Slow Travel Archives - 8 Feets And Heart Beats

2 Weeks in ‘Snow’ Heaven

March 31, 2017 by Robbie Smyth 2 Comments

What an amazing 2 weeks of fun!

Snowball fights … toboggan races … ski-school … a down-hill ski race

AND a polony sandwich & strawberry picnic on top of the world!

One bonus of living abroad is the opportunity of meeting people from all corners of the globe. Even bigger bonus is when those people become your closest friends and invite you to share their little part of the world. Hasliberg is the home of our very dear friends Tanja, Jasmine, Sari and Noah and we have been extremely lucky to have been invited to stay for a bit.

Staying with family or friends also give you the opportunity to experience life like a local, to live each day as they do, see places that you would never discover without them. I love experiencing the little things that make life here so so different from our own, like tobogganing to school – how cool is THAT! … and chocolate covered rice cakes (only in Switzerland right!)…. the entrance to every house just for snow boots – and jackets – and beanies & scarves, the way all of the snow gear gets hung over the heaters to dry before the next trip out. The little rubber ducks covered in snow on the bathroom window ledge … ordinary day-to-day things that make me smile and make our visit even more special.

Day 2 was the day we woke to snow falling, all day, lots of snow. The kids built snowmen and forts and Tanja was delighted that the forecast for the following day was sunshine. Fresh snow & sunshine is apparently the perfect combination and she wanted to show me her favourite walk … oh my, was I in for a surprise! Blue skies and perfect white snow, quite literally a scene from a movie – that postcard again!

Once again, while walking Tanja’s favorite trail, I found myself ohhhhing & ahhhhing to the rhythm of my steps! This was something beyond beautiful, the stillness, the quiet, the crunching of snow beneath my feet, the prettiness so profound it could almost blind you.

Then to top off this incredible walk, our destination …

… the most awesome coffee spot, I mean, does it get any better?

Our time here falls within the school term so during the days the girls, and Noah go off to school, yep on the toboggan. Armed with that info I decided to enrol J&D into the ski school here that runs during school hours. It’s an expensive option but watching the kids over that week learn the new skill of skiing with such ease was worth every penny plus some!

I spent that week being the ‘snow mum’. Getting them to and from the ski area, (that in itself is a mission!) and watching them as they went through each phase of learning. I was the photographer and filmmaker, the cafeteria go-to-girl, the toboggan carrier and the cheer-leader … and I loved every minute of it!

I donned the skis for a bit and took a lesson. Got all confident in the beginners area and decided to hit the blue piste where I certainly gave everyone something to laugh about when I made my way down the slope … on my BUTT! My embarrassment aside, I laughed ’till my sides hurt more than my butt and all-in-all had the time of my life.

The final day of ski school brings a lot of excitement, the graduation ceremony is a down-hill ski race!

You can see the result …

‘2^nd is our little visitor all the way from AUSTRALIA!’

(actual commentary – and how sweet it was)

Queijo means cheese in Portuguese!

February 23, 2017 by Robbie Smyth Leave a Comment

So a week in and those grey clouds that I wrote about in the last post seem to have settled directly on top of Ribeira Brava. We’ve been rained in!

Despite this, we’ve managed to get out most days to discover a bit of this gorgeous island, bit by bit. (ahh the joys of slow travel!)

The beauty of Madeira is that everything is reasonably close, most towns under an hour away by car. The island itself is only 57 km’s long and 22 wide, and although the treacherous switch back roads make the journeys pretty slow going at times, and (a little tough on the stomach) it’s all still very do-able in short stints.

The second day of adventuring saw us head North towards another coastal town called São Vicente. As we were warned by our local friends, the weather got heavier and wilder the further north we travelled. By the time we arrived we just managed to ‘ohhh & ahhh’ at the incredible sheer rock backdrop of this little town and take the standard tourist pic before the rain came down – hard and fast and horizontal!

We ran for cover and found ourselves in a little local restaurant. The perfect opportunity to try the local dish that was recommended to us by our Madeiran buddy, Alex. It’s called an ‘espetada regional’ and it goes like this…

The choice is beef, pork and sometimes chicken. Soon after ordering the waitperson came out with this medieval-looking iron frame that fitted into a hole in the middle of the table – interesting. I discovered a little later that they also clip onto the edges of the table or come with individual stands (as in the pic) or whatever holds them upright really. To get the picture, they resemble something like an oversized cockies perch. (Cockatoo is an aussie bird for my non-aussie readers) A tall T-frame with a little hook on the end of each arm. Then came the ‘attachments’. Big chunks of meat are skewered onto huge kebab style sticks that are then hung from each hook, (just for scale, they’d be similar to the ones you see behind the counters in the kebab shops – BIG)

The meat is marinated in garlic and wine then grilled over embers of sweet bay, if cooked right they are delicious! These espetadas come with an assortment of side dishes including salad, chips, maze and other bits and pieces, so it makes for a pretty satisfying meal.

It’s always fun to experience different cuisines, and this was no different. You can imagine Jed and Deni’s surprise, but mostly delight as all of this unfolded before them, always fun to watch! And an added bonus – all of this medieval looking weaponry inspired another dragon character in Jed’s book – perfect!

Our road trip then took us around the west side of the island, through a maze of tunnels and around some pretty spectacular coastal roads, then through a town called Porto Moniz . We travelled through Calheta in search of a little bar that I’d read about somewhere and decided I wanted to visit. Apparently the perfect spot to watch the sun go down – sipping on a mojito of course. Sadly we’d travelled beyond my little bar on this day, and at that stage in the road trip all those corners and windy roads had managed to strip me of the adventurous spirit I started out with so I was happy to head for home. (We did eventually get to the little bar ‘Maktub Pub’ a few days later and I did get to enjoy that sunset mojito!)

One thing that I always find kinda cool when travelling abroad is the seemingly simple task of grocery shopping. It’s always a challenge to decipher labels and then get a handle on the different currencies. I’ve been caught many times thinking that something is ‘super cheap’ when actually, once I get my head around the exchange, it’s quite the opposite. And visa versa. But it’s always fun, and you learn pretty quickly.

On this trip, the one BIG thing that has made our Miss Deni a very happy little camper is the enormous selection of cheeses available. It’s mind boggling actually, and yes, I know it’s pretty predictable for most of Europe but it’s pretty awesome for these little Aussies to look into those cheese cabinets for the first time. It was one of those golden moments when I first showed her the cheese section – her gorgeous big eyes grew wide and her perfect little face lit up – ‘O.M.Geeeee Mummy!’

So, needless to say there have been many dinners consisting of a delectable cheese board with and assortment of olives served with fresh crusty bread. Very European of us!

And how can I not mention the beer and wine!… Liam’s chosen brew comes in at 5.49 Euro a carton, nope not a typo, and Gav and I have found our favorite end-of-day drop, much lighter than our famous WA reds but not too bad at all, and for a whopping 3 Euro a bottle – it’s do-able!

AND … a bica (espresso) for around 75c a pop … Welcome to Portugal!

The End Of Our Tai Chi Chapter

November 13, 2014 by Robbie Smyth 12 Comments

‘The Smythie Graduation and Award Night’

Firstly, because I’m the writer here, I award a ‘GOLD STAR’ to ME!

When we started out on this little ‘learning experience’ it was tough. Well, for me it was tough. It was HOT beyond anything I had ever experienced, I thought I might just melt. My body ached and screamed from places that I never even knew existed, I never could have guessed just how tough life can be when your knees just fail to work! And then there were my own personal demons. They were on full speed, fast forward, maximum volume! My stubbornness was having a great run and being one to buck-up (fiercely) against routine … well, need I say more! BUT … through all of that I did it! I made it down to that training room 86 out of the 88 days, I trained for 352 hours out of the 356 and I will happily admit, that by the end, it was possible that if time allowed, I may just have agreed to a bit more time here! (What … did I say that?) This experience has changed me. Not in the way that is visibly noticeable, I’m not walking on a cloud or standing as gracefully as one of those white Chinese cranes for 8 hours straight, but I just feel so much lighter, alive, sensitive and alert. And stronger, I feel physically stronger than I’ve ever felt before. There’s a long way to go to get the full benefits of practicing such an amazing form of art, but what I will take out of this experience is profound, and happy and lovely!

Secondly, a ‘GOLD STAR’ is awarded to our amazing, and patient LIAM

For reasons totally opposite to my own, for the simple fact that he is actually packing up and leaving after JUST 4 and a half months (18 weeks = 88 days = 356 hours!) For anyone who knows our Liam you’ll understand the sheer scale of how difficult this is for him. He admitted the other day to one of our Tai Chi buddies that he’d happily stay for 1, 2 maybe 3 years – if only he had a willing family! SO … a MASSIVE gold star for Liam – for leaving!

A big shiny ‘GOLD STAR’ for our little Master Jed.

He is quite simple amazing! He has made us proud, over and over again. He picked up the forms so quickly and his enthusiasm and his zest for life was infectious. Every day he was there, in the training room, participating and learning and just being our crazy, energetic and adorable Jed. I don’t think there will ever be another student that smiles as much during their practice as our boy. He really does light up the room – and our hearts. YOU ROCK JEDABUG! (and yes, you will be an incredible Master one day who will bring joy to all of your students!)

AND last but definitely not least, I award a big shiny ‘GOLD STAR’ to our little mini Master Deni.

There were many times when I’m sure she wanted to scream out ‘NO MORE’, maybe hide in the cupboard, even give herself a belly ache to avoid that training room, but she didn’t. Yes, her feet may have been dragging at times but Deni was with us, moving her little legs and tiny little body every session. She’s a girl of my own heart so I appreciate just how big a deal this has been for her. There were many times over the past 4 months that we wondered if she was actually taking anything in, but she surprised and delighted us on the very last Wednesday of training. We had an exam … and she absolutely blitzed it! Her moves were perfect and she remembered everything. She wasn’t just going through the motions, she was actually feeling it. I wasn’t the only one in the room beaming with pride when she completed her exam, you should have heard the applause. So … well done our little princess. You are a star, and we are so very proud of you!

So that completes this chapter, and our “Tai Chi experience” in Yangshuo, China.

We Are Slow Travellers

July 9, 2014 by Robbie Smyth 4 Comments

When we started on this journey I really liked the sound of ‘slow travel’. So much so, that I took on that label with gusto. I said it proudly when I explained our plans, it seemed to fit our goals and our very vague ideas on how we intended to travel, slowly, with time on our side.

Wikipedia sold it to me really – ‘Advocates of slow travel argue that all too often the potential pleasure of the journey is lost by too eager anticipation of arrival. Slow travel, it is asserted, is a state of mind which allows travellers to engage more fully with communities along their route, often favouring visits to spots enjoyed by local residents rather than merely following guidebooks’ – Yep, that sounds exactly like what I want to base my travel experience on – Sounds good huh?

So while I was doing all the research and reading around setting up this blog, my question had been all about ‘what are we, and where do we fit in this seemingly vast world of travelers?’ – At that time the question was, ‘are we ‘slow travelers’ or are we more a ‘family living abroad?’ … and do I need to drop the label now that we’ve been in one place for longer than 6 months or even 12 months?

There are a few ‘tell-tale’ signs that things are changing … I had certain moments and experiences that set off warning bells in my mind and I didn’t like it!

It felt negative – just geography. I started missing the creature comforts of home rather than smiling and accepting the changes. The chaos irritated me, opposed to the strict order of home. I was thinking about long term purchases, I bought some furniture, a painting, some kitchen wares, and the whole accumulation process was starting again. The thoughts and concerns and our old catch cry of ‘oh dear – nooo – that won’t fit into the backpacks’ was a distant memory. The back-packs somehow resembled the discarded toys in a child’s nursery, shoved on top of the wardrobes, collecting dust.

… somewhere, somehow we had entered into a new phase of travel.

There’s no doubt that the time spent in one place and the information gathered does move us from one genre to another. Attitudes do start to change, that ‘travelers haze’ that was a permanent fixture, and comfortable state of mind begins to lift. A certain kind of reality hits – and it can hit hard.

Beyond the vast view of rice paddies that once held my attention I now see mountains of discarded trash where the river used to flow – I was busy organizing recycling services with our neighbors’ rather than dusting off those back packs and boarding the next boat bound for the stunning Islands that surround us here in Indonesia.

I became aware of the nasty conflicts that can filter through the family compounds, rather than the oneness of village life that deeply touched my heart and soul when we first arrived. (it still does!)

The stench coming from the bathroom sink takes more of my attention than the sweet family of Gecko’s sunning themselves on the window above.

And on and on and on it goes!

……

So, we can argue that it’s a taste of reality that comes with staying somewhere for longer than the ‘slow traveler’ label allows. It is the information gathered and the conversations with long-term residents. It’s that transition phase of moving from ‘traveler to resident’. In a way it’s inevitable if you’re conversing and socializing within the community that you have entered into.

Well – after living with that ‘taste of reality’ for a bit, and feeling like I’d started to fit into the ‘living abroad’ genre of traveler by taking on a slightly negative approach to this experience, I decided that I don’t want that label! No – not for me. I made a conscious choice to return to that blissful and yes, some say an ignorant state of ‘slow traveler’. I sought out every opportunity to experience this rich and beautiful culture once again. I noticed the Balinese smile that I love so much, a lot more, I interacted with the locals, I started, once again, to see the beauty in this place. I found ‘local’ attractions and activities for the kids, enrolled a local Gamelan teacher for Jed, Deni learnt ballet from a Russian Ballerina, and we all participated in a local ceramics class. We attended as many ceremonies as we could … and it may take effort to block out the negative, but I will slip back into that ‘travelers haze’ again, and that newness of being a slow traveler will transform me back!

Our Beautiful Ballerina

Learning the Gamelan

A few months ago, after all of this ‘deep thinking’ and contemplation (and a few other factors) Liam and I did decide to re-look at our ‘travelling goals’. It didn’t take too long to work out that it was time to pack our bags once again, and head to the horizon. Our immediate destination is China, where we will live in a Tai Chi school for 5 months. From there we have some plans – all very exciting, that I can share as we go – but for now it’s all about enjoying our last week here in our beloved Bali. It’s time to say goodbye to this incredibly rich life that we have created, filled with great experiences and super, super friends.