Everyone I know who has been to Sri Lanka has loved it. So the fact that this cruise visited multiple ports in Sri Lanka was a big factor influencing our decision to book it. We wanted to get a taste of Sri Lanka, to learn if we wanted to see more, or if this would be enough. In the end, due to weather and sea conditions, we only visited Colombo, the capital, and Hambantota, on the southeast coast. But there was something beautiful about Sri Lanka. From the moment we disembarked – no complicated or overly strict immigration procedures – we felt welcomed and relaxed. Smaller, much cleaner, less aggressive, and more welcoming than India, which of course had its own joys, but its own stressors too. These were all features we noticed, and – even if we hadn’t, our first tour guide made a point of drawing our attention to it.
We arrived on Christmas Eve. Sri Lanka is largely a Buddhist country, but it embraces multiple religions. They practice Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, the same as in Thailand and the rest of mainland southeast Asia. So it was very familiar to me, and very comfortable. And just like Thailand, there were Christmas decorations everywhere. They even have public holidays at Christmas in Sri Lanka!
There is plenty of evidence of their colonial past, and celebrations of independence achieved in 1948. The museum is a magnificent example, established in 1877, and now showcases some of the relics of the pre-colonial civilisations, including the Kings of Kandy.
Colombo is a small city, but it surprised me. Set on the southwest coast of this teardrop island, around several larger lakes and with plentiful parks and beaches, it had a relaxed atmosphere. Of course, that might have been the fact that we were there over Christmas, a public holiday in Sri Lanka, and so – unlike India or pretty much anywhere in Southeast Asia – the traffic was calm. The tallest building in Colombo is the surprisingly beautiful Lotus Tower, the lakes are filled with pelicans and egrets (though I never managed to capture that), there are parks and tree-lined streets, modern high-rise and traditional markets, cricket grounds, and temples and monuments of all religions in multicultural Sri Lanka.
This photo is one of my favourite – Muslim school girls walking in front of a statue of Buddha. Interestingly as an aside, all the school children, regardless of their religion, have to wear all white school uniforms. Our guide admitted that he’d go to school in white, and come home in brown. What a burden for their parents/guardians!
On this trip, there were multiple opportunities to visit tea plantations in India and Sri Lanka. I had enthusiastically looked forward to this, having chosen to do it in Sri Lanka, but of course, the port where we had decided to do this was the port which was dropped from our itinerary due to bad weather. Instead we had an afternoon tea at a Colombo Hotel, with absolutely delicious local Ceylon tea, which almost made up for it. I’m a tea drinker – I like Earl Grey and Lady Grey and regular “gumboot” (as my brother-in-law calls it) tea, with and without milk, as well as green tea and numerous herbal teas. Even I was surprised how much I enjoyed the regular Ceylon tea they gave us.
Around on the southeast coast is Hambantota, which was our final stop in Sri Lanka. Apart from our ship, the port was smaller and relatively empty, apart from the thousands of white cars on the docks. Apparently it is a trans-shipping port from Asia to the Middle East and Africa.
But Hambantota wasn’t our ultimate destination. A tour took us north to Kataragama, a sacred town for Buddhists and Hindus and the indigenous Vedda people. It is a site of pilgrimage, and worshippers visit both the Buddhist and Hindu temples there. We saw some of the after-effects of the devastating floods in Sri Lanka earlier in 2025. The river by the temple had previously been a site where devotees would bathe in holy waters before worshipping. But post-flood, the river was off-limits, only available perhaps for a dip of toes. Though it didn’t stop some people washing their clothes in it!
Much of the visit was barefoot in the complexes of the Hindu and Buddhist temples. The Sri Lankans were used to walking around barefoot – it was a bit harder for the foreigners and our tender feet. On a hot day (for this foreigner), the sand was surprisingly cool – the concrete on the other hand was to be avoided. The devotees carried offerings, huge platters of fruit on their heads. After it was blessed in the Hindu temple, they would take it outside, and share it – with the family groups they came in, other devotees, foreign tourists, and the local monkeys.
This sign was a prayer from a woman who hoped her daughter would not be led astray. I fear it might have been a little too late!
One of the pleasures of our day in Hambantota was the drive through the countryside and little towns to get to and from Kataragama. From the moment we left the port, I could see birds – more wildlife than I had seen on our entire trip. This is the dry part of the country, but just after the rains, the landscape was lush, a vivid green. Manmade lakes, constructed by the precolonial kings to provide water storage, were full of water. Egrets/herons flew into salt pans. Water buffaloes grazed on the side of the road. We stopped to see a large monitor lizard. We saw locals going about their business, riding motorcycles and tuk-tuks, catching buses, the nurses and patients from a nearby hospital diligently wearing masks at the bus-stop.
Reading: Our return home in January has seen me get reading again. In fact, I’ve read eight books so far this year, which is a lot compared to last year! I told my former bookclub members that I had lost my reading mojo, and a friend recommended John Boyne’s The Elements series, a set of four novellas that are most satisfyingly read together. She was right. It’s not a light or easy read, which is what I typically reach for when I want to be inspired. But that made it better. The subject matter is disturbing, but seemed appropriate, given the revelations at the time of the Epstein Files and the discussions around it. After our trip to Ireland in 2024, I could see and feel the environment, which made it extra special. I highly recommend.
The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done by Claire Stephens was an easy but never comfortable read. About a social media manager for a magazine, it taps into the question of how you defend yourself against misunderstandings. The answer of course is that you can’t, even though we all want to, which is what made it so uncomfortable.
Finally, on the recommendation of Mel, I read The Other Half by Charlotte Vassall, the first in a series. I seem to have been watching a lot of detective series on TV, and this was a smooth transition into the written word. I could see it easily being translated to one of those excellent and timeless British detective series. I will read the next ones in the series, but will give myself some time.
Watching: I eagerly waited for the next series of Bridgerton. Simply because we know there will be a happy ending, beautiful and outrageous clothes, grand mansions, and fun musical adaptations. I gobbled it up. Perfect for taking my mind off things – except for something that I knew was supposed to happen, but didn’t quite expect it to be in this season, and was way too close to home.
I’m making my way through old seasons of Vera, which I had never watched before. Police procedural, but with those great British characters. Again, it takes my mind off things, even if it gets a bit grim at times.
I did watch sport, despite dropping our sports cable package last year, and therefore we could only see the free-to-air offerings. I was most upset to miss most of the Australian Tennis Open, though they deigned to show the semi-finals and finals, which assuaged my irritation! I need to be more prepared for the French Open and Wimbledon, and investigate one month packages, depending on who owns the rights to those events here in NZ! I was also equally irritated to find that I was restricted to one Winter Olympics channel here, but actually it provided very good coverage of our NZ athletes (bar one downhill skier, they were all free skiers or snowboarders), and a good mix of other events. The main issue was the time zone, meaning that coverage started at 10 pm, and continued through till 8-9 am in the morning. I lost a lot of sleep!
Listening: I’ve been getting back into listening to radio items, and listened to the audiobook of David Nicholls’ You Are Here as I was editing photographs, and thoroughly enjoyed it. He is a fabulous writer, and the actors they used for the two main characters were excellent.
Following: Winter Olympics. Health issues. And the very depressing international political situation. As well as NZ politics, as we have a national election later this year.
Drinking: Very little. After drinking a lot on our cruise – champagne, beer, wine and cocktails were all-inclusive, and free-flowing – I’ve barely had a glass of wine! So we are drinking a lot of tea.
Eating: Simply. Getting used to home-cooking again, resorting to our old favourites of Thai curries and fried rice, simple tagines, and summer grilled meat and vegetables – our current favourite is a lamb steak sandwich with grilled aubergine, zucchini and capsicum. Yum.
Making: Almost as soon as we returned home in January, I bought tomatoes to make a batch of tomato relish. A few weeks later I made some more, when the tomato prices had dropped. I have a year’s supply, maybe more, now sitting in my pantry. It is sweet and a bit spicy. I really enjoy having my own homemade relish to have with scones, poached eggs, bacon and egg pie, and in sandwiches or toasties.
Buying: After the expenses of our trip overseas, we are trying not to buy anything unnecessary! Well, apart from food – and we do pop out for a good coffee/hot chocolate, and a casual lunch. In fact, we just went out today.
Celebrating: We managed to go out to our favourite local restaurant for our wedding anniversary in the beginning of February. It was lovely, even though (due to a reduced appetite) we couldn’t stretch to one of their delicious desserts – for the first time ever! We’ve been together a very long time, and still enjoy each other’s company.
Writing: I’m trying to write more regularly here and on other blogs. And I’ve joined my x365 blogging friends for another joint project, though we are taking it slightly easier this year, and are not requiring a blog every day, or even every week! I’m not sure if I’m comfortable sharing that link yet, as we do it for the connection, for the fun, and for the challenge. It’s what I needed this year.
Enduring: After a relatively healthy period on our trip, there is continued illness (not mine) and difficult treatment and another hospitalisation. Sadness and uncertainty and expense and stress.
Appreciating: Each other. Friends who show they care, and offer help if they can.
Still unashamedly copying Loribeth’s regular series every few months here on A Separate Life.
Cruising is a transport mode that had always intrigued me. I’m not a seafarer. I don’t like the idea of big waves. But I was always interested in seeing what it was like. Our cruise from Doha to Singapore was our third cruise. So I obviously didn’t hate it! I wrote about our first cruise here. Friends have recently asked me about cruising. I guess as we age, we think about both new options, and easier options, for travel. So I decided to write a summary of how I see cruising based only on my experience.
Routes and Destinations: Each time we have cruised, we have decided to do so based on the itinerary and the destinations we will visit, rather than as a choice first to take a cruise. Though in this most recent case, the advantages of taking a cruise also came into play. It was an extreme extravagance, but a perfect way to see some exotic destinations when health and stamina was an issue. We could spend a shorter time onshore, or if one of us was not up to going out, one or both of us could cancel our excursions and just stay on the ship. The comfort of knowing medical staff were on board helped a lot too, though thankfully we did not need them.
The advantages of cruising: It’s an excellent way to get an introduction to destinations. After a day of sightseeing, you can retreat to your room, have cocktails and a nice dinner and even go dancing if you want, and then wake up somewhere new the next morning. No airport or bus or ferry transfers required! And of course, you only unpack once. In our most recent cruise, we were on board for 22 days, but went to thirteen different places, several with overnight stays. Unpacking once was a definite advantage! Our first cruise too took us to three different spots in Greece (including two Greek islands) as well as Montenegro and Croatia, and we decided to cruise only because the alternative – visiting islands and packing up after a day or two and moving on, spending up to a day each time travelling between locations – was really unappealing. And our second cruise dipped us in and out of cities skirting the Baltic sea, all from our one bedroom.
No airports: Arriving and leaving – whilst it might have immigration formalities, assisted by ship personnel – is relatively painless compared to airport transfers. Sailing in and out of the ports is fascinating, seeing cities and their skylines and industry and ports from a different point of view. Arriving at a destination when the sun is coming up is special, the light is wonderful. And leaving, after a busy day, is always a little bittersweet. On our first cruises we would head to an observation bar (inside or out) to sail away, looking at the view. On this cruise we didn’t really have that option, so we developed a little routine. We would pour ourselves a drink, and sit on the balcony as we sailed away, watching the tugs at work as we manoeuvred out of the ports, and staying sometimes until the cities, ports, and even offshore islands and fishing boats disappeared, leaving just the horizon. Or until the sun set. Coming from a land of relatively late sunsets in warm weather, we were shocked that it would be dark by or before 6 pm! Before the sun said goodnight, we were rewarded with views of dolphins, flying fish, plenty of birds, and the odd jellyfish, as well as many many local boats and of course, major cargo ships. Though, my husband was disappointed there were no whales at any time.
Morning arrival in MumbaiTug saying goodbyeSail away sunset drinks
Built-in relaxation time: We had four sea days in total, two days each crossing the northern Indian Ocean, with India and Sri Lanka stops between. I will admit that I had been a little nervous about the ocean crossings, but we had mild swells and pretty calm seas all the way. We were spectacularly lucky really. We exited through the Straits of Hormuz, and sailed across the Arabian Sea (in the north of the Indian Ocean) for two days. Seas were calm, just a gentle roll that helped us drift off to sleep. And sunrises and sunsets at sea are magical. After sightseeing in Egypt and then the three Gulf States, and again after a busy week in India and Sri Lanka, our sea days gave us time to recover, to take it easy at breakfast whilst looking out at the waves, relax and read or keep up with photos etc in our suite, have an afternoon nap, ready a book, attend lectures about the next destinations, finish a communal puzzle on the floor below us, walk, swim, indulge in mini-golf, or visit the spa. (We only did some of the above). And as we were travelling east, each night we lost an hour or more as we kept up with the time changes, so extra relaxation was necessary!
Breakfast view on a calm sea in the Indian OceanA fishing boat about 200 kms off the coast of Pakistan
We sailed through two of the world’s key shipping areas – the aforementioned Straits of Hormuz, and the Malacca Straits which seemed to be wall-to-wall ships, before finally docking in Singapore, the second busiest port on the planet. So there was plenty to keep us amused.
Quality and size: Yes, we choose cruises based on an itinerary. But equally important to us is that we like the smaller ships, lack of crowds, peace and quiet and sophistication, and space in our suites. None of the ships we have been on have had more than 450 passengers. Compare that with the average, mainstream ships with 2000-5000 passengers! So the smaller ships truly feel just like a floating boutique hotel. I’ve never been on a big ship, with focus on non-stop entertainment, but I really don’t think it would be my/our style. There were only a few restaurant options, but they changed menus daily, so there was always an option to please us. On a small ship for a longer cruise, the staff get to know us all – we were walking down the street in Thailand and one of the staff on leave greeted us by name, and not one of our key servers/butlers either! And of course, we got to know them too, to learn about their plans and aspirations, which was lovely. All suites (rooms/cabins) had a relaxed seating area with sofa, TV, fridge, and table as well as a balcony with chairs and a table, a walk-in wardrobe, and bathroom complete with a shower and separate bath. I never felt that it was too small or crowded, even after 22 days. Without the seating area, I think I would have started to feel a little claustrophobic, or forced to spend more time in the public areas. And just down the hall was a launderette.
Just a little ship
No hidden costs: This was a new cruise line for us, not necessarily one we would have chosen normally – it’s expensive, and has an older, more conservative age group than our other cruises – but it meant we had paid upfront before we left, and had no extra expenses. All food, wine, champagne and cocktails, and 24-hour room service, were included. So were excursions, laundry, drinks etc. No tips either. So we never had to worry if we were spending too much, or how much something would cost. (Though because of the expense, I chose not to visit the pricy spa). So after overspending in a shopping spree in the boutique with our shipboard credit, our total bill on departure was US$3! This worry-free nature of services on the ship was very welcome after what had been a very stressful year.
Food and wine: There were plenty of food options, with a specialty restaurant, coffee shop, main restaurant, buffet restaurant for breakfast and lunch, Italian restaurant for dinner, and a pool bar and grill. One of the things we have loved about past cruises was the high standard of the food. (We are definitely live-to-eat people, rather than eat-to-live.) This cruise line’s food offerings were more conservative and classic than our previous cruises, though still better than a hotel coffee shop. Most of the clientele were Australian or European, but the food was influenced (it seemed to me) by more conservative American tastes or practices. The specialty restaurant, for example, was a steakhouse (not really a thing in NZ), and to me that was just boring. Though I will admit their fourteen-layer chocolate cake was quite delicious! Even though the food was conservative, there were always at least one or two options that sounded interesting and delicious to us. And they had specialty nights for some of the Asian cuisines, and special menus on Christmas and New Year. Though we chose the delicious European Christmas menu on Christmas Eve rather than the US-influenced gala for Christmas Day (we could have done both). Instead, that night we visited the very empty Italian restaurant and enjoyed the food in a tranquil atmosphere! We could always check the menus of all restaurants before dinner through our in-suite TVs, allowing us to choose what suited us best, or allow ourselves to be surprised at the table. Wine choices – unless we wanted to pay for the reserve/specialty wines – were okay, some better than others, and were taken from all around the world, including New Zealand. Italian and Californian wines were most commonly offered. And if we didn’t like one wine, we could request others. (That happened once or twice.)
Dining flexibility: Reservations were only required in the specialty restaurant, and all were included in our fare. Like our two other cruises, seating everywhere was optional too. There were large tables for singles to meet up with others, or families or friend groups, and plenty of tables for four or two. Singles were also catered for. You can be as social (saying you are willing to share a table) or not depending on your mood. I love that flexibility. Breakfasts were wonderful. On excursion days, the buffet restaurant was fast but crowded and a little chaotic. Whenever we had the time, we chose the a la carte restaurant for breakfast, as it was never busy (and only ever about 20% full), it offered exactly the same as the buffet restaurant with a few extra specialties, and was calm and relaxed, with nice views of the sea or harbours. It was definitely our favourite place for a serene, relaxed breakfast. Even if we didn’t indulge in the Sunday caviar and champagne breakfasts. (I discovered there’s such a thing as Too Much Champagne!)
14-layer chocolate cakeMy favourite breakfast
Excursions: I’m not a big fan of organised tours, preferring independent travel as we did in Egypt or last year in Ireland/UK/Portugal. However, for a cruise, organised tours can be the best way to get a feel for a destination. This cruise line also offered excursions at no extra cost (unless you chose a few smaller or more specialty tours that they charged for). They were as simple as a Hop On Hop Off Bus ticket in Doha (we used it as an easy transfer bus to/from the ship), or a four-hour morning bus tour of a city’s highlights, but they also included our exciting four-wheel drive caravan through the sand dunes, and that fabulous boat trip in canals and a lake, which was our longest tour at seven hours. Due to health limitations, we generally kept our excursions short. Our past cruises saw us dock near the towns, and simply walk off (or take a tender) to explore Corfu or Dubrovnik or Helsinki or Tallinn at our leisure, completely independently. But we were unlikely to explore many of the destinations in India and Sri Lanka in such a short time on our own. So choosing a cruise with free excursions, which showed us far more than we would have ever seen independently, including visits to some locals’ houses, was a perfect option for us. On the days we took tours, our only costs were tips for our guides and drivers.
Downsides: Cruising does have downsides. It doesn’t provide an in-depth experience. You really only dip in and out of the destinations, getting a feel of where you might want to go in the future. But we expected that. We really liked Sri Lanka, and would definitely like to see more. I’d hoped to be exposed to local cuisine a little more, but there were only a couple of times we managed to try it (with the exception of Phuket, of course). There were also downsides to this last cruise too. The expense, the age and layout of the ship, the conservative food, and the restrictive restaurant timings all frustrated us in comparison to our previous cruises. It all felt a little old – but then, so were many of the passengers, though I also admired them for travelling well into their 80s! For that reason I’d probably not cruise this line again. Well, unless the itinerary was right!
Would we cruise again? We’re not rushing to cruise again, for other reasons. But if I saw the right itinerary – and I’m most interested in Africa or South America or Greenland (yes, half the world!) – then I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. . Bank account willing, of course.
India was chaotic and noisy and crowded, but as always, fun and colourful. So colourful! I’d been before, for work, travelling alone and with one or two good stories as a result. I’d always wanted to return, but had never had the opportunity to simply be a tourist there. I’ve also never been to the south of India, other than Mumbai. We stopped in four cities, visiting monuments, museums, a spice farm, traditional crafts village, and some private homes. I’d forgotten how leafy the cities are, providing welcome shade in the heat. I exclaimed with delight at the yellow and black cabs. A bit more modern than the old Ambassador taxis I remember, that I see finally went out of manufacture only 11 years ago. And I remembered how much I wanted to wear a beautiful sari!
Of course, the British influence is evident everywhere, not least with the popularity of cricket, and we saw games underway all over the place. The architecture is largely British, except for the temples, and of course, the English language unites us. India’s famous red tape bureaucracy was in full force, with immigration checks getting on and off the ship at each port. It might have been time consuming, but ultimately, everything works. That’s India in a nutshell to me. Relax, and let it work itself out.
Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) is an impressive, huge city. I got to see again the Gate of India, and the imposing Taj Mahal Palace Hotel (both from land and also as we sailed out), where I had stayed at the hotel about thirty years earlier (albeit in the modern tower – though I had relaxed in the garden with a book on a free Sunday).
Dhobi Ghat or The Laundry is an open air laundry, constructed in 1890, and was a highlight of our tour. It employs around five thousand staff even though most of the washing now uses machines. Drying however is still open air.
The Mumbai train station and church next to it are ornate pieces of architecture. I remember on my work trip being taken into the foyer at an off peak time, and being told that during rush hour it was impossible to walk against the crowds. I would just be swept up by the sheer numbers of people and carried off! That impression stayed with me, but this time I got to see it from the outside! We saw Gandhi’s house and museum, and the main Hare Krishna temple. We learned about the importance of the lunchbox delivery system that keeps Mumbai running, and saw the statue acknowledging the contribution of the Dabbawalas, the the lunchbox deliverers. And the calm museum reminded us of the vibrant pre-colonial societies and governments/kingdoms throughout India. Sailing out of Mumbai later was an absolute highlight, seeing this vast, populous city skyline, surrounded by a swarm of boats and ships.
From Mumbai, we sailed down the south west coast of India. Our next stop was Goa, heavily influenced by the Portuguese who ruled it from 1510 to 1961, when it was integrated into India. This was obvious in the architecture of the churches and cathedrals. It is a famous tourist beach spot, although we went high into the hills behind the city for local food and spices.
Further south Mangaluru (Mangalore) introduced us to some of the ancient crafts they are trying to keep alive, including beaten rice (similar to oats, and eaten for breakfast in the same way), and sesame oil production, amongst others. There was a highly decorated church too.
But my favourite was a trip to the Kerala backwaters, which I have wanted to do for years. We explored the waterways there, seeing local life – the floating pharmacy and visiting veterinarian, as an example – on and beside the water, as well as the ferries, banks, laundry day, tourist houseboats, narrow canals, all around a huge lake. The rice fields were at a lower level than the canals, with sluice gates to flood them, and pumps to empty them for harvest. And a bee-eater posed nicely on some wires for me. The day was a highlight, even with the bumpy four-hour (total) bus-ride to get there and back.
After Egypt, we flew to Doha, and boarded a cruise that would take us to Singapore. We stopped in at some of the Gulf states, before crossing the Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean. I might write a separate post on cruising, as I know some of you are interested in our perspective.
The ship spent our first day in Doha. We’d visited before, when my brother-in-law and his family lived there. So we just took a simple city tour to see what had changed in the 12 years since we had been. It’s an impressive city, with some amazing architecture, and a whole new city/suburb had sprung up in that time. This time the heat was manageable. It was winter and temperatures were in the 20s, compared with our first visit in June, when the average daily high was in the 40s, so walking around the souq and exploring was much easier. Once again, the harbour is full of dhows, the traditional fishing boats, that are these days used with tourists and for night cruises etc. We saw (and heard) beautiful traditional mosques scattered amongst the modern buildings. Because, like the other cities in the Gulf, Doha oozes wealth. Architecture can be much more interesting when money is no object. I also am a big fan of the Islamic/Middle Eastern architecture and decoration, and love it mixed with modern architecture. It’s beautiful. . The cruise terminal is an example.
Our next stop was Abu Dhabi. We didn’t want to explore yet another wealthy city constructed out of a fishing village following the discovery of oil/gas, so we went dune-bashing. We were in four-wheel drive SUVs, in a convoy (or caravan as they say in this part of the world) and explored a natural landscape of dunes and desert. My husband loved the thrills of driving up and sliding down the sand dunes. (They let out the air of the tyres before going off-road to be able to do this.) I loved the landscapes. The camels were a bonus. We both had a ball.
Once again, sailing out of Abu Dhabi was incredible. The view of the Guggenheim under construction (far left), the Louvre, and the national museum (far right) was phenomenal from the harbour, and makes me think about going back to see them when they are all open.
I’ve wanted to go to Oman for a long time, especially once I heard that you can see goats in trees there. I didn’t believe it at first, until a relative showed photographic evidence. Our stop in Oman was at Khasab, a small exclave at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, completely surrounded by the UAE, and isolated from the rest of Oman. It is an important strategic base at the edge of the narrow Straits of Hormuz, and only 57 or so kilometres from Iran. Our guide noted that Iran polices their side of the strait, Oman polices their side, and the US Navy takes the middle. Why? Because over 25% of total global seaborne oil trade and 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade pass through the Straits. Its history predates oil discoveries, and goes back to the 17th century, when Portugal established a fort there. There’s trade between Iran and Oman too. There were dozens of boats out in the bay, mostly were filled with goats we were told, awaiting agriculture inspection.
Perhaps surprisingly though, Khasab is also a tourist destination for residents of the UAE, with beaches and warm water year round. The scenery was dramatic, with fjord-like inlets at the tip, and ever-barren rocks and mountains dominating the landscape. Little grows there, and there is virtually no natural colour, especially on the cloudy day we visited.
Only a day or two earlier, they had their first drops of rain in three years! Schools were closed as a result, as avalanches from the rare water flows were a risk, and a few areas in villages were flooded. We explored a village that had goats roaming free. In fact, it was illegal to harm goats, because they help keep villages free of snakes. It’s their smell, you see. Apparently, the snakes don’t like it. And yes, when we got out and explored, I did see some goats climbing and playing in trees!
I like the idea of counting each day as a separate life. Starting anew, celebrating what we have, rather than what we don't. Remembering days that have shaped me, made me who I am. Or just today.
A Separate Life 