Our journey begins……

Our journey really began just over a year ago with the inception of the idea that we decided to sell our property, pack everything (some things – whatever fit in a 5 x 10 storage unit) and just go.  We wish it had been so easy – just to sell, pack and go, but there was a lot involved, and so there should be – after all it is a life changing journey and there should be a process from start to finish – DETAILS!

But the actual doing of the plan began one week ago as we flew out from YYZ  to LAX (our friends, Christine and Paul who will be joining us for a few weeks in December, drove us to the airport), and then to Rarotongo, Cook Islands.  Internet on the island was a bit sketchy so we only sent a few emails out (we think some of those emails were lost in cyber space) and didn’t want to use the rest of the amount we bought to download, etc.  (there was no such thing as free internet on the island).  We had a really relaxing time on the island – Rarotongo is the main island of the 15 islands that form the Cook Islands.  The temperature was cool for island (actually, our) standards, a mere 23C and windy, and we were there when Chile had their earthquake, creating a lot of wind and a one-day tsunami warning for us.

 

 

 

The beach bungalow which we stayed in was fabulous and just perfect for the two of us.

And we really felt like it was just the two of us since we were on the quiet side of the island – I think we saw 6-8 people the 5 days we were there, but LOTS of dogs and chickens.  We were awakened by the roosters each morning.  We just loved the islanders; such a warm, gentle and humorous people

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auckland NZ

We’re in Auckland, NZ – second of 4 days and enjoying the exploring of new restaurants, and NZ wines.  We booked ourselves into a chi chi hotel at a great price through hotwire.com and will be renting a car in a couple of days  to explore the rest of the country.

One of the things we’ve noticed in Auckland is the use of shipping containers.  We loved these two, especially the lend-a-book, give-a-book library – it reminded me of the “little libraries” in Toronto, but on a much bigger scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As some of you know, Gary and I decided to travel very light, i.e. carry-on suitcases, and I know that some of you will be very curious to know what we took, so here’s MY list:

• one pair of long pants
• one pair of capri pants
• two pairs of shorts  (one pair is versatile enough for just about everything – I worked out with them today, but I could also wear them to dinner – love it!)
• two skirts
• one hoodie
• one wind/rain breaker
• one 3/4 sleeve summer sweater
• one long sleeved shirt/blouse
• two long sleeved t-shirts
• three short-sleeved t-shirts
• six sleeveless tops (some dressier, some casual)
• one pair running shoes
• one pair black casual/dressy shoes
• one pair Birkenstalk sandals
• one pair flip flops
• one medium sized quick dry towel
• one light weight scarf (really comes in handy)
• 3 bras
• 10 pairs of underwear
• 4 pairs of socks (wish I’d brought at least one more pair)
• toiletries – all 100 mls or less

The only other thing I wished I’d brought was another pair of long pants, now that we’re in NZ and it’s COOL.  On our second day here Gary looked at me when I finished dressing and we were just about to go out and asked “are you wearing all of the clothes you brought?”, because I had so many layers on.  I have to say I could have brought a lot more since my suitcase still has a lot of room, but we were really trying to keep the weight down as well so that we can carry on (it’s not just size that matters).