alilou's Adventures in Wonderland 2 - all over the map

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
I finally have a new blog post ready. This one is about our stay with a long-time friend in San Pedro La Laguna on the famous Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Having a friend who has lived there for many years gave us an authentic inside look into this beautiful Mayan community.

Let The Beauty Of What You Love Be What You Do*: The Tz’utuhil Maya of Guatemala

https://alisonanddon.com/2017/06/08...e-what-you-do-the-tzutuhil-maya-of-guatemala/
 

dinakt

Well-Known Member
Messages
6,919
I've just published a new blog post - about landing back in Vancouver and a surprise new place to live.

The End of an Era
Thank you, such a great read.
I think you can be both courageous and inspiring to people, and be a great success for what you accomplished without perceiving yourself as such. So let us be the ones to admire and be inspired, while you live the way you want to, whether traveling or nesting:) Hope life is treating you well, and look forward to reading through your past travels as you rest up for the new ones.
(I just greedily favorited your New Zealand posts for future perusing... your photos. Swoon.)
 
Last edited:

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
Thank you, such a great read.
I think you can be both courageous and inspiring to people, and be a great success for what you accomplished without perceiving yourself as such. So let us be the ones to admire and be inspired, while you live the way you want to, whether traveling or nesting:) Hope life is treating you well, and look forward to reading through your past travels as you rest up for the new ones.
(I just greedily favorited your New Zealand posts for future perusing... your photos. Swoon.)
Oh thank you @dinakt. I love the way you put it. I am resting and nesting and slowly getting strong. It is a new kind of adventure. And I know I have so much to write about anyway whether adventuring abroad or not. New Zealand is amazing! One of the most fabulous places we visited. Enjoy the posts!
 

skatesindreams

Well-Known Member
Messages
30,696
You are doing what you are meant to do, at the moment.

Having a "home"; with a sense of "permanence" and "belonging" is healthy.
What you didn't have, as a "Nomad", was a place to which you could "return".
I suspect that most people need that; some, more than others.

I await your future discoveries, adventures, and travels.
I do believe there is a book in your future, as well.
 

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
You are doing what you are meant to do, at the moment.

Having a "home"; with a sense of "permanence" and "belonging" is healthy.
What you didn't have, as a "Nomad", was a place to which you could "return".
I suspect that most people need that; some, more than others.

I await your future discoveries, adventures, and travels.
I do believe there is a book in your future, as well.
Life surprised us, but yes, we are doing what we're meant to be doing a the moment. We both love the idea of travelling while having a home to return to. And I have no doubt there'll be more adventures. And a book - when the time is right.
 

Simone411

To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
Messages
19,062
@alilou, I just want to thank you for sharing so much with us throughout these past few years. I've always looked forward to reading your blog. It's been enlightening, adventurous with so many beautiful photos of all the countries and cities you've been to. I've enjoyed it thoroughly simply because I know without a doubt that I won't actually get to visit those places, but through you, I feel like in a way that I have been to those beautiful places. Much gratitude and appreciation from this fellow FSUer and friend. <3
 

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
I agree with Skatesindreams that most people need a home. Knowing there is a home to return to while traveling gives a sense of security.

Oh I know I'm going to love having a home to return to. I don't regret for a second what we did, on the contrary it was an amazing period of our life, but now it feels more and more that it's time to stop, and writing this post has helped me to get that.

@alilou, I just want to thank you for sharing so much with us throughout these past few years. I've always looked forward to reading your blog. It's been enlightening, adventurous with so many beautiful photos of all the countries and cities you've been to. I've enjoyed it thoroughly simply because I know without a doubt that I won't actually get to visit those places, but through you, I feel like in a way that I have been to those beautiful places. Much gratitude and appreciation from this fellow FSUer and friend. <3

Thank you so much for your kind words @Simone411! I'm glad you've been enjoying the blog, and travelling with us. Sharing all our adventures, while stressful at times, has been a huge creative adventure for me, and a great pleasure. Sometimes I even go back and read my own posts :lol: (and then I want to make a million adjustments and corrections :lol:) <3
 

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
Thank you, for bringing Havana so vividly to life!
I'll look forward to more.
You're welcome @skatesindreams. It was actually a difficult post to put together - so many photographs, so much "inside" information from our Cuban friend, so many feelings about the place. Trying to distil it all into coherent posts was challenging. There will be two more about Havana, and probably 3 or 4 more about the other places we visited. Cuba was something very special for us. Not always easy, but definitely unique and fascinating.
 

Simone411

To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
Messages
19,062
Thank you, @alilou. I've actually learned so much about the countries and cities you've visited ... some things I ordinarily wouldn't know just by reading about the places in a Geography book, etc. Thank you for sharing about Pedro's life in Cuba. It's interesting to know that he's the only one left out of the 42 members of his graduating class. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, too! I've always believed that it keeps our minds active and alert to learn something new each and every day! :respec:
 

skatesindreams

Well-Known Member
Messages
30,696
Pedro surely is a master at making use of those "Life Hacks"; although one wishes they weren't needed!
Perhaps, we can hope for a future where the infrastructure will improve; and there will be more openness and freedom.
 

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
Thank you, @alilou. I've actually learned so much about the countries and cities you've visited ... some things I ordinarily wouldn't know just by reading about the places in a Geography book, etc. Thank you for sharing about Pedro's life in Cuba. It's interesting to know that he's the only one left out of the 42 members of his graduating class. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, too! I've always believed that it keeps our minds active and alert to learn something new each and every day! :respec:

Thanks @Simone411, and you're welcome! I'm so glad we met Pedro. He was really helpful in finding accommodation for us, and of course was a mine of information. We had dinner one night with him and his wife which I'll write about later. I do agree it's good to keep learning. Doing the blog sure keeps me on my toes. I often learn so much more about place long after we've been there. When I'm putting together a blog post I do a lot of research, and try to double check information about a place before I include it.

Pedro surely is a master at making use of those "Life Hacks"; although one wishes they weren't needed!
Perhaps, we can hope for a future where the infrastructure will improve; and there will be more openness and freedom.

Pedro, and his fellow Cubans - it's amazing the things they've figured out to make life work even with the restrictions. The people are amazing, and the system they're stuck in makes me sad. I do believe there will be slow change. Raúl Castro wants to grow the economy so maybe more free market enterprise will be allowed. There are some people who are already quite wealthy, and the very tiny beginnings of a middle class I think. Although mass tourism will change the country (as it has elsewhere) it is one good source of income for Cuba. Tobacco of course is another. I guess their cigars are famous for a reason.
 

Simone411

To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
Messages
19,062
Gosh! What you stated @alilou

For the first time in 5.5 years we have a car, and furniture, and our own home.

It’s been a curious adjustment for me, perhaps a little bewildering. It’s not what I would have chosen, but given my issues with mobility there was no choice, and a sweet place at an even sweeter price became available for us. What a blessing!

It continually amazes me the way we create our reality without even being aware of it. During all the years of travelling whenever I thought of settling again in Vancouver I assumed, given soaring rents and our limited budget, that it would have to be a small place on the far eastern side of the city. And that’s exactly what became available – never mind that we would have been eligible for an apartment with the same organization in a much more central location with a water view. I never caught the thought that locked us into where we are, and so never opened up my vision to different possibilities.

I understand what you mean in a way. In the past, I had the opportunity to travel with a couple of my best friends. It was the summer of 1988 which was a year after my mom passed away. My BFF's husband was working in Reno, Nevada for a company called Strand Fiber Optics. He got to see most of the United States with that job since they had to dig ditches and lay the underground cable.

My friend had a three weeks vacation, and so did I. She wanted me come with her and her sister just to get away for awhile. My dad and I had been there for my mother through the thick and thin of it. My mother fought a battle with Cancer, and for 8 years, she had been in remission. The cancer came back in July of 1985 and I took her to Shreveport for all of her Chemo treatments. When my mom passed away in 1987, it was like part of me died, and I was angry for the longest because she was so young. I felt death had cheated her when she was only 52 years old.

So this trip was exactly what I needed. We drove through the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California. I ended up using 5 rolls of film. I had never seen mountains other than the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. I took a lot of the photos of mountains from the car while we were driving. Some other photos I took were of Hoover Dam, Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake in Truckee California, some Bike riders in Fresno, California, Meteor City and Yosemite National Park.

Lisa, Ang & Cindy's Vacation Adventure.

At any rate, I was glad to get home after the 2 1/2 weeks of traveling by car. I was glad I had a place to come home to. The only other time I had been gone from home was in 2005 when I worked in New Orleans for 6 months. I helped move the main office of where I worked to a permanent home in New Orleans.

The other time was when I had to stay at NurseCare from April 2011 through April of 2012. I became homesick while I was there. It helped that my family and some of my friends would come to visit each week. It also was wonderful during Christmas there because so many of the FSUers here sent me Christmas Cards and they were from around the world. At that time there were so many people/patients living at NurseCare that never had any visitors (family or friends).

I realized after thinking about that what I could do. The doors there for the patient's rooms were huge and wide. I got one of the nurses to help me tape the cards to the outside of the door whenever I received them in the mail. There must have been around 80 cards or more, and we managed to get every Christmas Card taped to that door.

This was my way of sharing those cards with the patients that didn't have any family members or friends that visited them. Each and every day, those patients who were also friends of mine came to my door just to see where the new cards came from. They were so excited and happy, and they didn't feel so lonely after that. Those patients and friends thanked me for sharing the cards. They told me that it made their days a little brighter.

So FSUers here had a part in making those lonely patients and friends a little happier. I still have all those beautiful cards and I cherish them because I helped bring some of that happiness to those people.

Needless to say, I was so happy when I was finally able to leave NurseCare and go home. I've been blessed with a loving family, wonderful friends from here, my BFF and a place I can call Home. <3
 

Alilou

Ubercavorter
Messages
7,277
Thanks @skatesindreams. I am starting to feel settled. It's a sweet place we found. We feel very lucky and blessed. I love thrift store shopping! :cheer:

@Simone411 so sorry about your mom, it must have been a very difficult time for you. How wonderful that you had that road trip to help you through your grief. It sounds like an amazing trip.
How beautiful it was of you to share all the cards from FSU with all the others in NurseCare. What a thoughtful sweet gesture! And then it must have been beyond wonderful to have finally been able to come home to your own home. Even though you've not been away from home much, I get the feeling you've still had a pretty adventurous life one way and another :)
 

Simone411

To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
Messages
19,062
Thanks @skatesindreams. I am starting to feel settled. It's a sweet place we found. We feel very lucky and blessed. I love thrift store shopping! :cheer:

@Simone411 so sorry about your mom, it must have been a very difficult time for you. How wonderful that you had that road trip to help you through your grief. It sounds like an amazing trip.
How beautiful it was of you to share all the cards from FSU with all the others in NurseCare. What a thoughtful sweet gesture! And then it must have been beyond wonderful to have finally been able to come home to your own home. Even though you've not been away from home much, I get the feeling you've still had a pretty adventurous life one way and another :)
Thanks so much @alilou. You're definitely right about an adventurous life. Most everything on my bucket list has been fulfilled including a few surprises along the way. I can't be as adventurous now with my disability, but that hasn't stopped me completely. My life has become a little more interesting with each year that passes and I'll soon be celebrating another birthday. That to me alone makes me smile proving my doctors wrong. My life didn't stop in April of 2011, and I celebrated another birthday on 09/10/11. You know, that month, day and year will never happen again and I lived to celebrate that special day. Wow! I'll be 59 in September ... one year away from the 60's, and I'm going to love it!! You know, I cherish each and every moment that I've been blessed with for the past 6 years, and I'd also like to share a poem I wrote in January of 1982. Time certainly does fly by, and that will always be part of life until it ends. :)

Fantasize

If we could capture
The seconds of time
Not allowing them to escape ...

And soar
Through the air
Like leaves
Fluttering in the breeze,
Blowing in the wind ...

Then, perhaps,
For the first time
One could see time
And appreciate
Its real beauty.

alilou, I believe this is why I love to read your blog so much. You have been able to capture those precious moments of time through writing and the beautiful photos of all those wonderful places. In a way, you've made those adventures timeless. <3
 
Last edited:

Maofan7

Away (Workload)
Messages
19,979
I have a new blog post ready. This one is about our new home in Vancouver, and about adjusting to having a home again after 5.5 years of being nomadic. It's been three months and it still feels weird.

Homing In On Home

Glad your settling in! When I last moved, I felt really disorientated. It takes time to get everything in the right place and to settle into the new routines. But once I had finally got that sorted out and had been here for around 6 months, it finally felt like "home".
 

Maofan7

Away (Workload)
Messages
19,979
You know, I cherish each and every moment that I've been blessed with for the past 6 years, and I'd also like to share a poem I wrote in January of 1982. Time certainly does fly by, and that will always be part of life until it ends. :)

Fantasize

If we could capture
The seconds of time
Not allowing them to escape ...

And soar
Through the air
Like leaves
Fluttering in the breeze,
Blowing in the wind ...

Then, perhaps,
For the first time
One could see time
And appreciate
Its real beauty.

What a lovely poem!

My brother passed away unexpectedly last May. Really hammered home a quote from Steve Jobs that I once came across: "If you live each day as it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right. Every morning I looked in the mirror and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I do today? And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." Never take life for granted, make the most of each day, and as you say: "cherish each and every moment". It certainly sounds like you have done just that with your adventurous life and I hope you get to complete your bucket list.
 
Last edited:

Simone411

To Boldly Explore Figure Skating Around The World
Messages
19,062
What a lovely poem!

My brother passed away unexpectedly last May. Really hammered home a quote from Steve Jobs that I once came across: "If you live each day as it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right. Every morning I looked in the mirror and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I do today? And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." Never take life for granted, make the most of each day, and as you say: "cherish each and every moment". It certainly sounds like you have done just that with your adventurous life and I hope you get to complete your bucket list.
Thanks for sharing about your brother passing away, and thanks for sharing what Steve Jobs said. I don't know if I'll complete that bucket list. I'm pretty satisfied, however, with what I have accomplished and that's all that matters. <3 :)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information