Selcouth Chronicles Weeks 28, 29, & Final Recap
Hello family and friends, and welcome to our final Selcouth Chronicle!
Weeks 28 & 29: July 14 - July 28
July 15-17: Vancouver 🚢-> Ketchikan, Alaska
July 17-18: Ketchikan 🚢 -> Dawes Glacier, Endicott Arm
18-19: EA 🚢 -> Juneau
19-20: Juneau 🚢 ->Icy Strait Point
20-21: ISP 🚢 -> Sitka
21-23: Sitka 🚢 -> Victoria, BC
23-24: Victoria 🚢 ->Vancouver 🛫 ->🛬 Seattle 🚗 -> Gig Harbor
CANADA, ALASKA, AND WASHINGTON
Highlights: driving zodiacs in Ketchikan, Dawes Glacier, Mendenhall Glacier, Nugget Falls, seeing a humpback whale breach, orca sighting, whales/otters/seals/sea lions, bald eagles, salmon ladder, unlimited soft serve ice cream
Caitlin:
It is with very mixed emotions that we are putting together our final edition of the Selcouth Chronicles and preparing for our return to California. While we look forward to the comforts of home and catching up with loved ones, we are sad to be leaving behind seven months of incredible experiences and family bonding time.
This week gave us some extra special family time as we were joined by extended family members to enjoy a cruise to Alaska. After months of nonstop planning, it was a luxury to relax and have most of the work taken off our shoulders. Being on a busy cruise was a bit of a culture shock after spending so much time on our own; still, it was a fairly seamless way to visit a number of spots we wanted to see without the usual pesky concerns about things like finding food. (Actually, the main concern about food on the boat was stopping yourself from eating too much!) We loved having the time with my parents and my sister’s family, and it was so much fun for the kids to have their cousins to play with. Alaska was beautiful, filled with incredible scenery and wildlife. We were especially excited to spot orcas, otters, bald eagles, and even a humpback whale breaching.
For our last week, the newsletter will be written a little differently, and it will be a bit longer than usual. Each of us has a few final thoughts to share, and at the end we’ve compiled a few “Best Of” lists from our travels. Enjoy!
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FINAL THOUGHTS
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Sean:
Bringing the trip to a close is a strange and surreal experience. There have been so many moments to look back on that it almost feels like years have gone by versus months. Taking stock of what I’ve learned and taken away from the journey, I’d break it down like so:
-Just go! One of the biggest lessons began even before we left. Trying to plan and determine if the trip was possible, it became evident that we’d have to decide we were going, and treat everything after that as a challenge to be overcome. As the trip progressed, this became a boon in trying to fill our days, as we viewed the challenge of what to do as a wealth of options. It forced us to default to action versus inaction, which I realize now was a perspective I needed. Too often I’ll look at doing things as a challenge of time and find a way to say no. In the months and years to come, I hope the trip helps me default to “yes” and do things even if it seems hard.
-Friends are everywhere! One of the things I found myself talking to the kids about often during the trip was that we were able to meet so many people that were more than happy to help us and show us generosity. Whether it was a host at an Airbnb, a flight attendant, a shop clerk, or a person sitting next to us at a restaurant, we were constantly getting help or unexpected pick-me-ups everywhere we went. Especially in today's environment, interacting with so many different people in so many different places in positive ways really helped give me hope for the future.
-And of course, I’m taking away memories. As we’ve written about throughout the last 28 weeks, some incredible things have happened. Beyond what we shared, being able to watch my family navigate new experiences and strange places is a treasure I will cherish for the rest of my life. Between watching James go off and try to purchase something on his own, Abby trying new and interesting foods, or Caitlin connecting with someone from a completely different background, my heart is full. We will never be the same after this and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
James:
Everywhere we go, at every place we’ve been, people ask the same question: what was your favorite place? It’s a very nice question, but it’s very hard to narrow it down to one place. We’ve been to so many places, and each one is beautiful in its own right. It’s impossible to make a list without leaving off places I liked, but I’m going to narrow it down to my top three for my final submission:
#3: Belgium.
Belgium made it onto my favorites list in part because of its food. Fries, waffles, chocolate - Belgium has it all! All of the food sellers offered an incredible variety of sauces and flavors for whatever they’re serving, and they add that special Belgian creativity to their food. While you grab your quick bite to eat you can stare at some beautiful architecture. Belgium is full of classic medieval towns, with churches, houses, storefronts, and relics. Walking through Belgian towns makes me feel like I’ve stepped through a little time portal! But what makes the time travel feel even more real is when you’re floating through town - Belgium’s canals give you a little break from all the people and a chance to experience some peace and quiet in the middle of a bustling town.
Finally, I’ve loved learning about Belgium’s history. Because it is so small and not heavily militarized, it has often been overlooked in history. However, its spirit is what gives it an edge. Every time, no matter how much bigger its opponent was, Belgians would rally together and take a brave stand against their enemies. They used strategy instead of pure force in warfare, and adapted techniques for a small, quick, mobile army. Despite all of this, Belgium remains an underappreciated country. Many people see it only as a crossing point between France and Germany, but it is beautiful and definitely worth a visit!
#2: Croatia
Croatia is a very nice mix of nature and humanity. A perfect example is the town of Rastoke, where houses hang over the edge of cascading waterfalls. Every day, the people in town get to walk across rushing water to get to work or school. In busy areas like Split and Dubrovnik, which are always bustling with people, the towns have a well-preserved history. In Split, we stayed inside the walls of a castle that is 1,700 years old! Places like that are everywhere in Croatia, and it’s incredible how much history is in this small country. But the part of Croatia that captured my heart was Plitvice Lakes: I could wander around that park for years and still be amazed by its beauty! The park has little waterfalls that look like faucets, huge waterfalls that thunder down cliffs, and chains of connected waterfalls that feed into each other as they tumble into crystalline lakes. I loved every minute in this beautiful country!
#1: New Zealand
New Zealand is pure beauty. Some of my best experiences from the trip were in NZ, and we had so many adventures there. One of those wonderful experiences was rafting, but not just the adventure part. Going down the waterfalls was a lot of fun, but being on the calm stretches of the river and watching the lush greenery sliding by all around us was just as much fun. I saw birds, fish, a frog, dragonflies, and more. And it wasn’t just in the river that we got to experience beauty - even along the roads and in neighborhood houses there were always bushes or flowers that would add beauty. Plus, New Zealand is a bee paradise! I saw so many of the big fuzzy guys that my heart nearly burst from happiness.
Also, remember when I said that Plitvice had a lot of waterfalls? Well, there were just as many in Milford Sound. In fact, there are so many that the nickname is the “Valley of 1,000 Waterfalls”. The boat ride through the sound was quite windy, but the view was more than worth it. In New Zealand, we also went ziplining, swam with dolphins, stargazed, dipped in glacier waters, and more. My top three favorite experiences of the entire seven months are rafting, swimming with dolphins, and ziplining - all in New Zealand! If I could go back to any place that we’ve been to, I would love to go back to New Zealand to see even more of what it has to offer, because I know we only scratched the surface of what this country has to give. It’s simply the best!
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I’m feeling pretty sad about the trip being over; I feel like I just got used to it being my new normal. It’s going to be weird not packing up and moving all the time! I learned on this trip that there is a lot more out there than just the United States, and I’ll be sad to stop the free exploration of the world. I think it might be a little hard to settle back into the everyday experiences of our old life. I definitely want to travel some more in the future. I would love it if we could find the time for more family adventures.
Abby:
It’s the final newsletter! I can’t believe Selcouth Chronicles is already over. It went by in such a blur, yet all of it seems like yesterday. James is writing about all of his favorite countries, but I’m writing about my top ten most memorable experiences.
#1: (Hamilton Island, Australia) Buggy trouble! This one was funny - and possibly the most memorable. I first noticed that the buggy Dad was driving was getting very slow when we had to go back to get my forgotten swim jacket before snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. We had to go back up a hill to fetch it. I asked Dad and he told me that the buggy was always slow when going uphill. I was unsure as other buggies zoomed by, but I trusted him. We came back after our snorkel trip, and as our buggy pushed onward painfully slowly up the same hill, Mom asked the same question I did. Just as Dad was done correcting Mom (as he did to me) – sputter, groan, silence. The buggy sat dead halfway up the hill in the middle of the road. Mom was quick to come up with an idea that was actually helpful. Dad pushed on the back of the poor vehicle as Mom drove out the last of its feeble energy. We gave up fairly soon and were stuck in the rain. Fortunately, we eventually managed to get a fresh (fancy) buggy until they could fix our old one. In the moment, it was not very funny, but looking back, it’s hilarious!
#2: (Hamilton Island, Australia) Snorkeling in the GBR! I mentioned it in #1, and realized that was a pretty great memory too. I have a bit of fear when looking straight into that endless blue, so Mom had to be patient getting me into the water in the first place. Eventually, she lured me in and it wasn’t long before the beautiful reefs were two feet away from my face. We saw many very pretty fish, and it was just a speechless couple of hours, and I just can’t describe it.
#3: (Milford Sound, NZ) The ferry we took through the sound! Although the wind and rain were blowing hard, all the shimmering waterfalls and thriving rainforests were stunning. It was a beautiful family memory, especially for Mom, who did the same thing with her parents all those years ago when she was a child.
#4: (Rotorua, NZ) Rotorua rafting! It seemed like James thought it was the most beautiful thing that’s ever happened to him. James, Mom, and Dad got to raft the “Highest Commercially Rafted Waterfall in the World”, but I was too small. Don’t feel bad for me, I would have been terrified, plus I got to join in later. It was very fun, and we had a nice guide.
#5: (Kaikoura, NZ) Ziplining! We all thought it was very, very fun. I was a little nervous on the first round, but only for a little bit, since my brain figured out that it was very fun early on. The intense wind in your hair and feeling of freedom as you zoom above it all is truly exhilarating.
#6:(Just outside of Wellington, NZ) The nature preserve we stopped at and got to feed cute ducks! We stopped at this nature preserve and you could buy a packet of duck food to feed to them. I gave some to a precious one legged ducky who I thought of as that one ugly duckling that needed a boost of positive self esteem. 🦆The feeling of them pecking at our hands was really funny, and it was nice to finally meet some ducks who are social. We had a stupid amount of fun there.
#7:(Chiang Mai, Thailand) Walking with Elephants! We got to feed them whole bananas and watermelons, as well as stroll alongside them during a short nature hike. They are actually very friendly animals who are always up for a hug or two. For all you elephant fans - you’ve picked the right animal to love. 💕
#8: (London, England) The Shard! Seeing the city from way up there was very beautiful. It was extra special, too, since the family had gone when I was only one, and it was cool to be back.
#9: (Modena, Italy) The bucket! Oh, boy. Do you remember James’ section on the War of the Bucket? If not, you can check out Selcouth Chronicles Week 18 to find out why we stopped in Modena. Anyhow, all of us were weirdly excited to finally find where the bucket had been stored all this time. We took several giddy pictures and were very satisfied when we got out.
#10: (Athens, Greece) Acropolis dust storm! We chose just the right day to visit the Acropolis in Athens. That was the day that dust blew in all the way from Egypt and made the sky turn a rich orange color. James and I are into Greek Mythology, so we were already having fun learning about the history there, but the dust storm made it feel especially ancient and kind of magical.
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Traveling is something that has given me more empathy for other people. It makes you realize that not everywhere is like home. Nowhere is perfect, but we’re all just humans in this small world. When you are gone for so long, you start to understand the importance of having a home: somewhere where you belong, somewhere where you have friends and family and shelter. Travel can give you a neat sense of the world, and more understanding of others, but everybody needs a home. I’m glad that I got to have this experience, and I’m looking forward to getting back to San Jose.
Caitlin:
I’ve often said that the trip was both harder and better than I expected. Prior to leaving California, we didn’t really know what the coming months would look like; they were just too different from our normal lives and we knew that we would be adjusting our travel style and plans as we figured out what worked best for us. So much of our daily lives are propped up by routines - we know where we will sleep, where to get food, how to get around, and generally what we’ll be doing most days. Living a life of constant novelty is a lot of work; you can never stop solving problems and making decisions as you attempt to orient yourself in a new city or country. It’s a great lesson in humility, as we warned the kids before we left, because you have to get used to always feeling some degree of incompetence. But it also gave us an extraordinary amount of freedom to be conscious of our priorities and interests and plan around those. There were always new things to learn and so much to look forward to each day, with just me and three of the people I love most. It’s hard to be leaving that behind.
We are walking away from this experience with a lot to be thankful for. I’m thankful for the awe-inspiring scenery, the wonderful people we met, the history we learned, the amazing food we ate, and especially the time we spent together. But at the end of the day, what I think about most is how this has all affected James and Abby, and my hopes for what it might mean in their futures: I hope that they stay curious about the world around them. I hope that they remember all the kindness they experienced from people who don’t share their country/culture/lifestyle/language. I hope they have a better understanding of how extraordinarily lucky they are to live in a time and place where they have not been directly affected by war or oppression. I hope that they will be less hesitant to dive into new experiences outside of their comfort zones. I hope that their relationship with each other is strengthened by all of the shared memories we made. I hope that they know that they are loved no matter where in the world they are. I hope they won’t ever stop learning and exploring. And of course, I hope they don’t forget that there’s never a bad time for gelato.
Thank you all for joining us on our journey this year! We’re so grateful for your love and support, and for allowing us to share our travels with you. We hope you’ve enjoyed following along. See you soon!
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Countries visited: 27, Cities/Towns visited: 74
Japan (Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto)
South Korea (Seoul)
Singapore (Singapore)
New Zealand (Te Anau, Milford Sound, Twizel, Kaikoura, Lake Taupo, Rotorua, Auckland, Hobbiton)
Australia (Hamilton Island, Sydney, Blue Mountains)
Cambodia (Siem Reap)
Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hue, Duy Phu (My Son Sanctuary), Halong Bay, Hanoi)
Laos (Luang Prabang)
Thailand (Chiang Mai, Bangkok)
Turkey (Istanbul)
Croatia (Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik)
Greece (Athens, Nea Moudania)
Italy (Rome, Civita di Bagnoregio, Orvieto, Modena, Bagno a Ripoli, Florence, Ferrara, Venice)
Vatican City
Slovenia (Ljubljana, Lake Bled)
Austria (Vienna)
Czech Republic (Prague)
Germany (Bacharach, Saint Goar, Trier, Ahrweiler, Cologne)
Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Belgium (Bruges, Ghent, Brussels)
England (London, Bath, Thirsk, Berwick-upon-Tweed)
Wales (Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy)
Scotland (Edinburgh)
Ireland (Dublin, Castleboy/Hill of Tara, Skerries)
Canada (Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria)
USA (Alaska: Ketchikan, Juneau, Icy Strait, Sitka)
Forms of Transportation: 24 (airplane, regular train, sleeper train, shinkansen train, car, buggy/golf cart, tram, bus, subway, ferry, water taxi, funicular, cable car, zipline, raft, kayak, duckboat, unimog, tuk tuk, bicycle, bum boat, dragon boat, paddle boat, feet)
Lost items: 5 That’s one pair of sunglasses (somewhere in Australia… or maybe New Zealand?), one of Abby’s bathing suits (hanging to dry next to the pool in Cambodia), two hats (Sean left his on the airplane to Beijing, James left his on a bus in Vietnam), and one hairbrush (left in hotel room in Brussels).
UNESCO World Heritage Sites Visited: 41 (that we know of!)
(*Note: We’ve put the following lists in chronological order, not as rankings)
Favorite Food Memories:
Japan: ramen, okonomiyaki, kaiseki, thick pancakes, lemon cider
Singapore: hawker market chicken and rice, satay, Singapore Slings (and TeeTotaler Slings) at the Raffles Bar
New Zealand: dinner and breakfast in Milford Sound, Hokey Pokey ice cream, meat pies, fish & chips
Thailand: pad thai, mango with sticky rice, pad see ew
Istanbul: menemen, hummus, pide, apricots, Turkish ice cream
Greece: gyros, souvlaki, eggplant moussaka, all the food in Ikos
Italy: gelato, handmade pasta, lasagna, pizza
Slovenia: dinner at a Mexican restaurant with churros, danishes, kremna rezina
Germany: white asparagus, freshly baked breads, schnitzel, white pinot noir
Belgium: waffles, fries, beer, chocolate
Most Impressive Religious Sites:
Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine (Tokyo)
Angkor Wat Archeological Park (Cambodia)
My Son Sanctuary (Vietnam)
Wat Pho, Wat Arun (Thailand)
Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque (Turkey)
Split Cathedral (Croatia)
Acropolis, Archeological Site at Delphi, Temple of Poseidon (Greece)
Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, Basilica San Marcos (Italy)
Old-New Synagogue, Pinkas Synagogue (Czech Republic)
Trier Cathedral, Church of Our Lady, Cologne Cathedral (Germany)
Best Museums (only one entry per country):
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (Japan)
National Museum of Singapore (Singapore)
National Maritime Museum (Australia)
Lanna Folk Museum (Thailand)
Acropolis Museum (Greece)
Vatican Museums (Vatican City)
Uffizi (Italy)
Haus der Musik (Austria)
Rijksmuseum (Netherlands)
World of James Herriot (England)
Favorite Creature Encounters:
Swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura (New Zealand)
Birdwatching (New Zealand)
Arrow the dog and farm lambs (Croatia)
Snake, koalas, and wallabies (Australia)
Fish, octopus, and coral in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
APOPO Hero Rats (Cambodia)
Walking with elephants (Thailand)
Lipizzaner stallions (Austria)
Horseback riding (Germany)
Spotting seals, sea lions, otters, orcas, humpbacks, and bald eagles (Alaska, USA)
10 Most Memorable Experiences:
TeamLabs (Japan)
Rotorua River Rafting (New Zealand)
Seeing The Magic Flute at Sydney Opera House (Australia)
Kayaking Halong Bay (Vietnam)
Being in a dust storm from the Sahara Desert at the Acropolis (Greece)
Visiting Modena’s bucket (Italy)
Seeing the Spanish Riding School of Vienna (Austria)
Bicycling in Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Exploring canals (Belgium)
Watching Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe Theater (England)
And finally…
Top 20 Greatest Natural Wonders:
Miyajima Island (Japan)
Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore)
Glow Worm Caves (New Zealand)
Milford Sound (New Zealand)
Stargazing in Kaikoura (New Zealand)
Huka Falls (New Zealand)
Hell’s Gate, Rotorua (New Zealand)
Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
Whitehaven Beach (Australia)
Royal Botanic Gardens (Australia)
Blue Mountains National Park (Australia)
Halong Bay (Vietnam)
Cat Ba Island (Vietnam)
Huang Si Falls (Laos)
Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)
Lake Bled (Slovenia)
Rhine River (Germany)
The Great Orme (Wales)
Sutton Bank (England)
Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls (USA)
Thank you all so much for joining us on our journey every week! We look forward to hearing about your future travels!
Miss anything? Read week
1, 2: Japan, 3: South Korea, Singapore, 4: Singapore, New Zealand, 5, 6: New Zealand, 7: New Zealand, Australia, 8: Australia, 9: Australia, Cambodia, 10: Cambodia, Vietnam, 11: Vietnam, Laos, 12: Laos, Thailand, 13: Thailand, Turkey, 14: Croatia, 15: Croatia, Greece, 16: Greece, 17: Greece, Italy, 18: Italy, 19: Italy and Slovenia, 20: Slovenia, Austria, Czech Republic, 21: Czech Republic, Germany, 22: Germany, Luxembourg, 23: Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, 24: Belgium, England, 25: England, Wales, 26: Scotland, Ireland, 27: Ireland, Canada