Not Your Typical Monday Morning

Avocados with eggs on toast are not the normal Monday breakfast. The normal Monday breakfast is something quick that I cobble together before rushing off to work. It includes a couple of rushed cups of coffee that are more for alertness than enjoyment. The normal Monday breakfast is to sustain me on the commute.

Today is family day (an official holiday), and as a result, I had time for a more leisurely breakfast. I also managed to pick out the one perfectly ripe avocado from the green mesh bag containing mostly unripe ones–hard would be an appropriate adjective. It is perhaps a little early to declare it Today’s Perfect Moment, but it is the Perfect Moment so far. We might as well celebrate it.

Thank You Everyone

I just wanted to write a quick, but sincere, thank you to everyone who read and responded to my last blog. Honestly, I don’t think anything I have written in the last year has garnered as many responses. Your ideas and opinions are invaluable.

On the day I posted the blog and asked for views of it on my Facebook and Instagram pages, I was able to generate a large number of views. In the following days a good number of websites and a few bloggers started following the blog. I even had an offer to collaborate with someone.

Since then, I have taken some time to reflect on my blogging. I was thinking about the number of views I had for the year, but I really should have thought about the number of posts I wrote. By the year’s end, I will most likely have written fifty or sixty fewer posts than last year. Upon reflection, it is no wonder that I had fewer views.

That isn’t the real story. I was concerned about growing my blog when I should be concerned about improving my writing, editing, and engagement with other bloggers. I long ago gave up the idea that I was going to be some kind of influencer who got showered with free trips to exotic lands to review, but I never gave up the idea that this blog should be a place to improve my writing.

Thank You again everyone for your time and wisdom.

What Others Help Me Appreciate on Canada Day

Here it is Canada Day and I really haven’t done much reflecting. I’ve been alternating between productivity and procrastination all day.  Now, being mostly done, and having poured a beer, I guess I should get down to it.

Like everyone, I can complain about where I live and complain about various facets of that life. However, not everyone has students and people who can put things in perspective.  My students may complain about the food, the prices, and the fact that our prices do not include tax.  I cannot fault them for those things.

When I complain about the TTC (bus and subway) and its frequent delays and stoppages, or when I complain about how some of the stations seem deliberately organized to discourage passenger flow, many remind me that they don’t have subway systems, or that theirs are plagued by thieves (not just the owners) as well as breakdowns and delays. This might not be true of Japan or Korea, but many of my other students have voiced support for the TTC.

When I complain about the government, mostly these days about the Premier of Ontario who is doing his best Donald Trump imitation, they remind me that he faces boos everywhere he goes and that people are hearing him speak and they are reacting in a manner that shows he isn’t fooling anyone. He may have adopted Trump like tactics, but he doesn’t have the teflon skin and the ability to contradict himself without consequences like the US President.  They also remind me that politicians in their countries make ours look pretty good.

When my students visit the capital, they remark on how free and open things are. They tell me that they can’t believe there aren’t fences and gates blocking everything in.  When I wonder aloud if that doesn’t sound like prison, they shamefully nod their heads.

When I speak out against some perceived wrongs, some wonder why I am not taken away for questioning. This is one of the many freedoms I enjoy that I wouldn’t even understand how to live without.

I am reminded time and time again how safe and secure I am, despite the media telling me that my city is going to hell with greater violence and crime. My colleagues might even have open spoken about moving north, away from the city.  My students just laugh and remind me that they can’t wear the wireless headphones they bought in Canada outside their homes for fear of them being stolen.

If not for my students, I may not appreciate my life. Thank you.

Oh, and of course, Happy Canada Day.

Reflections on the Trip

Photo by Francesco Paggiaro on Pexels.com

Now that I have been home for a couple of days, I want to take a moment to sum up and review my trip.

Costa Rica

The country is beautiful. From the beaches to the mountains, the colour are spectacular.  The abundance and respect for wildlife is awesome.  I also note that the environmental initiatives they are taking area great.  It was there that I got to see first-hand what global warming is causing and how subtle changes to an environment can cause big changes to an ecosystem.

Tourism has brought employment and money to the place, but it has also driven up inflation. Some things are a bargain (beer and coffee for example) compared to where I live, but some things struck me as rather expensive.  You can’t have it both ways, I realize, but one can dream.

The people were friendly and positive in that Caribbean way I see portrayed on TV.  That was quite wonderful to see.  As my part of Canada was particularly snowbound, I can only imagine the grumpy people I missed out on interacting with.

My Trip

Well, I wanted adventure and that is what I got. I did quite a few exciting things on my holiday that I never would have done before.  I went on a zipline and did a Tarzan swing from an 8 metre high platform, I went canyoning and jumped off an 11 metre platform into a waterfall, rafted down a river and went surfing.  I also got to see a fire show, learn to dance (no pictures or video exist of this I swear), sit in a hot spring by candle light, drink alcohol made from sugar cane, watch the end of the Superbowl, dink beer flavoured with banana and other fruit, ride an ATV, and swim in the ocean and several rivers.  I saw two kinds of sloths, several birds, tarantulas, a variety of creepy crawlies, and several loveable dogs.  I was entertained by folk singers, dancers (fire and regular), trapeze artists, and boisterous cooks and waiters.  I stayed away from television and most computer related wastes of time–I did post a few blogs and update my Instagram and Facebook pages.

I chose the trip never having done a G adventure before. On my trip, one of the people had done ten of them.  I don’t suspect this will be my last.  My guide was excellent.  He worked quite hard, even when the situation didn’t require it of him.  He moved luggage for people (not even from our group) and was always willing to help.

The group was excellent.  I liked all the people and we seemed to get on very well together.  I probably didn’t make a friend like Craig (Who I met on my first Exodus trip), but they were good people nonetheless.  There were no big dramas and no prima donnas.

If I were to pick one negative from my trip (versus my experiences with Exodus travels) is that the hotels were pretty shabby. I am sure there are nice hotels in the country, but I didn’t see them.  My stay at the Eco Arenal was nice, and the Rio Tropics rafting lodge was nice, but others were pretty bad.  I paid extra to have my own room, but I am sure the double rooms were better than mine.  One of the other travellers said that the price we paid was quite low and since the guide was with us the whole time, I had nothing to complain about.  That may be true, but my opinion still stands.

The food we ate was good and there was enough variety to make it interesting. The coffee was excellent and I am glad I brought several bags back home with me.

Next Time

Things to Bring

Though I consider myself a seasoned traveller, it never hurts to reflect back on the lessons learned. You can always pack better or lighter or smarter.

Things I would bring with me next time include:

• Sun blocking technical long-sleeved shirts. Something that can get wet, and still protect me.
• A waterproof action camera capable of stills and video. Maybe a GoPro or Sony Action cam..  This is something that I have wanted for a long time, and I should probably just invest in it already.  I just imagine the things I could have captured.
• Binoculars. They would have to be small and powerful, but they might come in handy.
• Webber First Aid ointment. I brought polysporin and some other first aid essentials, but I think this product would have helped heal my cuts faster.
• More bathing suits. Based on my internet experience, women understand this quite well.  I, however, have not learned this lesson.
• A super-small netbook for blogging.  I have a tablet and a blutooth keyboard, but if you don’t have a hard surface to set the latter down on, it doesn’t work.  Blogging by phone is less than desirable.
• Two caps. I brought one cap and lost it on a particularly hairy ride to an activity.  It was long gone before I could stop for it.  I had to buy a new one at tourist prices.  Also, I was sad that I lost a cap I had taken with me on previous trips.  I tend to imbue inanimate objects with personality and tend to feel their loss at an emotional level.
• A bigger (much bigger) memory card for my phone or whatever I am using to take pictures.
• A small, but powerful flashlight. It might come in handy.

Ways to Prepare

An active holiday is going to require a bit more fitness and flexibility. I was pushed to my limit in arm strength on several of these acivities.  My legs, from cycling and rowing machines, are good but my arms struggled on some occasions.  I had to pull myself up on the zipline, and I had to use a rope to get up after the 11 metre jump.  Both times, I could have been stronger.  As for flexible, that just aids a person in so many ways.

I also should work on my balance. There were a lot of hiking moments when I did not feel so sure on my feet.  I could have struggled less if I felt more sure of my balance.  I think some yoga is called for.

I also should have done more research. Despite all my talk of being the modern traveller and using my smart phone, I didn’t do enough research about the currency before I left.  I eventually figured it out, but I should have been more prepared.

What’s next?

I haven’t decided, but I am going to start researching trips to Peru, Chile, Sri Lanka, and Laos for the end of the year.  Maybe knowing the price, I can set better monetary goals this year.

Of course, I would love to hear a recommendation or two.

Reflection

Today, after a tasty afternoon beer that accompanied a stilted conversation that seemed to have no future, I was in need of some reflection.

I found myself seated at a window on the world, looking out at the people passing by. I tried guessing their ages, names, languages and dinner plans.  I saw families I knew were going home to eat pork chops.  I saw a beautiful young woman destined to eat sushi with a suitor, sure that she will have decided before the last course that he isn’t right for her.  I saw arguments, probably over directions, happening in front of me.

What is it about the window on the world that makes even the normal seem outlandish? What is it about the window on the world that magnifies the insignificant and shrinks the relevant.

My dinner entertainment ended when the burrito filled my stomach with spicy goodness.

 

A Route Unfamiliar

Today I took the bus somewhere different. I took a route unfamiliar.  A first glance it might appear a minor thing.  Upon another glance, it might reveal itself quite differently.

We are all creatures of habit, whether we believe it or not. We might “mix it up” from time to time, but the universe pays no heed to this.  It might seem random, like a socks ballet in a front load washing machine, but there are patterns.

Today’s view from the bus window was different. Different stores, different buildings and different stops, all competed for my attention.  Whether they remained in full focus at a stop or traffic light, or blurred past, their novelty competed for my attention.  My curiosity was awakened.

Inside the bus, things were no different. I have come to recognize my fellow commuters.  I see them often enough to give them barely whispered nicknames (drunken construction worker, unbalanced high–heeled high-schooler,  two-telephone guy….the list is long).  Today, none of them were there.  Instead, I had new faces and new body languages.  Thankfully some wore the same scowls and vacancies that I have already become accustomed to, while others struck the same poses of defiance and indifference.

Only later did I realize that I was the outsider. I was the spanner in the works.  When I looked out the window and squinted into the distance, they wondered what I was looking at.  When I cocked my ears to listen to the announced stops, they felt confident in their own knowledge.  When I got of the bus, perhaps, they let go a collective sigh of relief.

And all the world’s a stage….

 

Reflections On My Trip

I wasn’t sure it was necessary, but I feel the need to reflect on my trip before the memory fades too much.  Thankfully, I have my blogs and my photos.

When I got back from my Vietnam cycling vacation, I was asked by all the people work with and all of the student who knew I had been on vacation how my trip was.  I answered with words like amazing, incredible and fantastic.  Since they had seen my somewhat dour and haggard look before the trip, they might not have been ready for my enthusiastic response.  The fact remains that it was true.

Before the trip

I had some reservations about taking a group tour. I had been intrigued by the variety of trips in the Exodus Travels catalogue, but I was a little hesitant,  I had never done anything like that before.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I had taken an ill advised group bus tour to Mount Fuji during Obon about 23 years ago.   That had been poor organized and overly ambitious.  (We only had time to climb a couple of stages and did not get to stay in a mountain hut.)  All I can say about this trip is that it exceeded my expectations on every level.

The people

I shouldn’t have worried about this. While I have met some less than friendly people on my bike, the vast majority of cyclists are like minded people.  They are usually friendly, encouraging and down to earth people.  My group in Vietnam was exactly that.  They were great.  In fact, I would go on record as saying that I made some friends that I want to keep for life.

 

The organization

This tour ran like clockwork. During rest breaks, while we were eating the snacks and drinking liquids the water bottles were being refilled and the bikes were being checked.   When we came to dangerous intersections, where there were no traffic lights, the crew was out warning traffic of our arrival.  When the riding was done the bikes were loaded with care and the bus  was prepared for our departure.  While we checked into our hotels the bikes were also being maintained and seen to, unnoticed by us.

Our hotels were amazing. I don’t know what they are like on other tours in other countries, but in Vietnam, these 4 star hotels were great.  They were welcoming too.  When we showed sweaty and covered in road dirt, they handed us drinks and took great care of us.

The country

Wow! It was so beautiful.  The colours were vibrant and varied.  We cycled through farmland, mountains, urban and rural areas.  We cycled with the coast and ventured inland.  The fact that every cycling day was sunny and warm was fantastic. I comfortably forgot about the Canadian winter I had left behind.  Honestly, with so much to see (and eat) I wish the tour had been about 3 weeks long.  By the third or fourth day I was smiling so much that my face hurt.

The People

Vietnamese people were friendly and funny. I never had a negative experience.  I did have some aggressive salespeople, but not angry aggressive. They just wanted to make a sale.

The Food

The food was awesome, and very affordable. They had a good range of sweet to spicy to savoury.  Additionally, I have never eaten so much delicious fruit in my life.  I already miss the mangos and the dragon fruit.

The hotel breakfasts were fantastic. They had a nice mix of western and Asian.  I had nice omelettes alongside rice porridge, and some delicious yoghurt.  And when you talk about breakfast, I have to explain that the coffee was the most delicious coffee I have ever had.  I drank more cups than I normally would (especially since I was going to ride a bike) but I didn’t regret it for a minute.  In fact, coffee was one of the souvenirs I brought back for myself.

What I would do different next time

First and foremost, I would get my own room. While sharing wasn’t horrible (and would have been good if I had taken someone with me) I didn’t like being on anyone else’s schedule.  On a cycling trip, you’ve got to clean your gear and clean yourself and it would have been better if I could do it without worrying that I was taking someone else’s time or soap.

Secondly, I loved my sandals. They were the perfect choice.  However, I have since found out that I could get the same sandals with cleats for the bike.  That would have been awesome, especially for some of those long climbs.

I should have packed more jerseys and most of my riding kit could use an upgrade. I don’t think I need to wear the full water backpack, but some quick drying shirts, a better helmet  would have been welcome additions to those sandals I am now craving.

From a tech perspective, it would have been nice to have a Garmin to map my ride and provide me with lots of interesting stats.  Also, blogging on a phone was less than ideal  I would probably need to pack a netbook rather than a laptop.  Space is at a premium after all.  And if were going to venture into the dream budget, a Sony Action Cam would also be pretty awesome to capture some of those views for my readers.

Recommendations

Vietnam is a fantastic place.  It took a long time to get there, but it was definitely worth it.  Choosing to travel by bike in a group tour was fantastic.  I might have had some reservations about the trip before going, but they were quickly swept away.  I got to see the country from ground level and that was amazing.  Exodus Travels who arranged/booked the tours were great.  Most of the people on the trip had already done one or more of the trips and they were back for more.  In fact, one of my fellow Vietnam travelers has already booked his next cycling trip in Cambodia through Exodus.  Maybe if I can raise the funds, I will join him. I am planning on taking another trip with them this year. I can’t decide between the already mentioned Cambodia, Based on my blog traffic, both reviews and daily blogs about traveling seem to attract a lot of attention.Chile, Iceland, India or hiking with them to Machu Pichu.  Only time will tell.

The Story Behind the Cake Box

Not getting a seat on the bus, though rare for me, is both frustrating and eye opening. When seated, I usually face forward, catching glimpses of people in my peripheral vision. The negative of standing, besides being more tiring after a long day at work, is that it makes it less easy to read as I have to clutch some handhold to remain upright and alive. I can hold my book with my other hand, but turning pages requires the dexterity of a piano player.

It is not without its positives. Standing affords the luxury of a greater panorama of my fellow commuters. In these people, I see only stories and characters. Sometimes I see women I would like to date–but that’s another story.

A quick survey reveals and assortment of characters. There’s the professionally dressed woman who has ditched her fashionable heels for more comfortable sneakers on the ride home. There’s the tech guy–he’s got a tablet and a phone going at the same time. There’s the guy with the mullet. There’s the guy who smells like rusted metal, as though he has been working with pipes all day. There’s the couple talking too loud, making me reach for my MP3 player, less for the music and more just to block them out. There’s the much older guy wearing his beats headphones. I can’t decide about him. Is he really into his music? Is he trying to be hip? Maybe it was a father’s day gift…maybe he is just cool. I don’t know.

My eyes dart around, trying not to stare but trying to take it all in.

Then I see that person who tells a complete story. She is standing at the back of the bus, gripping the handhold with her right hand, and grasping a box with a ribbon in her left. The box is not wrapped or decorated, so I can only conclude it is a cake. She is about as comfortable as I am. I can tell because whenever the bus comes to stop she takes her hand off the handhold and flexes it gingerly, while adjusting the bag she has slung over her shoulder. She looks around, hoping to anticipate when a seat will become free. Maybe she will catch the person pressing the stop request bell.

I would like to offer her my seat, but I do not have one to offer.

I think about the cake. My stomach rumbles in hunger, but I push that aside. I had better think about dinner before desert. The cake still crowds my brain. It is small, and I dismiss the idea that it could be for a child. Children like big and colourful. This, I suspect, is no less expensive, but more rich in taste, more refined in presentation. My gut says this is an anniversary cake.

The romantic in me goes for the all of the clichés. It is their first wedding anniversary and they don’t have the money to go out for the lavish dinner they think the deserve. They are saving their money to buy a house–and it the GTA (the greater Toronto area), this requires either an amazing salary or an equally amazing inheritance. She has forgone her morning cup of coffee for the past week to get this cake. Nothing says true love like sacrificing your morning cup of coffee.

Before my speculation runs rampant (any more rampant), she gets off the bus and I am left with my assorted characters. A seat frees up near me, and as nobody takes it, I sit and bury myself in my book, forgetting at least temporarily, about my fellow commuters.

Out of the Mouths of Students

Today, one of my students told the class that he traveled halfway around the world and he hoped he would find a girlfriend. He seemed a little miffed that it hadn’t happened yet.

In a surprisingly positive way, the other students didn’t mock him or even chuckle.

This gave me pause to think. Did they identify with his quest? Perhaps the romantic vision that TV and movies has so long sold us on continues to exist deep down in our subconscious. Cliché spouters often say that we are all looking for love. Perhaps the label of cliché was earned by being damningly true. His words might have echoed the most basic thoughts of everyone in the room.

Perhaps they admired his honesty. To get up in front of the class and make a big pronouncement is also one of those moments that movies and TV have prepared us for. We root for them on the screen, so it isn’t so hard to believe we could root for it in real life. Despite our love of the anti-hero, sometimes we want the happy ending. Sometimes we want triumph, regardless of how predictable it might be.

Perhaps they didn’t want to be negative and discouraging. Love is hard the best of times, but adding a foreign language and a foreign setting could make it more difficult. (It can make it more interesting as well, but we are not really talking about me and my experiences) The other students probably didn’t want to increase the burden. They obviously like and respect this person and felt no need to target him with insults or wisecracks.

Regardless of what the students thought, I liked this moment very much. It had so many great qualities of courage, conviction, honesty, a bit of bravado and even some self-deprecating humour.

Stand up and let your voice be heard because you can’t be the only one thinking about it. Why not be the first one. Why not articulate the most basic truths.

Omens Too Big to Ignore

Before we go to far, I should admit that I am getting to the fortune cookies a bit late.  Technically, I bought a dinner for four, but far fewer people were involved in the consumption.  In fact, the remnants of the meal took quite a bit of time to get through, so it really should come as no surprise that the fortune cookies got lost in the chaos.  Perhaps lost in chaos is being overly dramatic, when in fact they were just casually flung aside and left on the kitchen table until I was out of other, more appealing snacks.  I wish I could have said healthier, but if I am being honest, that really won’t be true either.

I think a total of five fortune cookies came with the meal.  It could have been four, but I have a feeling it was five.  This information wouldn’t really matter except that it helps underline just how powerful this omen was.  I had already eaten 3 fortune cookies.  There were only two left.

I cracked open the first one, quickly glanced the fortune and placed it aside.  I did a few random things–checked YouTube, continued my blog entry on the Tour de France, searched for my rechargeable batteries, read some blog posts from the more prolific readers and a few other things.  Then, sweet tooth not being sated, I went back for the final fortune cookie.

And that’s when it happened.

I got two identical fortunes in a row.

I don’t think I can understate this.

Identical.  In a row.

I understand that there is a limited number of fortunes in any batch, but I would have to think the number is at least 25 or 30 different fortunes.  Never before in my life have I received two identical fortunes, let alone in the row.  Undoubtedly, good things are on the horizon.

 

On another note, being in Canada, things are printed in our two official languages.  I cannot comment on the accuracy of the translation (though it seems good to me), but I do wonder why the lucky numbers are different.