Andrea
This Canadian girl has been blessed with 43 fabulous years so far. My passion for travel comes from two very adventurous parents...my brother and I spent most of our youth traveling all over North America in the family campervan, airplane & boat - going as far north as Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Sea...and as far south as Mexico and beyond...doing lots of adventury stuff: canoeing, surfing, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, exploring, and jellyfish poking...it was the best childhood ever. cabochick
Nowadays, most of my vacay-time is spent in and around "Los Cabos" on the tip of beautiful Baja California Sur - a sandy wasteland of breaktaking scrubby cactus cascading into deep azul seas - a perfect chill-out place from my crazy-ass job.
But did you know that apparently after a 40th milestone birthday (read: midlife crisis) the desire to visit one really fabulous locale somewhere else in this beautiful world is beyond irresistible? So here I go. Australia was a blast, mate, the Cuban countryside amazing, and the magical lands of Peru...well magical. Just recently returned from a once-in-a-lifetime journey across the wintery lands of Russia and Siberia, and camping out in a Mongolian Ger.
Next up, a fantastic adventure in Vanuatu volunteering with an NGO, hiking some active volcanos, and learning how to sail on the south seas.
...oh, and there is no way I can keep it all to myself anymore...I must blog!
“I never wanted to travel, and now I’ve been all over the shop, I don’t know if it’s changed me that much, really. I mean when I go home I still like a biscuit and a cup o tea. I’m well happy. Cause, you can be into travelling but the world’s only so big, innit. So, eventually you’re going to run out of places to visit. Where as biscuits, there’s loads of them.' – Karl Pilkington - An Idiot Abroad
sailing the South Pacific and Vanuatu
Travel Blog Posts
Sounds Like Bolshevik To Me
Published: December 31st 2011Europe » Russia » Northwest » Saint Petersburg
November 13th 2011
This is going to be my most serious of blogs. Well, not really. But after three weeks in Russia, I feel the need to be overly stern and abrupt with people. Mother Russia may have inadvertently produced several generations of reproachable Bolsheviks. Not that that is a bad thing. As it turns out, there is something really liberating about being miserable. I just assumed their general bad attitude came from being forced to use that grey sandpaper they call toilet tissue. But as explained, Russians simply wear their genuine emotions on their sleeves. It's refreshingly honest. Why would you smile if you are forced to slog through muddy streets or snow drifts at minus 30. And why not yell at a customer if you've been on your feet for 16 hours. Still, it's a complete shock ... read more
October 28th 2011
What the hell time is it anyways?!! The Australians all erupt into a lively debate of what time it is, really. See, the Trans Siberian Railway runs on Moscow time but depending where you are on the route, it can be Moscow time plus (up to) another seven hours. Confusing? Damn right. As you cross multi-time zones heading east or west, it doesn’t matter how vigilant you are, you lose track of time. To add to the confusion, all the stations along the system have their clocks set to Moscow time, so local time is allusive. We spend an extraordinary time guessing and consulting the train schedule. We are wrong constantly. The clock at the Irkutsk station says noon, but it is pitch dark out, so it can't be noon. If it is 7 hours ahead ... read more
October 20th 2011
Siberia. It’s one of those places that wakes up long before the sun has broken the horizon. The hazard of dwelling at a parallel this far north, is how drastic the length of day shortens as winter encroaches. I’m used to it, but the Australians argue amongst themselves over what time of day it is. It is almost half eight, but still pitch dark. They grumble. Then without warning someone switches on the sun, and the day officially starts. Our tour leader is a woman from Israel who doesn't speak Russian or Mongolian, or Australian for that matter. She is strict and abrupt and highly offended by us most of the time. When excessively questioned by The Australians about her past, she progressively gets more evasive. I've determined she must be a secret agent hiding out ... read more
October 13th 2011
From Beijing to Ulaanbaatar, our thirty hour train journey saw us conquer a dry Gobi desert, two highly regimented customs inspections, and an adjustment of wheels. Train travel is surprisingly comfortable, mind you, we’re in second class…I saw what they were up against in steerage. Our male attendants are assholes, having piled themselves into our carriage to chain smoke and gamble their night away. There is one inch of urine on the bathroom floors, and the hot water ran out long ago. Nonetheless, The Australians wake up in the middle of the night like kids on Christmas morn as the train approaches the indoor yards to prepare for the switch up of bogies from Chinese to Mongolian gauge. Who knew train tracks came in different sizes? Our carriage is lifted up carnival-ride high, with all of ... read more
October 7th 2011
I am in Beijing, my first experience with Asia. I have only a couple of days here before I embark on the Trans-Siberian railway. What to do first? I decide to let fate guide me. Incredibly, fate really likes sightseeing, so I saw quite a bit. Pollution hangs over the city like a curtain, leaving a chalky film in your throat. Did a volcano erupt nearby? All the vehicles are covered in a thick layer of soot, and absolutely everyone is a chain smoker. Forget that one-child policy, lung cancer may be the new population control. The forced chaos of Beijing keeps everything orderly, yet oddly uneasy - there are surveillance cameras everywhere, and just as many police. I find myself strangely vigilant, but when I realize how easy it is to navigate this city by ... read more
August 6th 2011
Whenever I don my backpack to venture elsewhere into this world, I always make sure I am an unofficial ambassador for my home. And yes, I have a Canadian flag sown proudly on everything I own. I know...gag. But seriously, British Columbia is really worth the brag. Like a true Canadian, I get teased for my positivity and wonderment, and for my happy-go-lucky way. We are all polite to a default, so I try not to say "sorry" too many times in a row, but let the occasional "Eh?" rip for the amusement of others. At first glance, most believe I'm an American. Americans however, can immediately identify I'm not, and will screech and point like they spotted an alien hiding amongst a crowd of humans...kinda like that horror movie, They Live. That's okay they think ... read more
March 17th 2011
Hola from sunny Los Cabos. After enduring another soggy western Canadian winter, I am pleased to announce I have fully recovered at my favourite destination. Truly, there are 'No Bad Days' here in Cabo. Why do I love Cabo so much you ask? Simple. I love the brilliant sunshine. I love the friendly locals. I love the parched desertscape....three things that elude me back home. Best of all, Los Cabos provides me with some serious downtime....and for that, I am grateful and appreciative. Normally, I'm all about the adventure travel....and more than not, I'll return home from my trips absolutely shattered, needing a vacation from my vacation. Whether it be from random skirmishes with jungle rot, road rash, dengue fever, and those garden-variety contusions….or maybe the never-ending games of charades with ridiculous customs officials, re-wearing musty ... read more
January 1st 2011
Over the years, I have subliminally taken photos of random dogs hanging out in doorways. I have no idea why. I'm not really a dog lover or advocate of the hairy creatures, but upon further reflection, maybe I am. Here are a few I came across. TravelBloggers I challenge you to look back on your own travel photos, as you too may find a peculiar theme developing. In the meantime, I dedicate this blog to my own “Girls” who went to the giant dog-park-in-the-sky some time ago. No doubt they are still buried deep within my psyche...their spirits only to be vividly captured in every doorway I wander by. ... read more
Jungle Love, Driving Me Mad, Making Me Crazy
Published: December 6th 2010South America » Peru » Madre de Dios
November 1st 2010
For me, travel isn't just about the journey...it's about the passion it evokes deep inside of me. Case in point...I now have an infectious strain of Jungle Love. I feel so alive here in the Amazon, even if the air is stagnant and heavy. While we march along single file on a jagged trail cut through dense underbrush, tramping down the crunchy debris as we go, the sounds of the jungle lull me into a dream-like state, and I become one with my surroundings. The Madre de Dios is quickly exceeding my wildest expectations. Nearing the end of their dry season, small microbursts of rain make it feel like the whole Amazon is waking up from a long hibernation. Frogs sing about it, the scents of frangipani and ginger catch your nose as you pass by. ... read more
October 20th 2010
I'm enjoying the ambiance here in Cusco...and the street food is amazing! Truly a photographer's dream, but really, any town that has those striking terracotta roofs and narrow cobblestone streetways already gets my big stamp of approval. On almost every street corner, little old gals in their brightly colourful petticoats and round bowlers sell their wares, or offer up steaming pots of stuff to try. I try everything. The tamales which come in either sweet or salty, the gigantic corn cobs with a green cilantro spicy sauce, humitas that taste like corn muffins, llama on a stick, all different kinds of Chicha (a fermented corn drink) one I particularly liked flavoured of strawberry beer, or the various tejas (snacks of dried fruits and nuts or chocolate). Where ever I travel, I prefer to eat street food ... read more
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