Dreamlist
A tree grows in Queenstown — May 2009
NEW ZEALAND
- Sky dive over Abel Tasman National Park (then spend a few days hiking and kayaking in the park; BLISS!)
- Learn to surf in on the North Island (5 day Learn To Surf tour? Yes please!)
- Kayak through Doubtful Sound
- Swim with the dolphins in Akaroa (hopefully no sea sickness this time!)
- Hike the Tongariro Crossing
- Tramp the Routeburn Track
- Snorkel and/or learn to dive in the Poor Knights (which is what I’ll be if I do all of these awesome things!)
- Make my way across the Franz Josef Glacier
CANADA
Of course, being away from home has meant that Im anxious to explore my native country to the degree that I now know New Zealand. It’s so huge though, where do I begin?
- Cross the Rockies by train (omg I cant even begin to pick which journey to take!)
- Play in the trees in Nanaimo, BC (followed by a tasty confection or two)
- Go dog sledding in Algonquin Park
- Take in a ceilidh in Nova Scotia in autumn
- Kayak in the Bay of Fundy
- Ice skate along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa during Winterlude
- Say hello (or rather, salut!) to Bonhomme Carnaval during Quebec’s Carnival
- Whoop it up during the Calgary Stampede
THE WORLD
Although I’d spent the last decade with me feet firmly planted on Canadian soil, now that I’ve left my wanderlust seems to know no bounds. While no one region calls me more than any other, there are certain events I would love to experience for myself.
- Kayak the Grand Canyon
- Ride the Orient Express
- Watch the sun rise at the Taj Mahal
- Wander among the cherry blossoms in Japan
- Visit the Great Wall of China
- Take a cooking course in Chiang Mai
- Purchase a set of matryoshka in St Petersberg
You will love St. Petersberg. It is a gorgeous city. Things are more expensive there and in Moscow. I found the most beautiful matryoshkas in Kazan (if you have time to take a train ride out of Moscow, Kazan is a fun city to visit and not touristy).
Hope you get all your dreams on your list!
Thank you for the tip on Kazan, I would definitely make the time to go there! As for my list, it may take me a lifetime (especially since I will continue to add to it), but I’ll make sure I get through it all =)
Your website is beautiful – how did I get here? Something about the best blogs in Toronto? Originally from Vancouver, I was an X-pat living in Tokyo, Japan for 6 year. What an amazing time.
We went to Thailand a few times and travelled India for 2-months. If you have any questions feel free to shoot them our way.
As for your vaccination questions, you’re certainly going the right way. The information we’ve found about Japanese E. is that unless you will be in an area that is endemic for some time, leave it alone. The side-effects for adults can be severe. The risk of catching the disease is equal to risk of serious side-effects. If that makes sense? It is transmitted by unvaccinated pigs (the vector is a mosquito), so stay clear of farms. In Japan you aren’t at risk because the pigs are vaccinated.
If you go further into Thailand, past Chiang-Mai you want to consider Malaria medication. Now if you don’t want to consider that you can wear clothes and use sprays to protect you and stay in an air-conditioned room during dusk and dawn. Using a mosquito net over your bed is very helpful. We travelled India with a mosi-net every night, long sleeves and long pants and natural insect spray and we were never sick. So many people, both travelers and locals that we met had some mosi-fever or another. But we stayed healthy.
Always eating vegetarian was another great way to stay healthy. Every time we ate meat in a developing country we got sick! I’m not kidding. Our friend who has a 2nd home in India says she will never let any other person no matter how trusted purchase her meat for her. She buys it and her chef cooks it! Be vegetarian in Thailand and India. South Korea is probably o.k. Japan is of course, totally safe. Although even our Japanese colleague got sick from eating the famous raw chicken in Japan.
Enjoy your journey
Hi Wendy!
Thanks for such a great comment. Ive already started with the Twinrix (hep a/b) vaccinations and will have that finished up before I leave NZ. Im planning on taking the typhoid vacc as well. I’m still unsure of malaria pills as I keep reading how they have awful side affects. I will be going to Chiang Mai and possible a little further north. While I’m not doing to do any trekking, I do plan to visit the Elephant Sanctuary which is out in the bush. I will def cover up though (I even saw clothing that was mossie repellent!) and get a bug net. I didnt think about the A/C being a deterrent, but I guess it makes sense. I’ll chat with the doctor about the malaria pills when I go for my final shot in February, see what their advice is.
Also thanks for the veggie suggestion. I think you are absolutely right, no matter how much I adore chicken or shrimp in my meals, its better to be safe than sorry. Ive been meaning to go veggie anyway :P
Are you still in Japan? Or have you moved back home? Thanks again!!
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