Kit Kats (Part Three)

Raspberry and Passionfruit

Crème brûlée

Milk Coffee

Super Cleaning Strawberry (?)

Sweet Potato

Some Sort Of Weird Bun That I Always Forget

Osaka, Japan

Just a few more of the crazy Kit Kats I collected while I lived in Japan; you can see part one here and part two here!

I bought some mini chocolate bars yesterday in preparation for trick-or-treaters; tomorrow Aaron and I will finally carve our pumpkins (better late than never). It's kind of odd, doing all of these domestic things: cooking, baking, raking leaves, sorting recycling, laundry, dishes, all the normal stuff. The truth is, though, I really haven't done a lot of these things in the past year or so of my life what with the travelling and the inevitable hotels and restaurants. I've also never lived in my own house before, only apartments, so it's actually kind of nice to take care of everything.

Here's hoping the kids don't mind normal Kit Kats tomorrow!

Open The Door

Jaisalmer, India

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Ubud, Indonesia

Luang Prabang, Laos

Varanasi, India

Kathmandu, Nepal

"In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself."

-Jiddu Krishnamurti 

Have A Good Burn

Burning Man 2011

Black Rock Desert, Nevada

What can I say about Burning Man that hasn't been said before? For those who don't know, Burning Man is a festival held in Black Rock Desert of Nevada every year, and it has been going on for 25 years. Once a small festival, it now hosts 50 000 people a year, selling out for the first time ever in 2011. One of its many ideas is that you must bring everything you need to survive for one week in the desert, and you must leave nothing behind; this leads to cars and trucks and trailers packed to the hilt with food, water, tents, bicycles, and, of course, art and costumes.

Burning Man was an incredible week, one filled with emotion. It was elaborate and fun costumes, beautiful and creative artwork, hot days and freezing nights, kind and generous people, music and dance, and dust, dust, dust. We camped with thousands of others, trying to sleep during the hot afternoons to prepare for nights of mayhem, of running around, laughing, dancing, meeting new people, jumping on art cars, and attempting to take all of the festival's magic in. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I truly hope to return one day.



The Tao of Travel (Books)

"All my life I have been asked the maddening and oversimplifying question, 'What is your favourite travel book?' How to answer it? [...] The travel narrative is the oldest in the world, the story the wanderer tells to the folk gathered around the fire after his or her return from a journey. 'This is what I saw' - news from the wider world; the odd, the strange, the shocking, tales of beasts or of other people. [...] The storyteller's intention is always to hold the listener with a glittering eye and riveting tale. [...] Most are anecdotal, amusing, instructional, farcical, boastful, mock-heroic, occasionally hair-raising, warnings to the curious, or else they ring bells like mad and seem familiar. At their best, they are examples of what is most human in travel."

-Paul Theroux, The Tao of Travel

Well, Mr. Theroux would hate me, but I would like to ask: what is one of your favourite travel books? I'm currently reading Chuck Thompson's Smile When You're Lying (after loving To Hellholes and back) and J. Maartan Troost's The Sex Lives of Cannibals; I have also been buying The Best American Travel Writing series whenever I find them on sale. I've been trying to get into more travel writing lately, so can you recommend a book I simply must read?

Streets Of Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

There are things that I simply cannot find in a small, cold, Canadian city. For example, I can't find an area that covers kilometres of streets filled with little art cafes, galleries, unique shops and open markets, much like the amazing Samcheongdong neighbourhood in Seoul. I think that one of the reasons I can picture myself permanently settling down in either Europe or Asia is because of those continents' abundance of areas like that, areas where I could spend the day wandering, buying fresh produce, stopping in a coffeeshop, and meeting up with my best friend to pick out yet another cute dress.

A Journey To Amritsar

Amritsar, India

And now, the road trip is over. We covered twenty states, three provinces, and nearly nine thousand kilometres. We're currently in my hometown, where I'll stay for a few months. Although I'm now in the coldest city in Canada at the very beginning of winter, I think it will be beneficial for me to stay in one place for longer than a few weeks; since last September I have been steadily moving, visiting eighteen countries and countless cities. I can't even imagine how many different hotel beds and friends' guest rooms I've slept in, how many restaurants I've tried, how many hours I spent looking out the windows of a train or bus or airplane. It's been an exhilarating thirteen months, but it's time to slow down, time to study, work, and settle. I will also be able to spend much more time on this blog, which I haven't had time to do recently.   

While I was in India, I made the decision to purchase a small house in my hometown - it was a great deal and I know that it will be an important asset down the line. It also means that I have this house to live in for the next few months, so we've spent the last week building furniture, raking leaves, cooking, and decorating, trying to make this place a home. It finally feels like one, one filled with Indian tapestries, Burmese Buddhas, Indonesian masks, and oodles of books. Opening all the boxes I sent home over the past year has been so much fun, and it reminds me of all the amazing times I had, all the markets I shopped in and the shopkeepers I bartered with. When I think of markets, I immediately think of India, of streets filled with shops selling anything and everything you would want: bangles, spices, saris, tapestries, paintings, silver, cameras, books, and more. I miss those markets, and I can't wait for the day when I can return to India, ready once again with an open mind (and an open wallet).

A Glimpse Of Burning Man

"Playa Time: Dust to Dust" by Meawoppl 

Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA

As you may know, I spent eight days at the Burning Man festival in Nevada this summer. It was one of the most intense and exhilarating weeks of my life, and perhaps this short video can slightly explain why.

Walking On The Edge

Toronto, Canada

Once again, I feel so blessed to have had yet another amazing experience while travelling - this time it was the Edge Walk on Toronto's CN Tower! We walked along the edge of the famous structure, 116 stories up, with no railing whatsoever; the views were quite incredible. It was a little bit unnerving for the first minute or so, but after our first "trick" (leaning off of the edge backwards) we felt quite at ease. I love having the kind of people in my life who are so adventurous and courageous and fun. I know I'm a lucky, lucky person.