Toronto's real sister city

Wow, I cannot believe that it is already January 2017! Nick and I are back in San Francisco again, after the most amazing year traveling the world. It really was a dream come true for us and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do something like that.

As we settle back into the comforting, well-loved routines of our lives in SF, I am really going to buckle down and finish writing about our experiences. There are so many things that I wanted to share with family and friends, but just didn't have time to cover properly. Better late than never...right? So without further ado, we flash back to December 2015!

While we were in Chiang Mai, we learned that Nick's friend from Australia would be in Laos on business soon. Since the opportunity to see him was simply too good to pass up, we made our way to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, to meet him. While Mark was occupied with work during the day, Nick and I wandered around being complete tourists.

SCLEG Park: Safe, Clean, Light something something, Green

Although four days isn’t a whole lot of time, it was enough to give us a feel for the place. And my overall impression of Vientiane was...well...meh.

It was far too early in our travels for travel fatigue, and there was no shortage of things to see or do, yet I was totally underwhelmed by the city and I didn't know why. It wasn't until months later that it finally hit me: Vientiane is Toronto.

The parallels are uncanny, actually...

Am I part of the problem?

Luang Prabang is one of the most popular destinations in Laos and a UNESCO World Heritage site for a very good reason. Culturally and historically, there is so much worth preserving: beautiful temples and statues, a royal palace, colonial architecture and villages that still maintain and practice age old traditions.

We had a really great time bicycling around the area. We found cute riverside cafes, crossed the Mekong on bamboo bridges, shopped at the colourful and lively night market, enjoyed a sunset cruise, climbed to the temple on top of Mount Phou Si and more.

Tat Kuang Si

Bamboo Bridges in Luang Prabang

One of the highlights was the day we rented a scooter and went to Kuang Si, a gorgeous waterfall an hour outside the city. In fact, I think we hit up almost every major “to do” in Luang Prabang in our four days there…save the most famous: The sunrise alms giving ceremony.

This is one of the top “attractions” in the city. Young monks (with their bright orange robes) pass through the streets collecting alms — donations of sticky rice — from local residents. If I understand the tradition correctly, the alms-givers believe it will earn them favour in their next life, while the monks themselves rely on the donations to feed themselves in this life (at least historically. I’m not sure if this is still the case in modern times).

Many travelers have described a quiet and solemn tradition that they felt privileged to witness. However, I felt incredibly uncomfortable about going to see this ritual and opted out.

Thailand's Festival of Lights

Chiang Mai becomes a total madhouse around the Loi Krathong and Yi Peng festivals. We didn't realize that this wasn't normal for the city until a week later, when everyone got out of dodge!

The morning after, Loi Krathong style!

Although heat (35 and humid!) and crowds are usually not our thing, we really enjoyed the entire festival experience. There was just an energy all around that you couldn’t help but be swept up in! And it wasn’t just the tourists. Everyone was involved. It felt like all of Chiang Mai was out on the streets, having a good time.

A very happy outcome when you consider that just the day before, it felt like our entire visit would be a bust!

Chiang Mai

I wanted to go to Chiang Mai in Thailand for one reason and one reason only: The Yi Peng Festival. Like many, I was awed by the images of thousands of lanterns being released into the sky at the same time and I wanted to witness this beautiful tradition for myself. And since this was to be our first stop after our big trek in Nepal, we decided to stay put for 10 days to give our bodies time to rest and recover.

Lanterns fill the sky like stars during the Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai

Were it not for the festival and the post-trek timing, we may not have spent so much time here, or even come to Chiang Mai at all! If so, we would have missed out on a truly charming and wonderful city.

There's a chill and relaxed vibe to Chiang Mai that we really fell in love with. I can see why expats and retirees choose to settle here: people are very kind and friendly; it's tourist friendly, but totally hassle-free (the "no tuk-tuk, no massage" litany didn't begin until we got to Cambodia and Southern Thailand); the food is amazing and incredibly varied; the value for your money is almost too good to be true; and there are beautiful temples and leafy side streets around every corner.

Nick and I had a great time on so many levels. But here are our favourite non-festival experiences in Chiang Mai...

Mera Peak Packing: The Misses

To follow up on my last post about the things that proved indispensable on the trek, here are the things that I regret bringing and a few things that I wished I had.

1. Quick Dry Towel
   
   All towels are equal, but some are more equal than others. Sigh.
   
   Nick brought his REI camp towel on the trek...but I did not. I packed a super thin cotton towel from India since this is what I wanted for the rest of our round the world trip.
   
   I love these Indian towels because they dry in 10 mins in the sun, are really absorbent for their size, take up less room than Nick's travel towel and are big enough to wrap all the way around me. I have used my favourite towel on countless camping trips and international trips over the years and it has served me very well.
   
   This trek is the first time I found myself wishing I had a camp towel.
   
   

Mera Peak Packing: The Hits!

Every time I travel -- heck, every time I go on a picnic -- I end up finding something I'd do differently the next time around. Our Nepal trek was no different. After 18 days on the trail, we learned a thing or two about what worked and what didn't. So let's begin with the success stories...

Mammut Aconcagua Fleece

Mammut Aconcagua fleece hoodie

We spent the majority of our our trek above 4, 000m. So when you stop moving, when you start going downhill, or when the sun goes behind a cloud, you get cold very quickly. I feel like we were constantly taking layers on/off. The Mammut Aconcagua fleece hoodie I bought just before this trip really shone in these variable conditions.

This is the single most useful and versatile item I packed. I wore it every single day! Appearances can be deceiving; it may look like a pretty basic hoodie, but it has some key design features that make it so perfect.

Mera Peak: Mountain Life

One of the things that I didn't really "get" until I saw it for myself, was just how tough life in the mountains can be. I knew it must be hard in theory, but it's totally different to see and experience the conditions for myself. It's not just poverty (although there is that too), it's that it’s so remote. Every little thing is so difficult, even things that we don’t think twice about, like getting water or going to school.

In Khare, the closest stream was about 200-300m from the village. Every drop of water that we drank or used for cooking and washing had to be hauled up by somebody. When you're at 5400m elevation, 200+ metres with 20L of water on your back is no laughing matter. And yet, the men and women who were carrying more than half my body weight on their backs were laughing. And smiling. And sometimes, singing. It was both humbling and inspiring.

Bird's eye view of Khare