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.