{"id":1513,"date":"2021-08-03T14:18:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T14:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1513"},"modified":"2021-08-03T14:18:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T14:18:42","slug":"august-3-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikingwithmike.com\/?p=1513","title":{"rendered":"August 3, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As I wrote yesterday, I have booked a ticket to Lisbon, Portugal and will spend part of today filling in more details for my adventure.\u00a0 I must say that when I woke up this morning and thought about it for a second, I had a fleeting moment of panic.\u00a0 What have I done?\u00a0 It was kind of like the day after they delivered my Harley in April and I walked into the garage the next day and saw it standing there.\u00a0 I had the same reaction.\u00a0 What have I done?\u00a0 I think they call that \u2018buyer\u2019s remorse.\u2019\u00a0 That said, I\u2019ve grown quite fond of my Harley and have enjoyed riding it and am certainly glad I took my trip over to the coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any momentary trepidations about taking this scouting trip to Portugal quickly faded after I read the latest blog from Heather Cox Richardson^{1<\/sup> about what is currently going on in Hungary and how it somewhat parallels what is going on here in the United States.\u00a0 I also thought about the book that I am currently reading, \u201cI Alone Can Fix It; Donald J. Trump\u2019s Catastrophic Final Year,\u201d by Pulitzer Prize winning authors Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker.\u00a0 I have read a lot of political books over the last 18 months but this is perhaps the scariest and most depressing.\u00a0 Anyone who believes that Trump is fit to be president of this country (or any country) should read this book.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how anyone could read this and conclude that this man is fit to be anywhere near the levers of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n}

So, I will plow ahead with my plans to explore places where I might be comfortable being a full or part time ex-pat.\u00a0 I would be lying (and there is enough of that going around) if I said I wasn\u2019t concerned about how COVID might wreak havoc on my trip (or me!), but I just feel like it\u2019s time to press ahead.\u00a0\u00a0 The 2022 elections are a little over a year away and I want to be well down the road of making this transition if I choose to do so.\u00a0 If the Republicans retake the House and\/or the Senate in 2022, things in Washington DC will come to a screeching halt, and more concerning is the fact that the outcome of the 2024 election will be almost a foregone conclusion given all of the gerrymandering and voter suppression activities currently underway.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was reviewing some of the postings I wrote last year and it was clear to me months before the election that Trump would not accept the results of the election and allow a peaceful transition of power.\u00a0 I hate to say, \u201cI told you so, \u201cbut I told you so.\u00a0 Nothing that happened leading up to the election nor any of the events that happened after the election, including the insurrection attempt on January 6^{th<\/sup>, should have been a surprise to anyone who was paying attention.\u00a0 Unfortunately, there are two forces at work in this country that will continue to contribute to the rise of the type of authoritarianism that has taken hold in Hungary and Belarus \u2013 both ostensible democracies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n}

The first is the large segment of the population that have fully bought into \u2018the big lie\u2019 and all of the attendant conspiracy theories, many of whom are ready and willing to resort to violence to \u201cmake America great.\u201d (Translate that to read \u2018white, Christian\u2019 akin to what is going on in Hungary) The other thing at work is the \u2018this could never happen in America\u2019 mind set.\u00a0 It is happening and just like it was blatantly obvious that Trump would never accept the results of the election, it is very obvious that there are forces at work in this country which intend to make America a democracy in name only when, in fact, they desire it to become an authoritarian, one-party oligarchy.\u00a0 \u00a0I would like to be wrong \u2013 but I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enough of that.\u00a0 Back to Portugal.\u00a0 First of all, for anyone contemplating moving overseas full or part time, I recommend the publication, \u201cInternational Living\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s a small, monthly publication that has articles covering difference aspects of living in virtually any corner of the world.\u00a0 Who ever thought about retiring in Uruguay, but it\u2019s an interesting option. The bottom line is that there are tons of options out there that are worth exploring.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this upcoming adventure is shaping up, I have already learned a few interesting things.\u00a0 Some car rental companies in Portugal may impose a surcharge for drivers less than 25 and over 70!!\u00a0 Since I will turn 70 in September, it looks like I may be paying a little more for a rental car in Portugal.\u00a0 Some countries, including Portugal, require an International Driver\u2019s License.\u00a0 In the pre-COVID days, you could just run down to your local AAA office and get an international driver\u2019s license.\u00a0 Surprise \u2013 not so true now.\u00a0 Many AAA offices are no longer processing International Driver\u2019s Licenses.\u00a0 However, there is an alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA)^{2<\/sup> will process an International Driver\u2019s License.\u00a0 It can be done online and only costs about $20.\u00a0 I submitted my application by mail and my international license was returned to me in about two weeks.\u00a0\u00a0 I now have an International Driver\u2019s License with a motorcycle endorsement \u2013 look out!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n}

In addition to continuing to flesh out my trip to Portugal today, I have to cancel a trip I planned in late September to go hike the West Highland Way in Scotland.\u00a0 I would love to make the trek but the majority of people who make this trek do so in the summer when the weather is better. I finally came to my senses and decided that hiking by myself across the Scottish Highlands at a time when there was a significant increase in possible inclement weather was probably not a wise idea.\u00a0 One of these days if I can find another fool to go with me, I may put that hike back on the agenda for next year.\u00a0 We\u2019ll see, but for now, on to Portugal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n