Adventure – Page 2 – aimlessly ali

Phuket Island

Finally arriving at Phuket airport, back in Thailand to explore the South part of the country and bask on beautiful beaches, I breathe in a lungful of ocean air. This is going to be good! Standing outside, late at night, waiting for the shared shuttle that will take us to our hotel I just keep breathing in and smiling. It’s also partly an effort at self-distraction to keep myself from being irritated that my backpack arrived on the luggage conveyer with zippers open. Again… Five flights on this journey, and every single time my bag has been rifled through or little things taken from pockets that I was unable to lock. Thankfully I never travel with anything of value in my checked luggage, but still, it’s maddening. Tricia suggested my bag has been targeted because it looks so girly, and girls usually have good stuff with them; I think she might be right.

But no matter. I’m in a place famous for some of the most beautiful beaches the world has to offer so nothing can ruin my joy! Patong Beach, where our hotel is located, is more of a party town than I’m currently in the mood for but at least I can still appreciate how fun it would be…. hopefully that means I’m not entirely old yet! While walking around the street stalls and markets next to the beach it’s impossible to avoid the sales pitches from vendors selling day trips, and by the end of our second day here we stopped and chatted with a woman about our options. After a bit of negotiating, lots of smiles and some friendly banter, she “remembered” that the trip we were most interested in had a promotion – tomorrow the last day! – and we could book it for 50% of the cost printed on the brochure. She was really sweet, despite my scepticism of her prices, and we were happy to book our excursion from her.

So bright and very early the next morning Tricia and I set off to explore some of the limestone islands around Phuket, along with a few hundred other likeminded adventurers. (The surprising thing, really, is that I can still be surprised by what a massive machine tourism has become. I’ve not only witnessed this over and over, I’m also a part of it – so why do I always hope I’ll be the only one out??)

Our full boat; and about 6 more just like it

Crowded, sure. I guess the takeaway for us travellers and tourists creating this demand is to do our best to choose companies that are careful in sustainable and ethical operations. Now with that soapbox spiel out of the way, without further ado, the best parts of a very great day!

We were offered coffee, tea and fruit on the boat during the hour it took to reach the first island we stopped at, and I think we were all happy to be out on the water. When we stopped it was to hop into small canoes with experienced guides who would take us into caves (bat caves!) and through lagoons deeper around the islands.

Perfect lighting for selfies – can’t pass that up!

We had some admirers taking photos – I’m trying to consider it sweet instead of creepy. This is one he shared

We were taken to a tiny remote beach and given free time to swim before returning to the big boat. A delicious lunch was served while we made our way towards the “James Bond Island” famous from a movie scene and countless photos on Pinterest.

While very toursty, the stop to view this jagged rocket of an island was a lot of fun. I can’t tell you have many photos I have of myself in various fake-sultry Bond girl poses… Seriously I can’t, it’s too embarrassing. So instead I’ll post some of the shots I got of Tricia, she pulls it off much better than I. In fact, if the right person sees this, she’ll probably be cast in the next remake!

We had one final surprise on the way back to the harbour before finishing the tour, and it was pretty impressive. Our guide had told us all day he could finally call the eagles to the boat, and it had taken him 24 years to learn how to do it. As our boat passed the right spot, he had us all begin to clap and shout “up up up”. I don’t generally consider myself a cynical person, but I was 100% sure there wouldn’t be an actual bird swooping down to join us. My guess was a rock formation in avian shape, or maybe a plane high in the sky above us. But I saw something entirely new to me; childlike awe and wonder erasing every trace of dubiosity. He wasn’t joking.

A Vietnam Voyage

I need more time in Vietnam. I know I say things like that all the time – but I really wish I had more time here now. I’ve had this zip of happiness bubbling in me since I arrived across the border, and each day I’ve been delighted by something new. Maybe I was already primed to love this country between the positive stories I’ve heard from friends and the charming way I entered, by small boat and the Mekong River; or maybe there is still a joie de vivre lingering in the atmosphere from the former French influence. Whatever the reason, Vietnam is high on my “return to” list.

I took a little break from writing to just completely enjoy myself, and now that I’m trying to sort it all out there’s so much to say I’m not sure where to start… since they say the beginning is a good place I guess that’s what I’ll do!

The boat our tour group was led to in Phnom Penh elicited some chuckles when we first saw it – the tiniest little vessel in the harbour would be our home for the day’s journey down the river! Cozy, I guess… With about an hour left to go before our arrival the sky turned dark, the wind raced and sheets of rain dropped from the sky. I never worried about the boat capsizing but I was closely watching the crew as they attempted to navigate nearly blind.

Thankfully, as I’ve become accustomed to in SE Asia, the rain storm didn’t last long and by the time we arrived at the harbour we only endured a light sprinkle as we walked to the hotel through the small city of Chau Doc.

Absorbing the city on the walk to check in

Day two in Vietnam began before the sunrise when we set off to visit the floating markets. Life along the Mekong Delta revolves around the river, and commerce is no exception. Larger boats will arrive stuffed to the gills with produce and anchor offshore until their items have been sold. Small boats come alongside and purchase their selections while even smaller boats putt past selling drinks and breakfast. Like a set of Russian nesting dolls, these Vietnamese boats!

As boats are for Chau Doc, scooters are to Ho Chi Minh City. I feel like I’ve seen a lot of busy cities with chaotic roads during my travels – that contrast to home is part of the fun for me – and Ho Chi Minh doesn’t disappoint! Getting around the city was an adventure all its own, and the perfect chance for me to use RideGuru again. I wanted a do over since I ended up not actually finding a rideshare company to use in Vancouver, (plus I ended up with a super cute little swag bag from them, if I’m being honest). Free wifi is really easy to find in HCM City, and with that it was a quick click to bring up cost estimates using my exact location. I booked two different Uber trips through RideGuru and both times the fare was within a couple dollars of the estimate I was shown on RideGuru

The one downside to the days in Ho Chi Minh was saying goodbye to the rest of the tour group as we all went our own separate ways from here. So to Joe, Gemma and Eric, Maisie, Dawn, and Mia – good luck with the rest of your travels! It was an absolute blast exploring Cambodia and Vietnam with each of you!!

Craving some quality beach time after all the busyness of the tour and cities, Google informed me that Vung Tau is the closest beach town so we set our minds to get there asap. I wanted to double check the best way to get there so I stopped in to ask one of the travel agents near the hotel. She told me not to go there, that the beach was filthy, and then quite adamantly told me the departure times of a shuttle to some other beach further away. Her forcefulness made me suspicious, and assuming that she receives a kickback from that shuttle company I chose to ignore her advice. It was a gamble because Mia and Tricia were coming with me and I didn’t want to disappoint, but thankfully one that paid off. Vung Tau is a town with a great feel to it, we got a room in a beautiful resort for less than the cost of a grungy motel back home, and the beach was fine. Some litter marred it, but no more than I’ve noticed at a lot of other developing nations’ beaches.

On our last day there (sadly after Mia already left) the hotel manager introduced himself to us, along with the head chef and some other staff memebers. We chatted for a while and assured them we loved our stay there and assumed that was the end of the story. Hours later, the most beautiful gift showed up for us from the manager and chef.

Personalized carved watermelon and pumpkin!! These pictures do not do justice to the artistry; each detail was exquisite. Enchanted by our gifts, and especially the sweetly proud way they were offered only to delight us, we promised to stop in if we ever find ourselves near Vietnam again in the future. If you go to Vung Tau, stay in the DIC Star Hotel and Resort!

This South corner of Vietnam that I was lucky enough to visit has me magnetized, already pulling at me to return.

Phenomenal Phnom Penh

After Angkor Wat it’s time to move on again, letting Siem Reap fade in the rear view mirror and looking forward to Phnom Penh. Another day and another bus, story of my life lately!

Not sure he liked all the loud English spoken around him

As I was watching the countryside scroll past me out the window I had a sense of déjà vu that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but I found myself smiling. And then it hit me: What I was seeing was the real life version of a childhood fascination. When I was about eight years old I learned that in some impossible-to-imagine place on the other side of the world people would live in houses built on stilts, letting them spend the day in hammocks in the shade under the house or keeping the floor dry when the flooding comes. I remember vividly thinking this was the coolest thing ever, and I wanted to live in a “treehouse without the tree”. Fun to witness it almost exactly the way I had pictured as a kid!

While in Phnom Penh we learned about the horrific period in Cambodian history during the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot regimes. Heartbreaking doesn’t even come close to describing the devestation inflicted on the country, where in a four year span roughly two million people lost their lives by execution, starvation, exhaustion or war. We visited the memorial at the Killing Fields as well as the Genocide Museum housed in a former detention prison, and I think each of us struggled to contain our emotion while hearing about the atrocities committed by the regime. I find it really difficult to write about; on one hand I believe it’s important to share and educate people about such shocking events, and on the other I’m afraid to do a disservice to the victims due to my own ignorance. Hearing from our local guide some of the facts and personal stories made me want more information. If you would too, here’s two websites I’ve been reading through to learn more: Killing Fields or Khmer Rouge

A former school transformed to an execution prison

Bracelets left as blessings at one of the mass graves

Killing Fields memorial, built as a Buddhist stupa

I don’t know the real significance of the memorial stupa, but to me it evokes a graceful sense of hope in the soaring height of the pillars. (A stupa is a sacred structure that contains the remains of the deceased. Inside this one are more than 5000 carefully preserved skulls.)

Emotionally drained by the weight of the Killing Fields, I had wanted only to escape to my hotel room and disappear into a novel for a while. On the walk back, though, I spotted a beautiful spa promoting massages, and almost before I realized what I was doing I had Tricia and myself booked in. We didn’t really know what to expect of a Khmer massage, complete with a guava and rice milk scrub, but the whole place just seemed so serene. That is, at least, until our awkward nervous giggles broke the tranquility. Tricia and I were led to side by side tables and instructed to take off everything – everything! – and to cover with the towel set on each table. Feeling sheepish that I apparently booked us a couples massage, we did our best to swallow our giggles and just enjoy the treatment. And as soon as the massage began I forgot about anyone or anything else… My masseuse was a tiny beautiful woman who seemed to possess superhuman strength, which she used to wipe out knots I hadn’t even realized I possessed. Once my muscles were sufficiently tenderized, jasmine and lemongrass oils were massaged into my skin. First time I’ve smelled so nice since I left home I’m sure! Next came the body scrub, and I was impressed with her ability to keep my modesty intact as she deftly folded the towel to only expose the limb she was working on while basically giving me a sponge bath with guava fruit. The final step had her massaging a thick and grainy paste all over me. Toes to nose my skin glowed baby soft!

Scene at the spa waiting for us after the massages were complete

Dinner together with our group this evening had been hotly anticipated (or dreaded, in Tricia’s case) as our guide Joe had promised to take us to a place that served spiders. As we arrived, I think everyone breathed a small sigh of relief to see it was a really nice restaurant. Just as we were placing our drink orders there was a commotion at the table beside us, and we got ringside seats to witness a plate of three tarantulas being eaten by one brave tourist. So we couldn’t let our table be shown up, and ordered our own dish of horror to share among us.

The most surprising part of this story isn’t even that we ate huge and hairy fried arachnids – it’s that it actually tasted really good! If you want to know what it’s like but don’t see yourself getting here, just imagine a big mushroom with a crispy coating and delicious peppery citrus soya sauce. This was Tricia’s show, and everyone including the people at surrounding tables, was invested in her ability to overcome her phobia and take a bite. After she finished her first bite spontaneous applause broke out!

Cambodia: Part Two Angkor Wat

3:40 in the morning and my alarm cuts short the end of my dream; but I don’t mind because I’m about to go experience a real life dream come true! We’re both a little groggy from lack of sleep and we have a quick deadline that doesn’t leave us much time to get ready – no time even for coffee or breakfast! – but I don’t care at all because nothing can dampen my enthusiasm for getting out to watch the sun rise over the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. I’m buzzing with a giddy energy, and already envisioning all the epic photos I’ll be able to take.
The drive from our hotel in Siem Reap to Angkor Wat was about half an hour, and some time during those thirtyish minutes it started to rain. The guide made a comment about how nice it was for us to be here in the rainy season, as it meant there would still be water in the ponds. “More much beautiful this way.” Within three steps of exiting the van the rain intensified and all of us travellers made the instinctual decision to buy the plastic rain ponchos being offered us. We finally enter the complex and try to get ourselves set up in the best spots for the sunrise photos, mostly by following the crowd of other ponchos and umbrellas. Apparently we had about 25 minutes before the big moment. But the rain kept pouring and it was starting to become obvious that we wouldn’t see a bright sunrise through all the rain and clouds. I had left my umbrella in the room that morning, and the worst part was that I hadn’t forgotten it, I deliberately took it out because I didn’t want to be bothered carrying it all day; that fact added to my mood steadily souring as I tried to shelter my camera with a plastic bag. Standing in the rain and mud I snapped a few photos but it wasn’t long before I was ready to give up. Cliche as it is, I kept thinking “man, when it rains it pours!” because my list of little grievances was suddenly flooded. No Sunrise. No golden photos. Ruining my camera in the rain. Water dripping down my neck, mud coating my sandals and toes. No coffee or breakfast. Not enough sleep. I finally bought another umbrella from a vendor because at least that could protect my camera, and didn’t even care that I paid his first price instead of barganing down to a more reasonable price.

Our tour group of seven made the unanimous decision to return to our hotel for breakfast in the hopes that the rain would stop during that time, and I’m sooo glad we did. That was the reset I needed, and by the time we returned I was on my way back to being able to enjoy it all. The rain did stop, sun came out again, and we were able to explore the three main temple ruins like we had originally planned – Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm.

Throughout the centuries in Cambodia’s history the religion practiced here changed between Hindu and Buddhism depending on who was in power. It’s left behind an amazing mix of carvings depicting Vishnu and Rama next to statues of Buddha, both hemmed in together by the surrounding dense jungle.

Angkot Wat is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen, and exploring through the complex is still a complete dream come true. If you ever get the chance to go there yourself don’t pass it up – but just be open to having a different experience than what you may have pictured. I didn’t get the stunning sunrise photo like seemingly the rest of the Travel Bloggers were able to but in the end I don’t even miss it.

Snapshots of the Canadian Arctic

Next week I’ll be jetting off to South East Asia so pretty soon I’ll have all sorts of new posts, but right now I want to run back through my archives and write about some old experiences. I missed #ThrowbackThursday… how about #FondmemoryFriday ? Can that be a thing?? #Way-back-whenWeekend ? Whatever we’re calling it, I’m taking you along as I reminisce on my time North of the Arctic Circle.

My memory was triggered last week when I visited the National Gallery in Ottawa and viewed the Inuit Art exhibit. Beautiful collection, by the way. I think I’ve mentioned in this blog that my previous career took me to all sorts of locations, and one of those was the Canadian Arctic. This is a unique world unlike anything else I have ever experienced and I consider myself spectacularly fortunate to have had the chance to be there.

ali-in-the-arctic — This map is from the Inuit Art Exhibit. I added in the stars at the communities I’ve been to

In 2007 and 2008 the company I worked for had a contract with one of the airlines serving remote Arctic communities, and I would spend two weeks at a time on rotation up North. Dramatic landscapes, extreme temperatures, different languages, new foods – there were many times I had to stop and remind myself I was still in my own home country! (At least until I started talking with someone again: I found Canadian Inuit people to be very generous and friendly!) In summer the sun doesn’t set, and 24 hour daylight is something that takes some time to get used to. But that’s a much easier adjustment than winter, where the constant darkness is made even worse by the incomprehensible temperatures. (Negative 45 degrees Celsius in not uncommon during winter!)

1909996_29595465200_2658_n — A 10 minute walk in Yellowknife left me frosty

1929457_42562725200_8270_n — Beautiful Spring day in Yellowknife

1929457_42562830200_5322_n — Cambridge Bay, March 2008

This shop always made me giggle – I love the irony

Iqaluit, Baffin Island, in August. Notice all the icebergs in the bay

A few days in Tamraght

The past few days have been really great, if I do say so myself. I’m in a little town called Tamraght right on the coast and have spent my entire Saturday as a beach bum. Now, just before the sun sets, I’m sitting in the common room of the hostel watching the Germany vs. Italy soccer game with 5 other people while we wait for dinner to be served.

Here’s what caught my eye in town:

Yesterday was much more action packed than today’s low-key lounging. It started out Thursday, when another couple at this hostel mentioned they were planning on going for a hike and invited me to join them. I would have said yes regardless; as an added bonus Lexi and Cody turned out to be a ton of fun and it’s easy to be friends with them! So anyway, Friday morning after our second cups of coffee (Lexi and I have that in common) the three of us and another 2 Italians made our way to Paradise Valley. The name sums it up nicely. A 45 minute drive from here through arid foothills is the start of an easy hike into a vibrant valley full of banana trees, argan, and lavender. A few kms later brought us to the most stunning series of natural pools. We saw a few other people early on, but we kept hiking and ended up at our own secluded oasis.

Sunshine, clear warm water, and daredevil dives from way too high. Thankfully everyone walked back out again without the need for a neck brace, but I have to admit the safety nerd side of me had a few internal panic attacks. For the record, though, I need to let you know that even I jumped off the rocks!!! No big deal…. 🙂

Friday evening finished off with us on the rooftop back at the hostel, swapping stories and laughing until long after dark. So good!

(not quite) Fearless

After a few days getting my bearings in the city, it’s time for a change. I booked a day trip to hike Cascade Ouzoud.

Careening along the Atlas mountain range on our way to the second largest waterfall on the continent. I’m trying to figure out when I became such a scaredy cat. I remember being 21 and backpacking in Bolivia I was on the official “World’s Most Dangerous Road” curving down a mountain. I actually sought that out and thought it was hilarious. Now almost 12 years later I’m envisioning the worst while I watch the wheels of our van send gravel flitting down the cliff side from a road that feels eerily similar. Maybe it’s because the shape of this tourist van strikes a mild resemblance to an overgrown golf cart, all boxy and with a high roof, that’s increasing my heart rate. (As I learned a couple weeks ago, those things tip over when you least expect it!!)
Still in one piece, my little group of 8 other travellers and I began the hike to the waterfalls. We met a local guide, a leathery man named Rashid that could scamper up and down the mountain in circles around the best of us. Along the way he would stop at a tree here and there to tell us in French what it was and how old. I know it was just to give us a chance to catch up with him, but I did appreciate learning that there are 800 year old olive trees here.
And then the falls came into view. Incredible. Our stunning oasis complete with little swimming hole was even better than promised, and I couldn’t wait to get into the water.

Now here’s where the Fear part comes into play again…. Just as I was getting to the water’s edge I saw a commotion. Two local teen guys on a homemade pontoon boat were trying to fish something out with a plank from their boat – a WATER SNAKE. This is seriously my #1 fear and you’ve probably heard me say that before. (Any old snake is bad enough, but a snake in the water is just so much worse for me! They can slither up so fast and your whole body is at risk not just an ankle or something!)

I saw them get it out and flick it to the rocks nearby, so I knew that one was gone, but there could be countless others out there…. Surprise ending, guys: I still jumped in the water!! I almost can’t believe it myself, and am stupidly proud of that little feat. (So I maybe stayed in and swam only 2 minutes, or less, but it still counts!!)

The rest of the day was pleasantly uneventful, dodging macaque monkeys on the hike out and persistent vendors back in town.

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