I’m due for a blog post. Long overdue. I thought I would be the blogger of the family, but when Steve took to Instagram, I quickly recognized which of us had the flare for travel writing.
Interestingly, every part of our year has had a theme. South America was really about coming together as a family, working out the kinks, and identifying areas that we wanted to focus on this year. It was about introducing our children to travel and to different cultures. Australia and New Zealand were about reconnecting with old friends. We were reminded of the importance of strong and long lasting friendships. I believe that is where I left off with my last blog entry…
We found gratitude as we made our way through Southeast Asia. Our 2 weeks volunteering at Feeding Dreams school in Cambodia will stay with us forever. This was the most difficult stop of the year for me. I struggled in the midst of a poverty I had never seen before. Had the Cambodian government not tightened their laws around international adoption, the Mathias clan would have grown a few members. It was really difficult. I spent time looking after the health needs of the children, and participated in an immunization day at the school. I assessed a couple of elders in the community. Without the means to pay for healthcare, options for managing illness and trauma are limited or nonexistent. Despite all this, and while enduring a level of humidity that we had never felt before, the girls were able to identify that most of the children looked happy. All three girls wanted to make a difference for these children. They poured over lesson planning in the evenings and took their teaching duties very seriously. They assisted in handing out meals at lunchtime, recognizing that these were often the only meals the children would receive in a day.
We rounded out our Asian adventure with Angkor Wat and Sri Lanka, where we were introduced to the “history” themed portion of our trip. From Sri Lanka, we made our way to Jordan via Dubai. I admit to being hesitant about travelling through the Middle East. Steve had been there before and wanted to share it with us. I eventually agreed, somewhat reluctantly. This was my surprise of the year. I loved almost everything about our experience. The food, the people, the history, …everything. Falafels, hummus, baklava, donairs, Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerusalem, the Pyramids, Aswan, the Nile. Fabulous, all of it. I would recommend this experience to anyone looking for family travel ideas. One of my fondest memories is our night sailing on the Nile aboard a Felucca. It was the simplest of all the boats on the river, without a toilet, running water, or a motor. It was a blissful 24hrs of reading, playing cards, jumping into the water to cool off and watching Egyptian life on the banks of the river. As the sun set, we lay on the bow of the boat, listening to Coldplay and watching the cruise ships sail past. We slept under the stars, huddled together under the blankets.
As we arrived in Europe, we had the familiar feeling of “cheating” that we had experienced arriving in New Zealand from South America. Fresh vegetables and clean tap water were a nice break from months of nervously anticipating a gastro to hit at any moment. By this time, however, we had developed a tolerance or immunity to any bugs that came our way (thank you, South America). We managed to stay healthy after our medical adventure in Peru, for which we are grateful. We were introduced to Spanish wines, a welcome treat after enduring Ramadan in Morocco. We coined the verb ‘tapasing’ to describe restaurant and bar hopping through Spain, enjoying small portions of amazing food. San Sebastián took the win for favourite foodie experience after Malaysia. Spain was also home to one of our highlights and biggest physical challenges of the year. Our family walked 124km along the Camino de Santiago in 6 days, making our way from Valenca, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. This pilgrimage brought hours of walking and talking together as a family as we made our way through small towns and villages, meeting other pilgrims along the way.
In June, we were reunited with family and friends in Portugal and France. We all loved exploring the coastline of the Algarves with my parents and Uncle Malcolm. We surprised the kids with this reunion. France saw us reunited with The Hunters, friends from home. We rented a beautiful converted garage in Provence and spent 2 weeks exploring the area and cheering on the Women’s World Cup Canadian soccer team while catching up on stories from the past year. Daily trips to the local swimming hole were a must as record breaking temperatures reached the mid 40s.
After a quick stop in Venice to share one of our favourite travel destinations with the girls, we knew we had a week to get to Zagreb. Big European cities can become tiresome for children, so we started searching for a more rural experience. Perhaps it was the thrill and success of the Camino that drove us to our next adventure, but when Steve discovered that there was an old converted railway turned biking trail that wove its way through Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, we jumped into trip planning action. This adventure proved to be our most physically challenging experience of the year. For four days, we rode heavy mountain bikes through stunning countryside. The trail was challenging, at times single track and often loose gravel. We stopped along the way to jump in the ocean, marvel at views, and enjoy eating and wandering in the small towns we passed. The first night, I accidentally booked our accommodation on top of a mountain. The girls, exasperated, asked, “What part of ‘Panoramic Hostel’ did you not understand?” It was late in the evening when we eventually arrived. Days 2 and 3 were no easier, but equally scenic as we made our way across the Istrian Peninsula through Slovenia and into Croatia. Day four started with a 20 km climb before we coasted into our final destination, Porec, on the north western coast of Croatia. We had travelled 135km on our bikes and survived ‘mosquito mountain’, incredibly long days of riding, countless climbs, and Anna driving her bike off the side of a steep trail and landing in a thorn bush. We were exhausted and so completely proud of ourselves and each other.
Looking to avoid the heat, cost, and crowds of Europe during the summer, we hopped back on a plane to explore more of Africa. We spent a week on safari in Maasai Mara, Kenya and the Ngorogoro crater, Tanzania. We unanimously agreed that our day in Maasai Mara during the migration was a thrill of a lifetime, and a top five day of our year. We finally spotted a leopard, which we had been searching for since our first safari in Sri Lanka. We watched a lion rest under a tree as he digested a wildebeest, which lay half eaten a meter away from him. We were close enough to smell the raw flesh and feel the swarming flies. At one point, our vehicle became stuck in the dirt while driving up to a family of nine lions lying under a tree. No one willing to get out and push, we were forced to flag down a neighbouring safari driver to run his vehicle into ours, pushing us out of the dirt while we remained in the safety of the vehicle. The sheer number of animals in this area was a sight to behold. We left Kenya with only the rare white rhino left on our animal wish list.
We headed to Cape Town from Nairobi, relieved to find a toilet at our next stop after four days of ‘squatty potty’ in Tanzania. Reunited with friends in Cape Town, we changed our plan from traveling the Garden Road to settling in for a week to enjoy what Cape Town had to offer. We hobbled around the city for a few days after taking on Table Mountain the one day of the year that the gondola was closed for maintenance. That climb made the Grouse Grind seem easy. We enjoyed the surrounding wine regions and indulged in more than our share of tastings. One of our most beautiful stops of the year, Cape Town is also very complicated with it’s long history of Aparthied. The economic disparity was surprising. There had been 900 murders in Cape Town in the first 6 months of 2019 and 43 the weekend prior to our arrival. Yet at no time did we feel unsafe while we were there. As long as we knew where to go and where not to go, we were safe to enjoy this fabulous corner of the world. The safari leg of our journey ended perfectly with two final safari days, including a White Rhino sighting, in Kruger National Park. Johannesburg felt less segregated than Cape Town, but safety was more of a concern. Nelson Mandela Square is a wonderful shopping and dining hub in Johannesburg, but areas of the city center were lined with piles of garbage, unlike anything I had seen before. The Cradle of Humankind, located just outside Johannesburg, was an unexpected highlight in this area. Outside the museum is the Long March to Freedom Monument, where we could have spent most of an entire day. One hundred bronzed statues of heroes from 1600 to present march in a line. Each statue is accompanied by a summary of that individual’s contribution in the fight against oppression, with Nelson Mandela walking in front of those who preceded him. Incredibly impactful, and a meaningful lesson in history for all five of us. All of this was before we even entered the museum, where we learned about evolution and hominid species dating back to almost 3 million years ago. We rounded out the day touring fossil-filled limestone caves.
We were able to squeeze in a quick stop in Turkey as we made our way back towards Canada. Istanbul is fabulous, I can’t wait to explore more of Turkey on my next lap of the world. A unique mix of Europe and Middle East/Asia, we indulged in the local cuisine and the shopping at the Grand Bazaar. The girls fueled themselves with samples of Turkish Delights on every corner. We laughed our way through a Turkish Bath, where we all experienced a salt rub, steam rooms, and a traditional soap scrub.
We finally had a chance to introduce the girls to the British side of my family with a quick trip up to Newcastle from London. Train luck hadn’t been with us through Europe (we were quite familiar with the term ‘suprime’ after our time in France), and we arrived at King’s Cross Station to find that every train had been canceled out of London due to a massive power failure. This left us only 24hrs with the relatives but it was so incredibly worthwhile. It’s a small family and we don’t see each other very often, but when we do get together, it is really special. This visit was no exception.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I have spent the last few weeks trying to process the experiences and emotions of the past year. During our final weeks of travel, I found myself overwhelmed at the idea of returning home. One morning, Steve and I stepped out to enjoy a cappuccino while the girls slept. I watched a travel family walk by, and the tears started rolling down my cheeks. I’m not ready to give my children back to their school and their friends. I don’t want Steve to head back to work. I loved our little travel family, and all the ups and downs that came with it.
I treasure the evenings when we sat down at a restaurant and reflected on our day, filled in the gaps of the day’s lessons, and laughed about some of our adventures and/or misfortunes. We reminisced about previous countries we visited (which always feel like SUCH a long time ago), and quizzed each other about geography, culture, religion and history. “Trip Trivia” was one of our favourite games, and I always lost (kids remember everything!). I will miss other evenings when we took in the local restaurant atmosphere over a family game of Five Crowns.
I have loved watching the girls grow into confident, worldly travelers. Their comfort with new people and in new environments is admirable. They love to meet other travelers and share experiences. I have no doubts about the richness of their education this year. There may be gaps in some areas of the curriculum, but these will pale in comparison to what they have gained.
Steve asked Anna a few months ago what she had learned by traveling around the world. She responded “I no longer think that the world is a scary place.” If this is what she takes away from this year, our trip has been a success. There are wonderful people in every country. In most places, it is safe to go out at night, contrary to what is portrayed in the news. People look out for each other, they value family. They want to share their culture with you. Their goals are not unlike our own.
I can’t attempt to summarize our year without reflecting on the environmental crisis facing our world today. Climate change is real, and it is happening quickly. Sadly, I head home feeling uneasy about the future and the fight we have ahead of us if we are going to save our planet. The Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg refers to the current period as the ”Sixth Great Extinction” on planet earth. We experienced extreme weather patterns during our year, landing in both Australia and France for all time record breaking heat waves. Drought and declining crops were concerns voiced by people in many countries. Two weeks ago, we read about the 4 mile long iceberg breaking off of Greenland. We met too many people who don’t believe this is happening. Too many educated people still deny that it is real. In many countries, corruption and other governmental issues prevent taking necessary steps toward reversing this process.
Some countries are making efforts to reduce or eliminate single use plastics. Throughout the year, we witnessed cities, towns and shorelines littered with waste. Cat Ba, Vietnam, is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, yet our boat carved a path through the littered plastic as it wove through the turquoise waters.
And we can’t tell you how many hours we spent searching for 2 lonely white rhinos.
Together, the world must make the environment a priority. Our girls are very aware of the implications and potential consequences of climate change. They are motivated to make a difference. Despite our efforts to use public transportation, to recycle and to travel with bamboo straws, a water purifier and reusable food storage containers, we recognize that our environmental footprint has not been small. I hope we will soon see more environmentally friendly international travel options, so that others will be able to enjoy similar travel experiences without contributing to the polluting effects of air travel.
I don’t know what the next decade holds for our family. Steve and I have to go back to work. The girls are growing up and becoming more independent. They will want to spend more time with their friends. What I do know is that this year has strengthened each of us individually and as a family. We are closer than we have ever been. We have learned to be comfortable with conflict and work together to solve problems. We love spending time together, and we laugh a lot. I know that we will spend the next forty years sharing memories from this year. This year, we have truly lived our very best life. I will spend the rest of my life grateful for this experience.
Mosques cannot display any images of people on the walls so when they wanted to convert the church, they had to cover everything up. 
Hagia Sofia aka “Ayasofya” is now a museum where you can walk around and see some of the faces and people starting to show as the paint wears off. 
The Blue Mosque was beautiful with all the handmade tiles on the ceiling and the big pillars with blue designs. 
Istanbul is divided in two continents, Asia and Europe. We were staying on the European side so we had fun exploring the Asian side. We tried mussels with rice inside. They were actually pretty good. 
The Grand Bazaar is a huge market filled with clothes, spices, soaps, leather, traditional Turkish lamps and Turkish delights. 
We spent a whole day in the bazaar and eventually, we got a little overwhelmed. Turkish people are so lovely. They will invite you in for apple tea and ask you questions. The Hammam was so relaxing! A Hammam is a scrubbing spa. My parents did one in Morocco so we wanted to try it here. They started off by putting us in a salt room. It looked like Christmas! 
They then put us in the sauna, gave us a foam soap massage and gave us tea! 
It was great! Turkish delights are jelly candies with different nuts and spices in them. My favourite were the plain ones covered in icing sugar. In the Grand Bazaar, there would be tonnes of different delight stores with samples. Go to the Bazaar hungry! Another delicious snack that we tried when we were in Istanbul was the Turkish ice cream. This ice cream is different from all the others because it was thicker, strechier and takes longer to melt. 
They will serve you the ice cream once their done their mini show! I’m definitely coming back to Istanbul!
The next morning, we woke up early and we went whale watching. We saw so many blue whales, and a tonne of dolphins. 
After whale watching, we went to Galle, a little beach town an hour drive from Mirissa. It was so fun to walk around the old city and the weather was perfect. 
That night we had a nice dinner with more curry and I had a very hairy mango juice. Then, we said goodbye to our awesome tour guide, Chatura. After dinner, we returned home. The next couple days were very relaxing. We spent most of the days swimming and surfing. I spent hours surfing and the waves were huge! Sometimes too big for me and I’d get dumped. 
At the end of each day, I would be covered in sores from my board. It was worth it because there is not much surfing in Canada besides Tofino. My dad lost 90% of his pictures so that was a big problem. A cool fact about Mirissa is that there are a lot of pole fishermen. A pole fisherman is a fisher that sits on a wooden pole to fish. It looked very uncomfortable. 
On the fifth day, we had to leave. It was sad. We thanked our hosts for an incredible stay and we all hopped in the van and we drove to the airport. Mirissa was a highlight of our year. Mirissa was a cute beach town that I would definitely come back to.
This is an epic fail of my dad and I trying to catch the same wave.
We walked through the Ancient building, learning a lot about the history of Angkor Wat, then we listen to our guide telling us about how he had been a Buddhist monk for 11 years. The picture quality was amazing and Amelie and Elise loved the hide and seek. After Angkor Wat, we headed to Bayon one of the other temples. Bayon was special because it had faces on it and most temples in the Angkor Wat were Hindu and became Buddhist temples but Bayon was always Buddhist. 
The pictures there were so cool, fun to take and we photo bombed each others photos. The next temple was called Ta Phrom. This one was unique because there are trees growing out of it. 
It was also the place were they filmed the movie “Tomb Raider”. We tried to reenact the scene in front of the tree. It kind of worked. 
On Tuesday, we took a boat to Cat Ba, which is an island right off of Hai Phong. When we arrived, we took our luggage to our hotel. We rented scooters and we drove to the Cat Ba National Park. 
It was beautiful. We stopped at the Hospital Caves, which were caves that the North Vietnamese built so that no one could find their hospital and the Southern Vietnamese couldn’t bomb them. 
It was really different and interesting to visit the rooms like the operating room, the old office and the meeting room. 
We saw couple of pictures of the hospital during the war and saw the actual equipment they used. After the Hospital Caves, we rode up to the beginning of the Cat Ba National Park hike. It was a bit of a confusing hike but well worth it. At the top, the view of Cat Ba was amazing. 
We took a couple pictures, then we began our hike down. The next morning, we had a boat tour of Halong Bay. Halong Bay is one of the most well known places in Vietnam. 
After a little bit of boating, we took double kayaks out onto the water. Amelie and I were together, Elise was with my mom and my dad was with Joe, from Germany. We kayaked through caves (sometimes got stuck). It was blast and Amelie and I killed it! 
After kayaking, we walked around the fish farm and we saw a giant fish that was the length of me but the weight of my dad. Then we all got back on the boat and we went swimming. It was definitely cold but freezing for my mom. It was fun because we could jump off the top of the boat. 
Lunch was amazing, there were spring rolls, red snapper, fish cakes, tofu and a veggie salad.
That night, we went out for a Hot Pot at a restaurant were this young boy around Amelies age served us dinner. 
A Hot Pot is a burner that sits in the middle of the table with boiling broth, which is served with raw meat, seafood, noodles and vegetables for you to cook. 
We went to cannon fort for the last day. 
It was really cool to see the old cannons and the old uniforms they used to wear. It was really rainy ( and yes I did say rain! first rain in two weeks). At the hotel, Amelie and I finished our Buddhism project. That night we presented it in front of our parents and Ellie. Elise was our facilitator. 
For dinner, we went to this really loud bar and we played a big round of our card game called” Five Crowns”. The next morning, we had to go so we took a selfie with the brothers who owned the hotel and then we took the boat back to Hai Phong. The views in Cat Ba were something I’d remember for a long time!
It turned out that they were travelling around Thailand so we changed our travel itineraries to see them and we were never actually going to go to Thailand. That night, we all went to the hawker stalls for dinner. We tried scorpion on a stick and crocodile I preferred the scorpion because the crocodile was to chewy. 
It was hilarious to watch a boy around my age try scorpion because he had watched us first so he thought he could do it but ended up gaging. For desert we ate rolled ice cream and it was really cool to see how they made it.
Chang Mai is known for cooking classes so we thought we ought to go. We started off going to the food market and picking out all sorts off different spices, ingredients and veggies for our cooking class. 
After that, we picked out what six different dishes we wanted to make in the class. I picked: fried veggie spring rolls, pad Thai, sweet and sour prawn soup,Mussuman curry, prawns baked with vermicelli and sticky rice with mango.Our first course was the spring rolls. 
They were the best ones yet! There was tofu and veggies in it. Then we made the prawns and the pad Thai. It was all so good. After that we made curry, curry paste, the soup and then lastly we made the sticky rice. 
After the course we were so full we had to roll home. It really was the best food I’d ever had! That night we headed to the markets to get a bit of exercise. The next morning we had to say goodbye to our Aunt and Cody. It was tough. Then, we walked around the old city and we visited a Buddhist temple. 
At 7pm it was time for our first massage. It was absolutely amazing. We did a Thai massage, it was a normal massage until she started to stretch me like I was a peace of bubble gum. It was hard not to scream but it was totally worth every single minute by the end. I would totally go back to Thailand!
Next, we went to Marina Bay Sands which is a bay with the Merlion, the Marina Bay Sands hotel and a big shopping center. The hotel was beautiful, there were three buildings in a row and it looked like a huge, huge boat was laying across them. 
First, we went to the big shopping center. It was like the future of all the malls in Vancouver. There were some really expensive stores like Versace and Gucci and a little river that went right through the mall. There were people going down the river on little boats. It was so cool! 
After lunch, we went for a walk around the bay, took nice pictures and ate fried ice cream for the second time on this trip. When night fell, we took a lovely boat ride down the Singapore River to see lights. 
They were beautiful because they lit up the entire city. After the boat ride, we went for one more little walk before returning to our hotel to go see the……….Merlion! It was all lit up and so beautiful. 
We took a couple pictures then we went back to the hotel. The next morning, started off with a lazy morning then we decided to go do the Cloud Forest. The trees were so tall and the view from the skywalk was so nice. 
The weather started to turn against us, so we hurried indoors to a dome with a gorgeous waterfall. 
We also learnt about pollution and global warming. 
After watching some upsetting videos about pollution, global warming, plastic and wasting water we suddenly felt that we should make a difference.
After, the night safari we headed back to the apartment. Singapore made me realize what Vancouver could look like if we tried real hard to cut down on plastic and water. Singapore deserves a 10/10!
One Family, One World, One Year 