Goodbye 2018

A year I had no expectations for, brought a lot of changes. Some were progressive, some were terribly difficult, some were regressive, and some were joyful. Overall, I have mixed feelings, and I am ready to bid goodbye.

Untinged laughter

The passage of time

Nothing lasts forever.

When I was a child, most things seemed to be endless. Although I knew nothing lasted forever, time moved so slowly that it was hard to not take some things for granted.

When do ups and downs end and situations become permanent? How much can you hold onto the past, and sometimes... would it not be best to let go?

Mount Royal

The last of our VIA Rail adventures was a trip to Montreal. Another early morning at Union Station with a breakfast from McDonald's; the third and final egg and sausage McMuffin.

Bukhansan

The original plan was to arrive at Bukhansan early in the morning to avoid as much of the crowds as possible... but the unexpected late night led to last minute changes. I grabbed a convenient breakfast yet again, and managed to get to the base around 9am, where I couldn't resist buying more kimbap from the many stalls there.

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Across the river

I started the day early again, and left for Samcheongdong around 7am. My last visit to Seoul had included Bukchon Hanok Village, but it had been packed with fellow tourists, and I wanted to see if I could come back and catch it at a quieter time.

Ttukseom

I was pretty tired after hiking all morning, so I decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. I showered and headed back out to Book Street again with my camera in hand for some better photos.

Achasan

I started off my second day in Seoul with a visit to Achasan. Truthfully, my goal was to climb Bukhansan, and seeing as I hadn't had a proper hike for awhile, I wanted to ease my way into it.

Return to Seoul

I'm back.

Three and a half years after my first trip here, I found myself back in the bustling city of Seoul. I came with a very different state of mind than previously, and was determined to make the most of my remaining time in South Korea.

Temples, beaches, and bad decisions

My second morning in Busan started early again. Normally an early riser, vacation usually makes me wake up at ungodly hours, and I settled in to enjoy the view from my hostel.

Cliffs of Moher

Day 24

We headed out after breakfast and drove past many houses and farms. My memory has become very fuzzy, so please accept these photos as a window into what we did on our way to Galway.

Unwinding in Busan

My visit back to Hong Kong didn't last very long; I was on a plane to South Korea the next morning, for a bit of a solo adventure before the rest of my family arrived in Hong Kong.

Back to Hong Kong

I recently came back from a few weeks overseas, and the first stop was Hong Kong.



Hong Kong is home to nearly all of my extended family. Having been born and raised in Canada, I didn't really know many of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and they often remember me as the baby that they saw last.

Although I have only been to Hong Kong a handful of times, I always consider it a familiar place. I grew up hearing tidbits of my parents' lives there, and I feel connected to it through their stories.



I always enjoy my trips back here, and I hope the gap between them continues to decrease.

Looking back

Hi. Bad internet and flying means this will be updated soon :)

Welcoming another season with some reflections and things that have been keeping me sane as of late.

Shades of blue

When we were kids, a common question to ask one another was, "what is your favourite colour?"

A common answer I received was, "blue". More than half the responses were usually blue, and rarely specific to the type of blue. Blue like the sky on a sunny day? Turquoise blue like the brilliant waters of the Bahamas? Dusty blue like the stormy seas?

A weekend at Blue

I think we had been floating the idea of an overnight trip to Blue Mountain since high school.... well, it finally happened!

The nation's capital

OTTAWA.

We wanted to make the most of the rail pass, but also did not have enough time to go to the east coast.We also had another day trip planned for Niagara Falls which we ultimately needed to cancel due to schedule conflicts. So off to the capital!

So show me, I'll show you

I used to not understand the hype of concerts; I listened to a variety of music, but there were few artists that I enjoyed the entire discography of, and without that factor, I was hesitant to consider myself a fan.

From Glendalough to Killarney

Day 23

We packed up our things and left Dublin to embark on a fast-paced tour of Ireland. We went down many narrow roads that winded along the country while driving on the other side of the road... It was quite an adventure.




Our first stop was Glendalough.

Dublin, doubly

Day 21 & 22

We left our hotel in the morning and headed to Schiphol for the last time. After a brunch at Leon, we lined up early for security due to overcrowding the previous week. Despite the long lines, they had only three lines open, and said it was very fast wait times compared to average. Uh, Schiphol... This was my first time boarding here despite arriving here three times in the past three weeks.

Ein Tag in München

Day 20

We had about half a day to spend in the capital of Bavaria; we arrived at lunchtime and had a flight that evening back to Amsterdam.

We stepped out of the station and immediately saw a huge protest making its way through the streets, with multiple police officers accompanying it. After the protesters passed by, we trailed behind them to find a place for lunch.

The Salt Fortress

Day 19

After hopping on the train towards the other side of Austria, we found ourselves in Salzburg, which literally translates to the title above.

We hopped into a grocery store at the station, and I stocked up on snacks. It was here that I found my favourite Haribo of all time, the Dinos! I sadly have yet to locate it elsewhere.

Not pictured is our visits to the birthplace and house of Mozart - both locations prohibited photography.

The Village of Hallstatt

Day 18

We left our apartment in the morning to make our way to the train station. A train and ferry ride later, we found ourselves awestruck by the beauty of Hallstatt.

Coffee in Vienna

Day 16 & 17

Vienna! We dropped off our things at the apartment and headed out for the evening.




 It was already quite late, so we paid a visit to the Schloss Belvedere before having dinner nearby.

Temiskaming Shores

The day after I got off the plane, we headed up to Temiskaming Shores. A city of less than 10k people, it is probably one of the smallest places we had visited for a trip that was not related to camping, skiing, or where outdoor activity was the main reason for visiting.

The Bruce Peninsula

Foreword: I am finally catching up to writing some very delayed posts. Please enjoy our trip to the land snuggled between the Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.

All walks of life, pt. 2

Another memorable meeting happened during my stay in Yellowknife. It is simply a coincidence that it happened in the north yet again.

We stayed at a B&B again, but this was the type where essential breakfast items are provided, and you cook and eat at your leisure. We bought some other items to supplement our breakfast.



We met a few groups of friends and family and managed to outstay them all. On one of our final nights, we came back from a long day of dog-sledding and found a jolly man drinking wine and watching the Olympics in the shared kitchen.

BCYK: Adieu, Yukon

Our last morning in the Yukon kicked off with homemade waffles and rhubarb juice. We enjoyed one last long chat with our host before we parted.

BCYK: Hot springs and ski planes

These are the kind of mornings I dreamed about when I was a child. A cozy fire, sunlight filtering in through the porch, the smell of breakfast wafting through the wooden cabin walls.

BCYK: Magic in Kluane

Another morning, another delicious breakfast from our B&B host. After another morning of long chats and stories, we began the long drive towards Kluane National Park and Reserve.



The lovely view through our cracked windshield.

BCYK: Whitehorse

Yukon marks 11/13 and the first territory we visited! We stayed at a bed & breakfast in Whitehorse, and spent our days exploring the city, hiking through Kluane, and even freezing our butts off on Canada's tallest peak. One thing we should have done was bring our passports so we could cross over to Alaska - it honestly hadn't crossed our mind when packing.

Our first stop after picking up our car was lunch - Burnt Toast Cafe was highly recommended by a coworker who had once lived here.

All walks of life, pt. 1

One of my favourite parts of travelling is being able to meet people from different corners of the world. Sometimes there are people you meet that leave a lasting impression, offer a new perspective, or just make your day/trip that much more enjoyable.



The most memorable person I met while travelling has to be our B&B host in Whitehorse, YT. She remains one of the strongest people I have ever met, and I cannot remember being so in awe of someone before.

BCYK: Vancouver & Squamish

I found myself back in Vancouver ten months after my previous trip (and a month before my next). We were here for a few days before heading up to Yukon, and I was excited to be back on the west coast less than a year after my last visit.

Squamish is undeniably beautiful but terribly touristy. I was looking forward to doing the Chief (link to the future!) this time, but unfortunately my hiking companions were not up for it.

Give me a name

I love naming and personalizing many of the mundane things in my life. I remember going to my friend's house when I was younger, and upon introduction to her favourite stuffed animal, I asked for its name... only to be told it did not have one. My seven-year old heart was truly stumped by this. Who could have a stuffed animal or toy and not name it? To be honest, it still stumps me a little to this day.

When the ability to name group chats and give nicknames to members came about, I went through my contact list and changed just about every single chat, to the displeasure of some. My favourite one has to be our pizza one though...


... I still have yet to name all my plants.

Introversion

I have grown up with the shy title given to me for the majority of my life. It was true for the most part; in new situations, when meeting new people, and when I was by myself, I was pretty quiet and sought comfort rather than challenge.

I have distinct memories of a summer camp when I was twelve; being the oldest one there, and always having been tall for my age, I was playing alone with the sand for the first day. It wasn't until later that I made friends with the other kids, and they commented that I was quite different from my first impression.

Growing up and working has definitely impacted my personality - I am generally less shy than before, but there is still a distinction between the person who operates when working and the one who is behind the daily me. The one who uses the self-checkout, who eats in front of the computer, who walks the store several times over to find an item, the one who sends customer service an email before deciding it would be best to call and then telling customer service on the phone to disregard said email.

Homebound

We began our journey home with a bit of luck - an actual overnight cart! Sadly, we were separated from some of our train buddies as they were stopping along the way and therefore placed in other carts.