Back to a New Beginning

I flew from Guangzhou to Vancouver to Toronto without any hiccups. I never got to see much of China but I was happy to leave. Guangzhou at least didn't have much of a vibe to it.

Being back in Canada feels pretty good. I didn't feel particularly homesick while in Asia but this return, of all my returns, I've noticed the most. Often I come back from another country and life continues to glide along. Everything seems more fresh now and the season probably has a lot to do with it. Autumn in Ontario is pretty special.

I do have another explanation though. A book I was reading over the summer talked traveling to a new place as exciting because you have no mundane frame of reference. A grocery store is no longer merely the place you've bought food every week for years but a festival of new sights, smells, and tastes. A street is no longer the street you walk down every day to get to work but a parade of new people, vehicles, and architecture. It's the same reason why no one in Ontario goes to Niagara Falls until they take a visitor.

For the first time I've brought that fresh pair of eyes back home and it's a lot of fun. Walking around Stratford yesterday I went to all kinds of shops I don't remember seeing before. Walking around London today I found a new park around the corner from my Dad's place. I noticed every red leaf falling past every person walking down every wide street in every quiet neighborhood. Though I don't think I really got much out of my trip to Cambodia and Vietnam this kind of perspective makes the trip all worthwhile.

Returning

I boarded China Southern flight 4708 this afternoon and left Hanoi in a burst of turbulent glory. So long Southeast Asia, it's been a real slice.

Two hours later the plane touched down roughly in Guangzhou, China and I was welcomed by humid smog. I purposefully organized this series of flights with a 22 hour layover in Guangzhou in order to see a bit of China firsthand. You can stay in any of the three major cities for up to 72 hours without a visa. It feels like I'm cheating the system somehow--I do hate paperwork.

After passing through immigration I was directed to a China Southern waiting room by a woman clothed head to toe in fuchsia. I was told to wait without any explanation which seems to be the standard mode of communication here. Luckily I had some inkling of what was going on. Weeks ago I had heard a tale told by a fellow traveler who had used this same airline. Apparently if you have more than 8 hours between flights the airline gets you a room for free including meals and whatnot. That feeling of cheating grew sharper as I waited.

Eventually the other passengers and I were herded through the gigantic airport to an unmarked van. The Dutch woman next to me said that we could set the world record for easiest kidnapping, ever. She wasn't very impressed with the service but she had done this once before. We were in for a treat once we saw the rooms.

Check in went smoothly and I stalked a sombre, empty hallway for room 552. I'm reminded of the Shining but the room is a treat. It's much nicer than the shitty dorms I've been paying for. This is a comfortable way to end a trip where I've purposely roughed it as much as possible. The only problem is I look out the windows and Guangzhou's poor suburbs and the grey haze above them fill my view. At the risk of sounding ungrateful, the contrast between this opulence and general Chinese welfare seems like an accurate introduction to the country. I'm going to try and get a ride into town to see what I can see.

Holiday in Cambodia

Last week my cousin Jonathan invited me on a day trip around BC in his plane. We flew from Victoria to Chilliwack to have some brunch pie, then up to Pemberton for lunch. The power was out at the pub by the airstrip though so we left hungry. The return leg of the trip took us over Whistler and Nanaimo, where the pub was open for business. The sketches of Jon's Cessna, the mountains, and the clouds are the best of the trip.

Thanks again, Jonathan!

The next leg of my summer trip was flying to Cambodia via China. My Mom and I left Vancouver at noon Monday morning and landed at Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capitol, around 11 pm last night. The 12 hour flight from Vancouver to Guangzhou, China went relatively quickly. I brought enough books and gadgets to keep myself occupied. Sitting around the Guangzhou airport for five hours was a drag but at least I got to taste ten dollar watermelon juice.

All I've seen so far of Phnom Penh is the back of a tuk-tuk and a grocery store. The view from my balcony is a bit different from Kitchener-Waterloo though.