ROB’S REPORT
“PICTURE IF YOU WILL...
MY GLOBAL ADVENTURE”
Robert Pearson
Copyright 2012 by Robert Pearson
December 25, 2005
Smashwords Edition
Welcome to The Journey...
A Note From Bighead December 7th, 2004
I will begin by first apologizing for the delay in blog updates once again. However let it be noted that there are those experiences in life that must be lived before they can be recorded and scrutinized. One must live the moment and allow the story to come to its logical conclusion before sitting down at the pub and starting a conversation that typically begins with four little words I find most appropriate when recounting a tale of this scope. Those are of course, 'Picture if you will...'.
Now before beginning I feel I must provide a context or setting for you within which the tale will unfold. The best analogy I have come up with thus far is that of a high school classroom. Yes the big green Kiwi Experience bus traveling across the sheep filled landscape could fit that stereotype succinctly. You've got the cool kids, the loud kids, the quiet kids, the crazy girl, the older man, the illustrious drivers and the gossip that naturally comes along with them all arriving in a different town everyday, ready for the next adventure. However, that in itself is a stereotype, something one forms simply by human nature through an immediate sizing-up of people when meeting them. It would take 10 days and an island and a half of travel to fully realize that our perception of each other is inconsequential. We all came to this adventure on an equal footing, something which was most apparent as the all the guys headed out for the evening dressed in women's clothing at the strange hotel by the side of the road.
Here are my final thoughts on the Kiwi Experience Bus Tour around the country. If you are coming here to this country and want to see it fully, do this tour. I feel like a local now that I've completed it as I have quite literally seen about 85% of this country. It’s a fantastic experience and well worth the time. There are other companies which do the same type of excursions, but the Kiwi is the oldest, the most well known and in my view certainly the best with a reputation that can't be beat.
As they say all along the road, 'It's all about the Kiwi Experience'
I've published a special Kiwi Experience gallery of pictures, if your interested, do let me know and I will provide you with the link.
A Note From Bighead: December 9th, 2004
We are 100% up to date. Enjoy!
Now, onto the next adventure!
The Journey >>>
Once in long while an opportunity comes along so extensive in its possibilities, so intricate in its design and so just a little bit on the side of crazy that to not pursue it would be tragic. After realizing that there really is no time like the present and if you don't do it now then there is an easy chance you may never do it, I set about on this new direction. I rarely do things simply and since any experience is only as good as the story which it itself inspires, there's a statement for the ages, I have designed the following insanity.
On June 20th, 2004 I departed Vancouver Island, British Columbia, my home for the last 6 months, for a 65,000 kilometre, 5 continent, 310 day trip around the world. I am going many places where I know many people and I'd love to see you all when I'm there. I'll give you the basic breakdown of the trip and if you are there then lets get together. However, more than that, if your not up to much in the next year, if you yourself are looking for a different sort of direction, I will put out an open invite to one and all to join me on any or all legs of the trip.
Ladies and Gentleman see below for details and enjoy! The pictures are now live and the stories will follow in the days to come.
Find Me!
613.265.0892,
Check out this version of MY World Map!
Itinerary
June 20th - June 23rd - Saskatoon >>> COMPLETE
June 23rd - June 27th - Toronto
(see The City Chase) >>> COMPLETE
June 27th - June 30th - The OC, Ottawa >>> COMPLETE
June 30th - July 3rd - Toronto >>> COMPLETE
July 4th - St. John's, NFLD >>> COMPLETE
July 5th - July 7th - London >>> COMPLETE
July 7th - July 13th - Prague and Budapest >>> COMPLETE
July 14th - July 22nd - London and District >>> COMPLETE
July 22nd - August 12th - India and Nepal >>> COMPLETE
August 12th - August 28th - Thailand and Cambodia >>> COMPLETE
August 28th - September 15th - South Korea and Japan >>> COMPLETE
September 15th - September 20th - Sydney >>> COMPLETE
September 20th - October 30th - Auckland - Work >>> COMPLETE
October 30th - November 3rd - The Melbourne Cup >>> COMPLETE
November 4th - November 5th - Auckland - Work - Done >>> COMPLETE
November 6th - November 8th - Kiwi Experience - North to the Cape >>> COMPLETE
November 9th - November 11th - Auckland Errands >>> COMPLETE
November 12th - December 6th - Kiwi Experience and Rail Excursions >>> COMPLETE
December
6th - December 15th - Auckland... NZ End Game >>> COMPLETE
December
15th - January 1st - Journey Intersession - Parksville, British
Columbia >>> COMPLETE
January
1st - January 4th - The Return to Down Under - Auckland to Sydney >>>
COMPLETE
January
4th - January 6th - Sydney >>> COMPLETE
January
6th - January 10th - Port MacQuarie, NSW >>>
COMPLETE
January
10th - February 3rd - Melbourne As >>> COMPLETE
February
3rd - February 5th - The Great Ocean Road >>>
COMPLETE
February
5th - March 17th - Melbourne As >>> COMPLETE
March
17th - March 19th - Sydney and the Blue Mountains >>>
COMPLETE
March
19th - March 21st - The Indian Pacific and The Ghan -
Sydney-Adelaide-Alice Springs >>> COMPLETE
March
21st - March 24th - Alice Springs and Ayers Rock >>>
COMPLETE
March
24th - March 25th - The Ghan - Alice Springs-Adelaide >>>
COMPLETE
March
25th - March 27th - Adelaide >>> COMPLETE
March
27th - March 29th - The Indian Pacific - Adelaide-Perth >>>
COMPLETE
March
29th - April 1st - Perth and Rottnest Island >>>
COMPLETE
April
1st - April 3rd - Corrigin >>> COMPLETE
April
3rd - April 4th - Perth >>> COMPLETE
April
4th - April 5th - Perth to Auckland to LA >>> COMPLETE
April
5th - April 8th - LA >>> COMPLETE
April
8th - April 10th - Lima >>> COMPLETE
April
10th - April 24th - GAP
Adventures Perú Tour
>>> COMPLETE
April
24th - April 26th - Lima >>> COMPLETE
April
26th - Lima to LA to Toronto >>> COMPLETE
April
26th - April 29th - Toronto >>> COMPLETE
April
29th - May 3rd - Ottawa >>> COMPLETE
May
3rd - May 4th - Toronto >>> COMPLETE
May
4th - May 5th - Nanaimo to Parksville >>> COMPLETE
May
5th - Parksville to Comox to Calgary to Saskatoon >>>
COMPLETE
May
5th - May 9th - Saskatoon >>> COMPLETE
May
9th - Saskatoon to Calgary to Comox to Parksville >>>
COMPLETE
May
9th - May 10th - Parksville >>> COMPLETE
May
10th - Parksville to Vancouver >>> COMPLETE
May
10th - May 11th - Vancouver >>> COMPLETE
May
11th - Vancouver to Toronto >>> COMPLETE
May
11th - May 13th - Toronto >>> COMPLETE
May
13th - Toronto to Vancouver to Victoria >>> COMPLETE
May
13th - May 14th - Victoria >>> COMPLETE
May
14th - May 16th - Parksville >>> COMPLETE
May
16th - May 17th - Campbell River >>> COMPLETE
May
17th - May 20th - Parksville >>> COMPLETE
May
20th (11 Months) - The Final Entry from Parksville >>>
COMPLETE
Picture Gallery
So I have taken a number of pictures so far as you can no doubt guess and I will provide links to some of them here that I have uploaded onto this website. There are links to them in the paragraph below and if you click on them, they should load directly into a new browser window. You can then keep that window open if you wish or close it straight away. However, please be aware that they are large pictures and depending on what type of computer you are using and what your connection speed is, they may take some time to load. Unfortunately, being on the road I am unable to generate any thumbnail galleries effectively, so we will just have to use this system for now.
Batch #1
This pictorial history begins with a little thing we like to call the Amazing Race. Well no not really, its the City Chase and we began it by preparing in the ACC in Toronto one early Sunday morning in June. The whole story appears below, but you can guess that we finished in grand style after seven hours. Then it was off to Newfoundland. What do you do when you go to the Rock? Well you get Screeched in, even if it was 2pm in the afternoon. Then it was London, falling asleep on the top of a double-decker bus when all of a sudden, there was Big Ben. Time passes and one finds oneself sailing down the Vltavia with ancient wood from a Canadian forest far, far away while staring up at Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge beyond. After that we spent some more time on Charles Bridge and then walked further down the road to the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square. We then headed down the road, the rail road, to see Budapest Castle, the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and the Communist Statue Park just outside of town. Returning to Prague we said Tata to Hungary and saw an excellent sunset before reaching Slovakia. Back in Old Town Square in front of the Astronomical Clock once more we found overselves. Then it was back to the United Kingdom and travel to Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Cambridge, Oxford and the Tower of London.
Batch #2
If you would like to see several pictures from all through India, Nepal and the first few days in Thailand, please click here: http://400.ca/bighead/batch2/
Batch #3
Then if you'd like to see several pictures from Bangkok, Southern Thailand and the ruins of Angor Wat at Siam Reap, Cambodia, please click here: http://400.ca/bighead/batch3/
Batch #4
Looking for pictures of South Korea, Japan, Sydney and Auckland? Please click here: http://400.ca/bighead/batch4/
Batch #5
I have finished up living and working in Auckland, New Zealand. It has been an amazing experience and I've left in good graces. I also had the pleasure of a side trip to Melbourne via Sydney over the past week to take in the Melbourne Cup. Would you like to see the details? Please click here: http://400.ca/bighead/batch5/
Batch #6
The first batch of pictures from the Kiwi Experience. They include most sites between Cape Reinga on the North Island to the Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island. If you have any questions, comments or technical difficulties with any of the pictures do let me know. Please click here for the gallery: http://400.ca/bighead/batch6/
Batch #7
The second batch of pictures from the Kiwi Experience, yes it was just that amazing down on the South Island. They include most sites between the Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island to just south of Auckland on the North Island. If you have any questions, comments or technical difficulties with any of the pictures do let me know. Please click here for the gallery: http://400.ca/bighead/batch7/
Batch #8
The Christmas Holiday's were spent in Parksville and Campbell River, BC. I then returned down under via Vancouver, LA and Auckland to get to Sydney. From there I traveled up to Port MacQuarie and then down to Melbourne and eventually out the Great Ocean Road. Please click here for the gallery covering these travels: http://400.ca/bighead/batch8/
Batch #9
I've been doing many things in and around Melbourne over the last few weeks. Please click here to see some of things that I've been up too: http://400.ca/bighead/batch9/
Batch
#10
(A
Really Long Time on Trains from Sydney to The Alice to Perth)
From Sydney on the East Coast, to Adelaide at the bottom, to Alice in the middle and Perth and Corrigin on the West Coast. This is the real Australia. Batch 10 is available here: http://400.ca/bighead/batch10/
Batch
#11
(LA
and Peru)
http://400.ca/bighead/batch11/
Batch
#12
(Southern
Peru)
http://400.ca/bighead/batch12/
Batch
#13
(Machu
Picchu and Cuzco)
http://400.ca/bighead/batch13/
Chapter 1
June 10th: Parksville
Packing is starting, Life is closing, the time has almost arrived. Join me on my travels and check back soon.
June 17th: Parksville
Re-pack #3 was the charm. I added on a carry-on and that was the solution. The pack began at about 75 pounds and would not close. My in-house packing consultant was not pleased. Round two brought it down more and number three was the charm. It is about 2/3's full and 50 pounds. There is a carry-on as well and the Korea box leaves on its Oceanic adventure today. It struck me completely as I was packing that I had to put my entire life on my back and all of a sudden this sweater and that pair of pants no longer became necessary. This is where it will stay but as I go, I will shed travel books and anything else that doesn't seem to be useful. Although I know we are down to the essentials now.
Tonight, I will go north to Campbell River at 50 degrees North where we will draw a starting line in the sand and where I will dip my toe in the Pacific for the first time. From there the spedometer will start and I will be on my way.
Much more to follow.
June 18th: Campbell River
Starting Line...
June 20th, 10am local: YVR (Vancouver)
I'm being told how to do my seat belt for the first time in potentially 30 times in the next 300 days. This is only the first hour of a 7200 hour journey and yet I have enough to write and say hello. The question is, how did I make to this point? 60 days spent planning with a list requiring its own multi-page excel file brings us to this point. To be honest, it was difficult to imagine getting here, but the list is done and there's nothing left to do except enjoy. My packing consultant claims this trip is at least 3 times more organized than any he has taken. That is a good thing. We left him by the side of the highway this morning, I wish him well on his own journey.
Retirement's come and gone. Three days ago I dipped my toe in the Pacific and 12 days from now I will do the same in the Atlantic. I'm 27 and leaving on a trip around the world in essentially 92 days. What can you can say but Bighead's my name and epic is my game. The largest thought of the day so far was as niece gave me one last hug at the gate, I thought give it twenty years and our roles will be reversed as she sets out on her own trip a little but on the side of crazy. I fly today with a piece of old-growth wood carved into the shape of a maple leaf. The world is my sketchpad and its time to bring a little Canadiana wherever I go.
Time to take a bow, give my best salute and exit stage right. Let's do it.
June 20th, 16:00 local: YYC (Calgary)
There are towers in many places I will be traveling too. My many plane tickets within plane tickets have allowed me an 8 hour lay-over in Calgary. What to do? Well time to go climb the highest building in all the land. I went downtown to the Calgary Tower and up and then took the C-Train most of the way back to the airport. Calgary is cool a city. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get on an earlier flight so its time for a three or four hour nap at the Tim's.
June 21st, 23:00 local: YXE (Saskatoon)
The timing of this trip has several reasons behind it. One is the Tragically Hip, another is my interest in politics. I tied up a contract I had been working on today and I was able to visit with many of the Saskatchewan relatives. It was very good to see them all again, it had been too long. I've realized that the planning on this trip is not over quite yet. I have myself planned to do many things and go many many places before this trip begins. It is likely that it will not dawn on me exactly what the scope of this trip is until I fly out of Toronto. This trip is unlike any other trip I've taken. I am unsure of whether or not I could say how it is different but I believe it is the factor of the unknown. Many components of this trip have no frame of reference and no one to suggest exactly how they did it, cause I've come across no one who has done it before. I seem to be getting a lot of that lately.
We saw Paul Martin today, it was very interesting to have a glimpse of what goes on, on the campaign trail. In fact as he was leaving he squished his face up against the window, yes the Prime Minister, and looked me right in the eye. He's a good man.
June 27th 18:30 local: YYZ (Toronto)
I've been here and I'm on the road again. An intensive whirlwind of activity. Picked up by Paul on the 23rd. We arrive back at the Jefferson where I'm presented with my arrival in Toronto present: one fresh Dutchman delivered from Bangkok. We have a good night at the building, in the hot tub, hanging out on the roof, playing games. Christian comes by, he is well. Shannon, Mike and Brian and more? It's been busy few days. The next day was spent shopping and running errands. We brought Paul into the cellular community with a 647 area code. Alex got a Toronto number, bank account and driver’s license. Indeed he is now a Canadian. Friday saw much of the same. We hung-out and lived well. Saturday however was a day like no other.
The Bell City Chase is what they call it. Bent and broken is what I was at the end of it. Picture, ladies and gentlemen... if you will...
The Air Canada Centre, early Saturday morning. 300 teams of 2 (or perhaps 3) individuals competing in an amazing race style, survivoresque challenge of physical fitness and competitive might throughout the GTA. There was some question as to whether we would meet the needs of the physical fitness component, but Paul runs like the wind and kept the whip on me to follow suit. It begins with the Race Leader rallying the troops on the stadium floor and then several hundred of us running up the loading dock. The first task was that of a scavenger hunt. We set up Mission Control at the Jefferson and PM Pauline managed us throughout the day. We needed to initially locate several items and then return to the ACC for our clue sheet. Mission Control was able to gather many of them and deliver them by car to Union Station within minutes, yet several others beat us on the task. Nevertheless, the Race then began and we were off.
Here is what we were able to accomplish.
1. Maple Leaf Gardens Find three signs in the neighbourhood. Mike, from Paul's building had come along with us for the first part of the Race to coordinate activities with the Project Manager and Mission Control. The Gay Pride festivities were on and several people were quite helpful in finding what we needed. However we took too long on this Race Point, about an hour, but we did prevail. We received word later that many teams simply gave up on this point because on piece of information related to one sign was almost impossible to find.
2. Bloor and Younge Busking to raise money for Junior Achievement. I grab a tiny stool and walk out to corner. I stand up on it and start yelling to the crowds at the top of my lungs as to why we are here and what we were doing. Task completed in about two minutes.
3. Younge and Lawrence I get blindfolded and chained up with a lock in a park while Paul has to scurry through the neighbourhood to find a clue which contains a combination to unlock my locks. We spent a bit too much time here too, but its all good, we made it up in other places.
4. St. Clair Reservoir More scurrying through the park, Paul falls down a hill. However we find the station in good time and its anagrams. Create 15 words from the words 'Bell City Chase' with no plurals. After Paul gives the Race Point Captain some training on what exactly a plural word is, we are off and on our way again. PM Pauline directs us through the words to a nearby Subway station.
5. U of T Basement Room on campus where cell phone do not work. Complete 10 of 15 questions related to Toronto trivia. The Hip and Mission Control assist with some answers and we are quickly on our way again.
6. City Hall Now if you can believe it, this was our training for the physical component of the Race. The night before, were sitting in the hot tub and decide to run down from the roof on the 21st floor to the ground and backup again. As I mentioned, Paul runs like the wind. We both did that in about 5 minutes, no worries. However, when we got to City Hall and were informed that we would be climbing 28 stories to the top (that number includes to the two 13th floors) I knew it would take us a little longer. To quite literally add insult to injury, that morning the team with the highest combined ages (104) was announced, the passed us on the stairs. It was neat though, once we got to the top that is normally closed to the general public we took some compass bearings of the CN Tower, the Paramount and the Canada Life building. I chugged two Snapple’s (product placement) and down we went.
7. Queen and Peter Food challenge. Now we decided from the beginning that I would do the food challenges because Paul's stomach is not the best you could say when it comes to "chugging". However, no such luck we both had to do it. Picture if you will. You roll a six sided die to determine whether you will drink one of six items. #1 - Extra Sugar Free Gum (product placement), #2 - anchovies, #3 - hot peppers, #4 - wet cat food, #5 - dry cat food, #6 - a lovely puree of all of the above. Can we guess which number Paul rolls? Six it is! I got a four. So I stood by and watched the liquid portion enter Paul, get swallowed and come right back out to say hello. This disqualified us from this station but I suppose that's OK cause I didn't have to eat anything.
8. The Lakeshore Boot Camp. Here you have an example of four words which are not commonly associated. Paul, Rob, Boot Camp. There were four stations here and I will quite happily say that I could have had a good cry when it was done. Station #1 - Three-legged push-ups, 50 of them. Paul and I have never been known to have excellent push-up style. However I thought to myself as I was laying there after #46 with my face in the dirt looking at Paul with his face in the dirt, with all of the Race Point Captains standing over us and telling us that we suck, that we have to finish this. We got through it, mostly by quickly pushing ourselves up and dropping again to the ground. Station #2 - Three-legged jump-rope. We hobble over to discover in horror that the two of us have to go through the rope together five times without screwing up. Time and again we collapsed on top of each other in a mess. However, we did it. Or about 4.5 times you could see. Finally the girl just told us to move on. Station #3 - Three-legged shoe toss through an obstacle course, no worries there. Station #4 - Three-legged somersault. By this time it was just whatever, get it done and move on. And so we did.
9. Woodbine Beach Essentially, Paul's buries me entirely in a hole, goes and retrieves a ball in the water and tosses it into a hoola-hoop. Good times, very sandy experience.
10. A Fire Station (#CHASE) This station was closed for the day, free Race Point.
11. The Distillery It's 5:00pm, we heard rumours throughout the day that the Race time was being extended from 4 until 5, but we missed getting a stamp final one at the Opera House on Queen East.
So there you have, we did finish it. Word has it that only about 60 teams out of 300 crossed the finish line. Incredibly enough, the didn't want to give me the finisher button because we had 9 out 10 stamps (having been to 11 stations) but I talked one out of them anyway. We crossed the finish line at 7:12, the best time was 4:44. It was a great experience, albeit painful, but I would highly recommend it to anyone. It comes to Ottawa on July 17th. The lesson of the day was simply this. You can sit on your couch and watch the Amazing Race (starts July 6th), or Survivor or Fear Factor and say 'oh yeah, I could do that no problem'. However, you just don't know until you do it. While physical fitness is good, competitive might is probably better. That is why its Amazing.
June 29th 17:00 local: YOW (The O.C.) (updated July 14th)
Road Block. Detour. Fast Forward. I have further insight into the design of the Amazing Race. I have been presented with items from these categories since arriving here in Ottawa and I guess they could be expected. Some are not so good, but some are also very appealing. I will have to plan the trip accordingly. I've been able to get some work done while I was here which is good. I have made contact with all of my previous work ones and a few more. I've spent some time at the Heidemann's which has been very good.
On Sunday when I arrived we went to the Glebe Ave block party, Inez Kettles recognized me in the crowd. Declan and his Mom were there and we out with them at the Oak on Bank later that night where Jake Whitley also showed up. Mrs. Thomas is an interesting lady and we had a good chat. Monday was spent organizing for a Bangladesh Visa. To my enquiries, they posed the question, 'So why do you want to go to Bangladesh?' Indeed. I expect the exact travel schedule while I'm in India wont be planned for a while. I had to provide proof that I knew someone there during a little chat with the man in the back with dark glasses and a cigar. Monday night was election night. I sat with my red colours in a room painted blue and watched all that went on. It was good to see Spin Doctor Mulvihill at what he so very good at. Tuesday has been spent getting my hair cut at Silver Scissors, a tour of the new building at Ashbury and a meeting with Vicki to discuss the idea of a global alumni rep. I've been to the Treasury Board and conducted some training. The rest of the afternoon consists of coffee with Megan, it will be good to see her, a last business meeting for the day to discuss the interesting business day it has been and finally meeting up with folks. Tomorrow I return to TO after a few more errands here in the Capital.
June 30th 12:30 local: YOW (The O.C.)
A last few errands for the day, including touching base with the Deans office. Its going to be a bit of a slow day, I'm pretty tired. Last night was good to see everybody. To those who were unable to make it, no worries, I totally understand, it was a Tuesday after all. Mo and Elana were there and filled me in on all of the wedding plans. Unfortunately, I will not be attending. Elana arrived a little later from Muslim conversion classes. They are headed down in the near future to Windsor to meet with the Priest in the Croatian church they will be married in there. James Cole, best man, was also there and has put out a general hail for stories about Mo to put into his two best man speeches. If you have any, let him know, I can provide his email. Chris from the past was there, Nadia Gandhi, Lady Gilliana Depew, Stephen and myself. Anyway, all is well that ends well here in the Capital.
July 3rd 21:37 local: YYZ (The T.O.)
I have seen the Hip in concert probably about 20 times. These were the best seats I've ever had. Shan and I went and had a very good time. They played many favorites. Friday and Saturday saw the last of the errand runs and the cleaning of P and P's place. Paul picked me up at the airport on Wednesday when I returned. We went and joined Alex in a sea of orange at the Fox and Fiddle anticipating a Holland win in Euro 2004 but not getting one. Ahh well. Paul and Pauline then departed for Saskatoon and Edmonton where they stayed for a wedding. Canada Day went well but became a bit of a foot note. We didn't really get up to much, but that was OK. Not much else went on in this block of days although we did get a chance to hang out with Sjoerd and Christian and his lovely girlfriend Doughanta. Apologies if there are any spelling mistakes there.
July 4th 17:12 local: YYT (St. John's, NFLD.)
It has been an interesting day.
Arrived and went to bed at about 3:30am. Heavy Fog and still Heavy Fog. Woke up to look over the bay, I hadn't realized it was there when I went to bed. The Battery is nice, I had a good sleep and needed one too. This morning I got up and checked out. Checked my bag and went up signal hill, quite neat, although the heavy fog allowed for not much to be seen. I went downtown to George Street, the Byward Market of St. John's. I got chatting with three older English folks who were there for the same reason I was. We found a bar called Trapper John's and went in and performed the ceremony! I got my shot glass, certificate and a picture of me kissing a stuffed puffin with a fur hat on! (cause their trappers and not fisherman). I walked up and down Water Street afterwards.
I enquired about Cape Spear but one taxi driver was frank with me and indicated that it would cost a lot to get there and since it was so foggy there wouldn't be much to see. So I made it back to the hotel, thought I would do a little email. Oh and I noticed VLT machines in the restaurant in the hotel, so I figured that would be an easy way to get rid of the rest of my Canadian change. It was indeed. Oh and I won $200.00 too, covering all of my costs since I've been here. Its been a great day on the Rock! I'm going to check on flights and fogginess now and then go down to a fort I believe? Which is below signal hill. More to follow!
London calling...
July 6th 23:00 local: LON (London, baby...) (updated July 14th)
It doesn't become real until you actually leave your home and native land. It is only then that this around-the-world thing really began and still there is so much more to go. I've been to London several times before and I love this city and its good to be back. I departed St. John's on Sunday night at 10pm. The night was very short and unfortunately sleep did not come to me as it usually does on plane rides. The sunrise was astonishing over the Ocean. I listened to MC Mario on the AC Radio and thought of England as I heard Duran Duran latest, "Reach out for the Sunrise". This probably had something to do with why I had trouble sleeping. We saw the Station Agent on the plane, its a very interesting, very Canadian movie. However since St. John's is already half-way to England, the flight was not long. We arrived here at 6:10am and I had the whole day ahead of me until meeting Nick at Tower Hill Station 12 hours later.
Well, how to spend a day in London when your so tired you can barely walk. Getting rid of my pack at Victoria Station was the first priority. Then finding something to do. After I sat for a while, this seemed to be a good low-impact activity, I decided to go take my sister's solution of a double-decker bus ride around London. It lasted about three hours, I drifted off here and there. Then more sitting. Finally I decided I need a little sleep. So off to High Park out front of Buckingham Palace I went and slept hard beside a tree for about two hours. Then time was getting on so I went and found my bag and met up with Nick. His flat is great, very nice. We went to pub underneath some train tracks last night, very cool. We had some good chats about what the future holds and why were here and what will come next. There are many things to look forward too. I finally went to sleep at about 24:00 and slept hard for about 14 hours. Today was scheduled to be a slow day and I was happy to have it come. I didn't really leave the neighbourhood today but I guess its all about pacing yourself.
Tomorrow however we will embark on another journey to the undiscovered country. We have been destined to travel there for two long years and tomorrow it will be so. More to come...
July 8th 23:00 local: PRG (Prague)
28 years old in the City of Prague. Who would have thought? This was a great place to celebrate my birthday, but certainly different than it would have been at home. I find it interesting that while I am traveling I find myself focusing in on remnants of home. These could be anything, from the person next to you speaking English, to eating that Big Mac even though you'd never think about eating one at home, to that Venti Dark from Starbucks with the cup that always leaks in the same place when its too full, to that picture of Avril Lavigne staring back at you from a life once lived in an advert for her new CD on the wall of a Hungarian subway station. I suppose they are a way of remembering where you came from and where you eventually need to find your way back to.
It also occurs to me on this day that I am now 28. When your 21 and doing the type of trip I am doing now, you don't see yourself at 28 doing the type of trip I am doing now. I have thought over the last few years of birthdays that it really is no fun to be getting older but I think I'm starting to have a change of heart. You can do many more things at these ages than you could at previous ones. I
July 9th 12:45 local: PRG (Prague)
We have made here to the Czech Republic and it is wonderful. We arrived two nights ago and have been up to see the castle, climbed the 287 steps to the top of the tower there in Wenceslas Church, explored the Charles Bridge and have wandered all through the Old Town. Last night we went out for my big 28th birthday in the Old Town Square and had Goulash and some excellent Czech wine. I didn't get on the Internet at all on my birthday which maybe I will think about following in the years to come. It is good to have specifically one day where you are not in front of the machine. Of course that doesn't really apply on this trip.
Tonight we depart by train to Budapest for 9 hours, stopping in Bratislava (I'm thinking of Eurp Trip) and Brno along the way. Were riding in style in a sleeper car, because really, why not?. We met an interesting girl from North Korea, we think, while we were waiting for the lights on Charles Bridge and the Castle to come on. Today was a boat tour down the Vltava. It rained like you wouldn't believe last night, thus the propensity to floods I guess.
think this will become more and more apparent as this trip wears on.
July 10th unknown local: Slovak Republic, Romanian Train
"Pass Control!" It's a Romanian Train heading down the line from Prague to Bucharest. It's the train we were supposed to take 2 years ago. Well at least we are getting a flavour of what it's like. We departed Prague at 23:34 after an interesting evening of Black Light Theatre with the Beatles which was somewhat strange but I'll get to that in a later description of our travels. Nearly everyone in our sleeper car speaks English. There are a group of American girls a few cabins down making a raucous. The conductor just opened a few bottles of wine for them with a wooden spike and sold us two Romanian beers for a Euro a piece.
Nick and I helped the conductor coordinate the boarding of some passengers, Nick helped a Polish couple with their bags as well as three older English ladies. The Polish gentleman later came by to give many thanks to Nick and indicated that he perhaps wanted to bestow something else upon him in his cabin but after Nick tried to communicate with him in no less than English, French, Russian and German we were unable to find out what it was and we parted ways with him after bestowing a Canadian pin upon him. The conductor was not so friendly from the beginning of the trip, partly because the American girls did not have their tickets in order, but he was quite relaxed by the morning and we gave him a tip for the good ride.
You might think that sleeping in a sleeper car is a bit easier than a seat, which it is, but you still must deal with the border patrol. One Czech and one Slovak boarded the train a few hours into the trip and then one Slovak and one Hungarian boarded the train several more hours later. They are not the most pleasant folks. Nick tried to use the washroom at stop number one but was not permitted to do so by the Czech with sharpened teeth. Shortly after we enquired with the next guard as to why we had to show our passports twice. To which she curtly replied, "He is Czech, I am Slovak." and then moved on.
July 10 – Budapest
So its July 10th and we arrive in Buda and Pest. Its 8:30am and were tired. Here is where your travel instincts have to kick in. You arrive in a country where a thousand of the local currency is only a few dollars in your own, you don't speak the language, your tired and you just want to find your hostel. You have to call up instinct, self-awareness and a understanding that you will be able to navigate in this new environment. On our trips, Nick works the directions, I work the internal compass and we usually do fine. We were able to locate our hostel, the Dominic Panzio, in an old church and we walked there. We purchased breakfast there and went for a nap until 14:00. We needed it. Once we got up, we made our way through a nearby park to the museum quarter and down to the Danube for lunch on the Columbus Boat Pub.
We discussed over lunch how in order to survive in a country like this where tourist facilities are not as plentiful as Prague, you need to be comfortable. I believe what's necessary is try to fit into your surroundings. The essentials of life will typically always be the same. Red means stop, green means go, waiters will always look for that tip on your meal bill or they will put it there themselves. If you the take the time to listen to your travel instincts and if use logic in the decisions which you make then you will able to survive well and stay safe. If you give into panic and fear that you are in an unknown place, you will only ruin the experience for yourself and others around you.
After a call to track down Rowen Victoria Flood on the occasion of her second birthday and in order to sing her happy birthday, yes it probably cost a lot from my cell, we headed across the Chain Bridge to the funicular and up to the Castle. Budapest, really the union of the two cities of Buda and Pest, is an interesting city. It does not posses the tourist facilities and attractions which Prague does but it certainly makes do. However being a student of cultural geography, I do notice one thing. If your a city looking to attract tourists, the idea of heritage tourism seems to be applicable here. Have you got an old and interesting bridge and some older buildings that people might be interested in coming to see? If yes, then the tourists will come. It is interesting though, Regina Saskatchewan has an old and interesting bridge and some older buildings that people might be interested in coming to see but just not the mystique that Budapest has. I suppose that the theory is to build on what you have and as profitability increases, go beyond what you could initially offer tourists to something more.
We decided to do the National Gallery the following day as the day was starting to wear on. We went back to the Danube to a different boat for dinner and I was able to get of Rowen by cell phone on the shores of the Ottawa. The party boat next door kept blasting Usher's latest, 'Yeah!' during dinner but then eventually pulled out for its party cruise. We then headed back to the hostel through the walking mall behind the Marriott and after fighting with a metro ticket machine, decided to take a taxi.
The next day we still had not figured out the metro ticketing system so we ended up walking a fair distance downtown. We walked across the Chain Bridge again, closed to vehicle traffic for a summer festival, and up the funicular again to the Castle. We went through the National Gallery and then over to Citadel Hill and up a rather long hill to the Statue of Liberty. After that exercise we went on a boat cruise, we had seen the lights the night before during dinner, down around St. Margarities Island. We had dinner at a pub in the walking mall where Nick had some soup that was I think way more hot than his palette was used to. After fighting with the same tram ticket machine we made it back to the Hostel and did some Internet.
July 12 – Budapest
July 12 saw us head out to the 'Hammer and Sickle' Tour operated by an adventure company in Budapest. This was a neat one. Our tour guides name was Béa and she took us to a Communist-era style flat in the suburbs of town in a building where apparently a lot of old Party members live and who are none too pleased to see tourist coming to see the way it was. From there we bused it out of town to the Statue Park. This was quite interesting. All of the old statues from the Communist-era were removed from across town and put here for tourists to see and for people to come and heckle.
Continuing in the Canadian Penny tradition, if you make your way to Statue Park, there is a 2001 Canadian Penny buried at the base of the five-pointed Soviet star in the garden in front of you as you enter the park. Budapest has had an interesting history, I wondered to myself whether some of the fact that they have typically been on the losing side of things, has possibly permeated its way into their current society. I wonder if there is a defeatist attitude at work, with knowledge of what has come before. Nevertheless, after the tour we went for soup again and made our way to the train station for some Langos (Hungarian style BeaverTail). It was good, I would have taken pictures and brought them back to the firm, but I don't think there would be anyone to care as I no longer know anyone who works there. Congratulations Brendan! Then it was on from there on a fantastic train to where we are now with a sleeper cabin with sheets, free water and the works. Good times. I caught a glimpse of the border check-point on the way back. Middle of nowhere, bridges over the trains, guards with rifles.
July 13th: 06:00 local: Old Town Square, Prague (updated July 18th)
Pit Stop. Let's catch up and recount what has gone on until this point. We are sitting here back in the Old Town Square in Prague just after dawn and there is no one around, a rarity for a bustling tourist town like this. Nick saw a movie star here the other day, Seymour Cassell. Anyway, here is where we've been and what we've done so far.
We arrived on July 7th and took a taxi into the Hotel Extol Inn in Praha VI. Nick and I both pass along recommendations for affordable and nice accommodations here if you are heading to this town. The Hotel is technically an International Hostel and has great facilities. The restaurant facilities were great and there was a fitness center as well, although we didn't get make it there. After we arrived the gentleman at the front referred us to a hole-in-the-wall pub next door, just a tiny little place. The barkeep spoke no English, but we were able to purchase a couple of Czech beers for about a half-euro each. The barkeep and his girlfriend and two of their friends sat and watched Speed, Something About Mary and South Park in Czech while we were there, it was interesting to be apart of it.
The next morning was my birthday on the 8th and I have touched on what we accomplished that day. It was busy. We took Tram 12 down to the Castle and hiked up through the neighbourhood to the St. Nicholas Cathedral about half way up the hill to the Castle. From there we continued up the hill and made it to the top where we sat and took in the view of the town and listened to Celine Dion on a nearby radio. She really is everywhere. We made our way into the Castle and into St. Wenceslas Church where we climbed the 287 circular steps to the top of the South Tower. We then caught a glimpse of the changing of the guard and stopped for a bowl of soup and some postcards which came as extra to the meal.
From there we headed down the Old Castle Steps out to the Charles Bridge, what a fantastic site. It was just amazing to see such an ancient monument still functioning and surviving the no-doubt many floods that have threatened it over the years. From there we proceeded into the Old Town Square after some calls back home. We saw the Astronomical Clock strike the hour and do its thing (got this on film too) and everything that there was to see in the Square. After that we proceeded on through to Wenceslas Square where people gathered to bring down the Communist government in the late 80's.
We went on from there through some dodgy areas to the train station to book passage to Budapest. We booked our tickets with a company called Wasteels and we would recommend again using them if you are traveling by train through Eastern Europe. It saved us literally hundreds of dollars by not booking on the Internet. From there we took the subway a little too far south to the Dancing Building of Prague and hiked our way back to the Old Town Square, via Frank Kafka's house, for my birthday dinner. After finishing it we wanted to go see the lights on the bridge and the castle so we sat and waited by the Charles.
This interesting girl named Ran starting talking to us. At first we thought she was from South Korea but she gave us everything indication that she was from Pyongyang when we started discussing the 2010 Olympics. She told us she was currently learning English in England and was on vacation traveling through Europe. Anyway we had a good chat with her. She was accompanied by another older woman who spoke no words to us and lurked off in the shadows. When Nick had to go find a WC her friend called her over, they spoke briefly and she returned to inform me that she must now depart. The friend gave me an unpleasant look while she passed. Ahh well, all very strange!
So we went and found Tram 12 and made our way back to the Extol. The rain picked up to a downpour and our Tram stopped for a while due to an accident on the track. We slept well that night.
The next day on the 9th, we checked out and headed down to the Charles to lounge there and take in the surroundings. From there we hopped on a boat cruise on the Vltava and then did some wandering around the Old Town Square. We were sitting there when I decided to start another little tradition for my trip. I brought a handful of Canadian pennies with me, along with the standard Canadian pins, and I thought I might leave them here and there along the way. So... If you so happen to find yourself in the Old Town Square in Prague, locate the bull painted with Watermelons, sit on the ledge of the monument between the two benches facing this bull and you will find a 1984 Canadian penny buried there amongst the flowers.
After that we were left with figuring out what to do next. We hadn't really eaten a full meal that day and we wanted to check out some of the Black Theatre of Prague, so we decided to head to TGI Friday's for a big meal where we also had two shots of Absyinthe. It was an interesting drink, all apart of the travel experience I suppose. However I can see why its not available in North America. The bartender collected currencies from around the world, so if you make your way to Prague you will also find a Canadian five dollar bill signed and dated by Nick and myself hanging on the wall at TGI's. The Black Light Theatre was very interesting and very strange. It was the story behind the Beatles Yellow Submarine album. There were no words spoken during the show and surprisingly not so many Beatles songs. Nevertheless it was interesting experience with quite a bit of disturbing imagery to represent love, peace, knowledge and power. From there we proceeded through a less dodgy area back to the train station and down the line to Budapest as I've already touched upon.
July 13th: 16:00 local: PRG Airport
Eastern Central Europe = Dance Music. Everywhere you go, every time of day, for every occasion that is what you hear.
It has been an interesting afternoon. Nick and I spent the morning at a place called the Bohemia Bagel near Charles University drinking coffee and playing chess. Its been a tiring morning once again, there wasn't much accomplished but that's fine. I notice my eyebrows are bleaching blond, very strange. Anyway, it has been that sort of day.
July 15th: 10:00 GMT: Kellett Flat, East London
Why do you Travel?
My straightforward cousin Leanne asked my this question in Saskatoon before I left and at the time I didn't have much of an answer, but I am starting to formulate one. She does not have much of an interest in traveling and I can understand that. She was hoping to understand what was driving me. I think I'm on to it.
Comfort Zone. It didn't occur to me until we were walking with ease through Budapest that the environment we were in was comfortable. I believe some of the attraction of traveling is testing the limits of one's comfort zone. Can you do it? Do you have enough wits about you to find the essentials to survive? Perhaps those are two ideas to answer her question. I previously realized that this trip had not really began until I left Canada. However, I have been to Europe a number of times. I am comfortable with a European atmosphere and I am comfortable with the way things work here.
So perhaps the real legs of the trip, or the real tests of my comfort zone have not yet begun. We shall see I suppose in seven days on. I start my malaria pills today. I think also though that it might be possible to establish a comfort zone with merely the essentials of life. Finding and locating safe water and food, being able to outtake the same safely and being able to obtain adequate amounts of sleep. I realize how essential a good night’s sleep is now, especially when you are criss-crossing time zones. Those I believe are the essentials, find them and you will be able to establish some sense of a comfort zone regardless of how foreign the environment might actually be.
July 15th: 15:00 GMT: Kellett Flat, East London
The time here continues to move on. I have a few more things on the list to do. Tomorrow I am going on a day trip to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace, followed by a cruise on the Thames. Saturday is Nick's birthday, I may hit up the Tower of London next door in the morning. Nick's neighbourhood is an interesting one. It reminds me of the gentrification, water front revitalization and condo developments of downtown Toronto and Vancouver. The area is called Tower Hamlets and is populated by several Indian restaurants. I have been training my eating for what is to come. I am also going to try and visit the Royal Geographic Society while I am here, they have apparently opened up their vaults to the public. For those who might not know, my Bachelors is in Geography.
In other news unfortunately no less than India, Nepal and Bangladesh declared natural disasters today due to monsoon flooding. Ahh those floods seem to follow me wherever I go...
July 18th: 00:30 GMT: Kellett Flat, East London
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." (Mark Twain)
An epic quote from a birthday card this year and how true. It has been an interesting couple days these last ones. Thursday night we didn't get up to anything after I spent the day catching up on computer tasks. On Friday morning I trundled off to Victoria Coach Station. I did think initially that this was the train station but after a few frantic phone calls I realized that it was actually down the street from the train station. So I just made it onto the tour and off we went to Hampton Court Palace. It was all very nice, I did the maze there, it was quite easy to get in and out. Next was Windsor and the Castle. It was very interesting to see and Windsor is quite the neat little town. We had quite a bit free time so there was time to wonder. After that we went on a boat cruise on the Thames where I had the pleasure of having my first Cream Tea. It seems to be quite literally butter which you put into the tea, but that is what makes it so good. Yesterday evening we found ourselves at a neighbourhood pub, the Scarbourough Arms. Today was Nick's birthday and we had a good relaxing day. We made our way out into the suburbs to see some movies. Around The World in 80 Days, fantastic, inspirational and topic relevant. It is a Disney movie, packed with famous people and it's just a good time.
From this point forward, things are going to get a bit more interesting. I have had the luck of the Minke whales, which swam by me when I had my picture taken below in Campbell River at fifty degrees north, follow me until this point and I am betting that it will continue. I find I have everything I need to proceed from this point forward except perhaps a purpose and someone to share the experience with. By purpose I mean the sort of general every day purpose to life that one might have if one was leading a normal life. However I believe the purpose that will become apparent over the next few months will be first to stay safe and secondly to live and record the experience it for all that it is worth. As for someone to share the experience with, well I will have to rely on you the intrepid reader of these stories. I'm going around the world to find my inspiration and live my dreams.