For our last 6 days in Chiang Mai, we were joined by our son (Kyle), daughter-in-law (Candice), and grandson (Alex). They had spent the previous 2 weeks in Indonesia on their own, and then joined us for Christmas. We had such fun introducing them to street food and some of our favourite eateries, and then... Continue Reading →
Chiang Mai: Just hanging out
We have spent two weeks on our own in Chiang Mai, which has given us the luxury of taking things slowly--no need to cram everything into just a few days, as is often the case for visitors here. We have walked much of the old city, tried the food at the night markets and in... Continue Reading →
Chiang Rai: We should have done our research
Preface This post is different because it talks about something that we didn't enjoy very much, which is unusual for us. We signed up for a tour to Chiang Rai because it was on our ideas list for our time in Chiang Mai (likely because I had seen it recommended somewhere). We signed up for... Continue Reading →
Chiang Mai: Street food tour
Having been in Chiang Mai only a few days, we have just scratched the culinary surface. The food here has an amazing reputation. Unlike when we were in Vietnam, where everyone warned us against eating the enticing street food, here visitors are encouraged to eat what is on offer. Since we can speak no Thai,... Continue Reading →
Thailand: Chiang Mai
We arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at about 10:00 at night after leaving Vancouver at noon the day before. We had a short layover in Beijing, China. Our luggage, unfortunately, had a longer layover there and didn't join us for another 24 hours. We have had our luggage disappear before, so were prepared for a... Continue Reading →
Artie: Hibernation
From Palm Springs, we headed toward the west coast of California. Our main goal was Highway 1 between Santa Barbara and Monterey, a route we had tried to drive many years ago when the road was closed due to flooding. After that, we were going to ease on up the Oregon Coast, taking several days... Continue Reading →
Palm Springs
I never thought I'd visit Palm Springs. I imagined it to be too hot and, well, too cliché. And the campground offered by our Thousand Trails camping membership we knew to be a large-rig parking lot—an environment in which we struggle to be comfortable. But then long-lost friends* who were planning to spend the month... Continue Reading →
Artie: Working out the kinks
We weren't quite ready for long-term four- or six-wheeled travel, but medical appointments impacted our schedule and we found ourselves with a free 6-week period—too short to fly somewhere and roam, but a perfect length of time to take Artie on his first road trip. We thought it would be a good opportunity to make... Continue Reading →
Meet Artie
Artie has joined our family part-time (we share custody). As we designed our Life: Phase Next, we planned part of it as land-based (vs. flying hither and yon) so we could spend time re-exploring our beautiful country (Canada) and meandering through many parts of the US that we had yet to experience. We knew we... Continue Reading →
Oliver and the Okanagan: Land of plenty
Wine. If you enjoy it, then Oliver in late September/early October is a great place to be. Tourist season has slowed and temperatures have cooled, but the wineries, for the most part, are still open. It is also time for the fall Okanagan Wine Festival, a collection of wine-related events throughout the Okanagan Valley from wine-paired... Continue Reading →
Trestles and Tunnels
We are in the middle of a repeat house sit in Oliver, British Columbia. Vineyards and orchards cover the hills and valleys here, and accompanying wineries (and now cideries and distilleries) are abundant. The Kettle Valley Rail (KVR) trail offers easy cycling along the Okanagan River, but there is one section of this trail that... Continue Reading →