A trip to Thailand is going to have to wait, for at least a year. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. I'm just not in a position, financially or in any way, to pack up and head out for a few months. Oh well. it WILL happen.
But in March or April Marlon and his lady are heading to Peru for a month or so, and I'm going to try and join them. I should be able to afford that, and with all of my friends living on the same block as me I'm sure my kitties will be well taken care of.
Then, in late May or so, I'm hoping to start exploring Canada more. I finally have my G1 and plan to take driving courses over the winter, so when I'm eligible to get my G2 in May I hope to have enough to buy a cheap van and then I want to head west, and also north. I went west only once ever, and honestly there isn't really anything to see in Saskatchewan or Manitoba. But Alberta is beautiful, although I only spent time in Edmonton. I'd like to see Banff if possible, but BC is where I really want to go. I crossed through the Rocky Mountains only once, about twelve years ago, and that was too long ago. I crossed over to Victoria BC for a weekend only, and that's the total of my BC experience. Fuck that. I want to get out there and see everything. Then I want to go north and explore the territories, I've heard nothing but good things.
From there, me and my van will try to explore the US eventually, but depending on how long the cross-Canada adventure takes, that one may have to wait til next year.
It's funny how, in my life, I can only really feel like I have things on track and my life is in order if I know where I plan to travel to next. Of all the things I could be addicted to, I think there's nothing better than seeing the world.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The east coast was amazing. I didn't bring my computer with me though, which means my usual daily travel entries were not possible. Cry, cry. Hahaha.
The absolute best day of the trip though came after the absolute worst. After a few days enjoying Halifax hospitality, we headed north to Wolfville, where we'd heard it was beautiful and we'd find tons of places to camp on the beach. The town is only about 100km north of the city, so we figured it would take 3-4hours tops to hitch a ride up there.
Nooooooooooooooooo. The highway was really a local road, so all of the traffic was local Sunday traffic. We walked for about three hours before we found a spot outside of a truck stop that looked like our best bet for hitching, and spent two hours being peered at my drivers from their windows before finally deciding to walk again. We walked a total of 15km, which isn't that much in theory, but with giant travel packs on our backs, and steel-toed boots on our feet, with a giant dog in tow... it fucking sucked. It took us 8 hours to get from Marlons to the real highway (including stops and attempts to hitch along the way). When we finally got to Wolfville, we walked out into the dyke-land and it was so dark we literally could not see what was on the far side of the dykes. Like not even if it was water or just reeds. We decided to try to set up our tent in a field, but when creepy music-box music started loudly playing out of nowhere (literally, we were in a middle of a large FIELD, nothing close by that could play music), we decided to move on. I decided to put my emergency credit card to use and was going to treat us to a motel for the night. But two hours later and phone calls to 6 different places, the only places with vacancies wouldnt' take pets. Fucking hell. We finally found a decent spot to set up the tent and crashed out instantly.
The next day though we woke up to incredibly gorgeous weather, the locals were friendly, and we headed out along the dykes again to Grand Pre, to Evangeline Beach. It took three hours (and one little grumpy fit on my end) but we made it, and holy FUCK am I ever glad we did. It was heaven. We got there early enough to see the area before tide came in, and we spent the next sixteen hours or so with just us, a tent, a little fire, and the best view I've seen so far in Canada. I can't even describe it. But we got to watch the tides come in and go out on the Fundy Shore, which has some of the highest tides in the world. The dog was in heaven he spent hours digging in the sand and chasing sticks around. I wish we'd had more than one night there, but it was an amazing way to end the trip.
Well, that was the end of the trip in one way, but the travel home was another incredible experience. The way home was exciting, scary, cold, and definitely something I'll do again. Cheapest way to travel, and killer views, that's for damned sure :D
The absolute best day of the trip though came after the absolute worst. After a few days enjoying Halifax hospitality, we headed north to Wolfville, where we'd heard it was beautiful and we'd find tons of places to camp on the beach. The town is only about 100km north of the city, so we figured it would take 3-4hours tops to hitch a ride up there.
Nooooooooooooooooo. The highway was really a local road, so all of the traffic was local Sunday traffic. We walked for about three hours before we found a spot outside of a truck stop that looked like our best bet for hitching, and spent two hours being peered at my drivers from their windows before finally deciding to walk again. We walked a total of 15km, which isn't that much in theory, but with giant travel packs on our backs, and steel-toed boots on our feet, with a giant dog in tow... it fucking sucked. It took us 8 hours to get from Marlons to the real highway (including stops and attempts to hitch along the way). When we finally got to Wolfville, we walked out into the dyke-land and it was so dark we literally could not see what was on the far side of the dykes. Like not even if it was water or just reeds. We decided to try to set up our tent in a field, but when creepy music-box music started loudly playing out of nowhere (literally, we were in a middle of a large FIELD, nothing close by that could play music), we decided to move on. I decided to put my emergency credit card to use and was going to treat us to a motel for the night. But two hours later and phone calls to 6 different places, the only places with vacancies wouldnt' take pets. Fucking hell. We finally found a decent spot to set up the tent and crashed out instantly.
The next day though we woke up to incredibly gorgeous weather, the locals were friendly, and we headed out along the dykes again to Grand Pre, to Evangeline Beach. It took three hours (and one little grumpy fit on my end) but we made it, and holy FUCK am I ever glad we did. It was heaven. We got there early enough to see the area before tide came in, and we spent the next sixteen hours or so with just us, a tent, a little fire, and the best view I've seen so far in Canada. I can't even describe it. But we got to watch the tides come in and go out on the Fundy Shore, which has some of the highest tides in the world. The dog was in heaven he spent hours digging in the sand and chasing sticks around. I wish we'd had more than one night there, but it was an amazing way to end the trip.
Well, that was the end of the trip in one way, but the travel home was another incredible experience. The way home was exciting, scary, cold, and definitely something I'll do again. Cheapest way to travel, and killer views, that's for damned sure :D
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The east coast
What an incredible few days this has been.
We started out Sunday night, we got a ride out of Montreal to the highway and then we slept under the stars before hitting the road early Monday. Two rides later and we were about 20km outside of Moncton. It took for fucking EVER to get into Moncton in the morning, 3 hours to get picked up for the 15-minute drive into the city, with the sun beating down on us. I got a pretty intense sunburn and started feeling sick like when I had heat stroke a few months back, not fun at all. Arriving in Moncton was pretty anti-climactic, it's a pretty boring little town without much to see or do. The most exciting thing about the day was finding a shop with 2 for 99 cents hotdogs.
Halifax on the other hand is gorgeous. Our ride dropped us off at the waterfront so the first thing I saw was the incredible scenery. Except for yesterday the weather has been beautiful, the people are amazing, and there is always something to do. We're heading out shortly to go swim in a lake, and tomorrow we're packing up and heading about 100km out of the city to camp for a couple of nights on the Fundy Shore. I can't wait.
It would have been nice to have had a lot more time, since we're out here it would be nice to check out Cape Breton, and head over to Newfoundland. But a little taste of the east coast is better than not being here at all, and at least now I know how worth it it is to come out this way. It's cool as well because a ten-day trip will let my boy and I know if we can travel together, rather than taking a long trip together and realizing halfway through that we don't make good travel partners. And so far, it's great :D
We started out Sunday night, we got a ride out of Montreal to the highway and then we slept under the stars before hitting the road early Monday. Two rides later and we were about 20km outside of Moncton. It took for fucking EVER to get into Moncton in the morning, 3 hours to get picked up for the 15-minute drive into the city, with the sun beating down on us. I got a pretty intense sunburn and started feeling sick like when I had heat stroke a few months back, not fun at all. Arriving in Moncton was pretty anti-climactic, it's a pretty boring little town without much to see or do. The most exciting thing about the day was finding a shop with 2 for 99 cents hotdogs.
Halifax on the other hand is gorgeous. Our ride dropped us off at the waterfront so the first thing I saw was the incredible scenery. Except for yesterday the weather has been beautiful, the people are amazing, and there is always something to do. We're heading out shortly to go swim in a lake, and tomorrow we're packing up and heading about 100km out of the city to camp for a couple of nights on the Fundy Shore. I can't wait.
It would have been nice to have had a lot more time, since we're out here it would be nice to check out Cape Breton, and head over to Newfoundland. But a little taste of the east coast is better than not being here at all, and at least now I know how worth it it is to come out this way. It's cool as well because a ten-day trip will let my boy and I know if we can travel together, rather than taking a long trip together and realizing halfway through that we don't make good travel partners. And so far, it's great :D
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Goddamn it felt good to throw that pack onto my back this morning. It's funny, until about a year ago my 'travelling' had pretty much been limited to yearly trip to New York City, and a couple other american treks. No actual backpacking. But now, I feel so normal with that bag on my back, being somewhere unknown to me and being able to decide 'where to go next?'
This little trip will be a tease in some ways, because it will be so short. And it doesn't feel like really travelling to me- at least not yet- because i'm not crossing any borders and don't need my passport.
But this is the travelling i've been dying to do. Me, my pack, and my thumbs. Fuck yes. The fact that a cute boy is teaching me how to travel this way makes it even better.
This little trip will be a tease in some ways, because it will be so short. And it doesn't feel like really travelling to me- at least not yet- because i'm not crossing any borders and don't need my passport.
But this is the travelling i've been dying to do. Me, my pack, and my thumbs. Fuck yes. The fact that a cute boy is teaching me how to travel this way makes it even better.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Yet another change of plans...
So, Thailand is out. It's not even a thought in my mind right now. I had decided to say FUCK IT and just figure it out, but I do not have the money to run away right now to another part of the world right now, and honestly right now I don't particularly have the desire to be in a foreign place like that. Lately my life has been a complete rollercoaster of good and bad, and I want to be around people I love and people who love me more than I want to be alone in a country where I don't speak the language.
Thailand is definitely a place I want to go. I want to do everything there. And I will. Hopefully in about a year's time. Gives me time to save and plan.
In the meantime, I'm tackling North America. I'm heading out Sunday night for about ten days on the east coast of Canada, mostly in Halifax. I am so excited for this for so many reasons. I've never been to the east coast. It's been too long since I've taken off from here. I'm travelling with the new man in my life who I'm pretty crazy about. And, unlike my last few trips where money flowed pretty easily and I was able to fly/bus to most places I wanted to get to, this trip I will be relying on my thumbs, my ability to run and jump, and the kindness of strangers to get me by. And that last part is what makes me most excited. I find, when you don't have money, you get to see parts of places you would easily gloss over otherwise. And just heading out there and hopping or hitching to get where we're going will be so...freeing. And I need that right now.
From here, it would be nice to be able to afford to run away somewhere warm again like I did THREE times last winter, but I can't see it happening this year. But hopefully, over the winter I will learn to drive, and in the spring I'd love to buy a vehicle and roadtrip around North America. There are so many places in Canada and the US that I could never see myself making a trip to go to exclusively, but if I can just drive on into places like Tuscon or Houston for a night or two before heading out...ugh. That sounds like heaven.
Thailand is definitely a place I want to go. I want to do everything there. And I will. Hopefully in about a year's time. Gives me time to save and plan.
In the meantime, I'm tackling North America. I'm heading out Sunday night for about ten days on the east coast of Canada, mostly in Halifax. I am so excited for this for so many reasons. I've never been to the east coast. It's been too long since I've taken off from here. I'm travelling with the new man in my life who I'm pretty crazy about. And, unlike my last few trips where money flowed pretty easily and I was able to fly/bus to most places I wanted to get to, this trip I will be relying on my thumbs, my ability to run and jump, and the kindness of strangers to get me by. And that last part is what makes me most excited. I find, when you don't have money, you get to see parts of places you would easily gloss over otherwise. And just heading out there and hopping or hitching to get where we're going will be so...freeing. And I need that right now.
From here, it would be nice to be able to afford to run away somewhere warm again like I did THREE times last winter, but I can't see it happening this year. But hopefully, over the winter I will learn to drive, and in the spring I'd love to buy a vehicle and roadtrip around North America. There are so many places in Canada and the US that I could never see myself making a trip to go to exclusively, but if I can just drive on into places like Tuscon or Houston for a night or two before heading out...ugh. That sounds like heaven.
Monday, June 6, 2011
New plans
After everything that happened at home while I was away last, I haven't been too sure what my travel plans to be would become. Originally I'd planned on going to Thailand for about two months around November. But after last time, I didn't feel safe or confident in leaving my cats and home without me.
So since then, I've started thinking about places I can go for two weeks. I've been thinking of Morocco, especially since the cheapest way to get there is to fly to Paris first, so I'd get a few days in Paris then ten days in Morocco.
I've thought of heading down to Peru, to check out Machu Picchu. But if I head there, I need more than two weeks. So much to see, so much to do.
Yesterday I realized what was making this decision so hard: two weeks is like a vacation. I want another adventure. I just spent almost a week in Vegas, how could I go somewhere like Peru for only twice that time?
Today I decided FUCK IT. I have a trusted friend who I'm sure I could convince to take my cats for a month. And I want to go to Thailand. It's always been my dream, after Australia, and I just did that one. I'd decided against Thailand because I've figured I need at least two months, ideally three months there, because with everything else being so close, I'd want to go to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia.... the list goes on.
But I can do Thailand for one month. Skip the other countries and just do the one I've been dying to see. So FUCK IT, I'm going. Just checked out prices and the flights are reasonable. Going to aim for November 1-30. As pretty much every flight stops in Hong Kong, I might try and delay my layover and spend a few days there as well, since I'll already be there.
Five months away.... oh well, it's not that long, and at least Ottawa/Montreal is pretty fucking awesome in the summertime!
So since then, I've started thinking about places I can go for two weeks. I've been thinking of Morocco, especially since the cheapest way to get there is to fly to Paris first, so I'd get a few days in Paris then ten days in Morocco.
I've thought of heading down to Peru, to check out Machu Picchu. But if I head there, I need more than two weeks. So much to see, so much to do.
Yesterday I realized what was making this decision so hard: two weeks is like a vacation. I want another adventure. I just spent almost a week in Vegas, how could I go somewhere like Peru for only twice that time?
Today I decided FUCK IT. I have a trusted friend who I'm sure I could convince to take my cats for a month. And I want to go to Thailand. It's always been my dream, after Australia, and I just did that one. I'd decided against Thailand because I've figured I need at least two months, ideally three months there, because with everything else being so close, I'd want to go to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia.... the list goes on.
But I can do Thailand for one month. Skip the other countries and just do the one I've been dying to see. So FUCK IT, I'm going. Just checked out prices and the flights are reasonable. Going to aim for November 1-30. As pretty much every flight stops in Hong Kong, I might try and delay my layover and spend a few days there as well, since I'll already be there.
Five months away.... oh well, it's not that long, and at least Ottawa/Montreal is pretty fucking awesome in the summertime!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
I can't believe it's really over. I have to wake up in eight hours from now and head to the airport.
i've never, in my entire life, had something so hard to have to deal with when I get back. I am so happy that I found out what happened back home while I was here, cause if I hadn't found it out while I was here, it would all still be there on my walls and in my room for me to see when I get back. Since I'm lucky enough to have a group of such incredible friends, it's all been cleaned up and is gone, so I don't have to see it when I get home. But in some ways, that makes it weirder. That shit happened. And it's gone.
In so many ways, I've already moved passed it and have been able to focus on the amazing things I've done while here and not think about it. But now, i'm going back there in a few hours. And when I do, I have to realize that someone actually hates me enough to have done what they did to me. And I don't even know who did it. So I have to go back to a town where there is someone who actually HATES me. Not even dislikes. But actually hates, enough to go out and be as cruel to me as they were. I am a strong woman. And luckily I am, cause otherwise I wouldn't have been able to have the best time of my life while over here despite what happened. But even being as strong as I am, that doesn't make it easy to go back to that. And as much as I thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of my incredible friends who went to my house and cleaned the cruelty away, and took care of my cats, and did so many incredibly kind things for me that I don't know how I can ever thank them... that still doesn't erase the hurt that exists from what happened. I wish it could, so much. But now I have to go back, and have people ask me who I think did it. And there's a fucking witch hunt happening back there, a witch hunt that I've even taken part of from here, throwing friends of mine on the fire and accusing.
Now that the trip is ending, it's so hard to say to myself, 'It doesn't matter. You're living out one of your dreams. Enjoy it.'. Because now, that dream is over. Now I have to go back to a place where someone hates me enough t have done what they did. I want so much to be able to say it doesn't matter, but it DOES. I'm going home to find all of the money I'd saved to live on when i get back is gone. I'm going back to the realization that someone was in my fucking bedroom, and rooted through my personal belongings like they were nothing. To a place where someone hated me so much that they spraypainted the wall in my bedroom. My BEDROOM. The only place in the world that is totally mine.
I will get past this. I know that. But I hate, I hate so much, that I have to. All I did was take myself on a vacation I've dreamt of my whole life. Why is that something that could make someone do something so cruel to me?
Sorry. I'm a little drunk right now and just don't know how to move past this at the moment.
i've never, in my entire life, had something so hard to have to deal with when I get back. I am so happy that I found out what happened back home while I was here, cause if I hadn't found it out while I was here, it would all still be there on my walls and in my room for me to see when I get back. Since I'm lucky enough to have a group of such incredible friends, it's all been cleaned up and is gone, so I don't have to see it when I get home. But in some ways, that makes it weirder. That shit happened. And it's gone.
In so many ways, I've already moved passed it and have been able to focus on the amazing things I've done while here and not think about it. But now, i'm going back there in a few hours. And when I do, I have to realize that someone actually hates me enough to have done what they did to me. And I don't even know who did it. So I have to go back to a town where there is someone who actually HATES me. Not even dislikes. But actually hates, enough to go out and be as cruel to me as they were. I am a strong woman. And luckily I am, cause otherwise I wouldn't have been able to have the best time of my life while over here despite what happened. But even being as strong as I am, that doesn't make it easy to go back to that. And as much as I thank, from the bottom of my heart, all of my incredible friends who went to my house and cleaned the cruelty away, and took care of my cats, and did so many incredibly kind things for me that I don't know how I can ever thank them... that still doesn't erase the hurt that exists from what happened. I wish it could, so much. But now I have to go back, and have people ask me who I think did it. And there's a fucking witch hunt happening back there, a witch hunt that I've even taken part of from here, throwing friends of mine on the fire and accusing.
Now that the trip is ending, it's so hard to say to myself, 'It doesn't matter. You're living out one of your dreams. Enjoy it.'. Because now, that dream is over. Now I have to go back to a place where someone hates me enough t have done what they did. I want so much to be able to say it doesn't matter, but it DOES. I'm going home to find all of the money I'd saved to live on when i get back is gone. I'm going back to the realization that someone was in my fucking bedroom, and rooted through my personal belongings like they were nothing. To a place where someone hated me so much that they spraypainted the wall in my bedroom. My BEDROOM. The only place in the world that is totally mine.
I will get past this. I know that. But I hate, I hate so much, that I have to. All I did was take myself on a vacation I've dreamt of my whole life. Why is that something that could make someone do something so cruel to me?
Sorry. I'm a little drunk right now and just don't know how to move past this at the moment.
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