Wordless Wednesday: Beyond Language

Of what I remember....

Back in 2011, I treated my family to an 8 day cruise in the South Pacific.  This was when my husband was about to undergo chemotherapy, and we all needed something to look forward to... that, and I am irresponsible with insurance money ;)

It was the best thing we could have done at the time. 

Looking back, its hard to remember the stresses or strains around why we were going.  I am a mad collector.  I believe collector is a nicer term than junk-hoarder.  I tend to gather knick-knacks and whatsits, as well as never throwing away all sorts of stuff from trips.  I would be a scrapbooker, but I get distracted by stationery and end up being too much of a perfectionist with no actual skill.  So I have taken to making photobooks.  I now have 4 beautiful photo books for various overseas trips (hopefully one for a trip to China joins the ranks later in the year) and a few from performances.

But I hadn't made one for anyone else before.

My sister is a single mother, of 3 kids.  She had 2 when we went on the cruise.  She had a particularly difficult year, and needed a break.  I don't think she had been on a holiday for over 10 years, and hadn't been anywhere with the kids.  I thought it would be great to be able to just not worry about cleaning or cooking on the boat.  That, and I love sitting around reading books. ;)

I never knew really what she thought, because, well, my experience was different.  I joined the walking group, always join the juggling group, join the spa and sit and read in the relaxation room, sit on the deck and write poems and postcards.  She always seemed manic.  And I did worry that I had stressed her out by forcing her into a holiday.

However, she asked me to make her a photobook.  Her kiddos, then 1 and 3, still talk about the boat and want to look at the pictures.  So, Mr 2 and Ms 4 demanded a book.  The book from when we went to Tonga. 

The point of all this?  Going through all the photos she took, initially, I didn't even notice it was the same trip.  My pictures are so.... involved.  Things are happening, places are important, and generally I am having to take selfies on a beach because the husband is sunbathing.  She has all these memories of people who the kids liked, the steward who made towels into animals for the kids, massive ice-creams melting onto smiling faces, sand-covered bottoms, and heaps of sleeping babies under tables, on beaches, in the arms of statues.  Basically I saw the trip through a mothers eyes.  She didn't need  to worry about cooking and cleaning... she just had time to enjoy her kids while they were small.  I definitely don't think it was easy, but I think she had a good time.

The kids definitely want to go again.  And now that there is a new baby, well.... we will have to wait until he is 3.  Next time I think Treena would appreciate being able to sign all the kids up for the club... just so she can have a chance to unwind as well.

I make my photo books on Snapfish, because it is fast, easy, and really good value.  They also save the photos at full resolution... which is super handy, as I would have lost so many pictures permanently after my laptop was stolen last year.  I heart snapfish.

Destination Friday: Anything with a Beach

The weather is cooling here, and as much as I like falling leaves and roaring fires, I miss the beach. I was never much of a beach-bunny growing up, but when I finally learned to swim (about 5 years ago) I found myself loving being near water. The price I pay is sunburn... and a lot of it. But, thank goodness for rash-vests and SPF 80 sunscreen.

A secluded beach off of Va'vau in Tonga

The beach always seems so primal to me, real, and untouched. Living in the country means a trip to the beach is rugged, and isolated, which I love. When traveling beaches remind me of home, because the oceans all touch each other. Every drop of water is a drop closer to home, and all the things I miss, all the things I'd rather forget, and a reminder that we are all only separated by space. People are the same, the world over, we just look different, speak different and have different aspirations. Other than that, we long for home, we seek our own adventures and we carry on carrying on.

So this week, where is your happy place? Link up any travel related post, or just a post that shows where you are happiest. Thanks for reading.

Wordless Wednesday: Into the Abyss

Thanks for visiting.  Please feel free to follow my blog, and share your Wordless Wednesday images below.

Swimming with the Swallows

While in Tonga we visited the Swallows Cave, off Va'vau.  The trip was amazing.  Inside the cave, the water was so clear that we could see the bottom of the ocean 50 metres below.  Fish swam, and so did we.  Above us, the swallows nested in their mud nests, precariously clinging to the ceiling of the cave.

The cave itself seems to be somewhere that people, both local and tourists, write their names in the rock.  Generally people seemed annoyed by it, but given that locals have been heading out, and climbing as high as they can in the cave to write their name, or the name of a loved one on the wall, it was hard not to see something so simple and delightful in it.  Something like a local flavour of carving initials in a tree.

More Island Time

After spending a veritable lifetime in and out of hospitals with the husband, it is time to remember what happened up until the day before the first visit.... we were back in the islands!  Best of all, we were there with my whole family, which made for instant rent-a-friends as well as entertainment value.

There will be more posted on the locations and what we did in a short while, but for now, some images from the nicest places to visit; Fiji and Tonga.  Both islands were filled with poor people, but rich in personality and generousity.  I would go back in a heart beat.

Destination Friday: All the Preparations

We are now only 2 weeks away from departing, and the preparations are well underway.  Every time we go somewhere, I tend to be in one of 2 camps:
1.  The overly packed with too much stuff OR
2.  Leaving everything I need at home

This time, my goal is simple.  Have everything I need, carry no excess, and avoid sunburn.

To this end I have been trying to pack for the last few weeks.  I bought a new suitcase, as my last one was too easy to overpack.... and the airline managed to rip the handle off on the last trip.  It has been needing to be replaced for a while.  Knowing I will have crutches has been a bonus as well, because I have had to really think about how I will journey.  The new bag is a back-pack, with the facility to pull along on wheels.

And I bought a rash-vest.  Yep, I will be soooooooooo untrendy.... but who cares.  I *hopefully* will avoid sunburn, without giving up snorkeling.  The worst part of the last trip was learning that coral reefs can be killed with sunscreen, so you are not supposed to wear it into the water.... which of course leads to major burns, and a lack of fun later on.  So the long sleeved rash vest will be handy.

Also, Tonga has strict laws against the exposure of flesh.  Wearing the vest will totally prevent me from being arrested on the beach!  Traveling with my multi-use skirts and cover-up sarongs will have another hidden benefit.

So, where have you been?