HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: THE SUN IS OUT
BUMMER OF THE DAY: I got too much sun – go figure
WORD OF THE DAY: SUNSHINE
It’s my second last day on the island today and with the curtains opened the SUN WAS OUT!!! It was a little cloudy, but the sun was definitely there as well. Maybe, just maybe I’ll get my wish today and grab some last minute rays. It would be no good to head to Canada pasty white. Well I’m not pasty, but you know what I mean.
I don’t know how people can sit out there when the sun isn’t in full force. I know you can still get burnt when it is cloudy, and it is probably better to be outside when the sun isn’t at its hottest. I went down at 12.30pm to get my share of the rays, pulled up ‘my’ seat near the pool armed with my IPod and book and kicked back. I did remember again to out sunscreen on my nose and then sat there for 3 hours. Now it sounds like a long time, well I guess it is and I could feel my legs burning at one point, but clouds came and went to give a little respite. I gave up the goat at 3.45pm when the rain clouds blew over and started to drop some rain. It wasn’t very heavy but the clouds coming through were quite dark and I figured 3 hours of Caribbean sun was probably enough anyways. I was right; I was lobster red when I got back to the room. Um I mean brown. I pulled the shoulder off my bathers so I didn’t get tan marks and I have been sunburnt in place that hasn’t seen the sun in a long long time. That’s okay, after a few days it will settle down, I got my wish and thanks travel gods for supplying some sun. Even if the sun does come out tomorrow, there is no way I could go back out there again with what I have now.
I’ve had a lot of time to think about things this week. This can be a good thing at the start of the week, as the week wears on it can sometimes not be. With it being Mother’s Day in Australia today my thoughts strayed to her, her life and what she has done for me. In life and in death. I have a special blog entry for my mum and to celebrate her but Geez I still miss her and hope that she is proud of what I am doing.
Which makes me wonder where was I this time last year. I am so glad that I have been so committed and determined to keep my daily dairy and of course this blog as I always have this information at my fingertips. The days and trips I hate to say all blends into each other, but certainly the people I meet never fade. I know I have said it many times, but I really can’t wait to have time to reread my incredible experiences all over again. Maybe I will have time in my first 3 months in Ethiopia. I can edit the entries in preparation for me getting them printed into hard copy. I know that would certainly keep me busy with over 433 posts. Yikes, maybe I would need more than 3 months to proof read all that!!! For the record I was on my Irish Contiki tour and we were on our way from Dublin to Belfast and the sight for the day was the Giants Causeway. It was the 49th day of my World Odyssey. Today I am on day 412.
Which brings me to the countdown list I made when I left Zeme in March. I found this great app that I entered all my next mile stones to pass before I was home, before Zeme came to visit and when my new life starts in Africa. I had decided to stop checking the countdown every day. As much as I want for these things to happen, I still have a trip to finish and there is no point wishing I was somewhere else and not making the most of my time on my Odyssey. In saying that I hadn’t checked the countdown for nearly 2 weeks so I took a look today.
412 days I’ve been on the road
2 days till I see my Contiki Husbands
7 days till I catch up with Amies and Shauna-Contiki Scandi 2007
14 days till I am reunited with my United Hostees
21 days till I see Teegs from my Tucan Central America trip 2009
25 days till I see my best mate from Squash days Miss Tippett in Las Vegas**cough cough 20 years**
32 days till I see The Browns who I met on my Trans Mongolian last year
41 days and I AM HOME. For 7 weeks. A busy 7 weeks at that!!!
53 days till my Africa Intrepid Reunion with Lisa, Dave, Louise, Emma, Emily and Christina
63 days till I head to Darwin to see mum’s grave and catch up with my half-brothers for the first time
65 days till I head to Melbourne for my Greek Contiki Reunion with my gals
73 days till ZEME ARRIVES (all going to plan with the visa)
88 days till I am in London and spending time with Paps and Em from my Africa Intrepid trip
95 days till I head to Brighton to catch up with Paul and Lizzie from my South America trip
And last but not least 118 days till I arrive in Ethiopia and start my new life………..
As you can see I love my Countdown app. But the immediate numbers are I am home in 41 days.
FORTY ONE DAYS. That’s just over 5.5 weeks. Holy smokes!!!!! FORTY ONE DAYS.
It is hard to get used to English speaking people again after so long. After 5 months in Africa, a quick 3 nights in London and then the last 6 months in South America it is weird to now say something to some-one and firstly they understand and secondly reply back! It hasn’t taken me long to lose what tiny little Spanish I had left. Which on a daily basis was Gracias. Yep that’s pretty much it. It’s sad really that after 6 months that was all I took away in the language department. I was keen to learn Spanish before I left home, and now I am more concentrated on gearing myself up to learning Amharic. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
So they were some of my thoughts on my second last day in paradise. I am glad I got some rays and I am also glad that it is nearly time for me to move on. I can’t wait to spend time with friends in the next 5 weeks. I don’t have to worry about joining new groups of people, wondering if they will like me, merging your way, telling your story all over again. These guys know me and it will make a nice change. It really is stressful each and every new tour and I am glad that I don’t have to worry about that for the rest of my trip.
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