Vancouver, Canada – 2023 – Day 93-98

05/17/23

Vancouver, Canada

It was an incredibly chill day. Early start as I joined Miranda in the morning daycare drop off. Then a big lull until early afternoon.

It was great weather outside so I walked to Bun Cha Ca Hoang Yen for a late lunch. I ordered the Bun Thit Nuong, cha Gio (grilled lemon grass pork & spring roll w/vermicelli) $17.95CAD.

Walked over to Pallet Coffee and back to see the mountains in the distance.

For dinner, we went to Romer’s Burger Bar by the water. 3-6PM & 9PM was happy hour time. I got the Valentina Tater Tots $6.95CAD, man’s man slider 4.95CAD & a Romer’s lager 14oz $4.95 CAD

Took a brief stroll by the waters and went back to Miranda’s place and helped prep the patio area with cushions & bag.

05/18/23

East Vancouver, Canada

A Milo & Ro day.

We drove an hour away from East Vancouver to Belcarra to walk the Admiralty Point Trail. The weather was perfect with this trail along the waters. Saw loads of star fish, little crabs and other little critters.

We drove over to Point Moody and grabbed lunch at Steve’s Poké Bar. I got the Shoyu a good time $19.42CAD. We got it to-go and made it to our next destination – Rocky Point.

At Rocky Point, we rented a double kayak for 2 hrs ($67.20CAD for 2ppl) and went around the inlet. We were even able to get really close to a seal in the waters. You paddle but also the back seat has pedals to help steer. Turns out I am not good at multi-tasking with steering with my foot and paddling at the same time.

After all our efforts on the water, we had to reward ourselves with Rocky Point Ice cream. Miranda got the Hokey Pokey and I got the Earl grey n honey $5CAD ea.

Ended the night with a little grocery shopping and a visit to Milk & Sugar Cafe. Got the strawberry mango passionfruit +lychee popping jelly $5.50CAD.

05/19/23

Vancouver, Canada

What a beautiful Friday. We went on a lovely trip to Golden Ear Provincial Park and walked the Gold Creek Falls. Miranda, Tom, Benji, Lena and myself packed into a car and off we went.

The trail itself is fairly flat and easy going. You walk nearby the river for majority of it or at least ears distance of hearing the water rushing. The trees are tall and the light that seeps through is absolutely my favourite thing.

The halfway point has a little clearing where you can hang out at or even take a dip (if you dare) in the glacier water river. There were a few brave enough to make it far enough in to let the current take them down the river a bit.

The water was cold and stung like needles but refreshing afterwards. Benji loved this area because he could throw rocks into the water.

We made it to the lower falls and that was enough for us. We climbed on the rocks that are right in front of the falls and were greeted by beautiful views and a refreshing misting.

Made it back to the half way point to enjoy our packed sandwich lunches. We made it home by 430PM.

We were greeted by Becca who had just come home from work. We had a girls dinner out. We made our way to Steveston and had Pajo’s for dinner. But before dinner, we took some photos around that area. Pajo’s make some great fish and chips. We all ordered the Cod Tacos $17.99CAD and that’s including fries but the best part is that they have unlimited refill of fries if you want it already included! Becca bought us yummy ume and grapefruit drinks and with the sun going into golden hour, it was such a treat.

The main priority of the evening was to goto J Squared Ice Cream. They make Asian fusion ice cream and well let’s just say we left with at least 6 pints ($12CAD ea). Thai Milk tea, oolong milk tea, dirty Oreo, Viet ca phe to name a few.

We (Tom, Miranda, Becca & Lena) ended the night playing boardgames and bananagrams.

05/20/23

Vancouver, Canada

A wholesome day with Lena, Miranda, Tom & Benji. Started the day off at Stanley Park.

We walked a bit of the seawall where you could see the cityline, the mountains and Lion’s Gate bridge. We walked to the Lighthouse.

We made our way to Second beach where it was lively but not too lively especially for a long weekend.

We got Obanhmi for lunch. I got the Chicken Lemongrass.

A quieter afternoon with a BBQ at home. With the weather being as amazing as it was, Miranda, Lena and myself made our way to the English Bay area to take in the sunset. This brought me back to 2014 when I lived in Vancouver for a month and lived near the area.

05/21/23

Vancouver, Canada

My heart is full. It’s truly amazing how volleyball has really contributed and connected people into my life.

Started the day joining Becca & Lena at service.

Attended the TFC Volleyball 23rd annual M/W 6’s tournament – Vancouver Asian volleyball tournament at Bonsor Rec Complex. 9Man Asian Volleyball isn’t such a big thing in the west coast of Canada so this tournament is the closest it gets to providing a space for the Asian community to compete in a tournament together. Sad to not have played but so very happy to have surprised people with my appearance who I know through the 9man community who are from or now live in Vancouver. The games were lots of fun to watch.

Grabbed lunch at Metrotown (felt like a Scarborough Town Centre). Got Taiwanese chicken, an egg waffle & HK style tea at Bubble waffle Cafe $21CAD.

After the tournament ended, we went back home, chilled for a bit and I tried to edit a bit. We had sushi for dinner.

Although we didn’t play in the tournament, we went out to the Afterparty at Aura. Toronto, Calgary & Vancouver friends all together for a fun night albeit the music wasn’t the greatest, we still had fun. Dance battle to end the night. We ordered an Evo (car share) since ubers were $45CAD. You can literally park them anywhere in the Greater Vancouver area and renting for an hour is about $20CAD.

05/22/23

Vancouver – Toronto, Canada

Day 98/98 – Final day of the trip!

Went on a morning hike at Lighthouse Park with Miranda, Tom & Benji.

Walked Juniper’s loop, Shore Pine Point and made it to the lighthouse as well as the big rock that overlooks the lighthouse. Beautiful views of the ocean with glimpses of people rappelling down.

Made it back home for Benji’s nap and had more sushi for lunch. Eating sushi in Vancouver always makes me have to go on hiatus from eating it in Toronto for awhile because its so good out west.

Hung out with Lena & Becca for a bit before dropping off Becca at her Ultimate game and went to Queen Elizabeth Park. The views of the city and of course the gardens of Queen Elizabeth Park are a wonderful calming Oasis. Some cherry blossoms were still in bloom yet the other plants were full range of bloomed, fully bloomed or already bloomed and gone.

Before heading home, Miranda & Tom took me to L&G Bubble Tea where you can still get a bubble tea with pearls for $3.50CAD. I got the Taro milk tea with pearls and it was really tasty. Still being full from lunch, Miranda wanted to ensure I still ate before heading out. They ordered the 24 from Bun Cha Ca Hoang which is a tomato based broth but also contains dill noodle soup and they also ordered the chicken wings.

Said my final goodbyes to everyone and off to the airport we went. Flew home with Westjet (so thankful the strike didn’t end up happening) 4.5hrs redeye back to Toronto.

And there you have it.

98 days, 8 countries, 48 cities, 25 flights with so many new experiences and friendships that have come from it.

Carry-On & Airline restrictions – 2023

8 countries in 98 days requires a lot of flying around. I tried my best to pack and travel with carry-on sized bags only. The size of my bags fit within the dimensions however with specific airlines, the total weight can be an issue especially if you can only carry 7KG (15LBS). My camera and laptop alone were heavy enough to cover that 7KG.

I took 25 flights. Since we were worried about potentially getting denied and getting dinged with luggage fees at the gate, we purchased checked bags with our flight tickets. Where I could, I tried to carry-on both my bags but also where we purchased checked bags, we checked them. I had heard that some Airlines were notorious for being sticklers for checking peoples bags and what they bring on. This is the result.

The bags I used and the starting weight – Wandrd Prvke – 8.14KG and The North Face Basecamp Duffel Backpack – 6.5KG. 

🙆🏻‍♀️ – Took both bags as carry-on or had the option

🙅🏻‍♀️ – Had to check bag or just checked bag because we purchased

🤷🏻‍♀️ – Potentially could’ve carried on both bags

Main flights – Los Angeles – WestJet  ; Nadi – Fiji Airways ; Auckland – Fiji Airways 🙆🏻‍♀️

Christchurch – Air NZ 🙆🏻‍♀️

Queenstown – Air NZ 🙆🏻‍♀️

Perth – Virgin Australia 🙅🏻‍♀️ cannot check in online for international flights – depending on who you get. They allowed a guy to bring 8kg for Virgin Australia. We had already purchased check in baggage so we put it in. My NF was 6.5KG but my Prvke was defintely over the 7KG limit. On the flight, both bags definitely fit size wise. 

Hobart – Virgin Australia 🙅🏻‍♀️ used the check-in we purchased. Virgin never checked weight of my personal bag which was more than 7KG. Judging by the other passengers, they carry-on with one bag each and no one gets checked for weight. There’s plenty of space in the overhead bins. 

Sydney – Virgin Australia – 🙅🏻‍♀️ checked in bag

Singapore – Scoot 🙆🏻‍♀️ they did tag bags but never came to us. We did re-jigged our bags just in case as we purchased 1 check in. Our checked bag was Heaviest at about 12.6KG and I was around 11KG in case in 2 bags while Bev’s bag became only 5kg.

Cebu – Scoot – 🤷🏻‍♀️ no one weighed bags but it was a full flight so they offered to gate check hand carry bags for free at the gate. You check-in in-person at the kiosk, show your declaration form and then drop off checked baggage. You only then go through security when you get to your gate. There is a water station inside after security. 

Ozamiz – Cebu Pacific – 🤷🏻‍♀️ we did checked luggage but no one checked carry-on weight. Cebu Pacific tends to check weight for carry-on however their checked bags are 20KG or 32KG so you can really stuff it in. With 3 of us, we packed one large luggage with all our stuff for 1 checked 20KG.

Coron – Philippines Airlines 🙆🏻‍♀️ we had 7KG carry on (no one checked) and combine all 3 into one 20KG check-in – you have the option to do collective check in weight

Cebu – Cebu Pacific 🙆🏻‍♀️ they checked everyone’s weight but I pulled out my camera & laptop and it was fine. We shared 1 large check-in

Bali – Philippines Airlines – 🙆🏻‍♀️ checked bag as we have a 10HR layover so bag will go through to Bali. 7.6KG checked bag

Taipei – Eva Air 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry-on but had to goto the counter to get boarding pass even after checking in online. Came with 2 free checked bags. 

Okinawa – Eva Air 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry-on but had checked bag included 

Tokyo – Jetstar – 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry on since we had a checked bag but for passengers with 2 bags, they got their bags weighed as total weight must be 7KG

Busan – Air Seoul – 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry-on since I had checked bag included but carry-on weight limit is 10KG

Jeju – Jeju Air – 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry-on since I had checked bag included but carry-on weight limit is 15KG  

Seoul – Jeju Air – 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry-on since I had checked bag included in flight ticket but carry-on weight limit is 15KG

Vancouver – Air Canada – 🙆🏻‍♀️ didn’t weigh carry-on

Toronto – Westjet – 🙆🏻‍♀️ carried both on no problem

Itinerary – Oceania & Asia – 2023

#RoverlyFriendshipTour #rjsouthk

98 days, 8 countries, 38 cities, 25 flights, 4 car rentals & endless amounts of buses/trains rides.

This trip was called the RoverlyFriendshipTour as we indeed met friends along the way in every country minus New Zealand.

My last big trip was Sept-Oct 2019. I am so grateful I was able to do it because no one knew what the following 2.5 years would encompass due to the pandemic. This trip had been in the works for such a long time.

This is the most ambitious and longest trip I have planned extensively. My friend Beverly, who is a teacher, had said to me a few years back “Hey Ro, I don’t know where I’m going but you are coming with me on a big trip one day”. Finally in 2023 it was time.

I had asked Beverly where she wanted to go as this was her once-in-a-lifetime trip and she started naming places – Australia, New Zealand & Japan were top contenders. I normally wouldn’t try to put expensive countries together but for this trip, we sure did. Luckily, with my friend Winnie, who I went to Europe with back in 2019, we had made an extensive alternate itinerary for a potential 3-month Australia & New Zealand trip if we just so happened to catch a flight deal (which we did not hence we went to Europe instead). I used this 3-month itinerary as my starting point.

The only section I didn’t plan was Philippines and Bali, Indonesia.

With semi-budget in mind and comfort as a top priority as well as compromise, this trip was planned and booked. I started working on this itinerary as early as March 2022 with it coming to fruition as of October 2022 when we booked our main one-way flight to Auckland. Lots of trial and errors but hey, we did it.

If you didn’t already know, when I travel, I don’t go away for a laid-back vacation but rather to absorb and experience as much as I can in a reasonable timeframe. This one, was a whirlwind.

To begin with, the countries we went to: (Layover in LA, USA & Nadi, Fiji) New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan & I added on South Korea (my friend Jenn joined for this leg) for myself with a stopover in Vancouver before heading back to Toronto. 81 days for Beverly and 98 days for myself.

I have previously been to New Zealand, Australia & Japan (parts of it) so I wanted to make sure Bev & her partner Eric (who joined for Japan) were able to experience the quintessential things the first timers should experience but also expansive to the things I wanted to see and do that I have been intrigued with and never accomplished in my past travels.

We booked and paid for majority of the trip before we left for the trip. This definitely made it less stressful to not be planning and booking things during our trip. Especially being such an intricate trip with so many countries, it had to be planned ahead of time. Biggest pet peeve is wasting time while travelling trying to figure out what to do during the trip.

Tours

Majority of the tours booked were through Klook. A Hong Kong based online booking platform connecting travellers to local operators. The perks of using Klook is there are usually discount codes floating around so you can purchase your booking cheaper than booking directly sometimes. You also accrue credits for future bookings.

We also used Viator for many of our Tours in Oceania. If you can find the tour companies on your own, you might actually find a better deal directly.

This is a long section but here is info I gathered for each country I went to. I hope this helps your planning!

The itinerary will be below all of this. Good luck.

New Zealand – NZD – NZD$

Visa – Download the NZeTa app and apply for your NZ Visa – cheaper via the app as opposed to applying online. – 17NZD + 35NZD tourism levy

-Credit card over cash but cash is still accepted

-Tipping is not common – Tour guides – 5% or $5 if you do decide to

-Need to go up to the register to pay for meals

-They are all about being more sustainable/eco/green although their garbage system isn’t as advanced in public – we saw general waste or glass bottles but not compost nor paper products.

-Roundabouts > stop signs

-Uber is available

-Aurora Australis – Best spots

– Words with wh would be pronounced as f/ph sounds

-Besides downtown Auckland, there weren’t many places where we saw high rises. Basements aren’t a thing there. Insulation doesn’t really exist either as the weather fluctuates a lot but you also don’t want to trap the heat in as the sun is no joke.

-Homes don’t really have “yards” as space is more utilized with homes being built closer together and one in front of the other type of deal.

Driving – Left side of the road.

-Outlets – Type I plugs have three flat pins, with two angled to form an inverted ‘v’ at the top and one running straight down underneath

Australia – AUD – AU$

-Download Australian Eta App – apply for your Visa – 20AUD

-Opal Card – Sydney Transit – but you can also pay with credit card. Perks of Opal card is discount for seniors and it will tell you your transit history. The final total gets adjusted every few weeks.

-Credit Card over cash but cash is still accepted at majority of places.

-Credit card use in Sydney – If you are eating out on a weekend or a public holiday – there is an additional charge. There are also extra surcharges when using credit card.

-Tipping is not common

-Need to go up to the register to pay for meal

-You can scuba dive however it is called a Discovery Dive

-Driving – Left side of the road. you can go 5-10KM over speed limit but that’s about it. If driving on the highways, there are cameras that will calculate your average speed from point A & B so be careful and don’t speed!

-Roundabouts > stop signs

-Uber is available

-Aurora Australis – Best spots

– Insulation doesn’t really exist (double brick build with no insulation + metal roofs – great advantage to have solar panels) as the weather fluctuates a lot but you also don’t want to trap the heat in as the sun is no joke. You also won’t find basements here.

-Perth was a dry heat but no humidity.

-Hobart was cooler than I thought it would be but ranged from 8-25C.

-Sydney came in hot with humidity and high rises in the city.

-Outlets – Type I plugs have three flat pins, with two angled to form an inverted ‘v’ at the top and one running straight down underneath

Singapore – SGD – S$

SGArrivalCard – free and can apply online 72 hours before arriving to Singapore.

-EZ Card – Metro card – max a day for rides is 2-3SGD – top up at convenience stores but only with CASH

-No Uber in Singapore – Download Grab or Gojek

-Credit card over cash (BUT cash for smaller food stalls/local vendors especially hawker stalls)

-Tipping is not common as (10% service charge + 7% GST is automatically included)

-Cheers! – Yum Seng!

-Outlets – Type G has three rectangular pins in a triangular pattern

Philippines – PHP – ₱

-Cash over card – credit card can be used in certain places but the infrastructure isn’t the best for it.

-Tipping – If you do decide to, between 50-100 pesos; high end – 200 pesos. If you are tipping a specific service provider, tip directly. 10% to Taxi drivers, restaurants (check if SC appears; if it does service charge is added), tour guides.

-Cheers! – Mabuhay!

-2 Prong outlets

Indonesia – IDR

-Visa – On arrival – $35USD

Use this QR code for faster customs

-Download Grab and/or Gojek – scooter rides will be cheaper and faster to get around if you are in a rush.

-Cash over card in smaller areas (local vendors/food stalls); in more touristy areas card is better.

-If bringing cash to do currency exchange with, USD & AUD will get you the best exchange rate. Trying to exchange smaller bills like $1-5, they will charge you a lower rate.

-Stay away from Semenyak as it’s over run by foreigners. Canggu (Chang-goo) is still the “hidden” spot and great surf spot. Ubud (oo-bood) is more central in the island and where yoga enthusiasts can retreat to.

-Outlets – Type C & Type F – 2 round pin prongs

-Use bottle water to drink and wash your teeth with as

Taiwan – TWD – NT$

-Easy Card – you can order online via Klook for Airport pick-up – you can add TWD on it as well, TWD400 for a week is a good start to gauge – must pick up before 11PM!

-Easy Card – Can also purchase card from any convenience stores but top up only with CASH. If you re using it strictly for transportation, 500TWD goes a long way. You can use your Easy Card to purchase things as well

-Uber is available

-You can also purchase via Klook a Train ticket from TPE Airport to Taipei Main Station for a discounted price – you can purchase one way or round trip – You will receive a purple plastic chip as your token to tap for the train – Must pick up before 11PM

-Bring cash – especially for many of the food establishments or LINE Pay or wechat

-Cash is still pretty necessary especially buying smaller items at stalls/ shops.

-Easy to withdraw money from ATM’s – we found we didn’t get charged foreign exchange fees. Take out money from local banks rather than international banks like the companies you have back home for a cheaper rate.

-Tipping is not common. Tour Guides – 10%.

-Cheers! 乾杯! (kan poe/pe!) 呼乾啦! (ho͘ ta là!)

-3 prong outlets

-Mix of squat and western toilets

-toilet paper goes into bins not the toilet

-Cars drive on the Right side of the road

-There are mosquitoes

Japan – JPN – Yen – ¥

-2 prong outlets

-Travel – Customs – When flight attendants are handing out papers on the plane, grab it. Ours were waving them very nonchalantly and then when we arrived, we had to go find them and fill it out on paper. There are QR codes but you might need to download the app. I had registered online before arriving however the website wouldn’t load at the airport.

-Haneda Airport is closer to the city than Narita. From the airport you can take the JR train into the city which is the cheaper option.

-You need your Passport on you if you are using the JR Pass OR at least a photocopy / digital copy including your visitor visa stamp

-Keeping your Passport on you while in Japan is great for Tourist discounts. Spending $50CAD or over for tax free.

-When purchasing items, it will show you the price before tax but also in brackets price with tax included.

-There are tons of smoking rooms/areas as people still smoke cigarettes.

-Garbages are hard to find – should not eat and walk around.

-It is rainy season in June & September – try to avoid these times to visit

-No mosquitoes

-Hello – Haisai はいさい (Okinawan); Konnichiwa (こんにちは) (Normal Japanese)

-Cheers! – 乾杯 Kanpai

-¥2000 isn’t taken in many machines outside of Okinawa

-Japan Travel by Navitime – Use the app to figure out train times although I found Google Maps to work better overall for navigation.

-JR Pass – If you are planning on purchasing a JR Pass, you should purchase before leaving your home country – maximum 3 months prior to your trip. It can only be purchased by non-Japanese citizens. You can purchase 7, 14 or 21 day passes. it takes a bit a time to get the passes delivered and must be activated within the 3 months. You can calculate the fares per trip and figure it out if the JR Pass is worth it for your travels. There are 2 versions of the JR Pass – Ordinary & Green Class Premium. Purchasing in Toronto, for pick-up or delivery – JTB & Kintetsu. I found Klook to the be the cheapest option. *As of October 2023 the price of the JR Pass will increase 77%*.

-Reserving JR Shinkansen seats – individual/group. You can reserve one of your tickets at the desk where you got it activated. Otherwise, you can goto the Shinkansen ticket machines and reserve seats there if you want to reserve. You will need to know your passport number every time you reserve a ticket. At the machine, press english then bottom left will say JR Pass Rail. Then it will ask how many ppl you are travelling with. Click how many – this saves you time from individually trying to book the same train if booking for multiple people. Just make sure you know your departure location and arrival location – it will try to auto fill. Choose a timeframe and search. Many options will appear. Choose your timeframe then you can choose the car type and even see the seat map if you are reserving. You can book in advanced as well.

-To use the JR lines/Shinkansen, you will need to insert your JR Pass into the gate. If you have reserved a seat, when you go through, put both your ticket and JR pass in together. The ticket for the ride will disappear after the ride is complete. REMEMBER TO GRAB YOUR JR PASS after going through the gate.

-If you do decide to take the shinkansen bullet trains, those are the only trains you can technically eat on. make sure to leave some time to explore the station and grab an ekiben (meals that you can take onto the train to eat and they are usually made to highlight local regional ingredients.

-There are plenty of luggage lockers at the train stations to store your luggage for the day or a few hours. Comes in S, M & L sizes.

-Suica / Pasmo Card – Can be used for transportation but also used to pay for other things – luggage lockers, convenience stores – top up with CASH only

-Public Transit – If you are buying individual tickets, look at the big map above the ticket machines and wherever the stop is that you want, there will be a number with it and that is the cost to get there

-Each station in Tokyo will have a letter and number indicated the stop. the number under it when you are on the train if you see 2,4,6 is the amount of time it will take to get to it. A plus is that the trains announce each stop in Japanese and English and sometimes Mandarin.

-Drive on the left side of car and road

-Can flush toilet paper

South Korea – KRW – WON – ₩

-Credit card can be used in majority of places however cash is key for markets and smaller food establishments as well as topping up your metro card

-Google Maps doesn’t really work in Korea – You will need to use/download Naver Maps

-Uber doesn’t really exist in Korea however you can download Kakao T.

-Cars drive on the right side

-Outlets are the 2 round prong

-Korea’s transportation system is good and offer fee Wi-Fi. The Metro system is the fastest and most affordable way to get around Seoul. Subway fares start at W1350/ride and rates go up after the first 9.97KM. You are allowed up to 4 transfer to another subway line or a bus for free within 30 minutes.

-T-Money card – W2500 and can add W1000, W5000 or W10,000 – can be used for trains & buses but also used for taxis across Korea. – If you don’t want to keep your T-Money card, you can get refunded for your card at Incheon International Airport when you leave the country. Top up at convenience stores/Metro stations but only with CASH

-Tipping is not common

-Cheers! – 건배 [乾杯] (geonbae)

Congrats, you’ve made it all the way to the itinerary. If you thought that info above was a lot then hold on to your seats as I’ve been told my actual itinerary is very overwhelming to look at.

St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada – Maritimes 2018 – Day 4-5

06/14/18

The airport is super tiny and we had absolutely no line to get through security. We ended up taking the smallest plane I’ve ever been on with Air Canada using a EVAS – everyone had a window seat (minus the first 2 seats – which I had one of) and you can see the pilot and all the gears and buttons. It was a relatively smooth flight however because of the geography of where PEI is located and Newfoundland & Labrador, we had to stopover in Halifax before making it into St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador.

We stayed in downtown St John’s at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland (115 Cavendish Square, St. John’s NL A1C 3K2). Since we arrived in the evening, we took to Signal Hill to catch the sunset. We definitely did not pack appropriate clothing for St John’s weather having gone from 25 back home to 8-22 in Nova Scotia to PEI to 3-5 degrees in St John’s. The view is spectacular from Signal Hill both sides (water side and city side).

St John’s reminds me of San Francisco with all the hilly streets but the beautiful coloured homes makes this town so much more enchanting. We made our way down to George St – one of their famous streets condensed with all the pubs/bars you would ever need. We ate at Piatto Pizzeria (377 Duckworth St, St. John’s, NL A1C 1H8) that night. We started off with Bruschetta and olives and among the 3 of us, we ordered 3 pizzas. We ordered the VPN Margherita ($15CAD) A base of San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil, EVOO + Grana Padano.), Americana ($17CAD) (Fresh fior di latte mozzarella + garnished with pepperoni) and Dolce e Fumoso ($17CAD) (Roasted garlic cream base, chili flakes, smoked mozzarella, crispy prosciutto, finished with a drizzle of honey + chopped parsley). The best overall of the night – Dolce e Fumoso.

 

06/15/18

We had spoken about waking up early and taking in the sunrise at Cape Spear (The most Eastern point to take in the first light of day) however the weather called for rain. I ended up waking up at 430-5AM to find a layer of fog taking over the skies.

Our final breakfast before getting to our last shoot location of the week long trip was at Bagel Café (246 Duckworth St, St. John’s, NL A1C 1G8). This place is known as the spot for breakfast and no not just bagels. St John’s is also known for their local favourite dish of Touton – (pronounced “tau-tin”) which are deep fried pancakes that is considered a breakfast food. To me personally, it tastes and resembles the Chinese dessert fried dough sticks (Yeoteww). Such a comfy restaurant with all the kitschy interiors you want. I ordered the Harbour main deep fried cod with hollandaise and smoked salmon touton ($17CAD). It was a little heavy but so worth it.

After our shoot, we had a few hours left before we needed to depart to the airport to head back home to Toronto. We had to return to the hotel to check out and once we did, we ventured out to Quidi Vidi (a small fisherman’s village). We went down a steep single laned road and came upon a quaint little neighbourhood. We wanted to have our final meal at the Mallard Cottage (8 Barrows Rd, St. John’s, NL A1A 1G8) but the place was packed and booked up. We walked over to QVFC (Quidi Vidi Fish & Chips) (31 Barrows Rd, St. John’s, NL A1A 1G8). Regina ordered the single piece of fish and poutine as I ordered the Fresh fried Cod bites – the tartar sauce was intense but in a good way and tasting the fish was super fresh and the poutine had more than a good amount of cheese curds to make anyone happy. We drove back up the road and ended up taking in our last sights at Quidi Vidi Battery before making our way to the airport and finally flying home.

I will be back one day to explore more. Our goal of seeing Puffins, Whales and icebergs was not fulfilled. However, from St John’s, a 3.5 hour drive to Elliston you can find the trifecta. Fishers Loft is the best accommodations in the woods but there are also many Airbnb’s out there too. If you want the true feel of Newfoundland & Labrador – visit Trinity Bona Vista.

Charlottetown, PEI, Canada – Maritimes 2018 – Day 3-4

06/13/18

Back on the road we went enroute to Prince Edward Island (PEI). We drove across the Confederation bridge into PEI with such a scenic view. The sky was surreal. If you are driving over, there is a $47CAD toll upon returning across the bridge leaving PEI.

We took the first exit off the highway once we had gone over the bridge and stopped to see the bridge in all its glory by a small lighthouse.

Back on the road towards Charlottetown and when I mean road, there is only one road and this road is like a roller coaster – up and down and up and down – extreme angles at times.

We finally arrived to downtown Charlottetown and oh boy the architecture is stunning with all the old houses and all the colours. We stayed at The Holman Grand – (123 Grafton St, Charlottetown PE C1A 1K9). Unlike Nova Scotia & New Brunswick, the weather started to get a little colder.

The downtown seems to run on a nice grid like system with everything within walking distance. I ended up walking around a bit by myself and found myself walking on Victoria Row which I guess is the Chinatown area of Charlottetown. Many stores of Anne of Green Gables. Cows Creamery also originates from PEI. Cows Ice cream is to Canada as Ben & Jerry’s is to USA.

After a quick rest, we walked over to Hopyard (151 Kent St, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1N5) for dinner. This was by far the best experience we had in terms of East Coast hospitality. Once we walked in, the atmosphere was laidback and cool. We took to a booth seat and was approached by a server. The server was amazing. He let us know the rundown of the restaurant and the food and drink list. Hopyard is exactly what their name says – Beer – Food – Vinyl. There is a table of vinyls in the middle where you can browse and find a record you would like to play and bring it to the bar so they can put it in the queue. If you feel the need to own the record, you are more than welcome to purchase it as the vinyls are brought in directly from a nearby records store.

The menu itself is complex but great value and a variety of flavours. The menu changes every few weeks and the top of the list are the vegetarian options while the bottom half are the meat options with some fun dessert options. Majority of the things on the menu are $8CAD each. The menu is a complex fusion of Asian flavours and a play on new mixes. The theme for the dishes during our stay was Qingdao to Incheon. The beer menu is also a long but great list to choose of for local and slightly further Canadian brewed craft beers.

Among the 3 of us, we ordered a bunch of dishes and they all had distinct flavour.

What we ate:

-Nuoc Cham Spring Rolls (Crispy Veg Rolls, Nuoc Cham, Fresh Cilantro, Black Sesame Sour Cream), – the black sesame sour cream was AMAZING!

-KoKuma Yam Fries (Crispy Shallots, Garlic Sauce, Hot n’ Sour Sweet Stuff.)

-Bun Mi (Marinated Roasted Tofu, Salted Cauliflower Relish, Shredded Carrot, Cucumber Kimchi, Hoisin Mayo, Spicy Salt on a Brioche Bun)

-Qingdao Fried Broccoli (Fried Broc, Shoyu Mayo, Cherry Sauce, Hot Salt and Scallions) – The biggest surprise in taste was the broccoli – it tasted like candy.

-Sesame Hot Wings (Sesame Candy, Chili Salt Mayo and Cilantro BBQ Sauce)

-Crispy Fish Taco (Flour Torts, Iceberg, Black Bean Sour Cream, Wontons, Jalapeno Ginger Tartar, Cashew)

06/14/18

Unfortunately one of our subjects bailed so we had the morning free to explore PEI. We found ourselves indoors at Receiver Coffee & Co on Victoria Row (128 Richmond St, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1H7)  because it was raining outside. We had breakfast in the cute little coffee shop. I ordered the Smoothie Bowl (avocado based smoothie with cinnamon, blueberry, strawberry and cucumbers) and paired it with a chai latte. We ended up staying here for majority of the morning before we hit the road to explore a bit before catching our flight.

The server from the previous night mentioned that we need to check out Brackley Point beach and drive through (shoe horse) via the PEI national park before making our way to the airport. With our laidback morning, we ended up not really having enough time to explore. We drove 20 minutes to Brackley Point beach but unfortunately we only had about 30 minutes before we needed to get to the airport and because it is part of the national park, we were unwilling to pay the fee to see the beach for a few minutes and drove to the airport. We were told that once you make it to Brackley Point Beach, if you go under the bridge, you can walk on the sand dunes. The park itself is suppose to be worth its while and should not be missed if you have the time.

Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada – Maritimes 2018 – Day 2-3

06/12/18

Back on the road, we continued to our drive to Moncton, New Brunswick which was our next shoot location. 3 hour drive into the sunset with high winds. We stayed at the Chateau Moncton & Suites – (100 Main St, Moncton NB, E1C1B9, Canada.)

Wear bugspray as the winds die down a bit here and the slight humidity brings out the bloodsuckers. After our tiresome drive, we were seeking a good meal and down the Main St strip we went. We found a place called Tide & Boar Gastropub (700 Main St, Moncton, NB E1C 1E4). We luckily arrived with 15 minutes to spare as the kitchen was about to close. I ordered the Tuna Poke ($20CAD) (with ahi tuna, macadamia nuts, avocado, apple, sticky rice, scallions and soy). We sat outside on their alley patio which was the perfect spot (minus the mosquitoes).

06/13/18

The best coffee shop we found in the area was Café Codiac (666 St George Blvd, Moncton, NB E1E 2C2). I ordered the Moncton Fog which is their twist on a London Fog but they used Peppermint instead of Earl Grey – Delicious. The others had soups which they said were hearty and delicious.

Before leaving town, we stopped by Notre Dame De Parkton (376 St. George St, Moncton, NB E1C 1X2). The interior is what you think a small town restaurant should look like and we got our meals served to us on plastic school meal trays with old VHS recordings of Wheel of Fortune being played on the television. It was perfect. I ordered the Cubana with chips ($13CAD) while I am told the coleslaw is amazing. An extra bonus for those with a sweet tooth, they have an array of candies you can take from at the front desk.

Coming from Toronto and spending more money and time at Bubble tea places than bars, Chatime in Moncton brought me back home for that sliver in time. Taro milk tea with coconut jelly to made the next 2 hours on the road to PEI that much more relaxed.

If we had time and the weather was in our favour from Moncton, we would have taken a detour to Hopewell Rocks (131 Discovery Road, Hopewell Cape, NB E4H 4Z5). It is about a 30 minute drive south from Moncton. Hopewell Rocks is also known, as the Flowerpots Rocks which are 40-70 feet tall rock formation that you can walk through when the tide is low. It is a destination that I visited my first time road tripping the East Coast with my family almost 20 years ago.

Halifax – Windsor – Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada – Maritimes 2018 – Day 1-2

06/10/18

Our first stop was Halifax, Nova Scotia. We stayed at the Prince George Hotel in downtown Halifax (Halifax 1725 Market St, Halifax, NS B3J 3N9).

After flying and driving a bit, we found ourselves looking for a good meal. We ended up going to  The Five Fisherman (1740 Argyle St, Halifax, NS B3J 2B6). We all ordered The Five Fish ($44CAD) – Scallops, shrimp, lobster, asparagus risotto, salmon and swordfish. It was the best way to taste a bit of everything and the start to our East coast food experience.

We ended off the night with a nightcap at Economy Shoe Shop Halifax (1663 Argyle St, Halifax, NS B3J 2B5).  Neon sign outside with a funky interior dimmed look with a giant Mona Lisa on the wall insde.

06/11/18

For a great breakfast and coffee spot, we went to Steve O Reno’s Cappuccino (1663 Argyle St, Halifax, NS B3J 2B5). I had the Chai Latte and Homemade Granola bowl ($6CAD) (made in house with almonds & maple syrup with plain yogurt and Nova Scotia blueberries).

We took a day trip to Windsor & Falmouth, Nova Scotia for work. While there, we ate at Fry Daddy’s (109 Gerrish St, Windsor, NS B0N 2T0). I ordered the Seafood Chowder ($9.95CAD) – Scallops, local haddock and shrimp all simmered in a potato chowder base . Served with homemade biscuit.

After heading back to Halifax from our day trip, we had a reservations to The Bicycle Thief (1475 Lower Water St, Halifax, NS B3J 3Z2). It might be a little touristy but this place is a MUST! By the harbourfront, you get great views overlooking water but also come upon a cozy interior with great energy and even better food and staff. We got a round of NS oysters and they were so tasty! I also ordered the The Infamous BT housemade chopped Tenderloin Burger, double smoked Bacon, Caramelized onions, very old Cheddar cheese, lettuce & tomato, Sea salted Frites ($20CAD).

The following morning, we ate at Bird’s Nest Café (1547 Barrington St, Halifax, NS B3J 1Z4). I ordered the Tatertot Waffle ($9CAD) (with cheddar, bacon, sour cream, and scallions) – It tasted like sour cream and onion chips and it was absolutely delicious.

After our delicious breakfast, we started our adventure to Peggy’s Cove on our day off.

Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia

It is a long yet windy 45 minute drive to get to Peggy’s Cove from the core of downtown Halifax. We walked to the Lighthouse and rested on the rocks taking in the sounds of the waves crashing and the warm sun beating down with the wind blowing over us. We hopped back into the car and went back down the road (Prospect Rd) to an area where there were a few spots alongside the road. We parked and followed the trail into the roads and trees towards the water. It’s like a different world and looks amazing. The lighting was absolutely perfect however the breeze was strong but the sun was warm. Bring a sweater!

On our way back to Halifax, we stopped at Shaw’s Landing (6958 Peggys Cove Road, West Dover, NS B3Z 3S8). It is definitely a hidden gem of a restaurant to find. You will see a giant Lobster in a yellow rain jacket standing on the roof that marks the spot. The portions are quite large and the view is great in the patio to overlook a small inlet while you eat. We ordered fried pickles and I ordered the fish and chips (Fresh deep-fried haddock). The tartar sauce had dill in it and was very tasty.

Before heading to Moncton, New Brunswick, we stopped back in Halifax to meet up with a friend who moved to the East Coast at Seahorse Tavern (2037 Gottingen St, Halifax, NS B3K 3B1). It has a Kitschy interior that continued out into their patio. Perfect for a summer day with a laid back atmosphere and is attached to Propeller Brewing Company. I ordered the Cove Kombucha.

Other places to check out for drinks & food that I have been recommended in Halifax: Shuck Oyster Bar, Lot Six for drinks, Edna for brunch or dinner & Brooklyn Warehouse.

Itinerary – Maritimes – 2018

06/10-15/18

Maritimes in a blink of an eye. I had the opportunity to travel throughout the Maritimes with Photographer Regina Garcia for a week as a photo assistant accompanied by James – Account Supervisor from the Agency – Zulu Alpha Kilo.

We started in Halifax, Nova Scotia (with a day trip for work to Windsor & Falmouth) then drove to Moncton, New Brunswick. We continued on the road to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and finally to St Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador. In the short span of a week, we covered quite a lot and outside of working, we tried to get our fill out the East coast experience.

With not too much downtime, we managed to get a taste of each Province. I wish we had more time to explore but at least everywhere we went, we experienced the East coast hospitality that showcases Canadians and amazing food along the way.

If you are heading out East, there are an abundance of English and French speaking people and I have been told (for meat eaters) you need to try the Donair.

What I also noticed when driving in these areas, no one is in a rush anywhere. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick driving is somewhat a desert compared to Toronto traffic. They do however have 2-laned highways where you stay in the left to pass only and NO ONE REALLY SPEEDS – They go the speed limit. PEI was a little different once we made it into town. St John’s also has its cluster of traffic too but not too overwhelming.

 

06/10/18 – Halifax, Nova Scotia

-TRAVEL – Toronto to Halifax

-EAT – Five Fisherman

-DRINK- The Shoe Economy Shop

-STAY – The Prince George Hotel

 

06/11/18 – Halifax – Windsor – Falmouth – Halifax, Nova Scotia

-SEE – Citadel

-EAT – Steve O Reno’s Cappuccino

-TRAVEL – Halifax to Windsor

-EAT – Fry Daddy’s

-TRAVEL – Windsor/Falmouth to Halifax

-EAT – Bicycle Thief

 

06/12/18 – Halifax – Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia – Moncton, New Brunswick

-EAT – Bird’s Nest Cafe

-TRAVEL – Halifax – Peggy’s Cove

-SEE – Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse & Trail

-EAT – Shaw’s Landing

-TRAVEL- Peggy’s Cove to Halifax

-DRINK – Seahorse Tavern

-TRAVEL – Halifax, Nova Scotia to Moncton, New Brunswick

-STAY – Chateau Moncton & Suites

-EAT – Tide & Boar Gastropub

 

06/13/18 – Moncton, New Brunswick – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

-EAT – Café Codiac

-EAT – Notre Dame De Parkton

-TRAVEL – Moncton to Charlottetown

-STAY – The Holman Grand

-EAT – Hopyard

 

06/14/18 – Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island – St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador

-EAT – Receiver Coffee & Co

-SEE – Barkley Point Beach

-TRAVEL – FLY – Charlottetown to Halifax to St John’s

-STAY – Sheraton Hotel St John’s

-SEE – Signal Hill

-SEE – George St – a condensed street of pubs & bars

-EAT – Piatto

 

06/15/18 – St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador – Toronto, Ontario

-EAT – Bagel Café

-SEE – Quidi Vidi

-EAT – QVFC

-TRAVEL – FLY – St John’s to Toronto

Itinerary – Southeast Asia – 2015

1104-2815 Southeast Asia

I travelled with 3 friends (Amy, Adam & Andrew) with guest appearances from new friends – Yu Ling, Lixin, Emily & James who joined us in Hanoi.

We travelled 5 countries (USA, Vietnam, Lao, Cambodia & Thailand), 15 flights in total of 23 days.

 

Included in this itinerary are also some helpful tips from a Canadian travelling overseas.

Vaccinations to get:

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Thyphoid

Malaria Pills prescription

 

THINGS TO KNOW:

Vietnam

-Vietnam Visa – $19.99USD ($27.16CDN) – http://www.myvietnamvisa.com/

-$45USD on arrival

-1 photo

-stick to MaiLinh & Vinasun Taxis – make sure it is metered.

-1USD = 22.000VND

– keep your bags close to your body and on the side opposite the road as tandems on motorbikes can grab them as they pass

-Hello – xin chao – (sin jao)

-Goodbye – tam biet

-Thank you – can on (gam on)

-yes- da (yahh)

-no – khong (calm)

 

Laos

-Laos Visa – $42USD

-1 photo

-1USD=8150kip

-Hello – Sabaidee

-Thank you – khawp jai

-Goodbye – la khawn

-yes – Jao/dooy

-no – baw

 

Cambodia

-Cambodia Visa – $30USD

-1 photo

-1USD=4000 Riel – But they use USD everywhere here but not USD coins. If they need to give you change smaller than USD bills, they will give you Cambodian Riel.

-Majority of people speak english

-Hello – surs dey

-Goodbye – lia suhn hao-y

-Thank you – aw kohn

 

Thailand

-Thailand Visa – No Visa required!

-1USD=35.7 Baht – or alternatively 100 baht=$3USD

-Chiang Mai – around 630AM – monks alms giving

-Hello – sawatdee-ka(female)/krup(male)

-goodbye – baai baai

-thank you – kop kun ka

 

Now onto the itinerary. We didn’t accomplish everything on this itinerary but I left it in as some are ideal things to do, places to go, places to eat etc.

 

November

5-7 – Ho Chi Minh

8-10 – Hanoi /Ha Long Bay

11- Luang Prabang

12-14– Pakse

15-17 – Siem Reap

18-21 – Ko Samui & area

22-25 – Chiang Mai

26-28 – Bangkok

 

FLY – YYZ->IAD; IAD->EWR; EWR->HKG->HKG->SGN – United

11/04-05 – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam

HOTEL: Hosen 2 Hotel – 4A Thi Sach, Ben Nghe Ward – District 1

 

11/06 – Ho Chi Minh

-Noon – Amy lands

-Nhu Lan Bakery – 50-64-68 Ham Nghi St. Dist.1 – Best place for Banh Mi – fresh & delicious – pork banh mi

-Visit Old Quarters

-Ci Chi Tunnels

-Ben Thanh Market

-Rooftop bars – OMG, Broma or Glow, Rex Hotel Rooftop garden (where American soldiers used to hang), Chill Skybar

 

11/07 – Ho Chi Minh

  • Mekong Delta Tourism – AG Travel – Mekong Delta – Day tour – Cai Be floating market – Tan Phong Island – ($50USD)

(http://www.classytravelvietnam.com/tours-options/vietnam-day-trips/mekong-delta-1day/)

-5AM start

 

FLY – HO CHI MINH -> HANOI – $58.35 – 945AM-1150AM – Vietnam Airlines

Hanoi, Vietnam

11/08 – Hanoi – Arrival

HOTEL: Hanoi Royal Palace Hotel 2 – 95 Hang Bong Street, Hoan Kiem District

-Yu Ling & Lixin Chan joins us – staying at same hotel

-Meet Emily & James at Hanoi Street Food Walking tour – $23 USD/pp– 6PM 74 & 76 Hang Bac Street at Kim Tour’s Building – (http://www.hanoistreetfoodtour.com/walking_street_food_tour.html)

 

11/09 – Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

-Sun Legend Cruise – 2 day (2 days, 1 night) tour –$143.45USD/pp- 8AM pickup from Hanoi

-Hanoi – Tuan Chau – Luon Cave – Ti Top Island – Sung Sot Caves – Hanoi  (https://www.halong-bay-tours.com/junks/superior-cruises/sun-legend-cruise-2-days-1-night.html)

 

11/10 – Ha Long Bay

-Sun Legend Cruise – 2 day tour – 5PM Drop-off to Hanoi

– HOTEL : Hanoi Royal Palace Hotel 2 – 95 Hang Bong Street, Hoan Kiem District

-Dinner – Quan An Ngon – 18 Phan Dinh Phung – which was a slightly higher end version of street meats but better service

 

FLY – HANOI -> LUANG PRABANG – $172USD – 1030AM-1130AM – Lao Airlines

11/11 – Luang Prabang, Laos

-HOTEL: Apple Guesthouse – Xatikhouman Rd 01 / 05 Xiengmoun Village

-Check in – 2PM; Check-out:11AM

-Apple Guesthouse is picking us up and dropping us off at airport $25USD RT

-Kuang Si waterfalls (there are also black bears!) – need to take tuktuk or motorboat to get there. Entrance is 20,000kip ($3.23CAD)

-Dinner option -Utopia – Restaurant – Beach Volleyball

-Dinner-buffet street – 15000 kip – fill your bowl as high as you can for 15000 kip – beer and bbq meat extra

-Nightmarket

-morning market – opens at 5AM

-Mount Phousi – Sunset – $2.50USD entry – might be crowded

-530AM – Alms giving – no flash photography, women – don’t stand up, keep covered

 

FLY – LUANG PRABANG -> PAKSE – $184USD – 1040AM-1220PM – Lao Airlines

11/12 – Pakse 

-HOTEL: Salachampa Hotel – Lakmeung Village, City Center – right across the street from green discovery office

-Bolaven Plateau Falls & Coffee Plantation

-coffee shops: Bolaven Café, Delta, Sinouk

-Lunch – Vida Bakery

 

11/13 – Pakse, Laos – Tree Top Explorer at Jungle Hotel Paksong – Dong Hua Sao National Park

(http://www.greendiscoverylaos.com/eco-excursions/champassak/champassak-zip-line-canopy-walk/item/354-tree-top-explorer) $240USD/pp

  • 8AM – Meet at Office (Green Discovery – Sales Office – No. 10 Rd & No. 46 Rd) – Store our luggage in the Office. Drive an hour to Tree Top Explorer at Jungle Hotel Paksong (Paksong); hike 1-2KM to site
  • stay overnight.

 

11/14 – Pakse

-Tree Top Explorer

-4-5PM – Drop off at office/hotel

-HOTEL: Salachampa Hotel – Lakmeung Village, City Center

-Dinner option – Champady – restaurant off the main st – good pad thai; passion fruit and strawberry shake are amazing.

-Dinner – Daolin

 

FLY – PAKSE -> SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA – $135USD – 1PM-2PM – Lao Airlines

11/15 – Siem Reap, Cambodia

-HOTEL: Secrets Pavilion Urban Boutique Hotel – 120, Angkor Night Market Street, Steoung Thmey

-Nightmarket

-11PM – Meet with Andrew

 

11/16 – Siem Reap

-Landmine Museum – $5USD – hours drive from nightmarket

-Phare Circus (http://pharecircus.org/) – 8PM – $18-35USD/pp

 

17 – Siem Reap

-Angkor Pass – 1 day $20USD; 3 day pass (requires photo) $40USD

-Angkor Wat – Sunrise ($20USD) Bantey Kdei, Phimeanakas, Ta Phrom, Angkor Thom, Bayon.

-Dinner option -Sojourn Boutique Villa – Destination Dining – $60USD – 3 course menu in a traditional stilt pavilion over a lotus pond including transport

-Dinner -Damnak Lounge Fine Dining – Junction of Oum Khun and 14th Street -7 Course Khmer signature dinner – $30 pp + tax

-Dinner option -Lilypop – 020 Taphul Road, Siem Reap 17259 – cheap and good – freid rice, banana shake, fresh spring rolls

-Dinner option -Marum – Between Wat (Pagoda) Polanka & Catholic Church, #8A, B Phum Slor Kram – 5 course menu – $15 – crispy grasshoppers

-Siem Reap Brewpub – 05 Oum Khun St – local craft beer

 

FLY – SIEM REAP -> KO SAMUI – $270USD – Bangkok Airways – 125PM-240PM Siem Reap-Bangkok; 335PM-440PM Bangkok-Koh Samui

11/18 – Koh Samui, Thailand

-HOTEL: Sandalwood Luxury Villas – 211/7 Moo 4, T. Maret

-Free Airport shuttle!

-Relax, unwind and roll into your pool (http://ca.hotels.com/ho442701/sandalwood-luxury-villas-ko-samui-thailand/)

-Chaweng area – Central Festival – Mall and nightmarket

 

11/19 – Koh Samui

– Take in Koh Samui

-Secret Buddha Garden – Route 4169 (ring road) at Baan Saket – 80 baht pp

-Mr Ung’s Jungle Safari – 1300baht

-Lamai beach area

 

11/20 – Koh Samui

-Day trip to Koh Tao & Koh Nang Yuan – Lomlahkkhim High Speed Ferries – 1600baht

-Snorkel & Speedboat

 

11/21 – Koh Samui

– Day trip to Ang Thong Marine Park (Bowl of gold) – closed the month of November =(

-inspiration for the movie “The Beach” w/ Leonardo DiCaprio

-scuba diving, snorkel, kayak and beach

-Beach day – Chaweng Beach

 

FLY – KO SAMUI ->CHIANG MAI – $209-ish CDN – Bangkok Airways – 1020AM-1210PM

11/22 – Chiang Mai, Thailand

-HOTEL: Green Tulip – 85 Samlan Road – 18400-183372013 (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Green-Tulip-House/Chiang-Mai/18400?dateFrom=2015-11-22&dateTo=2015-11-26#facilities)

-Tiger Temple

-Sunday street market – Nightmarket – 4-5PM-11PM – the market starts at Tha Pae Gate and goes all the way along Ratchadamnoen Road until Wat Phra Singh in the center of the old city (about 1.5 km). This is the place for souvenirs, t-shirts, artwork, hand made items and just about everything in between.

-Siam Rice Cooking class – 800 baht – evening session

-Chang Phueak (ช้างเผือก) – food stalls – where the locals eat – Thaicowgirl – khao kha moo – 30baht – stewed pork knuckle

-Mon Cham – garden/viewpoint/resort/restaurant with 360 view over surrounding valleys – no fee to enter and wander

-Kad luang – 100 year old market next to Ping River – where hill tribes sell their crafts

– Sat/Sun flea market – Starts at the intersection of Kaew Narawat and Bumruang Road on the east side of the river

-THC Rooftop ba – 19/4-5 Kotchasarn Road, On the 3rd Floor, Chiang Mai, Thailand

 

11/23 – Chiang Mai

-NOT AVAILABLE =( Elephant Conservatory (http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/enp/en/visit-volunteer) – Pamper a Pachyderm – 6000THB

-1 Ratmakka Road, Phra Sing, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand Office Hours: 07:00-17:00 Mon-Sun (GMT+7)

Blue Elephant – Thailand Tours – One Day Chiang Mai Elephant bathing & riding bareback + Whitewater rafting + Longneck Tribe. 830AM pickup – 630PM drop-off – Mae Rim, Longneck Karen & Big ear Kayor Hill tribe village, Muang Kud Valley and raft along the Mae Tang River, Makha Elephant Village – 22000THB – 4c pp – BRING CASH TO PAY ON SPOT! (http://www.blueelephantthailandtours.com/package/tour-detail.php?id=107)

-Coffee shops:

-Akha Ama – Ahka Hilltribe Coffee – Hussadhisewee Road Soi 3 in Santhitham or Rachadammoen Road near Wat Phra Singh

– Graph Café – one of city’s best coffee – nitro cold brew coffee on tap -9AM-1PM – Rathvithi Soi 1

-Mao Coffee – mao gafaae – drunk coffee -8AM-5PM – Kankhlong Chonprathan Road heading south towards Hang Dong

-Ponganes Espresso & Coffee Roasters – high quality coffee – 9AM-430PM – closed Wednesdays – 133/5 Rachapakinai Road

 

-Clay Studio Coffee in the Garden is also often known as the terracotta garden – iced matcha green tea -8AM-6PM – Prapokklao Road Soi 2

-Natwat Home Café – brunch place with lots of light -Tue-Sun – 7AM-430PM – 330/2 Charoenrat Road

-Kanjana – all time fav for expats – pad thai – 7/2 Ratchadamnoen Rd, Soi 5 | -Ratchadamnoen Rd Soi 5, Chiang Mai, Thailand

-Dada Kafe – healthy food – vegetarian kaow soi – best in city – 20/1 Ratmakka Rd | Phra Singh, Chiang Mai, Thailand, +66 53 449 718

-Khao Soi Khun Yai – Sri Poom Rd, Soi 8, Mueang – 10am-2pm – grandma’s chiang mai noodle – best khao soi in the CM

-Cyclo Resto – Unit 28 No 6 Cach Mang Thang Tam Street | Ben Thanh Ward, District 1 – 11AM-10PM – set menu 5 dishes – hidden in an alley near the roundabout

-Ru Pho Bar – 27E Tran Nhat Duat, Ward Tan Dinh, District 1 – 10AM-10PM – (need to go upstairs) stir fried pho & noodles –

 

11/24 – Chiang Mai

-Doi Suthep – Wat Phra Tha – Wat Palat – hidden temple and trail lined with monks’ robes tied to trees

-Yi Peng – Paper Lantern Festival

-Wat Chedi Luang – Three King Monument & Thapae Gate – Thapae Gate has biggest but most touristy

 

11/25 – Chiang Mai

-Sing Prasert Gym – Muay Thai – Bamrunburi – 400 baht for 2 hour session

-Loy Krathong – Water lantern floating festival – http://theakyra.com/chiang-mais-loy-krathong-festival-of-lights-2015/

– Chiang Mai has a beauty contest as well that is preceded by the Loy Krathong parade that begins at Tha Pae Gate the first evening of the festival. The temples also feature their own private celebrations where the devotees release khom loy and float their krathong and they welcome visitors to share in this deeply intimate event.

-Tha Phae Rd / Praisanee Rd / Chaoroen Prathet Rd and Thanon Charon Mueang – epicenter for paper lantern festival

 

FLY – CHIANG MAI -> BANGKOK – $73CDNpp – Air Asia – 125PM-245PM 

11/26 – Bangkok, Thailand

-HOSTEL: D Hostel Bangkok – 103 Boonsiri RD., San-Chao-Por-Suea Phranakhon – 92912-184551778

-Goto Gate 8 for taxi cabs – metered and cheaper than other cabstand outside of arrivals gate.

-Thimpsamai Phad Thai – best phad thai in Bangkok – phad thai w/shrimp wrapped in a thing layer of egg – 313 Th Maha Chai | Banglamphu, Bangkok +66 (0) 2221 6280 – 90baht

-Rama III Memorial – pretty

-Khaosan Road

-Nahm – San Pellegrino’s world’s 50 best – try jungle curry w/ pia chorn, pandanus moodles w/black sticky rice, tapioca & coconut cream- Nahm, Metropolitan by COMO, 27 South Sathorn Road, Tungmahamek, Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand, +66 (0) 2625 3388

 

11/27 – Bangkok

-Grand Palace – 500baht

-Wat Pho – 100baht

-Chinatown – Yaowarat – how the city looked years before – essence of what Bangkok was. Visually beautiful to walk through.

-Siam Paragon – Asia’s largest mall

-Talat Rot Fai – Train market – more of a locals – hipster market – Friday and Saturday nights

 

FLY – 710AM-BKK->305PM-NRT; 610PM-NRT->1240PM-DEN; 205PM-DEN->533PM-ORD; 710PM->950PM-YYZ

11/28 – HOME TIME

 

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What I ate – Vancouver – 2014

*Very photo heavy post on food*

I had the opportunity to live in Vancouver for a month in 2014 with my friend Yolande. I spent a lot of time getting to know extended family, meeting new people from all walks of life and just enjoying the West Coast lifestyle with my “Toronto Crew that now reside in Vancity”. Instead of detailing the day-to-day of my time out west, this post will showcase what I ate and what I wanted to eat during my time in Vancouver.

General

EAT SUSHI! I cannot get over how cheap it is to dine on sushi here – a maki roll is around $3-4 but back home its like $8-14. Even with the cheaper price, the quality is superb in Vancouver- absolutely fresh.

 

Downtown

Guu838 Thurlow Street

The original Guu is located on Thurlow and it is the not only the original Guu but also the first Izakaya in Vancouver. As you enter, you will receive a very warm and loud welcome and same as you leave. Izakaya is similar to tapas and are all rather small sharing dishes to go along with drinks. The menu is quite diverse with food that is grilled or fried but they also have Udon noodle soups to beef sashimi to salads. The Original Guu is a small cozy establishment but you will be satisfied with all the flavours and atmosphere. There are multiple locations in Vancouver and also in Toronto.

 

Hubbub – 859 Hornby St

Hubbub is the place to go if you want a fresh sandwich served on a toasty baguette. All you need to is to choose your protein and each sandwich comes with a base of pickled jalapenos, creamy garlic sauce, romaine lettuce, cilantro, and crunchy caramelized onions. I chose the pulled pork and it was absolutely delicious and with a sweet heat kicking.

 

Japadog 530 Robson St

Japadog offers gourmet hot dogs that are served Japanese-style. The location on Robson St is the only sit-down location. If you can’t make it to the actual sit down joint, you can find a few carts located around town such as the corner of Smithe & Burrard, Burrard & Pender. There is also a Japadog truck so keep an eye out. The Japadog truck and the restaurant location are the only ones that have the full extensive menus and offer their shaken fries. On one particular visit, We had the croquette (Fried mashed potato) dog and their Shichimi & Garlic tossed fries.

Steamrollers – 1195 Robson St

If you are hankering for a good burrito go no further than Steamrollers. The burritos here are fresh, tasty and made quickly. As their namesake tells you – they don’t deep fry or use grease but rather cook with steam. A traditional burrito starts around $7.25CAD and also have vegetarian options. You can also get gluten free options.

 

Breka Bakery – 812 Bute St. 2 other locations.

Breka Bakery smells heavenly with in-house baking of fresh breads. Not only does this bakery serve up some scrumptious breads, it also offers pastries to suit anyone’s tastes. Muffins, pretzels, cookies, donuts, pies and so much more. I ended up leaving this establishment with a cheesecake brownie which was large enough for 2 people. There is also a large selection for drink and meal options.

 

Greenhorn Espresso Bar – 994 Nicola St

A spacious spot with welcoming vibes brings you to Greenhorn Café. Coffee, tea and espresso as well as breakfast and lunch are available. On weekends, the brunch selection is opened to include baked eggs and eggs benedict. I met a good friend here and grabbed a crimson berry (house blend) tea and a croissant.

 

Yaletown

Twisted Fork Bistro1147 Granville St

The always-busy Twisted Fork Bistro serves up brunch the right way. Be sure to make a reservation because this place is always packed for the brunch run. It is a rather cozy spot but very comfy. I got the Gruyere baked eggs with sourdough toast, bacon, tomato, rosti and baked beans. Very flavourful and rich. Not sure why but we had decided to workout after this meal. Perfect meal on a cold day.

 

Kitsilano area

Sejuiced – 1958 West 4 Avenue

Sejuiced, is a vegetarian / vegan joint located in Kitsilano. It is the west coast version of Toronto’s Fresh – http://freshrestaurants.ca/ . There is an array of items on their menu such as soups, yogi bowls (bowl with rice or quinoa), sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, salads and even veggie burgers. They also have an extensive shakes and juices menu. For my visit, I had the mega protein salad with tofu ($12CAD).

 

Beaucoup Bakery & Café2150 Fir St

This café is very quaint with French-inspired pastries. I went the sweet tooth root and had to get myself a peanut butter cookie sandwich and a croissant that almost rivals Thomas Haas’ double backed croissant. They also get very inventive with their pastries here.

 

Thomas Haas2539 West Broadway Avenue

A small yet cozy place with a patio to boot. The double baked almond croissants are amazing and go fast. It is a must stop if in the area. If a croissant isn’t up to your flavour, they offer a wide selection of chocolates, macarons, sandwiches, cakes and so much more. It is very difficult to choose just one item but don’t worry, you can purchase to take away with you for later. There is even a chance you might actually see Thomas Haas working while you visit.

 

The Naam2724 West 4th Avenue

The Naam is a vegetarian institution and is open 24 hours. They have award winning food such as their popular Naam Dragon Bowl, to their selection of veggie burgers and hand cut fries with miso gravy.

 

49th Parallel – Lucky’s Donut2902 Main St OR 2198 West 4th Ave

49th Parallel is a coffee shop that locally roasts their own beans and serves pastries as well as Lucky’s Doughnuts. It is a great place to people watch through their glass walls and also get work done. I grabbed a salted caramel & a Mango /Passionfruit Bismarck donut from Lucky’s Donut. They were both delicious!

 

Fairview / Mount Pleasant

Shaolin Noodle House – 656 W Broadway

For fresh in-house handmade noodles, Shaolin Noodle House has a small selection but make that selection really well. You have the option to get the noodles dry or in soup and also different options for the type of noodles you want. Dragging noodles are hand-pulled and very long. Pushing is noodles that are flattened with a rolling pin then cut. Round is similar to pasta and udon shaped. And Cutting are pieces that are literally cut off from a ball of dough directly into the soup while it is cooking. I had the seafood and vegetables cutting noodle in soup and we shared lamb skewers and steamed dumplings – all so tasty and good.

 

Peaceful Restaurant – 532 W Broadway

Close-by to Shaolin Noodle is Peaceful Restaurant. Peaceful Restaurant was featured on Guy Fierti’s Diners, Drive-ins & Dives but even without that, this place deserves to be known – they do Chinese food well. They have hand pulled noodles but also amazing selection of dumplings. We got the Peaceful House Noodles, Spicy & Tangy Dumplings and Green onion beef (tender beef rapidly stir-fried with green onions & ginger). The green onion beef rolls were hands down the best thing ever and the noodles tasted so fresh.

 

Suika1626 W Broadway

Suika is a Japanese Izakaya – very animated decor with a sake bottle chandelier. Suika serves up creative and intricate mixes to provide a strong menu to make you come back for more. We (3 of us) shared the Tuna Avocado, Beef short rib, the Chicken Kara-age & the Kakuni Bibimbap – stewed pork belly, sweet dried shrimp & scallions on rice served in a hot stone bowl.

 

California Sushi – 388 W Broadway

I absolutely love sushi and Vancouver seems to be the place for quality sushi for decent prices. A popular place for Sushi is California Sushi. I got the Energy Roll (unagi, asparagus etc) and it was of generous portions for being only $4CAD which is half the price than Toronto standards.

 

Congee Noodle – 141 E Broadway

For family style chinese food – Congee Noodle is the place to go. Its more spacious than some other restaurants in the area. Between four people, we ordered the Giant fish congee, Gai lan (chinese broccoli), Dough fritter with rice roll around it, Scallop rice roll, Seafood chow mein, and half a chicken.

 

Granville Island

Go Fish – 1505 W 1st Ave

Located by the docks, this little shack serves up some fresh fish & chips options. We had cod fish and chips and the portions were large and a steal for it’s price. The island has little shops similar to Stevenson and a market place like Toronto’s St Lawrence Market

There are tons of local eats in Granville Island as well as great local coffee choices. Closed on Mondays.

 

Chinatown

New Town Bakery – 148 East Pender Street

You cannot leave Chinatown without visiting New Town Bakery. It feels like home when you are in there. An assortment of pastries & steamed buns are the main draw. The BBQ pork buns are to die for. It gets busy so grab a number once you enter. Cash Only.

 

Pizzeria Farina – 915 Main St.

Pizzeria Farina makes the dough fresh every morning and when they run out, they are done for the day. The freshest of ingredients. We were lucky enough to get the last 3 pizza doughs. We got the Funghi, The Speciale and the Finocchiona – they were all amazing but the funghi stole the show for me. The pizza’s range from $10-17CAD in price. They also make their own oregano and chili infused olive oils which you could also purchase.

 

Phnom Penh – 244 E Georgia St

Phnom Penh is probably one of the most talked about musts for places to eat in Chinatown. It is hard to get a spot in this restaurant so make reservations. Serving up Vietnamese – Cambodian dishes, this institution is always busy and the food always worth the wait. I ate with a group of 8. We got individual items but shared a plate of fried chicken wings to share and the spice that put in it were so good that it made up for the fact there wasn’t actually too much meat on the bones. I got the beef stew with egg noodles, a dry egg noodle dish with organ meat like liver and other meats and a rice dish with meat, a over easy egg and cabbage.

 

Gastown / Rail Town

Wildebeest – 120 W Hastings St

Wildebeest is a meat centric offering in Gastown prepared and served family-style. They also source ingredients from local sources to create a fun and intricate menu. It is also a secret spot for brunch.

Save on Meats – http://saveonmeats.ca/diner/ – 43 West Hastings St

This building was built in 1891 and you can’t miss the neon pig sign on Hastings. This place is serving up the classic diner foods and all day breakfast. Sheppard pie, Salisbury steak and burgers make this place what it is.

 

Meat & Bread370 Cambie St – 2 other locations in Vancouver.

M&B offers a Porchetta, Meatball, Grilled Cheese and a daily special sandwich everyday and if they run out of ingredients, they are done for the day.

 

Revolver Coffee – 325 Cambie St.

Revolver Coffee is all about the simplicity and quality of their coffee and the experience around it. There is very intricate selection of coffees and also methods of brewing. The décor is an add plus.

 

Alibi Room157 Alexander St

Alibi Room is cool looking pub with local beers and locally sourced food. It is also a great place for brunch and the view is beautiful.

 

The Pourhouse – 162 Water St

In the heart of Gastown, this establishment is a slightly pricier restaurant with a good selection of alcohol but also delicately put together menu. I went with a group of 6 and we came with an appetite. We ordered pretty much 75% of the menu to share. Everything was delicious.

Our Appetizers to share:

-Brusselsprouts and bacon

-Mac & Cheese

-Albacore Tuna with Artichoke

-Butter Lettuce & Citrus

-Beet and endive salad

-Oysters with mignonette sauce

-Scottish eggs

-French Onion Soup with Gruyere & Croutons

-Grilled Cheese with Spicy Tomato & Fennel Soup

-Roasted Bone Marrow with Sea Salt, Pickled Radish, Parsley, Grilled Bread

-Smoked Salmon with Potato Salad, Dill, Crispy Capers, Beet & Endive Salad with Apple, Walnuts, Blue Cheese Dressing as starters.

 

The main course meals we ordered:

-3 Cornish Game Hen with Grilled Romaine (romaine that is dressed in Caesar dressing then bbq/charred – need to try this out at home!)

-Cauliflower Puree & Schinckenspeck

-Seared Ling Cod

-Braised Short Rib with Potato & Brussel Sprouts

-Pork Chop with Braised Red Cabbage

-Apples & Mustard

-Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Meatballs, Basil.

 

The Flying Pig 102 Water St – 2 other locations

If you want to enjoy nouveau style Canadian fare, this is the place to go.

 

Hastings Sunrise

Red Wagon Cafe – 2296 E Hastings St

The main chef at Red Wagon uses french inspiration in his cooking which turned this place from a hole in the wall into a cozy diner for good eats. Guy Fieri left his seal of approvable from Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. This place has line-ups out the door but luckily it wasn’t too busy and we only had to wait 15-20 minutes. I had the Pulled Pork Pancakes (3 buttermilk pancakes layered with pulled pork with Jack Daniels -spiked maple syrup) and let me tell you it was so filling and so unbelievably good. Usually I crave pancakes because of the smell but the taste is usually not as satisfying and only a few bites in I no longer desire to eat it but I cleaned my plate (took some time because it was so filling). The chef also opened up le wagon rouge, which is their bistro restaurant.

 

Basho Café 2007 E Hastings St

If you are craving matcha then Basho Cafe is the spot for you. Basho is a family run Japanese café that will feel like home. You can choose to indulge with a matcha latte or the wide array of pastries that feature matcha.The pastries are baked daily and the menu changes daily. They also serve up a special set menu that includes a small cup of soup, veggies as well as mini sweets in addition to your main.

 

Commercial-Broadway

Merchants Oyster Bar – 1590 Commercial Drive

Merchants is owned by Doug Stephen and one of the chefs was my cousin’s friend. They use locally sourced, organic ingredients. We started off with drinks – an old fashioned and myself a Gin Digger (did you know a digger is what a Caesar’s real name and it originated in Calgary). We decided to order we would order our own 4 course meals $40 (sharing as well). For our snacks, we both grabbed baked oysters with truffle cream. Before we got our 1sts, they brought out a special plate for us for an event they had prepped and had extras to spare. It was parsley served 20 different ways with a little help with panna cotta. My favourite item was the parsley chip; so tasty yet so delicate. For the first dish, we grabbed the beef tartare served on crostini with Sriracha and pickled shallots and Gnocchi with black garlic (this is expensive so not used in many places) & pickled garlic. We both got the Ling Cod with kimchi, smoked egg yolk and swiss chard. Finished off with chocolate ganache with cumin, caramel & pistachio as well as a Blood orange tart with browned butter and marshmallows. The food was phenomenal and the service was great.

 

La Mezcaleria1622 Commercial Drive

This place is a cozy spot on Commercial Dr with live music courtesy of La Santisima – traditional Mexican songs – every Sunday. Their selection of mezcal spans the wall with an open concept kitchen and bar so you can see what they are doing and making. La Mezcaleria is such a cute little place. We took a sit up at the bar in front of the chefs working away at making all the dishes.

We had the Campechano Flight (a flight of both the red snapper and tuna ceviche’s, guacamole and pico de gallo served with chips), We also grabbed Tostadas de Pato (Fraser Valley duck confit, guava, fruit mole sauce (manchamanteles), chayote squash and radish), Tinga de pollo (free range chicken with chorizo in a chipotle tomato sauce, topped with Mexican cheese and sour cream) & Al Pastor (pork marinated in achiote chilli and pineapple) tacos and ended off with flan for dessert. I also ordered take-away for a friend. I ordered Tinga de Pollo and De Cachet (braised beef cheeks) tacos. Great vibe, great people and great food.