What?!

Every once in a while on our trip, I'll be taken aback and have to do a double take.

There was that time in Myanmar.  We were traveling between Bagan and Kalaw, on a VIP bus.   The seats were quite wide.  There were three seats per row.  There was a stewardess who came by to give us cold wet cloths and a bottle of cool water when we boarded.  On the back of each seat there was a TV screen with three channels, each playing movies.

At one point during the bus ride, I looked out of the window.  We were driving through peaceful rural countryside which was full of farms and the ruins of centuries old Hindu and Buddhist temples.  As we were whizzing past the beautiful ancient temples, I was sitting on a fancy air-conditioned tourist bus watching a comedic science fiction movie starring Bruce Willis - really!  How surreal is that?!

I had another moment like that a couple of weeks ago.  I had been in Finland when Rob, Maya, and Mira left Asia and flew to Australia.  When I rejoined the family, Mira filled me in on the adventures she had had while we were apart.  She told me that she really liked being in Australia.  When I asked her why, she said it was because everyone spoke English and the labels on packaged foods in the grocery store were all in English (so she knew what everything was).  I hadn't even noticed but yes, life is in fact easier when you can read (and understand) labels and warning signs.  And indeed, everyone speaks English here!

I am grateful to be traveling with my daughters.  They keep me paying attention.  They remind me to notice things.  They keep me in the now.

Nadia

Two countries later and finally a new blog from Rob

Greetings from Coffs Habour, Australia.

It's been awhile since people have heard from me so my apologies. The reason, in part, is because a damn taxi driver stole my laptop in Hanoi - ahhhh. I've therefore been without the proper kit to send off a blog with photos for some time. Thankfully, Nadia graciously bought me a new laptop when she arrived in Melbourne so all is well and I should be able to get back on track with a post every week.

Since I last wrote, which I believe was from Cambodia last month, we've explored a bit of Vietnam and are now bouncing around Australia. For most of this time, we've been fortunate enough to visit friend after friend along our route. After leaving Cambodia we all flew to Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon) and spent an interesting day visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Vietcong worked, lived and fought  first against the French and then against the Americans. We crawled through the tunnels and wow were they tight - not for the faint of heart. From Saigon, Nadia flew to Helsinki, Finland where she had a week-long work assignment with an organization she really likes and has worked for before called Inclusive Security. Maya, Mira and I flew north to Hanoi and continued on to Halong Bay - a UNESCO World Heritage Site and where iconic limestone cliffs rise directly out of the sea. We spent two days on a boat with a group of medical students from Australia and had a great time exploring caves, kayaking, biking, and enjoying the sights.
After Halong Bay the kids and I went to visit my good friend Reed (from our Jordan days) who now lives in Hanoi. It was in the taxi ride to his house that my computer was lost. We were only with Reed for a night but it was good to catch up.

The girls and I then flew to Sydney and directly onward to the center of Australia to Ayers Rock (known as Uluru by the Aborigine). We enjoyed a night in the desert and hiking around the giant rock before taking a bus 450km to Alice Springs where we spent a few days doing day trips exploring the outback. The kids were excited to see an incredible number of beautiful birds, large lizards called goanna, wallaby and kangaroo, snakes, etc. Alice Springs is a place that feels like it's at the end of the earth and where 80% of the population is Aborigine although, sadly they seem marginalized.

After days in the outback we re-united with Nadia in a small coastal town called Merimbula, where we spent a few days at the beach house of Nadia's Australian friend Mandy (from their Seattle days) in an even smaller coastal town called Pambula. It was a nice few days where we relaxed, went to the beach, watched kangaroos bounce around everywhere, surfed a bit, fished a bit (again no luck), and pretty much just 'chilled out'.

We then traveled to the beautiful city of Melbourne where we stayed with Nadia's former room mate and good friend Megan from her post-doc days in Toronto. We stayed at Megan's flat in a trendy area of the city called St. Kilda, which is only a couple of blocks from the bay. In addition to spending quality time with Megan and her partner Murray, our time in the city included a walking and tram tour of the city, a trip to the top of the tallest building in Melbourne for a great view of the city, watched several street performers, Nadia and the kids going to the Museum of Modern Art to view an Andy Warhol and I Wei Wei exhibit, me attending two nights of men's quarterfinal tennis at Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open, and the kids enjoying a 100 year old amusement park which is still in operation.

After Melbourne we traveled about 90 miles west along the coast to Torquay where our good friend Diane, from our Zimbabwe days, lives with her two kids Zakele and Lindiway. This is where the famous surf mecca of Bell's Beach is located, as well as the home of both Rip Curl and Quicksilver surf gear. The kids went surfing a couple of days (with wetsuits - the water is cold this far south), rode bikes, and slept with their new friends in a tent in the yard. It was great to catch up with Diane and see how the kids have grown.

We're now in Coffs Harbour, which is a 90 minute flight north of Sydney and along the coast. We're staying with Nadia's good friend Carol Ann (from their San Diego days together) and her family. Again, we're right at the beach and had a chance to do a bit of surfing today. The waves are big here so we just rode the white wash. Maybe we'll try for bigger waves in the coming days.

Rob

Tight fit to get into a Cu Chi tunnel

Maya 30ft underground in tunnel

Kayaking Halong Bay on a cold grey day

Woman rowing a wicker basket style boat

The girls at Halong Bay 

Exploring massive and beautifully lit tunnel 

A little guy hanging out in tree near the beach 

Aluru - Ayers Rock 

Girls hamming it up 

One of many beautiful lizards in the outback 

Kangaroo 

Kids hiking with guide along dry riverbed outside Alice Springs 

Surfing close to shore in Coffs Bay

Wax

What is it about wax these days? It seems everywhere we try to surf the boards have no wax. I mean, it's only happened twice, but still, that's two out of the two times we have tried to surf in Australia. First, Mira and I rented a surf board in Pambula, in New South Wales. The next time we were borrowing a board from our friends in Torquey, near Melbourne. In Pambula the conditions were pretty good. The waves weren't closing out, it was warm and sunny, and it wasn't too choppy. It would have been perfect had I not slipped off my board a thousand times. It was even hard just to paddle put without slipping off sideways. The next time, while in Torquey, it was choppy and the waves weren't great, but I wanted to give it a try anyway. Every time I tried to pop up, my hands would slip right out from under me, and I would face plant into either the surf board or the waves. No matter what, a board without wax is super slippery. What's so difficult about rubbing a surf board down with wax every once in a while?

- Maya

Third Culture Family

Traveling, living, and raising my family in less industrialized countries around the world has many advantages:  we get to know countries deeply;  we (including the kids) are tolerant of the "other";  I have friends all over the world; and we are easy going and flexible (I think!).

I do however miss out on things.  I became aware of this at 18, when, as a third culture kid, I moved "home" to live in USA for the first time as a young adult attending university.  I am aware of it now, as I explore the city of Melbourne in Australia (the first heavily industrialized country we've travelled to on our Big Trip).

The beautiful and clean city of Melbourne

The big cities are incredibly clean in "first world" countries.

St. Kilda's extraordinary clean city beach

People make space and dedicate resources for art and sports.

Maya in front of Eureka Tower, with it's installation of The Bees

Mira watching a street performer along the Yarra River in downtown Melbourne

The venue for the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in downtown Melbourne

There are other things too, which I sorely miss in my "normal" life in less-industrialized countries:  organic foods, multi-cultural restaurants, grocery stores with an international range of reasonably-priced ingredients and produce, city planning, functional public transportation, and many friends and family.

At the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, with Megan, friend of over 20 years

There are pluses and minuses where ever we choose to live...

Nadia

Social Norms

Every country has it's own particular set of cultural and social norms, which are most "visible" when you first arrive in-country.  As Rob once said, it's best to take lots of photos when you first get to a place, while things still look exotic.

This is also true in European countries, as I discovered during my short respite from our Big Trip.

In Finland, separate checks at restaurants are the norm.  People like to pull their own weight.

In Finland during the winter, the sun rises after 9 am.

In Finland, no one tips.  When asked, my colleague said there was no need and "it is because we pay people well!"

In Finland, people protect the environment.  They turn the lights off when they leave a room.  This includes meeting rooms and bathrooms at the office.  They also recycle religiously.  Rubbish bins, including little ones in my hotel room, had recycle and rubbish sections.

In Finland, the daily high temperature is sometimes -18 C (equal to 0 F)

In Finland, it's a given that women and men are equal.  It isn't a matter of the father helping out.  It's a matter of how they will divide the labour.  It isn't a matter of whether the parents will get parental leave, but how the mother and father will divide up their 14 months of parental leave.  It isn't a matter of whether close to half of all peacekeepers will be women, but how they can influence other societies to become more gender equal.

I'm looking forward to observing the cultural and social norms of Australia next...

Nadia

Desert Weather

The weather here is really strange. We arrived at a hotel near Ayers Rock on January 13. After a 5 minute walk to a different part of the resort, sweat was dripping down my back. The sun beat down on my neck as I explored the sand dunes in the desert. I was expecting it to be boiling, and that it was. After dinner, the wind started howling. All day afternoon we had watched rain pour down on the horizon, and overnight that rain moved over our hotel. In the morning the formerly blue sky was replaced with a sleek grey blanket. It sprinkled as we drove the 20km to Ayers Rock, a sacred site to the aboriginals. While walking around the rock, the temperature was perfect. The sun didn't burn our shoulders, and the wind kept us cool. We couldn't have asked for a better day to hike. A couple hours later, we got on a bus to drive the 450km to Alice Springs. At our first pit stop, I got off the bus without my sweatshirt. I mean, we were in the desert, why would I need a sweater? But by the time I got back on the bus I was shivering. For the rest of the day, while the wind howled and the sun stayed hidden, I bundled up in my soft grey sweater. Who knew that in twelve hours it could go from scorching hot to freezing cold. The weather here sure is unpredictable. 

Maya

Six Month Reflection

We are about half way through our Big Trip.  We've been on the road for six months.  We travelled in 10 countries in Asia, including Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Palau, Singapore, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

I left Asia on Friday, taking a small detour from our Big Trip.  Despite short daylight hours and freezing temperatures (-11 C / 10 F), I couldn't refuse a quick work trip to Finland for a consultancy on women's rights and peace (my two passions!).  Rob and the girls are departing Asia on Tuesday, heading to Australia, where we will rendezvous on Saturday.  After a month in Oz, we continue our journey eastward towards the Americas (see map for planned itinerary).

Now that Asia is already behind me, it's a little odd to think that I won't be (easily) having noodle soup for breakfast any more...

I also find myself reflecting on our trip thus far.  A lot of people have asked me what my favorite part of the trip has been, or which country I liked best - questions I find impossible to answer!  Every part of the trip has been magical in its own way.  Some parts were very exotic.  Some parts were really fun.  Some parts were rich because we shared them with specific people (old friends, family, even new friends).  Some parts were adventurous and daring and exciting.  Some parts were hilarious.  How can I compare and rank the wonders we have seen and experienced?!?!

Alaronis on June 28, 2015, in Thailand

People have also asked me if I'm tired of traveling.  In all honesty, I'm not!  We are in a rhythm now, with our routines of packing and unpacking, and knowing our respective roles when we get to hotels or airports or train stations.  We plan slow days in which we only have one short thing planned for the day.  We plan free mornings or whole days in which we have no plans other than catching up on school work and trip planning, or hanging out reading, or playing games, or messaging with family and friends.  And we have periodic rest stops, typically at houses, in which we have a week or more in which we don't tour or move around.  We haven't been "on vacation" for six months - we have been traveling (the difference between the two is the pace).

Alaronis on December 28, 2015, in Cambodia

It has been an amazing journey so far.  We have learned a lot about the world and each other.  I am so looking forward to the adventure of the next six months!!!

Nadia

Angkor region, Cambodia

After a couple of weeks relaxing, eating and exploring Phnom Penh, we headed north to Angkor where we spent 3 days on a bike riding tour of ancient Angkor temples and other incredible ruins. A couple of mornings Nadia, our friend Matt and I were out the door at 6am to walk through some of the temples just as the sun was rising and without the hoards of visitors that would be at the same temples a couple hours later in the day. We stayed in Siem Reap, which is a nice town at the heart of the Angkor region with plenty of restaurants, pubs, and things to do and see.

After Angkor, we flew to Sinahouk Ville on the coast where we went scuba diving off an island a couple of hours offshore. We also ran in the near year at a fun beach party along with our good friends Matt and Sheila. Cambodia is a beautiful country with lots to offer - nice people, good food, lots of history (good and bad), beaches, and plenty of inexpensive ($6/hour) massage options -foot, back, shoulders, head, etc, after a long day of biking.

Note: This blog program isn't set up to hold too many photos so I'm now also posting photos on my Facebook account at: robmaroni. If any blog followers want to see more photos just sent me a 'friend request' and I'll accept so you can see more than I include in the blog.

Rob

 At Ta Prahm Temple

Corridor at Angkor Wat

The jungle is enveloping the ruins at Angkor

 Mira at Angkor Wat

 Beautiful stone sculptures

 The forests around Angkor

 Sunrise visit

 Local transport in village

 Amazing detail

 Man meets nature

 A colorful temple we visited

 Fishing village we took boat ride through

Living in a World Without Sun

Sweat dripped down my forehead as I hunched even further down, doing my best to keep my head from hitting the low ceilings. It was stuffy, and it was hot. I don't know how people survived living in the tunnels for so long. There was no room for me to move around, in fact, there was barely enough room for my shoulders to squeeze through. The tunnels were made by Vietnamese soldiers during the American war. They used no machines, and yet they still managed to create a complicated tunnel system expanding over almost 2000 meters. There are three levels, ranging from 3 meters to about 10 meters underground. As I walked through the tunnels, my back scraped the ceiling continuously. I can't imagine what it would have been like before people enlarged the tunnels for tourists. The lights flicker, and when there is a turn the lights almost completely disappear. Luckily, when we went down lightbulbs had been put into the tunnels, but during the war, candles were the main light source. What would it have been like at the time? Did the tunnels shake when bombs landed nearby? Could they hear tanks thundering overhead? What could it have been like, to live for so long in a world with no sun?

- Maya

 Entrance to tunnel

 American tank

One of the tunnels (enlarged for tourists!)

Old Friends

We are with Matt and Sheila, my parents' friends who came to visit. Sheila is open to trying new things but unfortunately she was sick the night my sister decided to try some local cuisine. Matt hates bugs even dead ones. He freaks out when there is a bug 5 feet away from him.

Maya took us to a place called Bugs Cafe.

She loves trying new things, including bugs, but nobody else liked it. We took a look at the menu: 

And Matt was not happy. We ordered. We ate. And I will never have another barbeque skewer again! The tarantula was hairy.  The crickets felt like they were still alive in my mouth, and the water bug was squishy! Matt didn't want to be the only person who didn't eat a bug so he picked up my water bug and heled it up to his face, then we took a photo, then he dropped the stick and gagged! He had at least 6 beers!!

- Mira