Two 81-year-old best friends from US's Texas are proving that adventure doesn’t have an age limit. Ellie Hamby, a documentary photographer, and Sandy Hazelip, a physician and lecturer, toured the world in 80 days which included admiring the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Speaking about how they planned the trip, Hazelip told CNN that the idea for their trip originated when they were each set to turn 80. “I just got the idea because we had traveled previously together internationally,” she told the publication. “And so about four years before we were going to turn 80, I mentioned to her one day, ‘Ellie, wouldn’t it be fun to go around the world in 80 days at age 80?’”
Some of the places that the duo have visited include London, Zanibar, Zambia, Egypt, Nepal, Bali, and India.
Hazelip and Hamby also shared a picture clicked in front of the Taj Mahal and shared an interesting anecdote about how the photo was taken.
"What an amazing view! Here is how the photo was taken in case you are curious. Our guide, Anil, was an amazing photographer and used a very clever technique for this photo," they wrote on Instagram."There was no water there but he took my water bottle and poured about 1/4 cup on the marble floor. He knew the light was right for a reflection of the Taj. He laid on the marble and took the shot with the camera on the marble slanting up. The actual area of the water was about 15 inches wide although it looks almost like a lake. Absolutely amazing results!"
The best friends also went sight-seeing on a rickshaw in Old Delhi.
Documenting their travels on Instagram and TikTok, Hamby and Hazelip garnered more than 52,000 followers and visited 18 countries across all seven continents.
Originally, the two had planned to start travelling in 2022 when they were 80 years old. "Covid shut those plans down. But Covid didn’t shut us down. So we went this year, and our theme was, ‘At 81 and still on the run'," told CNN.
Speaking about the best parts of the journey, Hamby said it was the people they met along the way.“We love all the sights that we saw, but the things that we remember the most are the people that we met,” she told the publication. “We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people in the world. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly.”
Meanwhile, Hazelip explained how 81 is “the perfect age” to embark on their trip. “Getting older does give you a little bit of wisdom of making decisions,” she said. “And so that’s the fun part. I think at this age I appreciate so much (of) the beauty and I can really just soak it in. And for me, this was the perfect age to go. I’m so thankful.”
Now, the best friends have already returned to their homes in Texas and are busy planning for their next trip, they told CNN.
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