Travel Life

Where did it come from? Why did it begin? How started the trend? Who is to thank for the opportunities? Was it the Canadian or Sherman? Maple Leaf International School has a humble beginning back in 1995 with a few students in China. The direction if the school was blending the best of western and eastern educational cultures.  Sherman Jen was the man who started it all, he sought out BC offshore school accreditation. Sherman had his vision after his daughter had a terrible accident in Vancouver. Sherman and his first wife lived in Canada, they were not strong English speakers and with fear in their hearts that they were going to lose their daughter, a stranger, a Canadian man came by and transported her to the hospital where she was well looked after. To this day the man was never found and is still unknown but his act of kindness lives on everyday in the mind of Sherman Jen and the lives of the students attending MLIS. Sherman believes in "blending the best of the easy and west ...

It is require that you have a passport visa when travelling to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, why? Well obviously because they can ask for it!? Duh! Actually I have no idea aside from the regular reasons you might think? Keep out drug dealers, unwanted travellers, delinquents, spies, etc.? Who knows? Actually asking, let me know :P Heading here towards end of February with some great new-ish friends, I mean, I met them a couple months ago, great people, and we have gotten to know each other well, so really how "new" would they be? Anyways, I was posting to pass along the visa application to anyone who may be looking to go there, check it out, worth that at least :) Cheers! CB http://visa-vietnam.ca/

Well remember,  "Central" Party Central (expat and locals mingle spot), white male? Single? No worries about what you might catch? Adventurous? Want to meet girls, or "girls"? Ya. That's a thing there, from what I have been told, There is, Central (not the station) the strip of bars along the street that open up into the street. Amazing. But then you have the scuzzy street, or sketchy bars. Not so cheap and not so clean, also kind of "catty" if you know what I mean? These are around-Causeway? I think, from what I remember, I recommend just -not- though. I mean, ya, they have a few sports pubs and bars, but realistically unless your hotel is there, not worth it.  If you don't mind walking, everything on the same island is totally walkable and ya depending on how far, could take awhile but if you like walking and are a fast mover, you are fine my friend :)  Late night snacks? Drunk? Or maybe more drinks? Well, Seven Eleven has all your vacation midni...

When very thing is made so convienent, you really, and I mean really cut things close. The funny thing is that most people would say I'm late for everything. I would agree that normally I imagine thibgs happening faster in my mind and do not account for the X factor depending on the priority of the original plan. Example, original plan is be at point b in 2 hours, I end up 15 minutes or so late because the point B was important to me, so I made the plans to be as quick in and out or to get there as soon as possible. I find out recently that I am doing it all wrong, give cushion for the plans that matter and plan the less important ones closer to the deadline.  Well aside from ranting randomly about my faults, I'm actually bringing this up because of how overwhelmingly convienent and efficient life can be in certain places around the world. When things become a maximum of 40-50 mins when you know 20 of those minutes will be transporting, the rest, well, run baby, run. I feel lik...

Well it's official, the flight to Singapore is booked for lamding there from dalian January 31st. The flight home is on Feb. 27th and that is leaving Vietnam (Hanoi) to Dalian.  We leave the first day of our holiday and get back the weekend before. Need to start preparing bags, budgeting and looking at things to do; prepare apartment for short term vacancy and research into the amazing things I'll hopefully be experiencing :) Flying with the teacher I went to Hong Kong with and the other teacher that I flew into japan with when I was first coming here. You can't even understand the excitement I feel because I'm travelling with them. Travel buddy A and myself made that week in Hong Kong nothing short of magical, in ever which way that two stag awesome English speaking guys with limited baggage could :) Travel buddy B and I have experiences travelling here originally and when we hang out we certainly get a few laughs (just a few though :p ) and we see eye to eye most cert...

My honda scooter (Japanese brand) can boot, and she is gorgeous. She was starting fine, but the battery is uhhhh not so good? Need a new battery I think, but I can still start it :) just a few manual jump starts and she goes, whatever, as long as she moves :) Gas is so cheap, it's inly 20rmb to fill the tank!  But ya, that glass wine last post was much needed, talked to the guys that I bought it from and it's all good, I think they really didn't want to make the trip to dalian to here to fix it if it was actually broken or damaged so they helped run like a full diagnostic on it :p I'll be a mechanic in no time, now to change the engine oil -_- ugh, do I really want to? Maybe I'll leave the mechanics to the mechanic :p  CB

The flights have been booked, the dates are set in stone as holiday (not by choice but I'm not compaining) :)  I won't be with the lady for valentines day which is a bit of heart break but I'm sure we will make it work! February 1st to the 27th I will be travelling from country to country with two fellow teachers, a fourth will be joining is through the trip and hopefully I will run into my lady as her travels will start a wee but later than my own :(  Thinking about sending her flowers maybe :) hopefully that will do the trick :) I'm super nervous about her, she is so wonderful and I know sometimes I can be a right pain, but she still seems to put up with me, I adore her and I really wish she was going to be on this trip but it is what it is, plus I haven't had much time with the boys (one of the teachers I am going with is my buddy I went to Hong Kong with) so it will be nice to just go and peruse the countries, the world (I guess is how must people would say that...

Wow! Five stars for sure! This is our second time staying here, Courtnay and I. Been awhile since we started seeing each other and thought we might take the weekend to get out and explore, so, why not actually make it a weekend :) that was the first time, the second time (now) is for Ryan's, wife's birthday (Sheri). Ryan and Sheri are American teachers at DAIS, amazing people. Ryan, great musician. Very hard to catch his shows but that was where I met Courtnay! We are going for dinner at cafe Copenhagen. Great place, are there the first time we came to dalian for the weekend. Saturday nights are live music and salsa. I don't think we are going anywhere else after that only because Ryan had injured his leg and court is still have horse broken hip problems. The doctor says it's probably soft tissue damage, she will be okay, but until then, I'll gladly be her superman. Sorry, I mean spiderman ;) Dalian is great, the hotel, Nikko, that we have chosen to claim as our sec...

Trying to get on the train? Running late? Worried about getting to point b on time?  Ya, trying to get on the train but at the same time staying alive! When you are getting on the train the first few times, your concern is whether or not you are going to get on alive.  Once you are on the train it's not dangerous or bad, just super crowded. The train here stops running at 7 or 8ish (19:00 or 20:00) so people rush to make it home before they have to cab.  Cabs are a whole different ball game. They can be super cheap and use the meter or they can be super expensive and be a flat rate. Some drivers speak a lot of English while others are just familiar with numbers and ripping you off to cover their cost.  The best thing to do for price is always take a motorcycle taxi. Of course you won't be able to be going from ikea or metro to your place because of the lack their of storage space, but for short or small luggage trips they are cheap. Keep in mind china gets chilly in ...

NO MOLD: need to maintain this. Need a dehumidifier, and humidity gauge for the apartment. It is 86 sq feet, in a gates community, with mud room, pavement patio as well as garden area which I think was supposed to be paved but they just never did lol High level security, furnished with a 43 inch TV They wanted 2500 RMB a month with hearing but since the neighbours have heat and the apartment is well insulated, it's no biggie meaning it has come down to 2300 a month, now I need to get internet for the year which may be a but of a hassle.  They didn't have a bottles water dispenser however, I can find one that works and roll with that then I can continue getting water from the Maple Leaf water guy or whatever :)  They have a ton of dry food storage space meaning I can stock up and they have a huge clean cooking area, omg! This is going to be a huge project :) so pumped and this will certainly keep me busy :) The big thing for me is the lighting of the place, even in the bathroom...

Seriously bro? Go figure, this is life I guess. Just seems like for every step ahead you get sometimes, you need to take a step back and not the need in the sense that you want to but in the sense that you need to learn, your optimism in life must be challeneged.  Now about this battery...options hmmmm Well, 1. Suck it up and pay for whole new battery Or 2. Text the guy I boght it from and  find out if there is anything he can do...for free. Ugh need a glass of wine. Or a beer, but we got wine, better for the heart anyways :p Ciao for now Carm

After that first "party" weekend in kaifaqu, that is the juicy part of this story. Playing pool against tht gorgeous woman and getting her number is the introduction. Here I am, standing at the Ching-qui, waiting, and waiting, this train can't come soon enough. I was running late, what am I going to tell this woman? Hey I'm silly, nervous and kept second guessin my attire sooooo now I am running late? I told her I took the train too far and I had to back track...no pun intended :p I got up that morning not expecting a response, because well, she didn't take my number last night. I thought surely her giving me her number was her way of seeing whether or not I was a creep. At the same time though I didn't think this rendezvous was leading to anything significant, I just had hopes that it could. I'm always keeping my options open with a mindset for positivity, never negative :) she gave me her number which also originally made me think it was a clever rouse t...

Never packed like this before, I inagine there are a couple different ways to do so, I'll run you through some thoughts, 1. Light packing 2. Pack to the max for weary travellers 3. Weary traveller 4. Pleasure travelling 5. Cheap travelling 1. The light packing, i would imagine this is for someone who is on the road a fair bit, moving around a lot and unable to really use much of anything except for clothes and toiletries. For the light packer, you can probably get away with clothes for half the time you will be there or say half a weeks worth and just look into washes near you; otherwise, maybe I'd  recommend one pair of hiking pants (depending on the area), one pair of hiker boots or sneakers,  and flip flops. Your clothes should reflect the climate you are, keep in mind the cheaper area you are in; the better chance you are of finding nice stuff to wear at a decent club on the event that there is a dress code. In the experiences I have had travelling, I always practically pa...