Around the World ... in X number of years...

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Click these country headings to scroll down faster...

Canada . U.S.A. . Kenya . France
Egypt . England . The Netherlands
Mexico . Taiwan . Thailand
China . Costa Rica

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I've got The Bug. The Travel Bug, that is [otherwise germ-free]. Nearly half my life has been spent waiting to go somewhere or experience things outside of everyday, routine existence. I've always had a strong aversion to simply 'going through the motions' in life, as life is short - and the time you have to physically explore it is even shorter!

Sometimes, it's nice to regroup back 'home' in Canada, gather thoughts and resources, and contemplate the 'next move'. However, it can get all too cozy when you get dug-in back home and for me at least, once that "coziness" wears off, it's replaced by a strong fear of home-bound paralysis.

Ok, it's not as dire as all that, but I guess I learned early that behind my T.V. --- there's a wall. All those Discovery shows, etc. happen (mostly) in REAL places, outside of your house; outside of your country; sometimes outside of your 'comfort zone'.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love T.V.
My imagination is as strong as the next geeks'... but that "wall behind the T.V. set" thing really started frustrating me at an early age, and I felt compelled to venture out of the 'aspect ratio' we are ubiquitously provided with. And hey, there's a shit-load of stuff out there that you'll NEVER see on T.V. - ever - even if you watch constantly for the rest of your lazy days.

Now that I've got The Bug, it is compelling me to consume ALL 5 senses, in real-time and space, in as many real and wonderful places as I possibly can. Below, I'll try to infect you as best I can. Trust me, it's totally worth it. ~L.

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I suppose, since I come from Canada, the first "traveling" I did when I was younger... was here. I've been making the ~3hr. journey from Ottawa to 16 Island Lake, Quebec, since I was 9 months old. If that counts, cool. I've still 'traveled' there every year since and it is where I consider "Home" to be. Oh...

Canada...

I guess I should mention that I used to swim competitively, and for 9 years I traveled all over Eastern Canada with the swim team N.K.B. (Nepean Kanata Barracudas)... from London Ontario, to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

So far, I remain unaware of the 'wonders of the West,' only once flying to Calgary for the Stampede when I was but a boy.

I plan on making it to B.C. to see what all the fuss is about sometime in the next 2 years though.

...
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U.S. of A.

Next on the list, is the 'US'. (or is it 'them'? or is it?), where I've been to, like many Canadians, many times... until recently, of course. What with border crossing 'bordering' on Gattica-like strictness, it's no wonder.

As many a youth, in the 80s & 90s, I went with my grandparents to Disneyland a few times. Mostly by bus, full of old people and fat smelly men, fleeing the harsh cold that sometimes accompanies the month of March.

My family would also occasionally pick up and head out to Old Orchard, Maine, Every so often to visit an old friend of the family who lived by the beach there... and to eat at Wormwood's Restaurant... and to go to the L.L.Bean outlet place... and other things. Maine was really nice, and it gave me the early insight that "Beach" did not always coincide with "Hot." I don't remember going barefoot or removing my super-cool bomber jacket any of the times we went there. Real pretty though. I remember that much. At night, it also felt like that movie "The Lost Boys" was taking place somewhere down the way... not sure why... maybe the ferris wheel down the beach or something...

Since those days, now long past, I have been to Arizona and Utah for swimming training camps. Luckily, or not, I broke my pinky-toe on a Utah lawn sprinkler... and ended up seeing more than just the pool, including the Mormon Temple and the Great Salt Lake. It was pretty easy to imagine where the ideas for the movie S.L.C. Punk came from... lightning... seagulls... polygamy... it's all true!

These pix were taken at the Grand Canyon, during the Arizona trip...

I'm sure there'll be many more visits to our 'neighbour to the South'... especially now that they've elected a proper leader... I'll hold my tongue on the last guy. Let's just hope it all goes well from here... :)

... ....

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KENYA:

    I visited Kenya 3 times when I was a teenager. Each time was unique and interesting. I saw some amazing things, some normal things... and some pretty crazy horrible things...

    From the downtown Nairobi streets, full of lepers and glue-huffers, tragic side-effects of modernity, to the beautiful and dangerous plains and distant mountain peaks of the countryside, Kenya really has it all.

    The three times I was there (with my grandparents twice, once with my mother), we witnessed an enormous herd of elephants (well over 50) descending a hill to cross the road in a steady stream directly perpendicular to the road we were on... a mere 20 feet from the headlights (wowza!) and another time, we had to wait a good 10 minutes for an enormous water buffalo to un-plant itself from the middle of the road. Trust me, you do NOT want to get one of those things mad - unless you happen to be riding in a tank of some kind... the only to do was to wait, or carve a new path through the bush around them. Wild.

    The Manse ("preacher's house") where my aunt and uncle lived, while working for U. of. T. and the church of E. Africa (respectively) was where we stayed for most of our visit(s). It was a walled and fenced-in property, a bungalow, with a good floor-plan, etc. The kitchen overlooked fields of some high-growing plant, and attached to the right side of the house, there lived 3 or 4 Kenyans, who took care of the house by tending to the gardens, etc. I never really knew what they did, them being so cut-off from the main house (there was no connecting door) and me being too young to ask. Regardless of their no-doubt higher standard of living than most, I still can't explain the unsettling juxtaposition of where they lived with how they lived...

    As for the interior of the house, there was a decent kitchen, 2 or 3 bedrooms, a living room, dining room, the usual. They even had T.V., which was mostly Kenyan advertising... I distinctly remember a commercial with these children pointing into the toilet bowl, shouting "Mommy! What's that?!" in unison. Very odd. I don't remember watching too much TV there. I think I had a book or two, definitely had my cassette-walkman and lets face it, you don't go traveling to sit at home in front of a screen... in front of a wall. The TV is a great way to explore a culture's perceived reflection of itself... to see what their economy is focused on, what makes 'news,' and what the locals find interesting... but I guess we would just be too busy most days to sit down in front of it (and take it seriously), with all the "real stuff" just outside the door!

    Speaking of outside the door, there was one tree in particular that caught my eye from outside the house. It was really tall and the branches didn't begin until a long way up. From below, it appeared to have a rather large nest of something, termites? birds? I would check it out for movement over a few days, often with a boy around my age that lived near by and wanted to 'hang out with the white guy.' We'd not venture too far away from the house, but still enough for me to somewhat grasp his peoples' situation: living in red mud-and-cow-dung huts, with thatched roofs that seemed fine in the kiln-like heat of the day, but I wondered how they stood the rain and wind when it came. On the 3rd day, I finally asked him what exactly it was that lived "up in that tree over there." He did not speak English (that I could tell), and we rarely, if ever, spoke while exploring the area. He pointed up and then looked at me, then made the international 'arm-squiggle' motion for 'snake.' I smiled... 'Oh--' I started to say... when nearly in the same breath, three ~3ft snakes dropped out of the tree and slithered around, shocked by the huge fall. Needless to say, the two of us ran like hell. It's kind of funny looking back at that day now... [I'm writing this in Costa Rica, where I've just had another close encounter of the snake kind].

    We were also taken, by my aunt and uncle, to a tea plantation while I was there, where I witnessed modern extravagance and near-slavery still in full-swing. It was one of the most awkward trips I've ever had, and I still both embrace and regret that sobering experience. What I saw was an incredibly wealthy old woman, who had inherited the most overwhelmingly out-of-place mansion - complete with a room full of mounted animal heads - the full bit. The house overlooked the tea fields, full of African workers with the most uncomfortable-looking (and big) baskets straped to their backs, picking tea and tossing it into the basket all day under the blistering African Sun. Meanwhile, the woman explained that she "rarely met with the workers," or invited them up to the house for refreshment of any kind... while we were invited to sip ice water and sample the "top-quality" tea from her very own fields. To this day, I get an ill feeling just remembering the view from that house as it curdled the milk of that chai...

    Happily, it wasn't all like that.

    We stayed at many 'resort-style', and 'non-resort-style' places over the 3+weeks (x3, over 3 years) I was in the country. At one place, called The Ark I stayed up all night to see those things that come out in the darkness. They had this stone bunker you could hide in, nearly at ground level, and wait with your camera until the animals stepped into the light (also, to get to one of the few watering holes in the area - located there, not surprisingly). The whole thing was a charade, but majestic and captivating none-the-less.

    Other than the people, and the poverty, and the kindness, I naturally remember the animals found in Kenya. Over those 3 years, we visited many parks and 'resort-like' birding/animal-watching places, not to mention the all too common running-into-things-on-the-road.

A few of these places stand out in my memory:
Keep in mind, it is nearly 15 years ago now...

The Ark (Hotel) in Aberdare National Park, where I saw:
~Many Elephants, birds, meerkats, etc.
~Hyenas chasing, catching, and ripping apart some kind of deer-like thing in the middle of the night.
~A rhinoceros masturbating on a disturbingly well-worn rock...

Nakuru ~ The Maasai people - The Great Rift Valley
~The Good: Meeting the Maasai and playing with some of the kids my age, who found so much joy in their toys - consisting of clotheshangers with Coke cans at the end of them which they could roll in front of them and chase around. Really happy people.
~The Bad: While stopped to admire the majestic view of the Great Rift Valley, the presidential motorcade (of the day - you'll know who if you do the math), drove past at astonishing speed - for fear of assassination, I was told - and an unfortunately-timed bicycle driven by a Kenyan man crossed it's path. The man was killed instantly, and sent hurling into the ditch. Like so many times before and since, the crowd did nothing. I pleaded for an explanation, and was told that to take action was to take responsibility for the unknown body... something, it sadly seems, is all too commonly avoided in this often-selfish World.
It was really REALLY sad... and clearly, I have not yet forgotten.
~The Ugly: My grandfather, Gus, let some of the Maasai men look into his video camera 'viewfinder,' and a few days later he developed the grossest eye infection I've ever seen! Poor Gus... but he was a tough one.

Lake Nakuru National Park:
~ Stepping in "hippo-mud" by the edge of a river while trying to snap a photo of an amazingly large group of flamingos... When they flew away, the sky was PINK with their bodies and reflections.
...I had to leave that shoe there.
"I lost my shoes in the bubbling ooze!"

Lake Turkana - Great Rift Valley - World's largest desert lake - volcanic rock
~ Dr. Leakey's fossils of the "earliest human remains" - "L. Turkana has no outlet, and water is lost from the lake mainly by evaporation. The evaporation rate has been estimated at 2,335 mm yr-1."
(http://www.ilec.or.jp/database/afr/afr-20.html)
~ I remember thinking the little chunks of volcanic rock all over the place were really cool looking, like bubbles in the rocks had frozen upon popping... coooool... [nerd]

Other random memories I've just ... remembered... (more to come, perhaps):
~ Being licked by a giraffe while trying to take it's picture - tastes like lemony-stench.
~ The bumpy ride of the Land Rover, that took us on safari across plains and from which we could
walk down to hidden waterfalls... those trucks really do give you a feeling of safety in the wild, no
matter how false that feeling may actually be.

~ That I was lucky to get to go there, especially on 3 separate occations. Unfortunately, my amazement at certain things (like the taste of unpasteurized milk, poverty, the absurd tea-plantation) were mistaken as ingratitude by my aunt, souring much of what was certainly a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience.
Ya can't please 'em all... but ESPECIALLY if 'they' are family!

And on we go to...

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FRANCE:

My knowledge of France, extends not much further than Paris...
...and all those wacky philosophers.
I visited Paris on my way to Kenya, Africa, for a week-and-a-half when I was around 14 years old. I did, however, take lots of pictures and ask lots of questions while I was there with my grandparents. My grandfather had deep roots in France (and later Jolliete, Quebec). His last (and one of my middle) names is "Chalin," (Sha-laen) which, I'm told is further derived from the Welch aproximation of "Chaplin" (a story for another time, perhaps). These French Chalins made quite a mark in Jolliete, my great-grandfather (or was he my great-great?) Henri Chalin was honoured with the central boulevard in Jolliete being named after him. With the recent passing of my grandfather, Gus (August) Chalin, I've become more interested with things French, as well as the standard "Canadian" interest, what with the majority of our national identity deriving from our French-English historical relations.

What do I remember from when I was 13 or 14? Lots of cobble-stones to trip on, immaculate hotel rooms, people making out on the Metro platform (pretty hot & heavy), and a general "Frenchness" in the air. We did pretty much all you could typically see there, and also found a few specific plaques (found on many street corners around the city) that said something about the "Chalin" side of my family.

It's beautiful in Paris... full of some kind of atmosphere that makes your breathe thick and eyes stare with wild wonder.

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EGYPT:

I have descended the steps within the mighty pyramids, inhaling the overwhelming odor of...
tourists. Once you get to the bottom of this cramped walkway, you arrive at... an empty tomb. All the good stuff must be at the British Museum. God, tourists smell. Giza though, is a really neat place to walk around. The Sphinx was cool... and if I'd camped out between its front paws, it might have asked me the age-old riddle: "What walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs in the afternoon, and 3 legs at night?"
(If you know the answer already, you can contact me... in the meantime, I'll let the rest of you ponder it over.)

Egypt is one of those places where you really need to live for a few years, in order to better understand it's history and culture. I guess another way might be some kind of "classics" course... but you'll still get lost when you get there.

I went to Egypt with my Mom. I was 14 or something, and on my way to Kenya again. We had just over a week to see what we could see. Our 'home-base' for that time was Cairo Sheraton hotel, in ... Cairo. The room was really high up, which was great, because modern Egyptians seem to ride their car horns more than anywhere I've been.

We went to the British Museum, took a private sailboat ride down that stretch of the Nile (the security guard seemed to fancy my mother and invited us), visited the Mohamed Ali Mosque, and saw all the alabaster stone I'll ever really have to in order to understand that if you put a flashlight up to it, it becomes illuminated (it's cool anyway)....

Then, something even cooler than all that happened... the bellhop and concierge of the hotel were good friends and wanted more than anything to take us with them anytime they wanted to visit family. This meant trips to Alexandria, where Cleopatra once lived and where me and my Mom ate fried fish - heads and all - down some back alley ("and now... we're gonna die."~ I said)...

... if you'd like to hear more... I'll try reminiscing later, come again soon...

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ENGLAND:

...COMING SOON! ...

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The Netherlands: AMSTERDAM:

Amsterdam is an interesting city.

The name "Amsterdam" comes from the river Amstel and the Dam that was built, in order to divert the water that used to cover its place of existence.... Amsterdam is one of the World's largest 'land-reclamation' projects. A quarter of the Netherlands is still below Sea level.

Any Google-search about the place will getcha plenty of pictures, maps, etc. of what the area looked like before and after the beginning of the 13th century (1200s).

It's the "Nominal Capital" of the Netherlands (The Gov't is in The Hague), because it's the country's largest city and has recently become famous for the nearly 300 cafes that legally offer 5 grams of weed (marijuana) to their customers.

Amsterdam has approx. 300,000 more bicycles on the streets than people in their phonebook.

And... another weird thing about Amsterdam is that its' people are apparently "the tallest in Europe" (source unknown -check!)

...

Although the city holds the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings, the largest number of original old-school windmills, and the fact that it's supposed to have the most museums in the World (in one city)....

BUT...

THIS IS ROUGHLY ALL I SAW THERE... (THE AIRPORT):

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Pictures, Images and Photos

(NOT SHOWN: THE HIGHWAY VIEW WE TOOK FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE HOTEL)

We were connecting to Egypt, I think... and couldn't stay long enough to see anything of interest. Bummer.

The Moral of these Stories: I'll have to go back there someday. Someday soon too! - If Global warming persists, and the Atlantic Ocean water level rises mere feet, the majority of Amsterdam will be under the North Sea!!! (Check that out too!)

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MEXICO: CANCUN

My year-2000 "anti-grad trip," consisting of me and 6 friends...

I'm trying to remember things like:

-Friends...
-Tourists...

-The accidental Hotel change... which led to:
~Swim-up bar(s)...
~Learning dirty Spanish words...
~24hr. Hamburgers / Hot-Dogs...
~"Mysteriously" plugged toilets...

-The "Real" Cancun - away from the beach...
~Visiting the Mayan temple at Chichen Itza...

Here's a picture I took of it:

There was drinking... and *some* dancing... I think.

Either way, I finished High School... went to Carleton for 6 years, earned an double B.A. in History / Philosophy... worked at a music [instrument] store...
...started a band...
Later, got depressed - with a strong "lost in life" vibe... and moved to...

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TAIWAN: R.O.C.(?)
Shortly after my Ottawa band, "Rocket Surgery," (not the New York prog-rockers with the same name), played our 1st show, after nearly 2 years of practice, I packed up my stuff and took my last $1000 to the "Far-East" to seek my fortune. Actually, I simply couldn't find a job in Ottawa, and Dixie Lee fried chicken just wasn't payin' the bills.It's a damn shame the music store I managed went broke while I was finishing University, that was a job I both enjoyed AND which funded my lifestyle at the time....
Anyway, holy crap I'm digressing...

Taiwan. Another beautiful country, perhaps my favourite so far. The people are generally friendly and laid-back, things are affordable (for now), and all the way from the Nantou mountains right down to the East Coast view of the pacific, it is as picturesque as you can find anywhere...

Plus, it's a small island off the S.E. coast of China, about 4 hours South of Japan, close to Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, etc. - all good places for a necessary "Visa run" every few months.

I arrived in Taiwan, after a nearly 26 hour journey via Chicago and Japan. My sister, Gillian, who had already been living there for 4 years and only six months earlier been married in Ottawa (where, coincidentally, my band - Rocket Surgery - played) was kind enough to provide a mattress in their spare room, while I began my adventure.

First, I found work at my sister's school, one of the many Frobel 'American' Schools (no longer called 'American') in the area of TaoYuan - about 40 minutes West of Taipei and very close to the C.K.S. Airport (no longer called C.K.S.!). The town I eventually made 'home' was called NanKan, a former Japanese temporary settlement that continues to thrive due to its manufacturing sector and proximity to the airport. Was it easy to find work? Well, let's see... I arrived on a Wednesday. That Friday I signed a year-long contract with the school, and then Monday -four days after arriving- began to teach English for the first time in my life.

Needless to say, I was unprepared... however confident. You learn quickly that although you are a valuble comm-oddity, the concept of "Face" in Taiwan is a very important part of success. My first day, my first teaching "demo," was a bit sloppy. They gave me a textbook that the school had published for themselves - full of spelling mistakes and weird cartoon characters - and worse: only about 6 words of English on the two pages I was meant to teach over the next two weeks! I pretty much used up all my preconceived imagination of how I would go about teaching the kids within the first 20 minutes. Now, how the hell was I supposed to do this for a whole year?!

Luckily, thanks to the advice of my fellow ex-pat teaching staff - and some well-timed clowning around - I settled into the 8am-7pm lifestyle that is ESL teaching in Taiwan.

It wasn't all fun and games...

In just under a month of arriving, I took on an appartment on NanShan Rd., from one of the teachers at Frobel who had just bought a house. The place was a mess, as they had two small children (dirty finger-smudges EVERYWHERE) and smoked inside. I spent about two weeks, after school, cleaning and painting the apartment before I wore out my sister's welcome and finally moved in. I had bought a 2-inch thick "matress" from IKEA that I lay onto the bedframe the previous tenents had left, and began six months of intolerable solitude. Of course, I was getting paid nearly $25/hr. right off the bat, but I had nothing to do but read James Joyce's Dubliners, and the other few books I brought, while listening to a mix CD of Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey over-and-over-and-over again. These things did not help with homesickness. This I know.

Anyway, the money kept piling up and I eventually bought an Acer notebook computer and began frequenting various coffeeshops that provided free internet to their customers. It was at one of these cafes that I met up with a woman named Jessie, who had attended my sister's wedding the previous year with her two sons. She was learning English from her friend (and my friend), Monica, and my future co-worker / Chinese tutor, Alan.

It's funny. The men in Taiwan smoke like chimneys and work till their hair falls out... and yet the women (now, I'm talking about *slightly* older women here) seem to have idealistic lives of leisure. It was through these chance encounters, which eventually became more regular that I learned the phrase "Huh Kafe, Li-ow shi-fey" [my own pronounciation] which means: "drink coffee and gossip" - which is what they did. It was fun and educational to hear such casual Chinese speaking on such a regular basis. I should know more by now!!

... MORE TO COME ...
(I'm still remembering stuff :)

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Thailand Flag Pictures, Images and Photos

THAILAND:

Thailand is a wonderful country. The weather is hot and humid in Bangkok, but the accommodations are cheap (if you're adventurous), and there's usually a fan in the room. :)

I've been to Thailand three times now, and each time it seemed new and interesting. I guess, since it's mostly geared towards tourists, your options for entertainment / exploration are pretty limitless.

My favourite place in Thailand was the little island of Ko Chang, South-West of Bangkok by about 5-7 hours (I fell asleep on the bus, sorry!) and at first it felt like we had just sold our lives away to some dirty man in a Khao San Road travel agency. Once we arrived at the dock somewhere near Laem Ngop, and borded the ferry to the small island paradise, I felt a *bit* better... It was a beautiful boat ride as the sun rose and the land came clearer and clearer. We landed, and waited around for one of the few pickup trucks that cycle around the island (there is only one road that does not actually go all the way around the island - the old, 'stop and turn around' thing happens). Finally, after much complaining by some fellow tourists and patience on the part of some cooler ones (ourselves included, a-hem-hem..) we made our way to the first of three 'hotels' that we stayed at on the island...

It's late though... and I have to work tomorrow... so I'm afraid the story ends there for now children... :)

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CHINA:

After a few more months in Taiwan, I left and traveled to China, via Hong Kong, to meet with Sasha (my girlfriend) in Kunming, Yunnan Provence.

We went from Kunming, "the City of Eternal Springtime," to Dali, to LiJiang, to Tiger Leaping Gorge, to ShanGeLiLa (not the 'real' Shangri-La), near the Tibetan border. We then took a train North-East to ChengDu, in the SiChuan (Si=4, Chuan=River) provence. After nearly a month, we caught a plane back to Thailand, before returning to Canada, via Taiwan & Japan &, in my case, Chicago.

I will regale you with more recollections at a later time...

For now:
HERE ARE A FEW
MOVIES of...

            This one time, we were just walking down                                            Giant Buddha, ChengDu, China
                  the street in LiJiang, China, when...                                       "World's Largest" Buddha Mountain carving
               This little girl started spinning by her mouth                                    This thing actually changed the flow of
                   on the sidewalk for money:                                                   one of the most powerful rivers!

I hope her busking profits
go towards future dental care...

               ChengDu, China, WWF Panda compound:
            This was one of many Giant Pandas we saw,
                        munchin' away at bamboo...                                                           This one was taken at the
               Yes, this is the very same panda reserve                                Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge (Yunnan Prov., China)
       that was nearly destroyed during that huge Earthquake                      The Yangtze River cuts right through the mountain
                             ...poor sweet pandas...

Now that's some powerful chocolate milk!

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Costa Rica Flag Pictures, Images and Photos

COSTA RICA:

Awesome. Delicious. Terrifying... and their flag seems to be the opposite colour scheme of Thailand's flag. Enh? Enh.

But I've really got to get some sleep, so I'll write more soon! Promise!
For now...

                Here's a special movie about the day                                     And here I am, driving cattle during our
                   we released baby Olive Ridley      "Cowboy for a Day" adventure
               (Giant) Sea Turtles into the Pacific                                                               at Rancho La Merced.
            Ocean at Hacienda Baru, Dominical,Nov.13.08:                                                         They really did tell me to "moo" at the cows....

HOME MOVIES!
HD and BlueRay Compatible!

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"The Finals of the Men's Senior Tilting Event" ~ part of the Boating Regatta
Stanley Vipond Trophy Winners: Lindsay Key & Lloyd Smiley
16 Island Lake, Quebec, 2007

This year... not so much.

:(

:)

Ok, I know this is weird... and not just-a-bit redundant...
But in case the above hit counter resets again,
I've added this back-up one:

Yes, I realize that's weird...
But really, why else would I check this page otherwise?