Laura

Lauralee

I'm intrigued as to what the world has to offer. The bizarre, cheesy, breathtaking and absolutely tourist oriented sights are worth pursuing. I don't think I'll ever stop exploring... or travelling. The blog is a quirky take on what unfolds around me. Some entries are factually accurate and others are simply my impressions at the time. I do appreciate comments, corrections and feedback but please do not post a link to your web blog as a correct example of how I should interpret/understand a particular place along my travels.
Travelling next to: Egypt?





Travel Blog Posts


Celebrating Ramadan in Amman

Published: September 6th 2010Middle East » Jordan
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Lauralee
September 4th 2010

This country seems to have it all. History, des(s)erts, seas and an extremely close proximity to other middle eastern nations. Most memorable seems to be their sense of ingrained hospitality and honesty that runs true to the Middle Eastern and Bedouin traditions of the Jordanian people. However, the Jordanian market sellers and touts are extremely creative with their advertisements. To our amusement, donkey rides in the 40 degree heat of Petra were advertised as "taxi rides", "Ferraris" or "air conditioned Ferraris". Some Jordanians also use flattery in their attempts to convince. One middle-aged postcard seller in Jerash was particularly enamoured with me. Our conversation went something like this: Seller: Where are you from? Korea? China? Japan? Me: No, no and no. Seller: Australia? United States? Me: How about Canada. Seller: Canada is beautiful. I want to ... read more



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Lauralee
July 4th 2009

I was immediately curious when my friend Ariela wanted to take me to a new Manhattan park she described as cool and trendy. I had never heard of the High Line Park before and it actually opened only a few weeks earlier. I was immediately envious of people who worked in the Chelsea area who were able to take advantage of the food shops and bakeries at Chelsea Market and enjoy their lunches outside at this park. The park even had lounge chaises that were movable on the railroad tracks! Brooklyn and Manhattan were the perfect places to finish off my travels. As much as I loved the adventures of China, I just craved a comfortable bed to sleep on (the boxspring like mattresses just don't count!) and the variety of food was endless! I spent ... read more



In need of remedial bike lessons

Published: June 26th 2009Asia » China » Guangxi » Yangshuo
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Lauralee
June 26th 2009

Here in Yangshuo, one of the tourist highlights is renting a bicycle and checking out the countryside and karst limestone formations in a leisurely fashion. My first and last real attempt at riding a bike: 6 years ago at a festival in the Nevada dessert. It was either learn how to cycle or walk in the sweltering heat across the miles of playa. Flash forward: 1 month ago in Copenhagen. It was a bit of a stressful situation trying to re-learn how to ride a bike at 10pm on the way to a bar in Central Copenhagen (note: no alcohol involved at that point). The bicycle commuter culture is huge in this city and you either cycle with the flow of bicycle traffic or get out of the way. Yesterday: The Yangshuo countryside was an an ... read more



In the Wind and Rain

Published: June 26th 2009Asia » China » Guangxi » Chengyang
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Lauralee
June 24th 2009

Most of you (including myself) would be surprised that I ended up back in China since my last visit didn't leave me with a burning desire to go back (it may have had to do with the 40 degree heat and the all city tours). I wanted remote China and this trip through Guangxi (southern China) gave me just that. No other foreigners in sight for days and it was delightful to be able to stare blankly at touts when they tried to talk to me only in Mandarin. Highlights: Hua Shan: Checking out the remote Hua Shan area a few hours away from the Vietnamese-China border and visiting the Zhuang minority villages. We were able to visit the Unesco world heritage Hua Shan Bihua cliff art site likely painted by the Zhuang minority 2000 years ... read more



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Lauralee
June 16th 2009

I wasn't initially impressed by the island. This may have had something to do with the fact that it was pouring rain after our time in Halong Bay. With nothing to do in the morning when our hike got cancelled, we spent time drinking Vietnamese iced coffees, eating lychees and deflecting crude pickup lines from self-purported Vietnamese playboys. Thankfully the weather cleared up and I got to spend the afternoon at the beach observing the Vietnamese enjoying their beach vacations. It was great determining current Vietnamese beach fashion, who was there with their current consort/mistress and of course current Asian trends in avoiding the sun. The Cat Ba beach looked like any other normal beach but was not on the mainland and so it was a destination for the well-off who were able to take the ... read more



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Lauralee
June 15th 2009

Any money earmarked for museums and tourist attractions in Ho Chi Minh went to eating instead. Not out of any sense of traveller poverty but because I could eat, and eat well. I delighted in eating breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon snacking, and dinner. There is a wide variety of food choices - ranging from the plastic chair street food stalls, french-influenced bakeries and western-style restaurants favoured by ex-pats. The time in between eating could easily be filled by sipping a cool Vietnamese iced coffee while watching the world pass by (incidentally, they taste just like Tim Horton's iced cappucinos but use all real ingredients!). It has also been great relaxing with Kevin & Lori - a couple originally from Calgary but now living and working in Vietnam. They may have sold me on the working ... read more



Same same but different

Published: June 13th 2009Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh
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Lauralee
June 9th 2009

Aside my never-ending complaints under my breath about the heat, I had a really good time in Cambodia. It was a brief visit hitting up the highlights in Angkor Wat and in Phnom Penh before taking a speedboat to Chau Doc in Vietnam. Life was a bit more laid back in Siem Reap as it was a smaller urban centre (and also low season for travellers) so taking tuk-tuks was a pleasure comparatively to Bangkok where you would fill your pollution quota in no time and potentially experience a near-death encounter from traffic/go deaf from the use of car horns as a defensive driving tool. In Phnom Penh I had the rare opportunity of visiting with locals when I went with my guide on his scooter to see his house and meet his family. Cambodian hospitality ... read more



So sorry it's closed

Published: June 2nd 2009Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok
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Lauralee
June 2nd 2009

Having fallen for the the "so sorry temple closed... you will like nice gem shop" Bangkok delight last time around, I was determined not to believe any person that came up to me on the street. This would seem obvious but your guard is lowered when everyone around you is friendly and appears genuine or helpful + the intense heat + profuse amount of sweating. As a result, I got a nice farmer's tan while wandering around randomly lost until I eventually found my way. I was pleased find my way back to the hotel in four hours via river ferry, skytrain and local bus. The best intro into the gem shop trick I heard today was "So sorry... ferry not working today because the water level is too high. Tomorrow is better. You take tuk-tuk". ... read more



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Lauralee
May 19th 2009

I admit that I've turned into a neurotic eater and the potato has fallen victim to this. A summer of eating nothing but bland boiled potatoes has turned me away from this starch... with the exception of mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are something of an elusive craved dish as they have never been made at home... not even when growing up. They're just not a Chinese thing to make. Friends are aware of this and the dish forms a substantial part of my birthday dinners and they slip me doggy bags of it from other events such as Thanksgiving or Easter that I happen to crash. I'm in mash potato heaven in this part of the world. Ireland seems to have a long history with the potato (most notably the Irish Potato Famine in the 1850s) ... read more



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Lauralee
May 14th 2009

It was like the prodigal son had come home when the Ms Eurodam sailed into Rotterdam. Although the headquarters of Holland America are now in Seattle, there is still a strong tie with Rotterdam and the cruise. The cruise terminal we docked at was located on Holland America Avenue/Street and the old headquarters of the company were located nearby (now turned into an upscale hotel). As we sailed off into the sunset, crowds of passerbys stopped to cheer and wave from the waterfront parks. I think the warm welcome and send off had something to do with fact that the cruise (with its 2000+ passenger capacity) was currently Holland America's largest and the ship had been away touring the Caribbean since the fall. My last visit involved walking out of the central train station, looking around ... read more






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