tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8448084219902270612024-03-08T14:30:52.060+11:00Travellin' MamaThe blog that led to the book: A Parent's Guide to Ditching the Routine, Seeing the World and Taking the Kids Along for the RideNancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-10601757728174679192013-02-14T10:50:00.000+11:002013-02-14T10:50:42.022+11:00A fond farewell from Travellin' Mama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">After a coupla months on the road — by train to the Big Apple, D.C., and Miami and then on to a wildly adventurous road trip across Panama and Costa Rica — my thoughts are a jumble: sad to have left it all behind, happy to be home, but mostly grateful to have shared some seriously kickass life experiences with two kids who are both young enough to still kind've enjoy their parents’ company and old enough to really <i>get</i> how fortunate they are.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Top 5? Yikes. New York City was definitely up there. So too was the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the wildlife, the snorkeling, the houseboat on the Panama Canal, and that fiery Colombian-bred horse I was so lucky to ride in the Panamanian highlands.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Certainly there were times when it all seemed a bit much (the death-wish-having bus drivers, the steamy border crossings on foot, the 24/7 close quarters, our own dodgy hygiene) but what I know for sure is that the most precious gift of all was the time we spent together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">In fact, packing up to leave our digs in Montezuma I started boo-hoo'ing like the big fat baby I truly am, not just because I hated to leave the magnificent view and the super-comfy all-day hammock, but also because I’ll never get that kind of time back with my girls. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">So while the end of something brilliant is perhaps cause to mourn, the fact that it happened at all is something to celebrate. And that’s just what I’ll do.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">So until next time … buy the book! And happy travels!</span></div>
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Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-24566665614495751112013-01-03T02:07:00.001+11:002013-01-03T02:07:24.806+11:00The trouble with public computersCan´t ever seem to access this blog via public computer in Panama (except for today) so to make it easy all Travellin´Mama updates will be here for the duration <a href="https://www.facebook.com/travellinmama?filter=1">https://www.facebook.com/travellinmama?filter=1</a><br />
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HAPPY TRAVELS!Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com69tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-59953589290371713462012-12-23T08:42:00.000+11:002012-12-23T08:42:02.459+11:00Like a faded movie star well past her prime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJZpYNQ6kElygekeC_arDrtV8I9kbGAOis8WwKpVrpDvHKANi2A9LPw2azf38fW44qahSacOf4nVziP2QnLpohwhEI0WbEBgv70pXAzIyJsW1AVb7Hf-rXi1VduHG9tLJQ-lPJo3_7vFb/s1600/DSC01187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJZpYNQ6kElygekeC_arDrtV8I9kbGAOis8WwKpVrpDvHKANi2A9LPw2azf38fW44qahSacOf4nVziP2QnLpohwhEI0WbEBgv70pXAzIyJsW1AVb7Hf-rXi1VduHG9tLJQ-lPJo3_7vFb/s320/DSC01187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Panama´s Contadora Island, former home of the exiled Shah of Iran (and, so the rumour goes, Christian Dior) is a beautiful gem off the coast of Panama that's lost a bit of its polish. This abandoned ferry (and the abandoned 300-room resort nearby that's been stripped of everything but the walls and floors) symbolizes what this island once was (a playground for the rich, famous and bejewelled) and what it might be again one day if the right folks are willing to cough up the cash. It seems the days of a drug-money-fuelled economy, on this island at least, are gone, and the flagging tourism industry needs a shot of somethin'. Regardless, we're having a ball. And the girls dig it.<br />
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Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-12881532574600951822012-12-17T13:12:00.001+11:002012-12-17T13:12:37.216+11:00Countdown to Lebron live ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A big thrill for the munchkins: Heat vs Hawks at American Airlines Arena. Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-16499277355134720992012-12-12T05:28:00.000+11:002012-12-12T05:28:25.962+11:00New York City tourist cliche #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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When Madonna first came to New York City and told the taxi driver to "Take me to the centre of everything", he must surely have brought her here to Times Square. </div>
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Annie and Molly take it all in, like the rockin' travel companions they are....</div>
Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-72906880314845298802012-12-01T15:35:00.000+11:002012-12-01T15:35:02.096+11:00Travellin' Mama weighs in at Rookie Moms <br />
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Today on America's Rookie Moms: http://www.rookiemoms.com/travel-with-little-kids-yes-says-travellin-mama/<br />
<br />Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-11443392761815516092012-11-29T03:43:00.002+11:002012-11-29T03:43:53.010+11:00The Toronto Star star asks: Is Travellin' Mama nuts?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0kRpulIYdwZQZ_vCSXR-BhyKF6RLTi7CyW29YnqgJLQ_Xao4MYR3E5OlkUk529oUlK1lxrtkdS42GP3ON8oD23fHkj3CrxcfVHXkBU3d_jTtY8pbSSLtNWwx2Whw4eIr3zk4KxiTlZHg/s1600/89c80f944faaa003f40e37b36ed2%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY0kRpulIYdwZQZ_vCSXR-BhyKF6RLTi7CyW29YnqgJLQ_Xao4MYR3E5OlkUk529oUlK1lxrtkdS42GP3ON8oD23fHkj3CrxcfVHXkBU3d_jTtY8pbSSLtNWwx2Whw4eIr3zk4KxiTlZHg/s320/89c80f944faaa003f40e37b36ed2%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Am I nuts? Maybe. Am I prepared? Definitely! <br />
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Check out the Toronto Star today - front page of the Life section: <br />
<a href="http://www.thestar.com/living/parent/article/1294139--travellin-mama-s-gearing-up-for-family-adventure-in-central-america">http://www.thestar.com/living/parent/article/1294139--travellin-mama-s-gearing-up-for-family-adventure-in-central-america</a>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-69448221203764040342012-11-23T09:01:00.001+11:002012-11-23T09:01:31.989+11:00Next up, Central America (at last)
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3FRZvH4xIGf2SCm4_iElP1OZwFlZe5nnWLWotcx2Exs7Td00tyH4WCz-ku0vz6Q886DCnTQObErwKp7ZwIqoIFf7jrm3JhGnN7uuO5CfmPWEKnH4u__toZO6TKuItSbHbk-7ghyphenhyphenwQDy8/s1600/savegre-river_10963_600x450%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge3FRZvH4xIGf2SCm4_iElP1OZwFlZe5nnWLWotcx2Exs7Td00tyH4WCz-ku0vz6Q886DCnTQObErwKp7ZwIqoIFf7jrm3JhGnN7uuO5CfmPWEKnH4u__toZO6TKuItSbHbk-7ghyphenhyphenwQDy8/s320/savegre-river_10963_600x450%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The last big adventure led to<em> Travellin' Mama</em>, which was about the funny stuff that happens on the road with kids, (and all the incredibly annoying shit that makes you want to start smoking again).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">This time around, the kids are a bit older. I like to think we’re all a wee bit wiser. And I have no second thoughts about the wisdom of taking them on a two-month journey through Central America –starting eight sleeps from now with a side trip to New York City, D.C. and Miami. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">This latest odyssey might lead to another book some day, but it almost certainly won’t be about travelling with kids. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Because how much more is there to say, really? I could tell you that even when things go pear-shaped, travelling with kids is still insanely rewarding. I could wax lyrical on the pleasures of forced family fun. Maybe throw in a few platitudes about giving kids experiences rather than things. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">But I won’t be saying anything that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Travellin’ Mama</i> doesn’t already cover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">So for those of you who haven’t bought the book, why not give it a go? The reviews give me cause to think it’s not just me (and my friends) who find it funny!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Meantime, follow this blog to see what crazy shit we can get up to in the Big Apple and beyond, backpacking and busing around Panama – the Pearl Islands, the Canal, the Highlands and Bocas del Toro – and on to Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula and the Nicaraguan jungle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">And remember Mark Twain, who said it so well: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-76158685120020761372012-11-06T04:42:00.001+11:002012-11-06T04:42:30.087+11:00Travellin' Mama: South African readers takes notice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Zs03qgstP5h0bHpMmha0p4ffNqsVg3aWrj_FXlnf8CeLTuGNQ4xMioib_aBey1PMpFVut5Hg1XeomuQzMnd4nXBNxgvtqJBoUb3yxbGthMh3mtpvuFQse1k5K4PPjAach4lNYNZUzi46/s1600/girls+on+safari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Zs03qgstP5h0bHpMmha0p4ffNqsVg3aWrj_FXlnf8CeLTuGNQ4xMioib_aBey1PMpFVut5Hg1XeomuQzMnd4nXBNxgvtqJBoUb3yxbGthMh3mtpvuFQse1k5K4PPjAach4lNYNZUzi46/s320/girls+on+safari.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Breaking into the South African media for the first time! Check it out: <a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCioQXNhZXpSaUVoZmc/edit">https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCioQXNhZXpSaUVoZmc/edit</a><br />
Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-84821550188998565302012-10-10T07:03:00.000+11:002012-10-10T07:03:47.950+11:00Travellin' Mama press release<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Contact:
Nancy Harper<br />
Office: 519.846.1116<br />
Email: TravellinMamaAuthor@gmail.com<br />
Facebook: www.facebook.com/travellinmama<br />
Blog: www.travellinmama.blogspot.ca/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Book
Urges Travel-starved Parents To Hit The Road<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Travellin’ Mama: A Parent’s
Guide to Ditching the Routine, Seeing the World and Taking the Kids Along for
the Ride</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> shows
parents how to put an end to the excuses and hit the road.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Elora,
Ontario, May 18<sup>th</sup>, 2012 –</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Every hockey mom worth her salt
knows there’s an unwritten code of conduct for motherhood that has everything
to do with self-sacrifice and nothing to do with self. So when opportunity
knocks, it’s time moms start putting themselves first — a little less June
Cleaver, a little more Courtney Love perhaps — and start going after what they
really want.</span><span style="font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<v:shape alt="TravellinMama_frontcoverMed.jpg" id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 199.3pt; margin-left: -2.8pt; margin-top: 0.1pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 148.9pt; z-index: -1;" type="#_x0000_t75" wrapcoords="-218 0 -218 21459 21542 21459 21542 0 -218 0"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
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<w:wrap type="tight">
</w:wrap></v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s
the premise behind <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Travellin’ Mama</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: A
Parent’s Guide to Ditching the Routine, Seeing the World and Taking the Kids
Along for the Ride</i>. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Travellin’
Mama</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> takes the reader on a cheeky, lighthearted, global odyssey across
Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and south-east Asia as one mom,
one dad and two kids cover 80,000-plus kilometres on 15 flights, 20 buses, 10
cars, 26 boats, seven horses, one submarine, one truck, three trains, two
subways and three trams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s a year-long adventure that’s as much about ditching the
routine and tossing out the play-by-the-rules parenting playbook as it is about
seeing the world. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s about the funny stuff that happens on the road with
kids. It’s also about the unbelievably annoying shit that makes you want to
start smoking again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Travellin’
Mama</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> is actually about showing parents, particularly those who
yearn to travel, that it’s possible to have their cake and eat it too. Because
all evidence to the contrary, combining one’s passion for seeing the world with
the passion one has for one’s own kids can actually be done. And it sure beats
living with the regret and resentment of having put off one’s own dreams to
faithfully toe the modern parent’s sacrificial line.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Taking to heart neither the Courtney Love nor the June
Cleaver model, author Nancy Harper discovers a motherhood nirvana that lies
somewhere between those two extremes. And she shares with her readers this
essential truth: That going after what we want doesn’t make us bad or selfish
parents, it actually makes us happier people <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">… and therefore better parents. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Like travel writer Bill Bryson, whose first rule of
consumerism is never to buy anything you can’t make your children carry, Harper
also finds that having kids around to carry her stuff is one of the many
upsides of taking them on the road. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">But, of course, the good stuff is just half the story. Had she
known, for example, that she’d be ankle-deep in water, wringing out her undies
in a thundery midnight monsoon as lightning struck directly overhead again and
again and again, she wouldn’t have made for the croc-infested environs of
Darwin at the height of the rainy season with plans to sleep rough. That she
didn’t start smoking again is still mildly surprising. And that she didn’t
smother her Kiwi husband with a pillow in the dead of night is a MIRACLE,
especially after he allowed their youngest to go out on a parasailing boat with
no lifejacket, no parent, and a male stranger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Travellin’
Mama</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> shows that even when things go horribly wrong, travelling
with kids is still so right. In fact, the author and her family are preparing
to hit the road again, this time for a two-month backpacking stint through Central
America.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">###<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Read excerpts and download <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Travellin’ Mama</i></b> at <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Apple iBookstore:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/travellin-mama/id516632634?mt=11"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/travellin-mama/id516632634?mt=11</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Amazon:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007CJKOI0"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007CJKOI0</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Google
Books:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=ISA9_TSVERsC"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://books.google.ca/books?id=ISA9_TSVERsC</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Kobo:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=travellin%27+mama">http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=travellin%27+mama</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><strong><o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Book
Cover Art in High Resolution .jpg format:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<a href="http://www.grafmartin.com/images/TravellinMama_frontcover.jpg"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.grafmartin.com/images/TravellinMama_frontcover.jpg</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">For more information or to schedule an interview with author
Nancy Harper, please call 519.846.1116, email </span><a href="mailto:TravellinMamaAuthor@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">TravellinMamaAuthor@gmail.com</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> or visit
</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/travellinmama"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">www.facebook.com/travellinmama</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"> or </span><a href="http://www.travellinmama.blogspot.ca/"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">www.travellinmama.blogspot.ca</span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">About
Nancy Harper<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Nancy is a professional marketing writer as well as a
freelance travel and features writer who has worked in the industry since 1992.
She lives on a rural property with her husband and two daughters in Elora,
Ontario. In 2012, she released her first book, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Travellin’ Mama</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: A Parent’s Guide to Ditching the Routine,
Seeing the World and Taking the Kids Along for the Ride.<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-71793823619697758572012-09-26T03:27:00.001+10:002012-09-26T03:27:39.254+10:00A capital idea: Travellin' Mama gains momentum in Ottawa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOpaxdpnVLe6o0dg_VrBT54vInR8-X413Qw7U5Q_M7ymLmgspnOFeNliWB0rUbc8LHh0_ydXajeGvydvj6XBLioaRhzaxc16I69JHB3FimunZ82yENJYA-Imi1qyFrolK4oXy5KDctrQG/s1600/waterheadblog%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSOpaxdpnVLe6o0dg_VrBT54vInR8-X413Qw7U5Q_M7ymLmgspnOFeNliWB0rUbc8LHh0_ydXajeGvydvj6XBLioaRhzaxc16I69JHB3FimunZ82yENJYA-Imi1qyFrolK4oXy5KDctrQG/s320/waterheadblog%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Thanks, Ottawa Citizen, for getting on board with <em>Travellin' Mama</em>. Check it out!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Book+rekindles+wanderlust+families/7281074/story.html">http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Book+rekindles+wanderlust+families/7281074/story.html</a>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-50737008351152422372012-08-15T05:53:00.000+10:002012-08-15T05:53:25.590+10:00Travellin' Mama surfaces in the Montreal Gazette<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxvZmU-sQ7DF92DSZDE3MxOcYNs0Xfo-i9WE9imuB3J07RzFKtXsCTme72QeXbikAt-zeiiBJQwowQKGiE0nwI4ykTVFdjVicrJKF6nmBusbYR6XKYxOCwpU0-d1jnGC2EDpwUC1G075q/s1600/mary1blog%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxvZmU-sQ7DF92DSZDE3MxOcYNs0Xfo-i9WE9imuB3J07RzFKtXsCTme72QeXbikAt-zeiiBJQwowQKGiE0nwI4ykTVFdjVicrJKF6nmBusbYR6XKYxOCwpU0-d1jnGC2EDpwUC1G075q/s320/mary1blog%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Starting to get the hang of this media-exposure thing ... but fingers crossed it'll help me peddle a few more books so we can actually afford the next trip!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCiodkpwcTNiVUM4bDg/edit">https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCiodkpwcTNiVUM4bDg/edit</a>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-31823375215872439962012-08-14T03:45:00.000+10:002012-08-14T03:45:18.178+10:00Travellin' Mama makes the Calgary Herald<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWX3x9g1Mm1FE5l2utp0cx_VQQYW7qqlBarwKXhmc9kIY4OdxG9IRzebUxI-iEugRzqyLjx8UP0NUvynLZfxzOG-MlCP01NyXTNdrXasS-Ct6oGB4l8njpEHVjHaWe0Aqx4VFQROIhSwi/s1600/jeepblog%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWX3x9g1Mm1FE5l2utp0cx_VQQYW7qqlBarwKXhmc9kIY4OdxG9IRzebUxI-iEugRzqyLjx8UP0NUvynLZfxzOG-MlCP01NyXTNdrXasS-Ct6oGB4l8njpEHVjHaWe0Aqx4VFQROIhSwi/s400/jeepblog%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Travellin' Mama makes the Calgary Herald - woohoo!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCioUm1vUHo1c0xURnc/edit">https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByDghux1bCioUm1vUHo1c0xURnc/edit</a><br />
Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-86768122463257977412012-08-04T07:33:00.003+10:002012-08-04T08:07:17.745+10:00Top 10 reasons to travel with your kids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUDGOs60r3MrG_K6OkA51aRVuJE4JJJaHXHmBymSnncwtDAvnGQiNKkCpAFPOnxa2HOd08hXVsJJnyJHxYWbSym-D8kB8_00Nb2XjpR19RkKfWw8wy3yBUgitHRIZmk7N5udfnRkmyLYc/s1600/sunsetblog%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUDGOs60r3MrG_K6OkA51aRVuJE4JJJaHXHmBymSnncwtDAvnGQiNKkCpAFPOnxa2HOd08hXVsJJnyJHxYWbSym-D8kB8_00Nb2XjpR19RkKfWw8wy3yBUgitHRIZmk7N5udfnRkmyLYc/s320/sunsetblog%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Doubters may say you're INSANE to want to take them on the road/out of school/away from their friends, especially for the long haul. But I say start packin'! Here's 10 reasons why:</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">Someone else to carry your stuff!</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">You don’t have to drive to the hockey arena for
a while</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">You get out of going to work</span></span></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">The kids notice you/maybe even like hanging out (shock!) because they’re not texting </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">They see a whole world out there that looks
nothing like home</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">They can help you with the self-service check-in
instructions at the airport (!!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">You get to decide where to go (you’re paying,
after all)</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">You get to lounge around way more than usual</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">They get the gift of an experience rather than a
thing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; line-height: 115%;">You don’t have to live with the regret of not
having done something you were dying to do</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: small;">HAPPY TRAVELS!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-85772074983056142532012-07-31T12:03:00.002+10:002012-07-31T12:03:14.785+10:00Out of Africa: An excerpt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjud_qJav0LV2i_Crn_Yq3aQRJPtm4iQAHT0j36ruAaQhO3jRXujd9Kvg47kIswTgbZrpw6FEr9lbBAFDvQ8q44SqfudKk3OLj6znn0VCxQvCpDUvju591rU-HxMu44N_MpEnrQh2PK_h_b/s1600/427883_325928757468663_1500491294_n%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjud_qJav0LV2i_Crn_Yq3aQRJPtm4iQAHT0j36ruAaQhO3jRXujd9Kvg47kIswTgbZrpw6FEr9lbBAFDvQ8q44SqfudKk3OLj6znn0VCxQvCpDUvju591rU-HxMu44N_MpEnrQh2PK_h_b/s320/427883_325928757468663_1500491294_n%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A former boss of mine was kind enough to post this excerpt from the Africa chapter of <em>Travellin' Mama</em>. It reminds me how jazzed I was to finally be there....<br />
<a href="http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/765885--elora-mom-explores-world-trotting-with-young-children">http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/article/765885--elora-mom-explores-world-trotting-with-young-children</a>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-46451641650879188802012-07-21T00:42:00.001+10:002012-07-21T00:42:37.932+10:00Going global (in the Globe and Mail!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg879m88-wcVgMpAR8zJmI17bVKWp0eaqMCDXQ0XQ3i8K9GPBuBE61YTPmpS9K8ZA5JJ2dc9r1KdZh7cdsdc_xnNn-VFIrFkmEIv4O1Jn3t0j76TU-kbIasmLEvkcTmN_idH_MqMcBSmKR6/s1600/safari+in+madikwe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg879m88-wcVgMpAR8zJmI17bVKWp0eaqMCDXQ0XQ3i8K9GPBuBE61YTPmpS9K8ZA5JJ2dc9r1KdZh7cdsdc_xnNn-VFIrFkmEIv4O1Jn3t0j76TU-kbIasmLEvkcTmN_idH_MqMcBSmKR6/s320/safari+in+madikwe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Super thrilled to have made the cover of the Life section in my favourite Canadian newspaper, the <em>Globe and Mail</em>, today (Friday July 20) and in their online paper here <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/could-you-cover-4-continents-with-2-kids-in-one-year-this-mom-did/article4428049/">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/could-you-cover-4-continents-with-2-kids-in-one-year-this-mom-did/article4428049/</a><br />
<br />
WOO HOO!Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-82029978584504359112012-07-06T09:12:00.002+10:002012-09-24T23:30:21.178+10:00Getting the thumbs up from "America's Worst Mom"Lenore Skenazy (dubbed "America's Worst Mom" a few years ago for letting her nine-year-old ride the subway alone in the Big Apple) is a busy mom, an author, a blogger with a zillion followers AND her own TV show ... and she still found time to post this for me today:<br />
<a href="http://www.freerangekids.com/traveling-to-crocodile-infested-waters-with-kids-2/">http://www.freerangekids.com/traveling-to-crocodile-infested-waters-with-kids-2/</a><br />
<br />
Thanks Lenore. You rock! And your philosophy on parenting has helped ignite a conversation we all need to have.Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-74898679321921856792012-06-26T08:03:00.001+10:002012-06-26T09:22:31.392+10:00The reluctant Facebooker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25Bh_hLH7e7YOaPgQG0M5y93YZsRVKy5TmAIq6Ow8Bf4jPdUP6lcVb99IBrxMnr_w_WV38LqBqL4Z4Pw4vI4_MLkjcgJ61lr6LusgF3sKm3arz42NXJkrN5aNt3uthq9QF6BL83EYAGGO/s1600/TravellinMama_frontcover.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25Bh_hLH7e7YOaPgQG0M5y93YZsRVKy5TmAIq6Ow8Bf4jPdUP6lcVb99IBrxMnr_w_WV38LqBqL4Z4Pw4vI4_MLkjcgJ61lr6LusgF3sKm3arz42NXJkrN5aNt3uthq9QF6BL83EYAGGO/s320/TravellinMama_frontcover.jpg.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Is it wrong to feign
interest in Facebook, Twitter and all that jazz when one’s true purpose is
simply to shamelessly peddle a few of one's books so one can afford to keep travelling? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter">
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</v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas>
<v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f">
<o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">
</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Surely it’s better to own up that</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> after years of preaching the evils of
Facebook, I'm now a pathetic turncoat who really just wants everyone to
go to my author page and “like” it so I can feel like Sally
Field and be done with all this shit.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/travellinmama">http://www.facebook.com/travellinmama</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">
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</span></span>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-27145533214814201702012-06-16T05:28:00.002+10:002012-06-16T05:35:58.592+10:00Moms & dads: The power to choose<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When the kids come along and everyone says you'll never travel anywhere but here for a while.....<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7VuPjoJbzswo_xDKPSLf3x0MWK4dvoty9cC6aBZOJv5cG4Za9xBjNZ8DtE8vqoOOcs2k4FrmvOdaPzk8N5lDDpII3VDqsVtnKQdmOzGzDNbnk9xasTvLZ20eIDP-KRQ2iNAFQXKcLeTr/s1600/images%5B5%5D.jpg" /> <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefQ3bZtIgVEZADuws-FRV7ynCqiO0yYuAX6LwDM8IS6uxEhZDvBAlvptRrEw9kfeyc_ksN-5FQOBYq-bEUXqE39P8X6BBf4TnPj-sFuK8CE5ao-3ssz89clr_1lZTpCn3dmS7PIhPkdx_/s1600/imagesCAPF6KCS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefQ3bZtIgVEZADuws-FRV7ynCqiO0yYuAX6LwDM8IS6uxEhZDvBAlvptRrEw9kfeyc_ksN-5FQOBYq-bEUXqE39P8X6BBf4TnPj-sFuK8CE5ao-3ssz89clr_1lZTpCn3dmS7PIhPkdx_/s200/imagesCAPF6KCS.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
... but deep down you know you'd rather spend your hard-earned holiday time and $$ on somewhere awesome like this Nicaraguan treehouse...<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6CkLIKBjkHXYwGIejRP8boKROX1TcYTpTigvBcafvS_pFTDha6IVN9UguYHHVdL22CV07gtjTLcexRAGzIFQQZ-hSuOyxS_OqLdgBHlSDDu9ixbRsCDJEtuYvaxX_XEWgz_NpE7dSRjn/s1600/imagesCAHBEXN5.jpg" /></span><span style="font-size: small;">...and see some cool non-manufactured entertainment and some very cool guys like this up close ...</span></div>
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Then we, too, are on the same page. Over & out. </div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-81843174484863373542012-06-04T10:29:00.001+10:002012-06-04T10:29:42.306+10:00Next stop, cool places like this:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89nCk7JeAWPrQub4VEGbOKKw7iBqeV21l4XWURIdFvGw8jpCCEFH4YF-69xv1XJF0hnUxfVs2sNgVSFFNxRub_ztbPEHgs8sKtkrXNSuVhO6eceJVVp3u4ZUGLlbsFNcH3eH8YpI04dAw/s1600/Contadora-Island-Hotel2%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89nCk7JeAWPrQub4VEGbOKKw7iBqeV21l4XWURIdFvGw8jpCCEFH4YF-69xv1XJF0hnUxfVs2sNgVSFFNxRub_ztbPEHgs8sKtkrXNSuVhO6eceJVVp3u4ZUGLlbsFNcH3eH8YpI04dAw/s320/Contadora-Island-Hotel2%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Just a few more months now and Travellin' Mama, Doog & the chilluns will be hitting the road again, this time for a coupla months backpacking through Panama, Costa Rica & Nicaragua. First stop: Pearl Islands, Panama. BRING IT ON!! <br />
<br />Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-86228256211197154452012-03-16T02:56:00.004+11:002012-03-17T01:26:23.536+11:00CLICK HERE TO BUY THE BOOK ONLINE!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPBJrgpt_hOifsO301PTJd-fKvJwLij_x00ZmFVWXvRzVI-2DpKslng6rbyeGF-lLVN7C4bcOFPNzAM-dUTVuB1Em5SwOjGUaKCPSUX-zpwZ2iG1XVv2erpn97yvK_IHCR-Z4godSKHBz/s1600/cover+art.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 240px; height: 320px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720153416311865298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPBJrgpt_hOifsO301PTJd-fKvJwLij_x00ZmFVWXvRzVI-2DpKslng6rbyeGF-lLVN7C4bcOFPNzAM-dUTVuB1Em5SwOjGUaKCPSUX-zpwZ2iG1XVv2erpn97yvK_IHCR-Z4godSKHBz/s320/cover+art.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-10699072847372601772007-07-28T21:41:00.000+10:002008-12-10T20:21:07.977+11:00And that, folks, is a wrap<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxpcGcQORBJFYPGyhpBp-wF-6A08pNjWgnoCW7I-p25lkhNf-LFQ74_l76ZNqm6Kk8ufEMnO7QljYUCRHlnLc4ryOhPplhrPzhazxLFD-TomHHWO9Axnvmtrxy3oAKojOAua8Y7e8mxFw/s1600-h/goodbyeblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5092212054295603778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxpcGcQORBJFYPGyhpBp-wF-6A08pNjWgnoCW7I-p25lkhNf-LFQ74_l76ZNqm6Kk8ufEMnO7QljYUCRHlnLc4ryOhPplhrPzhazxLFD-TomHHWO9Axnvmtrxy3oAKojOAua8Y7e8mxFw/s400/goodbyeblog.jpg" border="0" /></a> Just shy of a year now and it's time at last to head home, having put 80,000-plus kilometres under our belts - thanks to 15 flights, 20 buses, 10 cars, 26 boats, seven horses, one submarine, one truck, three trains, two subways, three trams ... and seven countries.<br /><br />If (or <em>when</em>, as some optimistically insist) I get my book published, I’ll check back in and bring you up to date. Until then, thanks so much for logging on to www.travellinmama.blogspot.com – the positive vibes have helped keep me going, for sure.<br /><br />It’s been a massively good time, punctuated by just enough mini-disasters to keep us giggling years from now. On that note, I count myself lucky that the only all-out screaming match I had with my husband had to do with a parenting decision about a certain boat on a certain beach on a certain island in Malaysia – where a certain precious lifejacket-less daughter was allowed to go out frolicking in the sea with a MALE STRANGER who drove the boat for a dodgy parasailing outfit. It all turned out fine, but still. You can guess who let her go and who wasn’t there at the time to veto the decision.<br /><br />I’m under no illusion that the kids will remember everything or even anything specifically about our year away but I’m counting on the subconscious to inspire them later in life. Specifically, what they saw of genuine poverty – by walking the streets of a certain town in Lesotho, say, or by giving some of their own money to a twisted dwarf beggar in Malaysia – will hopefully have provided the building blocks for empathy, as my earlier travels have done for me.<br /><br />What I really hoped to do was to teach them that there’s a whole world out there beyond their small-town safety net, and I know I succeeded in that. With everything they’ve experienced and seen with their own eyes, I’ll never regret taking them out of school and enrolling them in the school of real life.<br /><br />There were plenty of doubting Thomases, particularly when it came time for us to take them to Africa. In fact well-meaning folks could hardly believe we would dare take our girls there at all. To them, I would still say that going after what we want doesn’t make us bad or selfish parents. It actually makes us happier people, <em>and therefore better parents</em>. And as far as Africa itself is concerned, Angelina Jolie isn’t the only western mom to fall in love, completely and utterly, with the place.<br /><br />What I take away from it all is the conviction that we’ve done the right thing, had an absolute ball, spent a wee bit too much of our nest egg and will return home in a few days’ time a closer family than ever.<br /><br />Hopefully I’ll catch you all at the book launch in Toronto one day. Wishful thinking, indeed, but what the hell....<br /><br /><br /><div></div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-84273465349789480672007-07-25T23:07:00.000+10:002008-12-10T20:21:09.464+11:00Travellin' sea urchins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlA6SZerVFsidyR86V1kFpM8J6aSdEPBY4KFNTqnWkabu8-XMnRHsEPtu_K5lHij1hAgYPf5q3p46in7Hw9msmMqTu_0s8GTeotejIz_GEFcl2lJrcvtNFrX5LU_9IN35raA0aA7WZJM1/s1600-h/langkawipaddleblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091120917854054962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlA6SZerVFsidyR86V1kFpM8J6aSdEPBY4KFNTqnWkabu8-XMnRHsEPtu_K5lHij1hAgYPf5q3p46in7Hw9msmMqTu_0s8GTeotejIz_GEFcl2lJrcvtNFrX5LU_9IN35raA0aA7WZJM1/s400/langkawipaddleblog.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedR8sxxQP3i3fKKT82Cz8epwec3RBmrgDqsr97eWRXRp-w0VYZcQ_ZuQjcoY-Vy8RBJkhUO3569Cf9eEoWpckjZawYPzkSt2tNwr9_ySAMfu9xQAS3kgEybHGnw83CzsjCWUCm8jIWGq9/s1600-h/snorkelusblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091120801889937954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedR8sxxQP3i3fKKT82Cz8epwec3RBmrgDqsr97eWRXRp-w0VYZcQ_ZuQjcoY-Vy8RBJkhUO3569Cf9eEoWpckjZawYPzkSt2tNwr9_ySAMfu9xQAS3kgEybHGnw83CzsjCWUCm8jIWGq9/s400/snorkelusblog.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nSwD00uYXERz7a-2h9ZsFwpnJoNf4NNHakSRRuRrBp43ho-d70Gi7I2S4V6uN-ytAVWhZ1x6I_BWWU7xIlRoICMG02pfz8kbkLXrl21Hz4ZWJtgCf2Roqno31mtAZ8mPe121F0-iWPlH/s1600-h/snorkelkidsblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091120690220788242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nSwD00uYXERz7a-2h9ZsFwpnJoNf4NNHakSRRuRrBp43ho-d70Gi7I2S4V6uN-ytAVWhZ1x6I_BWWU7xIlRoICMG02pfz8kbkLXrl21Hz4ZWJtgCf2Roqno31mtAZ8mPe121F0-iWPlH/s400/snorkelkidsblog.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Snorkelling in the South China Sea, anyone? I never would have thought it could rival Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for colour and sheer gorgeousness, but it does. In fact, it was the best underwater experience I've ever had. And while I’d like to say we stayed in these glorious chalets on stilts (top pic) I can't fib because for a cool grand a night, it somehow didn’t fit the budget.<br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-52393120684629572452007-07-25T13:37:00.000+10:002008-12-10T20:21:09.624+11:00Market day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13ukpYVsy8J0cBPy-y8zj5O61JEM-m5QrcnaIcTBg8pOrBoTsDAE6FGoPp6LtETgWWtMqsa_5NcZ2wVSFmNgdn9SkSedBov20Fu0qtGGbLj6-PWAwlzHFLygzqm02xyTZuNUEecP2G4EB/s1600-h/nightmarketblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090973866763774466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13ukpYVsy8J0cBPy-y8zj5O61JEM-m5QrcnaIcTBg8pOrBoTsDAE6FGoPp6LtETgWWtMqsa_5NcZ2wVSFmNgdn9SkSedBov20Fu0qtGGbLj6-PWAwlzHFLygzqm02xyTZuNUEecP2G4EB/s400/nightmarketblog.jpg" border="0" /></a> We are all amateurs when it comes to sampling Asian food but the girls, much braver than I, have found a thing or two at this market that's to their liking. Doog thinks I am a <em>total</em> peasant but I fear if I venture back into the local stuff I will be puking yet again from the back of a ferry. Pathetic, yes. Safe? You bet.<br /><div></div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-844808421990227061.post-10373510828740861052007-07-24T19:55:00.000+10:002008-12-10T20:21:10.784+11:00Island girls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_fjFArYXmj_gfntDcCeeS5IzJ__qyFg5sNCYZIP4uqobbLo-Tgo1o2TEpT9iIaxGk1_awmT9rKQxZgwS4BMggY_DrXdKnpIcjaGwjsHxWWC-1l0J_p_k4Ye-lArZQ9SfhbzkAzM_Lhh1/s1600-h/singaporeoutfitsblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090700651009173970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_fjFArYXmj_gfntDcCeeS5IzJ__qyFg5sNCYZIP4uqobbLo-Tgo1o2TEpT9iIaxGk1_awmT9rKQxZgwS4BMggY_DrXdKnpIcjaGwjsHxWWC-1l0J_p_k4Ye-lArZQ9SfhbzkAzM_Lhh1/s400/singaporeoutfitsblog.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1KihY425eQJGEtEVqeBfkTlAZs_rOyDUKX2JFRwyH5LWN0o2Vw1m0wwPAAfm8b8SjqZKQ2Q-RowThw4dEayZTizRzmPL9RepHjzUGTW3wVuzGCE5PssTKLe_HERsCU0taLlemILexbEc/s1600-h/langkawibeachblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090700440555776450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-1KihY425eQJGEtEVqeBfkTlAZs_rOyDUKX2JFRwyH5LWN0o2Vw1m0wwPAAfm8b8SjqZKQ2Q-RowThw4dEayZTizRzmPL9RepHjzUGTW3wVuzGCE5PssTKLe_HERsCU0taLlemILexbEc/s400/langkawibeachblog.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevxL0COMpwJW3nFYWuNOZ4MJv-t5OwJvlvqIaVsFcuwGvmyzhZgJZ_CMR1uXYWHU-v8TDKP6ZVO0Svhfc4vDcsCOIRgaKt9hYnGglXQ_F2HDGIyDW_wlTx5o6ERQwlfdwqfm9bZjGHRo4/s1600-h/palmtreeblog.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090700161382902194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevxL0COMpwJW3nFYWuNOZ4MJv-t5OwJvlvqIaVsFcuwGvmyzhZgJZ_CMR1uXYWHU-v8TDKP6ZVO0Svhfc4vDcsCOIRgaKt9hYnGglXQ_F2HDGIyDW_wlTx5o6ERQwlfdwqfm9bZjGHRo4/s400/palmtreeblog.jpg" border="0" /></a>Hours spent lapping up the sun and sea is doing wonders for the mind and body: think jet skis and paddle boats and sand and surf and pools and room service and Scrabble on lounge chairs and that’s us for the past eight nights. Heaven!!!!!!!!!!<br />Our room on this Langkawi Island resort in northern Malaysia is so darn nice the girls don’t always want to leave ... but when they’re not playing Singapore Airlines flight attendants in their new duds or tempting our resident monkey down from his perch, they’re down here at the beach.<br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Nancy Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15074759684017596676noreply@blogger.com1