Full Circle

On January 1, 2007, I was sitting here, at my grandma's house, thinking and blogging about the road ahead. Now I sit here, in the same exact place, thinking of the road I just travelled. Here are some lessons that I might never have learned otherwise...

We all play small parts in a very big world.

Being a foreigner has its perks. Being ignorant does not.

Reality TV still uses cue cards.

Travelling by yourself makes room for lots of thinking.

Working with 1400+ teenage girls evokes a plethora of emotions.

School uniforms reduce mufti mishaps.

Tom Joel plays a mean guitar.

"Everybody Dance Now" is the unofficial national anthem of New Zealand.

Living near a Cadbury factory is a dangerous thing.

The only thing that can kill you in the New Zealand wild is your own stupidity.

Escaping the city for a weekend is sweet as.

Pavlovas explode.

Sometimes the students you shake your head at the most are the ones you can never shake in your heart.

Driving on the left-hand side of the road isn't so scary -- even in a bite-sized Suzuki!

Living near the sea is the best way to re-charge life after being drained.

Surfing is not so easy...but falling isn't so bad either.

Latimer Square is a very dodgy place.

Text messaging can become all-consuming.

Not checking my inbox for a few days is okay.

Asian countries are same same...but different.

A smile goes a long way. Sometimes it's all one has to give.

People change your life -- sometimes in the most unsuspecting ways.

Riding a tuk-tuk at 2:30am in Bangkok is a terrifying experience...so is Pat Pong Street.

The smell of a durian fruit can knock a person out cold.

Flush toilets are a luxury to be celebrated. So is free toilet paper.

Sandflies are the devil incarnate.

Motorbike is to Asia as mini-van is to North America.

Ceramic tiles during the rainy season are a death trap waiting to snap.

The only saving grace to an 18-hour night bus ride is knowing that the person next to you won't care if you drool on her because she'll probably do the same.

Abandon all practice of the "10 Second Rule" while traveling in Asia.

Setting, living, and reaching a goal is one of the most rewarding experiences.

Counting calories in Thailand is as useless as a Dong in Hong Kong.

A Coke can has many uses.

Being a millionaire in Vietnam doesn't get you very much.

Tailor-made shopping is a lot of fun.

The best person to travel with is a best friend.

Things happen for a reason.

Home isn't just one place.

Being missed feels good...but coming home feels better.

Thanks for following along. Until the next adventure...

L.

Holla from Hong Kong

View from The Peak

Diana and I at the MRT station

Good Feng Shui

Faster than the blink of an eye...an accurate cliche for both the pace of life in Hong Kong and the amount of time I spent in this booming city. After spending time in so many Asian cities I thought one more might steal my soul...but Hong Kong kind of regenerated my spirits and eased my transition back into modern life.

I was really fortunate to be able to stay with my friend's mom, Sandra, who lives in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. She greeted me at the airport and helped me cart all my bags to her place on the uber-efficient MRT train and City Flyer bus. Such a treat to be back in the groove with decent public transport. We visited the wet market in Wan Chai and had some Chinese food to start the day. It's awesome to tour around with a local who speaks the language, because already we've been in restaurants that don't even offer an English menu so it's all a leap of faith!

Sandra and I headed into Mainland China for some much-anticipated shopping that culminated in a 2-hour full-body massage for $8 (there are definitely some redeeming features to the hustle-and-bustle!) Nearly missed the last train back to Hong Kong, but arrived to a deserted Wan Chai at about 1am.

As fate would have it my friend, Diana, from university accepted a teaching position in Hong Kong and was arriving in the city this week to start getting settled and organised for the upcoming school year. We got to spend some time catching up over a cold frappucino and a round-trip on the Star Ferry. Also caught the latest Harry Potter movie at the flashy IFC Centre in the financial district.

Caught a magnificent view of Hong Kong from The Peak -- the viewing venue at the top of Hong Kong Island with a commanding view of the Kowloon side, plus the south side of the island where the smoke-stacks stand as a tall reminder of all those tags that say, "Made in China."

Not too sure what to expect on my budget flight home, but at this point I'm just ready to grab a pillow and slap on my eye-mask for a much-needed snooze. Getting really excited to see the smiles waiting in Vancouver...

Thanks for reading,

L.

200 Days and the Countdown Begins

Just like the first 100 days, the last 100 days have evaporated before my eyes. I hit 100 days away while we were travelling the North Island of New Zealand on our term break roadie...and those memories seem so long ago. A lot has been accomplished in the past three months, and now there are only 7 days until I'm back on Canadian soil, and 11 days until I'm back on Mountain Standard Time.

I have one week left in Asia and I'm finding it hard to come to terms with the end of my travels. I'm very excited to be home to see all the friends and family that I miss so much (and sleep in a decent bed!), but I am pretty blue about ending my explorations. However, I think I will continue to travel in my heart as I annotate my photo albums to any keen ear.

I'll be thinking of words to write my final blog as I enjoy the next week in Vietnam and Hong Kong, and then gather my reflections while I'm in Vancouver for a few days. One thought that has weighed on my mind the whole time I've been away -- from Los Angeles to the Cook Islands, through New Zealand and across Asia -- is that the biggest culture shock might very well be my return to Canadian life. We've been laughing about how cheap we will be, especially after 2 months of asking, "is that your best price?" or inquiring about "happy hour" deals and such. Paying $5 for a meal is going to be a BIG splurge. I've consciously enjoyed the fact that our biggest stress has been organizing bus rides and choosing fabrics and leathers for our tailor-made goods.

At this point, the things I am looking most forward to when I get back home are:
1) catching up with family and friends
2) an Ice Capp from Timmy's
3) organised traffic and a LACK of honking
4) showers that do not soak the entire bathroom floor
5) home-made perogies

Things I am not looking forward to:
1) unpacking
2) a drained bank account
3) paperwork
4) enormous Gull Lake mosquitoes
5) a lack of ocean

More to come. Heading to Halong Bay.

Thanks for reading.

L.

Sprinting Around Vietnam

Capturing Cambodia

It was a long and winding road to Siem Reap, in fact, this memorable bus ride took nearly 16 hours! There are a lot of transport and accommodation scams operating in Thailand and Cambodia, and it seems as though our bus ride was one of them. We departed Bangkok at 8am, and after about 40 minutes our bus started driving about 15km/hr on the shoulder of the busy highway, raising a few eyebrows on board. In broken English our driver told us something was "wrong" with the bus and that we'd pull over at the service station to get it fixed and wait for a new bus. So we got off and before anyone could even look at the bus we were herded back on for another frustrating snail-paced drive. Finally, after much commotion among passengers, another bus DID show up to take us to the Cambodian border. We were now 3 hours behind schedule, which meant that we'd be seeing a lot of Cambodia in the dark.

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has a bit of a reputation among traveller's as being a bit dodgy. Thankfully, after our exhausting ride to the crossing we didn't have any hassle with our paper work and got onto the next bus which was, to say the least, interesting. Basically, we'd been spoiled with cushioned seats and air-conditioning thus far, but now we were back to the basics. The bumpy ride along the potholed dirt road was an appropriate reminder that we were no longer in a developed country. After the sun went down I was fixated on the lightning storm that filled the sky ahead of us, and although I was certain we'd run into it, it stayed at bay, filling the sky with enough light to illuminate the countryside of western Cambodia.

It was nearly midnight when we arrived and I was really glad that we'd made accommodation arrangements prior to arriving in Siem Reap because the place our bus stopped was infested with crickets and all sorts of other undesirables. However, it was at this drop-spot that we met Mr Kinal, our Tuk-Tuk chauffeur for our 4 days in Siem Reap.

In the morning we loaded our wallets with local Riel ($4000 Riel = $1USD), and also made sure we carried an ample supply of American $1 bills for all the little things -- drinks, Tuk-Tuks, and fresh fruit. However, we realised that a smile goes a long way in Cambodia, a kind of universal currency.

Some of my most vivid memories of this trip will be of Cambodia. The fine details in the carvings at Banteay Srey, the breath-taking view of Angkor Wat's grandiosity, our kind Tuk-Tuk driver, the fresh baguettes that stand as a reminder of French colonization, the smell of burning incense, Pepsi bottles of petrol along the side of the road, the heat of the sun and the dust on my skin. The children -- and everything about them: walking or biking the long road to school in their navy and white uniforms (equip with a backpack and determination); their smiles and persistence; the way they successfully ride adult-sized bikes; their memorization of the capital cities of main tourist countries, and their laughter.

We decided that we didn't travel all this way to make a sweep of Angkor in one day, and that we really owed it to this historical site to stay a while and absorb all that we could with a three-day pass. Here's a break-down of our sightseeing, with notes on religious affiliations and building dates (and some thoughts on our explorations):

DAY 1:

Bayon (Buddhist, late 12th, early 13th)
Five entrances to this moated city fortress, each gate is crowned with 4 giant faces. The faces were likely crafted by separate artists, one specialising in the left-side, the other specialising in the right-side.

Baphuon (Hindu, mid 11th)
Huge temple-mountain, largely collapsed and in a state of restoration. Unique animal carvings, and a \n impressive walkway to the entrance.

Phimeanakas (Hindu, late 10th, early 11th)
Laterite and sandstone, the tallest scalable temple in the Angkor Thom area. Served as a king's temple, but few carvings have survived the weather and looting.

Terrace of the Elephants (Buddhist, late 12th)
2.5 metres tall, 300 meters in length, this terrace has scenes of warriors and dancers, along with impressive carved elephants on display across the front of Bauphon, Phimeanakas, and the Royal Palace areas.

Ta Keo (Hindu, late 10th, early 11th)
Plainly decorated temple-mountain dedicated to Shiva. Constructed completely of sandstone.

Ta Prohm (Buddhist, mid 12th - early 13th)
A sprawling complex covered in jungle growth, with lots of corridors and passageways. Massive fig and silk-cotton trees grow from the towers and corridors which creates some fantastic photo ops. It was originally constructed as a Buddhist monastery and was enormously wealthy in its time, boasting control over 3000 villages with thousands of support staff and vast stores of jewels and gold. This was definitely one of our favourites, and it is one of the shooting locations for Tomb Raider.

DAY 2

Banteay Srey (Hindu, late 10th)
Translates as "Citadel of the Woman," and there are lots of delicate and intricate carvings in pink sandstone, which makes the exploration of this temple a very unique experience.

Banteay Samre (Hindu, mid 12th)
Large, relatively flat temple with extensive restoration and its towers resemble Angkor Wat.

Pre Rup (Hindu, late 12th)
Architecturally and artistically superior temple-mountain, with an impressive view (you can see the middle tower of Angkor Wat from the top). Believed to be a funerary temple, and the main courtyard has a room that was likely used as a crematorium. A nice breeze at the top!

Banteay Kdei (Buddhist, late 12th early 13th)
Another sprawling monastic course, largely unrestored, and also overgrown with magnificent trees. Undergoing restoration, so a few areas are blocked off or propped up with scaffolding.

Angkor Wat (Hindu, early to mid 12th)
Visually, architecturally, and artistically breathtaking. A massive three-tiered pyramid crowned with five lotus-like towers rising 65 meters from ground level. It was built to be dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu, and the three peaks bear symbolic significance to Hindu mythology. The incredible moat around the premise has both aesthetic and symbolic significance. Can't remember the proper names at the moment, so I'll have to come back and fill in the gaps.
The bas-reliefs (frieze, or extensive carved storytelling walls) pack quite the visual impact if you are patient and walk the perimeter.
The climb to the top is challenging, and I had to take a deep breath to overcome my hesitation with the steep height. But the view from the top was, as expected, spectacular.

DAY 3

Angkor Wat
Back to see all that we missed yesterday.

Taking a break during our exploration of the temples to curl up in a window frame and enjoy the view and a cool breeze will be one of those places I escape to in my mind during times of noise and haste. So peaceful.



The story of Cambodia is told in the temple carvings, the modes of transport, the political affiliations boasted at residential entrances, the heaps of fried crickets for sale by the dozen, the wrinkles that line the faces of the monks, the desperation in the voices of those who beg or ask for help, the haunted hallways of Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the heavy presence of loss hanging in the air at the killing fields at Choeng Ek. Both stories alluded to here -- the ancient history and the recent genocide -- are stories that the world doesn't really know, and the Cambodian story is one that needs to be told. More than 2 million Cambodians were massacred by the Khmer Rouge during Pol Pot's regime, and over 243 killing sites have been identified in Cambodia. If you're interested in learning more, check out the film "The Killing Fields" or pick up "First They Killed My Father," a memoir by Luong Ung, a child during the revolution in the late 1970s.


part of the Cambodian diet - fried crickets

pondering life

a humble abode

This brings me to the Lotus flower, a natural presence in Asia. The lotus flower starts as a small flower down at the bottom of a pond in the mud and muck. It slowly grows up towards the waters surface continually moving towards the light. Once it come to the surface of the water the lotus flower begins to blossom and turn into a beautiful flower.

Within Hinduism and Buddhism the lotus flower has become a symbol for awakening to the spiritual reality of life. The meaning varies slightly between the two religions but essentially both religious traditions place importance on the lotus flower.



I was reminded of this as I admired the lotus flowers in many of the ponds around the temples of Angkor. Despite the violent and horrific not-so-distant history of this country and its people, it has entered into a state of admirable recovery. After a few days of subconscious pondering I realised that the lotus is a perfect symbol for Cambodia -- after such pain this country is moving in a better direction, slowly but surely. There is an understanding that education is a key and although it is out of reach for some, this may not always be the case. Cambodia is already a beautiful place, but it is rising into something even more remarkable.

I suspect that a trip to Cambodia in ten years would be an entirely different experience. This country is beginning to develop and there are signs of a budding oil industry that will most certainly increase the economic stability. It's hard to say what a boom in the economy might do for this country -- there is a fear that it might not end up in the right hands.

I'll fill in more thoughts as they spark. Thanks for reading.

L.

The Trail to Thailand

Our time in Malaysia is coming to a quick close as we spend our last ringgits and pack our bags for the beach. Our one-hour flight from Penang (Malaysia) to Phuket (Thailand) today officially marks the end of our Malaysian travels and the beginning of our Thailand adventures.

It would be very difficult to sum-up Malaysia. Even though I've only been here for 12 days I feel like I've seen quite a variety. The evidence of British colonialism peeks through the strong Islamic, Chinese, and Indian cultures and it seems as though this country is able to embrace the cultural and religious differences that are as flavourful as the variety of foods from the street vendors.

We've seen Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Alor Setar, Langkawai, and
Penang. Off to Phuket, Thailand tomorrow.

My least favourite part about Asia so far are the toilets. Pictures and details to come.

I'm having some difficulties uploading pictures at this internet cafe, so keep checking back for new albums.

Thanks for reading,

L.

Meeting up in Kuala Lumpur

Destinations: Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Ipoh, Cameron Highlands (not shown on this map -- east of Ipoh), and the island of Penang (capital city = George Town).

After much anticipation (and many hours of travel!) I met up with Erin and the train station in Kuala Lumpur and we've been catching up on life for the past few days. Erin has been in Malaysia for the past 6 weeks on a work study internship through the University of Lethbridge, so months ago we decided we would celebrate the completion of our university qualifications with some sightseeing in Asia. We're traveling with a skeletal itinerary in mind, but have big dreams about seeing this part of the world.


Erin and I, checking out the infamous Petronas Towers from the viewing window at the top of KL Tower. Erin and I took the elevator up the KL Tower to check out the panoramic views of the city. KL extends as far as the eye can see...skyscrapers, mosques, temples, playing fields, busy streets, schools -- the city is constantly moving. The weather is hot and humid, and the mid-afternoon is punctuated with thunderstorms. Flash floods are common, and Erin and I saw this first hand when we tried to leave the KL Tower.

A little bit about KL

Kuala Lumpur represents the heartbeat of Malaysia, serving as its cultural, commercial and transportation centre. It all began in the middle of the 19th century when a group of tin prospectors came to settle around the convergence of the Klang and Gombak rivers. It is a booming metropolitan centre with more than 1.3 million people from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds. The ethnic majorities include Malays, Chinese, and Indians, and this diversity is clearly seen in the various cultural customs, religious beliefs, languages, cuisine, and architecture. The local currency is a ringgit (RM) and approx. 3 ringgits = 1 Canadian dollar. Food is cheap...a delicious meal costs about RM5, an LRT ticket costs anywhere from RM1 to RM3, and knock-off merchandise is cheap (if you're a confident barterer!)

While we were waiting for the afternoon downpour to stop we had our hands painted green and added our Canadian imprint to the local environmental awareness campaign.

We have been staying in Chinatown -- a beaming example of sensory overload. I flavourful taste of spicy Malaysian food - curries, chilies, spiced meats, etc. and there evidence of people as far as the eyes can see -- buildings, cars, motor bikes, garbage, and just people out and about. The sounds of car horns, fast trains, humming air conditioners, pouring rain, and people trying to barter fill the air. The humidity in the air clothes stick to bare skin, and the smells are almost too abundant and diverse to mention...varies from tantalising spices to down-right awful -- like rotting garbage, fish food, and wet dog. I've seen a few rats...eek! and a LOT of stray cats.


Keeping up with current events.


Yesterday Angus (another KL intern's visiting brother) and I checked out the Central Market and then hopped on the RapidKL (LRT) and got lost in the 6 floors of shopping madness at the KLCC shopping centre. Attached to the KLCC are the infamous Petronas Twin Towers -- architectural masterpieces that make KL's cityscape easy to identify. It's free to go across the observation bridge, however, they only let 1000 people visit each day, and the lineup for tickets in the morning is absolutely diabolical. Angus and I just took a view from the park space outside the towers, and Erin and I will try to get tickets on Monday.





More to come from Malaysia...

L.

A New Look for a New Leg

Singapore's Changi Airport is an amazing accomplishment in retail therapy and relaxation. I disembarked yesterday at 6pm local time and snooped around before checking into the transit hotel at the airport.

Last night I was on sensory overload -- drawn to the shops like a moth to the light. Perfume, cosmetics, liquor, and electronic gadgets galore -- this place has it all! Gucci, Prada, Burberry, Coach, Omega, Tiffany...and 7 Eleven! Not to mention beautiful gardens and green space in and out of the airport. Plus, a swimming pool, saunas, workout facilities, napping beds, and free internet (XB0x 360 too!). There's something for everyone and their credit card.

After walking around for a while I realized I was turning into a zombie, so I headed back to the transit hotel and fell asleep to some Asian TV.

My Singapore Airline boarding pass holds many perks -- one of which is the free city tour which was noted as "the only free thing in the city" by our hilarious tour guide. We stepped into a huge air-conditoned coach with leather seats (and seatbelts!) and worked our way through the diversity of this budding city.

Singapore is a small island country with lots of people and not enough room. Therefore, there are lots of highrises and the country buys 50% of its water from Malaysia because there is no more physical space to add to the existing 15 resevoirs. Singapore has an equatorial climate, thus there are no dramatic seasonal shifts and the temperature remains near the 30 degree mark year-round. It's also really humid because it rains a lot. Chewing gum is illegal and the crime rate is 0.007% -- and considering the diverse mix of cultures and religions, Singapore has been without political, racial, or religious riots for over 20 years. Despite the 4.6 million people who live in this city the traffic wasn't as diabolical as I was anticipating...and it seemed as if there was a suspicious lack of people out in the city.

I'm just waiting to catch my flight to Kuala Lumpur to meet up with Erin...so check back in a few days for some Malaysian memoirs!

Thanks for reading,

L.

Sumner Sunrise

In my last few days I'm taking some time to really absorb my surroundings. With the natural chaos of a teaching life, plus hosting my mom and trying to do some sightseeing, along with saying proper "goodbyes" to everyone, I've been up to my eyeballs with a "to do" list that mutates faster than the Bubonic plague. I got up early this morning to get to school before the rush and was taken aback by the beautiful sunrise over Sumner Beach. There were heaps of people out, but the sound of the morning waves prevailed over the "ooohs" and "awwws" of this stunning sunrise.

How lucky am I to have spent my last two months 20 feet from this? Can't wait to come back...

L.

Do What Inspires You

I think I will adopt this slogan as my offical trip manifesto...short, sweet, and perfectly accurate. The poster is plastered to a billboard column across the street from the Christchurch Arts Centre.

New Zealand has been in the works for over a decade -- can you believe it?!? It started as shapeless goal that became more precisely defined as years passed and knowledge grew. I knew I wanted to be a teacher from a very young age, but it wasn't until I was in junior high school that I began flirting with the idea of teaching and living overseas. I vascilated between a few different ideal destinations, but hit on New Zealand for some unknown reason when I started my teacher training five years ago. It's interesting how some places call our hearts more than others, and until I came here I couldn't really articulate a specific reason for choosing New Zealand over any other place on the planet. But after meeting all these wonderful people and travelling around these roads I couldn't imagine it any other way.

I started looking into New Zealand with serious intention during my first year at the University of Lethbridge and narrowed down a city. During this time I found out that others were planning on heading to NZ as well, but details were still blurry. Things really started coming together in July 2006, and I was blown away by the fast response I received from Avonside after my first inquiry.

So many people have asked, "why New Zealand?" and I still marvel in the sublime realisation that I am actually here, living through a long-term goal. It's been a really powerful teaching tool in the classroom because it's a good example of working through the challenges of goal setting and reaching. It inspires me to continue teaching and learning from all the active minds around me.

So as I get ready to wrap things up with my students I will leave them with this message, because I can back it up with an example that has been unbelievably gratifying and life-changing, and if anything it only inspires me to set higher goals that challenge me in my personal and professional life.

Newton's laws of motion, acceleration, and balance play a huge part in both the physical and emotional world. It's hard to ignore how these laws can be applied to inspiration -- just even thinking about how forces act on the body and mind. I propelled myself across the Pacific into a huge question mark, and I'm about to do the same as I prepare to travel Southeast Asia. Who knows what events will occur, what will make me laugh or cry, and who I will meet along the way...but it's so awesome to remain open to the wonder of it all...

Thanks for reading.

L.