Category Archives: Thoughts

Thoughts

I’m fine, thanks.

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Two years ago today I watched a documentary, a collection of stories about life, the choices we all make, and the paths we ultimately decide to follow. “I’m Fine, Thanks” is about the moment people realize the life they’re living is not the life that’s true to their heart… and, as a result, what they decide to do about it! I had that moment in January 2013 on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, just after catching my first surf and seeing my first sea turtle – he was also riding a wave, naturally. I decided to travel around the world for a year to discover new places, see all the wonders of the world and meet its amazing people from all walks of life, like my incredible surf instructor “Sunset Suzy”. Suzy is an incredibly strong and charismatic woman who was the first and only woman in history to be a lifeguard on the powerful, collossal wave-ridden North Shore in Hawaii. Never mind the fact that she has taught a handful of celebs how to surf including Owen Wilson, James Franco, Helen Hunt, Eddie Vetter and Val Kilmer. Yes, she taught batman how to surf. Oh and she’s buddies with Jack. Jack Johnson.

If you want to learn how to surf from Hawaii’s best surf instructor, book a week with Sunset Suzy Stewart:

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And if you’re really itching to change things up, watch this…
http://youtu.be/jNDZgvne_5k

 

 

Thoughts

Plane, train, or automobile? Or something else?

You’ve got options. Should you fly, take the train, or catch the bus? Or should you consider some other means of transportation? If you’re wondering which option you should choose to travel from A to B and C to D, just pick the happy path.

As I sat in the ferry terminal in Holyhead, Wales, I looked around and laughed thinking “this place is like a homeless shelter…” To my left was someone’s plastic-wrapped, duct-taped luggage and tattered gym bag. To my right was a person laying on the floor in a sleeping bag. The 7 other travellers in sight looked pale and depressed, but I sat happily against a wall with my legs stretched out, laptop on top, with my colourful new suitcase to my side. So, why the dichotomy? Why were they all so miserable-looking while I was laughing and loving life? Besides the obvious difference that I’m probably the only person travelling around the world at the moment, I actually wanted to take the evening bus and 2am ferry. I enjoy the late night quiet time to read, write, and manage my latest photos. It’s peaceful. I embrace having 7.5 hours on a bus, 2 hours at the ferry dock, and 3.5 hours crossing the ocean. That’s a total of 13 distraction-free hours to be really productive, and a 6am arrival time. Sounds horrible, right? I actually like it. I even prefer it. And I like the savings too.

Making your own “happy path” is actually quite simple. Figure out what your comforts and boundaries are, then spend less on the things that don’t matter to you (like getting from A to B at a normal hour) and more on the things that make you happy – maybe a Michelin meal, a boutique hotel, or in my case, a new Patagonia rain coat to kick off a week in Ireland.

Happy travels!

 

 

Thoughts

Je suis vivant!

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I’m alive!

How did two months fly by since my last post? I guess I’ve been busy. I’m living, loving, learning and occasionally day dreaming. Less macbook, more world, more social, more sunshine. The last two months went a little like this…

  • 2 refreshing weeks working in Turkey
  • 3 evening walks to Pop Eye’s Turtle-side Balik Ekmek (fish sandwiches) Boat
  • 4 nights on a gullet cruise through turquoise waters in the Mediterranean Sea
  • 1 anxious week awaiting Serena’s recovery following a rocky fall, involving brain surgery, and a praying family making their way from 16,835 kilometers away.
  • 3-4ish nights in London. (A late last night at Zoo Bar watching the World Cup finals in a bar of Argentinians, followed by a 4am taxi to Gatwick Airport)
  • 2 long, peaceful runs in Regent’s Park
  • 9 intensive days of French immersion in Antibes, France. Oui oui!
  • 2 1/2 sunny days lazing on rocky beaches in the French Riviera, dipping in the bluest water in the world, la Cote d’Azur.
  • 3 evenings of brilliant music-synched, choreographed fireworks in Antibes and Cannes
  • 7 days in Nice with my high school bestie Lillian, staying with an ex ad-woman now bookstore owner in a beautiful baroque flat.
  • 1 hilarious night of bad luck.
  • 11 chocolatey days in Brussels, Brugge, Ghent, Klaaswaal, Leiden and Amsterdam with my Uni flat mate Marilee, 10 years after we met.
  • A solid 2 months tasting local cuisines, 1 mini mousse cake, 2 packs of Tutku cookies, 3 crepes, 4 Liege waffles, 5 gelatos, 6 Belgian beers (in one day), 7 stroopwaffles, 8 dozen chocolates, and 9 macarons…
  • 1452 photos, which I’m eager to share!.. As soon as I’ve straightened, touched-up, titled and captioned each one… (thank you OCD)

 

 

Asia, Thoughts

5 things I learned in Asia, so far…

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1. Don’t hide your moneybelt in your laundry bag. If you’re forgetful like me, you might give it to the laundromat and get stuck in Thailand for 3 weeks while you’re sorting out a new passport. If you’re not forgetful like me, don’t do it anyways – that’s just a bad idea.

2. Slow the f#$k down! I can thank Savic for this priceless advice! If someone is rushing you or overly eager to “help” with something, they’re probably trying to rip you off.  I had enough sense to ask an eager saleslady what the difference was between her bus ticket and the chilled out salesperson’s beside her. She said, “same price”. So I pondered for a few seconds, looked around and noticed there were different types of buses outside. I asked “same bus?” I avoided the crowded little minivan and instead had an air-conditioned, massaging-seat VIP double-decker coach. When I got off the comfy bus at 5am I had to chase a taxi driver through a crowded terminal in Bangkok because he picked up my bag and ushered me to follow him. He kept asking “where you going?” and I kept saying “Stop, I don’t need a taxi”, to which he replied “where you going?” and kept walking. He was certain wherever I was going he would take me. After he put my bag in the trunk of the taxi I asked how much to the Canadian Embassy? “400 Baht.” I took my bag out of the trunk and walked back where I came from, then sat for 5 minutes and read my map. I then took the clean, air-conditioned subway to my destination for 40 Baht.

3. If you know a ladyboy is a ladyboy, pretend you don’t know. I got my ass kicked by a ladyboy…

4. Happy hour exists because when it rains, it pours. Literally. Every time. When in Singapore, take cover in the closest bar and order a drink to pass the time. Rain time = happy hour.

5. If you need something soon, act like you need it ASAP. If you need something ASAP, make other plans.

Asia, Thoughts

Going down?

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At the top of an escalator was a scrawny 3 or 4-year-old boy whimpering as he nervously tried to put a foot on the moving steps. His mother was halfway down and getting further away, shouting to him in a foreign language. I walked over, picked the boy up under his arms, got on the escalator and carefully set him down beside me. He stood stiff as a statue and stared at his mother as we rode the escalator down, then I picked him up and placed him on solid ground. I was expecting to get whacked by the mother’s purse, but I got a better surprise – she joyously thanked me, a lot!

Culture, Thoughts

Huh, That Was Unexpected.

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“Can I marry you?” he shouted as he drove by on a scooter…

A bank machine just ate my card. I was so excited to find an HBSC Bank – my home bank! I entered my pin, typed an amount, hit enter, and the machine spit out a receipt, “Card Retained.” The ATM gave no reason, and the bank is closed. I have 27RM ($9) in my pocket to last me 14 hours til the bank reopens.

Yesterday the police stopped me as I was walking down the street. I must have looked suspicious with my green skirt, pink shirt and frizzy hair. An officer asked me to “stand over there” as two others approached me…Then he held up a cell phone and told me to “smile!”

“CAN I MARRY YOU? WHERE YOU FROM…” a man shouted to me as he drove by on his scooter. Half a minute later he drove back the other direction, “WHERE ARE YOU FROM?” I said “NO”. He sadly shook his head and sped off.

I went to the camera museum and the owner gave me a personal guided tour! How kind! As he was explaining the famous photographs on the wall, a single spotlight went out above our heads. He said “huh, that happens every time I show this photo. It’s the first ever known photo of a ghost. It usually turns on again if we walk away.” It did.

Let the random adventures continue!

Thoughts

What do you do?

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People always ask this. Is it just part of a routine? “Hi, I’m Dora. What’s your name? What do you do?”

What do I do every day?…  I eat delicious food, drink cold beer, meet interesting people, take pictures, and go to crossfit. Technically that’s what I do. But what I really do is learn something new every day. Today I learned about Ayurvedic herbs like Jiaogulan, Moringa, Noni, Cordyceps, Sprouted Purple Rice and Mangosteen skin. These superherbs are packed with vitamins, nutrients and even protein. While I was drinking my ayurvedic smoothie, I also learned about the back-end structure of wordpress sites because one of these days I’m going to design my own templates. So although I’m technically unemployed and homeless, that’s not “what I do”, and the next time that phrase slips out of my mouth I promise to slap myself.

Asia, Culture, Food, Thoughts

I’m going coco nuts.

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Link to Flickr page for photo of coconut cream pie.

Coconut Heaven Pie from Cake Baan Piemsuk, “Happiness you can eat” in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Photo by Amy Jacobs, Flickr.

I just devoured a massive slice of coconut cream pie and a coffee with coconut milk. When I ordered this the barrista looked at me like I’m nuts. “Coconut milk in your coffee? Not milk?”  I nodded and the look on his face said “Ok crazy lady.” How can Thailand not use coconut milk in coffee?… It’s the great land of premium coconut milk and mediocre coffee, yet they don’t put them together?! Who’s crazy?

Thoughts

Mom, you were right…

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I’m more likely to lose something important by forgetting it somewhere than by getting mugged.

I’m short $500, my driver’s license, a debit and credit card, and my passport. It’s about time to get that tattoo I’ve been thinking about: a ribbon around my finger.

————— update —————-

I got my passport photo done at a local photo studio. The ladyboy running the shop asked if he could touch up my face. Hah.  Hello Thai glamour shot – he applied foundation, eye shadow, bright pink blush and rosy lipstick. He also tied up half my hair and sprayed down my frizzy curls. My new passport will forever remind of this fabulous experience…

Asia, Culture, Nature, Thailand, Thoughts

Enlighten me.

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I’ve seen many Buddhist temples over the last three weeks so when I learned we were going to another temple yesterday I thought “here we go again…” But yesterday’s guide (a local ex-monk of 10 years) took us to a secret temple, unknown to any tourist map. It wasn’t spectacular or ornate like the others; it was simple and purely serene. Built among trees and a waterfall, this Wat’s small cement building for “the old monk” was carved like a tree. Each of the three young monks had his own little 5×7′ hut with a small porch and matching terrace overlooking the city. Their orange umbrellas hung from the rooftops like trumpet flowers.

I learned a few new things at this temple, including how to sit and meditate like a monk (legs crossed right over left, hands resting flat right over left), and that Buddha statues are always men and may look like women because they’re designed to look beautiful. But the most interesting thing I learned is that (according to my Thai ex-monk guide), a Buddha, among other things, is a monk who has achieved enlightenment by realizing the truth about Trikaya. When a monk is a Buddha he can sense things, see his past lives and his future – for some this includes the day he will die. The last Thai Buddha died about 10 years ago. Three days before his death he announced he was going to die. People didn’t believe him, until he was found dead in his bed. Then he was cremated and the proof was in the pudding – his bones burned many colours.