Having the grocery store checker bag my groceries even though as Hilary told me specifically but I forgot that in that store everyone just reloads their basket and then carries it over to another separate table to bag it themselves, and then neither my credit card nor ATM card worked, and I did not have … Continue reading Ways I have brought shame upon my family in Japan – Week 1
About a year before the trip, Hilary surprised me by saying that we’d all need backpacks. Incredulous, I quickly searched myself for a hackysack and Thai fisherman pants. Finding neither, I replied that I felt like I was in more of a “roller luggage phase" of my life. Equally incredulous, she quickly played out in … Continue reading Moral Hazard
Now, it's one thing for a fish to live in a sea cucumber's butt. It's another thing entirely for an underwater photographer to take an image of that fish, for the book editor to publish that image, for a 10 year old bookworm to read that photo caption en route to snorkeling the Great Barrier … Continue reading Location, location, location
It's "stinger" season on the Great Barrier Reef, and an encounter with a bluebottle is a day-wrecker at best. Full-body lycra suits are mandatory. So, here's a picture: Cute, right? D-man isn't smiling like a weirdo for once and he looks goddamn adorable. But enough about him, let's look at me. Not bad! Clearly I … Continue reading Pie Face
(Formatting problem here, sorry - gotta click on Header to see the photos) Clear: Unclear: I'm not a zoologist, but that Koala looks terrified. Jules said it looked like he was gonna try to steal it.
It's not that the kids have been asking more questions since the trip started, it's that I have fewer answers. Part of the joy of traveling is encountering the unknown, the unfamiliar, the new. But one thing that's not new is me. I'm the same. And traveling is my time to shine. We were walking … Continue reading Jackfruit
We had a bit of a wait in the airport for our shuttle to the transfer hotel, so I went to get a cup of coffee. There were a bunch of standard sweet baked goods behind the deli glass (including something called a Lammington that was later determined to be good), but there was also … Continue reading Is There Cheese
Obviously a primary goal of this trip is to expose the kids to the diversity of human cultures and model sensitivity thereto. We got off the Fiji Airways flight (11.5 hrs. from LAX) and a gentleman offered us the traditional Fijian greeting, “Bula!”, to which Hilary replied “Hola!”, and I replied “Aloha!” Strong start.
My goal was to enjoy, or at least get something out of, the prelude to departure. I hoped that the weeks-long process of moving out and leaving would include thoughtful consideration of our values and our attachments to material possessions, contemplative conversations with the kids about our goals, hopes, and fears, and poignant farewell get-togethers … Continue reading Departure
Earth to Ben 