Oh Canada!

Oh Canada. Forever our absolute spirit boosting, balancing, perspective gaining landscape filled with resounding love, wide-open spaces, peaceful silence and breath-taking vistas. Biased as we are, Canada rocks.

After landing in Toronto and receiving lovely pickup service from one of my nearest and dearest Sarah, our first stop was a greasy spoon; Poutine, grilled cheese with a side of bacon and a large chocolate milk was the first order up, and damn it was good to be back! From there we made our way to my brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Michelle's house where my Mom was babysitting nephew Lyndon. After some tight squeezes and nephew cuddles we finally accepted that the sun was setting on the 40 hour day we had just endured (even if it was only 7pm). Being annexed to the basement worked perfectly for us, as we were both wide awake by 3am and seriously hungry. Settling for left over airplane peanuts as to not to wake a sleeping baby (Now we know what's the deal with airplane peanuts ;) we managed to get back to sleep, and there ended the dreaded jetjag. Yay!

Two guesses where I'm eating...but I bet you'll only need one.

 We awoke the next morning and I vaguely remembered it was my birthday! It was really great to actually see all of my family on my actual birthday...which hasn't happened since I was like 14. Birthday hugs and kisses were all round, but I was still missing a hug from my Dad. To remedy this, Mom fired up her car and we drove home. There are very few feelings that compare to coming home. I mean actually dropping your bags and flopping down on your childhood bed. It's pretty magical. We celebrated with a Mom-cooked meal, perused souvenirs and chatted, chatted, chatted. It was one of the best birthdays I have had!

The next day I was so lucky to spend the afternoon with some of the most quality ladies out there. Not only were most of my oldest and dearest friends assembled in one place, so were their Moms! It was a real blessing to wine, dine and share in each others' company. Many, many thanks to these girls for making time and taking the day off work <3

 

Ty totally rocks the Uncle gig.

Next we spent a few days at brother Aaron's playing, cuddling and running after Lyndon. Always valued family time, but man, tots are tiring! Not to mention, we were in awe of our eight month pregnant sister-in-law Michelle who kept up with little Lyndon!

After making the rounds with the Harwoods, it was time to head East! Since our families live 13 hours apart, we usually enjoy making a mini-vaca out of the trip...but as time was somewhat of the essence this time around, we did it in one shot. After jamming to some serious Canadian content radio (Quebec radio loves them some Celine Dion..but who doesn't?), a too close for comfort moose encounter, roadside poutines and way too many Red Bulls, we pulled into Harford Lane! The week we spent there went entirely too quickly; Between visiting Grandmas, bbqing, hitting the Farmer's Market, laughing it up with Cousin Kyle&Marcey, visits from honeymooners Leigh&Emily and Korean newlyweds Doug&Goun, and hanging out way too much at Dooly's, we left New Brunswick dragging our heels. I absolutely love visiting St. Stephen.  Everyone is so friendly and always ready for a chat :) Like I said, one week was not enough!

 Luckily our time with Tyler's family wasn't over. Ty's parents made the trek back to Ontario with us, meeting brother Micah, and spending a week at the cottage together. This launched our three week stay at the cottage; No T.V, no internet and no cell reception made for ultimate relaxation and break from our everyday life. Coupled with a solid week of rain and cool weather (a shocking 10 degrees!) we were loving life filled with sweaters, wood-stove fires, reading, wine, boardgames and non-stop laughs. Throw in visits with great family, good friends, an anniversary celebration (Kudos to Jen&Dave for being amazing role models!), and a ribfest, I can say the simple life is good!

Now, living in Asia for 4 years, we've missed a lot of family milestones. We are very fortunate to have traveled and to have experienced diverse cultures but with that we have missed both happy and grievous family moments . When chatting with friends about traveling abroad extensively and signing lengthy contracts in far away places, the biggest hesitation is often some variation of, "What if my Grandmother passes away?" There is no easy way around it, you can't have it both ways. Unfortunately (believe it or not) life goes on without you while you are away. If you are lucky, you have a supportive family at home. We are so lucky.  No matter the circumstances, our families include us from afar, and make efforts to be together when we can.
With that being said, this past year my Great Uncle Boyd, so near and dear to my heart passed away. Yes, we grieved him while in Malaysia, but it wasn't until we spent time as a family at his farm that I truly grieved. The hugs, "I love you"s, and laughter that day meant so much. It was the time spent together that served as a true reminder to me that we are part of a family unit that supports and sees each other through. For that, I am so grateful!

With one week left in Canada, we headed home to Brighton to await the arrival of the newest Harwood, (unbeknownst at the time) sweet baby Andrew. Although we were SO excited with the prospect of meeting Andrew upon his debut to the world...he decided he wasn't quite ready (arriving a week later, and not wanting it any other way!) While we all waited for the baby-phone call, we enjoyed a super relaxed week at home, visiting our lovely townies, doing laundry and packing suitcases. A perfect end to a perfect holiday!

ACTUALLY the most perfect way to end a holiday was having our flights delayed, complimentary airline lounges, spending a night in S. Korea and missing the first day of work. Yup,50+ hours later,  Toronto --> Kuala Lumpur is not an easy trip. Was it worth it? Hell Yes.

A Year End Review

Ok yes, this blog has been seriously neglected, but it's been one heck of a Spring....(and now summer)! With familiar faces from far away places, a diving trip to Indonesia, two crashed hard drives, report cards and beach days, our plates have been pretty full.

First, and most importantly, we have been lucky enough to have had an array of visitors this past year. We always feel so blessed that, when travelling, friends have taken the time to say 'Hi'. The nomads passing through are from all different parts of our past, including visits from Korean turned Singaporean expat Amanda, East Coast Canadian University friends Haley and Laura, Korean way-gook Melissa, and Tim, a neighbour from Korea. Our time spent together was filled with the most ridiculous conversations, creative sleeping arrangements (as per our studio apartment), and continuous laughs. Living in Kuala Lumpur, we are more on the beaten travellers' path than when we lived in South Korea. It's not that more people we know are travelling, we are just more conveniently located on the maps these days. As travelling through South East Asia can be awesomely different than home, we can speak from experience, that sometimes you need a break from squatter toilets, showering in your flip-flops, etc. We were more than excited to have friends stay with us, offer a hint of 'home-life' and show them some sights in KL as part of the self-dubbed 'MaryTylerMore Standard Premier Tour'. Although returning to these spots repeatedly with friends this year, they never get old. These people are hilarious.

As Laura and Haley left KL and headed for Bali, we thought we would join them for a long weekend. Our friend Hutchy, Tyler and I made the short trip to Gili Trawangan for the second time this year and were in ultimate relaxation mode in record time. I seriously scared myself with how long I could just sit and chill. We took a break from beach lounging to go diving each day, took in the sunsets, had a couple dark, wobbly bike rides home and came back super rested. Both Tyler and Hutchy had been wanting to get a Gopro for the past year, and they finally pulled the trigger! It was a lot of fun taking diving pics and videos, check 'em out!

Since the timeline on this blog post is seriously blurred, let's fast-forward to the now; While wrapping up the school year and all the work that accompanies it, we have remained in KL for the longest stretch this year: 6 weeks. As KL is a city with very limited green space, an often serious smog problem and endless concrete, it's been a bit tough for these two grass/tree/lake loving Canadians. Last weekend we decided enough was enough and went with a couple of friends to the closest beach, Port Dickson. The buzz around town is that Port Dickson is dirty, and not so loved. Although Ty&I had already visited P.D (and enjoyed it), our expectations for the day were low, and we were just happy to stretch our legs beyond the city limits. To our surprise, Port Dickson exceeded all expectations! We set up our umbrella, swam, built sandcastles, enjoyed the pool at a resort and returned home that evening. A perfect day trip and break from the city!

Finally, June 29th marked the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim month-long time of fasting. While living in Malaysia, where a dominant religion in Islam, I can say that, though it has been culturally informative, it has not really affected our lives....up until this point. So the deal with Ramadan is that Muslims don't eat or drink while the sun is up. They eat before and after. As you can imagine, the moment the sun goes down, the feast is on! In preparation for breaking the fast each night, there is a frenzy of shopping. Each street is lined with miles of food stalls offering curries, fresh fruit juices, noodles, chicken done in a hundred different ways, and desserts. As we have largely favoured Indian and Chinese food up until this point, this has been a great opportunity to try everything Malaysian. We've really gone for it! Since Ramadan has started, we have exclusively eaten Malaysian...and entering into the festive spirit, perhaps indulging in too many Malaysian delicacies. Everything just looks and smells so good! As wonderfully gluttonous as the Ramadan season has been, the major downside is the horrendous traffic that comes with it. As Malays want to shop, cook and be sitting at the set table ready to chow down the minute the sun sets and prayers have been said, traffic and subways have been a nightmare. Add thousands of parched, starving people in tropical heat to the mix, and things can get a bit dicey. With that being said, I seriously commend those fasting for not completely melting down by 6pm. Seriously, ask Tyler what it's like to be travelling around in the heat with me when I haven't eaten for four hours.

After finishing our first of a two-year contract, I've sent my students packing for Grade Two, and Tyler and I are packed to head home to Canada! We've since been in Canada for two weeks, and loving up all the time spent with our family and friends! Thank you to everyone who has welcomed us home :)

El Nido, Philippines - Spring Break 2014

What is known as Philippines' 'Last Frontier', El Nido on the island of Palawan was our Spring Break destination! Ok yes, we are in our late twenties, graduated from university almost five years ago, and by all rights should not be celebrating Spring Break with such gusto...but we can't help ourselves. Call it what you want, we all need and deserve an escape from the day-to-day every now and again. So, after hearing nothing but rave reviews about the Philippines, we were more than excited to check it out for 10 days!

So as far as travel goes, Tyler and I have always been pretty lucky; Our flights usually leave on time, our luggage arrives on the same plane, transfers are smooth, etc. So I can accept that our hassle-free travel streak had to come to an end. I do however have a bit of trouble accepting that it all came crashing down at once. *Moms...this is the point where you should skip ahead to the paragraphs detailing sunshine and boat rides :) So our flight leaving from KL was supposed to depart at 8pm Friday night, however was delayed four hours and left sometime around midnight. No problem...until we realized we had a connecting flight with a different airline leaving at 4:30am. As it is a four hour flight to Manila, this left us with a grand total of 30 min to get through immigration and onto to the next flight. We breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived at a seemingly small airport, thinking it wouldn't take long to get from point A to point B. This was until a security guard told us we needed to get to another terminal and which required a taxi. From here a series of poor decisions on our part, and a manic taxi driver would set us up for a scary morning (ok, seriously mom..skip the next paragraph)
With the delusion that we could still make this flight, we jumped in the first cab we saw. As we pulled away from the airport, we asked the price, as we noticed the meter wasn't on. The guy pulls out a price list quoting 6000 pesos (!) in which Tyler's mathelete mind quickly blurted out "WHAT?! $130?" Asking how long it would take, the cabbie answered 10 min. At that, since we had only gone 100m, we asked him to pull over and let us out, in which he refused and proceeded to drive like a lunatic through traffic. Having no point of reference, we finally agreed on 1500 pesos for the ride, feeling pretty uneasy about this guy screaming at everything out the window.
We wheeled up to the airport and the cabbie ran off to get us change. Out of curiosity, Tyler asked the next driver how much the fare would be and he quoted 150 pesos. At that, the second driver decided he would help us get our money back. As the crazy guy came back and saw that he was going to be hassled, he jumped in the car and sped off...with the car doors open...and me inside! As I was driven down the highway ramp and away from the airport with this lunatic driver he just kept screaming at me to jump out of the car. Now, I was panicking about the thought of being driven away from Tyler into Manila at 4am with a clearly unstable individual, but I am not one to tuck-and-roll out of a car on a highway. In a strangely calm (teacher) voice I just kept repeating "You have to stop the car so I can get out."... it only seemed logical that if you want someone to get out of your car, you stop moving, right? As the airport was quickly disappearing, true panic set in and I finally lost it, screaming "You have to stop the *&%^ing car!!" That seemed to do the trick, as he slammed on the breaks, to find the doors only opened from the outside. He had to park the car, get out (see...even he wasn't going to get out of a moving vehicle) and let me out. By that time, the second, justice-seeking cabbie and Tyler were hot on our trail, picking me up on the highway.

Super shaken, we got into the airport, obviously having missed our flight, booked, checked in, and waited for the next one. Upon reflection, we made some pretty big errors resulting in the aforementioned drama; Not settling a fare price before getting in the cab, not researching the airport terminals, being naive enough to think we could still catch the next flight...and above all else (the last thing both our moms tell us before we head out) we weren't holding hands. For the next ten days, Tyler would just look over at me, and in his best Liam Neeson voice say "You were almost taken!"

Finally on our way...and still smiling!

So after a delayed flight, wild cab ride, missed flight, we took the 6 hour bus ride to El Nido...only to find that our hotel reservation had been 'lost', and that we no longer had a place to stay for the 10 days. After being awake for 36 hours, we just dropped our bags, sat on the patio of our 'almost' hotel, and asked if they could sell us a beer. As the sun was near gone, we found a place to stay for two nights (high tourist seasons=no hotel rooms), played Uno, ate curried vegetables (our Asian comfort food) and hoped for a better tomorrow!

These Uno cards are well traveled.. 10 countries so far! Thanks Michelle <3

As a result of our journey to El Nido, it took a couple of days to truly unwind. Fortunately, El Nido is a pretty chilled out spot! We spent most of the days on the beach, frequenting a place called Las Cabanas; Building sand castles, drinking from coconuts, reading and dipping. While at the beach we would see about 20 people..all doing the same thing. We would stay until sunset and then make our way back to town for a couple Sam Miguels and call it a night. (If we were lucky, the electricity would even come on in the evenings, if not, then Uno by candlelight worked too!)

Beaches, sunsets and the ever reliable, public transport, 'King of the Road'..the Jeepney.

As awesomely chilled out as El Nido was, we were lucky to have caught some excitement at 'El Nido Fest' and had a couple party nights (it was 'Spring Break' after all) that were reminiscent of any small-town festival; You know, where the local talent is performing on a makeshift stage and carnival games and food are aplenty. We were beyond excited, as we perpetually seem to just miss festivals when we are home, always rolling in a weekend too late. So when we heard that the town's beauty pageant was to be held in the town square (the outdoor basketball court) we grabbed some popcorn and found a spot on the bleachers. Fearing that we would be witness to a Filipino 'Toddlers and Tiaras' show (thanks for the psychological damage TLC) we were pretty excited when the beautiful and confident contestants of Ms. Gay, El Nido  danced their way on stage. After the champion was crowned, we wandered down to the 'casino', made up of a series of outdoor carnival games being run, and bet on by one and all. Seriously, I wouldn't have been surprised if a C.M Coolidge painting came to life at one of the roulette tables, which would have obviously been set up next to the table run by a gang of smoking ten year olds. We bet, we chatted, and I sang a bit of karaoke (I just can't resist) until the wee hours of the morning.

The next morning we jumped on a boat bright and early for a day of diving. As it turned out to be a very choppy day on the surface, and underneath visibility was terrible, we only ended up doing two dives. That was ok with us, as the water was cold (about 24 degrees opposed to the 30 degree water we have become accustomed to in Malaysia (not too sure what's going to happen when we get back to Canada)), and we weren't loving being pounded with waves. We stopped off at an island and had a delicious BBQ lunch, and as we headed back to the mainland...our boat died. What was going to be a day on the water cut short, turned into a full day of sun and bobbing around. The waters redeemed themselves on a second day of diving that was absolutely gorgeous! Again, poor visibility, but the bonus was spending a couple hours on the most beautiful island for lunch. Apparently the island had been bought by a Japanese man, who has no plans to develop it, but simply bought it so it will remain in its natural beauty forever. *Sigh* if only to have Yen to burn.

Besides bumming around El Nido, we took a 40 min. tricycle ride to Nacpan beach. This beach was the largest, most underpopulated beach I have seen (granted, we do tend to hit the more popular ones). The whole day we saw one other napping Western guy, two little Filipino kids (who ate all our chips) and four sweet women who made it rain mango shakes all day. As it turned out, these women were all Jehovah's Witnesses and naturally, we got to talking. It was really inspiring to hear their messages of faith and devotion and of the struggles of living in a very rural location with minimal resources. It's a widely known fact that Filipinos are by and large very devout Christians. As religion and faith is something Tyler and I are both interested in, it was no surprise that we got to chatting with different individuals about their faith and perspectives on religion. At different points of our vacation we spoke at length with groups of Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics and Muslims, and although all very devout to their own differing religions, they all spoke with an open-mind and respect for other religions, and more predominantly, about universal love, acceptance, understanding and ultimately human decency. After each conversation, the individuals left us feeling uplifted, with gained perspectives and further restored emotionally...something that we definitely needed after our experience in Manila which left us wary of all strangers. I do know it is always good to exercise an air of caution, but it was a really awful feeling to look at everyone with distrust during the first couple days of our holiday. Anyway, if you are in El Nido, take a trip to Nacpan beach, have them fire up the generator, and drink a mango shake. But don't wait too long, it's prime real estate, and I can't imagine it would stay deserted for long!

After a welcomed smooth trip home, that sadly wrapped up Spring Break, 2014! Otherwise, we are fresh into our last term of the school year and with that the rainy (and ever humid) season has returned to Malaysia. We are already looking forward to our summer vacation...which will be spent in non other than Canada! Until then, we are sending warm thoughts and summertime vibes to all those still experiencing Winter...In return, eat an extra Creme Egg for us!