Tinkerblue

The Emotionals Highs and Lows of Travelling

6 months on a ship with 1000+ crew.  Always someone around when you need a hug or a friend to talk to.  On the flip side it's hard to find a minute alone.  It was a rough contract, I had some conflict with colleagues. It was an great contract, I made 2 or three good friends, and I learnt a lot this contract.

 

3 days in Vancouver in friends. Too little time, running round getting ready for vacation in Peru. Some friends didn't even know I was there, please don't feel I was ignoring you.  I feel bad I didn't even phone to say hi.

4 days travelling with Michelle. It's the first time we've done a major trip together, I think we travel well together.  Neither of us needed a set schedule and we were happy to go with the flow.

 

4 days hiking the Inca Trail with a group of 12, 2 guides and 14 porters. One of the hardest things I ever done. The two guides had the patience of saints, and I certainly could not have got through this trek without them. Michelle knew when to be encouraging, when to let me vent, when to leave me alone and when to give me a hug.  I'm so proud that we finished this together.

 

2 more days sightseeing with Michelle. Well not really sightseeing, we were holed up in a hotel room while a protest when on outside.  Good thing we don't mind spending time together. 

 

Now? Now I'm on my own

 

in a gorgeous hotel room (seriously might be the fanciest hotel room I've ever occupied)

 

in the historic and beautiful city of Cusco, Peru.

 

I've just hiked the 4 day Inca Trail. I've just spent a day at Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the new 7 wonder of the world, a place some people only ever dream of going.  I should feel ecstatic. There's a hundred things I could do tonight. Walk down to the main square and enjoy a drink on a balcony, find a restaurant and treat myself to a lovely meal, go to the observatory, find a pisco sour making class, have a bubble bath...

 

All similar to things I've done before. But for some reason tonight I don't want to be travelling on my on.  I want to be with a partner, a friend, a group of friends, some family members or even someone I've hiked with for the last 4 days but don't really know.  Sometimes I like to be a lone, but I don't like to be lonely.  Tonight I feel lonely.  I  just want to curl up in bed and cry.  

I'm not looking for sympathy, I know I lived a charmed life.  I can afford to travel and do exciting things. I don't have a family or house or obligations.  I am work hard and I appreciate that I am able to visit wonderful places like this.   I'll get over it by tomorrow but today it makes me sad.

I just need to focus on how incredible it felt to be here just a few days ago...

They Gave Their Lives - Australian War Memorial, Canberra

Jo-Anne lives in Canberra, with her husband and two kids. Her kids are 7 and 5. I've not met Oliver or Sophie. I haven't seen Jo-Anne and Mick since 1996. I've been to the Australian War Memorial before, so I left Hubby there for the morning, while I spent the morning with Jo-Anne and her family. We chatted about Guides, travels, mutual friends, Mexico, families, jobs, and more. I was gone for a few hours and it was so good to see Jo again.  

Back at the War Memorial still wasn't done.  So I had a little bit of time for myself. I didn't go through the museum that is within the Memorial, I did spend time in the Commemorative Courtyard at the Pool of Reflection and Eternal Flame. It was very calm and peaceful. 

 

 

Above the courtyard and outside the Hall of Memory is the Roll of Honour. The names of almost every Australian who has died in war since 1885 are engraved in a long series of bronze panels. That's more than 102,000 people.  Just seeing the size of the bronze panels gives you some sense of the magnitude of the lives lost. This is only half, if that. Visitors have placed poppies next to names that are significant to them.

 

 

The archways name the battlefields on which Australians have fought.

 

The Hall of Memory sent goosebumps down my arms, and brought tears to myeyes. It is awe- inspiring. See the 5 stained glass windows in the photo below? There are 15 within the Hall, each window represents a defining quality of the Australian servicemen and women at war.

 

 

At the centre of the Hall is the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. Behind the tomb are 4 pillars that represent earth, air, fire and water, which in turn represent all the landscapes and climates where Australians have fought and died.

 

The tomb is right below the dome. The mosaic in the dome depicts the soles of the dead rising from the earth towards their spiritual home, represented by a glowing sun within the Southern Cross.

 

 

The walls of the Hall of Memory are covered in one of the world's largest mosaics (6 million plus enameled glass tiles). The figures are a soldier, sailor, airman, and a service woman.

 

 airman detail


 soldier detail

 

The Australian War Memorial stands at one end of Anzac Parade and Parliament House (both old and new) are at the other.

Queensland Flood Crisis

Tonight my family is safe and sound and dry. We've been out for dinner and come home to a warm, dry house.

We are sitting here watching the live coverage of the Queensland floods. Already an area the size of France and Germany combined has flooded over the last week or so. 75% of the State has been declared a disaster zone. 10 people are dead and 78 are missing.

Over the next few days the rivers in Queensland will continue to rise. The river in Brisbane is not expected to peak for another 2 days. The last big floods were in 1974 and this is worse. Way worse.

We have family and friends in Queensland. So far everyone is okay and their homes have luckily not been affected.

I have friends in Brisbane tonight who are at home, making preparations and waiting. Waiting to see if the floods will bypass them or not. Waiting to see if they will need to evacuate. Waiting to see if their homes, workplaces, livelihoods will survive. Waiting. There's not much else they can do.

It's pretty terrible watching it on TV. I cannot even begin to imagine what it's like for the people who are living it.

It's going to take weeks, months, longer for the communities in Queensland to recovery and rebuild.

Want to do something. You can help. Make a donation to the flood appeal.
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Premiers-Disaster-Relief-Appeal/154284977953701