Where Would You Go?

This is kind of a place holder post. I know I haven't had that much to say about China lately. The end of the semester brings a lot of reports and activities, so we've been hopping----I'll have something after Chinese New Year, I promise! My good friend Calandria occasionally posts about places she'd like to live. Well, now that I'm living a life that a lot of people would consider exotic (although when I'm trying to drum everyone out of the house on time for school or go grocery shopping, it doesn't really feel very exotic--and when I'm just trying to buy a freaking pair of socks without having to bargain for 20 minutes, I definitely wish for less exotic!) I'm less interested in places I could live than places I can visit.

Traveling, I've started to discover, has become somewhat of a personal conflict for me. For one thing, I (may have made the mistake of) reproducing before I did any travel. Now, my ideas of travel are dramatically altered. I realize that many of the places I've seen or will see will be once in a lifetime opportunities. So, what I would ideally like to do in some places just isn't possible if I travel with a family. Instead of a day in art galleries, it's a couple hours. Meals have to be more planned. Sunscreen has to be applied regularly. A certain attention must be paid to sleeping habits. I personally am of the opinion that if one wanted to sleep, then one should do that before or after a vacation, not during (beach holidays are exempt from this rule; in fact, an afternoon siesta is mandatory). At the same time, I love the idea of spending 2 weeks in 1 area rather than doing 14 countries in 14 days. I love the things we do as a family and I love the blessings of being able to create these memories all together, don't get me wrong. It's just that sometimes I wish I could be a bit more selfish!

Then there's cost. Five plane tickets, two hotel rooms instead of one and activities that may not be available because of the ages of the children (case in point--hard-core off-road dune buggies in Thailand) have to be factored in. There's my darling husband who carefully attempts to mind the budget--so things like banana boats, go-karts, entrance fees and desserts cause a certain amount of angst. Let's face it--we're cheap. And sometimes not in the good way, but in the way that we don't take advantage of little things that can really be the icing on an event. Often our first knee-jerk reaction is "we can't afford it" even when it's not really true.

Finally, I've come to realize I'm a bit of a fraud. As in, I camped for a loooong time and really enjoyed it, but it goes far down on my list of activities now. As in when someone says they're exploring this bit of China and staying in local level housing and food and thus will be able to get a much better feel for local life and culture--I'm enthusiastically agreeing, but let's face it--I'd be bothered by no heat in February and a shared squattie. Turns out those kinds of adventures can make me a bit short-tempered and I compensate by wanting more conveniences. At the same time, I have now vacationed at a much higher comfort level (in Egypt) and I always had this nagging feeling I was missing something far more interesting by staying in a beautiful 5 start hotel. I know from my work in Africa that it is virtually impossible to have a 5 star culturally interactive vacation--unless you really have the big big big bucks. Which we don't. Really--I'm not just saying that this time!

So, the world is soooo big. Given all of that, where should I go?

The Amazon, maybe. Noah just announced that a quality vacation should always include animal adventures, so the Amazon should suitably fill that bill. I have the feeling that this is a place that is not going to be around for long. The clock is ticking, and I want to see it. I'm not picky about what country I go to--but I'd love to see Rio, so maybe Brazil. I'd love to take a 2-3 day boat trip on the river--and for that I'd do some primitive conditions for the privilege of seeing something so wild.

Pros: Kid friendly--we all like being outdoors (in varying degrees), we like hot weather, we like animals and exploring. There are very few things about that area that I wish I could see alone or with hubby, so having the progeny tag along is ok on this one.

Cons: Do you know how far away Brazil is? And what if I cause trouble by becoming utterly frustrated at how NO ONE can understand my Spanish before remembering that they all speak Portugese? Definitely a potential landmine.

Australia is a place where so many Americans want to go but I haven't always been so interested until meeting a lot of Australians. I think it's a country that is so big that I just don't know where to start and when I pick 3 places I'd love to see, it's the equivalent of wanting to see Anchorage, Galveston, and Boston. In addition to Uluru, there's Darwin (which was bombed during WWII and the northernmost city in Australia), Sydney, numerous mountains and hinterlands to explore, and the Great Barrier Reef. I suppose 80% of what I'd want to see is at least on the same side of the country, but I would want a sense of the reefs, the outback, and the mountains.

Pros: Again, kid-friendly, unless we have to travel a lot via car once we get there, which makes them a little scratchy, especially Noah. Hugh Jackman (having children with the same name = bonus instant conversation starter). Australia has more poisonous snakes and spiders than any other country. Add crocodiles, sharks, deadly jellyfish, stingrays, koalas, and kangaroos--that's recipe for success and disaster all rolled into one.

Cons: Australia is expensive. And far away from EVERYTHING. Because it's got Sydney, the kids will be tempted with paintball, go-karts, and amusement parks, things not typically on the Hillman agenda. The chance that one of my kids will blurt out, "Hey, you're the singing Wolverine" always a threat.

OK, I know, I know. This is weird. I lived on the edge of the Serengeti for 3 years. Why didn't I go? Don't think we didn't try--try spending $40 per person per night to camp. AFTER you've driven there in a car with only 1 gas tank. It is so unbelievably expensive. And, while I loved the safaris we went on as a family, I want to spend a week with my husband on safari. I want to be up at daylight and explore for 3 hours before breakfast, then lounge near a pool during the heat of the day with a good book, a soft pillow, and a cold gin. I want to go on a late afternoon safari and have a lazy evening before a late dinner. This year, the TZ government is allowing companies to do walking safaris, which I would be completely freaked about and yet so would do! One of my travel dreams is to be at the Grumeti river during the Migration and watch the wildebeest cross.

Pros: Duh. It's Africa.

Cons: Cost. Timing (I mean the animals migrate when they want to, darn them, not when I can travel, and Tanzania is never a last-minute planning event). Child abuse issues related to leaving one's children alone for a couple weeks at home while I'm enjoying some peace and quiet in the Land Rover.

Most of the time I'm not that fussed about the dangers of traveling and being an American. But there are some areas (notably those that end in -stan) that I really don't have a desire to visit, no matter how great people tell me they are. And while this particular few weeks are terrible for Israel and Palestine, I believe that generally people can travel safely as tourists. But for some reason I am convinced that I would be blown up immediately upon deplaning at the airport.

And...I can't get out of my head the fact that there would be so many people filing past all the sites. That the cynic in me keeps eyeing the shrines knowing that there's no possible way to know if Jesus was actually born right here on this very spot. I know a number of people who have been to Israel and say that it was a truly spiritual awakening and renewing experience and because of that, I am willing to set aside my cynicism and believe that once I got there I would feel the same way.

Pros: If I was in awe standing at the pyramids, imagine standing at the Wall, or in Gethsemane. Christianity and real-life scenes from the Bible mixed with archaeology is a definite crowd pleaser in our family.

Cons: Beef bacon doesn't measure up to the real thing for breakfast. The ongonig niggling idea that we'd be in mortal peril every time we went out for pizza.

This one is actually on our agenda. When I saw Lord of the Rings I couldn't imagine that there were places so wild and so beautiful. Right before we left the States Cameron's piano teacher toured New Zealand with a camper and said it was just spectacular (and she lived in Nepal so that's saying something). I love Kiwis (the people, not the fruit, although that's good, too). I found a driving trip that will take you through different spots from the LOTR movies and on the way also passing many of the countries highlights.

Pros: Not too expensive and rural. Any place (like Montana) that boasts of more sheep than people is OK in my book. Kiwis (the bird, not the people or the fruit), cassowaries, and whale watching all meet the animal criteria. Bungy-jumping HUGE in New Zealand and apparently now something I have to consider.

Cons: It's far away, so plane fares are an issue. It's a big vacation so it's liable to come at the expense of another kind of big vacation. It would likely involve spending 3 weeks in a camper, something I'm not opposed to in theory, but there are those child abuse issues, this time related to tying one or more on the top of the camper due to excessive arguing over the 1 (out of 10 available) seats in the camper that everyone has to have.

Greece. Cameron wondered recently (after suffering through that dreadful Mama Mia and don't get me started about how you liked the music or that Meryl Streep is a phenomonal actor or how Colin Firth is to-die-for handsome because none of that matters when a movie just plain sucks) if going to Greece meant that we would have to slide down banisters or wave colorful scarves above our heads or jump up and down in slow-mo in order to show just how happy we were to be there (see what I mean about that movie?) but I think we could get by with just sighing in amazement at a shade of blue that is truly cerulean, and at the temples of ancient history.

Pros: Weather. Ancient history is a big hit in our family. Outdoor artifacts mean less chance of breaking something. Chance of easily getting the beach and the history all in one vacation without too much travel. Humorous photographs as you pose in front of ancient statues.

Cons: Quite possibly the kind of vacation where I would have to adjust my museums and shopping to accommodate the family. Traveling in a country where you don't speak the alphabet is a bit more work than I like to expend at times. No one in my family likes olives.

Here is one my 2 "trite" entries...because everyone wants to go there and most everybody already has. I've never been to Europe, unless you count the Amsterdam airport, which I don't. I want to go to Ireland and see the castles and the sheep and the green fields and the cliffs and real Irish pubs.

I want to see St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey and Poet's Corner. And Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. And the British Museum. And the Globe Theatre. I want to see a play. I want to see every tried and true English landmark in and around London. If things have gone downhill since you started going or the crowds really ruin it for you, or it's not nearly as impressive or interesting as you might think, just keep all of that to yourself. You. don't. know. me.

Pros: HELLO. It's London and Ireland. Merrie Olde England, and the War of the Roses and Leprechauns and Celtic stuff. I've mentioned the whole history aspect already, and much of it is suitably gruesome. The British Museum has more Eyptian artifacts than the Egyptian one (but not King Tut, so take that) so we'd get to see all the stuff they stole way back then.

Cons: The weather. I'm generally peeved about it anyway wherever I go. Cost--not the cost of getting there, the cost of everything once we are there--you know how kids are. Let's face it--most of you know how I am when it comes to a budget and I need a Diet Coke and that $5 sticker is not going to stop me.

Trite entry number 2--also because everyone's been. If you've read here, you know of my love with Under the Tuscan Sun. In addition, Italy bats 1000 on the history aspect alone. My friend Lisa has spent summers there for years and describes it as a sort of European Tanzania in terms of getting things done, so I'm already prepared. There's opportunities to marvel at the accomplishments of the likes of Michelangelo and Botticelli, and other less-edifying things like the Angels and Demons tour from the book. It's hot there, too.

This trip would require careful planning because it is the one place where I would be seriously tempted to do a whirlwind tour at a nightmareish pace because there's so much to see. That directly conflicts with my Tuscan imaginings where I'm wiling away the afternoon with a platter of crusty bread, great cheese, and perfect grapes. Because "wiling" is a synonym for "you could be missing something."

There are so many great places, that I either need to plan carefully or spend a year there. Hmmmmm....I bet they have international schools there, don't they?

Italy is at the top of my places I want to visit, and at the top of my most conflicted travel plans. On one hand, wouldn't it be so wonderful to see it with just your husband? To stay up, or sleep in, or meander along. The "whiling" away an afternoon could actually happen. It would be oh-so-romantic.

On the other hand, there's watching your kids see the Colusseum for the first time. Or the Sistine Chapel. After Egypt, I learned that historical travel with your kids is so much fun and interesting--it's amazing to hear what they already know and watch them soak up what they're learning. I want to be along when they see it all.

Secret admission time. There is a small part of me that would love to see a lot of this with Cameron. Alone. He and I are so similar in what we read and what we like and laugh at. He shares my penchant for never passing a souvenir or book shop without popping in, and tends to regard sleep as lost time when he's touring. I would love to be able to take a trip with each one of my kids, just the two of us (and I want them to go with their father, too). I think Mark would share amazing things with them on their 2 week trek in Nepal or Mongolia. God Bless him, but I have other talents, and they involve gelato and antique stores. And restaurants.

Pros: Great weather. Great cheese. Great bread. Great gelato. Great wine. Chance of actually seeing the Pope. Ancient art, ancient architecture, ancient everything.

Cons: Um....let's see. Oh, definite conflict with the needs of the children vs. what I want to do. Because I want to go so badly, the odds of me taking everything personally may increase. Valuable works of art and my children not a good mix. Meltdown potential when the birthplace of pizza doesn't cough up something that looks like Dominos. All of which is why maybe they need to go camping.

Bora Bora. Or Bali. Or Tahiti. I never really wanted to go to Hawaii or the Caribbean and never fully appreciated beach vacations. Now I'm hooked. I want a vacation at a truly tropical truly heavenly locale. It's indescribable. It's one of the vacations where staying at less than upscale (like our place in Tanzania) is preferable than an upscale resort. Fresh fish and seafood. Gin and tonics. Sun. Snorkeling. Total bliss.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Serious consideration must be paid to sunscreen application. Need to convince kids every day that they need to spend some of that hot part of the day in the shade. Snorkeling, while interesting, puts one in close contact with poisonous animals, and we're just plain unlucky sometimes. Difficulties arise at times trying to get Noah away from the swimming pool to actually see the ocean.

Truth be told, I just spent time doing this when I was supposed to finish a report and plan next week's spelling lessons. On the other hand...I just spend 40 minutes wandering around the world. Sometimes, on a Friday afternoon, dreams need to trump reality.