Robyn's Wanderings

Having a rough time? Sit down. Take a break.

We’ve missed Robyn’s Wanderings and the bloggers that bring us much needed travel inspiration. Luckily Nicola is back and she is bringing us…..a bad day.

We all have them and whether traveling or not, there are ways to overcome these setbacks. What was Nicola’s bad travel experience? Ah well….you will have to read to find out!

Hello once again! Long time no see. Things have been busy, travels replaced by daily life… and to tell the truth, there have been a few hiccups recently.

Bad Day

When you are cheap in life, I must admit, life is cheap to you. Nevertheless, the flaws in the plan are all part of the bigger webs we weave. Undoubtedly, we all claim to have 20/20 vision in hindsight. When it’s all been put into perspective, thought, we have been gifted (or is it cursed?) learning experiences. The worst disasters that we encounter, in life and travels, can make for the best storytelling in years to come.

Cancelled, cancelled, cancelled... what's Plan B?

The following scenarios may bring to mind some of your own meltdowns, misadventures and moments of truth: 

- you locked yourself out of your room, car or apartment
- you lost your bus, subway or train pass
- you discover bed bugs, cockroaches or mice in your hostel, hotel or accommodations
- you walk down the wrong street in a large city, realizing you are the only visible female…
- your bank card declines when you try to buy a flight, train or bus ticket online
- you miss the last train to the airport so you catch a taxi, just to sleep at the airport for your 6am flight
- you discover that your roommate has a gun in the room – real or BB gun, you are none to sure
- your laptop, passport and wallet are stolen on a subway, just days before you join your family for the holidays
- you catch a stomach bug the day before a 14 hour train journey in 35C heat
- _____________ (substitute any & every alternate storyline here)

Alanis Morissette spoke the truth a bit when she gave us Ironic.

But out of all these misfortunes there are memorable travel stories and – if they don’t make you cringe, scowl or burst into tears – maybe (way) further down the road, even laughter! Ridiculous situations are bound to happen to you, whether alone or with others. First, make sure you are safe. Second, deal with it the best way you know how. Third, ask for help.

Ask a stranger to take a photo of you... and you may be giving your camera away!

My first solo catastrophe in European travels is memorable to this day. My first weekend-getaway-turned-catastrophic-pity-party… including being “stuck” in Paris, inclement weather, low-cost airlines, lengthy transit times, lack of communication with my hosts, and mishandling a common (albeit irritating) situation. Anxiety was high, logical thinking was on the back-burner. I tell the twisted tale still, 5 years later, knowing that my reaction to such a situation today would be different.

And India? An interesting tip about travelling in India: Make your Plan B before Plan A. Smart? Yes. Necessary? Yes. Don’t touch India with a 10-foot pole? Don’t be silly! Just be prepared that you can never be (fully) prepared for India.

"And that one time in India, when we were stranded on our camel safari... a bit too close to the Pakistan border..."

Days, weeks, months, or years later, you will recount the stories. “Remember that one time…” and you will continue to embellish or downplay the situation. Journeys can be a slap in the face, but at least you will be wiser for next time. If there is a next time!

Arriving in Bermuda....anything to declare?

What have condoms, rice, incontinence aids and artificial teeth have in common?

Why am I starting a travel column with this? As you know it has been a while since we’ve been here. Well, since I have been here on Robyns’ Wanderings.

There are lots of reasons why I have been typing free, but perhaps the more important reason why I am back is because I need to complete the trilogy: Quebec part trois!

As you may remember the trip (Quebec….quoi?) to Quebec City started with me struggling to leave Bermuda with my camera that customs would not register (i.e. and save me money on duty when I returned to the island).

And the last time I left you I was struggling with bed bugs, freezing temperatures and snow that kept my feet wet in the old town of Quebec (Quebec…part deux).

Crazy? Absolutely. Everything that could possibly go wrong on a trip….did and yet, I had fun. Unfortunately, the fun had to end and I needed to return to Bermuda (though the prospect of shedding the layers was definitely enticing).

Returning to Bermuda

So I return to my question: what have condoms, rice, incontinence aids and artificial teeth have in common? I will let you know that none of these things were in my bag when I boarded my WestJet flight in Toronto.

And these items were not in that same checked bag when WestJet managed to lose it for me.

Yes, somehow WestJet managed, between Toronto and Bermuda (a direct flight) to lose my bag. Luckily I was greeted with a slow-moving bag-finder lady in Bermuda so two hours after landing I left the customs area of the LF Wade International Airport with a promise they would try to find my bag.

I won’t bore you with that two-hour story!

So back to the condoms, rice, incontinence aids and artificial teeth. These items were not in my lost bag. They were not in my carry-on bag or with me as the customs officer grilled me about my lost bag.

“So you have declared everything?”

Innocent eyes: “Yes, Sir. Everything.”

“And you have all of your bags?”

“Um, well, no. WestJet has done me a massive service and will be delivering the bag to my door step if they can find it some time this week.” ( I swear there was no sarcasm here).

“Oh…hmm….”

He looked so disappointed. Here was his chance to send someone to get inspected. Ha! Triumph over the customs people for once and I was allowed to finally meet my driver (read: dad) who was probably close to leaving the airport without me at that point.

But even if I had been smuggling condoms, rice, incontinence aids and artificial teeth, well technically, I would not be smuggling them because these items are DUTY FREE!!!

Remember the useful yellow slips to ensure you have paid duty on your goods? No need for you to register condoms!

Who knew? Well, I certainly didn’t and I bet you didn’t either. The only reason I had any idea was because of research for this blog post.

You want to know what else we can bring in for free? Check out the site here.  Of course the Customs’ office will only do so much work for the concerned citizen.

To get the full list of duty-free goods? Well, then you’ll have to check-out legislation. I can see everyone quickly flipping through that!

So I know you have one more question: did I smuggle my camera back into Bermuda? Well….. I will never tell. That is one of my little secrets.

But what is not going to be a secret any longer is what I have been working-on for far too long without doing anything about it – my book. After my year-long trip around the world, I decided to compile the columns I had published in The Royal Gazette with the addition of the backstory that was never printed.

So for the next couple of posts, my plan is to start sharing some of the book with you. Let me know what you think……………….

And here ends the Quebec City trilogy….au revoir.

Perhaps the coffee is a bit less decadent than this cappuccino

 Our weekly blogger is back and Nicola is going to have a busy Saturday traveling around the world! From Toronto, to Greece and beyond!

How is she managing it? Well, here she tells us how: 

C’est le weekend! The work week may be over, but that does not mean the end of busy times. Here’s how my Saturday is going to work, in a nutshell:

A bit more of a sleep-in than the Mon-Fri alarm allows, it’s time to wake up and have some coffee… 

Today includes a reunion with a university friend/study abroad comrad/Greek travel buddy… so what better way to catch-up then to invite her to Toronto for a chat over meal & dessert crêpes and reminisce over our year in the French Alps? To top it off, we’ve chosen Cafe Crepe, a crêperie in Toronto that also has a unique feature on their menu – Nutella lattes. This is true… will report back if we do indeed give it a taste!

Nutella on my crêpe AND in my drink, please.

Next, time to hop on a bus and head north of Toronto for my next reunion. A Bermudian friend living in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is getting hitched in August in Bermuda… Cupmatch weekend, to be exact! I am delighted to be a bridesmaid (my first bridal party stint), so we are meeting up to check out bridesmaid dresses. Of course, this means modelling and I am all for that. My time to shine & report back to the others in the bridal party!

Dress to impress in India (may be different for this wedding!)

Naturally, Bermudians being Bermudians, we are going to catch up on news of friends & family back home. Maybe throw in a “wish we were at the beach right now”. Despite enjoying life in Toronto, it’s also nice to think of summery weather to keep us going in the Canadian winter.

August 2012 in Bermuda, here we come!

And to end a Saturday in the best way we know how, and maybe depending on how the dress shopping goes… we are going to turn “stressed” into “desserts” and make ourselves enjoy some sweet treats at Caffé Demetre, specializing in all things in sweet-tooth heaven. 

ps. I’ve also been told that I am spending the night in a “man-cave”… so I dearly hope the spiders are aware this wanderer is NOT willing to share the bed! 

Where are we again?

Hello one and all and this week we have a new wanderer helping us out….Nicola’s sister, Katie, has been to visit…..well do I even have to say it? Amsterdam!

What’s the latest? what do you have to see? Tell us Katie: 

Amsterdam is (in)famous for its coffee houses and red light district. However, if you delve deeper, there are many other sides to Amsterdam – everything cultural, historical and beautiful! Whether it’s a day-trip, or you’re passing by enroute to another European city, a long layover at AMS airport or a weekend break, Amsterdam has a lot to offer.

Spending some time in Amsterdam? Here are some tips, ideas and general tidbits. The possibilities are endless:

* Explore the maze of canals on foot, or rent a bike and pedal like the locals! There are as many bikes as there are people in Amsterdam (bike rental: 8 – 10 euros per day). Or do it in the form of water on a canal cruise with commentary (price: 8 – 10 euros for an hour cruise)

* Van Gogh Museum – see his transition from dark paintings of peasants to paintings with Japanese influence to pointillism

How to get around Amsterdam? A bike, perhaps?

* Rijksmuseum – and see the I AMSTERDAM life size statue right outside

* Anne Frank House – brought the diary to life, every high schooler who read the diary MUST go here!

* Dutch Resistance Museum – see who made the choice: adjust – collaborate – resist during WWII

* Museum Rembrandthuis- see a live demonstration of how Rembrandt made his own paint each day!

* Get the ‘I Amsterdam card’ this includes public transport and museum entry, well worth it! For 24 hours = 40 euros, 48 hours = 50 euros, 72 hours = 60 euros.

* Worried you don’t speak Dutch? No worries, they speak English better than you and I!

Get your clogs here!

* The floating flower market is also a sight to see – all varieties of tulips and other bulbs. Good place to pick up gifts for friends and family… such as clogs!

* Pop in to one of the Pancake houses, which serve Dutch mini-pancakes called ‘poffertjes’

* You will see ‘XXX’ all over the city. This is not a reference to the red light district! It is the symbol of the city, the three crosses of St.Andrew, and stand for the 3 dangers of medieval Amsterdam ‘fire, floods, plague’

* People who own stunning houses in the Jordaan district are endearingly termed DINKs = ‘double income, no kids’!

The bottom line: Don’t be a DINKus, and go and see Amsterdam for yourself! 

Bounjour and welcome to this week’s blog post from Nicola Arnold…..all about Paris. There could not be a more appropriate follow to Quebec City so voila:

Voici ma bande annonce pour mon Paris je t’aime à moi. [Here is my teaser trailer for my very own Paris je t'aime]

Parisian pastries

Last night, we ate a marvelously rich & succculent French supper at Batifole in Toronto. ‘We’ being a friend from my university with whom I studied abroad for a year at Université de Savoie in Chambéry, France a few years ago. What better way to toast to our new working-worlds in the city and to reminisce about the days we spent hiking in the French Alps than to sit down for a meal that included such quintessentially French orders such as:

* Salade d’Endive, Prosciutto, Copeaux d’Emmental de Cave, Vinaigrette aux Figues.
* Le Cassoulet Royal; Confit de Canard, Saucisses Fermière, Poitrine de Porc Rôtie.
(Plus one of the daily specials that I am forced to describe less eloquently: Rhubarb tart with flaky pastry, shallots, cheese and garlic).

The venue? Authentique. The dishes? Délicieux. The memories? Nostalgique. The experience? Formidable!

A little quirk of mine? I am often aware (thinking to myself) of where I bought the that clothes I’m wearing. Last night, I was wearing a sweater that I had bought in France at one of my favourite shops – . Black & grey, with mismatching buttons. In university, if I was sitting for a French exam, I would try and wear something that I had bought in France for the exam. Authentic good luck would then come my way, n’est-ce pas?

Scarf? French. Jacket? French. Jeans? French. Boots? French.

To add to the French-ness of the evening, the easy-to-read-on-the-subway book in my bag was a comic-book style story about an American mother & daughter who live in Paris for 6 weeks in Jan/Feb 2007… full of hand-drawn doodles, funny commentaries on daily life in France, photos and of course food & wine!

Where am I going with this?

Yes, I’ve previously mentioned my experiences studying & living in France… A year in Lorraine. A semester in Paris. A year in Chambéry. But this January marks the 5th year that I was in Paris for a semester. And so far, for every day of 2012, I have thought about those 4 Parisian months. Lots of people love Paris… and lots of people don’t (Too dirty, not kind to English speakers, didn’t meet the hype I imagined, etc.).

But I lived there. Four months only, perhaps, but I had a neighbourhood. I bought groceries. I ran errands. In Paris.

See "Cite Universitaire" in the 14th arrondissement (center, bottom)? I lived there for 4 months.

If you are a fan of any of the following American tv shows, you may know that their dramatic endings involved (potentially) running off to Paris:
- Rachel Green lands a job with Louis Vuitton in Paris in the Friends finale
- Carrie Bradshaw battles between New York vs. Paris in the Sex and the City finale
- Jerry, George, Elaine & Kramer head to Paris for “one last hurrah” in the Seinfeld finale

Amongst others, I’m sure. City of romance, of lights, of history, and of baguettes! 

The Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe/Champs-Elysees

A la semaine prochaine, amusez-vous bien mes amis! [Until next weekend, enjoy yourselves, my friends!]

Rowing?

“Are those….? No, it couldn’t be.”

“What?”

“Look! The river is frozen and those crazy people are rowing across it!”

So Quebec City started on a very cold, bitten start, but after some serious coffee breaks and some shots of Jagermeister, things were starting to look up!

Well, at least it seemed better as we looked up at the Fairmont Frontenac and the rest of old Quebec City. That’s because we were in the lower town and loving it!

Talk about night and day.

Visiting the lower city

Bienvenue a Quebec City….finally!

At least that should have been the sign greeting me as I trudged from the snow of the Plains of Abraham, past the citadel and down to the cobblestoned streets of this city.

This lower city, as far as I am concerned, is really the only part of the town that counts! Ok maybe that’s harsh, but these streets are so darn cute!

Wandering the little streets of the lower, old town.

Sure there is old Quebec City and then there is the lower part of old Quebec City! Even better? Well starting next week is Quebec City’s Winter Carnival! Yes, on January 27th my misery that was the Plains of Abraham (visit the previous post with the snow covered land) will have an Ice Palace, the nightlife will awaken and there will even be a canoe race?! Yes, a canoe race. Go figure.

But back to my visit. I did not have a winter carnival, but in the lower city I did enjoy the tiny pubs in old wine cellars and all of the restaurants named after animals.

Yes, we could not visit Le Lapin Saute (sauteed rabbit), but Le Couchon Dingue? Oh yes, we could eat with the pigs. Luckily it was amazing food and worth the wait. Ever had a pulled pork, burger? Well, I have now.

Outside Le Lapin Saute

But the best way to visit Quebec City? Well it certainly wasn’t rowing across the St. Lawrence River! But it was crossing the St. Lawrence River….by ferry.

Yes, we boarded the ferry and thoroughly enjoyed watching the ice flows break on the bow of the boat. And making it more perfect? It was during sunset.

Watching the sun set from the ferry

Ahhh…watching the ice and snow go by while warm and cozy on the ferry was the way to go! Of course when we arrived back onto the “mainland” there was little that could keep us from leaving the beautiful lower town, than maple syrup.

Before we could leave, however, there was of course the famous Fresque des Québécois, which tells the story of Quebec City.But can you tell where the mural ends and the real people begin?

Murals of the City

Wanderings beyond this beautiful image we continued back to the Maple Syrup museum and managed to buy all of the maple salt, coffee and syrup I needed to return to Bermuda and try to brib…..I mean welcome the immigration guys (remember the camera?).

Ok well that is the end of Quebec City. Would I return? Probably not in the winter….ever again!

Au Revoir!

Driving to.......Quebec, City

For nine hours. This photo is what I watched for almost nine hours.

Oh, sorry. I should also add that this was during a good patch. Why? Well as you can see…you can see! As luck would have it, almost as soon as we hit Montreal the snow/sleet/hail (ok, not hail but the other two) started pelting us with all of their might.

What does a Bermudian driving in this kind of weather do? Well defer to their Canadian travel buddy of course! One too many close calls with big trucks and I was done.

But I get ahead of myself.

As you may recall from my immigration posting a few days ago, I had left the sanctuary of Bermuda and it’s 70 degree Fahrenheit weather to travel to Toronto for the Christmas to New Years break. Not satisfied with six days in Toronto, my boyfriend and I decided to also fit-in a three day trip to Quebec City.

Why not, right? Wrong. This is the tale of the three day trip that really should not have been and it all started at the rental counter.

Patience is a virtue that I don’t often exhibit, but I calmly waited as the couple in front of the couple in front of us took 40 minutes to organize a car they had already booked. I even waited as the next couple took 20 minutes to organize their car.

But when it came to our turn and the female from the very first couple decided to return to the counter, interrupt our conversation and ask something trivial about GPS (if you are too lazy to open a map then you most definitely should not be cutting in front of me), I had, had enough.

“Sorry you were saying we could put two drivers onto the car rental?”

“Uh…” said the embarrassed salesman, “Yes. Sorry mam, I need to finish with these customers first.”

Yeah you do, but “first female” did not seem impressed. Oh well.

Seven hours into the drive and we could see the home stretch until Montreal raised its roadworks and complicated the entire situation. An hour, multiple U turns and the snow started…..oh crap.

Nevertheless, with sore bums and tired eyes we finally find our resting place. It appears to be a cozy, little inn that is close to restaurants and shops.

The only problem? At 9.30 p.m. the only place nearby that would serve us was the grocery store where the lonely workers are sweeping the mud covered floor for the millionth time. No fear, we can picnic.

At 3.30 a.m. I realized that something had been picnicing on my legs! Bed bugs.

Now, I have traveled around the world. I have stayed in hostels in Thailand that cost me $2 a night. I slept in a tent for four nights in Patagonia.

And yet the time that I get attacked by bugs? Well that has to be in Quebec City in a place that cost about $175 a night!

The worst part? The night manager claimed he could not move us to a new room that night! Luckily, the bugs had been satiated and I was too tired after nine hours of driving to stay awake.

In the morning it was a matter of negotiating with the manager and luckily the previous evening was forgotten as we entered the snowland called Quebec City!

Wandering the snowy land!

I could not feel my toes…..but it was beautiful.

We wandered through the Plains of Abraham where the British and French had some of their first clashes in 1759-1760. There are two towers (Martello 1 and 2) which we were told would give us insight into the military clashes.

Both were closed.

Never fear. It was a cool view of the St. Lawrence River that passes-by Quebec City and it was easy enough to slosh through the snow to the Citadel. A key part of the city’s fortifications, we clearly found the wrong entrance to the Citadel, so instead we finished the walkway that continues along the river and expelled us in front the of famous Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac.

Walking along the citadel!

Luckily there was a coffee shop (read: Starbucks) right there so we could jump in and defrost our feet before continuing on. Yes, I had to do it. I had to have my Starbucks, but so did my fingers!

My Frontenac!

Wandering on….well sloshing on, we landed across the street in the Fort Museum. This was going to be a slow trip. The Fort Museum, Robyn?

Yes. Actually it was quite interesting and one of the most hilarious little shows I have seen in a while. Fake smoke exhaled from toy guns, little lights flickered from boats in the middle of battle and the history of Britain’s win over New France…but don’t worry they were such ardent culturalists that they kept the French.

Anyway, enough of the history lesson. Now it was time for lunch.

Lunch!

We found a pub and a Texan couple to keep us company as we defrosted and set-out again onto the streets of Quebec City.

After stuffing ourselves it was time to find a different Quebec….bye, bye the unwarm welcome and on to……Well you’ll have to come back to see what we found (I promise it gets better).

Travel bureaucracy

Almost every country has it. It?

In Vietnam, for example, I was told by a guide that if he wanted to leave the country on a holiday he had to have a substantial amount of money in the bank (and proof of it), a good job to return to and apply to his government for a pass.

In India, I was told of a boyfriend trying to go to Canada to visit his girlfriend. Though he applied for a visa, he was denied.

What is this? I am talking about travel bureaucracy. It’s everywhere and it’s not only about leaving a country, but also entering.

For example when I tried to travel between Laos and Cambodia only to be required to pay  an “entry fee” to every man standing along the border in a uniform! Ok, so it was only US $1 per man, but still annoying.

And Bermuda? Well my home country is no different. Seemingly ridiculous procedures surround entering and leaving the country too.

I had always heard some stories, but on my recent trip to Toronto I actually got to be on the receiving end. I’m such a lucky girl!

I will give the Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport customs guy one excuse: it was Christmas Day and I am sure he did not want to work, but lots of people have to work on Christmas. Still, I will give him that small leeway for his response:

“Hi, I need to register my camera,” I said.

“Do you have proof you bought it in Bermuda?” said the small man in a crisp blue uniform as he poked his head out of the barely-wedged-open door.

“Uh, well it was a birthday present, so no I don’t have a receipt.”

“Well, I’m not saying you are lying, but we will not give you a registration. Too many people sneak items into Bermuda.”

Bermuda might be beautiful, but.....

OK, I should explain the policy. Bermudian residents are required to purchase items in Bermuda or be prepared to pay duty of 35% on items acquired abroad.

To avoid the duty, we can register electronic devices (usually the only items we are taking that are the most expensive and hardest to prove you had before you left) before leaving the Island. This registration is delivered in the highly modern form of a yellow slip of paper!

Yes, there is no way you will ever lose that (sarcasm is free).

The yellow paper, however, is not a minor detail. Instead it is a Bermudian resident’s “get-out-of-35% duty” card!!!! Can you imagine?

Why, you ask do we have to pay such a high price? Well, the argument is that if government increase the price of purchasing items abroad, Island residents will be more likely to “Buy Bermuda” (I have my opinion about this economic policy, but that is a different blog entirely).

I have two problems with this checking system:

1. when an item is purchased in Bermuda, no one issues a yellow piece of paper. One might think that is important especially for, I don’t know, a camera which is almost definitely going to leave the island and one that might also be a present that the receiver should never know the price of…..I’m just saying.

2. if I do buy abroad (gasp!) and pay duty on the item, there is no way to show that the payment I make (all 35% of it) directly relates to a camera, etc…. So when I turn-up to customs at a later date there is no way to prove that, if I have not bought my item in Bermuda, that I paid duty on it. (I would show you a picture, but these are such high commodities, an extra form is just not possible to get!)

Instead, the form groups together all goods in a particular category i.e. clothing and footwear, and we pay the duty on the total amount. There is nowhere to actually list the items you are declaring and therefore, no way to reference the duty you paid on them. i.e. the customs’ officer was asking me for something I literally could not produce.

Get-out-of-Jail yellow customs' slips!

Let’s be honest here too, if a traveler manages to outsmart the bureaucratic process that is installed to just put more money in government’s coffers and sneaks their goods into Bermuda…..can we really penalize them at a later date? I don’t think so.

Tourists, you are not exempt! You can also be subject to these problems, especially if you are visiting residents. Travellers are allowed a $30.00 excemption on goods they plan to bring into Bermuda.

Bermudians? Well the first $100 for each household is free and then duty kicks in and so do the yellow slips!

So what happened with my recent trip, you ask….well I had to leave the Island with my camera bought in Bermuda (there was no way to send it home before the flight) and prayed that when I returned to the Island I could outsmart the process.

Did I? Well, you’ll have to come back tomorrow to see what happened…….oh and for some fun travels to Quebec City!

So I have traded airplane seats for office seats for a little while and one thing that comes with an office….a commute. It’s true.

I have nothing against my new job, let me preface. It’s a great place to be and I am working on things that matter – healthcare.

What I could trade? My commute. Yesterday as I sat behind the smog-spewing car that would lead me to Bermuda’s capital, Hamilton and my new seat, I couldn’t help but think of….well all the other ridiculous and crazy commutes I have witnessed.

Like this ridiculous video straight from the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh! Honestly, I have never seen such ridiculous traffic in all of my life. Try and cross the road! Near impossible…I had to play “chicken” with the SUV’s!

I mean do you see the motorbike do a U-turn when he is about to be squashed?

Sure Phnom Penh’s traffic was life-endangering, but in Laos it was cow-filled. Witness the scene below with this pink-hewed cow grazing on the side of the road on the way to waterfall! Where do you see that? Certainly not on my commute in Bermuda?

For the next bit of insanity, I bring you to heads as helmets scenario that is all the rage in Cambodia. How about the parents who also stick their toddlers in front of them as pillows? Well, Bermuda often has parents who place their children in front of them, but at least they have helmets on their children; they give them a fighting chance!

This dad below….well…..I crossed my fingers after this photo:

Or what about moving house on a motorbike? I’m not entirely sure what this guy was carrying on his motorbike, but I’m glad that I was not riding beside him! I now feel better riding my own motorbike into work and only having to concern myself with the fuming car!

Moving house?

Or how about how to move your motorbike? Well, in Bermuda we have ferries that will transport motorbikes very comfortably on their bows (front).

In Laos? Oh come on!!!! Who would actually ride their bike? Or put it on the back of the van? A commuter bus, that I had just exited to use the toilet, was far more practical!

How else do you transport you bike?

And when you’re not dragging your bike along with you? Well you have to fill it with gas, of course. But how are going to do that?

Well in Thailand, you ask a woman standing in a shack to start pumping and pour out the blue, red or green gas sitting in tubs!

technical fill-ups

I had never seen this before and I thank my lucky stars, now, when I see my gas gauge going low I can nip into the gas station, whip-out my credit card and head-out on my way…even in rush hour….even with slow attendants (not much in Bermuda moves quickly…I’m Bermudian, I can say that.)

And finally what am I getting at? Well let’s at least, while we sit in the mountains of traffic for Christmas-time commutes remember, we could have been caught in an elephant parade!

elephant parade

Thing One & Thing Two sitting in a tree, p-l-a-y-i-n-g.

Ok well not actually Oklahoma. Well sort of. What am I trying to say? This week our wanderer Nicola hits on a topic that I have experienced too: the friend who travels.

I had a good friend in high school and we would do everything together. After graduation, though, rather than mundane we managed to see each other around the world. From Denver, Colorado to Aix-en-Provence! Where is Nicola going this week? Well read and see: 

Oklahoma. OKC. OK. Have you ever been? I have, twice. And hopefully again.

In fact, it was one of the most exciting holiday destinations of my life!

Does that strike you as odd?
Where the heck IS that state?
Let me explain.

If you are familiar with Dr. Seuss children’s book, it all begins with the mischievous yet lovable Thing One & Thing Two…

Things One & Thing Two met in kindergarten in Bermuda. They became not just friends, but BFF’s. Thing One & Thing Two earned their nicknames because they were just as naughty as the duo in Dr. Seuss: sneaky, giggly and artfully troublesome. One sideways smirk at the other, and both would collapse in a fit of laughter. They had sleepovers,  watched Indiana Jones, went rollerskating, annoyed their older sisters, laughed at the “green man” in Beauty & the Beast, frolicked in the waves on play-dates at the beach, and burnt grass outside Thing One’s house – just to see what would happen!

Playful in the school playground

It gets better. Thing One lived on the American Base in Bermuda, which was a highly controlled area. Thing Two was ecstatic that her best friend lived on on exclusive part of the island, as she was granted permission to visit her friend. On the Base, there were all sorts of cool American things: instead of Cadbury’s chocolates, the Thing One ate Hershey’s chocolates like Almond Joy and Mounds. There was a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant, and down the street there was an all-American baseball field! There were even private beaches for the Base residents.

Two classic stories come from those beaches!

First was the bathroom breakout, when Thing One & Thing Two were in the bathroom on a (rather deserted) beach. They were stuck inside and the door would not open. Thing One and Thing Two were worried they ere stuck forever, in a toilet.

So, Thing Two wrapped toilet paper around her hand and smashed the glass window panes out of the high window. The girls jumped out of the window and landed in a thorny bush, but lived to tell the tale.

Second, was Thing One’s birthday abandonment. A handful of friends were invited for a beach bash, and back to the house afterwards for cake & ice cream. On the short car ride from the beach to the house, Thing One’s mother realized that they had left the birthday girl at the beach by mistake!! Which is scary when you are 8yrs old, and even WORSE when it’s your birthday…

Years later, they are STILL laughing about the bathroom breakout...

Then, everything changed. The summer before Grade 4, the American Base closed and Thing One’s family relocated to Oklahoma, USA. Where? Why? NOOOO… Who would Thing Two play with at school? How would they keep in touch? How can you survive without your best friend? Initially, they wrote letter, cards and notes on a monthly basis. They both had childhood dogs, so they mailed each other their dog’s fur in Ziploc bags. Thing One had a pool at her house in Oklahoma, and she sent Thing Two pool water in a small container (who kept it in her freezer for years!).

For Thing Two’s birthday in October, she received a cereal box. How disappointing! But, digging inside, she received a great surprise: two airplane tickets for her and her dad to Oklahoma for November break. Life was good, friendships were rekindled! The following summer during school holidays, Thing Two went on a family vacation to New Mexico, Texas… and Oklahoma! Both families played catch-up, with Thing One’s family showing the visitors the wild & wonderful Oklahoma: Braum’s ice cream, Sonic drive-in food, Men in Black at the drive-in movies, Frontier City amusement park, the musical Oklahoma! at an outdoor theater, and the National Cowboy Museum. Not to mentioned kayaking on the river and collecting Beanie Babies…

Playing the part of cowgirls at Oklahoma's cowboy hall of fame

Then… the inevitable happened. The girls grew apart, middle school consumed their lives. They found new friends, and their memories were just that – memories. High school brought along computers, and they slowly & hesitantly began to email each other and use AOL instant messenger. In fact, Thing One taught Thing Two how to do the sideways smiley face )

They saw each other once, as teenagers, when Thing One visited Bermuda with her mother. Add in the glasses & braces – and it was enjoyable yet awkward.

Fast forward to university: In the January-April 2007 semester, both girls were going on exchanges to Europe – Thing One to Rome and Thing Two to Paris. The universe was conspiring to bring them together again! What were the odds they’d be in capital cities in Europe, same semesters? They planned to visit each other in Rome and Paris. Sadly, Thing Two attempted her first solo, weekend getaway a month into her Parisian adventure, and it was a fiasco – inclement weather, cancelled flight, hysterical call home to her parents at 5am their time… needless to say, Rome was axed. Luckily, Thing One had better luck arriving in Paris in March 2007. Despite being a gloomy, rainy weekend, the girls had an absolute ball: nipping in to the Louvre for free on Friday, taking in the view from the Eiffel Tower, and feasting on crepes and espresso in between downpours. The only thing better than an American exploring Paris is an American exploring Paris with her Bermudian best friend!

The mischief continued at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

Since Europe, Thing One and Thing Two have reunited. With the help of technology, the long-distance relationship is not quite so long. With the click of a button, they can do what they do best: share their wild & crazy stories and prepare for their next adventures! And they have been adventuring in Bermuda. Thing Two came to visit for a week in summer 2008, where the girls were up to their old tricks once again. Just mention Limoncello or 445 boys, and Thing One & Thing Two will burst into laughter. A wonderful Christmas visit to the island in 2009 led to Thing Two dragging Thing One to a school reunion to see her long-lost classmates. Most recently, on Thing One’s family cruise from New York to Bermuda in summer 2010, both families were reunited after a whole decade.

Beach bums by day, terrible twosome by night!

Why write this now? Well, it was Thing One’s golden birthday recently, 25 years old on November 25th.

Happy Birthday, Thing One! Love, Roadkill )