straight, we’ve also implemented some regular weeknight plans. Monday night is the night to catch up on TV (Game of Thrones, Barry, Veep). Tuesday is trivia night at The Camel with our team, Pushkin Square Massacre. Thursday is usually our night to try a new neighborhood restaurant (we have a list, of course). These consistent plans, however small, are so nice to look forward to and bring some structure to an otherwise boring work week.
Coming Up in May
We will return from Sri Lanka on the 4th and the only other plans we have in May is another service trip with Heart to Heart, to Henan Province. This time, I am planning on joining, and I’m really looking forward to it. Other than that, we’ll be in Shanghai, getting our fill of the spring. We have a couple fun plans on the books with friends around town, but that’s about it. Enjoy the month!
