2012

If 2012 could be distilled to an essence, the extract would involve a large concentration of 'distance'. This year, I have been on 17 planes which have brought me around 20+ cities, 8 different countries, few of which I've duplicated (two, three, six times in one year).

I've seen distance through an eye view where miles stretch out through car rides, bus rides and boat rides. I've looked straight through the marrows of limestone rock formations and stared across both ends of the Pacific. I've seen the world shrink in simulated distance where landmarks are borrowed to create an artificial version of reality. In Las Vegas, Rome is just down the street of pyramids and a visit to the Eiffel Tower can be met with a visit to the Statue of Liberty all in the same day. In Cambodia, I've seen distance through the reality of a world that is hard to comprehend, one that is still and poor and built upon wooden stilts, and one that I paid to see as a tourist.

I've seen distance through a sky view where the altitude changes my imagination. The earth's land look like quilted patches that older generations have hand crafted for all the people that will come after them. I've also flown over lands that look like they have been trekked upon by giant dinosaurs whose footprints have made indents wide enough to form valleys and mountains.

I've felt distance through feelings of guilt, sorrow, regret and heartbreak that wasn't able to be remedied by a phone call or a plane ride. I've felt distance when I couldn't be there for my Grandpa while he was dying of lung cancer and felt the distance expand when I wasn't able to attend his funeral. I've felt distance through a relationship that misses the day-to-day creations of physical and tangible memories. I've felt distance by battling time zones - a continuous finger count to add three hours, sixteen hours, minus ten.

However arduous the measurement of distance gets, it gives me a sense of gratitude as my love fits into deep pockets all around the world. I can close the gap by clicking through thumbnails of photos and when I close my eyes, I am able to return to the moments I wish to relive.

Happy New Year to all my loved ones who live in these deep pockets.

A few photo recaps:

In dedication to my late Grandpa who is not so distant if I close my eyes.

Pam  xx

Thanksgiving '12

More pictures of Fort Langley

Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays (a close second to Christmas). It falls in such a perfect time of the year when Summer has just ended and Autumn has just begun. Excusing the real history and politics of the holiday, while still being mindful of it, the day is a little reminder to gather, be grateful and gorge on delicious turkey!

Thankful that I get to...

• Smell turkey roastings, evergreen and smoke, rain and fog. Everything has a scent if you inhale deeply.
• See leaves start to crisp and colours start to amber as they have just finished baking and browning in Summer's oven. 
• Hear new songs which have become regulars on my playlist. Autumn is best for the coziest of songs. Currently listening to (on repeat): Bones, Fineshrine, Truth, I Will Wait .
• Feel blanketed by warmth from soft scarves, cotton sleeves, other people, sunshine through the cold.
• Taste the caramelized flavours that are an essential palate to the colder days, nut and spices in teas; comfort food.
• Know that the best is yet to be and life is always full of thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Pam  xx

White Linens & French Food

 Little White House & Co.

 La Chambre

 Salon Cafe

Gypsy Tea -  Coconut Chai London Fog, my absolute favourite!

 Delicious French Onion soup

Pumpkin Cheesecake, Lavender Honey, Pistachio

 Parlour

We spent Saturday in Fort Langley visiting the much anticipated 'Little White House Co.' We ate delicious delectables en le Salon Cafe, touched and felt every delicate cloth en la chambre, and enjoyed our walks within and around this very photographic house and this idyllic small town. It also reminded me that I need to take my camera out more often. 

Pam  xx

Somewhere between Salmo & Vancouver

My most prominent of thoughts usually have a way of translating into my dreams in obscure ways that scream, "get analyzing!" In particular, I have one recurring setting that continuously enters my stream of consciousness when I'm sleeping. It's not very often that I dream of this setting but it has been present since I was a child.

Let me take you there...
I'm in a car with a destination in mind (usually it's a store or a friend's house) but in order for me to arrive at my end point, I have to cross a large piece of land that has marsh-like characteristics: sunken mud, overgrown roots. I can only cross the marsh by gunning the engine at full speed so that the car elevates to mid-air and lands safely on the other side. It's so very Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. When my foot is pressed tightly on the pedal, enough so that the car lifts through the air, my heart clenches so much that I feel the affects of it after I wake up. I have never not landed and the rest of my dream goes on and so do the conflicts that await once I arrive. If I was to be self-reflexive, I would say this setting exists in parallel arrangements concerning my want/desire/yearn/fear of moving.

For even when I was a child, I would write snippets/poems on little scraps of paper and store them in my Victorian-style music box. These notes would read desires such as, "I can't wait until I move away for school" to documented fears of failure. I realize that if I'm going to continue entertaining the idea of moving, I have to take the risk of making it a possibility. My action will have to be steadfast and at full speed with little room for over-thinking. If I had paused for a second before the car was supposed to lift off the cliff, my back tire might not have made that last centimetre of space that separated where I was and where I had hoped to land. I simply just gotta go, gotta go, gotta go.

Pam  xx

His Paradise

As a fantasist navigator, I create my own storytelling cartography by brushing landscapes and sketching landmarks onto my parchment-papered imagination. I include the people I have met in my real-life travels and the imaginary people I hope to meet. My map is a source of confusion for many as names of monuments and cities are often forgotten. Instead, my map remembers things such as that splintered hut with its multi-grained wood colours and painted red fencing, the tattered and faded pillows that must have seated thousands of bums, and the people we met within that open hut. When I map out places, it always has to do with people I have encountered. Is there anything really greater than meeting people from all over the globe, from all walks of lives or even from your own province when you're on the other side of the world? Sharing these memories and being a part of someone else's? I'm writing this to tell a story about a young artist who, within mere minutes, captivated Bee and I with his kindness and smile. We sat in this aforementioned hut, bewildered by the circus amongst us, sipped the straws of our buckets and played fantastically hilarious games which he was almost always the loser. We exchanged stories of traveling, BC, the crazies and the wonderfuls. He talked about the quieter parts of the country and how travellers often take for granted that these places are someone's home and not just a vacation playground that we can vandalize. "Remember to tip," he advised. I had forgotten that until he had brought me back down to earth. He charmed us with his smile that I believe cannonballed straight from his soul. When I look back and see that I had a message from him just five days before his passing, it both saddens and enlightens me that we had met him when he (as Bee describes it) was at his pinnacle of "living life to the fullest". He was in his paradise. It teaches you to live your life in the same fashion so that someone else can feel the breadths of your own soul. It also teaches you to be open to all those you encounter. Go up to a stranger and say hi, especially when you're travelling. This life is a silly one; you don't know what role that person might end up playing in your life...

In dedication to MH: you radiated us with your positivity. I'm glad to have met and remembered you in this way. Much love.

Pam  xx

Rain or Shine

While waiting for my baggage to arrive at the Vancouver airport carousel, I noticed an advertisement that read, "If you never lose your need to wander, you belong." It's been over a week since I came home but my sense of wandering hasn't let up. The above photos were taken at Admiralty Point (Port Moody) and Crystal Falls (Port Coquitlam). Both days, I started the hike while the rain was pouring. By the end of both hikes, the rain had cleared but the mud on our shoes have remained. If you can't beat rainy Westcoast weather, you might as well join in. A bit a lot of mud and rainwater is actually way more fun than it sounds.

Pam  xx

"The Hong"

A beautiful skyline picture taken by Bee while I froze in my shorts. I didn't pack any pants and temperatures dipped below what I had expected. We had an even more amazing view from the Ritz-Carlton bar (world's tallest hotel), but unfortunately we lost all the photos from that night. 

 Tomorrowland @ Disneyland Hong Kong

 Minnie for the day

 Pooh Bear!

 Being Asian with Goofy; but notice how I can't even do a proper peace sign

 The parade made us so, so happy.

 We spent the entire day laughing.

 IFC building

 The racetracks

 Lamma Island - located to the southwest of Hong Kong island. Although these power stations juxtapose the beach, this small island does offer an alternative to the craziness of Hong Kong.

The LKF

7-11 turned bar.

It's a bit weird to blog about a trip well after the visit but blogging while traveling is not an easy task unless you want to be tied to a computer. Just so I feel that my vacation blogging is somewhat complete (still missing Malaysia & Singapore), I have gathered some of my favourite shots of Hong Kong.

I have a bit of mixed feelings about Hong Kong but this is not to say that my (two) trips were not filled with unexpected good times. When Brayley and I made the decision to go to Disneyland our eyes each possessed childlike sparkles. We were well warned that it would not even compare to the States, but like all other things in Hong Kong, we made the best of it and created some of our favourite memories. Never underestimate how much fun it is to be a kid. In fact, I firmly believe that everyone should do at least one thing a day that makes them feel way below their age. Once we were done doing that, we had our adult version of playtime with drinks at the Ritz, Chai, LKF and the horse racetracks.

My second trip to Hong Kong was not by choice, but rather it was due to a missed flight because of a storm. I felt stranded in the city even though I had a couch to stay on and a few city guides who didn't hesitate to show me around. But when you want to go home, you want to go home and that was a feeling I couldn't quite shake off that final weekend; I was quite happy to hop on that 12 hour plane ride back to the other side of the world.

Pam  xx

Thailand

Thailand was all kinds of perfect. It was one of those places that encompasses all that I look for in a vacation. I have comprised a list of my favourite things:

1) Sunshine, beaches and warm ocean water: 

 Snorkeling in Koh Tao

In Koh Tao, Bee went for her scuba diving license while I went snorkeling over algae-covered rocks and coral. With another Canadian traveller, we followed schools of colourful fishies and watched as sea anemones disappeared with the sleight of our hands.

 Koh Phangan

Beaches and more beaches were further explored on the islands of Koh Phangan and Phuket/Patong. Days of dipping in and out of the ocean water, playing and burying friends in sand islands situated in the middle of oceans gave us criss-cross tan lines, salty hair, sandy skin and sunburnt noses. I'm also as tanned as ever; to the point that I hide in the shade when lying on the beach.

2) The bizzare:

 Bangkok

Bangkok and Patong are filled with ladyboys and Ping Pong sex shows. They are about as hilarious as you can imagine.

I took a lesson in Muay Thai fighting; this isn't very bizzare unless you think my petite stature makes me inept. However, I assure you that my younger Tae Kwon Do days must have paid off. I was called a 'natural' by pro Thai fighters as I punched jabbed, and kicked my way into an intense workout. So much fun.

3)Gorgeous nighttime views:

When we walked out of our bungalows in Koh Phangan, we appeared right in time to witness the most gorgeous sunset I have ever laid eyes on. Layers and layers of the most naturally complimenting colours emblazoned an infinite sky canvas. Two nights later we sat on the beach chatting with new friends while watching pink lightning ignite the night's sky in short bursts and picking out celestial constellations.

4) Great parties:

Koh Phangan is home to the infamous Full Moon Party. We missed it because of our non-corresponding dates but we did make attendance to the half moon. Take me to any show that blasts electro music and you get a girl that doesn't want to stop dancing.

5) Flavourful food:

Just to name a few of our treats - $1 Pad Thai with just the right amount of spice and zest, enjoying well decorated plates of food by the candlelight, night market street food, mango almond ice-cream from DQ, Peking Duck chips, ice cream served in coconuts. Yum, yum, yum.

6) Humanity:
Just as good as Thailand are the people that fill it. Many connections were made with fellow travellers and the citzenries are often so lovely.

I don't have to be a master at appreciating life when vacations such as these make it so easy. It's these vacation moments that make you nostalgic as they're happening. It's these type of vacation moments that I will go back to in my sweetest dreams. To think, I would be home if I hadn't extended my vacation for another month. To think, how weepy I would be right now.

Pam  xx