By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com
Bonnie Evans discovered her love of traveling back when she was the wife of a naval officer, living in Jacksonville, Texas, California, and Iceland over a 10 year period. During her three years in Iceland, Evans was able to take “R&R” trips to Spain, England and Scotland. Evans got divorced in her 20s, but she continued to take as many trips as she could with her two sons throughout her 30s. Employed with Bank of America and living in Atlanta, Evans met her second husband, Joe, of 44 years there. He passed away in 2015 from two incurable blood cancers. She credits travel with prolonging his life, spending his last seven years on adventures all around the world. Now 77 and living in Nocatee, Evans continues to travel and learn about new cultures, food and perspectives. Her most recent trip took her on a 71-day Holland America “Grand Africa Voyage Zaandam” cruise that circumnavigated the African continent. Evans had visited Africa once before, falling in love with the wild animals and the people. It was the longest cruise that Evans had ever been on, and, while she would never likely cruise for that long again, she returned with some extraordinary memories, a suitcase full of souvenirs and absolutely no regrets.
Q: What were the highlights of your cruise?
A: The wild animals and going on photo safaris. We did three different ones on this cruise (Tanzania, South Africa, and Senegal). At one watering hole, we had a male lion and a female lion literally within a few feet of the front of the vehicle nonchalantly walk across and stroll over to a pride of lions, a whole family. This was considered their spring, so there were a lot of babies. We saw baby hippos, baby elephants and baby wildebeest. It was just an incredible feeling, and that is what makes me keep going back.
Q: What was the most challenging part of the cruise?
A: One of the hardest things to grasp emotionally was the amount of poverty. We have no idea of what real poverty is unless you see it overseas. We have nothing like that in my opinion in the United States. No running water, no heat, no electricity, no sewage. It was very difficult for most of us to see how bad it was. We all tipped generously to anybody who assisted us in any way and gave away extra clothing that we had.
Q: You mentioned that you have hosted many people in your home over the years. What has that experience been like for you?
A: I have hosted adults since 2009 through Friendship Force International, which exists in 59 countries. I have hosted people from all over the world and was awarded the George Brown Medal in 2007 for the goodwill I promoted with people from other countries. I have hosted people from Egypt, The Republic of Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Costa Rica, Japan, Australia and Chile. I have also visited a lot of these places to visit people as a result of hosting.
Q: What are some of your other hobbies?
A: I am a board member with Newcomers of the Beaches where we have 247 members. This is for anyone who has moved here in the last three years whether it is a move from another state or just moving from another area of town. It is a social club to find your new best friend. I am also a part of the Ponte Vedra Women’s Club, BEAM and the Democratic Club.
Q: What is your next adventure?
A: I will head to Maui in February, which is where I feel closest to Joe. In March, I will fly to Auckland, New Zealand (a bucket list destination) and spend seven days exploring with two friends who live there. I will then do another Holland America cruise for 14 days to New Zealand and Australia. I will disembark in Sydney and stay with another friend where we will complete another two of my bucket list items: attend the opera “Madame Butterfly” at the Sydney Opera House and take an overnight snorkeling boat tour on the Great Barrier Reef and sleep under the stars.
Photo courtesy Bonnie Evans
Bonnie Evans at Al Mustafa Mosque in Sharm El-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
