Sunday, June 5, 2011

Islands in the Pacific

So you may have noticed that I have not been faithful about the daily #Trust30 assignments.   Honestly,  one of them just did ot speak to me, and I just didn't have time for another.  But this one--which was actually for yesterday does speak to me:


Travel by Chris Guillebeau

If we live truly, we shall see truly. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?

My response:

There are of course a huge number of places on my list of places I'd love to see before I die.   A remarkably large number of them are islands in the Pacific ocean.     In October 2001,  my late spouse and I took a long-planned and saved-for trip to Hawaii.    I got laid off from my job with Earthlink shortly after 9/11,  and there was at times a dream-like quality that I've come to realize is actually common to many trips to the remarkably beautiful Hawaiian islands.    Most visitors fall in love with Hawaii.   Those whose travel agents book them a VIP tour at the Polynesian Cultural Center-- about a two hour drive from Wakikii Beach,  may develop a serious longing to see a number of other islands in the Pacific.

Somewhere I have a photograph of Joel and me,  each under an arm of a big man from the island nation Tonga.    He has tatoos all over both of his huge arms and his handsome smile and beaming goodwill  remind me of just one of the remarkable people whom meeting set me off on a journey of reading about and developing a someday travel list that includes Tonga,  the Maori New Zealand,   Rarotonga,  Easter Island, Tahiti, Bora Bora and also the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.     It is not one great trip I dream of, but rather years of being able to travel to these remote and far away islands,  which have come to call to me.   Honestly,   I don't know if I will ever have the coincidence of time, money and health to get to even a fraction of the places on my islands in the Pacific list.   But it's nice to have big dreams.  

3 comments:

Iconic88 said...

FANTASTIC POST ALAN!! I fully understand why people would fall in love with people from the Pacific. Having the great fortune to see the world, we are truly blessed my friend and that is something I don't take lightly about being from the South Pacific.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit, go! You'll love it!! and you can swim with humpback whales off my village in Tonga ;) Between July-mid September is best :)

Libdrone said...

The whole VIP thing at the cultural center was just fabulous. We spent the afternoon with a college student from Malaysia who was our personal tour guide. He whisked us around the complex, paddling us in our own little boat through the canals connecting the different areas. We got to see the best shows and exhibits in each area, and never spent any time waiting for performances to begin.

It was an amazing experience and has inspired in me a lifelong desire to see more of these amazing islands.

Anonymous said...

Hello Alan,

Interesting post. I can relate. I would like to visit Austria or Paris too before I die..lol...I find the scenery fascinating.

You can come visit us here in the Philippine Islands. I'm sure you''ll find great places to tour.