Vietnam: Weather Forecast: 35; feels like: 45

45? That's ridiculously hot.

Hoi An. Definitely my favourite stop on the tour. I loved the less-hectic atmosphere, the shop mentality (rather than the stores of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi) and the near-empty streets. It still had the authenticity of a Vietnamese village, but without the major hustle and bustle of the major centres. It was possible to wander down a street and be the only one in sight. The buildings were a soft orange colour which made it all seem quite mellow. It was to Vietnam what Victoria is to Vancouver: a city, but one where everything just relaxes slightly and your physical reaction to it is a bit like a big sigh.

I also had my favourite "moment" of the trip. I've been asked quite a few times now what the best thing I did was, and it was this: renting bicycles. After picking them up, all 32 of us set out into the traffic. Thank goodness we did this in Hoi An, as I think half of us might have died if we'd tried to integrate into the traffic of Ho Chi Minh. Finding myself suddenly immersed in the insane world of driving in Asia, I was a little overwhelmed! The rules of the road seem to be as follows:
- the lines on the road (if there are any) are merely suggestions
- if you're driving something (car, tuk tuk, scooter, bicycle, whatever), just honk continuously so that everyone else will get out of your way
- when approaching an intersection, don't bother stopping or even slowing down; again, just honk
- if your horn is broken, or you don't have one, just shout "honk, honk" repeatedly instead
- if you're a pedestrian and you want to cross a street, just put your head down and walk slowly and predictably; assume everyone will weave around you

Yes, I'm serious about this. And yes, there ARE an inordinate number of traffic accidents and vehicle-related deaths every year.

But nonetheless, we dove in. Surprisingly, we all survived (although one guy on the tour later rented a motorized scooter and crashed it into a wall...). The cities in Vietnam aren't very big, so it didn't take us long to get out into the countryside. Here we meandered through rice paddies and stopped to watch a man till his land with a water buffalo and a two-by-four with stakes driven into it.

This is what I love. This is the REAL Vietnam. And this is what it looks like to the locals. Seeing the country this way was infinitely better than viewing it from the air on a plane, or even from the elevated tour buses we drove around in. It's a different perspective and a different experience to get down to ground level and do something the way the locals do. And that's always my favourite part of traveling.

The next morning, we drove out to see the Temple remains at My Son ("mee sawn") On the way, our local guide offered a few tidbits of knowledge. Did you know, for instance, that the local people refer to the highly corrupt police force as "yellow dogs" (so named for the colour of their uniforms)? Or that the rice paddy labourers make about $5 a day? Fascinating stuff!

The temple was quite interesting too. We walked through what's left of these buildings, which were bombed during the war because the Americans believed the area to be a VietCong base. And we learned the male/female duality of Shiva and saw evidence of carvings dedicated as such. We also saw a large number of headless statues - the head is the easiest part of the statue to steal and would have been worth its weight in gold at one time. It's unfortunate that it was so, so, so, so, so HOT that day - all we could really focus on was finding the next bit of shade!

~~~~~

Our next stop on the tour: Hue. Here we got to ride around in cyclos, which was pretty sweet. Basically, we each sat in a little carriage, and a man sat behind us cycling us around the city. A bit like a kabuki cab (for those of you in Victoria), except you're sitting in the front. My driver also pointed out all of the highlights of the city: most notably the pool hall, the preschool and the cinema. Awesome.

At the citadel...well, let's be honest... I got a little bored. So I wandered away from the tour and ended up going on a little mini-adventure with my new friend Jenna. The whole story accompanies the photos on Facebook, but the short version is that we tried to go to as many places we weren't supposed to, tried things on and took pictures we were supposed to pay for, and became pseudo-celebrities while on a mission for international high-fives! Pretty epic.

The costumes we were meant to pay for,

the photo we were meant to pay for,

the place we weren't meant to be,

and the celebrities we were destined to become!

Vietnam: Not what I expected, and nothing like anything I've ever done before!

The first of 6 cities on our 10-day Contiki tour was Ho Chi Minh City (you might know it as Saigon). Here, we met our Tour Leader, Cameron, and the other 29 people who would be traveling with us. About half of those had already been together, and Joe and I were among those to join the group for the last leg of the journey.

On that first night, Cam gave us a bit of an orientation to the culture. The majority of citizens are Buddhist, and as such, there are certain cultural nuances to be aware of. For one, Buddhists consider the head to be the most important part of the body; it's thus really inappropriate to touch anyone's head (which I thought was a weird thing to tell us, until he mentioned kids... oh yes, I see how it would be tempting to rustle a cute little Vietnamese kid's hair). Also, the feet are considered dirty and thus the lowliest part of the body; as such, it is inappropriate to step over someone. The people here are more inclined to wake someone up who is lying in their way, rather than put their feet over them. Part of the reason for this is that it is highly inappropriate to put your feet towards or over an image of Buddha - and you never know, that person you want to step over could have a little Buddha in their pocket.

The Buddhist people also believe in karma, and will do just about anything to please you, especially if you've shown kindness to them. While I'm not a believer in karma myself, I do try and live by the Golden Rule and I can appreciate a culture that values reciprocity of good deeds. The people here are also very concerned with losing face, and will avoid a public confrontation at all costs. Cam told us that if a waitress spills a drink, she will just laugh and laugh and try to make it a joke to avoid the embarrassment of making a mistake so publicly (and yes, we did see this happen a couple of times!).

We really didn't have much time in Ho Chi Min at all, and just did a cursory walk through a Night Market, the Reunification Palace (constructed to celebrate the reunion of North and South Vietnam) and the War Remnants Museum (which was built after the Vietnam War, was incredibly biased, and should really be named the "We Hate the USA" Museum).

But my favourite thing about Ho Chi Min was the kid in the bar who worked his "I'm a cute kid" shtick beautifully. He was entertaining (employing such sales tactics as rock-paper-scissors, bartering for dance moves, and feigned shock at our outrageously low offers for his bracelets). I've got the whole story (brilliantly re-told by Joe and I) on film, so I won't re-tell it here.

What I didn't realize at the time, is that these kids actually have a heartbreaking story. They have bosses to report to, who beat them or turn them back out onto the street if they haven't sold enough or made enough money. The "cute kid" quality is exploited endlessly. This is no life for a child. So I'm torn between not wanting to support this system as a whole, and wanting to prevent this one little Michael Jackson-loving kid from meeting a nasty end at the close of the day. The fact was, I did buy a bracelet. We negotiated and made a deal. And I honoured it when I lost our epic-best-of-five rock-paper-scissors match. But now that I know he had to hand over my money to his boss...I don't know. I haven't yet worked out how I feel about this. All I know is that when I picture him in my head... well, it's the spontaneous "kid" moments I remember - the way his face lit up when I mentioned Michael Jackson, the absent-minded way he played with the money I gave him. Exploitation or not, this was a cute kid with a massive personality.

As for the men on the trip, I'm pretty sure the highlight was the spa massages which offered a "happy ending" - I'll let you work that one out on your own...

~~~~~

The next stop on the tour: Nha Trang. Our day here was spent on a boat, sailing the beautiful coast of Vietnam. Highlight of the day was definitely snorkeling in the clear blue water. I'd forgotten just how much I love to swim - so being able to do this was just amazing for me. It's so peaceful to just dip your head under the water and block out all sound. Just breathe and focus on the fantastically bright fish and coral around you. Joe asked me if I enjoyed it once we got back on the boat... And all I could say was a hearty "YES!" Everything about that experience sums up what I love: being near the water, seeing things from a different perspective, and doing things that are "other than normal."

Another highlight would definitely have to be the "Boy Band" experience. This was talked up all day, so when it was finally time for it to begin, I turned to Cam and told him I was expecting something "epic" ... And EPIC it was!! The crew from our boat (and another) stood up in front of us and got out their instruments (plus their token "lady-boy" vocalist with the coconut bra) and played their hearts out. It. Was. Awesome. After they assured us we were going to see them soon "on MTV", they played their set, which was awesome in a "wow...is this really happening? It is both amazing and hilariously ridiculous at the same time" kind of way. Next, they asked where we were all from, and then proceeded to invite people up to sing a song representing their country. And they could do ANY country... Including the New Zealand Haka and something from Israel!

Next up was the water sports. A few of our new friends (our "Back of the Bus Brigade") and I decided to have a go at the Banana Boat. I'd never even heard of this before, and had certainly never seen it, but I seemed to be the only person who could claim this. For the other uninformed souls like me out there, it's basically a tube that's been stretched out into the shape of a banana; 5 people hold on for dear life (or try to) while being dragged behind a speed boat. It actually ended up being loads of fun (and so was cursing Buckles for continuously trying to flip us).

photo credit: Joseph Liu

photo credit: Joseph Liu

At the end of a long day, we figured there was no better way to relax than by chillin' in the mud baths. Ahhhh....mud. It was lovely, and made our skin feel oh-so-smooth! Finding mud in my ears for days afterwards was decidedly LESS lovely...

photo credit: Allan Wirtz

On our way back, I peppered Cam with questions. He talked about the face masks worn by so many of the locals here, which are donned for a variety of reasons. Given the memory of SARS, I assumed it had something to do with infection, but it's actually got more to do with pollution. People don't want to breathe it in, and women also don't want it to affect the colour and composition of their make-up! They also wear hoodies with long sleeves in the crazy-hot weather because they hate tanned skin - dark skin is associated with the labouring class, who spend all day outdoors in the blazing sun. It's much more desirable to have fair skin, which could mean you're well enough off to work in an office somewhere.

I also asked about the children I saw everywhere running around, late at night. Apparently it's related to the make-up of their homes. There are tons of shops everywhere in these big cities, and the family who owns and runs each one has their house behind or above the store. There's no common living spaces in these small dwellings, so people congregate in the shops or on the streets. That's where the kids play too.

Overheard by a Canadian: Episode 10

A child in Year 2 who heard another child mention Pepsi:

"Pepsi? I don't like Pepsi. Do you know what Pepsi is made from? Bugs. Cockroaches and bugs."


That's real science, people.

Thailand: Anyone looking for a couple of suckers? You found us.

Our one night and day in Bangkok turned out to be busy and HOT. We're talking step-outside-and-your-skin-is-slick-with-sweat-in-about-10-seconds kind of heat. So after wandering around through a couple of market streets we decided to beat the heat by taking a river cruise. This had been recomended to us, and it sounded pretty great, so we paid a slightly-pricey fare (though lower than his original offer - he thought we were bartering when we started walking away, when we really just needed an ATM!). After following the guy through a maze of market stalls, we found ourselves on a dock out the back of a tiny noodle bar. When our boat pulled up we realized we were to be the ONLY people on it, even though its capacity must have been closer to 20. At this point we were more than a little leery about the sketchy-ness of this whole event, but, like good little tourists, we put aside our likely unfounded fears and stepped on the boat. For the next hour, we were driven past houses (all of which were built on stilts due to the seasonal flooding of the river and most of which were about ready to collapse into the water below) and temples (of which there were MANY). I LOVED it. It was great to see how the locals live, and fun to explore the little "alleys" of this part of the city. I think, if this had happened at the end of our 2 weeks in Asia, we wouldn't even be phased by this, but it was pretty shocking when our boat inexplicably slowed to a stop and a woman selling cheap items rowed up to the side and tried to get us to buy something! Welcome to Asia, I guess!! And, as it turned out, it's quite normal to have just 2 people in the boat - there were loads of others that looked just like ours and carried only 2 or 3 people.

After the boat cruise, we decided to check out the Grand Palace. I'd never heard of it before, but it was the biggest thing on the map we got, and had been recommended to us by two different friends, so we figured we'd better go. When we got to the Palace, a man claiming to work there told us it was just closing for prayer and would re-open at 3:30. He helpfully found a tuk tuk driver to take us to a couple of other sites in the city (both of which had free entry) and then bring us back. Great!

...And that's how we got suckered. The driver first took us to a lesser temple (of which there are hundreds) and which WAS, in fact, free. However, as soon as we arrived, we were ushered to a side building and were told to sit in the indicated chairs, in front of a small-size model of what I assumed was the temple grounds. All the while, a pretty fast-talking Thai guy was chatting us up. I was thinking, "if this guy offers us a timeshare, I'm OUTTA HERE!!" In fact, though, he told us some fairly interesting information and then let us wander around and take photos.

When we got back to the tuk tuk, the driver mumbled something about taking us to two places before the Golden Mountain - which is where we were supposed to be taken next. We tried to insist that we just wanted to go to the Mountain, but the language barrier and our inherent Canadian politeness prevented us from being very firm. When he stopped and told us to go into a shop, I tried again to refuse. But he said something about staying only 5 minutes, so we obliged him. Until we walked into the shop. I took one step in (Joe hadn't even had time to follow me through the door yet), saw that it was a massive tourist-trap-jewellery shop, and turned straight back around again.

Needless to say, the driver was NOT pleased. He tried to tell us that he gets petrol coupons if we stay for 5 minutes, so when he pulled up in front of the SECOND unscheduled stop, we tried to just pay him off so we could keep driving. But he claimed we'd have to give him 200 Thai baht (keeping in mind this whole roundabout journey was costing 40), we resigned ourselves to spending a very unhappy 5 minutes inside the tailors.

Which we did.

And then Joe bought something.

Haha... I couldn't believe it! Oh well, it was cheap!

When the driver tried to drive us to a THIRD place, I was sick of being taken advantage of and swindled. So I put my foot down and demanded he take us to the Golden Mountain. I was ready for some free sightseeing with no strings attached, darn it!! So he finally gave in and drove us straight there.

Are you ready for this?

It was by donation. And the collectors were standing there, guarding the entrance... so you couldn't really not pay something.

Are you freakin' KIDDING me?

We were tired and fed up. Straight back down the mountain and into the tuk tuk. It was dang near enough 3:30 so we insisted he take us back to the Grand Palace.

When we got there, it was time to pay. "40?" I confirmed (this was clearly what we agreed to at the outset - it was even WRITTEN on our map. "50." Dude. You're seriously going to try and negotiate this? So not happening. "40." [Insert stern-Ms.Chorney-you-are-not-getting-away-with-anything voice here] I'm sorry, what's that? You don't have change for a 50. Of course you don't. Yeah, yeah, we'll take all your little change and call it good enough. Good grief.

So, exhausted and frustrated and mostly just amused ('cause how could you NOT be after all that?), we finally approached the Grand Palace, donned our extra clothes (it's respectful and thus necessary to wear long pants and sleeves), and approached the ticket counter.

only to find out that... Not only was it NOT closed in the afternoon, but it was actually CLOSING at 4:30!! We'd been swindled from the start...

The Grand Palace is, without contest, the most ostentatiously decorated collection of buildings I've ever seen. Every surface of every wall and ceiling has been attacked by some ruler with a serious bedazzled addiction. There was gold everywhere. Everything was over-sized and over-sparkled. Crazy. As someone else mentioned, you could take the jewels off one wall and feed the country for a year (or fix a couple of those about-to-collapse houses we'd seen on the river cruise).

Leaving the Grand Palace and wandering around the streets again, we decided we were far too hot and exhausted by this point to spend the afternoon checking out cookie-cutter temples (besides, after the Palace, what could be impressive anymore?). So we headed back to the Hostel for a little siesta; on the way, I experienced my first "welcome to Thailand..." moment - I got hit by a scooter! It was just a little brush of his mirror on my arm (don't worry, Mom! no major injuries!), but it was still quite shocking and, I suppose, bound to happen at some point. Driving in SE Asia is insane. While Joe slept, I reflected on the day and what we'd seen. This is a country with an entirely different way of life from ours. Everything they do is affected by the climate and the social environment - the way they dress, travel, eat and act. I find it fascinating how all of these things are connected.

We couldn't leave Bangkok without having a few more "when we were in Thailand" moments, so we headed back to Khao San Road in the evening. The most amusing part of the night was definitely the live music at the bar we chose for a drink. I picked that particular bar because there was a dude playing a guitar; what I didn't realize (and didn't even hear until it was pointed out to me) was that, even though he was singing English rock/pop songs, he'd clearly learned them phonetically. So he was singing most of the correct consonants... but when you really listened to it, it was mostly jibberish. As Joe commented, it was just like how all English people sing "La Bamba" - no one actually knows the words, but we all just make things up that kind of sound like they could be right!

We also enjoyed a nice little (and ridiculously cheap) Thai massage, a fish pedicure (Joe had one that night, and I did it on our last day) and....let's see... anything else? Oh, that's right.

We ate crickets.

They were very crunchy, mostly just tasted like the spices they'd been cooked with, and the little legs and antennae got stuck in your teeth. But you know what? They weren't bad. Not bad at all.

Got nothing to do today? Hey Joe, feel like hopping on a plane and heading to Thailand & Vietnam??

My standard joke. I know, I know... I really need some new material...

I actually couldn't believe we were leaving already. My life had been really busy for the previous month, and the 2-week trip to Thailand and Vietnam had really snuck up on me. For the previous few days I'd been rushing around London picking up an extra memory card for my camera, a jacket and various "just-in-case" drugs. I packed the day we left.

But, as things do, it all came together and Joe and I were off on our adventure! I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I was conscious of being in an entirely new part of the world for me, I was hoping we'd have a good group, and I was REALLY hoping the foreign food wouldn't make my system freak out. but I tried to just sit back and relax and let it all happen. As it turned out, being in a new part of the world was AMAZING, we did have a great group of people on our tour... And my stomach DID freak out. Every single day. And that's enough detail about that.

It took us 14 hours of flying (including a couple of hours in the Delhi airport) to reach Thailand. Our Contiki tour didn't start until a couple of days later in Vietnam, so we had a night and a day to explore Bangkok on our own. Airports always equals good people-watching (I'll NEVER understand how women can travel wearing heels... my feet swell so much from all that sitting I refuse to travel in anything but flip flops!), and we started off the trip with a few adventures of our own.

For one, Joe had a habit of not being given things (that should have been given, and that I received). Like a fork at the airport restaurant. Or a meal on the plane. Or a tomato on his salad. All of which he got eventually (either by asking for them or stealing them from me), but it was still rather comical.

We were also quite amused by the various levels of security in the multiple airports we visited. At Heathrow, the security guard half-heartedly waved me through the metal detector, then got distracted and didn't even look at me (or the detector) as I walked through. I don't think my passport was ever checked in London either. But in Delhi, every single passenger's passport was checked no less than FOUR times; clearly, this airport is a model of efficiency... But the best part was being "disinfected" - as the plane began its descent, flight attendants walked up each aisle spraying something out of tiny aerosol cans that was supposed to purify the air and the passengers. Yikes. Not sure how I feel about having to breathe that in...

By the time we touched down in Bangkok, I was pretty excited. It still didn't really feel REAL (and I didn't really hit "vacation mode" for another few days), but it WAS exciting to BE THERE. A taxi took us into the city, which was an experience in itself. First off, we had pre-paid for the cab at the airport. But then we went through a toll booth and had to hand over more money to pay for it. And then another one. We were getting a little concerned we might be getting seriously scammed at this point, but the driver assured us that had been the last one. Whew!

Looking out the windows at the darkening city, I was surprised (and excited) to see a school bus full of kids with all of the windows open and heads and arms waving out into the night (that's how HOT it was at NIGHT - and no air con on the bus, apparently). I also saw a taxi with its trunk filled with suitcases - and tied down with bungee cords! Classy. I think, though, that my favourite thing about the drive was that the driver kindly found an English radio station for us to listen to... too bad the talk-radio program was all about eye cataracts and skin damage caused by UV rays! Not gonna lie... kind of a buzz kill.

Khao San Road - the busy market street (for tourists).
Get your "Little Miss Jihad" t-shirt, your cheap Thai massage and fish pedicure,
and eat some delicious street pad thai
- all in one place!

I have so many stories to tell from this trip. It was, as Joe likes to call it, "the trip of a lifetime." I have never done anything like this, been on a trip like this before, or seen a country like this before. It was amazing. Vietnam is so green and lush and beautiful - I don't really know what I had pictured, but it certainly wasn't this. And Bangkok was so ... alive! So much happening, so many things moving at the same time. It was a rush just to be a part of it. So much so that we went back into the city on our way home (to kill the 9-hour layover). We didn't even really do anything new; we just figured if we had a chance to be a part of that again... why not?

There will be several (probably 4) more posts about this trip... there's just so much to tell! Stay tuned for the first one (mostly about how we got big-time SCAMMED in Bangkok!)!!

Overheard by a Canadian: Episode 9

A man boarded the bus this morning, walked halfway along, then stood with feet planted and shoulder-width apart and waved a banana around in each hand... you know, 'cause he's:

"gotta keep that equilibrium!"

Deep Scottish Love

Ahhh... Scotland. Land of haggis and fantastic accents (sidenote: my favourite word for the Scots to say is "ridiculous" - it just sounds ridiculously sexy to me!)

The very next day after Anna and I returned from Spain, I was off on a 3-day guided bus tour of the Scottish Highlands with Joe. After an EPIC game of Squares and sleeping (or trying to) on an overnight bus, we arrived in Edinburgh in the wee hours of the morning. As we wandered from the bus station towards the tour group's office, I started to recognize the sights. I traveled to Edinburgh with Monica and Ernie on my first trip to Europe. And after 9 years, my mental map of the city was surprisingly accurate! After noticing just 2 landmarks (the Walter Scott Monument and the river), I was able to point in the general direction of several others. Well done, brain!!

After meeting our tour guide, Leo (favourite quote: "people will believe anything - you'd be surprised!"), and his guide-in-training, Steve, along with the other 25ish people in our group, we were off!

First stop: the William Wallace (of Mel Gibson and Braveheart fame) Monument. Actually, there was a bit of a running theme all weekend to inform all of us about how grossly inaccurate that film was (for example, the Braveheart nickname was in reality attributed to someone else. They didn't even get the TITLE right!). In any case, the monument is impressively large, and is actually the largest one built for a non-religious figure in the world. So, well done, William.

Back on the bus, we passed through the town of Callander. Probably my favourite random story of the trip was of the gay couple who purchased a hotel in this sleepy little town of traditional and grumpy Scottish folk. They painted it pink and pointedly built the entrance at the rear; needless to say, the locals were NOT impressed. But I sure was!! Callander also boasts a hardware store named "Screw It", which I also find fabulous!

While groovin' to the tunes by "Folkin' Hell" on the bus, Leo took us through a few little historical and/or interesting locations. Like the valley in Glen Lyon where Pontius Pilate was supposedly born. And the property formerly owned by Ian Fleming (the James Bond creator) who ended up selling it to none-other-than Sean Connery! And then there's Loch Garry (the very same name as the only Scottish person I know), which is shaped a bit like the country itself.

We also saw a few cairns, which really just look like a bunch of rocks heaped on top of each other. But they're actually much more interesting than that. Historically, when soldiers went off to battle, each one would pick up a stone and place it in the pile. When they came back from the war, they'd take one off and toss it away. This served as a handy way to count the casualties of the war, while simultaneously creating a little memorial to those who lost their lives.

Finally, we reached Loch Ness. This was actually the realization of a dream for both Joe and I. He'd been to Scotland twice before and hadn't made it to see Nessie, and I came with Monica, but... well let's just say we didn't really see it. Our whole group went out on a boat cruise of the Loch, which was quite fun. Very much a "we made it!!" moment for Joe and I. About halfway through the cruise, we were invited downstairs so the boat's owner and captain could give us a little more information about the Monster. This guy was born and has lived on Loch Ness his whole life. He goes out kayaking searching for the Monster on a regular basis. And he's got crazy sonar scanning equipment on the boat so he can take readings of her. This guy is intense. I have to say, some of the evidence is compelling. And he's got photos of sonar readings that do seem to show SOMETHING pretty massive and fast. But let's be honest, he's also a bit of a nutter. In any case, it was fascinating to hear him speak with such passion about the existence of something so contested. Oh, and he also claims to have a photo that he's been offered $1million for... Right.

The next day of the tour was spent on the Isle of Skye. I'd never been there before, nor had I ever really had any particular intention to visit it, but it was actually quite nice. Rolling hills, gorgeous scenery, and a little fairy magic.

We also stopped beside a stream that is rumoured to make anyone who dips their face in it for 7 seconds wildly beautiful with unfading good looks. Don't believe me? Just check out the magic it did on Joe:

The last day of our trek took us to the Culloden battlefield. While this was admittedly quite sobering, it falls under the category of "interesting history" (which I define as learning about something right where it actually happened). Here, the Jacobites fought not only for their freedom, but also for the preservation of their way of life. Led by the bonny Prince Charlie, these Highlanders went up against George I of England. George intended to completely wipe them out, and pretty much succeeded. Prince Charlie, who had been in exile for quite some time, was unfamiiar with the Jacobite war tactics; as a result, they were unorganized on the battlefield. They were also ridiculously outnumbered. The Highlanders were decimated in about 45min. Custom at the time allowed the wounded to be collected and tended to by the tribe's women; however, George was serious about stamping these people out. He closed the battlefield and the entire Jacobean army perished. There are stones embedded in the wall of the centre on-site to commemorate all the dead; 40 are for the government soldiers and 1600 are for the Highlanders.

This battle is actually quite significant in terms of history. Of course, the failure of the Highlanders at Culloden completely changed their way of life. The rebellion was stamped out and they were forced to adhere to George I and his laws. But also, George and his successors were power-hungry and conscious of the lands they possessed. He advanced England dramatically in terms of its empire and presence in Europe. Prince Charlie, on the other hand, was much less focused on building an empire. Had he been successful at Culloden and overtaken George I, England would very likely have been a much weaker force in Europe. In fact, you'd probably even be reading this in French!

All in all, it was a pretty great way to spend Easter weekend. Having said that, I didn't like not being able to attend a church service on Easter Sunday and I don't think I'd plan to be away on that weekend again. But the guided tour part (and the traveling with Joe part) were a bit of a test for the upcoming trip to Vietnam. And both items definitely passed the test! In fact, the bar has now been set pretty high!

Crossing the Street

Something I've noticed...

Here in London, but also in larger cities like Vancouver and Victoria (and even Barcelona), there's a certain way groups of people move across crosswalks. It's consistent, with little variation (albeit some). I'm talking about a large-ish group of people standing at the side of the road, at a light-controlled crosswalk which is red. How people get across that street (and when) depends on various factors, but primarily it comes down to familiarity with the city; it's a matter of not being comfortable knowing which direction the cars are coming from. For some, though, I think there's a sense of doing what you're told, when you're told to do it (these are people who wait for the little green man to tell them they can walk, regardless of how long they stand at an empty and quiet street corner).

Generally, there are four waves:

Wave 1: The Locals
    I would also include experienced travelers in this group, as they tend to absorb "localisms" quicker than your random vacationer. Locals are on the move, and efficient about it. They look both ways (or just the correct direction) six or seven steps before they even reach the crosswalk, so they can adjust their pace to skip through the oncoming traffic. They don't wait any longer than they absolutely have to.

Wave 2: The People Who Watch The Locals
   These are the folks who are paying attention to everyone around them. They see the locals go for it, and wonder what the heck they are still doing standing there! These ones will take a quick look both ways, making sure it's STILL safe, then jet across just behind Wave 1.

Wave 3: The Partners
   These ones pay MUCH less attention. They only go when they realize their companion(s) are already across the street. There's a startled look on their faces as they realize they've been left behind, then slight irritation passes over until they too run across the street. By this time, the light has changed anyway, and they look silly twice-over, because now they're running like it's red, and it's already changed to green.

Wave 4: The Tourists
   There's always one final wave of tourists who stare in awe at the people who have gone before them (because most of the members of the first 3 waves arrived at the light AFTER this group). But rather than jump on the bandwagon, they've patiently stuck it out and waited for the light to turn green, because, after all, that's the RIGHT thing to do. It's the SAFE thing.

And really, does it matter? Do any of us really get anywhere that much quicker? Nope. But we feel more efficient about our travel when we walk like the locals. And we can smugly (because, after all, this is London) look down upon those who stand and wait like fools.

I wonder if there is any correlation between my theory and pedestrians getting hit by cars... Hmm...

The Royal Wedding

Five months ago, before I left Canada: "Nah, I don't think I'll go. I don't care much about the Royals, so why would I brave the crowds?"

Two months ago, once I'd started talking to locals about their plans: "Nope, I'm definitely not going. It's a thing all the tourists will do. Every English person I've met is doing all they can to avoid it, even leaving the country for the 4-day weekend."

Two weeks ago, when the hype was getting a little more exciting: "Well, maybe I should go. I mean, when will I ever get this close to a Royal Wedding again?"

Two days before the wedding: "Okay, let's go down to Central London, but watch it in a pub or something. I don't want to get crushed by the crowd."

The day before the wedding, after a teacher I'd met offered to lend me her fabulous hat for the weekend: "Heck YES I'm going! I'm going to do the whole thing: get up ridiculously early, head right into Central London, stand along the Royal Mall, see the Royals. Get the whole experience."

And now? I'm really glad we went. It really was a moment in history. A once-in-a-lifetime thing to see all of the Royal family in person, right there in front of me.

Plus, it's all anyone talked about for days afterward. That night, Joe, Rich and I, all exhausted from our own adventures that day, collapsed in our lounge comparing stories and photos. Even now, a week later, when I meet new people, one of the first questions I'm asked is "and what did you get up to for the Wedding?"

This is what I tell them:

My friend Anna crashed at my place the night before so we could get up and out efficiently, without having to find each other in a crowd. The alarm had been set for 5am (seriously, who gets up at 5am on a HOLIDAY, right?). We got up, dressed, made coffee and were out the door shortly thereafter. After a quick stop to grab some provisions for the day, we met up with some other friends of mine and headed over to the Royal Mall (the long road leading up to Buckingham Palace from Trafalgar Square). Unfortunately, it didn't really work to be in a group of 5 and we ended up separating from those girls a little later.

As soon as we got through the gate and found ourselves staring up at the massive flags waving all the way up the Mall, we were distracted by an approaching journalist. He represented the Associated Press and wanted to interview me. Me? Yes, ME! He asked where I was from, why I was joining the crowd for the wedding, and then got down to his REAL reason for stopping us: gesturing towards my head, he said, very red-carpet-esque, "and, uh, WHO are you wearing today?" Seriously? You think this hat, which I borrowed from someone I barely know and has a "Made in China" label is designer? Well all right then!

"Vera Wang."

Yeah, I went there. I figured he clearly didn't know any better, since he was the one asking the question. (And truthfully, she's the only designer's name I could come up with on the spot). So he wrote it down in his little reporter's notebook, took my photo and told me this would all be on Twitter within about 5minutes. If I had any idea at all (or even any interest in learning) about Twitter I could tell you whether or not this claim was substantiated.

In any case, Anna and I kept on moving. We scoped out a pretty good spot, right along the Mall, with only two rows of people in front of us. And then...

we waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Given that we were there before 7am, and the first royal car to drive by was at 10:15...we were there a while. But we chatted with the English people around us (who were actually quite helpful when it came to identifying the random royalty that drove by later) and listed to the Royal marching band entertain us with tunes such as "Copacabana". Plus, we did some people watching and texted people we knew who were watching it in other locations. Somehow, we passed the time!

From 10:15 until 10:50 it got VERY exciting. Starting with William and Harry, followed by Charles and Camilla, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip and finally Kate herself, they passed right in front of us as they all made their way to Westminster Abbey. Every time a new vehicle was approaching there was a surge of excitement. Even I got caught up in it - and, as I mentioned earlier, I've never even been a particularly huge fan of the Royals!

I had assumed that from 11:00 onward it would be a bit boring as we all stood there waiting for them to come back. But oh, how wrong I was! The spot we picked turned out to be fabulous for another reason: there were speakers mounted just across the Mall from us, which broadcasted the whole wedding! That meant we could hear everything everyone said and sang. It was quite amazing, actually. As soon as the service started, the whole crowd was respectfully quiet - they wanted to hear it! And about two minutes in, when Kate said her first words, "I will," there was an absolute eruption of cheering from everyone around us. Being the cheeky smartalec my mother raised me to be, I just had to pipe in with, "wow, were you all really that surprised?"

The crowd continued to participate appropriately in the rest of the service too. We were quiet when we should have been and sang along with the hymns (they were published in programs). And then, when it was over and they were on their way back to Buckingham Palace, it all got very exciting again. This time the seating arrangements were a little different and Wills & Kate were first - and this time they were all in open-top carriages so we got a MUCH better look at them. They were waving and smiling to everyone! And we were all waving and smiling (and snapping photos) too!

When it was over, and we joined the throng towards the Palace to see the balcony bit (and the kiss!) I quickly realized that there was no way we were going to get close enough to see anything. So Anna and I ducked out of the crowd and made our way back to Trafalgar Square, where we knew giant screens had been set up. We got right into the thick of it over there, met back up with the girls we had separated from earlier, and watched the last part there. I'm really glad we did - we could see it perfectly, and the crowd there was just as excited to see it as we were (hence all of the waving flags obscuring the view!).

Once it was all over, I headed home to have a nap and then, as I mentioned, rehashed it all with my housemates. We all really felt we had participated in a "moment in history", and I don't think anyone would disagree. Years from now, when we are all watching their coronation, those of us who braved the crowds last week will be able to say, "I was there on their wedding day. I saw them moments before and after they took their vows. They were beautiful and they looked so happy."

But I also felt, beyond the grander "moment in history" feeling, a more intimate reaction to the event. The moment the service started, and everyone quieted down to hear them speak, it felt as though we all had been personally invited to the wedding. I mean, sure, we all had really crappy seats and couldn't see the bride and groom. But we were there. We were a part of it. I think that's what really struck me the most.

And finally, a note on Kate (or Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, as we're supposed to call her now). I'm actually quite impressed with her. Granted, I don't follow any news or gossip about her, so I only have my own impressions from the one day. But she seemed quite composed and happy for someone taking on so much responsibility. And she doesn't seem to expect the attention she receives, but rather seems to be surprised and appreciative about it. When she and William stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony, and she looked around at the 2 million people who had come out to see them, the look on her face clearly read, "Wow...all of these people are here to see...ME?" And then she smiled naturally and waved and kissed her husband when she was told to and carried on responding to the crowd. So I have to say, well done, Kate! And good luck!

Road Trip! ...Costa-Brava-style

On our last day in Spain, we rented a car and drove around exploring the Costa Brava area. To start off with, the day wasn't looking very promising. Basically, every single thing the guy told us when we reserved the car a few days earlier was wrong. The price was higher to add a second driver. We were going to have to drop off the car within working hours, which meant we had an unforeseen deadline on the day. Our hotel Room Number (the only contact information the company had for us) had been written down incorrectly. There were also a couple of things that COULD have been disastrous when we got started. The car was a Standard (which I can't drive... good bloody thing Anna can!). We couldn't figure out how to unlock the gas cap (and the fuel tank was empty when we picked up the car). But, in the end, we got it all sorted and were soon on our way!!

One of the biggest motivators for the road trip (for me, anyway) was the Salvador Dali museum in Figueres. I've always been a fan of his work, and I was excited to see the city he had lived and worked in. Plus, I had read that the museum was designed by him, and that it was called the Teatre-Museu Dali because he wanted it to feel like a theater, in which the audience is a part of the experience and everything is open to interpretation. That's also why there are very few titles or captions on the pieces. You're supposed to decide what it is and what it means. I like that :) I also really enjoyed seeing the vast (and I do mean enormous) range Dali had. He was most famous for his surrealist pieces, but his work includes statue, metalwork, and carving. There are pieces that can only be properly seen when viewed through a mirror, and others that require the translation of a metallic bottle. His pieces that address the human body are varied and stunning. Yep, I'm even MORE of a fan now that I've been there!

After the museum, we wandered around the city of Figueres a bit, and found the building Dali was born in and the hotel he frequented, then headed back to the Parkade to pick up our car. And oh, what an adventure we had there! When we had arrived at the Parkade, which was conveniently located just behind the museum, we thought it was going to be perfect. And the driver in the car ahead of us appeared to just push a button and have a ticket thrust out at him, so we thought it was going to be easy.

Not so much.

When WE got up to the ticket machine, Anna pushed the button...and nothing happened. Well, I should clarify: nothing happened in English. A bunch of Spanish and Catalonian words scrolled across the screen...not helpful. So Anna started jamming every type of payment we could come up with into the slot, to no avail. By this time there were several cars backed up behind us, and we were feeling more than a little stressed. Finally, between the teenaged girl in the car behind us and the parking attendant who came to investigate what the heck was taking us so long, and with the help of a lot of very broken English and a tiny bit of broken Spanish, we determined the problem: the carpark was full!! Good grief. Eventually a space opened up, Anna pushed the button again, and it WAS that easy...

Until later, when we tried to leave and the machine didn't take cash. After trying all of the cards we had between us that SHOULD have worked, we threw my "only works with a PIN" credit card (which thus SHOULDN'T have worked) in as a last-ditch effort...and it worked! Hooray! Off we go!

Our next (and even more disastrous) stop was Girona. Just thinking about trying to navigate through that city brings back feelings of frustration. After driving around for what felt like days trying to find what we wanted to see, and a parking space once we finally found the right area, we were both absolutely DONE with Girona. So we parked the car temporarily (in a handi spot...), got out to snap a few photos (I do have to admit that what we saw was beautiful) and got the heck out of dodge.

At that point, we'd pretty much seen all we wanted to, so as a bonus we drove out to Empuries, an ancient Greek trading post on the coast. It was beautiful! We went for a nice walk along the water, and ended up discovering an adorable little cluster of streets. Actually, one of my favourite parts of the trip were these moments - when Anna made me put my map away and we just wandered and discovered (having said that, I will be ever-grateful for my travel books and maps - we would have been lost without them on more than a few occasions, and we learned a lot of interesting tidbits from them too). I think the best thing Anna and I brought to each other and to the trip was our ability to balance each other in this way.

A few things I noticed about driving in another country:

- Road signs: there are a whole series of signs with black diagonal stripes across them. After 2 days of seeing these and trying to work out what they mean, we decided that they were permitting you to do something, maybe, if you felt like it. And then we saw one that was plain white (with the diagonal stripes). Pardon my language... but...wtf? Does this mean you can do whatever you want, maybe, if you feel like it? Yes, I think so.

- Directional signs: on highways, they give the name of the CITY you're headed towards, not the street or area. I think this is because the cities are so much smaller and quite spread out. So as long as you know the name of the town, you can probably find what you're looking for fairly easily (unless you're in Girona).

- Addresses: when they're written down, the street name is given before the number. Which is actually quite logical. The information appears in the order you'll need it!

- Scenery: it looks completely different when travelling in the opposite direction!! Well no, not really. But that's what our guide book told us, and we thought it was pretty funny!

All in all, Spain was a fabulous trip!! Thanks for coming with me, Anna!