5 Months of Slow Travel (Life Update)

I'm Ameilia. >> And I'm JP >> and we show you what it's really like to live a global lifestyle. >> We are back in Quanka, Ecuador, where our story began over eight years ago. And we just finished up our first two leaps here with our turtle travel club. They were a huge success if I do say so myself, but I don't have to say it myself because we have a lot of good testimonials from it. >> That's true. It was super super fun. >> It's hard to believe it's been almost two years since we've been back in Ecuador and almost three years since we've been back in Quanka. Yeah, we've been busy traveling around the world and we're not done. >> No, we're not. In fact, we're getting ready to leave Ecuador again and who knows when we'll be back. Definitely within two years so that we can reset the clock on our visa. >> And Ecuador is still one of our favorite places. >> It really is. So, the last destination video we published was from Dresden, which was part of our Prague trip. >> And when were we there? >> That was in June. >> Wow. We are behind. >> Yeah. We haven't posted a video in a couple of months for a variety of reasons that you're probably not even interested in. So, we won't talk about that. >> Yeah. We don't want to bore you. >> Yeah. So, after we left Dresston in Prague, we went to Manchester and we were there for a couple of weeks. >> Yeah. And boy, I tell you what, I could have stayed a lot longer. So, when we go back, I want to give ourselves like a month to really explore that entire region. It was phenomenal. We spent a couple days in the Lake District. When we posted our Yanks in England video, the Brits told us that the Yanks come to London and think that's England and it's not. That we should get out and go to some of the countryside, including the Lake District. And oh my god, it was unbelievable. It's hard to describe. It was just otherworldly, incredibly gorgeous. >> I felt like we were on a movie set the entire time we were there. was super peaceful and relaxing with those green rolling hills and seeing the sheep and being able to take the bus around and go to all the different villages. It was just amazing and everybody was very friendly. What's funny, remember JP, people kept telling us how we were so lucky with the weather because it wasn't pouring down rain and it was pretty chilly >> and it rained a lot but apparently not as much as normal but it's so that's why it's so green there I guess. >> Yes. >> We also went to Leeds while we were there. We took a day and went over there to check it out. We're thinking maybe we might host a leap in Leeds in the future, but I'm thinking we might just do it in Manchester. It's really a nice central location. >> Well, with the public transportation there, to be able to take the train to so many different locations within like an hour to two hours is just unbelievable. >> And we did enjoy Leeds our day there. It was windy and chilly. And this is we're in there like end of June, early July, and it was still chilly. >> I guess that's their weather, but it was great. was gorgeous. Manchester is a really cool city. I really enjoyed our time there. Plus, we got to meet up with our friends. That was one of the reasons we went because we were invited by our friend Shifa. >> Yep. She is also a YouTuber from Indonesia. She's married to a Brit Dave who lives there in the Manchester area. And so, we went to spend the day with them and went to the Peak District. I hope you guys are happy, our British viewers, that we got out into the countryside and it was incredible. You were not wrong. The country outside London is incredible. >> It is. Although I still enjoyed our time in London, too. I mean, London's an amazing city, but there's a lot more to see, but that's true with any country. >> After we left Manchester, we headed back to the US for the first time in almost two years to see my family. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see Ameilia's on this trip, but we'll catch them on the next time. >> Absolutely. >> And I got to say, I was surprised after when we were there a couple years ago, it was expensive. It's even more expensive now. We spent more on our two weeks in Kansas than we did on for two weeks in Manchester. >> Well, part of that cost was car rental. The car rental was super expensive. >> That was over It was like $1,200, I think, for two weeks. It may have been more than that. Then the hotel was expensive. We ordered Chipotle delivery to the hotel one night. It was $30 for two veggie bowls. It wasn't even anything fancy. I couldn't believe it. >> We've definitely been spoiled by some of the costs outside of the expensive countries like the United States. >> Even Vienna was more affordable than Kansas. If it weren't for our families, we probably wouldn't go back. >> Not to Kansas. There's other places to go. I mean, it's beautiful. Parts of Kansas are beautiful. We're not bashing Kansas. >> So, I wrote a newsletter while we were there saying, "We're back in Kansas." And we got I got a ton of responses saying, "I can't believe you moved back to Kansas of all places. I'm unsubscribing. I'm never going. That's like the worst place. There's so many better places in the US. We were just visiting. I'm not sure why people got the impression we were moving back there. >> I think because they did not read the newsletter. >> Yeah, that's common. >> That happens. You just read the headlines. You don't get the whole gist of the story. >> Yeah. You actually have to read the newsletter. Oh, and by the way, you know, we haven't posted a video in a couple months, but we have been writing about what we've been doing in our newsletter. So, if you want to get that, you can. You can also get our free move toolkit at a millilia andjp.com/toolkit and then you can stay uptodate when we're not posting videos. How's that Ameilia? >> Works for me. >> So after we left Kansas, we needed a muchneeded break and so we went to Aruba. >> Speaking of expensive >> that was more expensive than Kansas. >> That was It was pricey. >> Yeah, it was a lot more than I expected to be. I didn't realize it was a Dutch colony. >> Yeah, it was really interesting. It was very I mean I really enjoyed our time there. We actually took a week off and just laid on the beach which was unbelievably beautiful. The white sand and that ocean. Oh my gosh, it was fantastic. But boy, that sun was intense. >> It was hot. We were there in late July, early August. It was that's a hot time of year obviously. And we went there actually to check it out for a leap as well and decided that it's just too expensive. So we're scratched that off our list >> at least for now. >> At least for now. But we did enjoy our week on the beach. We sure did. We had good food. People, it was really easy to get around cuz it's pretty small >> and everybody spoke English, but they speak English, Dutch, and then the local language, which I can't remember the name of right now. After we left Aruba, we went to Panama City because that is where we're hosting our next leap and we want to go kind of lay the groundwork for that and get things lined up in advance for that. That's where we're heading next. >> Yes. And I'm looking forward to that. Looking forward to going back. So, I got to say the Panameanians that we met in Panama City were beyond friendly. >> We got caught in the rain. We were walking to lunch one day and we're halfway there, right in the middle. There was no place to duck into. So, we hid under some palm bushes and palm trees and it just opened up. It was a flood. The streets were rivers and we were standing there like drenched under this palm tree. And this guy from across the street owned a print shop. He waved us in and we ran over there and through the river that was the road. And he gave us a towel and offered us some hot tea and just said, "You can just sit here and wait for the rain to stop." He was so nice. >> He was super nice. And you know what? Isn't that the way it is? We saw that raincloud we should have grabbed and our umbrella and our rain coats cuz we had them, but we didn't. And of course, we got rained on. And so every time now we bring that stuff and nothing happens. I think we needed waiters and a boat because it was way more than that. I mean, the bottom of the hill was just flooded. >> It was flooded >> and it rained for four about 45 minutes. Normally kind of kind of go comes and goes more quickly, right? >> But when that's what we kind of thought we're like, "Oh, we'll huddle under here. It'll be gone in in 10 minutes or so." And it was not gone in 10 minutes. It lasted 45 minutes. >> It was an experience. Luckily, it was not cold. >> Yeah. I had my hat on, so I I had some protection. >> I was pretty drenched. It was so wet. It was funny. >> That palm tree did not offer enough protection. >> We liked Panama City. Yeah, it was it's a it's a nice city. It's big. I was surprised. I didn't realize how big it was. And Costco VJO was super nice. >> Yeah. And I liked that boardwalk area. We um had a lot of fun there. And I'm really looking forward to going back and experiencing it all with our turtles because there's things that we specifically did not do because we wanted to share it with our turtles. >> Yeah, that'll be fun. Like the Panama Canal tour. We did not do that. I'm looking forward to seeing that. After we left Panama City, we flew to Kito, Ecuador and stayed in Kumbaya for about 5 weeks. We had a bunch of health stuff we needed to take care of. And I saw a neurologist for my neck and prescribed physical therapy. He says after the MRI, my bulging disc is not as bad as we thought. So, I don't need surgery yet at least. >> Hopefully, ever. >> Hopefully. Well, we'll see. Fingers crossed. But the physical therapy in keto was fantastic. I felt like it made a huge difference. I went to that for almost 3 weeks and it made a big difference. My neck is much better now. I'm so thankful that we went there. >> I am too. You know, we still have maintained our health insurance through Ecuador. We get this question a lot. And it works around the world for emergencies, but it was nice to be able to come back and then take care of all of that stuff while we were here. And >> and we spent some time with our adoptive family, our Ecuadorian family, and our little Sabrina. She's two and a half now. >> She's so sweet >> and she's adorable. >> She's the smartest kid. >> She is super smart. After we left Kito, we flew to Quanka, Ecuador, where we were hosting our very first two leaps from our turtle travel club. >> Yep. We got here early and JP immediately got sick. Like really sick. >> I know. The first night I told Javier, our friend here at Apartento where we're staying, I said, "Man, this elevation's bugging me." He's like, "But you were in keto." He's like, "It can't be bugging you." I said, "I don't know, but I don't feel very good." And I woke up the next morning with the flu and I was out. I was in bed for a week, barely even moved or ate anything. It was horrible. Thankfully, Ameilia was here to run the league without me. >> And thankfully, I was not sick and I did not get anybody else sick because I was a bit worried about that. But I managed to have a good time without him. Sorry. >> I know. She came home every day and did a data dump about how much fun they were having and I'm like, "Stop dogging." >> We did. We had so much fun. We did all of my favorite things. We went to the hat museum and Puma Punongo and did walks along the river and wandered around Quanka itself to the flower market cathedral >> and they went to Chile without me. >> We did San Barto May Chile and Wallaceo. >> Yep. He missed that. He missed the jewelry shopping which I'm pretty sure he was happy about. But you were you were able to go on the rest of it. >> Yeah. So after I missed the first week, but then I was okay after that. So, I was able to go to the second tour to Hiron and Elroto waterfalls and Laguna Deusa, the big lake that's right at the base of an incredible mountain. >> We did it again for the second trip and then so JP was able to experience everything and we just had a blast. We've been eating a lot. I've been spending a lot of time eating my Picari chocolate because in my mind I'm like, you know what, you can only get this in Ecuador and so I'm just not holding back. >> We've been eating way too much PCI. So when we get to Panama, I have to go on a diet. >> Yeah. Yeah. We had so much fun while we're here. One of the reasons we started our turtle travel club is because we kind of found it lonely just being the two of us traveling the world and we wanted to create a global circle of friends. And we've accomplished that because we've exchanged WhatsApp numbers with our turtles and they all did with each other. They're messaging through our mighty app which is our online private social network that is incredible. Keeps everybody connected. People are meeting up out in the world or in the US and in Europe and people have met up all over the place. >> It is exciting and it's been phenomenal to meet everybody and share all of these experiences together and also for us to be able to share our love for Quanka and Ecuador with people who have never been here before. And that's what we're going to continue to do. >> It is. Yeah. So, it's way more than just the leaps. The online community is great. We do meetups for the members out there in the world. So, you don't necessarily have to go on a leap to benefit from membership in the club. >> No, you sure don't. >> Yeah. So, if you want to learn more about it, you can go to a milliliajp.com/club. And I just uploaded several testimonials from our LEAP members. It's great to get their perspective and they were so excited about being on this and several of them actually signed up for future leaps in Bali and Camb and Cambodia, Koala Lur >> and then we're work I'm working on Europe right now. >> Yeah. Yeah. Our next round will be in Europe. So if you want to travel Europe with us, join the turtle travel club and make a bunch of new friends. >> So what are your thoughts about Quinka since we haven't been here for almost 3 years? >> I feel like it hasn't changed that much. We bumped into an old friend of ours and she's like, I feel like it's so different now. But from our perspective, it feels basically the same. It's like the same restaurants. Some of them changed, but most of them are still the same and like the same facades and same people. The parks are still gorgeous. The mountains are still gorgeous. The weather is still partly cloudy, partly rainy, partly sunny. El Centro is the same. But there are some new things. There's more rooftop restaurants. Greening Landia, that whole area now that the tram uh is running, there's a lot more new construction out that way, which is adding a lot more housing options. >> Yeah. So, I don't know. I guess that my thought is is that it feels it felt felt like coming home, actually. Completely agree, 100%. Truly, as soon as we set foot in Ecuador, I was like, "Oh, we're back. >> We're home." >> Kind of felt like we had never left. >> Yeah, it's been a weird time where from that perspective, it's really It's kind of hard to explain what that's like. I guess you have to experience it for yourself, but it's really easy for us and it was easy for us to just get right back into our same old routine, especially once we got to Quanka. Our routine was not all about going to physical therapy when we were in >> K. It was nice to be here and not have to go to the doctor every day. >> Yes, I did. I did not miss that part of it. >> Yeah. >> But yeah, it was really easy, >> especially being here in apartments where we started cuz when we took our exploratory trip, we stayed here and when we came back and moved to Ecuador, we stayed here for 6 weeks while we were looking for a permanent home. And it's so cool to be back with Javier and his family. Yeah, I agree. >> I It just It is special. It felt like coming home. >> It did. It's going to be It's going to be sad and a little bit challenging for us to leave, but at the same time, we're excited to go to some old places and then go and check out some new places as well. And of course, we'll be back. >> Yeah, we have a lot of new places on our list for next year. >> We do. And people keep asking us, well, where are you going to settle down? And the answer is still, we're not 100% sure. We still are looking for another residency at some point, but Ecuador is I think no matter what always going to be there because as we've traveled well, how many countries did we go to? 25 countries. >> Yeah. Just in the two years we went to 25 countries. I've been to 35. Ameilia's been to 32. >> So now still our favorite. >> Yeah, it it is. And know a lot of people, our Ecuadorian friends asked us and I feel like I've told them all this still our favorite place. And you know, people have asked us about the safety aspect. the those issues are on the coast, not here in the highlands. And we met a young woman in the supermarket. And she told us that she was so thankful that she discovered our videos and our channel about Quanka and Ecuador because they were living in Wakille and she felt like it was too dangerous for her kids there. And so they were thinking about leaving Ecuador and going either to Spain or the US. And she said that because of our videos, they moved to Quanka. And they love it here. They've been here for a couple years now. And it was it made me feel so good to hear from an Ecuadorian who enjoyed our videos. >> We do appreciate that. We like the Ecuadorians. They're good peeps. >> They are good peeps. We met a lot of people here while we were in Quanka who said that they moved here because of our videos and how much they appreciate their life. Although we've met people all over the world, Ameilia, not just here in Ecuador, who watch our videos and and us for showing them the way out into a better life. >> Yes. And that's what we're going to continue to share with you all. >> Yeah. So, if you have any stories that you want to share or any comments, please drop those below the video. That always makes us happy to see what you guys have to say. >> It does. We really appreciate hearing your feedback and your success stories about trying a different way of life. >> Yeah. So, before you go, leave us a like, please. That always makes us smile as well. And we will see you all in our next video. >> Ciao. >> Ciao.