First thoughts of my loneliness
as I travel with my son
Tonight we head down to the local Marina – the taxi ride costs $3AU. We first visit ‘Big Foot’, which luxury travel experts and everyone else describe as a foot-shaped island where the bridge connects one of the ‘toes’ to the mainland. It is an attraction worth a family travel and a great way to create memories for those like us who are on a single parent travel and not a place I expect to feel travel loneliness.
Wandering through the gardens of First Landing, we find ourselves entering the back of the marina, which is surprisingly packed with boats from borderline scrap to million dollar cruisers and ‘yachties’ who are sailing from ports all over the world.
©Exploramum and Explorason – a boating graveyard
We are invited on board one of the 3 remaining fleets of ‘Waka’ – a type of Pacific Island wooden carved boat, and we have a quick lesson and tour and take a few photos with the captain of one boat, who embraces me for a happy snap.
©Exploramum and Explorason – meeting the captain
These three are named: Hane Moana (name of NZ female Maori), Marmara-Ahia, and Ufo Ni Alo. These are names of some of part of the Pacific Voyagers fleet who have sailed the Pacific to the USA and just returned, doing some wonderful work – such as freeing a turtle who had swallowed half a plastic bag; collecting sea garbage like tires, bags, ropes, and nets that injure the wildlife.
©Exploramum and Explorason – on board
You can read more at www.pacificvoyagers.org about what they do.
We then head up to the Sunset Bar, seriously just as the sun is setting! We grab a snack and drink from the bar, and for a second I watch the crowd and feel lonely. I remind myself I will have lonely times all through life just as I was lonely at home.
©Exploramum and Explorason – Explorason and his friend
Within a ½ hour, we join our friends that arrive from the resort with their kids, as the boat crew dance and perform but as the parents mingle together I start to experience travel loneliness.
©Exploramum and Explorason – traditional dancing
The captain spies me and pulls me up to join the dance, and I have the time of my life.
(Sorry, my 7-year-old took this pic and I must teach him to move his finger off the lens).
©Exploramum and Explorason – Captain dancing
I realize within a short time frame, I went from travel loneliness to having the greatest time of my life!
©Exploramum and Explorason – Conga line
Four kids all cram in the back boot of the taxi wagon, and four adults and a sleeping child occupy the small seats in the taxicab, as we head back to the Anchorage Resort over the bumpy dirt backtrack.
Our friends head back to Australia, and we soon will head on to new places in Fiji.
It is a great end to the day.
Glad that loneliness took a hike – the trick really is to jump right in and to destroy travel loneliness.
Later I learned that this was something I’d face over and over on our world journey. I would become a master at controlling this feeling.
©Exploramum and Explorason – traditional dancing
Questions and Comments
- Do you enjoy traveling as a single parent?
- Do the thoughts of your singlehood as a parent get you down?
- How do you ensure you make the most of every trip?
- Please share your comments below.
Someone ended up having a ball!
Carina & Chris xx
I sooooooooooo love the ‘Foot island’!
You’re not alone, people will come to you, you just had a little bit of time alone and then baboom…..fun, laughter and excitement! I’m already jealous! Wish I was there too! x