Watching #TheBachelor and remembering our time in Paris.
It was so dirty and we got drunk on cheap champagne. The public toilets were overflowing and so we just peed in the street.
The city of love 💕
A coworker recommended this 참치 (tuna) joint, and I was not disappointed. We didn't speak much of either other's language, but I managed to get across that when I was in America, I thought of 참치 often.
A lot goes into bringing a pet to a new country. We had to visit a new vet, get two microchips (the first one wasn't up to international specs), send blood to a lab in Kansas and then get an international travel certificate verified by the USDA. I also had to call each airline and pay to have him with me in the cabin. Mr. Switters hates being in a carrier and makes loud, pitiful noises until he gets out and we had a long journey to make. I was worried he would drive everybody on the airplane crazy, so I stocked up on two cans of pheromone spray to help him stay calm, and chocolate for flight attendants and my neighbors. It ended up being easier and more smooth than I imagined. Everyone was very sweet about dealing with a cat. He only made a few audible meows which weren't easily heard over the hum of the planes. He only managed to make one major escape attempt while I dozed off on our 12 hour international flight, but he was attached to the crate and didn't even get all the way out. The pheromone spray was my secret weapon, it kept him super calm and relaxed. Going through customs was smooth and quick. They scanned his chip, went over the paperwork, and sent us on our way. After over 24 hours of travel, three flights, two security checks, two car rides, one train ride, and countless bumps and jostles, we arrived at our Airbnb in Daegu. He got out of his carrier and began exploring his new domain, acting like not much had happened.
Let me start by saying that both Andrew and I are ok. We are back in the US and miraculously have only bruises. We embarked on a tour of the Uyuni Salt flats on July 31st at 10 am. At 4:30 pm our car rolled twice. Apparently a wheel was attached improperly and came off while we were traveling at 80km/h. We were with two other couples from England and France. The English couple and the driver also had no major injuries. Tragically the French woman was ejected from the vehicle and did not survive. (I've censored that from the image.) The French man was saved by the efforts of the English man and Andrew, though he was seriously injured and is still in serious condition in Bolivia. The driver was useless, did not assist in helping any of his passengers and it was on us fend for ourselves and each other. It is a long and devistating story, one I plan to write and share at a later time. For now I wanted to update our friends on our situation, and caution anyone thinking to travel to Bolivia for one of these tours. There seems little concern for safety or loss of life out in this desert. Had we known this we would not have made the trip. It appears they try their best to sweep these accidents under the rug, but they are not uncommon. There was no satilite phone, no ambulance, and no first aid in our car. It is a miracle we all didn't die that day. I share this not for attention or pity, but to show an honest side of what can happen. We picked a high rated, expensive and reputable company but this still happened. It could have been prevented but negligence took one life and destroyed another.
