Panchoy

Guadalajara was the first time I had worked remotely in another country, which resulted in its own set of problems. Things I take for granted like phones, credit cards, and online deliveries suddenly became a problem. I will need to figure out how to set up a dual sim card for future travel, so I can still have people contact me from home while using a local provider for data. I had all kinds of problems with my credit/debit cards, either not working because of PINs, not being able to use them online, or not being accepted everywhere. Finally, Amazon in Mexico has nothing to be worried about with IKEA. I ordered a desk through IKEA, but the whole delivery process was a complete disaster. I ended up ordering a new one through Amazon, which went ... read more

After sitting at home for nearly a year, I realized I could be working from nearly anywhere, given I was close to the same time zone as home. I had also been learning about digital nomads over the past year. The more I thought about doing something in-between, the more I liked the idea. Given my job, I couldn't be a full-time digital nomad. There are things in my career that still need to be face to face, but perhaps I could pull this off for a month a quarter, with the first week being a holiday and the next three being remote work. Given the lockdowns, I knew my first location would have to be in Canada, so why not Vancouver in the spring!?! I knew Vancouver would be well ahead of Edmonton when it ... read more

Over the past 25 years, I have visited China, Hong Kong, and Macau, but never Taiwan. All of these can be classified as Chinese, but with a different history. Fortunately, Taipei is also served directly from Vancouver, so it became my City Tour for 2019. The trip didn't start well, as I misjudged the weather. I quickly realized this as I exited the airport for the subway, and nearly everyone had a jacket on and in some cases a down jacket. While I knew it wasn't going to be overly hot, I didn't realize how cool 18 to 20c can actually be when it is windy and humid. Some of the summer clothes I brought would not be needed. My other first impression was the cleanliness of the city. I really couldn't find a piece of ... read more

It had been five years since I had done an overseas cycling tour. I had actually planned one to Myanmar in 2012 and 2013, but they fell apart mainly for logistical reasons. The one I planned in 2013 was a go all the way up to booking flights. Therefore, I already had a big head-start in planning this year’s tour. The biggest difference this time was that the tourist infrastructure had caught up and surpassed demand. The other notable difference was that Chinese airlines had now become global players. I was able to get a return flight from Edmonton to Myanmar with China Eastern Airlines for $500 USD, which seems just insanely cheap. It wasn’t even a sale price! The only drawback was that I had an overnight in Kunming, China both ways, but I didn’t ... read more

I have wanted to visit Mexico City for many years. Canadians have the second largest city in the world literally in their backyard, but few consider it a tourist destination as they generally head to the country's beach resorts. I do appreciate the safety concern over the city, but I was quickly assured when I read the Canadian government's Travel Advice and Advisories for the city. While there are a number of travel advisories for the western and northern states, there is none currently for Mexico City. As it turned out, I felt safe during my entire visit. Once again, I chose two neighborhoods to fully appreciate what Mexico City had to offer. Our first stop was the neighborhood of Roma Norte, which looks more like a European neighborhood than a Latin American one. While it ... read more