On the road again…
July 22, 2013 in New Zealand, Oceania, Travelogue
It feels good to be back in our little camper pod.
We enjoyed housesitting in Paraparaumu very much. The best part was making new friends, as our hosts are just the sort of adventurous people we love to encounter on the road. The kids miss Ramona, the pup we had the privilege of borrowing. All in all, our first experience house sitting was a raging success and we’re really looking forward to the next round, in Australia next month.
This morning we’re in Wanganui. I’m tucked into my little bunk over the cab, propped up on pillows in what has become my mobile office. I have the second cup of tea for the day balanced inside a small cooking pot next to me, so I don’t spill it on the comforter. The younger boys have a massive game of lego going outside. I can hear them shouting orders through their little lego men as their fantastical ships whiz around in the air. Hannah is battling email woes. Gabe is writing. Tony, as ever, is knee deep in viking blood waging war for our family. He’s a lover, and fighter.
This is what most mornings look like for us on the road. We spend them working on our little projects, creating home for ourselves, even when we are away. What exactly are “home” and “away,” anyway?
Today I’ve got an editorial deadline for a column, two posts to write for my own websites, an audio interview to edit, content to create for the Momentum project, four questions from readers to respond to, a guest post to get started on, two technical difficulties to untangle and our arrival in Sydney to sort out. That really must be done today. I’ve been putting it off for too long. It was the email from hostelbookers.com that reminded me this morning, so that’s where I’m starting, hoping to drum up something affordable in a notoriously expensive city. Have I mentioned we have six people? Yeah. Hostels are our friends. 🙂
And then there’s laundry, and some birthday preparations, those need to be done today as well.
Here’s the thing:
This exotic life of travel and adventure that we lead, it’s mostly just life. We work. We play. We have some fun. It rains on our parade.
I got two emails this week that struck a chord: One expressing awe at the unending string of wild adventures we have. The other wondering if CPS (Child Protective Services, in the USA) had something to say about the amount of privacy/personal space kids had to have, legally speaking. They both made me laugh. The first, because I’m cooking for six on two burners and living in 156 sq. ft. The second because it’s precisely the lack of “personal space and privacy” that allow us to give our kids the whole world. We have tons of personal space and privacy, we just sleep stacked like cordwood in our camper at night! For now, last month we had a three bedroom house and a hot tub on the beach. Next month we’ll have an antique farmhouse of sorts on the south coast of Australia. In Thailand we had three bedrooms and a pool. In Guatemala we had 2 acres of manicured gardens as personal space. Sure, we lived in tents for a year across Europe and N. Africa, but the whole continent was our living room, how cool is that? It’s all in perspective, isn’t it? Bunk beds in a hostel is luxurious. There are so many ways to live life; ours is quirky, but we love it. It’s neither all adventure, nor neglectful of our kids’ basic needs.
What does morning look like in your corner of the world? Any suggestions for us in Sydney?
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We lived in a large canvas tent one summer while building a house. It was actually bigger than we needed because all we did was sleep in it – all our other time was spent outdoors. I learned to cook on a campstove (which once singed my eyebrows) and wash with a tiny solar shower in the woods. It’s all a matter of perspective and what your family is capable of. Enjoy the camper life!
Sydney – used to live there for 20 years…must sees include Taronga Zoo; Luna Park on the Harbour; take a ferry to Manly; harbour beaches like Balmoral; walk around The Rocks, under the harbour bridge, then up to Sydney Observatory on the top of the hill (great place for a picnic)…Lounge around the Botanic Gardens and explore the Opera House from the outside (and the inside). Get on the water or by the water whenever you can. Newtown is grungey and fun. Enjoy the food – amazing places and things to eat in Sydney : )
You guys would love the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk!
“The other wondering if CPS (Child Protective Services, in the USA) had something to say about the amount of privacy/personal space kids had to have, legally speaking.” Whoever wrote that to you seriously needs to get a life lol
Sheralyn… they were asking in regards to their desire to do something similar… just wondering if there were legal ramifications… which of course… there aren’t! 🙂
Thank you Bethaney! Duly noted!
Thank you Tracey!! GREAT list and I”ll definitely be making notes!!
Wendy… indeed… I lived in tents a couple of summers as kids when we were building houses, or traveling. It’s good for the soul. It builds character. Doing “without” (although it never felt that way) gives a person a sense of what is possible, what can be done, and what she is capable of. That’s worth selling the house out from under a tribe right there! 🙂
OK, this just popped into my head while reading-it’s a personal question more to do with Hannah really (no need to answer of course); does she go on dates?
Melanie… I will ask her to reply to this in her own way. My answer, no, not often… she has been on a couple, but they were with people she primarily considers friends. She has a well formed philosophy on the silliness of dating that she’s come to on her own. I’ll let her share it if she wishes.