Random Thoughts from the Holiday

I'm glad I decided on this holiday, in spite of the fact that I could ill afford it.

I'm glad I went for a mix of alone time and family/friend catch up time as its given me a renewed pleasure, for both aspects of travel.

I known I must return to New Zealand. Its packed so full of wonderful places that 9 days simply wasn't enough.

I'm glad I busted my knee on the Tongariro crossing. It made me realize that good and kind and generous people still exist in this world. People who will put aside their needs to help a random stranger whether it be carrying her down a mountain path, or helping her to the washroom or sitting with her in the dorm to keep her company.......

I'm not fussed about the fact that I "wasted" 2 days in NZ because of the knee injury. Yes, I missed out on some places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do, but in the long run, I rather have my health.

I was wondering if I did the right thing adding Melbourne to my destination list as I have a whole heap of rellies there. Now, I'm glad I did. Catching up with the aunties, uncles and cousins has been a whole heap of fun that I did NOT expect. Yes, there were times when I wanted to take the whole lot of them and dump them into the Yarra.... but the important thing is that the impulse passed and things all worked out fine. I do however realize that much of my enjoying meeting them was the fact that in most cases I didn't spend more than 2 hours in their company! And the ones I did spend more time with, I was very happy to get to know.

I'm glad I went to Bitch's wedding and I'm super glad that she made me privy to the behind the scenes activities. I usually hate an overload of what I fondly refer to as "girly bullshit", but with Bitch, all activities were a load of fun and hey, her bridesmaids did do a wonderful job of making me look just beautiful for the wedding.

I'm positive that if I ever get married, I will be keeping interaction with relatives to a minimum. This is the 4th wedding of a close friend where I've seen first hand what havoc interfering relatives can wreck on what is supposed to be a happy occasion.

I have come to realize that the most beautiful places on this earth are also the most difficult to get to, or live in or reconcile with. But, the hardship makes their beauty even more precious.

I should listen to my body more carefully. A nagging cold that started in Alice Springs turned into a full fledged chest cold/cough and sore throat by Christmas all because I refused to take it easy and cut back on activities while in the outback. Loving care and home remedies from family got me back into shape.

I am at heart, a child of the tropics. I've only been on the Gold Coast for a couple of hours and already I love the heat and the lush greenery all around.