Texan 81-year-old good friends Hester and Hazel traveled around the world in 80 days, proving that adventure doesn't have an age limit.
Their first stop was a location that challenges even many experienced travelers: the Antarctic. Getting to the southernmost continent first required crossing the Drake Passage, the waters between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic's South Shetland Islands. "For almost two days, we were rocking and rolling, slipping and sliding through the Drake Passage and we were holding on for dear life," Hester said. The voyage (旅行), however, disappeared from their mind as they set foot on the ground of the Antarctic, fascinated by the breathtaking beauty of penguins, icebergs and glaciers.
Since that first adventure, the pair have visited 18 countries across all seven continents. They rode camels in Egypt, met elephants in Bali, danced in Nepal and observed the Northern Lights in Finland. And despite the challenges international travel presented, the good friends said they finished their trip without any argument. . They're both independent and stubborn (固执的), but they respected each other's feelings. And what they remember the most are the people that they met. "We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly," Hester said.
You know, people often ask us about it," said Hester. "We tell them there's one universal language, and that's the smile. We found it worked wonders because we often realized that English was not always spoken and that could cover all languages."
They also encouraged other older people not to let age hold them back. In addition to some minor changes in plans-like deciding not to ride a motorbike in Bali because of worries about falling-their age didn't affect their itinerary (旅程) abroad. They said they felt confident that if they were injured during their trip, their children would have been at peace knowing that they were doing what they absolutely wanted. And Hazel described 81 as the perfect age to embark (开始) on a trip. "Getting older does give us a little bit of wisdom of making decisions," she said.
