Travel Stories | Expat Life
Today’s photo from the hip comes from Molly courtesy of her trip to the Maldives. It’s a reminder that traffic jams around the world come in all different shapes and sizes!
Thanks, Molly!
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
Or more likely, Oman.There’s a bit of a story to this snack.
Awhile back when I was still teaching in the UAE, I wandered over to the kindergarten portion of the school. I was chatting with one of the KG teachers and mentioned that I was hungry. She the proceeded to dump the contents of a bag out on the table and told me to take my pick. It was the contraband.
Students frequently brought an amazing amount of junk food to school. Chips, candy bars, chocolate sandwiches, etc. The kindergarten teachers took it upon themselves to confiscate the unhealthy food, and now I had my pick of the treats.
I quickly snatched up these Lulu Potato Snacks based solely on the packaging alone. Now, you know I love snacks and I’ve done a fair bit of research. Well, I feel that I can comfortably declare this snack to the have greatest packaging of all time.
I mean, look at those cheeks, the vibrancy of the rainbow, the stars, the color scheme… I love it all.
I ran down to Sarah’s classroom so I could complete an official novelty snack report. It was only just before the hoop reached my mouth that I thought to read the ingredients. Oops. Meat product listed. That’s pretty much an automatic thumbs down for me.
The details are a little sketchy but here’s the offical report nonetheless:
Novelty Snack: Lulu Potato Snacks
Description: Puffed seasoned rings with meat flavor
Tastes Like: —
Verdict: Thumbs down!
So sadly, I’ll never know what the snack tastes like. Fortunately, I think the packaging itself is enough.
xo, jill
So, Byron Bay is one of the more famous tourist spots in Australia. It’s popular for its good surf and laid back vibe. It’s one of those places where people plan to go for a few days, but end up staying for weeks (or even years). Well, I couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Byron Bay was not for me*. But I’ll save that story until later and just share a few photos from our visit to the nearby lighthouse.
The lighthouse is situated at Cape Byron, the most easterly point of mainland Australia. The view of the ocean is gorgeous and if you’re lucky you just might see a few dolphins swimming in the surf.
There also happened to be a lone goat on the premises. I’m not sure if he’s the resident lawnmower or just visiting the sites like the rest of us.
xo, jill
*It was able to redeem itself a few months later, but just barely.
While Mike and I were in the region known as New England, we decided to take a little trip down Waterfall Way. Yep, that’s a real thing. It’s a route through the countryside that takes you past several waterfalls and beautiful scenery. It reminds me of something a retired couple in an RV would do… or really, something I would do.
We only did a portion of the drive stopping by Dangar Falls and Dorrigo National Park.
Dangar Falls are small but pretty. We only needed a few minutes to enjoy the falls then hopped back in the car to check out Dorrigo.
At Dorrigo National Park we were helped by some very friendly rangers. We checked out the Skywalk which offers an amazing view over the canopy of the forest, and then embarked on a hike.
The hike was a pretty easy loop with a few waterfalls along the way. We also saw a few bush turkeys, plenty of birds, and incredible strangler figs.
It was a nice day outside.
xo, jill
Today’s photo from the hip comes from the Outremont neighborhood of Montreal. While Mike and I were seeking out the famous bagels, we passed several Jewish men wearing fur hats. I was puzzled as to why so many men would be wearing such warm head gear in the middle of summer (it was a hot day!), but after reading a bit more about shtreimlech, I think it must have been a special occasion.
xo, jill
From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
This is from when my mom visited me in Abu Dhabi way back in February of 2010. We went off on a camping trip to explore Fujairah. In these photos Molly and I are sitting on the steps of a fort that was unfortunately closed that day.
xo, jill
*haha, I know. It was only two and a half years ago.
