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"The sight of the world put mad ideas into me; as if I could wander away, wander for ever, see strange and beautiful things, one after the other."
~ CS Lewis
Big fan of casually sauntering about the planet. Thumb-war champion, blanket-fort specialist and dog mom. Passionate early-years educator, perogie enthusiast, lifelong Canucks fan and outdoor advocate. Sleeping-in-airports aficionado. Exploring the curious corners of planet earth with a journal and a sense of humour! Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, I've been making bad decisions on the road since 2009. -
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Coast to Coast in 13 Days: The Final Push Across England
04 October 2011 7:34 AM | 42 Comments -
The Legend of Lake Baikal: Waters of Supernatural Power
06 August 2011 5:47 PM | 16 Comments -
10 Benefits of Traveling Solo
22 July 2011 12:49 AM | 59 Comments -
![So I was at the gym the other day, running on the treadmill and flipping channels to find that one English program to zone out to while getting my cardio, when I came across the most amazing thing I have ever seen in the history of things. It was a soccer game. A very, very intense soccer game, with a referee and a large crowd. […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/img_0961-36x36.jpg "Head Soccer. Or, soccer with heads. Another reason why Korea is awesome.")
Head Soccer. Or, soccer with heads. Another reason why Korea is awesome.
26 April 2010 12:47 PM | 35 Comments -
![I write this post out of absolute necessity. I’ve already elaborated a bit on my fear of Korean food here, but these two recent discoveries require some further attention. Number One: Pizza. When we went to Pizza School the other night, we had two options: Barbecue Pork Ribs Pizza or Pasta Pizza. Craving carbs, and not feeling particularly like picking bones out of our pizza’s […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/img_7962-36x36.jpg "Spaghetti on my Pizza & Intestines in my Soup: Korean Food Fails")
Spaghetti on my Pizza & Intestines in my Soup: Korean Food Fails
14 April 2010 2:42 PM | 9 Comments
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![It’s a liberating thought. Tantalizing even. You’ve got a house and a mortgage and a car and maybe a kid or a dog and a job. You have a whole life somewhere. But the thought of selling everything, packing a suitcase and moving far away.. maybe it crosses your mind sometimes. To leave all you know behind. To start anew. To experience life on the […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/71167493547__FB0EE4D2-E8D3-4ED5-8E7B-5135BD58E752-36x36.jpg "On Selling Everything and Moving Away")
On Selling Everything and Moving Away
25 February 2024 9:58 AM | No Comments -
![So I’m in the Northern part of Argentina, with a bag holding my sunscreen, some Argentine pesos, my binoculars and a pear. And I’m on a bus to Brazil, apparently, though I don’t know if they will let me in. Theoretically, this bus will take me to the Brazilian side of the Iguazu falls. Theoretically. And I say theoretically because at this rate I am […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_3526.jpeg-scaled.jpg "From Argentina to Brazil, hopefully.")
From Argentina to Brazil, hopefully.
05 January 2024 11:37 AM | No Comments -
![Buenos Aires. Eye-rays, is what I tell my English speaking brain. Not Air-Ees, Eye-Rays. There is something about this place that I can’t put my finger on. We’ve been here a month, and still the city seems to shift, to change. It changes by the time of the day, by the day of the week, almost as the staircases in Hogwarts upend and revise direction, […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/IMG_0322-scaled.jpg "On the ground in Buenos Aires")
On the ground in Buenos Aires
06 December 2023 8:42 AM | No Comments -
Warsaw for the win.
25 September 2014 10:38 AM | 4 Comments -
A Welsh-English Camper-Van New Years.
03 August 2014 11:47 PM | 4 Comments
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Thailand Archive
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![Wikipedia defines a monk as a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy… I know their lives are devout, and probably very difficult. But there are at least three […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/monks1-200x200.jpg "Three Reasons it Rocks to be a Monk in Thailand")
Three Reasons it Rocks to be a Monk in Thailand
Posted on January 26, 2011 | 8 CommentsWikipedia defines a monk as a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy… I know their lives are devout, and probably very difficult. But there are at least three […] -
Glampacking in Bangkok
Posted on January 26, 2011 | 11 CommentsBackpacking glamorously. Whale sashimi, frogless showers, personal driver. Doing Bangkok in style! -
![The Chatuchak Weekend Market is the undisputed mammoth of all Bangkok’s markets. Spanning 35 acres with more than 15,000 market stalls, this behemoth of Thai shopping has reached landmark status and is a must-see for visitors to the area. If you can dream it up, you can probably find it here. From vintage levis jeans to cell phone gadgets & electronics, from restaurant signs to […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_23951-200x200.jpg "Bangkok: Navigating the Chatuchak Weekend Market")
Bangkok: Navigating the Chatuchak Weekend Market
Posted on January 2, 2011 | 2 CommentsThe Chatuchak Weekend Market is the undisputed mammoth of all Bangkok’s markets. Spanning 35 acres with more than 15,000 market stalls, this behemoth of Thai shopping has reached landmark status and is a must-see for visitors to the area. If you can dream it up, you can probably find it here. From vintage levis jeans to cell phone gadgets & electronics, from restaurant signs to […] -
![Thailand: They called it “Thai rice whiskey”. They insisted it was a must-try. My first gulp unveiled the cruelty of our new friends. My tongue swelled, my lips puckered and burnt, my nostrils convulsed, my neck kinked, my cheeks filled with spit. I felt a thickness where mouth becomes throat, and I gargled some Chang to wash away the horror. As my sinuses began to […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0632-200x200.jpg "Ding Dong Dunk and Other Reasons I’ll Never Drink Lao Khao Again.")
Ding Dong Dunk and Other Reasons I’ll Never Drink Lao Khao Again.
Posted on January 1, 2011 | 29 CommentsThailand: They called it “Thai rice whiskey”. They insisted it was a must-try. My first gulp unveiled the cruelty of our new friends. My tongue swelled, my lips puckered and burnt, my nostrils convulsed, my neck kinked, my cheeks filled with spit. I felt a thickness where mouth becomes throat, and I gargled some Chang to wash away the horror. As my sinuses began to […] -
![If you’re spending more than a day or two in Ko Phangan, I definitely recommend renting a jeep or a scooter and taking off to explore the island. There’s lots to see, and the roads are fun to navigate (albeit a bit dangerous if it’s been raining a lot, as it did when we were there). The road to Had Rin beach is practically vertical, […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_0599-200x200.jpg "Video: Renting a Jeep on Ko Phangan")
Video: Renting a Jeep on Ko Phangan
Posted on December 23, 2010 | No CommentsIf you’re spending more than a day or two in Ko Phangan, I definitely recommend renting a jeep or a scooter and taking off to explore the island. There’s lots to see, and the roads are fun to navigate (albeit a bit dangerous if it’s been raining a lot, as it did when we were there). The road to Had Rin beach is practically vertical, […] -
![Look at this place. It’s paradise! Sure, it was one hell of a trek to get here, but Great Odin’s Raven, was it ever worth it. And I don’t care what you say, nothing ruins paradise more perfectly than the words “gecko” and “pee”. “I got peed on by a gecko.” Wait, what? Who gets peed on by a gecko? I mean, come on. How […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_0502-200x200.jpg "When Geckos Pee and You Eat Too Much: Ko Phangan")
When Geckos Pee and You Eat Too Much: Ko Phangan
Posted on December 22, 2010 | 2 CommentsLook at this place. It’s paradise! Sure, it was one hell of a trek to get here, but Great Odin’s Raven, was it ever worth it. And I don’t care what you say, nothing ruins paradise more perfectly than the words “gecko” and “pee”. “I got peed on by a gecko.” Wait, what? Who gets peed on by a gecko? I mean, come on. How […] -
![So we’re on Ko Phi Phi and yeah, we’ve about had it up to our eyeballs with creeps, cockroaches, and crazy eyes. We don’t really have an exit strategy in place, except we’d really prefer not to end up in the middle of a human trafficking ring, but that’s just a personal preference. In lieu of keeping ourselves alive, we make our way – swim-trunks, flippy-floppies, […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/img_04021-200x200.jpg "Coconut Bowling and Leering Cow: The Flee from Ko Phi Phi")
Coconut Bowling and Leering Cow: The Flee from Ko Phi Phi
Posted on December 6, 2010 | 7 CommentsSo we’re on Ko Phi Phi and yeah, we’ve about had it up to our eyeballs with creeps, cockroaches, and crazy eyes. We don’t really have an exit strategy in place, except we’d really prefer not to end up in the middle of a human trafficking ring, but that’s just a personal preference. In lieu of keeping ourselves alive, we make our way – swim-trunks, flippy-floppies, […] -
![“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman An hour and a half by ferry from Phuket Town is a small island widely known to tourists everywhere. It was all but obliterated in the tsunami of 2004, but has recovered […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/img_1888-200x200.jpg "Love and Fear on Ko Phi Phi")
Love and Fear on Ko Phi Phi
Posted on November 7, 2010 | 5 Comments“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~ Howard Thurman An hour and a half by ferry from Phuket Town is a small island widely known to tourists everywhere. It was all but obliterated in the tsunami of 2004, but has recovered […] -
![“Imagine a place that defines graciousness, tolerance and aesthetic ideals. You’ve just imagined Thailand.” -Insight Guides Thailand I need to update these posts more often. I’m sitting in an internet cafe in eastern Siberia, bundled-up to the point that it probably looks as though there might be two of me inside all these clothes, writing about the time (not so long ago) I was wearing […]](https://www.thevagablond.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/img_0353-200x200.jpg "Phuket: The Quick and Dirty")
Phuket: The Quick and Dirty
Posted on October 31, 2010 | 6 Comments“Imagine a place that defines graciousness, tolerance and aesthetic ideals. You’ve just imagined Thailand.” -Insight Guides Thailand I need to update these posts more often. I’m sitting in an internet cafe in eastern Siberia, bundled-up to the point that it probably looks as though there might be two of me inside all these clothes, writing about the time (not so long ago) I was wearing […]
