Sarah and Michael on a Shoestring: Beijing to Udaipur

It's a good thing we're rained out in Udaipur, India today. Last night, I had just put the finishing touches on a lengthily blog entry when I accidentally deleted it all. The shame of it was that with our busy touring schedule, a bad head cold, and the resulting early bedtimes it had taken me the better part of 4 days to finish it. So, while we're stuck in the hotel hiding from the heavy downpour, I'll do my best to give you the Cliff notes.

On Jan 8, Michael and I started out towards India, but since we had to layover in Beijing anyway we opted to take advantage of China's 72 hr visa-free option. Over two days we were able to see the Forbidden City (HUGE!), walkabout Old Beijing, and then hired a tour guide to take us to see the Great Wall. The Wall is definitely impressive, though officially you're only allowed to visit a few short sections which are maintained by the government. Beyond these parts was the "Wild Wall," which looked like it was being slowly reclaimed by the earth - with guard posts dotting along impossibly steep moutain ridges. Hard to believe that each brick had to be carried up the mountains by hand!

Standing atop a guard post

Next, Delhi! It's a dusty, busy, loud city, but has plenty to offer a tourist seeking adventure. We were on our own for two days before we were scheduled to meet up with our tour group, so we were free to try and introduce ourselves at our own pace. Delhi is a fairly old city, which makes it all the more interesting. Amongst high-end shops and cars and modern buildings are colonialist style shopping areas (Connaught Circle), and ancient mosques. Some of my favourite places in Delhi are large parks with the ruins of temples dating back to the 1200's, where locals come to picnic with their famlies

Humayun's Tomb - within a large park complex, restored not long ago. It was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal!

One of the aforementioned mosques-in-a-park

 After we joined the rest of the tour (16 young people from Canada, the US, Germany, England, Scotland, Norway, New Zealand and Australia), we made off for the desert and the hotly anticipated camel safari near Bikaner. We were each assigned a camel, though we weren't trusted to lead ourselves, so each camel also came with a local boy who walked beside us - for 4 hours! (and in flip-flops, through the sand...) We stayed overnight at a cozy camp, where our hosts prepared us a delicious supper, and we all chatted on into the night next to a fire. I will admit to being quite cold on this excursion, though. My expectations of India's weather were incorrect, and nighttime in the desert was very chilly! Thank goodness for the extra blankets and the hot water bottles we were given!

Giving a camel good pats after having brought us our of the desert the next morning

The next few days after that were busy! Long bus rides for several mornings, plenty of local food (even the "non-spicy" food can be piquant), temples, tuktuks and huge forts rising up over well-worn cities. It was in Bikaner that we stumbled upon the Camel Festival, where - as western tourists - we were ushered through a VIP entrance to the stadium and invited to join in on some special competitions. Initially, we were hesitant to join (there were at least a thousand people in attendance), but in the end, we joined the tug-o-war (locals vs tourists), and came up on stage for a tourist-only turban-tying contest! For the most part, our turbans weren't very good, though one in our group won second place and 2000 Rupees!

I found these gentlemen at the festival, dressed to the nines. They had competed in a mustache growing contest! (though you wouldn't know it, since they keep them well curled up), the winner was crowned "Mr. Bikaner"

We visited a sacred Rat Temple near Bikaner- a temple that was over-run with rats!

In Jaisalmer, the man with the longest mustache in town, in front of a Haveli. The ornately carved balconies was all over, and so beautiful!

In Jodhpur, the "Blue City," we toured a large palace. One of the more striking pieces in the collection (besides the ornate seats for riding elephants), was this dagger. Once stabbed into an enemy, a trigger could be pulled to open the blade and flay them from the inside!

We took a fleet of Jeeps out to the countryside to visit local artisans. Here, Michael's watching a potter showing us the wheel that he must spin manually with a long stick. We got to try our hand, but generally failed miserably....

Last night in Udaipur, we attended a local dance show. This woman was able to dance with 10 water pots on her head!

So, today we try and wait out the rain. We're still in a fairly arid region, so I'm hoping it doesn't last all day. Later this afternoon, we have plans to regroup and attend a Henna tattoo demonstration, and then a cooking class where I've been told we'll get to try and make samosas! Yum!

*For the record, we're currently taking the India on a Shoestring tour, organized by G Adventures

Rad-Toberfest

 Last weekend, Mike and I headed to southern Ontario for a double-header of awesome. In fact, all that fun almost made up for the fact that it takes forever to get out of Sudbury and down to where the action is.

Saturday morning, we got up bright and early for the Colour Me Rad race. After Tough Mudder finished, I have been looking for fun and interesting things to keep me in a "Fitness is Awesome!" state of mind. This race seemed like a great match! 5km, they don't keep track of race times (they advertise "just finish before dark"), and volunteers throw bombs of brilliantly coloured corn starch at you every kilometer. A good time was had by all!

SO MUCH PINK!!

This is the moment Mike ripped open a bomb of powder with his teeth and instantly regretted it. I'm told its akin to the cinnamon challenge....

 But the best part of the race was that I did it with Mike. Yes, truly, as sappy as it sounds I'm most excited that we did it together because we've never done a race together. Mike remains so, so, so much faster than me, but when I started all of this fitness stuff the goal I had in mind was to be able to do more fun, awesome, active things as a team. So consider me ready for more!

After dusting off all that dye, we drove up to Hamilton where an amused hotel clerk checked us in. Later, our friends told us: "Yeah, the lady at the desk said that some people covered in paint were looking for you." Thankfully, it scrubbed off well* in a hot shower. I was definitely glad for that, because I ready to spiff up in the dirndl I'd sewn for the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany!

After some creative purchasing, we had our hands on tickets for our group to get into the hottest - sold out-  Bavarian club on the circuit - the Concordia Club.

Inside of the tent. This was early in the night and I'm sure there were a few hundred more people join us later.

 It was definitely an awesome place. I particularly liked the live Bavarian band, but there were also some very awesome appearanced by some local dancers. Let me paint a picture for you of one dance I liked best:

Imagine a strapping young man wearing lederhosen picks up his buddy by the ankles so their navals touch. (Upside down, facing together.) Now imagine that the upright young man walks around the circle of dancers, and those other dancers take turns drumming the upside-down lad on the bottom. BUT, not to be left out, the upside-down lad also has his face and shoulders between the upright young man's legs and is also drumming the upright young man's bottom. So much fun, ja!?

I could not make that up if I tried. This was an actual thing that happened during a dance routine.

Mike in a pirate hat that we don't know where came from...or went. Me in my dirndl! (hard to see but the skirt is black and quite full)

So, check that off of the bucket list! Been to Oktoberfest, brought home another lapel pin for the collection...



*Except that today - 5 days later- I still managed to find green paint in my ear.

Can You Spot Mike?

You'll have to look closely....

Autumnal Appreciation

Thanksgiving has wrapped up (Literally. There's about 40 lbs of food wrapped up in my fridge), and I have been granted an unexpected day off work to spend some time getting soul-satisfied. Actually, I thought I was supposed to work, but upon my arrival I realized I'd made an error on my schedule.

I am thankful for unanticipated time to myself.

Last night, I was finally able to have some friends over for a real dinner party on a real dining room table. It was f&%#ing rad. The whole meal was delicious and included some stellar dishes provided by my guests (including their homemade broccoli salad, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and caesar salad). I was especially happy with how my organic, 14lb turkey  and apple and blueberry pies turned out. It was exactly, perfectly right.

 I am thankful for the cornucopia of wonderful foods I have been able to try in my lifetime. Food! Glorious food!

And when I think about the last two years, I remember the adventures I've been on. Surfing and skiing and sunsets and museums and oceans and, and, and... When I talk to my colleagues at work, I hear that one is in the labout and delivery room (during my shift), waiting patiently for her adopted son to be born. This is as I hear another colleague is just divorced in the same year her brother and her father pass away. She tells me she's very interested to see how her "new" life unfolds, and hopes that she can move on in a positive frame.

 I am thankful for the gift of opportunity - opportunity to explore our world, to alter our lives when we want, and to beat our own trail when the usual one is blocked off. 

Think About What You Say

Often at work I find myself a cheerleader. I mean, yes, sure one of my primary functions is to will children from illness to health, but being that they're young people it's not unusual that I have to really bring out the "big inspirational guns" to convince them that a) they can get better and that b) sometimes they also  need to put in work to get over the barriers preventing them from ragaining their 100%. I once sat with a teenaged boy for 30 mins, like some movie-style football coach trying to bring him to the realization that he needed to break his cycle of laying in bed all day in order to get out of hospital. It was something like: Yes, your leg hurts and you're sad because you can't plays chool sports at all this year now, but if you don't get out of bed to do physiotherapy you'll also not get out of hospital. If you don't work at this physio, you might not recover well enough to play sports at all. You might get benched for a very, very long time rather than just this season because you didn't take some responsibility for working your way back.

That's the cliff  notes, anyway. For the record, he was 17 so I could dish some stronger words than if I was just trying to get a 7 year old to do the same thing.

Anyway, recently I've found myself doing some similar coaching, except I'm noticing that what I'm saying really applies to a lot of situations - including some things I'm working on myself. Not to toot my own horn, but I'll offer something up, and then think "Jeeze, that shit it solid gold. You could learn something from yourself!"

This one is pretty much my favourite, and I've used is in many ways for a while.

Yes, what you're about to do is hard work. Have you ever been skiing? Well, I remember the first few times I hit the slopes. I was terrible, and I fell down pretty much more than I was upright. But I had this good/crazy/expert skiier friend help me out. Early on she said "Let's try a double-black diamond run (The Headwalls)!" After I picked my jaw up from the ground she told me something to the effect of "I'll be ok. Just take your time and have fun!" Well, we did. That run was stupid and way out of my comfort zone, but we rolled down and played in the powdered snow around the trees and at one point I think we just slid on our bums like we were on a giant playground slide. It was by no means pretty, but I made it to the bottom alive and proud! But most importantly, the next time I ventured onto an easy run I was able to say "Wow! This is so much easier than the headwalls! I can so totally ski down this!" It's the same for you. If you just hesitantly keep taking the easiest route, that's all you'll ever be comfortable with and you certainly won't progress further. But if you push yourself -even into a place where you're positive it won't look good or go smoothly - you'll be able to look back at what you've already done and be able to say "Wow! That other stuff isn't as difficult as it used to seem. I can get through this."

Lately when I tell this one - or a version of it (like You are about to be challenged. Do your best, because in order to move forward, you will have to at least meet them. You don't have to do it well, but it does take work to get the things we want), I find myself repeating it in my mind. Especially now that I've registered to run the Tough Mudder race in just over a week. I set this goal a few months back and I've been working hard at it but frankly it still scares the ever living shit out of me. And the training had been hard. For a person who has long proclaimed that she and running "are not friends," I have been doing a lot of running. I even (successfully) tackled a long run with a very, very long uphill climb which at the beginning of the summer I would never have believed I could manage. As they say, I may have been slower than a herd of turtles running through peanut butter, but if I didn't try it, even ungracefully, I might never have known I could do it. And as a plus, all of my shorter, flatter runs seem so much more achievable!





It's a pretty sweet example of "don't dish it if you can't take it" - and I totally believe in it.

p.s. Thanks, Mandy for being the crazy one and deciding it would be a good idea to try the Headwalls on my second day at the slopes. I have since returned many times.

Balcony Bounty

So I told Mike that when we picked out an apartment in Sudbury it had to have a balcony or outdoor space so I could garden. I really wanted to grow something!

Well, after 4 months of growth, I decided to pull up my carrots...

I

Ilse and Pépé - being garden gnomes came to inspect my bounty. Though not impressed, they are satisfied. For the record, I do have more carrots - they're just small.

NewfinScotia

Seeing as we made a pilgrimage to the far west of Canada in the spring, it was only fitting that we also visited the most eastern bits in the autumn. Some of you may have followed the adventures of a friend of mine - Ilse the knitting gnome - because she stowed away in my luggage and then insisted upon having her picture taken at every turn. She's a maniac. I also took photos, and I'd like to share them with you.

We started our trip in Newfoundland. Constrained by time, we stayed close to St. John's. Still, it was easy to find good sea air -

Part of the East Coast Trail near Cabot tower required a chain-handle. Good views!

And good cheer!

I was offically Screeched in! Kissed the cod and everything!

We stayed for three nights in St John's, and I would definitely consider going back. There's a lot to see on that rock, but much of it takes many days to get to and from. The residents are friendly and the landscape is delightful. We spent  one good night getting to know the fine establishments on George Street, and listened to some very authentic local musicians.

I'M THE MOST EAST OF ANYONE IN CANADA!

 On Tuesday, we flew to Nova Scotia, and rented a car so we could drive the length of the province (in the pouring rain) to Sydney where I have family. One of our primary destinations was to Fort Louisbourg which we visited under cover of fog. I'm told that like all things at the Fort, the weather on that day was extremely authentic. We visited just at the start of shoulder season so many of the buildings were closed, but there were still plenty of places to poke around in, and we indulged in a fresh baked loaf of hearty bread. nom. Fun fact #1: Despite almost all of the buildings being made of stone, there are only two masons employed there. Tough gig. Fun Fact #2: We learned that because the fort was well defended from the sea and the surrounding area was pretty well all bog, the French weren't suspecting to be attacked. Too bad the English thought it was a good idea to haul heavy artillery through a bog for 6 weeks. But seriously? How shitty would that job be, the guy stuck hauling cannons through a bog for weeks?

foggy view of Fort Louisbourg

Giant Fiddle in Sydney!

For those of you who laugh when I tell you that my family (the Ball family) are from Ball's Creek, Nova Scotia!

After a good stay in Sydney, we thought to go and visit Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Then we realized that the drive from Sydney, through the park and down to our next destination (Halifax) would take 10 hours, we opted for the cliff notes version (Ha! Cliff-notes? get it? Because there are cliffs in the park!) whereby we drove just up to Ingonish.

After a goodly drive along the winding road of many elevations next to the ocean, we were happy to stop for a picnic lunch on the beach.We considered swimming, and then we realized that the water was SO FREEZING.

 More adventures on the drive to Halifax:

Discovered a giant roadside lobster trap!

I saw my very first live wild porcupine! ...sadly he did not see us.

There was no rest for the wicked in Halifax, and we spent two days doing absolutely everything there was to do - from a tour in an amphibious vehicle, to the old Citadel, to the Alexander Keith's brewery.

Speaking of Alexander Keith....

His tombstone in Camp Hill cemetary

On our last night, we decided to drive out to Peggy's Cove, most notable for its lighthouse. On this day, however, the sky was perfectly clear and the sun was setting like a giant golden medallion blazing in the sky and the sea - oh! The sea! - was churning and crashing! This could easily be named my favourite moment of the entire trip. With each wave-smash the air became salty and the wind blew the most glorious sea-winds and I felt wonderous in it all.

"As Queen Triton, I command you, great waters - RISE! bwahahahaAHAHA!"