Final thoughts

A lot of people have asked us what we thought about the length of the trip. Was it too long? Were we dying to get home? Didn't we get bored?

The trip was long, as far as vacations go... the longest we've ever had... and I did miss friends and family. However, if we could rent the whole place out and include our closest friends and family, and have the ability to deal with work obligations as needed, I could easily stay there a month or more.

And no, we did not get bored. I think the inclusion of day trips to other parts of the island spattered in amongst beach days did help to break up what could have been a long stretch of only staring at white sand. In addition to that, though... it was actually a relief to have a real vacation, with no detailed agenda... no electronic distractions (save for a little blogging) and just total immersion into the surroundings. Even G - having the attention span of a typical 8 year old - never said "Mom, I'm bored." When we were at 3 Dives we talked with a couple who were there for a long weekend, and they had commented how nice it would be to have a longer stay, because just as they get in and settled into the laid back nature of the area, it was time to pack everything up and go right back home. I knew what she meant almost immediately... as around day 3 or 4 I had noticed a distinct change in the way I carried myself.

I recall at the beginning of our trip we were walking past a gift shop on the road, and I had gone back to it a little later to pick something up. The clerk inside asked me if I was late for the airport, and I said "No, actually we just got here. Why?" and she giggled a little and said "I saw you earlier, you were walking so fast, I thought you were late." By the end of the trip I had reduced my pace considerably, to the point where our first day back to the bus stop it felt like the neighbors were running as I meandered my way back to the house.

For this trip, for this time, I believe the length was just right. We were able to get in the tours and exploring we wanted to, with a sense of ease knowing that we'll likely be back in the coming years. We were able to be lazy on the beach and truly kick back without a care in the world. And we were able to enjoy the time together with new friends, and the time alone... just being.

Nicknames from the trip...

When we told one of the staff at Tensing Pen G's name, he said "Oh Gayle, like the wind!" and from that moment on, she was known as "Gaylewind" at Tensing Pen.

On our way to the Black River Safari we were talking to Tyrone about wanting to get photos of real crocodiles in the wild, and as he described the river and talked about how we'll find D a crocodile he said "We'll get one for you mon... we'll call you Crocodile Dan. Oh! Crocodile Dan D.! That's your name!"

I was not given a specific nic-name, however many of the vendors we repeatedly spoke to tended to call me "Baby", and when I did give my name the response was "Oh... that's like a boy's name here!" Yes... it is in America too.

What I take away from the trip...

I have not yet fully adjusted back into "regular life", and I'm hoping that I never really do. The relaxation, the sense of "don't worry about it, there's time... and if there's not time today, there's time tomorrow" is something that I would like to keep with me on a day to day basis for all the little things... house work, yard work, work-work. Life happens, speed bumps appear on what you thought would be a smooth ride - you can freak out and race over them, or take them for what they are... take a moment to slow down and get over the bump, and back onto smooth pavement.

Yet at the same time, I walk away from the trip energized to take on more. We have an 8 year old daughter who not only travels well, but is eager to explore and experience life - and we need to take advantage of that while we can. I want to get through the "have-to's" that are necessary in day to day life, and get out to the "want-to-do's" more often. As the weather turns better I want to be out more - hiking, boating, exploring. I want to continue to push through my limits and fears and do more kayaking, and learn rock climbing.

And I want to shoot more.

Which reminds me of a funny conversation I had with one of our new friends about photography... we had discussed camera types, styles of photography, and film vs. digital. I mentioned I had brought a 16GB flash drive with me to back up my SD cards, just in case anything happened to the camera itself. He told me about this online storage that would save me from having to bring a flash drive, and talked about how quick and easy it is to use.

"Yes, but the internet here is pretty slow," I said.

"It's not that bad for photos," he said. "How many photos do you have?"

"Over 8 gigs so far," I replied.

"No no," he responded... "I don't mean total. I mean just for this trip this week, how many photos do you have?"

*pause*

"Over 8 gigs so far."

(For much of the scenic stuff, I shoot RAW format - in case you were wondering - hence... it takes up a whole lotta space.)

Back to my goals... I not only want to shoot more, but I want to make a concentrated effort to finally put a book together. It has been a goal of mine for many, many years... but I never felt I had the quality or quantity of material to put something publishable together. However, given the relative ease of self publication on the web these days, I feel it is a worthy and attainable goal. And fits in nicely with my desires to just be out living more life.