Well here we are, back in Canada. We arrived on Monday afternoon from Tokyo via Portland on a very small airplane. It was quite turbulent on the way down through the clouds and I think it was our roughest flight of the whole trip! Anyhow, made it safely to Vancouver to a very rainy and miserable day. Our friend Sheila picked us up from the airport and it was nice to see her and Vancouver again. It was a very odd feeling to be back in North America. In the Portland airport, the ability to understand conversations going on around me was the first thing I noticed. It was tough not to eavesdrop though topics ranging from little David's diapers and plans for a new patio weren't all that exciting. Funny, when you are away and surrounded by different languages, the conversations always sound so important and so interesting. No doubt they were about the same kinds of things.
As far as emotions about coming home, it is difficult to say. It feels less of a shock than I was anticipating. It is great to be able to come "home" and make a cup of tea, or do a load of laundry without having to pull out the Tide bar and fill up a tiny sink. It is amazing to be back in Vancouver and see the mountains and the ocean. It was a shock to go into our storage unit (we were getting clothes and some necessities for our initial move to TO) and see how many clothes we have. Living with two t-shirts and two pairs of pants and everything else we need fitting into one bag each, it was funny to see all of our stuff sitting there waiting for us. It has been great to connect with friends and catch up on all the happenings from the year. It is nice to be able to read every sign and be very sure which washroom you are entering.
I find myself thinking of different places and different experiences frequently, but I don't really feel sad about the trip ending. I think that we were both ready to be back in Canada, and ready to restart life. It is going to be another exciting new chapter in our lives. I feel proud that we did what we did, and that we managed to keep loving each other despite moods, illness, disagreements about directions, frustrations, etc. The past ten months of moving around the world have certainly had their ups and downs -- the really good times will continue to be good and with time even the bad times will likely become good memories. All of our experiences combined to make the trip what it was. We were lucky that the trip went off without incident. We were able to connect with people in places that we couldn't even imagine before we left Canada, and that will stay with us forever. The trip was full of contrasts and those contrasts have made us think long and hard about the way we want to live our lives. All in all, it was great to be away and it is great to be home.
Thanks to everyone who read our blog along the way. It was so great to get comments and see that the people we care about were caring enough to check in once in a while. It has been fun keeping it up and we are happy to have this record of the trip. I will be posting pictures from Tokyo, just so the record is complete. Can't wait to see everyone, and share our 12,000 picture slide show (just kidding.... we wouldn't do that to you). If anyone is thinking of doing a long trip we would be happy to help convince you to go for it!
See you all soon I hope!!
Paula
xoxo
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Gastronomic Heaven
Just a quick post to say that we have found gastronomic heaven here in Tokyo, with Tak and Jenny's guidance. We drove straight from the Narita airport to a Yakitori place in one of the 6 official dowtowns of Tokyo, Roppongi. Our starter was small pieces of raw chicken (yes, raw!) with Japanese brocoli and some kind of broth. After that we had beautiful little sticks of all sorts of tasty stuff - gingko nuts, quail eggs, partially cooked chicken, chicken skin, beef, etc. We also had some of the best sake I have ever tasted, which went down very nicely with the meal. I will post pictures soon, because you have to see how beautiful it all is. My new favorite sweet is wagashi - traditional Japanese glutinous rice balls filled with sweet red bean paste. It doesn't sound as appealing as it is. We tried cherry blossom wagashi, which was a beautiful little pink package wrapped in a salted shiso leaf and topped with a preserved cherry blossom. You eat the leaf and all, and the combination of salt and sweet as well as the crunch of the leaf and chewiness of the glutinous rice is heaven. The other one we tried had a whole fresh strawberry at the centre, surrounded by the red bean paste, then the glutinous rice. It was dusted in some kind of fine flour (I am guessing rice flour?) so it wasn't sticky as you would imagine. After buying them all I could think about was trying them... I couldn't wait to hold one in my hand as they look just so damn irresistable! I will never forget the first bite!!
Last night we went for an amazing sushi meal. We did it omakasi style, so the chef chose everything for us according to what was fresh and tasty. He goes to the Tsukiji market (which we also visited) every morning at 4 a.m. to buy his fish for the day. We sat at the counter and he told us that the oysters were the result of "some very good contacts" - they were delicious. The fatty tuna was absolutely gorgeous, the best we have seen and tasted anywhere, and he said quietly to our friend Tak "it is shit". We all felt that it was a lot better than that and ordered seconds. The food kept coming, and each plate was more beautiful than the one before. We had a bright pink dish that was the liver and roe of some fish (sorry, don't recall) -- the presentation was so nice, with daikon, shiso and a few bright red fish eggs. The closest thing it could be compared to is foie gras... melt in your mouth, buttery goodness. Our next dish was interesting. While I did't enjoy thinking about what I was eating, the taste was excellent and the memory a good one. The closest we came to an explanation was "from a boy fish, his eggs".... it looked like some kind of apparatus closely related to an intestine. Really good, but very odd. The sashimi was more than great, it was stupendous. Tako, ebi, uni (urchin), bonito (with charred skin), beautiful tuna, scallops, white fish wrapped around tiny green chives, etc. We finished the meal with green tea and a preserved plum hand roll, which is basically nori, rice, a shiso leaf and plum preserves. We have a video of the chef making them- it was great to watch and so good to finish off the meal like that.
We have done more than eat during this week in Tokyo. We have visited some beautiful shrines, a massive bronze Buddha just near Yokohama, had a great home cooked meal by Jenny, made pottery in Mito, visited a traditional Japanese home, checked out Shibuya, Harajuku and other downtown areas, went to the Tsukiji fish market (and had a great lunch there), went to karaoke in Shibuya, and played Wii with Tak and Jenny (you know, when in Rome). It has been a lot of fun and we already know that this is a city we will definitely want to visit again.
Hope that all is well at home, and see you soon!
Paula
xoxo
Last night we went for an amazing sushi meal. We did it omakasi style, so the chef chose everything for us according to what was fresh and tasty. He goes to the Tsukiji market (which we also visited) every morning at 4 a.m. to buy his fish for the day. We sat at the counter and he told us that the oysters were the result of "some very good contacts" - they were delicious. The fatty tuna was absolutely gorgeous, the best we have seen and tasted anywhere, and he said quietly to our friend Tak "it is shit". We all felt that it was a lot better than that and ordered seconds. The food kept coming, and each plate was more beautiful than the one before. We had a bright pink dish that was the liver and roe of some fish (sorry, don't recall) -- the presentation was so nice, with daikon, shiso and a few bright red fish eggs. The closest thing it could be compared to is foie gras... melt in your mouth, buttery goodness. Our next dish was interesting. While I did't enjoy thinking about what I was eating, the taste was excellent and the memory a good one. The closest we came to an explanation was "from a boy fish, his eggs".... it looked like some kind of apparatus closely related to an intestine. Really good, but very odd. The sashimi was more than great, it was stupendous. Tako, ebi, uni (urchin), bonito (with charred skin), beautiful tuna, scallops, white fish wrapped around tiny green chives, etc. We finished the meal with green tea and a preserved plum hand roll, which is basically nori, rice, a shiso leaf and plum preserves. We have a video of the chef making them- it was great to watch and so good to finish off the meal like that.
We have done more than eat during this week in Tokyo. We have visited some beautiful shrines, a massive bronze Buddha just near Yokohama, had a great home cooked meal by Jenny, made pottery in Mito, visited a traditional Japanese home, checked out Shibuya, Harajuku and other downtown areas, went to the Tsukiji fish market (and had a great lunch there), went to karaoke in Shibuya, and played Wii with Tak and Jenny (you know, when in Rome). It has been a lot of fun and we already know that this is a city we will definitely want to visit again.
Hope that all is well at home, and see you soon!
Paula
xoxo
Monday, January 7, 2008
Taipei Airport
This morning at the crack of Bangkok dawn we got on a 747 and flew to Taipei where we now await for another flight to Tokyo. Had a very greasy beef noodle soup here at the airport. We are both quite excited to see Japan! And the excitement is building for returning home as well. That is the update from Taipei Airport. Over and Out.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Home Style Plans
We are about 10 months of being abroad now and our thoughts for the past little while have been shifting towards home. I think that a combination of Christmas, so long on the road and all the $$ we are spending has led to that :) I think we are both pretty comfortable that we have seen lots and experienced lots on this trip and that soon will be the right time to come home and begin the next trip of sorts....
On January 7th we fly from Bangkok to Tokyo for a week with Paula's friends Tak and Jenny. Then on January 14th we fly from Tokyo to Vancouver with a few hour stop in Portland, Oregon (does that mean I can add USA on our list of countries?). I think we arrive back in Vancouver at 11:15 January 14th, 10 months and 10 days after leaving. Seems like yesterday!
After some lengthy thought on the matter, we have decided to relocate our Canadian selves from Vancouver to Toronto around the 1st of February. For quite a while now we have both thought that we need to be closer to our families and the 'freshness' of coming home after this trip makes for a good opportunity to do just that. Of course there is the cold and there is the Leaf's, but we are prepared to cope with both of them :)
I'm going to be heading back into the Nerd line of work, looking to restart my career in the Toronto market. Paula is going to be going to work with her friend Morag at Yummy Stuff. We are both pretty excited!
We will be initially looking for a matchbox sized apartment to live in until we can get ourselves back on our feet and decide what that will become. We have definitely learned how to live on small amounts of material goods over the past year....
That's our plan so far :)
On January 7th we fly from Bangkok to Tokyo for a week with Paula's friends Tak and Jenny. Then on January 14th we fly from Tokyo to Vancouver with a few hour stop in Portland, Oregon (does that mean I can add USA on our list of countries?). I think we arrive back in Vancouver at 11:15 January 14th, 10 months and 10 days after leaving. Seems like yesterday!
After some lengthy thought on the matter, we have decided to relocate our Canadian selves from Vancouver to Toronto around the 1st of February. For quite a while now we have both thought that we need to be closer to our families and the 'freshness' of coming home after this trip makes for a good opportunity to do just that. Of course there is the cold and there is the Leaf's, but we are prepared to cope with both of them :)
I'm going to be heading back into the Nerd line of work, looking to restart my career in the Toronto market. Paula is going to be going to work with her friend Morag at Yummy Stuff. We are both pretty excited!
We will be initially looking for a matchbox sized apartment to live in until we can get ourselves back on our feet and decide what that will become. We have definitely learned how to live on small amounts of material goods over the past year....
That's our plan so far :)
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