So I finally got some sleep. After eating by far the best pad thai (and hottest, I should add!) with a big glass of red wine and long shower, I slept like a log and woke up bright eyed to start my first day in Bangkok. So off I went to buy my Skytrain pass and then off to the Chatuchak weekend market. The skytrain is so well indicated that the one fear I had about getting lost in Bangkok soon vanished. The market is well ... mind-boggling. Oh the randomness of it all. You can buy food, furniture, jewelry, antiques, [View Full Entry]

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So what does a 23 hour journey to Bangkok involve? Well let's see ... * 4 airports * 3 legs (Toronto - Hong Kong - Bangkok) * 1 rough start. Let's just say that there were about 75 hockey players all with oversized luggage in line, moving at a snails pace and once I reached the counter to be told that my flight to Toronto "does not exist, ma'am" ... Ma'am???? When he actually found my reservation, the words "Oh My God you are my new best friend came out". Such a Caroline thing to say! * 1 friendly face going [View Full Entry]

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So right now it is about 5 pm on Friday. At this very time next week, the captain will have turn on the seat belt sign and announced that we will be starting our descent into Bangkok. The flight attendants will be scurrying around trying to collect headsets, blankets and I will have dutifully put my seat back in the upright position, stowed all carry-on luggage under the seat and returned my table to its locked and upright position. After having spent 23 hours flying to this destination, you guys all know that I will also be slapping on the lipstick [View Full Entry]

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Today is April 20th and I am 10 days from leaving on my first real solo trip. I am so proud of myself for having undertaken this new adventure and I know that in a way this will be life changing for me. I have decided to not focus on the horror stories that I've been told and/or negative things. Yes, they could happen but I choose to believe that nothing is going to go wrong. And if it does, then I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. What I have decided to focus on instead is [View Full Entry]

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Our morning started out again as it has for every day this week with showers, breakfast down at the buffet, preventative band-aids on our poor feet and out the door. As we headout out, we again could hear the beautiful melodic music from the neighbouring ballet school and as we walked by there was a small group of dancers sitting on the steps, presumably waiting for their class to start. This time, we could see the lobby with this ornate grand staircase flanked by two small statues of ballerinas. We were actually on our way to our first stop, La Corona [View Full Entry]

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This was kind of a free day for us, not having planned anything specific for that day. In the last few days, we had walked so much and the weather had been idyllic but yet very hot, sunny and humid and it was starting to take its toll. We were both lethargic and just needed a quieter day so we were quite glad that we had planned a free day into our vacation. We made our way down Calle Tejadillo, again another typical street with no real points of tourist interest. We just wanted to capture every day Cuban life. The [View Full Entry]

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It was another hot and sunny morning in Havana. Anik and I have already fallen into a routine of showering, breakfast and coffee and then going back to the room to pick up our bags and then head out for the day. I should also add that we also both fell into the routine of "preventative band-aids" as it would come to be known having falling prey to bad blisters on our first walking day. This morning as we walked out of the hotel, we could hear classical music. I knew that the Escuela National de Ballet was close to our [View Full Entry]

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We did not really have a set itinerary today. We started walking up Paseo del Prado, in the opposite direction that we had done the day prior. This would take us in the direction of the Malecon. We walked along the Malecon and in the distance we could see the Hotel Nacional, our first stop of the day. It was very hot and humid and we were lucky to be able to walk shielded from the blaring sun for most of the way. The buildings and sidewalks along the Malecon are old, dirty and decrepit. You can see some renovations going [View Full Entry]

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The first thing Anik and I did when we first woke up was to open those large windows and soak in the view. We had arrived quite late the night before that we were unable to do so upon first entering our room. Directly in front, we could see the tip of the Capitolio although the view was obstructed by an apartment building. This was a typical Cuban apartment building which seem always a little dilapitated but also definitely well lived in. There were the typical balconies overflowing with plants and laundry. On the other side, we could see the dome [View Full Entry]

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Let's just start by saying that this trip was somewhat of a spontaneous decision. Anik and I were having a quiet Canada Day barbeque at her mother's place; where Anik was housesitting. I happened to mention that I had seen something on the internet about a one-week stay in Havana including airfare, hotel with buffet breakfast for a very reasonable $ 1,000. What I did not know was that Anik was itching to take a small vacation, nothing lavish but just a change in scenery. So long story short, Anik and I were off to Havana, Cuba for a week. At [View Full Entry]

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