"Alright, we can each pick one place that is an absolute must"

(Photo graciously provided by Steve
Taken 09/08)

     When you close your eyes and imagine your dream destination, what do you see?  Maybe mountains  covered in a powder of snow or busy streets in a popular European city?  I dream of stepping off a plane and being blinded by the sun glistening off the blue ocean and seeing the greenest of green mountains.  When Angeline and I began planning out our trip of a life time the first step was picking which part of the world we would conquer first.  "Alright Angeline said, we can each pick one place that is an absolute must to visit and then we will fill in the gaps".  "FIJI!" I screamed with delight.

(Photo graciously provided by Steve
Taken 09/08)

     Ever since my friend Steve went to Fiji in 2008 I've been dying to go.  With every photo he posted my heart grew fonder for this place I knew nothing about.  I fell more and more in love with every new fact I learnt about this exotic country.  Fiji is a small island off the coast of New Zealand known for it's amazing hiking and snorkeling experiences.  We're planning our trip here around the hiking trails with the goal to hike almost all of Fiji.  Being the unfit person I am, there will be many beach days also in order to reach our goal.

     When I imagine snorkeling I have flashbacks to my trips to Mexico.  My eyes are burning with salt water and my breathing tube continuously tips into the water making me breath in salt water instead of air.  I despise snorkeling for these memories and for the longest time I really couldn't care less to give it another go.  Being that Fiji is the soft coral capital of the world I have no other choice but to put on the snorkeling gear yet again and hope for the best.  The amount of marine life that I will be able to see due to all the coral will be well worth choking on some sea water.

     Most of our hiking will be done in many of the national parks found on the islands.  Within most of these parks there are small villages that offer accommodations for travelers.  This ability to spend time with the locals in Fiji is one of the main attractions for myself.  Interacting with new people and cultures is the magic of traveling, and being able to stay in their villages and learn from them will be the highlight of visiting this country.

     We've found a place to finish off our backpacking extravaganza, but more importantly where were we going to start!?

  

A Day to Forget

"The bad days make the good ones better"

- Unknown

 

Well, did today ever make the good days better! Words cannot describe how much I hate this day of our trip. Let's start at 2:45am this morning when Clerissa and I woke up to leave the flat so we could catch our 6am flight. We left the flat at 3:15am to walk to the train station, and we just knew that this wasn't going to be a good day. Walking through sketchy London streets at this time in the morning can be unnerving on its own, but as we are walking through these streets someone dumped soapy water on us, at least I hope that's what it was. But this was only the beginning. We got a bit lost once or twice trying to find the train station so we missed our 3:52am train by one minute. Yes, one minute; very frustrating.

We were assured though by the men that worked at the train station that this wouldn't be a problem at all, and we would have lots of time to catch our 6am flight. So, we caught the next train at 4:32am and ended up arriving at Luton airport at 5:23am, not much time at all to catch our flight. Of course we hadn't checked in the night before and the check-in line for EasyJet was miles long. I stood in the line hoping it would go really quick and we could run to our flight, while Clerissa talked to the lady at the sales desk about the next flight we could catch. The lady at the sales desk told Clerissa that we could catch a 7:00 flight for 50 pounds, thinking this was pretty good we bought the tickets.

 Only after purchasing the non-refundable tickets did we notice that it was a 7pm flight, not 7am as we were lead to believe. Neither of us wanted to spend twelve and a half hours in the airport, so we talked to the same lady who told us the only other option was to take the train back to King's Cross Station and take a Eurostar train to Paris. This cost us another 112 pounds, but it was better than waiting around for twelve and a half hours, so this is what we did.

At our hostel at last, this is home for the next three days.

Our train was at 8:24am, and was it ever a nice train ride, we arrived in Paris at 11:48am in much better moods. We wandered around for a while not knowing where to go, our hostel was extremely hard to find on a map. Thankfully, we found a Starbucks with free Wifi, so Clerissa GPSed our hostel on her iPhone and we were able to figure it out. So, after a very cramped bus ride through Paris we finally got where we needed go. After getting off the bus a very nice man noticed we were lost and confused so he showed us on a map how to get to the hostel, what areas in Paris to see, and which trains/buses to take to get there. He was a saint! So then, finally, at 3:15pm we got to our hostel and settled in. Let's hope tomorrow is better, I have a feeling it will be. 

The Cosmopolitan London Continued

"The world is a book and those who don't travel read only one page"

- St. Augustine

 

Although getting a view from a local's point of view is great, you can't travel somewhere and not see its main attractions. We started the attractions by walking through Green Park, which like its name suggests is very green and very beautiful, to Buckingham Palace. Buckingham Palace was huge and beautiful, but extremely crowded which made it hard to enjoy its beauty. The changing of the guards happened while we were there which was really cool, but again, hard to see or enjoy because of the massive crowd of excited tourists we were squished in.

Buckingham Palace

We then walked through St. James Park, another gorgeous and green park, and then down Birdcage Walk to Parliament Square. This is where we saw the Parliament building which had crowds of protesters outside of  it, the Supreme Court, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, and St. Margret's Church. All very impressive buildings!

Big Ben

Then we walked down to Trafalgar Square which has a huge art gallery called the National Gallery. This contains thousands of prints of famous artist's masterpieces, we wandered through here for a couple of hours and probably didn't even see half.  



Tower of London

 After this, we took the tube to Tower Hill Station, which is right next to the Tower of London - my favorite part of this city by far. Walking through the tower is like being transported to the medieval days. It is all made of stone and is made up of many different buildings and court yards. Each building has a bridge connecting it to the next old stone tower. Once inside each building we would twist though the tight spiral staircases that lead to multiple different rooms. Throughout the historical walk there are posters with information about the tower. Something I found really interesting was, it used to be a zoo, however had to be closed down due to a few people dying after bad encounters with the animals. We also got to see the crown jewels and armor. Once we left this fantastic building we walked right out in front of the London Bridge, this was neat to see. Needless to say, this part of London has far more photos than any other area or day in London.

Starting the Adventure: The Cosmopolitan London

"A Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step"

   ~ Lao-tzu

 

Our journey begins. We took flight May 7th at 3:20pm; after hauling our massive backpacks over to luggage drop off we nervously clutch our passports and tickets, and hug family and friends. We are finally on our way, our dreams are about to turn into realities.

 



 



On PrimroseHill

After eight and a half hours of tv shows and movies we land in Amsterdam at 8:15am their time, then depart for London at 10:30am and in a short two hours we are there. We make our way over to Paddington Station where we meet up with my cousin, Natasha; from there she took us back to the flat that her and my other cousin, Chiara, live in together. Clerissa and I were very excited to be riding on a double-decker bus to the flat, something so unique to bustling, busy London. After a much needed nap we got out and walked along cobble stone paths to the Grand Canals, and up to Primrose Hill which has a beautiful view of the city. In this walk we got a very good feel for the city, however, the next day was an even better look at London. With Natasha as our tour guide we had the chance to see it from a local's point of view. We started out in Soho and walked through a few stores including Top Shop and Fortnum&Mason. Then, we proceeded down to Regent Street where it began to pour rain (tip if you ever travel to London, bring a raincoat!) so we stopped for cappicinos and scones. Once the rain stopped we kept on walking and saw Piccadilly Circus, and then down to China Town. Through this whole walk we looked in cute, expensive shops and saw the outside of the Royal Opera House. We got to see the famous hotel Savoy, and looked down Shaftesbury Avenue, a street dedicated to theaters. From there we took the tube from King's Cross Station to the Hungerford Footbridge which had a great view of London! We could see Cleopatra's Needle, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Waterloo Bridge, and the London Eye. 



Standing on Hungerfoot Bridge, looking at Waterloo Bridge

 

 This was an amazing day to get the feel for what London is all about! 

The Rocky Mountains.

Canada is one of many wonderful things in this world. It offers a lot of beautiful and historical places where tourists can go to. It has been a year since my family and I moved here to Calgary from Philippines. We haven't had that much time to go on a trip and visit places here since our family needed to get documents done for the nearing school that year and my parents' work. But now, we already adjusted to the things that were new to us and we can afford to see the wonders of what Canada has and will have because this is our new home.

And so our first family trip was in Banff National Park. It has breath taking sceneries like the rocky mountains and Lake Louise. 

My Brother, Dad, Me, Mom and Daughter of our family friend.
Welcome sign to Banff :)

There is so much you can do there mostly during the summer. Most of my friends tell me that we can go hiking and fishing there. I wanted to go with them but I don't have the gears and tools to do so and my mom is a real pessimist when it comes to things like that. Haha. But I know eventually I'll have the stuff I need to really experience those activities, the Canadian way. :)  

My family and I went there last September 1 of this year. We were with some family friends too and had a convoy because we can't all fit in one car. The trip was about a hour long. I was asleep the whole trip because I just got back from a long vacation, last night of that day. That is the only free day my parents have, so they took advantage of it and went off with the plan. (Not considering if I had enough rest :> Kidding.) 

When we got there it was almost 1 pm and it was cold, good thing we were dressed for the weather. We saw how big the Ice Explorer is and took some pictures with it. 

The Ice Explorer. Photo taken by my Dad.

After getting enough amusement with the Ice Explorer, we then went to buy tickets to ride the gondola up to the Sulphur Mountain and top of the Rockies.

Gondola Ticket. Photo taken by Me.

Photo taken inside the gondola.

When we reached the platform to the mountain, there were a lot of people. I think most of them are first timers in Banff like us because they look so excited and happy. Like any other tourist, we took a lot of pictures. We walked all the way to the top, and despite the long and tiring walk plus the cold weather, it was all payed off by the scenery. It's captivating. The scene was relaxing, overwhelming and I felt like I wanted to stay there for the rest of my life. Really, it is a beauty. 

Stairs at the Sulphur Mountain leading to the top.

Me looking in a telescope to see the view closer.

Family Picture at the top of the Mountain.

We got hungry after spending time savouring the view, it was a long walk indeed. We all went down and looked for where we can eat. We walked along the town of Banff and saw Tony Roma's where we had our late lunch and early dinner.  :) I had the New York Strip beef and it's a mouthful of heaven. We were satisfied, all smiles and a bit bloated after all our delicious meals. Haha. It was almost 7 pm when we drove back home. And a sleepy head as I am, I was asleep the whole time, again. :)) I was awaken by the teasing they were making as we arrived home. 

Despite the not enough rest for me and the tiring walks, it was a day well spent with my family and our friends. :) We had so much fun and having this kind of trip brings my family closer. We said to each other that this will be repeated, maybe not in Banff again but that we'll find time to have this kind of family  activity. I really enjoy having some quality time with my family even though we all have busy schedules with school and work. I really hope we can go for a trip again, soon. :)

    

Welcome to my European Adventure

This blog is about my experience backpacking through Europe; the Cosmopolitan London, the Romantic Paris, the Vibrant Spain, the Delicious Italy, and the Authentic Greece. Through the ups and the downs this was overall an incredible trip where I saw some of the world's most amazing sites and architecture, experienced different cultures, and grew more as a person in the process.

(Mathew Carey, 1811)

But before I get into that let's rewind to two years ago, I am just about to start grade twelve and a good friend of mine, Clerissa, and I go out for breakfast. We begin talking about all the places in the world we'd love to see. This discussion soon turns into "how about we don't go straight into university so we can see all these amazing places!", and before we know it we've replaced university applications with travel books and brochures.

Now let's fast forward to about a year and a half later, we have been working hard all year long saving every penny in anticipation for this big adventure. However, all we have is a rough plan of everything we'd like to see and approximately the dates we will go see it all. So, first things first, we head straight over to Flight Centre and book our round trip flights for May 7th - June 16th 2012. These flights were with KLM Dutch Airlines, an extraordinary airline, we were exceedingly pleased with the service we got from them! They would fly us into Amsterdam first, have a two hour stop over, and then head to our first destination London. Now that we have our beginning and end dates we can start booking the hostels through Hosteling International, which has been recommended to us by Flight Centre who sells the membership cards you need in order to book through this hosteling company. All of these hostels were very reasonably priced and in fairly good locations. Having the dates that we`d be in each hostel made it easy for us to move on to the next step, booking flights between the countries. For this we booked through EasyJet, which are very cheap flights between European countries. As with everything, however, you get what you pay for so we found that on these flights the service isn't the best but it gets you from country to country for a very good price. Many people we met along the way also used Eurail passes which are a good option as well. As for getting from city to city, we didn't worry about it in advance, it was very easy to book a train or bus to the next city once we were there.

We have everything booked and the departure date is creeping up faster and faster! The next step now is just to buy a few items in preparation, the biggest item being the backpack, what I will soon be living out of for five and a half weeks. For this I went to Mountain Equipment Co-op where they sized me to the perfect backpack for my needs. Some backpacks have the feature on the zipper to put a lock on, however mine did not, so as an alternative we found a netting to go around my backpack specifically made for backpackers to lock up their belongings. We found this lock at Campers Village along with a few other essentials for the trip.

Now it`s time for Clerissa and I to experience the adventure we`d been anticipating for two years. Let the journey begin!

Who needs a plane or ticket?

Travelling may seem like you have to venture out into a different country or continent, but in reality you can always call travelling somewhere closer to home.

Not all trips include a plane and a ticket, in fact you can take a good old car and just drive out into the country.

One of the most memorable trips I will never forget is when not only my family and I, but as well as some extended family went on a long drive trip to Fairmont, British Columbia for the September long weekend.
I guess you could say there was about 20 of us that car pooled into 3 cars.

Our journey started out at 7AM by going toward the US/Canada Borderline, we went through Okotoks and High River and eventually made it to Crowsnest and made a pit stop in Sparwood. There we had a little breather and picnic. After eating, we stopped by this huge tractor that was the size of an entire house.

Personal Photo: Family and I in front of the gigantic trailer.

We had made a few more pit stops (because you know... some people's bladders can only hold for so long) but we finally made it to Fairmont. It was amazing.. the air, the view of the mountains and the sun shining high up in the air. Excited as we were, we got checked into the hotel and put on our swimming gear.

Before going to the actual swimming hot springs... we were told that there was a little waterfall that came especially from the hot springs. We wanted to find it so we went on a little path down one of the mountains and found it. It was beautiful (it was the first time I've seen a water fall even if it wasn't that big) and the water felt so good. 

Personal Photo:
The waterfall hidden behind the Hot Springs : My little cousin and I sitting in the back ground.

Hitting the water in the actual pool was really nice too... although there were a lot people everywhere it was really nice to just sit down and relax. My family and I enjoyed a good 2 hours of relaxation time, I was tempted to try out their diving boards but didn't have the guts to do it. I just watched my cousins and uncle jump and enjoy it... I did however was able to do some guy spotting (hahah) and it was quite enjoyable because there were some very attractive men out there. 

Personal Photo: Family picture I took of when they were in the hot springs

After a great day of swimming and "tanning" we were all hungry and decided to head out to a dock that was close to the hotel. They had a nice mountain view as well as some boats that were parked for the day. With some traditional Filipino foods and some BBQ, we had set up a nice meal.

Personal Photo: A bunch of my cousins and I posing for a photo at the dock

Personal Photo: Dock at sundown

The very next day we were headed back towards Calgary (we only had a one night stay) we were venturing back through the Banff area. There was a lot of times when the view of the mountains along with the sun made the view look outstanding. Being the Asians and tourists my family an I are, we had to take pictures. 

Personal Photo: Mountain View on our way back to Calgary

Personal Photo:
Family and I along with my little cousin in front of me being tourists (:

Just before we got to Banff we had stopped by a Lake (I can't remember the name of it right now) for lunch. It was really nice, we had the smell of the fresh air from the mountains and also had a beautiful lake that surrounded it. There we had some BBQ and good food. My sister and I decided it would be fun to take some fun pictures. It was a lot of fun and really relaxing to think that we didn't have to worry about anything right now. That we were there to enjoy the nature around us. 

Personal Photo: Younger Sister and I

Personal Photo: Attempt in trying to do a jump picture

To end off our fund 2 day journey we to the Banff waterfalls. It was good to smell the air of fresh water washing past in front of us, although it was colder later that day. We took the last of our photos and thanked God for the epic weekend that we had celebrated together as a family.

Personal Photo: Banff Springs Waterfall

So I guess you could say that not all trips have to include a ticket and a plane. There are many opportunities to travel within your own country, just grab some family or friends and take a nice drive out past the city.

  

Who's feet could you stand smelling for four months?

Your best friend? A family member? Or maybe you're like me and are thinking that potentially "no one" is the answer.  After high school four of my really great friends decided to go on an adventure of a life time together.  Darcy, Jocelyn, Pascal, and Steve packed up their backpacks and jumped on a plane heading for New Zealand.  They had many amazing stories to make me crazy with jealousy, including

(R-L Pascal, Darcy, unknown, Steve, and Jocelyn.
Picture graciously provided by Jocelyn.
Taken November 2008)  

things like camping on the beach and skydiving over the ocean.  They also came back with a lot of knowledge about back packing, a decent amount of it has left my memory due to envy but a couple things stuck.  One of them included who to take with you on a such an adventure.  As much fun as the four of them experienced together they continuously told me stories about the weird things they were forced to learn about each other, being so close for so long.  I believe out of everything I laughed the hardest about Jocelyn and Darcy screaming and giggling about how much Steve's feet smelt.  Jocelyn howling while saying "you just do not know someone until you've traveled with them, I've known Steve for years and had NO idea".  

I've always been told from many a friend that traveling solo is the way to go.  It forces you to get out of your comfort zone and make new friends in every new place you travel to.  As much as I'd like to think I'm brave enough to hop a twenty-two hour plane ride all alone, I'm pretty certain I would be regretting the decision as soon as the wheels left the pavement of the runway.  So the search began to find someone to join me.

I spent all my time thinking of friends I thought would bring the most to the experience.  I'm sure many of my loved ones would be great to travel with in their own ways but my travel partner came as a surprise to me.  My older cousin Angeline, whom I don't exactly know very well ended up being the choice.

The more I spoke about traveling and all the things I need to do and see in my life time with Angeline the more I realized how perfect of a traveling companion she would be.  She has done some traveling her self in Europe and India and she is just as amazed by the idea of exploring as I am.  We both have the same expectations of where to go and what to do, so there shouldn't be many problems when planning the adventure.  I'm not one to believe too deeply in astrology but one thing that always got my attention was the apparent need for virgos to make lists and have everything planned to the second.  I am known to be a "little much" let's say when it comes to needing everything organized and perfect, so it was a beautiful thing to find that Angeline is a virgo herself.

I don't believe there is one strong thing you can base picking your traveling partner on.  Maybe if you can stand the smell of their feet or you share the same astrology sign you've found the perfect compadre.  Maybe not, maybe you're just going to be stuck having a fun time no matter what with who ever you find next to you on the plane.  

The last days on the water

The trip was sadly reaching its end.

The last few days were not very eventful so I am able to put them all into one post.

On the 5th day we sailed to Saturna Island. Really the only reason we went here was because this island has a huge vineyard. The beach that we docked near was rather boring. There were no crabs, starfish, or jelly fish. Also the water was absolutely freezing. We did attempt to put our bathing suits on and swim but it was just too cold! The best part about this beach was a swing rope that was tied to a tree. Although you couldn't jump off of it because the water was too shallow.

Once we did all we could do on the beach it was time to hike up to the Vineyard. The Vineyard was about a 15 minute hike on a dirt road. The road was lined with rashberry and blackberry bushes, so we stopped to snack every now and again. The Vineyard was all along the Island, and at the top was the wine shop where you could taste test all their different wines with different cheeses and crackers. I had never seen a Vineyard before or been to a winery so it was a cool and new experience.

Signs up to the Winery photo taken by me

Behind the counter of the Winery. Photo taken by me

We stayed at Saturna Island until the next morning, then we headed out to Sidney Spit.

Where we anchored at Sidney Spit was just near the sandspit. This was the best beach that we went to all week. It was all soft sand, with no rocks or barnacles. Since it was only sand, there wasn't much water life there other than some minnows near shore. Aside from the beautiful sandy beach, the water was also the perfect temperature for the weather. Not too warm and not too cold.

This is a panorama photo of the beach and the boats on Sidney Spit

We did see a dead Lions Mane JellyFish and of course I had to snag a picture of it.

photo taken by me

Those were the last two days of the trip. The next morning we headed back to the Marina that we started at and my amazing ocean vacation was put to an end. Although the trip was over, the effects that it had on me were just starting.

14 Hour Torture

I've always liked plane rides, but this one was just not as great.

My family and I were travelling to the Philippines for vacation. I was a pretty excited teenager because I was able to see my extended family after a long time apart.

Being curious and excited, boarding the plane (Cathay Pacific) I was ready to head over the ocean for 14 hours. I sat in my seat between my brother and sister and relaxed thinking "This vacation is going to be awesome".

We were ready for take off. I sat back in my seat as the engine and plane was heading toward the take off runway. Sooner or later we were finally in the air. Things were going perfect, the stewardesses had done their safety demo and the real flight had begun.

We waited until they had given each of us headphones, I put mine in my ear and pressed the on button to turn the TV on. A blank square. I tried again. Still a blank square.

I thought no... this is and would not be fair if I had no TV. So I called for assistance hoping it was just a small error. Unfortunately that was not the case, the TV had a connection error to the main system and wasnt able to work. I was pretty sad, but I didn't worry about it too much and put my mp3 on (oh those little gadgets before iPods).

 I was listening to music when all of a sudden I felt the back of my chair move. I didn't think of it much because it was possibly someone just getting up to go use the wash room. I was wrong. The hitting on the back of my chair continued... after putting up with it for 20 mins I turned around to find a young boy kicking it. I asked the parent of the child to ask if could stop and she gave me a dirty glare. Scared I turned back around and just sat down.

I thought to myself.. could this get any worse?

It did.

Because I had chose to sit in the middle seat... sleeping comfortably through a 14 hour flight without a TV and a kid kicking my chair in the back wasn't fun. I wanted to cry because I had become cranky and really tired. Getting neck cramps from trying to sleep sitting, everything was just getting on my nerves.

Finally after putting up with everything I tried to wake up my mom or dad -- who was in the row in front of us -- to ask if I could switch spots with one of them.  Let me say... I LOVE MY MOM, so when she agreed to switch, I was the happiest child ever.

I'm not sure why I didn't ask earlier but I'm just glad I did. Even though there was only 5 hours of the flight left... I was just happy I could actually get some rest. Yeah my mother wasn't to impressed when we got to airport but she was glad I wasn't going to be a walking zombie once I stepped foot in the Philippines.

I still love plane rides, but next time I'm going to make sure I have things that won't bother me next time.. maybe sit in the row in front of my parents so that I don't encounter rude families and to bring my own portable DVD player.

I will be prepared for my next 14 hour flight.

The 3rd and 4th day on the open water.

On the 3rd Day of our adventure we went to Saltspring Island which was a complete experience of culture shock! Saltspring Island is basically just a hippie island that dances to the drum of its own beat. We arrived at their Marina and everything seemed normal, however when we went further into the town it was clear that it was completely different than life in Calgary Alberta.

It seemed like a flash back to the 60's.. Everyone had super long hair and the women wore long skirts, bandannas, and sandals. None of the men we saw were clean shaven, and some of them didn't wear shoes.  Aside from the obvious difference in how everyone dressed, you could smell marijuana pretty much everywhere. When you looked around to find the sources, you noticed that people were smoking it just like it were a cigarette, out in the open, around kids. That was interesting considering you don't tend to see that too much around Calgary, at least not as casual as it was on this island. 

That was the end of the adventure on SaltSpring Island. The next day, which was the 4th day, we went to  Galiano Island. We didn't do much here other than walk along the beach and go for a hike throughout the camp site that was on the island. The beach was beautiful however it was full of big rocks in some areas with a lot of barnacles. The awesome part of this island was the new creature that it was filled with! Under every rock and every log there were tons of tiny little crabs! It's amazing how tiny these crabs start out and how big they can get throughout their life! This was my first time playing with little crabs and I wanted to bring a handful of them back to Calgary with me. When you went to grab them, they would try to run away, and when that didn't work they would try to pinch you with their little claws.

Galiano Island was also the first place that I was able to actually pull a starfish off a rock and hold it. The starfish we saw on this trip were all purple except for one, that was huge and a salmon color. The underside of starfish are the complete opposite to their tops. Underneath are thousands of little suction cup like feelers that constantly moved around. They retracted with I put my skin near them, but with other people, they grasped on and suctioned themselves to their skin. That was extremely cool.

That sums of the third and fourth day of my week long sailing trip. The open water, nature, and beaches were so relaxing compared to the busy daily life that was waiting for me back home. With only two more days on the boat, it was all coming to an end too quickly.

Travel Wishes

There are many places around the world that I would like to travel to. I wish I could just jump onto a private plane and fly all around the world... country by country.

I think the next place I would like to visit would be somewhere different and adventurous, somewhere like Thailand or Australia. 

I just feel that after exploring Hong Kong - even if it was for the a very short time, that visiting somewhere where I can let my mind explore and open up to new ideas would be the next perfect holiday. I want to set my self up for a adventurous yet safe trip. 

Maybe to go scoping out for Kangaroos and Koalas in the deep deserts of Australia or ride an elephant in Thailand would be a pretty sweet deal. Although at the moment I may be a poor university student I hope maybe one day I can explore a country such as Australia or Thailand.

There are many opportunities for me to go and explore the world... I feel everyone has the dream of wanting to travel around the world. It's great because right now since we have tons of time to think about it, we can plan out everything.

I think as long as my next flight is adventurous and i'll be able to go around trying new things i'll be a satisfied girl. (:

Asia I Go

Hong Kong.

A place where I thought was quite different from Canada.

It`s a place where the culture, people, environment is different.

I went to Hong Kong in January 2007 and let me tell you, it was certainly a blast.

Even though our time there was only for a short time, my family and I enjoyed every bit of it. 

We had only gone to Hong Kong because it was a stop over flight from the Philippines to Canada, so we were only there for 3 nights. 

Already just setting foot out of the airport, you could already feel a different type of air than here in Canada. Not hearing English as the main language any more really got me turning my head in every direction. Everything was just so new to me, I was too excited to be in a different country. In Hong Kong, the roads were different. Instead of driving on the right side... they drove on the left side. 

The feeling of already being on the other side of the road was really weird. 

My family and I had stayed at the Disney Land Hong Kong Resort because over the course of our stay we would be going to Disney Land --- May I say that Hong Kong's Disneyland may not be the biggest Disney Park but the scenery and the view, I would say Hong Kong was the most beautiful I have seen... beautiful in that the plants and the way the architecture of buildings and designs were so carefully thought out to make a beautiful area.

source: capl@washjeff.edu

Anyways back to my main point, the Disney Land Hotel was gorgeous... The hotel itself was a beautiful structure, the scenery and gardens around it were amazing. The rooms were spacious and really made you feel super comfortable and grand... it was clean and well polished, as well as professional. I personally would like to recommend this hotel to anyone who wishes to visit the Disney area. 

(source: http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2914103368)

Not only was the resort beautiful, but also Disney Land itself. In Hong Kong, Disney Land is a lot smaller than our normal Disney Land in America. It was really cute visiting Mickey Mouse and all the other Disney Characters, it was still a very magical few days for us when we walked around.

We also took the time to visit around the city of Hong Kong. Walking around the busy streets of Hong Kong can turn into a crazy gong show. There was people everywhere!! People moving in all different directions, the streets were always busy and traffic was always a problem there. It was definitely a different feeling from Calgary.. but it was still a great adventure to walk around and experience a slightly different atmosphere. It was pretty crazy but my family and I got the chance to go shopping and to go across a ferry just to cross onto the other side of the city. It was pretty adventurous but can get pretty tiring by the end of the day.

(Source: http://photographer.stevewebel.com)

Even though our time in Hong Kong was not very long, it was filled with memories that we will always forever remember. I plan to go back one day to explore it in depth even more, or just the chance to explore more around south-east Asia.

My Ocean Void Finally Filled (2)

Our Destination for the week consisted of sailing through the Gulf Islands in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of British Columbia. 

The first day, we sailed to Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island. This bay is well known because of its access to the Butchart Gardens. This Garden is National Historic Site of Canada due to its international popularity. The uniqueness of this garden, is that it was an old Limestone quarry that was turned into a sunken garden. The Wikipedia site gives a great overview of the history and development of the garden.

In order to get to the gardens from our boat, we had to stern tie our sail boat to a tree and then commute in a dingy to the dock of Butchart Gardens. A Stern Tie is when you go to shore and tie your boat to a tree or something sturdy in order to prevent your boat from moving too much with the tides. With a Stern Tie it is also necessary to anchor your boat.  

Our Stern Tie (photo taken by me)

A portion from Butchart Gardens (Photo taken by me)

This garden was beautiful, but I have never been interested in gardens so I found it slightly boring. The excitement on this day consisted of what I saw in the water at the dock of the gardens. On the side of the dock was a vast amount of water life. There were many Star Fish, which seemed to be a dime a dozen on this trip. However there were two new things that I saw here at the dock of the Butchart Gardens. On the side of the dock was a giant crab! We were able to pull him off the side of the dock and escape his angry claws in order to get a few photos before we gently put him back. Along with seeing the crab, there were tons of Jelly Fish floating around near the dock. 

Mr. Crab that we pulled from the dock

With further investigation, I have learned that the Jellyfish we saw at the dock of the Butchart Gardens was the Moon Jellyfish. Now I know that they are safe to hold because they can not sting humans, but at the time  I did not know that. So I did nothing more than poke the top of one, which felt like what I assume a silicone breast implant might feel like! 

Moon Jellyfish (Photo taken by me)

This was only day two of our trip and things got more and more exciting as the week went by. I will share my journey with you, as I consider it a one in a life time experience that I will be LUCKY to repeat in my lifetime. 

The light's FINALLY at the end of the tunnel... well maybe I'm grabbing a flashlight for now! (SQUEAMISH PEOPLE KEEP SCROLLING)

     Dropping my life in Calgary and starting a new as a traveling gypsy was the first order of business the moment I walked out of my last grade twelve final. Yet four years later I find myself in a stuffy "too hot" or "too cold" classroom of thirty, passport stamp-less and dusty.

     When I started post secondary I always reassured myself that I was "doing the right thing".  Backpacking could wait a few years while I got a bachelors in business.  That way I would have something to come home to when my feet got tired and the homesickness became too much.  My plan was on track when I suddenly experienced the shocking taste of reality.  Last summer, two weeks before my third year was to begin I found myself in the back of an ambulance.

     Unfortunately my body had different plans.  My stomach was the size of a hot air balloon and all I could do was clench my fists and let out the odd cry of gibberish.  My body had no fighting chance, the Crohn's was winning and now my very white hospital room was filled with whispering doctors.  I will spare the details of my 8 months of never ending hell and will instead sum it up with the highlights:

(Personal photo taken at the hospital 09/11)

-I had two major surgeries in an attempt to resect seven inches of my lower bowel five days apart (the first one was a huge failure and almost ended with my body going septic).
-Due to the first surgery failing I received a temporary ileostomy, which I was reassured would be reversed in three months.
-The incision of the second surgery became infected and was forced to heal open.  I walked around for two months while a 4cmX4cm and 5cm deep hole in my stomach slowly healed.
-One week after finally leaving the hospital after my one month stint, I was luckily diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.  "You would have gone home and died tonight" was how my surgeon beautifully put it as he readmitted me to the hospital.
-Being on blood thinners pushed my ileostomy reversal surgery date to March 9 2012.

(Personal photo taken at the hospital 03/12)

-The final surgery went flawlessly and my body was normal again!  Slightly lighter in the intestinal area now, but if you ask me there's too much of it to begin with anyways.

     The "life is short" saying finally hit home for me.  All I ever wanted to do in life was have never ending airport terminals and plane rides.  Yet I was potentially going to leave this world having only seen some of North America!?  No way was I going to let that happen again.  I threw out the idea of waiting for graduation, instead I'm making the light at the end of tunnel appear a couple years earlier than expected.  Next September I will be only three years through my degree but on a plane to finally feeling fulfilled.

     This blog is going to take you along for the journey as I prepare for my trip; from where to go and what to do, to what to pack and who to bring with you.  Hopefully we will learn a few things together! Where have you been? What have you seen? Any advice for a beginner?

Flight nightmares

It was July of 2008 and I had just graduated high school. As my graduation present my parents paid for me to go to Spain with my dance team to perform and travel. I had been awaiting this trip for over a year and the day had finally arrived! We were taking off from Vancouver International Airport over to London England and then from there to our final destination of Malaga Spain. I had literally just stepped out of the shower when my mom received a phone call informing her that my flight had changed and I needed to be at the airport in an hour. Well as a procrastinator my bad wasn't fully packed so I threw the last of my belongings in my suitcase praying I hadn't forgotten any costumes that I needed for our performances. Arriving at the airport just in time wet hair and all my adventure had finally begun.

My team and I were originally supposed to fly on British Airways but they cancelled our flight and had put us on Air Canada. A bit of a downgrade but as long as it was getting me to Europe I was happy. Once we got our tickets we realized that none of us were sitting together since we were last minute additions to this flight. I boarded the plane and found myself in the middle section of the plane in a middle seat... not too happy about my seat but tried to look past it. I sat down and there was a very large man to my right who was taking up the whole armrest. Not very polite since he had an open armrest all to himself on his ale side. There was a lady to my left who also had propped her arm up on my armrest so I had to sit there like a tube directly in the middle. To make matters worse the lady was constantly shaking which then cause my seat to tremble as well. But it was time for take off and we were one our way! Normally on British Airways you get your own personal TV to watch movies but on Air Canada they just have one movie playing on monitors spread throughout the cabin. And what movie was playing? none other than the movie I had watched the night before with my friends, "Defiantly Maybe". I came to the quick conclusion that I should just drug myself with pills to make me sleepy for most of the flight. A couple of drowsy gravols later I found my head bobbing. But with no arm rest I had to direction to lead my body so I couldn't get into a comfortable seating position. I stumbled my way up to two of my friends to see if they had any pillows. Luckily one of my friends had the shaped neck pillows so I was able to stumble back to my seat and fall asleep for most of the flight to London.

 We landed in London to find out that we had also been switched to a different connecting flight than originally planned and we only had a certain amount of time to run from one side of the airport to another. Also with this news we found out only half of us would be continuing onto Spain that night and the rest would spend a night in London... I was on the flight heading to Spain so I'm running through the airport with some of my teammates in our matching tracksuits looking like crazy people. Once we arrived at the terminal we were informed that the rest of our team was able to come on our flight and we'd all arrive in Spain together.

The two weeks went by insanely fast and it was already time to head back to Vancouver. Once again we had to fly from Malaga Spain to London England and then to our final destination of Vancouver Canada. Thankfully this time we were flying back on British Airways rather than Air Canada so all I was looking forwards to was my own personal TV! We board the full flight and luckily all get to sit together for once. Once we took off our TV's were activated for use but as I saw my friends' TV's lighting up mine stayed black. I tried playing around with the buttons and I got it to go a fuzzy grey colour but no luck on turning on my TV. I asked a flight attendant if she knew how to fix it or could do anything. She informed me my TV was broken and the flight was full so there was no other seat for me. After all that I found myself once again taking my drowsy gravol pills so I could fall asleep for another 9 hour flight. I'm hopeful that I got all my bad flight luck out of the way in one trip but we all know that's very doubtful.

My Ocean Void Finally Filled (Beginning)

Its hard to believe that for a 20 year old living one province away from an ocean, I just experienced the amazing wonders and scenery of the Pacific Ocean for the first time this passing summer.

As young as I can remember, I always wanted to go to an Ocean. Growing up I was never interested in visiting places like Disney Land or Disney World. My main desire was to visit a real beach on an ocean.
My family always went camping and the lakes did have beaches, but I just knew it wasn't the same as an ocean beach. The most exciting thing you might see near the beach of a lake are minnows. I wanted more than that.

Then, this summer, the opportunity arose. My boyfriend's family was doing their annual week long sailing trip on the Pacific Ocean and I was invited! I was beyond excited. We flew out to Victoria BC and headed to Cooper Marina in Sidney where our 45 foot sail boat was waiting.

The first day there I was astonished by how the Ocean water was different from any lake water I had experienced. Salt water gets all sticky on you after it dries if you don't wash it off. I was astonished by this, and this wasn't even the beginning. Then came the Ocean life!

Along side of the dock was like looking into an aquarium. I couldn't believe all the vibrant colors and different things that I saw, and we hadn't even left the Marina! The starfish below was the first one that I had ever seen. It was just attached onto the side of the dock, and I took a picture of it with my underwater camera.

(Both photos were taken by me from the dock at the Cooper Sidney Marina)

I was so excited to see the starfish, that I ran back to our boat where my boyfriend's family was, and showed them the photo I had taken. Right away his mom asked me "Did you touch it?!" and I said "No! I was too scared". So I ran back (this time with moral support) to the starfish, so I could feel it for the first time. The starfish looked very squishy but, as anyone who has felt one knows. It was very grainy and stiff much like a rock.

Then I noticed sea anemones and barnacles (picture below), and they made me just as curious. When i saw the anemone, I grabbed a piece of foam and started poking at it. Right away it sucked itself inside and hid from me. The barnacles were just interesting to watch, as their tentacles drifted in and out. 

This was just the beginning of my first Ocean experience and it only got better from here. We weren't even out of the Marina yet.