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

Alilou

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Great job as usual, ali. Sorry to hear about Don's issues, and hope he does recover soon!
Thanks :) Don is well on the way to recovery, and finally feeling like the help he's getting is really working. I'm back to going on hour long up hill hikes again so getting reasonable fitness levels back. Hooray!
If you need to have a summer and winter "home"; at least you have investigated enough options to realize what/where you prefer to be.
When the places best for you present themselves, you will know where they are.
Yes, we just have to wait for clear vision. In the mean time our current plans seem doable, and interesting. Heading out on a road trip at the end of the month :cheer:
 

orientalplane

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The magnificent pictures of the birds and other animals, the Buddhist temple, and the beautifully coloured markets made me cry. :wuzrobbed The Samoan lady selling flowers with a child (half) on her lap has a marvellous smile; I wonder what she was thinking. ;) I was interested by the fruits in Hawaii called longans, as they look superficially similar to wood apple fruits that we saw in Sri Lanka (though wood apples are whiter). Anyway, now that I've looked them up, I can see that the two fruits are not related at all. I was also intrigued by the trees decorating the path towards the church in Samoa; they look very much like Africa's famous "flame trees" - do you know whether they're related or whether they are in fact "flame trees"?

Thanks for four more fascinating accounts with all their insight and honesty, and, of course, the glorious photos. :)
 
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Alilou

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Awww I didn't want to make you cry. I hope in a good way. Longans are quite close to lychees I think. You've been in Sri Lanka?! When? I would love to go there. Yes, they are flame trees, and fairly standard tropical fare I think. I feel as if I see them everywhere tropical just about.
Thanks OP :)
xoxox
 

orientalplane

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Ali, it was crying in a good way, though with a hint of sadness beneath. Oh, it was a while ago that we were in Sri Lanka. But I'd recommend it as somewhere to go if you get anywhere close. Although we stayed only in the south west corner, I think of the whole island as incredibly lush and beautiful. :) Thank God the civil war is now over, and it means that other parts of the island are accessible for visitors. The capital Colombo is a very interesting and diverse city, but what I'd really recommend is taking the train from Colombo to Kandy, an incredible journey of terraced paddy fields and palm trees. :swoon: Kandy is a dazzling city (if you can really call it that; it's more like a town), though whether it's the same now I couldn't guess. There's an elephant festival every year, but I'm not sure when; we didn't get to see it in September. I know you've seen a thousand fruit markets, but I'd never seen any like the ones in Kandy. We became totally addicted to mangosteens - I just couldn't get enough of them :lol: - and everywhere the people were friendly and helpful. If you go to Kandy, take a short bus ride to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya; I know I'm a bit obsessed with flowers and all things botanical but it's no exaggeration to say that the day we visited was a day of paradise for me. :swoon:

Thank you for continuing your remarkable journal. :)
 

Alilou

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Thanks harekrishna. This unexpected break in Canberra turns out to be just what we needed. We are definitely enjoying it, especially as all our various aches and pains slowly diminish. Dinner and a movie with family last night, dinner with friends tonight, picnic and a concert at the botanical gardens with family tomorrow evening, hiking up Black Mountain almost every day. It's all go! And it's also very restful.
 

Alilou

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Wheeeeeee!!!!

I love all of your photos, alilou, but your photos of people, especially children, are the most special.

I did need a "Don't pass out!" alert before seeing that last photo, though. :fragile:

Aren't those kids wonderful- so open and uninhibited and full of joy. The photo of me climbing down the ladder? or the one of the swimming hole? We're so glad we actually climbed down there and went swimming. Once we got over the initial "no way!" it was great.
 

skatesindreams

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I have published the final post about Samoa, all about the religion, and traditional dances. We went to a most extraordinary church service while we were there.

http://alisonanddon.com/2015/01/26/oh-my-god-the-religion-of-samoa/#respond

I'm catching up; since I went to Greensboro for US Nationals!

When you said that you had attended a Samoan church service; this is the kind of service I thought you would find; as the Evangelical non-denominational/spirit-filled movement has been active there.
Thanks for a fascinating account of your visit
 

Alilou

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I'm catching up; since I went to Greensboro for US Nationals!

When you said that you had attended a Samoan church service; this is the kind of service I thought you would find; as the Evangelical non-denominational/spirit-filled movement has been active there.
Thanks for a fascinating account of your visit
Thanks! It was an amazing experience to be there in the midst of it. The energy was both wild (in the best sense of the word) and wonderful.
 

Alilou

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Thanks, once again, for introducing me to something I never would have discovered without you.
Beautiful again, ali.
Thank you both. It was a wonderful day. I'm glad we chose to go there. People live in the most amazing variety of places and the most amazing varieties of ways, and we all seem so different, and yet so very much the same.
 

orientalplane

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I hardly know what to say except :wuzrobbed: The picture of the child in a purple and white top deserves a prize. :) A fascinating, glorious journey of remarkable travels. I would never have seen and known these places and people in such intimate detail without you. The landscapes look like something out of a "Myths and Legends" storybook. You're so skilled in describing all of this both in words and with your camera, and simultaneously you're so lucky to see these places before the irrevocable push of the modern world changes them completely. :(

I can't wait for the orchids! :swoon:
 
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Alilou

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I hardly know what to say except :wuzrobbed: The picture of the child in a purple and white top deserves a prize. :) A fascinating, glorious journey of remarkable travels. I would never have seen and known these places and people in such intimate detail without you. The landscapes look like something out of a "Myths and Legends" storybook. You're so skilled in describing all of this both in words and with your camera, and simultaneously you're so lucky to see these places before the irrevocable push of the modern world changes them completely. :(

I can't wait for the orchids! :swoon:
Thank you so much! The landscape was very beautiful, the kind that leaves you kind of breathless with its endless beauty, and yes we're very very lucky to be able to travel in the way we do. Thank you for your very wonderful compliments! It's a great pleasure to share our travels, and for me to hear people enjoy it.
It must have been wonderful to be treated as an "honoured guest" in such a setting.
Yes, definitely. We were treated with great respect, even though we were looking into their private life. I think it's a trade off for them. The money that comes in from tourists helps bring improvements to the village, and it's set up in a way that it's not super intrusive.
 

Alilou

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I have two new blog posts ready.

The first is part of the This Nomadic Life series - an update from Don
http://alisonanddon.com/2015/02/18/a-second-childhood/

And the second is about orchids, beaches and dances in Fiji
http://alisonanddon.com/2015/02/26/south-sea-island-magic-the-beach-orchids-and-dancing-in-fiji/

:( I was in Australia for 4C's and only 2 hour time difference so could have watched the whole thing live but we happened to be in a place where there was very slow internet. Will catch up next May :lol:
 

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