The expression “off the beaten path” always fills me with excitement. Knowing I’d be coming back to Cambodia to share some of the highlights of this country with my husband who had yet to explore Asia, I wanted to go somewhere I hadn’t visited before. I had already visited the must see attractions of the … [Read more…]
Tour books always seem to have a list of the “must see attractions” of each destination they cover. Most times, I find they offer great suggestions of highlights but sometimes the most interesting places I’ve found have been through a friend’s suggestion, blogs I’ve read, or pure luck alone. I would hit all of the … [Read more…]
During our visit to Chiang Mai, we booked a full day tour called “Learning Elephant” at the Elephant Nature Park, located about an hour’s drive northwest of the city. For 2500 baht each (about $80), we were picked up from our hotel, provided a tasty lunch and snacks, and had a day filled with … [Read more…]
Our tour guide Colin (western name, but strong Thai accent) met us in the lobby of our hotel a few minutes after 9am. Having no idea what to expect (or if I would survive our bike tour…I rarely bike at all even at home), he let us know we were the only 2 on the … [Read more…]
1. Book at least your first night accommodation ahead of time. Depending on where you are flying in from, Bangkok can be a bit of a hike. This is my third visit to Bangkok, and by far the quickest journey thanks to our Emirates flight – 24 hours from Toronto, with a short stopover in … [Read more…]
The long title of this article should really be “Why I shouldn’t have taken a week off work before I actually left on my trip”, but “The Stress of Travel” is a nice, tidy, blanket overview…everything which my house/life right now is not.
As part of my attempt to become a better tourist in my hometown, I signed up for the Urban Adventure, Beer Makes History Better. Truth be told, they had me at beer. A history lesson as well sounded like a valuable bonus, so at 3pm on a Friday afternoon, we met our tour guide Jason … [Read more…]
I recently met a couple from Manhattan, New York who sat beside me during a dinner out downtown Toronto. I started chatting with them and they told me they had come up to Toronto to visit the city for a few days. I had overheard the woman ask our waiter what the large tower we … [Read more…]
Officially, the seasons changed a few weeks ago at the fall equinox, but today feels much more like the first day of Autumn. Thanksgiving weekend in Canada is over, and there is no holiday in sight until Christmas. Nights have gotten colder, leaves are changing colour, shelves of the stores are stocked with Hallowe’en candy, … [Read more…]
It’s Thanksgiving in Canada and while most Canadians are at home enjoying a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, I’m stuck at work on a night shift. There are a lot of benefits to working shift work, but this weekend – my favourite holiday weekend – work feels more like a punishment rather than a … [Read more…]