Florida 2023

Well it’s been 7 years since our last blog post. It started as a way to remember our time in London, became a bit of a travel blog for a few years and then kinda fell off when we settled in Alberta and started our family. I want to remember and relive our time with young children but writing stories about the milestones we were experiencing in our living room never really felt like the way to do it. However, on our recent trip to Florida with Roy at 5 and Eli at 8 years old, I found myself thinking that this was probably as good as it gets for travelling with our kids, and I want to remember as much of it as I can. So here we are.

Gen and I have both really wanted to see Florida, I especially wanted to see Miami Beach, the Florida Keys and to do an airboat ride through the Everglades. As you may be aware, Florida is also home to some well-known theme parks, so we've just been holding off on this trip until our kids were the right age to introduce them to Disney World.

I say introduce because we were not at all interested in a full Disney package, spending a week or more park hopping and staying on resort. We opted for 2 days at Disney and decided to do it at the start of the trip when we were all excited and full of energy. Planning the first day after a scheduled 11pm arrival seemed particularly foolish after flight delays and a rental car fiasco kept us from getting to bed until 6:30am. At that point we were already committed, tickets were booked and lightning lanes were reserved so we slept 3 hours and then tackled the Magic Kingdom. As soon as we entered the park our luck turned, we stumbled upon the parade and a spot front and center and our kids got the full experience right away. Disney World is expensive, like so expensive I’m not even going to say it here in the hopes that maybe I’ll forget someday, but from the morning’s parade to the evening’s fireworks it’s not hard to see where the money goes. There are a phenomenal number of people working there and they put on a hell of a show every day and really do make it an experience. I was worried about our endurance that day, especially Roy’s, but they were both absolute champs and we all had such a perfect day. There were more than a few moments where I just watched their faces and tried to see it through their eyes.

The next day we rested, we needed it. We hit up a Wal-mart for necessities and a Disney outlet store for cheaper souvenirs and the T-shirts we were so clearly missing the day before. Then we ‘relaxed’ at the pool at our condo complex, as much as one can at a massive lagoon with a full sized pirate ship and a poolside bar. It was an Airbnb condo but I don’t think anybody actually lived in the building, it had a front desk and room cards so I’m guessing it was built as a time share complex that has evolved into short term rentals.

For our second day at Disney we chose Epcot, after Magic Kingdom we didn’t really care which of the remaining 3 parks we did and Epcot was the most recommended. This one was definitely more for the adults, we saw a lot of groups with no kids and many wearing ‘Drinking around the world’ type shirts since each country pavilion served traditional booze. We had another great day here, but there was less rides and only a couple that were really geared for the kids. The Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster was incredible though, best I’ve ever been on. This was the only one that pushed Roy a bit past his comfort level, he was a little shook as we were walking out, but for a 5 year old he was so brave and never hesitated to go on any of the rides we did. This was a relief considering Gen’s Disneyland story as a 9 year old was crying in fear for the line of every ride and ruining the experience for everyone, haha.

Disney has a photo pass option where you pay a single fee and can get as many photos as you want from the many photographers scattered throughout the parks. It was one of the only things that actually seemed worth the cost. We took advantage and got some good family photos, as well as some of their ‘magic’ shots where they superimpose something into the photo. My favourite was sending the boys to get these photos on their own and watching the photo shoot. They also really loved taking our phones and going through these photos for the rest of the trip.

The following day we started our Florida road trip and drove from Orlando down to Marathon, which is about halfway into the Florida Keys. Once you drive across the first bridge from the mainland to Key Largo it’s like you’ve flown to another country, the atmosphere at our little resort was a night and day difference from Orlando. We kept the boys sleep schedule in our time zone so they could stay up late with us and sleep in, so we all got to hang out at the pool bar until 10PM. The first night was karaoke and they had never seen this before. Gen is always good for a few songs so while we were in the pool they got to watch their mom sing 90’s classics. I had to keep reminding them the pool vibe was different though, no screaming and splashing, especially since fully clothed people were seated all around the pool. It became routine that they’d start getting rowdy and I would give them the look and say ‘nighttime pool is…’ and they had to say ‘chill’. I’m sure they hated it.

We drove right down to the southern tip of Key West the next day, and the drive was amazing. Island, bridge, island, bridge, over and over. Some were nature reserves, others had small towns, people fishing off bridges, people kayaking through mangroves, outrageously luxurious homes on stilts on the beach. Key West is a cute little town filled with restored Victorian houses and shops, and tons of tourists. It was very cool to check it out, but honestly too busy and expensive to enjoy for long. Considering the Keys are a part of the mainland USA it’s a pretty amazing spot and if you’re a drive or short flight away and don’t need to go through customs it’s a pretty cool trip. Coming from out of country and flying 6 hours there are better and less expensive tropical destinations in my opinion.

One of my favourite things to do on vacation is snorkel so we had to get out at least once. Eli hadn’t snorkeled since we went to Hawaii 4 years ago, and Roy never had, so it was a lot of fun to get them out to see some fish. The beach snorkeling was ok but not great, the real action is on the barrier reef that runs along the length of the Keys about 45 mins off shore. We weren’t sure if a snorkeling tour would be great for our novices, so we opted for a glass bottom boat to try to see what the reef had to offer. The boat was fun and it was nice to get on the water, but the visibility through the glass wasn’t the best. We denied Eli a trip to the turtle hospital we spotted from the road, so we were fortunate to see a couple turtles from the top deck. Eli loves turtles and was very excited, Roy was busy running around the boat with another kid and missed it. That was something he was very upset about at the moment, and also brought up at the end of the trip, so he was definitely bummed. We tried to use it as a lesson that patience is rewarded, Eli had to scan the water for the whole ride to see that turtle. The highlight of the boat tour was actually while we were waiting on the dock. Two manatees were hanging out in the marina right below us the whole time. They are very peaceful and slow moving, and it was nice to be able to watch them for so long. Roy also noticed the fart bubbles from one of them, which he later informed us was his favourite part of the whole vacation.

No matter who you ask or where you search for things to do in the Keys, Robbie's will be on the list. Robbie's is a campground, a restaurant, a place to rent kayaks to go through the mangroves, a trinket shop, it's a lot. What it's most famous for though, is feeding the tarpon. Tarpon are like 4-7 feet long with a giant mouth and the game here is to buy a bait bucket and hand feed them. As an added bonus the pelicans here want the fish too, and they are sneaky and aggressive. There were also some nurse sharks mingling with the tarpon to add to the fun. It was a pretty wild scene but quite the experience. I had my hand fully in the mouth of a few tarpon as they jumped up out of the water for the bait, and between that and the pelican that bit a fish out of my hand it was a little bloodied and bruised. I also fully kicked a pelican in the neck as it took a run at Roy, which is not something I ever expected to do. All in all it was a great time, highly recommend.

Next up was 4 nights in Miami. Up to this point there was no sandy beaches, so we decided to stay right at Miami Beach, but it is a very expensive area. We ended up at one of the least expensive hotels we could find, and boy did it stand out in the skyline. It looked kind of like a small prison amidst luxury condos. It was fine though, had a pool and was right on the beach. We took some time to relax here, playing in the sand and at the pool. We did venture down to South Beach on the free trolley one day. That was an experience, the boys were introduced to some shady characters they don’t come across often in Cochrane. We walked around South Beach checking out the Art Deco buildings and the neon lights, and observing how people live when it’s 30 degrees in March. Fascinating. We had dinner at Joe’s, a South Beach staple famous for serving local stone crabs. It was the biggest busiest restaurant I’ve ever seen, with dozens of staff members hustling around like it was choreographed. We also went over to Downtown Miami to check out the graffiti covered walls of Wynwood, and so I could go aggravate my hurt foot at a famous skate park I’d hoped to skate.

The last must-see was the Florida Everglades. There are a lot of airboat tours and attractions offering gator experiences, it was a little challenging to research. I wanted something that wasn’t too built up, I didn’t want a zoo with an alligator show or a giant airboat for 20 people. We ended up settling on Mack’s Fish Camp, a rustic campground East of Miami on the edge of the Everglades that had only 2 small airboats. We did a private tour with the owners father Hal, who was a retired mason who helped out with a tour 10 years ago and never looked back. It was actually Hal’s 65th birthday and he took us for an unforgettable 2 hour tour. We saw lots of alligators and birds, and learned a lot about the ecology of the area. The unquestionable highlight was when he took us to visit a small tree covered island in the middle of a sea of tall grass. We slowly coasted into a sheltered lagoon and there was a guy with a large gator up on his dock and he was tapping it on the nose. The timing of it could not have been more perfect, but Hal assured us he hadn’t set that up with Bob and his wife, he just knew they were home. Bob owned a few hundred acres of these Everglades and this little island was the only dry land, he had a solar powered cottage he spent the weekends at that can only be reached by airboat. Apparently this gators name was Tommy, and there was another one named Lisa hanging out in there with him, and Bob has known them since they were babies. It was a pretty surreal scene almost too good to be true, but I think he was just a friend of Hal’s that enjoyed showing off his Everglades lifestyle.



I made a lot of core memories on this trip and I look forward to years of reminiscing on the experiences we had. This was an amazing opportunity to spend quality time with our kids at such a fun age for a vacation. This was the first trip with booster seats instead of car seats, we only had to pack water and snacks, not diapers and bottles. There was no stroller to pack and we didn’t have to carry them anywhere. Eli quickly made a friend at every pool we went to and would be running off with them while Roy tagged along behind. I could see that we’re not very far from them wanting to do their own thing all the time. But for now, they still wanted to play with us in the pool and build sandcastles at the beach, and they squeezed our hands tight on the roller coasters, and I didn’t take a second of that for granted.

5 Years Later

Five years ago today Genevieve and I stepped off a train at Liverpool St station in the heart of London's CBD with a suitcase and an address. I'll never forget just how overwhelming and exciting that moment was. Hundreds of sharp dressed business types side stepped us and our luggage as they hustled between the office, the tube and Pret à Manger. Dodging tourists is of course a routine part of their commute, one that became second nature for me pretty quick. 

Those first couple weeks in London were a blur of grimy short term rentals, sight seeing, and forming a bitter relationship with letting agents. We would have taken a place just about anywhere in the first 4 zones, but the one we did just happened to be in Wimbledon. I absolutely loved it there, the little village had excellent pubs, transportation was great and the atmosphere was relaxed and quaint. The tennis notoriety was alright too. Most people we met were in Northeast London, Hackney mostly, where there were a lot more poor young people and the cool restaurants and venues that go along with them. As inconvenient as the hour long double decker rides home at 3am were, I'm still really glad we chose Wimbledon, I'll always have a soft spot for that little piece of London.

Finding work in another country opened me up to a level of vulnerability I'd never experienced. I had a number of people try to get me to work for free, or miss payments, or ask me to cut corners and deceive clients, or lower my pay after a week of work. Despite having nothing to fall back on I forced myself to stick to what I thought was right and fair and made some difficult decisions on when to tell people to fuck off and walk away.

I eventually took some courses and got my British certification and with a bit of luck and good timing got a decent job for a legitimate company working on all kinds of interesting projects in central London. I worked with a bunch of great guys, Aussies mostly, saw so much of the best parts of the city, ate lunches in vibrant city parks, drank after work pints on the sidewalks outside pubs, and snuck off mid day for various Olympic goings on. I was even running my own jobs after a short while, which was a needed turn of events after the first couple shit shows. 

A lot of people end up working outside their field when living abroad, with no contacts and unrecognized skills and qualifications it's no wonder. I'm pretty proud of the way things went in London, it was difficult at times but I managed to make things work and I learned how to respect my value and stand up for myself. I was in way over my head at times, especially when the first job had me wiring 200 year old houses with techniques, rules and devices I'd never seen before. I've never learned so much so fast as I did on that job, and it's experience I look back on often that shaped the worker I am today. 

I've never had much desire to live in Russia, but after the back to back excitement of Vancouver and London I was feeling a serious void in my life during Sochi 2014. It was never an intention to follow the Olympics to London, just a happy coincidence. I had such an incredible time during both, it's such a blast to see your city transform into a party for the world. I don't care what anyone says I hope Calgary wins a bid to do it again, and I may need to plan a trip to Tokyo. 

The energy in London is palpable, just the sheer number of people and iconic places, I was so caught up in the buzz. Being there at 26 was perfect, old enough to make fewer stupid mistakes, but young enough to still make some fun ones. We were surrounded by people who had come from all over the UK, and the rest of the world, to find themselves, and have a good time looking. We met so many like minded people, everyone was there for the same reasons and it was so easy to connect. It didn't hurt that there is an endless amount of places to see and things to do. 

It's amazing to be in a place where so many people at the top of their game have spent their time. I'm so glad I didn't go there with dreams of making it in music of comedy because no matter how dingy the venue or small the audience, the quality of live entertainment in London was unreal. I think only New York could compare in terms of a centre of the world vibe, which may not be for everyone but I really enjoyed.

A big part of why we chose London was rhe proximity to Europe, which we took advantage of at every opportunity. Being from a country as vast as Canada it's so amazing to be in Paris or Amsterdam after an hour on a train, or be landing on a Spanish island in as much time as it takes me to get to work. When we started our Micra adventure we had driven through 3 different countries before stopping for lunch in Belgium on day one. I can't wait until the next time I'm behind the wheel in Europe, it's an incredible change of scenery and variety of cultures and histories in such a compact region.

I love having such a personal relationship with London. Someone is often talking about a trip they took, or one they're planning, and I really enjoy the opportunity to reminisce. For such a short time in my life I have so many stories and memories. Some, like meandering along cobbled streets through villages of thatched roofed homes, feel like a dream. Others, like eating a Tesco sandwich deal in Green Park on my lunch break, are as if they were yesterday. I feel like my life is distinctly separated as before and after London, the experience shaped the person I am today more than anything else. Which seems weird when I consider becoming a father, but by the time Eli came along I had already figured myself out, and London played a key role in that.  

I'm fortunate enough to have so many people and places that I miss so much in my life, especially when the alternative is to have never had those experiences. There is, however, no city that enters my mind as often as London. I know it wouldn't be the same now if we were still there, but I wonder how it would be. I miss my daily commute on the Tube, or down Oxford Street or past St Paul's Cathedral, I miss walking along the Thames in Richmond, I miss shitty food and cheap pints at a Wetherspoons, I miss the skyline from Greenwich, I miss the television and newspapers, I miss a 1 hour flight to the Mediterranean, I miss the dinosaur hall of the Natural History Museum, I miss skating at Southbank, I miss working in 200 year old buildings, I miss West Cornwall Pasties, I miss English accents, and English friends. I miss so much more and I miss it almost every day, but I'm so glad that I do. 

I could rewrite the entire experience, but I think instead I'll just go back and read the original posts, then start saving for a trip back.

...and baby makes 3

When we started this blog, shortly after our move to London, it was basically just a way for us to jot down the happenings of our days and our thoughts on the new surroundings. We wanted to be able to tell our parents what was going on without having to tell the same stories over and over. We also thought it would be nice to have a record for ourselves, although to be honest I haven't re-read any of it, perhaps when I'm old...er. 

Since it started as a travel blog I've sort of neglected it since we've been back to Canada, apart from a brief resurgence in Australia. However, now that we've had Eli I feel like I might regret not making note of this stage in our lives, again only for myself really, I make no assumptions this will entertain many others, except maybe you Mom. 

It's not as if our lives have gotten any more consistent since returning from the UK, we have lived in a few cities all over the country since then so there are still stories to tell. Who knows, maybe some day Eli will be interested in our lives at this point, although I'm not so delusional as to think that will be any time soon. I can't say I took much interest in my own parents lives before they had me until I was around 25. Kids are so self centered, or was that just me?

So, we had a baby, a pretty cute one too I'd say. It wasn't by accident, entirely. Gen seemed to think it could take years and insisted we start trying before our trip to Australia. I really tried to convince her that wasn't a good idea, I was pretty certain I knew how to make a baby. Luckily I wasn't the one sick in bed for 3 beautiful days in Perth or doing a soda water pub crawl across the better part of a drinking country. Like I said, he's pretty cute so I'm sure she'll say it was worth it.

Becoming parents is obviously the biggest change we've ever had in our lives, but it's not one that seems to be happening quite as abruptly as Eli was born. I have a hard time seeing myself as a dad, and I really don't feel any different. I'm starting to realize that all those dads I've seen aren't as different as I used to think. It's just a bunch of dudes with kids.

The biggest change so far has been the lost spontaneity, gone are the days of a random night out or a spur of the moment weekend getaway. Repetition is the new norm, which has been a shock for me, and one that I'm still coming to terms with.

I'm genuinely happy to be a father, I've always wanted a family and now is definitely the right time in our lives, so I don't want it to sound like I'm not grateful for where we're at. I just think it's worth noting that the rewards are subtle, long lasting and they are getting greater each day, but the lifestyle changes were swift and relentless. 

I think my favourite part of the experience so far has been seeing Genevieve become a mother. I knew from the start that she had excellent maternal instincts, even when we were young and irresponsible and spending too many evenings (and early mornings) at Wings on Granville. She's always had a good head on her shoulders and it's certainly one of the things that attracted me to her. She's very calm and patient with Eli, but she's focused and driven enough not to be wishy washy with the things that need to be done. She's informed and educated on every possible stage of his development, but intelligent enough to trust her instincts when the literature is conflicting (and it almost always is). She's also exceptionally loving and completely selfless, which is probably what ties it all together. There's no question the bulk of the workload falls on her shoulders, and there's honestly not another person I think could do a better job raising my kid. It's a treat to see her come into her own, I always knew she was made to do this. 

She's actually started another blog for her thoughts on motherhood so far if you haven't already seen it, cryitoutmom.blogspot.ca

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Our short attention spans and thirst for a challenge have seen us live in Edmonton, Montreal and Saskatoon over the past 2 years. Needless to say there have been highs and lows with this lifestyle choice. Edmonton gave us a chance to get back on our feet after gallivanting around Europe, and allowed me to get my foot in the door in the exploitation of natural resources industry. Montreal offered Gen a chance to challenge herself in her career, and gave me the opportunity to not be in Edmonton anymore. Saskatoon has allowed us to be together as a family every night while Gen is on her maternity leave, which is certainly not something I take for granted. 

We might still be back in Montreal when Genevieve finishes her maternity, but there's a chance that we won't, so I feel now like that's just another memory rather than a continuing story. I have a love/hate relationship with Montreal, in that I absolutely love the city but I hate Quebec. I've already written a blog about why I don't like that province so I won't get into it again. I do remember a funny thing I read somewhere that said 'if it's something that we do here in Quebec that nowhere else in Canada does, chances are it doesn't make any sense'. I feel that pretty much sums it up. There are a great many things done only in Quebec, and I'd have to say the majority of them are pretty stupid. Except of course selling beer in corner stores. 

From our front door there were no less than 4 depanneurs within a 60 second walk to buy a case of beer, and within a 5 minute walk there was the beautiful 84 acre Parc Lafontaine and more bars and restaurants than we could even scratch the surface of. It's hard for me to admit since I absolutely loved Wimbledon and had a lot of good times in Mount Pleasant in Vancouver, but our apartment in the Plateau was without question the nicest home and neighbourhood we've lived in so far. The buildings were all so beautiful and historic, and the area was relatively quiet but still seconds away from as much nightlife as you could possibly handle. I really miss walking out our front door and hopping on my board or a bixi bike and heading out into the city, it really is a perfect example of urban density and just a treat to explore. 

As great as Montreal is, my favourite thing about being there was still New York City. I'd been wanting to visit for as long as I can remember so when we were within a 5 hour drive I took full advantage and went 4 times. When a place is so prominent in TV and movies it's nice to see it for yourself, and nowhere is more iconic than NYC. It's nice to have preconceived notions about a place and then to go there and form my own opinions and stories that the landmarks now remind me of. I really love big cities, I feel like I absorb the energy and get a bounce in my step. I can understand why people hate them, and I get the appeal of small towns and I love wilderness and camping, but New York and London just make me feel like I'm in the centre of the universe and anything I could possibly want is at my fingertips. Often times I treat a new place like I'll never be back and try to pack in everything I really want to see, but each trip to NY has been really relaxed because I know I'll keep visiting until I'm too old to walk (probably around 55 with my knees). There's still tons I haven't seen after 4 visits, I can't wait to go back. Especially to skate through Manhattan again so if anyone ever wants to go please let me know!

If you talk to anyone who's ever planned a wedding, moved across the country or had a baby they can attest to just how much work those things are, and they'd probably tell you doing all three at the same time is idiotic. That just happened to be how the timing of our lives played out at the end of 2014, and despite the madness it just seemed like the best way to tackle each of these hurdles. We really wanted to have an epic trip through Australia before starting a family, and we just snuck in before the buzzer on that one. In order to do this we had to postpone the wedding and the good Christian order of marriage and babies. On top of this, my work presented an opportunity to be under the same roof during Eli's birth and the first 6 months or so of his life. So despite the obvious mayhem of packing up our lives and driving across the country while Gen was 8 months pregnant that's precisely what we did. 

I wouldn't recommend anyone attempt the same thing, but I'm proud to say it all came together quite nicely. It was definitely less luck than it was hard work and planning, but the relatively stress free manner in which we tackled all 3 challenges gives me hope that Genevieve and I might just make it.

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I've sat back a very long time while most people I knew visited Mexico numerous times because I always felt like it was the kind of place I would just end up getting to without any particular effort, you know like a really great last minute deal would come along, or we'd get invited to a wedding down there. When it got time to plan our own wedding and neither of us had been to Mexico yet it seemed like a pretty easy decision. If you want something to happen you just have to do it yourself. 

We toyed with the idea of a wedding on the island, or the Okanagan, or Alberta, or even Montreal, but with all of our friends and family so spread out it didn't seem right to pick any one spot and have everyone else travel. Plus who really wants to take time off work and spend a bunch of money to weekend in Calgary. A destination wedding seemed like the lesser of all evils, which is of course an excellent attitude to have regarding your nuptials. 

We've gotten pretty good at planning our own vacations but planning one for 45 people was a little daunting. It's not easy to balance between the budgets and expectations of a bunch of different people. After an exhausting amount of research and broken English correspondence with various resorts we settled on the Grand Bahia Principe Coba. We had the Mayan Riviera picked because we wanted to be able to do some snorkeling, visit cenotes and see some Mayan ruins. It was our wedding after all so we chose the location for ourselves. The resort was middle of the road price wise, so with that in mind I was absolutely impressed with how nice it was. Yes, it was large, but for a wedding group of nearly 50 people I think it was perfect to have such a variety of options as far as food, drinks, entertainment and swimming. While communication with the resort as far as planning the wedding and accommodating our group was strained leading up to the date when it came down to the wedding day it went flawlessly. We took care of almost every little extra so I hesitate to give too much credit away, but between us and the resort it all came together as well as I could have possibly expected. 

The great part about the wedding was that it wasn't just about the wedding. There were 6 other amazing days we got to spend in paradise with so many close friends and family. From the group trip we all took to the ruins in Tulum, lounging in a cenote and snorkeling in a cave on the first day, to the last day in Akumal Bay swimming with sea turtles and sting rays, each day was an incredible memory. I can't possibly put into words how amazing it is to be able to wander around a resort and casually bump into your parents, your best friends, your siblings, or any number of other people you know. I knew it was going to be a good time but I didn't anticipate just how great it would feel to be so close to so many people and just enjoying drinks by the pool. It was probably amplified by the fact that we've been living so far away from everyone for so long.

If anyone reading this knows someone on the fence about a destination wedding please encourage them to do it because beyond all the logistics is a week vacation with the people closest to you and that was worth everything and more. 

Obviously we were a little anxious about how Eli would handle it all. We had already driven with him to Calgary and flown him to the island at 6 weeks, but a foreign country was another beast. We were on top of his passport from day one, literally, but between waiting for hospital forms, birth certificates and being out of province for so long it came down to a road trip to the passport office in Victoria around Christmas and a little baby passport arriving in Saskatoon a week before leaving. Things would've been interesting had that gone sideways. Eli is an excellent flyer, though everyone tells us the worst flights are yet to come, so we'll reserve final judgment on that one for later. It was nice have him experience a week of warm air, and the pool sure put a big smile on his face. He also looked very dapper on the wedding day, in my opinion your parents wedding is something all children should experience.

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Living in places like Vancouver, Montreal, and by an outrageous margin London, you tend to grow a little weary of tourists. Of course I often am one so I don't generally get annoyed, but I can say that London taught me to keep walking through people's photo ops because you'd never get anywhere stopping for them all. My point is, here in Saskatoon there are no tourists, and it has made me appreciate that if you are fortunate enough to live in a city so spectacular that people vacation there a few selfie sticks are a small price to pay.

When I first came to Saskatoon for work I didn't buy a car so my accommodation options were limited to what was walking distance from the bus that drives out to the mine. I also wanted to be close to the skate park, which left me staying in the exceptionally sketchy part of town. Some of the people I saw, the garbage covered yards, the seemingly abandoned but actually occupied run down houses, the disgusting grocery stores and the constant police activity, it was almost comical. I just had to keep telling myself I didn't really live here, it's just work. Saskatoon's downtown west end is no place to call home. 

So when we decided Genevieve was going to join me in Saskatoon I bought a second car for us and my perception of the city changed quite a bit. The place we're in now is close to the river in a quiet neighbourhood full of parks and schools, which I guess is all that matters now isn't it. Saskatoon is a good sized city, it's big enough that you've got all the amenities but small enough to be friendly and livable. Nothing is more that 15 minutes away, driving of course. There is no walking in the prairies, and I learned that the hard way the first few months. Trying to navigate between strip malls on foot is a fools errand, and not buying that car on day one is one of the biggest regrets of my life. They toy with the idea of bike lanes in the local papers, pretending like they're a real city, and there are nice paths along the river, but the reality is this place is a miserable frozen tundra for a solid 6 months and only those on welfare or with a DUI are actually without a car. 

Saskatoon and Edmonton are quite similar, they're industrial prairie towns with a river and jobs and a brutal winter. For some reason I like Saskatoon a whole lot more though, I think because it's smaller I expect less so I find myself pleasantly surprised by anything positive, whereas Edmonton was mostly disappointing. I forget sometimes that this place is the biggest city in Saskatchewan, I've found myself in conversations mentioning how small it feels to someone from, say, Ituna, SK (Population: 711). It's easy to forget that for a lot of people coming to Saskatoon was movin' on up to the big city. I can't imagine living in one of those prairie towns 2 hours from anything in every direction with only a farm supply store and a gas station/pub/grocery store all in one. Having said that, I genuinely have appreciated getting to know this part of the country, it's given me a lot more perspective and a broader sense of what Canada really is. Don't get me wrong, I fucking hate these winters, but I feel like a more complete Canadian having lived a couple. When someone tells me they prefer these cold clear winters to a mild and damp one in BC I will now know they are lying through their teeth or delusional. 

When your coworkers are from all across the country a typical question is 'where are you from' and for the last 3 years I've had the hardest time answering that simple question. It's a very strange feeling, even now with my current job very nearly finished I honestly don't know where we will be in 2 months, but more than likely it won't be where we are now, and that's an incredibly unsettling feeling. There's a bit of excitement to it as well, but overall it can be mentally draining. 

Obviously this has come about by deliberate choice, and I don't think I'd have done much differently if I could, but I do sometimes wonder if it's worthwhile. It's certainly hard to be away from family now that we've got Eli, and I know Genevieve is desperate to go out for dinner and drinks with a friend. I've also been pretty jealous of all my friends skateboarding together all spring, the few chances I get to do that have been solo the past few years. But then I think about what we've gained; travel, a wedding, too much baby stuff, a sweet '05 Civic, general financial comfort. We've been able to create some amazing memories because of this kind of work. It's not to be taken for granted, but there have been sacrifices for sure. It's a delicate balance, and I'm not totally sure which way it's going to teeter next. 

Uluru and the Whitsundays

We are of course home from our 2 months in Australia safe and sound and slightly more tanned, but before I do any broad recap of the adventure I figure I’ll carry on from where I left off and mention the last couple weeks of the trip.

Immediately after our Great Barrier Reef, as in 6am the next morning, we were on a plane from Cairns to Uluru. Or is it Ayers Rock? The airport is called Ayers Rock, but the National Park is Uluru, and the inconsistencies go on as such. It’s a funny thing that in this enormous country of stolen/conquered aboriginal land a rock in the absolute middle of the desert is where they’re making their effort, I don’t think there’s a big push to change Sydney’s name. This half assed initiative is prevalent at Uluru, I mean they ‘ask’ you not to climb it, but there’s a handrail and a sign pointing you to the top.

Uluru is such an Australian icon that I really wanted to include it on our trip, but when we boarded the plane with entirely bucket listing retirees it became clear that few others in their 20’s justified the costs. After flying over thousands of kilometers of barren outback two things dawned on me. First, that I couldn't be happier that we weren’t driving, and second, that we were landing in a storm centralized precisely over the rock. We landed under the clouds and felt cold for the very first time on the trip, not what I was expecting from the desert. We drove out to Kata Tjuta, which is another group of large rock formations nearby, and did a couple short hikes until the rain started.

They say less than 1% of visitors to Uluru see it in the rain and if you do you should feel quite lucky. I can tell you that as we sat in the car at the sunset viewpoint for Uluru and watched a grey rock get greyer that’s not what I was feeling. We went back to the resort, which is the only accommodation available, and consists of varied levels of luxury from camping (us) to five star. All owned and operated by the same company. It’s a strange and forced desert oasis, and pretty boring. I woke up around 4am the next morning to a sky full of stars and proceeded to drag Gen back to Uluru to take some photos of the stars and then sunrise. We rented a car so we wouldn’t be tied to the tour buses and that was easily the best decision we made about Uluru, a necessary luxury. I got a few photos I liked, but I have a lot to learn about night photography, though not as much as most. The tour buses arrived shortly before sunrise and with them dozens of people using their flashes to try to illuminate a rock that’s a kilometer away, ensuring that their photos were utter shite as well as mine.

While I don’t think we were lucky to have rain the first day, I consider myself lucky we got sun on the second. Watching sunrise over Uluru was pretty spectacular, and the rest of the day was spent wandering around the base of the rock. There were several caves and watering holes and I managed to overhear a few aboriginal tidbits from other people’s tours about hidden meanings and cave drawings and hunting techniques. The texture of the rock as well as the sheer size were really interesting to see up close. Despite missing out on the colours of sunset, I think Uluru was worth it. It was far from a highlight of the trip, but it was something I found interesting the see up close, as well as the outback landscape in general. I think I’d have regret not going, but I would never try to convince someone who was on the fence. It’s a long way to go for a rock.

When we were driving up the coast our plan was to spend several days in Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands but we were caught in the middle of the exceedingly busy Easter to Anzac Day holiday week and nearly every excursion was booked solid. We were lucky enough that we needed to pass back through the area on our way down from Cairns to Brisbane in another couple weeks, but it did put a bit of a time crunch into the last leg of the trip and made for a couple long stretches of driving to get where we needed to be. After landing in Cairns we drove a couple hours and spent the night near Mission Beach, which was to be one last chance to see the elusive cassowary. Cassowaries are a very rare and bizarre bird, about 5 feet tall, flightless, with a blue horn on their head and a red scrotum dangling from their necks. They have a couple very sharp talons and a tendency to be aggressive and possibly torso slashy, they are actually the world’s most dangerous bird. While I knew next to nothing about them previously, I can imagine given their looks and elusiveness they’re at the top of a lot of birders lists. There were signs all throughout the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation warning of recent crossings and to drive slowly. Getting hit by cars is understandably a problem for big dumb birds. We weren’t lucky enough to see one up there so I thought we’d have another go at Mission Beach before we were out of their range for good.

 We stopped at a rainforest park that had several bush walks to try our luck. About 100m in we came across a slightly terrifying spider about the size of my hand and sitting at exactly face height across the path. That was enough for Gen and she headed back to the safety of the van, I ducked under this Australian freak and pushed a little further. After the third one I decided my luck was gonna run out and I’d have one on my face, presumably they were full of venom too. So despite all the signs and stories we were unable to spot a Cassowary. I think people spend entire trips camped out waiting, and I highly question just how ‘recent’ those crossing signs really were. At least we saw one at a nature reserve, I actually got to feed it some grapes. They really are the strangest things.

We spent two nights in Airlie Beach on the way up, and did the only day trip we could get on in such short notice. It was a diving/snorkeling trip that went to a spectacular reef but not Whitehaven Beach so it was a less popular trip. We also booked a sailing trip for on our way down to include the main stops so this was a perfect way to get on (and in) the water in the meantime time. The diving was incredible and a taste of what we were to enjoy quite a bit of around the Whitsundays and our Port Douglas trip to the reef.

Our sailing trip was relatively easy to choose despite the many options, once you decide you don’t want a cheap and raucous party boat or a super exclusive luxury yacht there’s actually not a ton to choose from. We got a 2 night trip on a boat that sleeps 12, but actually only had 2 other couples and 2 crew, which was really lucky. Of 8 people on the boat 4 were from France, I guess to serve as some reminder that we were soon leaving the comforts of Australia for our very foreign home. The funniest part is they were relieved we were not French Canadians, poor Quebecois really are on their own in the world.

The skipper was a funny guy, middle aged stereotypical Aussie, sort of care free beach bum type but also quite opinionated. They’re an interesting bunch. We got along with everyone which was nice, the price point helped bring together like minded people. It was great to chat over drinks under the stars on the deck of the boat and then be up early to sail to the next spot in the beautiful Whitsundays.

We snorkeled at a bunch of different spots over the 3 days, though my camera crapped out once it got especially memorable. We spent about an hour just following a couple turtles around one spot, which is such an amazing experience. Afterwards our skipper told us about how a 4 metre tiger shark had bitten a turtle in half there while a group was snorkeling nearby about a month ago. But those sharks never mistake people for turtles, only the ones that eat seals down south do that, so no worries. The next spot was full of huge tuna like fish about 4 feet long darting all around, as well as 2 foot round bat fish and the really colourful and giant maori wrasse, which are also about 4 feet long and have fat tattooed faces. Our skipper brought them all to a frenzy at the boat with bread and chicken scraps and then told us to jump in. I was the first one in and it was intense, these fish had no issues bumping into me and he just kept throwing food nearby. It was actually really cool. After a couple minutes everyone else joined in. Here's a google image of a wrasse.

We also spent a morning at the very famous Whitehaven Beach. There’s a reason it’s so well known, it’s ridiculously beautiful with the purest white sand and clear water. Adequately describing a beach that nice is beyond my abilities so you’ll just have to trust me. We also saw a dugong in the bay next to the beach, which was something I didn't expect we’d be so lucky to see. Another one of the skipper’s tricks to entertain us was hand feeding the eagles from the nearby trees. He’d call to the birds who would come dive bomb us and then catch a chicken scrap out of the air. They were huge and it was awesome to see them so close.

Other than that it was a lot of cruising between the islands in the perfectly calm and blue water enjoying gorgeous sunsets and sunrises. We were so lucky to have a half full boat and beautiful weather. The food was also some of the best we had on the whole trip. The sail back was actually quite windy, adding some excitement. Apparently we were only 1 knot shy of gale force winds, so that’s something. Surprisingly we each got to have a go at the helm in those conditions which was good fun.

After the Whitsundays we headed straight back to Brisbane for the last few days to stay with Maddie and Josh again and see the city properly. We went for dinner and drinks on the river one night, the area was really nice with lots of bustling restaurants, and there’s really no bad waterfront in Australia. We also got to briefly meet up with a college friend of ours, Corby, who moved down here for a guy and to have herself a little Australian baby. It’s quite amazing to see where people’s lives have taken them over the years. We’re getting so old.

Unfortunately since we were at the end of our trip I don’t think we were the best company, our energy levels were winding down. Maddie was really sweet and planned a lovely day for us wandering the shops downtown and riding the free ferry along the river through downtown, which was really great, but by around 2pm we had barged our way back to her couch to watch movies for the duration of our final day in Australia. I think if we had another month or 2 we’d have been fine, but since we knew it was the end I think we just needed to wind down before the epic travel ahead.

Reef and Rainforest

As soon as we drove off the small cable ferry that crosses the Daintree River it was like we were in another world. The Daintree Rainforest covers a large section of the Tropical North Queensland coastline and at over 100 million years old it pretty accurately feels like being in a prehistoric jungle. The ferns and leaves are enormous, there are vines everywhere, some of them as thick as my leg and strangling the trees. 

The drive to Cape Tribulation felt like some kind of Amazon trek rather than part of a caravan tour of a commonwealth country. While I've enjoyed every part of our trip, from the big cities to the little beach towns, this was the first time it felt like an adventure. We camped right beside the beach in the thick jungle, surrounded by giant bats and brush turkeys. The palm trees and mangroves sprawl out of the rainforest and onto the beach in a perfect tropical setting. I'd really wanted to try cracking a wild coconut and there just happened to be a husking post at our site, only took two tries! Since neither of us have been to Southeast Asia this was an incredible new experience that we didn't really expect from Australia. 

I sought a lot of advice for this trip, from friends and my own online research, but nowhere explicitly said crossing the Daintree River to Cape Tribulation was a must see. There are rainforest attractions closer to Cairns, but I think we'd have really robbed ourselves if that's all we'd seen. Being in a rental campervan we are pretty limited to how deep we can explore (dirt roads are uninsured), so the best camping has alluded us. Cape Tribulation marked the end of the asphalt headed north so it just made sense to explore that far, and I'm so glad we did. 

A downside of North Queensland is that all the beautiful beaches basically become off limits past the Whitsunday Islands due to jellyfish and crocodiles. It's a big tease. There are croc signs at most beach accesses and estuarine rivers and creeks, as well as stinger signs, communal vinegar and netted swimming enclosures at most beaches. While we didn't see any on our own walks, we did take a couple cruises on different parts of the Daintree River in search of crocodiles.  Despite high water levels from the cyclone last week we were lucky enough to spot quite a few, from a massive 15 foot male to some 3 foot babies and everything in between. It's a surreal experience to get so close to them in the wild, few things in Australia feel so far from home. 

Cairns had a reputation for being a tourist trap city that parties too hard, couple that with on the spot fines of $220 for overnight camper parking and we didn't have a reason to spend much time there. We decided to stay in Port Douglas for a few days, which is a smaller town full of resorts and boat trips to the Great Barrier Reef. The guy who rented the van to us in Adelaide told us about a good seafood restaurant on the water and we had planned to treat ourselves when we got there. After the daily show of feeding 500 pound groper fish off the deck we settled in for some locally caught seafood. The barramundi was delicious, no wonder everyone is always fishing for it here. 

We happened to be in Port Douglas on Anzac Day which was interesting to see. There was a small parade and service at the war memorial followed by an all day piss up at the local bars. Hard to imagine partying hard on Remembrance Day, but I guess that's how it's done here. That's probably what the boys were fighting for in the first place. Tradition for Anzac Day is to play an old war time gambling game called Two Up, which is basically glorified heads or tails. Everybody gathered at the biggest pub in town and started throwing big dollars around and flipping coins. We left for about 5 hours and came back to the same people gambling away, drunker and rowdier. It was actually a really good time. We left up $5.

My goal for the Great Barrier Reef was to do a 3 day multi dive trip on a boat that takes you to the further and less visited areas of the reef but time and money were against us on that dream. Next time. Luckily the consolation prize turned out the be one of the best days I've ever had. We took a day trip from Port Douglas that spent about 5 hours on 3 different sites on the outer reef, each one was absolutely incredible. It's hard to describe just how amazing it was to be surrounded by so much colour, the fish and the corals. My camera has been water damaged a few times and so close to broken I almost left it at home. I'm glad I didn't because while most of the photos didn't work the ones I got of the clown fish in the anemones do a good job of summing up the experience.

Fraser Island

After Byron Bay we headed straight to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast to spend a night with a relocated Canadian friend, James, who worked with Gen at CityTV Vancouver. Surfers is a highly developed and commercialized area with huge skyscrapers and restaurants and night clubs on the beach. I'd heard the term 'Beach Vegas' and it's fitting. On the surface it looks like the opposite of Byron and I'm sure all the hippies and pseudo hippies probably sit around in drum circles talking about how horrible Surfers is but the reality is they are both selling the exact same thing. I can appreciate that Byron has a more laid back charm, but at this stage that charm is entirely manufactured and I actually appreciate that Surfers is a no bullshit vacation town on the beach with restaurants, condos and clubs. 

James has been here three years and still said he feels like he's on vacation, and I can see why. Waking up to a view overlooking that beach every day is definitely appealing.

After Surfers Paradise we headed to Brisbane to meet up with Maddie and Josh for a long anticipated trip to Fraser Island. Maddie is my friend Catherine's older sister, who I didn't really know in Qualicum but we all properly met when we went to Greece a couple summers ago. They also lived in London at the same time and we met up there as well. Their travels have led them to Brisbane now and they were keen to join us on an adventure. 

Fraser Island was one of the first trips I read about and the more I researched the more appealing it got. Essentially it is an island made entirely of sand (the world's largest) that has very little development, no main roads and is only accessible by 4x4. The entire eastern beach is an 80km highway governed by the tides. 

We rented a Land Cruiser for the trip which was of course a phenomenal vehicle for driving up and down the beach and on rough narrow roads through the middle of the island. Right from the start you drive through deep soft sand onto an unmoored barge beached on the sand and moving with the waves. Then Gen spotted a couple dolphins cruising alongside just feet from the boat. It was a fitting start. 

We spent both nights camping just off the beach along the many kilometres of open camping areas. Despite being a popular tourist destination both spots were quiet and private. The stars were incredible. 

Apart from the experience of driving and camping the island there are also a few must see attractions we checked out. The first was the crystal clear waters and white sand of Lake Mackenzie, easily the nicest beach I've ever seen on a lake. We also checked out Eli Creek, which is a perfect creek through the jungle with a soft sand bottom and clear water that you float along. It's so perfect it looks like a theme park ride. We also hiked down to the massive sand dunes of Lake Wabby, and spotted a minke whale off the lookout of Indian Head. Due to sharks and rips the only safe ocean swimming is the protected Champagne Pools, a decent but crowded little tidal area. There's also the Maheno shipwreck which was cool to see up close. 

The dingos of Fraser Island are quite famous, and the multiple warning signs and camp closures really hammer home that they are to be taken seriously. We spotted a few on the beach each day and both nights we had them patrolling our camps and checking us out. They aren't particularly scary but they have attacked children and you wouldn't want to face a pack of them. 

There is certainly a lot of places in Canada to explore with a 4x4, particularly in BC, but I don't think there is anywhere that comes close to the big boy playground of Fraser. We've been living out of a van for a while now but this was the first real camping I've done in too long and it was just amazing. I absolutely love off roading and this place was some of the most fun I've ever seen. It was really nice to have the freedom and time to see the island at our leisure because some of the tour groups looked like a pain in the ass. It was also great to have good company to share the trip with, Fraser Island was the highlight of the trip so far for me.