My True North, My Home

Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg, Canada

 “What’s a Beaver Tail?”

 All eyes were looking to me for the answer. We were standing beside a huge ice sculpture; it was one of many at the Festival du Voyageur, a ten-day celebration of Canada’s fur-trading past and of Winnipeg’s French community.

 “It’s a fried, flat pastry usually covered with cinnamon or maple,” I answered, trying to remember the last time I had even eaten one.

 All around us were people dressed as voyageurs, their moccasins, red belts, and wooly toques an easily distinguishable uniform for any Winnipegger. Adriana, my new Brazilian friend, shivered.

 “This is what I love about Winnipeg,” she said, her voice muffled through a scarf, her breath wispy white in the afternoon air.

 “No matter what the temperature,” she continued, “there are always people out to celebrate, to play music, to dance, to drink, to laugh. Winnipeg reminds me of São Paulo.”

 I smiled - I couldn’t imagine comparing my small prairie city to boisterous and vibrant Brazil.  My hometown was known for cold winters, summer mosquitoes, wheat, and hockey. Although I hadn’t lived in Winnipeg for ten years, I figured not much had changed.

 Unable to shake the chill, we trudged across the park, stopping occasionally to visit teepees, poke through souvenir shops, and chat with voyageurs of all ages huddled around fires. Eventually we found ourselves at the Snow Bar, instantly warmed by the jovial patrons drinking local brews and fortified caribou wine. We peeled off our outer layers and paid the extra toonie, Canada’s two dollar coin, to have our beverages served in ice cups; we spent the rest of the day sharing poutine, laughs, and stories from our times abroad.

 The band started, all fiddles and guitars and fake moustaches in honour of Louis Riel, a provincial hero. People danced on the straw-covered floor while small TVs broadcasted the night’s curling match. It was a whirl of plaid shirts, hoots of laughter, cans of beer and hockey jerseys – it was so typically, so unequivocally, so absolutely Canadian, and I loved it. Everyone was smiling, their cheeks flushed with the warm air, with the alcohol, and with the festive nature of the event. Adriana’s comparison suddenly didn’t feel so abstract.

 When darkness had fallen and it was time to leave, we bundled up again, bracing ourselves against a cold now emboldened by the absence of the sun. With one final stop to get a Beaver Tail, we left the festival and headed to the bus stop, where we jumped and stamped our feet and hugged to stay warm.

 Riding over the Provencher Bridge, the city’s modest skyline ahead, the frozen Red River below, the bus windows were nearly frosted over. As I savoured the Beaver Tail’s sweetness, I looked out at my frozen city, my home. Adriana was right. Winnipeg, though a city often shrouded in cold whiteness, suddenly felt warm. It truly was a city of spirit, and of colour.

(More photos of this day coming soon)

How To Stay Healthy While Traveling

Budapest, Hungary

Seoul, South Korea

Varna, Bulgaria

Istanbul, Turkey

Melbourne, Australia

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Paris, France

Pokhara, Nepal

Pisa, Italy

Luang Prabang, Laos

(photo taken by Colleen)

Winnipeg, Canada

One of my resolutions for 2012 was to become a little bit stronger; I feel that I've been accomplishing that slowly but surely. I've traded in breads and heavy pastas for granola and vegetables. I walk a lot more and even exercise occasionally. I drink lots of water and I stay away from sweets...most of the time. I can honestly say that I feel better and that I have a lot more energy, and I'm excited that I'll have that energy when I'm on the road for most of this year. 

It's easy to eat well and to be healthy when you're in the comfort of your own home, but how do you maintain that when you travel? Here are some tips that I plan on following while I'm away.

1. Walk everywhere. You will inevitably walk a lot when sightseeing, whether its shopping, visiting a museum, or simply strolling down the proverbial promenade. Avoiding taxis, buses, and trains for short journeys not only keeps you fit, it also saves you money and allows you to see parts of cities you may not have seen with such detail if you were zipping by in a vehicle.

2. Eat locally. It's too easy to eat the familiar when you travel; there are fast food restaurants in even the most unexpected places these days. Eating the food of the city or country you're in not only exposes you to its culture, but often the daily cuisine of the locals is fairly healthy. Try to eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible, but wash them in your own bottled water first!

3. Speaking of water...drink it. Whether you're spending a quiet afternoon in a gallery or hiking up the side of a mountain, keeping hydrated is essential to feeling your best while you're away. This is especially pertinent for hot and humid climates, where you may lose a lot of your body's water through perspiration. If you're unsure about the water supply in the country you're in, make sure to pack water purification tablets before you go.

4. Sleep! Even though you want to see every last bit of the new place you're in, you won't be able to enjoy it if you are sleep-deprived. In order to make yourself more comfortable while you sleep, you may want to bring earplugs, an eye mask, or even your own silk sleeping bag.

5. Use exercise as a form of sightseeing. I am not an athletic person at all, but I manage to do quite a bit of athletic things when I travel: I hike, I scuba dive, I swim, I ride bikes, I ride horses, etc. All of these things are fun ways to see and experience the place I'm in, and they never feel like arduous exercise. I have also met a lot of people who use jogging as a way to see a new city (these people, AKA joggers, still perplex me).

6. Take time to relax. Don't stress yourself out trying to do absolutely everything a guidebook tells you to do. You will never fit everything in in one visit, so you may as well take your time to enjoy each day and each activity. Every day, spend some time with a coffee or a glass of wine, write in your journal, catch up on emails - whatever it is that relaxes you. Your body and your mind will thank you in the end.

7. Listen to your body. I once let a minor cold turn into a lung infection and bronchitis because I kept pushing myself (more on that another day). If you feel sick, rest for a bit. If you didn't bring medicine from home (always bring medicine from home; a few painkillers and some Pepto Bismol go a long way), visit a pharmacy for some local treatments. Every single pharmacy I've ever been in, whether it was in Morocco, Denmark, or Thailand, has had someone who was able to help me, even if I just had to mimic the pain I was in (Morocco's stomach ailments were not fun to act out).

All of these things may seem like common sense, but it's amazing how quickly we let our routines slide while we are on the road. We start sleeping irregular hours, eat strange foods, and have a hectic schedule of sightseeing and travelling. Taking the time to make sure that we keep our bodies and our minds happy and healthy leads to a much more enjoyable holiday!

Do you have any other advice you would add to this list?

*By the way, this post started as a photo essay of delicious sweets I had eaten abroad, but morphed into this list of being healthy. Quinoa be damned, I'd really like some of that tiramisu right now. 

My India: Part One

My India from This Battered Suitcase on Vimeo.

Jaisalmer, Jaipur, and Pushkar, India

I couldn't sleep last night and so I put together this little video. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Glenfiddich Explorers: The History of Sumo

Osaka and Tokyo, Japan

Last month I had another piece published on the Glenfiddich Explorer site (I had one on Mongolia published there in November), this time on the history of sumo! 

1. The Beginnings Of Sumo

      The Japanese national sport of sumo is believed to have begun 2000 years ago, but it was only in the past 500 years that it became as popular as it is today. Now a cultural symbol of Japan, the sport of sumo is steeped in the Shinto religion; it was first developed as a way to entertain and please the gods during festivals. Around the 17^th century, sumo started to use purification rituals linked to Shinto traditions, rituals that are still stringently used today.

2. Famous Sumo Arenas

      Sumo tournaments are held six times a year in four Japanese cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. Most famous of the arenas is Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, established in 1909 after sumo flourished as a respected and entertaining sport. After the building was damaged in WWII, tournaments were held at various shrines and in baseball stadiums, until the current arena was built in 1985. Even without a tournament, a visit to the stadium and its museum is an interesting part of any Tokyo visit.

3. Significance of the Dohyo

      Even before the sumo wrestlers enter the arena, the presence and significance of Shintoism is ascertainable. Before the tournament, two referees perform a Shinto ritual as a way of blessing the dohyo, the mound of clay on top of which the ring is constructed.

Hanging over the ring is a roof that resembles that of a Shinto shrine, and the corners are decorated with tassels that represent different spirits.

4. Rituals Before the Bout  

     Before entering the ring, the sumo wrestlers, rikishi in Japanese, are divided into two groups, the East and the West. This ceremony is called the dohyo-iri, and is meant to introduce the rikishi to the spectators. Once all the rikishi of a group have entered the ring, they turn to face each other and proceed to clap, raise their hands, and lift their ceremonial aprons, called kesho-mawashi, to prove that they are not armed.

5. The Mawashi

     One of the most recognizable symbols of sumo is the revealing garment worn by rikishi in the ring. Called a mawashi, it is made of silk or cotton depending on the event. A sumo wrestler will often use the mawashi to his advantage, using it to pick up an opponent and force him out of the ring. They are often also very superstitious about the colour of their mawashi, sometimes changing colour mid-tournament if they are performing poorly.

6. Rituals in the Ring

      The rituals that take place after the two battling rikishi enter the ring are once again steeped in Shintoism, but they also produce an atmosphere of anticipation before the match. Said to scare away demons, the rikishi repeatedly lift their legs and stomp; it is an amazing glimpse at the flexibility and strength of these athletes. Handfuls of salt are also thrown into the air and around their bodies, which is believed to purify the ring and protect them from harm.

7. The Match

      When the rikishi finally face each other to battle, it is one of the most intense and exciting moments one can witness, even if it lasts for only a few seconds. Rikishi hurl themselves at one another, trying to push the other out of the ring or cause the other to fall in order to win. Sumo has very few rules, which often leads to a fierce and animated match; to witness an event filled with such power and skill is extremely exhilarating.

8. Controversy in Sumo

      Sumo is almost exclusively a male sport, with very few women’s tournaments taken seriously. As well, women are not allowed to touch the dohyo, as some fear that in doing so the purity of the ring would be compromised. Sumo has also been in the media because of possible match-fixing and hazing, but the Japan Sumo Association has been taking many steps in making sure such controversies do not further sully the national sport.

9. Cultural Significance

      Sumo has often been thought of as a bastion of Japanese culture and tradition. Practiced professionally only within Japan, there is a strict limit on the number of foreign-born rikishi allowed per stable (where groups of sumo wrestlers train). If possible, attending a sumo tournament is a necessity whenever visiting Japan; the rich history and traditions, the display of strength and power, and the cultural impact the sport has made are all valid reasons to experience it up close and personally.

Make sure to check out the Glenfiddich Explorers site for more travel features! If you'd like to see what I've written for them, search for "Brenna" in the right-hand corner search box. 

            

The Laotian Leech

Luang Prabang, Laos

The video pretty much tells it all: after a day at the waterfalls near Luang Prabang, I took a 45-minute jeep ride back to the city. It was only after all of us had hopped out that someone noticed I was bleeding...it was then that a giant leech fell off my foot! It was so full that it was literally vomiting up my blood. It caused quite a little stir in the street, and some kids came by and squished the leech with a stick. None of us could believe how much blood there was; I kept bleeding for at least an hour. It was horrible to walk back to my guesthouse with blood squishing out of my flip flop with every step. However, other than feeling a little bit woozy, I thought the whole thing was rather amusing.

Do you have any similar stories of leeches or bugs or any other creepy creatures?

The Wind

Oia, Greece

 Like every morning, I brace myself before opening the door. I only recently moved back to this city, and the -40 degree winter weather is something I will never (and can never) get fully used to. A quick inventory of my purse assures me I have everything I need for the day: keys, wallet, phone, lunch. I wrap my wool scarf up high over my face, pull on my mittens, and set out.


 Like every morning, I am thankful that I work only a few blocks away, as within minutes, the frigid air and harsh wind have caused my eyes to water. Despite my layering, a chill is already creeping in under my coat, inciting me to walk just a little bit faster. I look like all the other faceless, genderless people on the sidewalks today: big boots, thick jacket, head down, body hunched forward against the wind.


 Like every morning, I allow myself to dream of faraway lands I once knew, of Thai beaches and Bornean jungles, of hot summer days in Barcelona or muggy nights in the Caribbean. I remember a day I spent in Greece nearly six years ago, with a man who would eventually break my heart. We had spent the week on the island of Crete, eating olives by the sea, chatting with fishermen, and walking up and down the walled harbour of Chania. From there, we had sailed to Santorini, lured by the glossy photos of white villages and red beaches. Unfortunately, we were a few months too late for the supposed Mediterranean paradise, and were met with stormy skies and closed shops. Refusing to let this hinder our romantic plans, we forged ahead anyway, shivering at the tables of seaside tavernas, running and screaming into freezing ocean waves, and hitchhiking to even smaller and even more deserted towns than the famed Fira where we stayed.


 One day, after a greasy breakfast in our little guesthouse, we decided to head to Oia, which was further along the cliffs but just as picturesque. We took a small bus that rattled along the winding roads; we were the only tourists on board. Just as empty as Fira, we climbed down the cliffs to the ocean, eating a picnic and throwing rocks into the ominous waves. Dark clouds hung frighteningly low in the sky. "Should we think about heading back?" my companion asked me. I could hear the worry in his voice. Stupidly, we hadn't even checked to see when a bus might be able to take us back to Fira, so we quickly scrambled up the rocks, heading straight for the tiny parking lot where we had been dropped off. We tried to ignore the fact that the sky was now nearly black despite it being only four in the afternoon.


 Once in the parking lot, we were met by a raucous group of donkeys and not much else. Images of riding one of these braying animals all the way back to Fira filled my head, and I alternated between seeing the image as hilarious and horrible; either way, I thought, it would make for a good story. Finally, an old man with very limited English informed us that there was no bus for another hour, but with no terminal or even a bench to sit on, we ventured back into town to kill the time.


 Two cappuccinos later, and with 15 minutes still to spare, we took one last walk along the main path in town, stopping to take photos of sleeping dogs and fuchsia-coloured flowers against whitewashed stone. The dark clouds were still rolling in, and though the rain hadn't started, the winds had now picked up so much that we could barely hear each other over the noise. We stood overlooking the ocean, laughing at how crazy we looked, jackets blown open and hair standing on end and backpack straps whipping around our bodies. We yelled into the wind, and the wind yelled back. We shouted obscenities just because we could. We hooted and hollered and the wind echoed us, howled louder and louder until I could no longer hear my own voice. Overcome by the moment, emboldened by the wind, I professed my love for my companion, not knowing if he could hear me at all. He was smiling at me, and speaking to me, and I'll never know if he understood me, I'll never know what he said; the wind carried his response away, over the Mediterranean and into the churning waves.


 A gust of wintry wind takes me back to the present, and I tense with cold. But no matter; I'm almost at work, I'm almost out of reach of the wind and all its secrets.  

How To Save Money For Travelling

Part of my currency collection

As you may know, I'm currently trying to save a lot of money ($10,000 to be precise) before May. With that money, I will live and study in Guatemala for a while and then travel as far through Central and South America as I can go. I've written about how I save money before, but this is just a quick post to showcase Twenty-Something's Travel's very helpful article on how to set goals and go on a "spending diet". 

What about you? Are you currently saving up for a trip? If so, how are you doing it?

Edit: My best friend Kerri just wrote about this exact same topic on her new blog. You know you're best friends when you both write about the same topic on the same day without discussing it with each other first. Go check out her inspiring and eloquent tale!

How I Travel: A Feature on Unstitched

Yesterday I was featured on Lillian's beautiful blog, Unstitched. She has a great section where she asks different bloggers how they travel (packing, travel essentials, what to wear on the plane, etc.). A big thanks to Lillian for asking me to be a part of this!

To read the feature, click here. 

How To Make Friends In Nepal

...or Romania, or Bolivia, or Japan…

 When you ask a traveller what he or she loves most about being on the road, chances are he or she will, at some point, mention interacting with the local people and learning about new cultures. Most travellers are, after all, xenophiles at heart. But to the novice traveller, or even to those who have spent years on overseas adventures, talking with local people can seem daunting or intimidating. One can feel like a complete outsider, nervous to approach groups of people or to make conversation with a total stranger. Here are some surefire ways to break the ice and to connect with locals in new lands.

Chatting With Kids in Sapa, Vietnam

1. Smile. 

 How incredibly obvious, you may think. However, a lot of people can close themselves off when travelling, wary of being taken advantage of or of letting down their guard. There are ways of being both a conscientious and an open-minded traveller; one doesn't have to be mutually exclusive of the other. Smiling and being friendly to everyone (whether abroad or not) instantly makes people respect you and want to help you. I once went for a walk on my own through the streets of Bhaktapur, Nepal, smiling and saying hello to anyone who met my eye. Within about twenty minutes, I was sitting with a group of 15 people, hot tea in hand, learning how to knit traditional yak wool scarves and hats. If I had been closed off to the people around me, I would have never had this one-of-a-kind experience. 

New Friends in Bhaktapur, Nepal

2. Make friends with the kids, and the adults will follow.

 Children are much more open and forward in approaching foreigners and saying hello. Kids are naturally curious, often eager to speak any words of English they know, to play games, or to have their photo taken. A great way to break ground with kids is to make them laugh, so posing for a few silly pictures or joining in a game of soccer will instantly warm them to you. Carrying a few notebooks or pencils to give away is also a wonderful way to interact with the kids - and when kids are happy, parents are happy.

Horsing Around in El Nido, The Philippines

 3. Learn key words of the local language. 

 It is impossible to become fluent in every language of every country you visit, but knowing a few key words in each language can mean the difference between only being able to interact with other English-speakers and being able to converse with and entertain local people as well. Polite words such as "thank you", "please" and "hello" are give-ins, but knowing phrases such as "how are you?", "this is delicious", and "so beautiful" can be crucial in separating you from the travellers who never bother to learn these simple bits of conversation. Even if you butcher the language, attempting to speak a few words of Tagalog, Portuguese, or Burmese, for example, will instantly show locals that you care enough about their country to take the time to learn. 

Butchering the Burmese Language in Yangon

 4. Use home stays or couch surfing.

 There are multiple programs and websites, such as Couchsurfing, that can set travellers up with local people for a place to stay. Staying at a local's house means spending one-on-one time with someone who is familiar with the city, the language, and the culture, so you can get a lot of information that might otherwise not be available to you. When I was travelling across Russia via the Trans-Siberian, I stayed in home stays along the way, and I learned so much more about the local food, homes, and general lifestyle than I would have if I had only stayed in hotels. With couch surfing and home stays, you instantly have a friend, a teacher, a tour guide, and an insight into a local’s way of life.

Drinking Yak's Milk in Our Mongolian Home Stay Family's Ger

 5. If you do choose to stay in a hotel, do your research.

 Before booking a hotel or hostel, research whether or not it is a family-run establishment. You can often read reviews on, for example, Tripadvisor or Hostelworld that will tell you whether or not the owner was friendly and/or active in helping you to plan your stay. I once stayed at the excellent Lisbon Lounge Hostel in Lisbon, and the owner recommended lots of great sightseeing spots as well as organized a dinner twice a week for patrons to get to know each other and to sample the local food. Staying in family-run hostels and hotels has always proven to be an infallible way of interacting with locals and making the most of my time in foreign lands.

A Delicious Meal With New Friends in Lisbon

 6. Take a class.

 Whether it is a weaving class, a dance lesson, or a day's cooking event, taking classes abroad is a terrific way of connecting with the local culture and meeting someone who is knowledgeable about that subject. Developing a unique skill is also a great way to start a conversation further down the road in your travels. For example, if you take a traditional flute lesson in Lovina, Bali, and then later see a local playing that same type of flute in Ubud, you can instantly connect with that person and impress him or her with your knowledge of the country’s customs and traditions. Your teacher will also be a source of wisdom for local happenings, sights, and events.

A Cooking Class in Chiang Mai, Thailand

 7. Go shopping.

 When you travel, you are guaranteed to talk to the people at your hotel, servers in restaurants, and shopkeepers (at the very least). Why not make the most of these conversations? Learning to haggle politely in marketplaces is an invaluable skill that will make the experience fun, not stressful. My mum and I experienced this firsthand with a man named Mohammed in Marrakesh in 2006; we playfully bartered with him for some teapots, jewellery, and shoes, until both parties were content with the price. Immediately after, he introduced us to his children and sat down with us for mint tea. Three years later, when in Marrakesh once again, my mother and I were shocked to hear our names being called through the souks: Mohammed recognized us! We once again sat with him and his family for tea and snacks, and the things we bought from him that day were not as precious to us as the hours we spent laughing and sharing stories of our homes. 

My Best Friend and Our Other Best Friend in Istanbul

 8. Take photos, but ask before you do.

 This is a point that many people shy away from, experienced travel photographers or not. We are all familiar with the sneaky photo of an interesting outfit, a cute child, or a beautiful portrait. However, if we put aside our fears, asking to take photos of people is really not that difficult, and can often lead to conversation and friendships. Sure, some people will say no, but for the most part, people are happy to pose for the camera. Imagine it in reverse: if someone wanted to take your photo, would you not take it as a compliment that the photographer found you interesting or beautiful? Another way of doing this is to ask to take a photo with the person or people - you will definitely end up having a conversation, or at the very least, share a few smiles and handshakes. 

All Those Beautiful Saris in India (I couldn't resist asking for a photo)

 I've been asked which countries have the friendliest locals, and, while a few countries do instantly spring to mind (Myanmar, Slovenia, Nepal, Japan), I feel that I have only had the best of experiences in each place I've visited. This is not to say that I have never been ripped off, scammed, or treated poorly, just that I've found my experiences with people of all nationalities to be really positive; I believe it's because I follow these guidelines for making friends when travelling. Just as you may be wary of people at first, remember that those same people may be wary of you; stop, then, and take the time to start a conversation. Or at the very least, smile. You'll be amazed at how different your travelling experience may turn out.

Fun With Cameras in the Himalayas

Be Mine

Koh Tao, Thailand

February 14, 2011

I simply cannot believe that it was exactly a year ago that I wrote this post as I sat in an internet cafe in Thailand. I can remember so clearly waking up at 5am that day, preparing for a sunrise dive with my best friend, Kerri. The boat ride to our dive location, preparing our gear and making jokes about fishes for Valentines. I remember holding her hand underwater, swimming through schools of silver fish, practicing our buoyancy, somersaulting past beautiful coral and colourful creatures. I remember jumping off the side of the boat and laughing as we took an afternoon swim, still clothed in our restrictive wetsuits. Sharing cookies and cold tea with all the other members of my dive group, some Australians and Swedes. I remember spending the rest of the day on the beach in the hot sun, wearing a white dress, going for beers at the dive shop's bar as the sky turned orange, meeting an Austrian man that captivated my attention for that entire night. I remember cheap dinner in one of the back alleys, an alley that was covered in mud we had to wade through, splashing in puddles. Kissing under the stars. Falling asleep in a bed next to Kerri's, content and still warm from the sun, still rocking with the boat, still fluttering inside with the romance of it all, the peacefulness of it all, of everything, of it all. 

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours. 

Travel Advice at FareCompare

Kerri and I at the Airport: Bucharest, Romania

Just a quick note to link to an article I just wrote for FareCompare, all about carry-on essentials. I'll hopefully be writing a few more articles for them in the future; I really like their travel advice section!

If I Had $4729 To Spare

Antarctica from G Adventures Culture on Vimeo.

I have been to six of the seven continents, and, like most avid travellers, one of my goals in life is to visit all seven. That leaves the elusive Antarctica. Cold, beautiful, relatively untouched - it is one of those majestic and mystical lands that I can only dream of. With an upcoming trip to Argentina, however (as part of my travels through South America this year), I can't help but push the dream of visiting Antarctica a little bit more into my realm of reality. What if, I keep thinking? What if I miraculously saved $4000 more? I have no idea how that could ever be possible (considering that is almost half of my entire budget for eight months) but, on this Sunday night in a snowy land, I'm pretending I just might have a chance.

(Finally) Facebook!

Hi everyone, I just started a Facebook page for my blog! Please visit the page (and like me, if, you know, you really do like me) to check out status updates, photos, and videos that may not always appear on the blog. I will also hold contests and giveaways from time to time there. I really appreciate your support! 

Cheers!

Love, Brenna

(This Battered Suitcase on Facebook)

This Day vs. That Day

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

This Day (February 6, 2012):

I woke up an hour earlier than I normally do on weekdays, cursing the fact that the sun hadn't even risen yet; the winters are notoriously dark and long where I currently live. Shower, make-up, put on black clothes for work. I drove through the slush and the snow to the dentist for a routine cleaning, where it was discovered that I have my first cavity ever, a tiny little thing on a back molar that instantly dampened my Monday morning mood. I had to drive home again to drop off my car, then I walked to work, where, for eight hours, I ran around, trying to get everything done, trying to always look happy and cheerful. I chatted with lots of my coworkers and made plans for the upcoming week. I met up with my dad for dinner and wine, talked to my mum on the phone, answered some emails, then finished off the night with a bath and a good book. It was a nice day, it was a typical day.

That Day (July 6, 2011):

I woke up late in the morning, as I almost always did in Southeast Asia. The sun was already beaming overhead in full force when we took a quick dip in the little hotel pool, finally getting out of the cold water to eat a breakfast of toast and eggs and strong Java coffee. After a bucket shower and dressing in my most colourful sundress, we walked through the streets of Yogyakarta, with no direction and no destination. We found street art, birds for sale, and strange fruits, temples hidden down side streets and markets full of cheap clothing. We ended up walking through a museum with walls covered in words we didn't understand, and then wandered for hours through the old walled city, stopping to drink cold tea and to play soccer with some kids. We took a cyclo home; on the way, I napped, comforted by the cool wind and the adventures of the day. That night we shared an assortment of traditional Indonesian meals at a little restaurant down the street from the hotel, staying up late drinking cheap beer from the convenience store and laughing with other travellers. We had no plans, we knew nothing of the next day, we only knew that that day was one of the best. It was a great day, it was what I wish all my days could be.