Traveling offers treasures that enrich our lives and stays with us even after the trip is over. I have often said vacations come in three parts: the first third of the fun is the planning, imagining, creating all the arrangements. I love that preparing and dreaming about an upcoming vacation. Afterall I am a planner!
The second part is of course, going on the vacation: enjoying the present and discovering surprises and the unexpected. Being in the moment. Savoring the time.
But often the best part is the grand finale: the final third: coming home: ahhh, the comfort of home, and then the enjoyment of the memories that no one can take away. That someday you will look back and say I am sure glad we took that trip. No regrets!
Where did we go this time and what treasures can I share? Here are a few tidbits:
The Trip
My hubby and I took quite the adventure this time: a 32-day Viking cruise from LA around Hawaii and French Polynesia and back to LA. Yes 32 days. Yes, lots of Pacific Ocean. Yes, that ocean is THAT big. Bigger than you can imagine. Many people asked us before we left if we could stand being on a cruise ship that long. We didn’t know. We did like cruising but never had tried it for such a length of time before. The answer is yes. What a delightful relaxing, educational, fun, interactive with other people time we had. No regrets.
Togetherness Treasures
What surprised me the most about this trip, what I have treasured the most is the sense of interconnectedness on so many levels throughout the trip. The community among the passengers, crew and even the wildlife. We celebrated life together and shared even a few times of sadness. For example, several of us prayed together as we watched a medical helicopter evacuate an elderly lady we never met from the ship who was traveling alone to a nearby hospital. How frightening that must have been for her.
Here are some highlights of the good times:
We partied together as we crossed the equator with poems, jumps into the pool and kissing a large fish. We were transformed from polliwogs to official members of the Order of the Shellbacks, achieving that status as we crossed the equator with cheering and enjoying the day.
My hubby and I endured six time hour changes including daylight saving change in November. Talk about confusing.The nice thing it was done gradually and overnight. But what was even more odd in the Marquesas Islands their time is 30 minutes different so one night we were asked to move our clocks ahead by half an hour. That was a first for me but kept the ship all in sync together and matched the island we were to visit the next day. Again connecting and harmonizing.
Each morning a wildlife specialist would meet us at the front of the ship and we could join him for a watch. Over the course of the trip we saw dolphins, flying fish and quite a few varieties of birds. Only a few whales were seen as most of them has begun their journey north or south by the time we entered their waters. But that hour each morning watching the sea became holy ground pondering God’s vast creation. We went several days without seeing any wildlife. The expert called the Pacific the blue desert with its very deep waters. Without really saying anything, I think we worshiped together in these moments.
We also connected with nature with the beautiful flowers and trees on the islands. Did you know there is a rainbow eucalyptus with a colorful truck? Or a tropical hibiscus that changes color from yellow to orange to red throughout the day? God is so creative!
The people on the island were so friendly and proud to share their stories and connect with us. One amazing thing I noticed was how they are protecting and restoring their history and heritage and reteaching to the next generation their original language. One guide described it as “giving the soul back to our culture.” Isn’t that lovely? And I must connect this to something even larger: We heard this also on our trip last year in Iceland and see this also here in the US and Canada with the Native Americans – a deepening respect, renewal and teaching of identify and roots throughout the world.
Bill and I often would climb to the upper most deck at night to view the stars. Several nights clouds greeted us, but we did get lucky on more than one night to view the Southern Cross and other constellations. The best night though was when a small group of us gathered at the front of the ship as the captain dimmed the lights so we could see even better – the start glowed. We ooohed and ahhed and didn’t want to leave the deck. The sky was brilliant – a show just for us. I think the twenty of us gathered there couldn’t stop smiling from the beauty from the heavens.
Joy from connection with others came in a fun way too through doppelgangers. A doppelganger is a German word for seeing someone who reminds you of another person you know. We must have seen 20 or more doppelgangers on this cruise! I think our minds were trying to make connections.
We even made doppelgangers from nature. Well not quite. Let’s try a different word. A new word I learn/connected with. Paradolia. Paradolia is seeing something that isn’t there, such as imaging a shape of something in the clouds or in the mountains. We would see cats in the clouds in the sunsets or trolls in the mountains. We heard legends from the islands in the old volcanos taken from its shapes that looked like a woman or a ship. The human mind connecting story to meaning. We are all so connected to each other and through history through story.
I need to wrap this up as it is getting long but a few more things: I did try new foods and tastes. Met wonderful people. We won the ship scavenger hunt. I said over and over again how pleasant each day was and how blessed we were to experience this vacation. My heart overflowed with gratitude.
This trip reminded me about the value of connection. The importance of allowing time and space to make those connections because when we pay attention to them, be present to them, the payback for us and for others is priceless. Traveling is wonderful but so is home and I am grateful to experience both.
How are you connecting with God, with others, with nature, and with yourself? How has travel or being at home helped you connect?
The trip sounds MARVELOUS in so many ways as you: became well-acquainted with other passengers, took part in worshipful experiences on a secular cruise (How about that?!), saw new wonders in God’s creation, participated in new activities, and more. Thank you also for introducing us to that new word, PAREIDOLIA. I’ve been a cloud-watcher since childhood, but don’t remember seeing any cats, maybe because of the pointy ears. The years we lived in Florida I mostly saw teddy bears among all the cumulous clouds!
There is something so special about clouds and their wonders isn’t there? God is so creative!
Thank you Jean for your sharing. I am in a Navajo reservation and now and then I go to Chinle for mass and I am very much touched by the countryside, the bare hills and the various land forms it speaks about how different nature is and how as human beings we are all different. I can easily understand paradolia because I was looking at a certain picture of a moon and I could see the face of a worried child- maybe that is how I felt at heart. I like the beautiful Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Chinle, oh the woodwork inside is impressive and I savoured the decorations too. Thank you.
Love how nature speaks to your heart Martin: this is so true!
thank you jean for sharing your trip with us…so glad you had a great time and learning experience..fun to interact with fellow passengers!
peace
Thanks Pat. Glad I went and glad to be home too
Thanks so much, Jean, for sharing the marvelous connections you made with God and others during your cruise, and reminding us that connections are what life’s all about. I know you will always treasure the memories you made. Blessings, my friend!
Connections were so many on this trip and quite the thread throughout the vacation too on so many levels and really throughout life. Blessings to you too Martha!!