We are doing pretty well. We've been on the road for 52 days and we seem to settle into a normal traveling mode. 
The main negative factor is that it seems not to be enough time for anything. We don't have enough time to read about the places we will visit, we don't have time to play, to watch a movie or do almost anything. There is not enough computer time, to process pictures or write the blog. There is absolutely no time to watch the video we film, or to make a little family movie. Ileana Ruxandra watched Chinese TV for a few minutes one day. I also browsed the channels for one minute another night. In Japan, we watched a couple of minutes in Tokyo, not once in Kyoto. In Kathmandu were we ended up with three rooms connected in an apartment, there are two TVs, one was in our room, very good to hold my towel to dry. I noticed the second one when we left, I told Maria: "so you did have a TV in your room!", she replied: "We do? Where?" It was in front of their bed for five days! We started two card games, didn't have time to finish them.
We do have some documentaries and movies saved on the computer, but we only had a couple of movie nights. We read a couple of books out of hundreds saved on kindle and nook. The children started the trip with a short vacation but now they are resuming school and this will take even more of their time.
But, the time we had we used it wisely, we chose to sleep when we had a bed or a seat in a bus or train, to visit places, watch out the window or talk with people when we were awake. Quite often a meal takes a couple of hours, finding an acceptable place, ordering, waiting for the food. We talk with each other, we make decisions together. I think we work well as a team, although there is no progress in getting help from the children in organizing daily activities.
Tonight, at dinner I asked my family how are we doing. They all think we a doing well, they don't have suggestions for improvement, Ioan and Maria miss their friends a bit and Ioan thinks that 15 months will be a really long time for travel.
We do have too much luggage, some of it "just in case", some of it waiting to be used down the road at specific points (water camera, car inverter). We were considering getting rid of one of our big bags, we decided to keep the bag but get rid of some content. We will eliminate the winter clothing, one coat for each, that will certainly make a little difference, but maybe Ileana will have a chance to write about that.
The main negative factor is that it seems not to be enough time for anything. We don't have enough time to read about the places we will visit, we don't have time to play, to watch a movie or do almost anything. There is not enough computer time, to process pictures or write the blog. There is absolutely no time to watch the video we film, or to make a little family movie. Ileana Ruxandra watched Chinese TV for a few minutes one day. I also browsed the channels for one minute another night. In Japan, we watched a couple of minutes in Tokyo, not once in Kyoto. In Kathmandu were we ended up with three rooms connected in an apartment, there are two TVs, one was in our room, very good to hold my towel to dry. I noticed the second one when we left, I told Maria: "so you did have a TV in your room!", she replied: "We do? Where?" It was in front of their bed for five days! We started two card games, didn't have time to finish them.
We do have some documentaries and movies saved on the computer, but we only had a couple of movie nights. We read a couple of books out of hundreds saved on kindle and nook. The children started the trip with a short vacation but now they are resuming school and this will take even more of their time.
Tonight, at dinner I asked my family how are we doing. They all think we a doing well, they don't have suggestions for improvement, Ioan and Maria miss their friends a bit and Ioan thinks that 15 months will be a really long time for travel.
We do have too much luggage, some of it "just in case", some of it waiting to be used down the road at specific points (water camera, car inverter). We were considering getting rid of one of our big bags, we decided to keep the bag but get rid of some content. We will eliminate the winter clothing, one coat for each, that will certainly make a little difference, but maybe Ileana will have a chance to write about that.
There are so many positives, I'll mention just one: I learned that I can eat anything. I never ate spicy food: one day in the Anatolia restaurant, me and Maria decided to share "Chicken Tandoori", she didn't like it, it was too spicy. I ended up eating it all, it was really hot but it was good. To mitigate the spiciness I didn't have bread or something else, I ended up successfully using raw onion to sooth my burning mouth.
So, again we are doing great, how are you doing?
Salut Mihai,
ReplyDeleteI am doing well too, thanks for asking! I have been asked this questions lately by some of my friends I haven't seen for quite a while. They live in US. My answer is "I am taking survival lessons/classes - so of course I am doing well".
"What?" they ask. "What kind of classes, where?"
Well - I said - wake up at 5AM, trying to do some sport get ready for job, wake up Anna, breakfast, dropp her off to before school care, job, pick up the kids, sports for them, back home, cooking, ironing shirts or whatever is necessary, bed time stories, drop dead in the bed at 10-11 PM, and start over the next day. Aren't these every day survival classes, ha, ha, ha!!!
They are shocked at the begining and then they start to laugh...
Sometimes - if I am lucky - I get to talk to my wife, Adina, once a week... But this will change soon, I say, after she'll be done with the school next June. The upside of this bussy life is that I am really close with my children and I ejoy every moment spent with them. Well, except the moments I don't enjoy, when I get mad they don't give me some room to breath or they demand I live "forever" with them... but that's ok.
I owe you an answer from just before you guys started this trip - "what is so special" you replay to my comment. Exactly THIS: a family living and doing things as a team, totaly self reliant (se bazeaza numai pe ei), and living (actually moving from... to...) in extraordinary places. I am looking to all these pictures and I see how happy you all are and how well you fit in those places, in EVERY place, like you belong there. I have to say your face tells at times that you are thinking ahead of the next leg of the trip, that you are the leader and you have the responsability to make this work, that you are thinking what if... that you need/want/have to bring all to the same common denominator. But you are definatelly enjoying it. As you said " I always wanted to go to Machu Piciu, I never questioned that". And Ileana and the kids are dpoing great, they are succh a smart and nonchalant (I am not sure is an english word)and genuine. By the way - I like Ileana's picture with the red gloves - she's like a Batwoman.
Maybe you might consider staying more time in one of the places you feel you would like the most - this will give you more free time to enjoy yourself and the place, relax and simply enjoy life, lay back a little. But I ma sure you already thought of this.
Are you adjusting well - healthwise - to these places? I hope all is good with you guys. My thoughts are with you and I wish you well and all the best!!
Calin
Salut, salut
ReplyDeleteMulțumit mult de comentariu si de vești. Vom avea o pauza de 13 zile in Goa, cu pregătire de Crăciun, de asemenea 17 zile in Sydney inainte de Paști, acolo sperăm sa ajungem la biserica românească.
Sorry, I didn't realize I was answering in a different language.