The Annual Migration
Friday December 29, 2023
The time has come to escape winter again. I’m back at Pearson’s Terminal 3 waiting for my flight to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, travelling onwards to Barcelona.
The past month has been busy and stressful. There’s been Christmas parties and dinners to go to, people to see and many, many things to sort out. My accommodation in Barcelona partially fell through and I had to scramble to find an alternative arrangement. Coincidentally, a month’s accommodation in Barcelona is approximately the same price as a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur, and with my parents flying back for Chinese New Year in February, I decided to join them for the whole month. So, that’s exciting and partially solves my problem; the remaining time in Barcelona was filled with Airbnb and another friend’s very kind offer.
I’m also spending a few nights in Amsterdam because I got food poisoning the last time and missed a few things there. I’ll be more careful this time - no more smoked salmon wrap from the Van Gogh Museum.
It’s kinda unnerving. Two months in a country where I don’t really know the native language (I’ve been trying really hard on Duolingo) and with very little support network. I’m hoping it all works out. My company has very kindly agreed to all my timezone changes and I’m so lucky to work for someone that lets me travel like this.
Adios!
Posted by Jeremy at 1:31am on Friday December 29, 2023 :: 0 comments :: 
Santiago
Sunday November 26, 2023
Our time in South America is about to end. What an incredible two weeks it’s been. Mentally and physically exhausting, but experiences and scenery I’ll never forget. I’m looking forward to speaking English and my bed. I’m not looking forward to the cold and the dark.
After arriving in Santiago from Puerto Natales, we took an Uber to a restaurant near our Airbnb and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I had been given a warning saying the food in Chile wasn’t that great so my expectations had been set really low. I think the only issue I’ve had with the food here is that they tend to prefer their proteins well done, instead of medium rare or medium. We spent the afternoon walking around La Moneda and the Plaza de Armas. I always thought that Latin Americans had late meals; since our lunch was so late in the afternoon, we only started looking for dinner at 8pm or so, and surprisingly some restaurants had already started closing. We did find this peculiar restobar named after Bill Clinton, and I had a traditional Chilean beef stew - cazuela de vacuno.
The next day, we covered pretty much all the remaining sights of the city. We walked to Santa Lucia Hill, Central Market (I found it awful and smelly, and I hate people yelling at me to eat at their restaurants), Vega Central and took the funicular to Cerro San Cristobal. We found a nice ice cream place near Santa Lucia and we got empanadas pinos from near Central Market. At Cerro San Cristobal, we walked around a bit but it was too hot to do much. We visited the Japanese Garden and had a nice view of the Sky Costanera. After taking the gondola and funicular back to the Bellavista side, we split for dinner. I went to this fine dining restaurant specializing in traditional Andean food with heavy emphasis on pre-colonial ingredients and techniques.
We had heard a recommendation for “a beach two hours away” from someone at the ice cream place and though no one thought to get the name of the beach, I knew he was talking about Valparaiso. It was on my maybe list, I didn’t think we would have time to visit but as I covered most of my list, and as the others seemed pretty keen on going, I told them to do some research and figure out how to get there. First step was buying a Bip Card for the subway, which was relatively straightforward, bar one question in Spanish I didn’t understand but did anticipate. Second step was going to the bus terminal and buying tickets. I wanted to leave the whole day’s logistics up to the others for a change. We tried to use the machines for one bus company but they wouldn’t work, so while the others lined up at the cashier, I wandered over to the other bus company and managed to get tickets through that.
The bus ride was around 90 minutes and took us through some of Chile’s wine growing region. Upon arriving, we went to a nearby shopping mall because we needed to use the bathrooms and didn’t want to have to pay for it at the bus station, and then we had to wait for Phoebe to buy a jacket because it was cold outside and she didn’t bring one despite Nancy nagging us to earlier in the morning. We split shortly after, I walked to the west side of town to check out some of the historic sights, the rest of them went to the beach. On my way back to the bus station, I went down to the water and saw a group of seals resting on a platform. Overall, it was okay, I don’t regret going to Valparaiso, it just wasn’t as amazing as a bunch of reviews had said it was.
We took the bus back to Santiago and transferred to the subway to go to Sky Costanera, the tallest building in South America. I was aiming to be there for the sunset and we made it in good time. For some reason, there was a capoeira performance happening on the upper deck of the tower, which was fun to watch. As the sun slipped behind the mountains to the west, the city’s lights flickered on. It was a nice way to spend our last night in Chile.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:54am on Sunday November 26, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Patagonia
Thursday November 23, 2023
We arrived into Punta Arenas Airport a few minutes early, and our bus to Puerto Natales was still a couple of hours away, so we took our time and had breakfast (which turned out to be quite expensive). Punta Arenas is the furthest south I’ve ever been, at 53 degrees below the equator. The bus ride took three hours, but I was asleep for most of it.
We spent the day doing food shopping for our big hike, and a bit of time being a tourist around town too. A games shop that we passed by was selling Watch Dogs Legion for 25,000 Chilean pesos! I had a delicious lamb dinner at a local parrilla and then it was time to go home and pack.
Our first day of the W Trek was frought with logistical problems. Someone in the group deleted the emails with her bus tickets. Someone wanted to go to the toilet just as we were boarding. No one had cash except me to pay for the shuttle bus (I was hoping to use some cash to pay for food as a nice treat at the end of the hike) but at least the shuttle saved us two or so hours of walking. When we arrived at the Central campsite, I had forgotten to get the campsite reservation number but they were able to find me by name. Also I found out I didn’t book sleeping bags, but thankfully it was easy to add to our reservation. Despite all of this, the hike up to Base Las Torres was stunning. We followed the river through the valley up to the Chileno campsite, had lunch there and continued up the ridge. Along the way, a rescue team was carting away what looked like a body bag in a wheelbarrow; someone later confirmed that that was exactly what it was. The last half hour of the ascent was especially grueling, but at last, the three famous rock towers came into view. It was emotional, after walking that much. I felt it was harder than Gros Mourne, but so much more rewarding. The ice floating on the azure glacial lake was so picturesque. I spent an hour at the top waiting for the rest of the group, they arrived close to 4pm, we took some photos together and I started heading back down.
On the way down, I saw a man carrying his baby in a backpack chair, and a poor park ranger carrying a young girl with a sprained ankle. There was also a team of skiers heading up the mountain. I made it back to the campsite at 7.30pm, checked-in and had dinner, then waited for the rest of them. After an hour, they still hasn’t showed up. I asked passers-by if they’d seen them, with not much luck. Finally at 9pm, I started walking back to the trail to find them and sure enough, there they were, finally making it back to the campsite at 9.30pm. The skies were still clear as the sun was setting and I would have loved to do some star gazing, but I ended up passing out in my elevated tent.
Day two was less intense. We followed the path along Lake Nordenskjöld, another beautiful blue glacial lake, crossing a suspension bridge halfway through. I was out of water by that point, but the water is straight from glaciers and is safe to drink, so I refilled my bottle with freshly melted water. Along the way, I could hear the low rumbling of avalanches occurring on the mountains. I reached Cuernos, the first campsite, at 2.30pm, while the others were an hour behind; it took me another 90 minutes to reach Frances, our destination for the day. As I waited for the others, it began to drizzle slightly. When they arrived, we checked in and had dinner. The next day would be the hardest hike, but I had heard some people saying it wasn’t worth going to the Británico Lookout if it was cloudy.
Thankfully I woke up to some glorious sun on the third day. I was hiking by myself the whole day, free to go at my own pace without waiting for anyone. I walked from the Frances Campsite to Italiano and dropped my main backpack there, then took my daypack up to Mirador Frances, a lookout over a mountain and several glaciers. I heard a few avalanches while on the hike, but wasn’t able to capture any on film. From Frances, I continued to Británico, the final point on the hike, a panoramic view of these stunning mountains and glaciers. I was back to Italiano to pick up my backpack and head to Paine Grande, the next campsite. The whole round trip took me under six hours, including lunch time. The hike to Paine Grande took me just under 2.5 hours, a relatively easy hike past Lake Sköttsberg. On the way, the devastation of a forest fire from 12 years ago was evident, with thousands of barren trees lining the hillside. The wind was strong as I walked, but the sun was out for most of the time, so it wasn’t too cold. As a reward for such a long hike, I treated myself to a buffet dinner at the campsite’s restaurant. Finally some hot, cooked food after three days! Chicken! Beef! Rice! Fresh salad! Chocolate mousse! Strawberry mousse! Hot tea! I demolished two plates (and two desserts), but as I watched people put their trays away, I was appalled at the amount of food being wasted. Naturally after eating so much, I was ready to food coma.
The strong winds continued throughout the night; at some points during my sleep, it felt like the tent was about to be lifted into the air. Luckily, the equipment held strong, and probably all the extra weight from the buffet helped to anchor everything down. However, it was a different story on the hiking trail. As we ascended up the valley, the gusts began to pick up dramatically, close to 100kph. The smallest in my group, a 4’11” 50kg woman, had to tether herself to me to stop being blown away. It was so strong that even I was losing balance at some points. It was brutal fighting against both gravity and the force of the wind. Eventually, Lake Grey came into view and with it, the Grey Glacier. I was taken aback by how big it was, a massive wall of ice stretching several kilometers into the distance. Eventually after the first lookout, the winds began to die down as we descended closer to the lake. What should have taken us three hours took us five hours, and we finally arrived at Campsite Grey after 3pm. While I was waiting for the ladies to check in, I walked up to the nearby lookout to get a closer view of some of the ice chunks that had broken off the glacier and floated to the shore.
After all of that, I decided to reward myself with another hot meal. I didn’t think it would be another buffet considering how small the restaurant was, but I was pleasantly surprised. This time, they only let me have one piece of meat; the previous day, I had managed to get one piece of chicken and one piece of beef after everyone had had their first round. I was ready to food coma again in anticipation of the fifth and final day.
The last day had a slow start because we only needed to be ready to go kayaking at 10.30am. However, we soon discovered that the high winds were too strong so both the 9am and our session at 11am were cancelled. This was really disappointing but understandable. The currents on the lake looked swift and it would have been dangerous to head out. Luckily we get a full refund in case of weather cancellation, and it also meant we could start the hike back to Paine Grande earlier. I walked with them until the halfway point, which took us two hours, then I gapped it for the end, which took me another two hours.
Upon arriving, I discovered that the ferry to the bus station required cash and I didn’t have enough after paying for the shuttle bus for all of us. The campsite reception assured me I could sort it out with the boat company, and that this happens often. Anyway, I bought myself a large hot chocolate to celebrate the end of five days of hiking. A phenomenal 181,295 steps and 113.9km in some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen on this planet. I’m so glad I did it.
The others arrived about 30 mins after me, and thankfully had USD cash to pay for the ferry. We managed to get on the early boat; I didn’t think there would be that many people and they ended up having to turn some people away.
What would I have done differently? Probably started booking accommodation earlier. The refugios (cabins) and domos (domes with bunk beds) were really nice and well equipped. The tents were okay but I wouldn’t say no to more comfortable accommodation. I would have tried to buy a better variety of food and only for breakfast and lunch; the restaurants are excellent and only buying dinners would have lightened the load. Also I should have brought more cash, and somehow I also blame my friends for not bringing their own. This was a once in a lifetime trip and I was reasonably lucky with the weather until the last day.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:07am on Thursday November 23, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Iguazu
Friday November 17, 2023
After a very early flight with much turbulence and old people coughing, we arrived into the town of Puerto Iguazu on the Argentinian side of the Iguazu River. We met with our driver and he took us to the Iguazu National Park where Phoebe and I immediately signed up for the boat tour.
It took a while for everything to get started, but after a short journey on the road, we walked down a small path to the pier and boarded the boats. We took off at speed up the river; the water had turned a brown colour from the amount of mud that the river had taken on from recent heavy rainfalls. I remember that feeling of awe as the falls slowly came into view. It just kept getting bigger and bigger, the thunderous roar of ten million litres of water rushing over the several cascades, the massive amount of spray hitting us as we drove in and out of the two areas. The sheer force of the falls is truly something you have to experience up close. By the end, we were soaked; and this may have been due to the captain being a bit cheeky by purposely steering through some big waves.
The rest of the day was spent walking the upper and lower trails of the falls. Part of those sections were closed due to damage from the flooding a few weeks ago, which was a pity, and the Devil’s Throat was also inaccessible. The viewpoints along the trails were excellent, and everything was so well placed and built. We also saw many reptiles and coatis!
We had a nice slow start the next day to go to the Brazilian side. Immigration was simple and now I’m at 32 countries visited. We spent a few hours at Parque das Aves, a fantastic bird park by the Brazilian falls. I thought it was so well planned - there’s a single linear route that takes you through a plethora of enclosures and you can really get up and close with some of them. The colours of the parakeets and macaws were absolutely stunning, as was the scarlet ibis.
We walked over to the Brazilian falls park and had lunch, then took the bus to the hiking area. While less impressive than the Argentinian side, the Brazilian side makes up for it with its proximity to the other set of falls and some stunning angles of the Devil’s Throat, which was also unfortunately closed from the flood damage. However, there’s one section where you can practically bathe in the spray of the falls, so I did just that, and got soaked. It was a welcome shower on a humid day that hit 37C.
Our driver took us for a quick tour of downtown, and then we got some food from a supermarket before heading to the airport. We’ve got some rough night flights to Patagonia over the next few hours!
Posted by Jeremy at 2:51am on Friday November 17, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Buenos Aires 2
Wednesday November 15, 2023
Caminito is a really colourful area spoiled by the dozens of tourists aimlessly blocking all the roads and taking pictures of the beautiful and vibrant façades. Of note is the balcony with a statue of Lionel Messi holding the World Cup, which has a queue of people waiting for the perfect Instagram moment. There’s lots of cool craft shops and a lot of touristy merchandise too, especially for the local soccer team, Boca.
We walked from Caminito to San Telmo and had lunch. The group had no cash so I had to pay for our empanadas and then had to go find an ATM to top up my own reserves. The first bank wouldn’t dispense any money so I had to walk further, but I managed to get some sweet peso bills and make it back to the market for more food. We continued north towards the Plaza de Mayo and the Obelisk. I wanted to check out the trendy Madero neighbourhood so we walked east, stopping at the Galerias Pacifico briefly.
We were still kinda full from lunch, so we decided to head back to the Airbnb and I was desperate to try some world-famous parrilla, so we split up and I went with Phoebe to La Cabrera. The wait was two hours, but ultimately worth it. I passed out from the steak overdose and the glass of Malbec.
The next day, we went around Floralis Generica and the Cemetery Recoleta, famous for the tomb of Eva Peron, the famous First Lady of Argentina, who has a movie about her life and was played by Madonna singing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”. Afterwards, we walked to Retiro station and took a train to Tigre, a town by the delta of the Parana River.
Tigre is quaint and picturesque. We had lunch at a cafe by the station; my Spanish was so bad that the waitress just straight up said she spoke English. We wandered around the craft market for a while and then took a boat back to Buenos Aires, exploring some of the many river ways in the area. My friends all fell asleep, which was an interesting way to spend $60 CAD.
We had to be up early the next day to go to the airport, so it was a quick solo dinner at a Mexican place before crashing for the night.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:09am on Wednesday November 15, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Buenos Aires 1
Monday November 13, 2023
We arrived 45 minutes before schedule so we hung around the airport for a bit, cleaning ourselves up before heading to the Airbnb. The host wouldn’t let us have an early check in because of previous guests, but he let us drop our bags so we could walk around the city. We had some issues trying to get Uber to work; apparently the Argentinian government cracked down on it by banning credit card payments, so we opted to walk around instead. We headed towards Palermo, the Italian neighbourhood and walked through the Botanic Gardens and the Ecological Park where we spotted some wild maras, some flamingoes and a tapir.
We were wondering what to do next; we tried to use the subway but couldn’t figure out where to buy a card from. My poor Spanish skills were unable to find out from the transit operators, and we didn’t have cash, so we decided to stay in the area for lunch.
Since we were in the Italian neighbourhood, I decided to try this pasta restaurant which was pretty decent. The group was tired so we walked back and dozed off for a bit at the Airbnb. Eventually I decided I wanted some time to myself so I left the group and wandered over to Centennial Park where it was buzzing with activity. Locals were sitting on the grass, enjoying the beautiful weather. There was a busy flea market, a lot of dancing and people playing soccer, it was really cool to just walk around and people watch.
I ended up in Caballito, where I got dinner from a local burger chain. It was not great. My Spanish skills were really struggling and deep down inside I felt anxious about committing to spending so much time in Barcelona. But I know it’s a much more international city, especially with all the different European nations, so I should be okay. I made up for a disappointing dinner with a ball of chocolate ice cream with a dulce de leche center!
Today has been a slow start for the group, but we’re heading to Caminito and San Telmo Market.
Posted by Jeremy at 12:00pm on Monday November 13, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
A man. A plan. A canal.
Sunday November 12, 2023
Panama surprised me. It’s the thirtieth country I’ve visited! Our Uber driver, José (Phoebe pronounced it Josie), picked us up from Tocumen International Airport and we drove straight to Miraflores Locks, the Panama Canal Visitor’s Center. I thought there were no ships scheduled to pass through the canal today but we saw three; two on the old canal and one in the distance, on the expanded canal. The ships take around ten hours to complete the 50 mile journey from one end to the other, so things move very slowly but extremely precisely. On the old locks, eight locomotives drag the boat through each section as it provides more control than a tugboat. Once inside, the locks are filled with water to raise the ship to the next level, or drained to lower the ship, depending on the direction of travel. The process is fascinating to watch, and it truly is a marvel of modern engineering. After watching a couple of ships pass by, we saw a film about the construction of the canal, narrated by Morgan Freeman.
We rushed for dinner in one of the trendy neighbourhoods by the waterfront. The food was interesting, it was unlike any flavour profile I’ve experienced, and it was very rich. We had a bit of time to walk around before taking an Uber back to the airport. One of the places we passed through was a seafood market, very much like an open air hawker stall you’d find in Malaysia, but full of salespeople desperate to fill a seat. The market was suspiciously empty for a Saturday night, but since we’d eaten already, we didn’t need to bother with them. I thought the drive to the airport would take longer and security would be a while as well, but we were very early and now we’re just chilling before our flight to Buenos Aires.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:32am on Sunday November 12, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Southbound
Sunday November 12, 2023
This year, I’m not flying south to spend the winter. Instead, I’m flying south for only two weeks, to four new countries, to explore some of the most beautiful parts of South America. Our first stop is Panama for a seven hour layover, where we’ll go see the canal and grab some food before getting back on the plane to Buenos Aires. I’ve been preparing for this trip for a while, and it’s required a lot of planning and organisation. I’ve been learning some rudimentary Spanish too - this’ll help me for this trip and hopefully my three months in Barcelona too.
The last few months have been incredibly busy. Our trip to Newfoundland was amazing, with a gruelling eight hour hike up and down Gros Morne, as well as a sneaky visit to the town of Dildo. Our trip to Kawartha Lakes for Thanksgiving was less amazing. We were supposed to go kayaking on the Sunday but due to rough conditions and the inexperience of the group in general, the rental company asked us to cancel the excursion but wouldn’t refund us. Instead they offered us a 50% discount on the next trip, which means we’d have to drive back out to take advantage of it. We did see some nice fall colours on the Trans Canada Hiking Trail, and some spectacular salmon jumps at Port Hope, but a few things went wrong that weekend and it was mildly frustrating.
Work has also been busy, with several difficult technical problems to solve. We’ve got a new programmer starting while I’m away, and I’m hoping that’ll alleviate some of our challenges. The industry is in a state of volatility at the moment, with thousands of layoffs happening all over the place. 2024 will probably be much of the same. I’m just glad my job is safe and I’m constantly reassured by our CEO that Prytania is going to be fine.
I went to the CNE this year with Hardeep. It was a welcome return to Exhibition Place, and the air show had been buzzing around Toronto skies a few days prior. The dog show was hilarious and adorable at the same time, and it was video games themed, so extra special. The food was as expected - expensive and nothing to write home about, but the most surprising experience was the audio sensory light exhibit in a dark room. It was a kaleidoscope of colourful patterns and fractals and geometry with a gentle soundtrack to accompany. A couple of weeks later, I tried to show him the salmon run on the Humber River, but we saw nothing. Instead, we went for dumplings in Chinatown and then went kayaking around the Toronto Islands. At night, we wandered around the city for Nuit Blanche, but nothing was notable.
I was at Hemingways with Emilio for the Rugby World Cup final, New Zealand versus South Africa. There were a lot of Springboks supporters, but there were a lot of black jerseys around as well. The atmosphere was fun and jovial, with a few “chaaa hooo!”s throughout the game, but alas, it wasn’t the result that the we were hoping for. Has to feel a bit bad for Sam Cane too. As soon as the final whistle blew, I was out of there.
Emotionally, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster too, with ups and downs. We had to cancel our work trip to Los Angeles because of the hotel workers’ strike. The darker days have forced me to bring out my sun lamp, to force my brain to start making the happy chemicals. We haven’t gotten our first snowfall yet, but after I get back from South America, it’ll only be a month until Christmas!
Posted by Jeremy at 1:03am on Sunday November 12, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Back in the Air
Thursday August 31, 2023
It feels like a long time since I’ve been at the airport - really only five and a half months - but it seemed momentous to be back at Pearson on this sunny Friday morning as we embarked on our flight to Newfoundland.
Summer has been busy. Just the way I like it. There’s been festivals and food and events. There’s been hikes and dinners and visits. There’s been cause for celebration, and moments of grief and reflection. I always tell people how alive the city is during summer and this year is the first year without COVID restrictions, so people were keen to get back into how things were pre-2020.
I’d basically recovered from my back injury by the time Charlotte, my old flatmate, had come to visit me in May. She was here for an academic conference at York University, but had a few days to explore the highlights of Toronto. I took her to all my favourite restaurants; there were too many to go to and she didn’t have enough stomach space for all the ice cream. We took a day trip to Niagara on the Lake and had lunch at a winery specialising in ice wine cocktails, and then did the Whirlpool Cable Car and the boat tour into the Niagara Falls in the afternoon. The next day, we went to the zoo and suffered through 90 minutes on the 401 because they’d closed all but one lane on Collectors for construction. She was really lucky on this trip; she managed to see a raccoon when I took her to High Park Zoo, and a groundhog wandering the zoo grounds, as well as my two favourite neighbourhood cats, Dobby and Lhasa.
Rohit was in from Calgary for a couple of days for work, so I caught up with him for the usual dumplings in Chinatown. I went to the Pride Parade too, which was a really welcoming, jovial atmosphere. We had a hotpot and barbeque picnic out in Milliken Park for Canada Day and stayed to watch the fireworks. I went to watch a couple of drone shows too, one out in Woodbine Beach and the other by Ontario Place.
Perhaps the most significant event in the past few months is that I’ve become a dual New Zealand and Canadian citizen. I drove all the way out to Mississauga to attend my citizenship ceremony with 100 other people, and we were presided over by Judge Albert Wong, who was born in Malaysia and came to Canada and served in the armed forces. His story was fascinating and he was hilarious, and the fact that we were both born in Malaysia made the ceremony so much more poignant. It was a memorable event, and a few weeks later, I got my passport.
This is important because I’ll be travelling the to US next month for a work conference, and since I had to surrender my PR card at the ceremony, the Canadian passport is my only ticket back into the country. I’m looking forward to the event though, the company had planned to do it in Vancouver but Beyoncé’s concert was at the same time and we couldn’t get accommodation, so we shifted it to Los Angeles. I’m hoping there will be visits to Universal and Disneyland!
I mentioned in my last post that in May, Mum's eldest sister passed away. Imagine my horror when, on a Sunday night after badminton in July, I got a text from my sister that another of Mum's sisters passed away, this time the aunt that was closest in age to her. I managed to see her in December, and in my heart I knew it may be the last opportunity I had, but I didn't expect it to be this soon. This one really hurt. On the night that my mother passed away, my aunt was already on her way to Auckland from Kuala Lumpur, unaware that she was too late. She was devastated when she arrived. Because of my citizenship ceremony, I wasn't able to leave the country, but I still tried to watch what I could on Zoom. In her memory, I snuck "Power of Your Love" into the church service the following Sunday. We sang it at Mum's funeral too, its poignant first line "Lord I come to you; let my heart be changed, renewed" so rich in meaning for the occasion.
The week ahead will be a refreshing break from the busyness of summer, as we explore Canada’s easternmost province and all its rugged beauty. Like New Zealand, Newfoundland's scenery is largely unspoiled and untouched by human civilisation, so it's not uncommon for the best views to be hidden behind strenuous four hour hikes; in fact, our trip highlight is the eight hour hike up Gros Morne, the second highest peak on the island. Looking forward to it!
Posted by Jeremy at 3:57am on Thursday August 31, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Springing
Wednesday May 10, 2023
It's finally Spring in Toronto. The plants and flowers are well and truly springing from the ground, but the weather has been bouncing back and forth unpredictably too. Last week, we had a solid run of six continuous days of rain, finally broken on Friday with some beautiful sunny weather. I was able to bike through High Park and see the tulips, magnolias and cherry blossoms, before heading down to the lake shore trail to Cirque du Soleil, now located in Mimico. I saw Kooza, which was fantastic. I had sweaty palms through several of the performances, just watching and admiring the stunts and acrobatics of the show. The good weather continued on into Saturday, but it rained heavily again on Sunday. This week is much more pleasant, with temperatures set to reach over 20C at the end of the week.
Emotions have been up and down over the last few months as well, for various reasons. I'm slowly getting back to full health with my back injury, and have started playing squash and badminton again. Gym is slowly getting there too, it still hurts a bit to bench press, but the fact that I'm able to lift things again is deeply gratifying. My friends and I have planned a trip to Newfoundland in August, which is incredibly exciting; work was supposed to have a meetup in Vancouver in September, but that got changed to Los Angeles today because Beyonce is in Vancouver at the same time and finding accommodation was difficult. I'm still supposed to go to the S Club 7 concert in London at the end of October, even though Paul Cattermole, one of the Seven, passed away tragically at the start of April. Today, I learned that my mother's eldest sister passed away at age 85. She lived a good life, and I have fond memories of her playing mahjong with my mother when she visited New Zealand. There's a nice photograph of all six sisters on her Facebook page that made me a bit emotional.
It's been nice catching up with various people as well. Lina came in from Singapore for a couple of weeks, there's been meals with ex workmates, I went and saw Avenue Q as well. I got 20 out of 20 on my Canadian citizenship test, and I'm still waiting for an invitation to the oath ceremony, although IRCC strikes may have impacted the timing on that. My social calendar has been nicely busy for the last month, and as the weather warms up, it'll get busier. There's plenty to look forward to as summer rolls in. There's been some sad times too, but heaps of my friends have banded together to support me during those times, and for that, I'm truly thankful.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:40am on Wednesday May 10, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Saturday March 11, 2023
Last Friday, there was a big snowstorm to welcome me home to Toronto. As a result, I didn't leave my building on Saturday but by Sunday I was bored enough to venture out to meet up with my badminton friends for dinner. My back was sore but manageable. On Monday, while I was showering, something spasmed and I lost feeling in my left leg. It was so painful that I basically did not leave my bed for two days. I managed to see a physiotherapist on Tuesday afternoon and from then on, I was able to sit down for a few hours at a time and do some work, but I was still in a lot of pain. A heating pad that I ordered arrived and that has helped with mitigating the pain, slightly.
Yesterday, there was another snowstorm. My router bricked itself and I had to order a replacement from Best Buy. My bedroom lightbulb also blew for some reason. I can't stand up for more than a minute before my leg starts to tighten up and I get a sharp pain in my back. I've been using Lyft to get everywhere, even to the physiotherapist 7 minutes walk away. I've been moderately stressed with studying for the Canadian citizenship test as well, but thankfully my new router works and I'll be able to sit the test at least. Even the router setup was stupid, I had to create a Netgear account and allow all these permissions for my phone so it could access the router using the mobile data connection.
Next year I'm not coming back to Toronto until April.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:48pm on Saturday March 11, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Atlanta
Sunday March 5, 2023
The position of the driver's seat in my parents' car that I was driving around the Bay of Plenty caused my back to tighten up quite badly and when I went to pick up my luggage, full of Whittaker's chocolate, I put my back out, right before we were supposed to go to the airport. I was in agony the whole trip, but work had booked me a Skycouch to myself, which helped a bit. Some dork tried to claim one of the seats for himself before I told him I was entitled to all three seats. I did manage to sleep a lot on that flight, but it felt awkward because I'm not used to sleeping scrunched up. I like stretching my legs out and I was always afraid I'd stick them out the end of the seats into the aisle. Nevertheless, the flight went by so quickly that I didn't even have time to watch a movie, and then I was out into Houston airport for a five hour layover. My flight to Atlanta was delayed because the passenger bridge at IAH broke down, causing the incoming plane to be redirected to another gate so the passengers could deplane and we could board. Eventually I made it to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the world's busiest, just before midnight on Sunday.
In an effort to readjust quickly to Eastern Time, I was up relatively early to go to Atlanta Zoo with Pete, my fellow Kiwi workmate. We got a breakfast sandwich from a cafe just down the road and then took an Uber to Grant Park. Though it rained a little bit during our visit, it was nice to see lots of different animals out and about, especially the flamingoes, tiger and giant pandas. However, many of the signs around the zoo had world maps on them... without New Zealand.
We had lunch at Mary Mac's Tea Room, an Atlantan institution for over 80 years. The waitress asked where we were from and immediately opted to dial down the sugar content of our iced tea in case we got diabetes. When our fried chicken came out, it was a bit dry but we did that New Zealand thing where we just said it was fine when she asked us how the meal was, and then continued complaining while eating the rest of it.
We went our separate ways; I went to the aquarium since Pete had done that the day before with the World of Coca Cola. I took a behind the scenes tour which took me to the top of the large fish tank holding manta rays and the massive whale shark, the largest fish in the sea. I saw otters, puffins, penguins, hammerheads, jellyfish, seals and sealions, but the aquarium closed at 6pm so I had to wrap up my viewings pretty quickly. I met Pete again for dinner at 5Church, around the corner from our accommodation, for a delicious steak dinner.
The next few days I attended the Prytania Media Live conference, where I got to meet most of my workmates in person for the first time. It was a wonderful occasion reinforcing all the fantastic qualities of care and respect that the company was built upon. I managed to catch up with a couple of ex-Ubisoft colleagues as well, now at Possibility Space, my sister company. On Thursday, it was time to return to Toronto and I was met at the airport by Emilio and Sarah, who had graciously come to pick me up because of my old man back problems. It was dark and it was cold, but it was nice to be back. Sorta.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:49pm on Sunday March 5, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Auckland and the Bay of Plenty
Sunday February 26, 2023
I can't believe it's been three months since I left Toronto. Working remotely makes it feel like the days go by so quickly, and there's been so many things to do and so many people to see that it really feels like I've maximised my time in New Zealand. Of course, there's been a few interruptions - namely some devastating floods and a severe cyclone tearing through the North Island - but on the whole, I kinda prefer that to -20C weather.
I left Wellington and returned to Auckland in time for Chinese New Year. Though my sister and stepmum weren't back, I was able to spend the day with dad, going for a short hike on the Upper Nihotupu Reservoir track in the Waitakere Ranges before checking out Arataki Visitor's Centre and The Olive Kitchen for lunch. No one was more excited to see me than Sam, my sister's cat, who was meowing loudly at 2am because he'd been starved of attention the previous fortnight.
The following weekend we celebrated dad and my nephew's birthdays with a quiet meal at my sister's place, though the torrential rain was already in full force that day. We drove through four rivers on the road to get to her house, we didn't realise how bad it was in other parts of Auckland. I've never seen it this bad before and it's really a wake up call that we should be taking more action against climate change. I continued to catch up with heaps of people over February - too many to list - but there was always good company and good food. I managed to squeeze in a bit of karaoke as well!
I did a road trip with my parents to the Bay of Plenty. That was really fortunate because we were originally planning to go to Napier, since I'd never been, but accommodation was super expensive that weekend due to Art Deco, and it's not really my scene, so we chose to go to Tauranga and Whakatane instead. The weekend before we were supposed to go was when Cyclone Gabriella hit the North Island, causing widespread flooding and damage to the Hawke's Bay. Thankfully the Bay of Plenty was spared heavy damage, and by the time we got there, the sun was out in full force so I could work on my tan. On the Saturday, we drove down towards Rotorua, stopping in Tirau for lunch. We did the Redwoods Canopy walk and visited the Blue and Green Lakes before heading to Whakatane and Ohope where we checked into our Airbnb, right by the beach. On Sunday, we visited the Farmers' Market and walked along the mouth of the Whakatane River. Dad and I wanted to go kayaking so we left my stepmum in town to wander around the shops, but we found out that there weren't any kayaks available, so we went to the Kohi Point Lookout and walked to the edge of the ridge for a spectacular view of Moutohora/Whale Island and Whakaari/White Island. As I understand it, White Island remains closed to all visitors after the fatal tour a few years ago, and even when we were visiting, plumes of steam could be seen rising from the island.
On Monday, we drove to Tauranga, stopping by Te Puke and Kaiate Falls along the way. Though the road to get there was pretty rough, the falls were pretty spectacular and worth the drive. Part of the trail had been washed away due to the cyclone damage, but thankfully enough of it remained for us to walk around. We stopped by Patrick's Pies when we got to Tauranga, who have multiple awards and have been New Zealand's pie winners for several years, and I caught up Andrew and Richard and their families in the evening. On Tuesday, we climbed the Mount - no easy feat for my parents - and then headed back to Auckland.
I've honestly enjoyed my time here immensely. It really did feel too short, and I'm not ready to go back to freezing temperatures quite yet. My next leg of the journey is to Atlanta via Houston, for a work conference, and then back to The Six on Thursday.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:21pm on Sunday February 26, 2023 :: 0 comments ::
Wellington
Thursday January 26, 2023
I arrived back in Aotearoa New Zealand on Christmas Day, an emotional return to my homeland of thirty years. All through the last hour of the flight I had a Kiwiana playlist on repeat: Brooke Fraser, Nesian Mystik, Bic Runga and of course, Dave Dobbyn's Welcome Home. We circled around the Waitemata Harbour with Rangitoto and the Sky Tower in full view before touching down in Auckland International Airport. I was out within 30 minutes, a record time.
I spent Christmas Day in Pukekohe with the Palmers, then on Boxing Day, it was dad's turn to come back to New Zealand. I had a week of holidaying before I had to start work again, so I tried to catch up with as many people as I could. Quite a few fellow expats were back in the country too, it was great to reunite after all these years, even if we only lived 500km away from each other. The weather was absolutely stunning and I was lapping it up. I visited Auckland Grammar and the University of Auckland to see the new buildings that had been constructed in my absence. I spent New Years at Mat's house on the Shore, playing Loveletter and Rockband. There were brunches and fried chicken and desserts... and badminton too!
After New Years, the North Island was hit by two cyclones, bringing some inclement weather to Auckland. I flew to Wellington on the 6th of January, where the rain continued for that weekend, but a few days later, that beautiful scorching sun was back. I spent two weeks there, working from an Airbnb near the Embassy with my colleague Pete commuting in to work with me from the Official Crop Circle Games Wellington Office. Every day, I finished at 4pm and was able to enjoy the afternoons in the sun. The city hasn't changed much, physically, but friends have moved away or out of town, or they've got children and aren't able to hang out as much. But I really missed that Wellington lifestyle of living downtown, being able to walk around to all the good restaurants. I visited all my favourites and got to try some fantastic new ones as well. In fact, when I went to Little Penang, Uncle Keith recognised me and gave me a hug, it was truly wholesome and I was so interested to hear how he had been and how they had navigated the last few years. I saw friends I hadn't seen in six years, eight years, ten years, and each time, it felt like I hadn't been gone at all. Conversation flowed so naturally. So many people made the effort to come and see me as well, and for that I'm truly thankful.
I even made it to Zealandia, and was able to explore the vast expanse of greenery. What a great place - I wish I came here more often when I lived there. We saw some Tui, Kaka and Tuatara. I climbed Mt Vic, walked around Oriental Parade, had hot pot in Brooklyn, went for Spicy Food Thursday, played badminton and on my last day in the city, I even did an escape room about Atlantis. I had such a great time in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, and I wish I could have stayed longer.
Posted by Jeremy at 7:41am on Thursday January 26, 2023 :: 0 comments ::