The latest Journal Entries from avril at Footstops.com en-us Tue, 06 May 2008 02:39:00 -0700 Copyright 2008, Bryan Rite @ Footstops.com Tue, 06 May 2008 02:39:00 -0700 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 240 http://www.footstops.com/avril/ Just arrived back in Manila for the last time. Another quick flight from Puerto Princesa. Tomorrow it's off to Jakarta for the beginning of our Indonesian adventures!... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4692/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4692/ Tue, 06 May 2008 02:36:25 -0700 A 1 night stop in Puerto Princesa before flying back to Manila.... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4693/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4693/ Mon, 05 May 2008 02:39:00 -0700 At last, we arrived in paradise! The jeepney/bus ride to El Nido was hellish - a 2 hour jeepney ride with fish juice dripping on us over the bumpy roads... but this time we expected that. We got off the jeepney at the junction (just the side of th... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4691/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4691/ Mon, 05 May 2008 01:59:57 -0700 The 3 hour jeepney ride to Sabang was painful. The jeepney was crammed full of people, chickens, vegetables and other bags, with loads of people riding on top of the jeepney as well. The roads weren't paved for the majority of the trip, makin... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4690/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4690/ Sun, 27 Apr 2008 01:29:33 -0700 It was a quick flight from Manila to Puerto Princesa, Palawan. We arrived in the evening and only spent 1 night in the town. We did discover a vegetarian restaurant... I had no idea such a thing existed in the meat-centric Philippines. We were in P.P... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4689/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4689/ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:19:54 -0700 Just a quick stopover in Manila on our way to Palawan. Unfortunately, one must fly in and out of Manila for all flight connections in the Philippines. Hence our third and unexciting stopover in this massive city.... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4688/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4688/ Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:14:33 -0700 Yet another drab, mid-sized Filipino city. We ended up here with plans to get a boat to Palawan, but after googling the boat that makes the trip and finding headlines such as "another crash for San Nicolas shipping lines" "5 dead as sh... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4687/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4687/ Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:13:10 -0700 We finally made it to a beach paradise in the Philippines! I'd heard that there were beautiful beaches all over, but travel in the Philippines is either very slow (long bus rides and boat rides) or expensive (flights), and we've been on... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4685/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4685/ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:04:20 -0700 At last, we reached a beach! It was a quick fast ferry ride from Cebu City to the island of Bohol. Once we reached Tagbiliran in Bohol, we hopped in a tricycle and headed to neighbouring Panglao Island for some sun, scuba and snorkeling. Panglao I... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4400/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4400/ Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:57:21 -0700 We left Bohol and took a ferry over to the island of Negros, to the unexciting town of Dumaguete. Dumaguete was a lot nicer than Tagbiliran, with ocean front restaurants and shops. However, there wasn't a whole lot to do here - it was another mi... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4560/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4560/ Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:18:35 -0700 We finally escaped from Manila on a flight to Cebu City, which is basically a smaller Manila. Our flight was delayed, and it was difficult waiting around at the airport at 4am. However, we were happy to get out of the madness of Manila. Cebu... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4378/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4378/ Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:36:56 -0700 It was back on the freezing bus for the 9 hour trip to Manila. We arrived at 3am and found a place to stay in the same area as before, Adriatico Street (I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Manila), and slept the day away. We were only in Man... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4262/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4262/ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:00:29 -0700 It was back on the freezing bus for the 9 hour trip to Manila. We arrived at 3am and found a place to stay in the same area as before, Adriatico Street (I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Manila), and slept the day away. We were only in Man... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4260/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4260/ Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:58:23 -0700 In Manila, it took us 3 hours to find the bus terminal that would take us to Banaue in northern Luzon. It was a freezing cold 9 hour night bus, but as the sun rose as we approached Banaue, we had a fantastic view of the rice terraces and small vil... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4232/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4232/ Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:05:24 -0700 After a red eye flight to Manila, we headed to the 'backpacker' area, which doesn't really exist. There isn't a backpacking scene in Manila, and housing is expensive and not nearly as nice as Thailand or Cambodia. However, Manila is still an inter... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4165/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4165/ Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:55:34 -0700 It was quite an adventure getting from Sihanoukville to Bangkok. It was a 13 hour journey which involved switching buses in Cambodia 3 times to cross a river on tiny wooden boats, walk across a bridge that hasn't been completed, and to get off at... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4126/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4126/ Thu, 27 Mar 2008 03:14:04 -0700 Just a quick ride from Kampot and we arrived in beachy Sihanoukville. There are a lot more tourists in Sihanoukville than in other parts of Cambodia (besides Siem Reap, of course), and it has the atmosphere of the Thai islands. I spent a lot of ti... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4119/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4119/ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:37:58 -0700 Kampot... the most relaxing town in the entire world. It might also be the most beautiful town in Cambodia (that I've seen, anyway). The quaint town is located on a quiet river lined with palm trees, surrounded by rice paddies and with the great B... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4031/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4031/ Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:41:29 -0700 We're back in Phnom Penh after leaving the dust of Ban Lung behind. We had seen all the sites in Phnom Penh our first time around, so we didn't get up to much. We ran into Craig and Annabelle, our friends from Kratie, and visited with them before the... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4029/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/4029/ Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:33:51 -0700 Ratanakiri province, home to lush jungles and their wildlife, waterfalls, volcanic crater lakes, and the dustiest town in the world, Ban Lung. It was a 4.5 hr drive in a shared taxi (aka. a Toyota Camry packed with 7 people) over the unpaved, dust... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3936/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3936/ Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:04:41 -0800 It was yet another adventure getting to Kratie, the town of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins. The 6 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh turned into a 10 hour ride after the bus broke down and couldn't be fixed. We ended up on a pick up truck with about... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3935/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3935/ Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:08:04 -0800 Somehow we managed to stay in Phnom Penh for over a week, and we really didn't do too much. I really like it here; the city's location along the Mekong River makes for nice walks and many relaxing riverside cafes and restaurants. As usual, the bus... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3934/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3934/ Tue, 26 Feb 2008 23:05:50 -0800 We left Siem Reap early in the morning and took a bus to the boat terminal for an 8 hour boat ride down Tonle Sap River to Battambang, a town located on the river that doesn't see too many tourists. The boat terminal wasn't much... it's a very po... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3793/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3793/ Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:48:03 -0800 The journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap was a long, uncomfortable one. We crossed the border on foot in Poipet to see the smooth pavement of Thailand was gone; rocky, dusty roads filled with small dirty children begging for money was my first impres... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3781/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3781/ Wed, 13 Feb 2008 02:56:45 -0800 It was a long overnight journey from Ko Lanta to Bangkok to meet Alan. I arrived in Bangkok at 5am to find out all of the guest houses around Khao San were full. I drank a million cups of instant coffee, people watched for 4 hours and read Catch-2... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3697/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3697/ Sat, 09 Feb 2008 02:02:13 -0800 It's just about time for this beachy vacation to end, as I'll be heading back up to Bangkok to meet Alan Feb. 7th. Ko Lanta is quiet, peaceful, and very very hot. I met up with a friend I'd met on Ko Phangan, which was nice, and snorkeled together, e... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3696/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3696/ Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:54:59 -0800 I am officially a beach bum now... I can't seem to get off these wonderful Thai islands! It was a long trip from Ko Phangan to Ko Phi Phi, but it proved to be worth it. I was surprised by how busy Phi Phi was, and there's still a lot of constructi... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3695/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3695/ Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:52:33 -0800 To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with Ko Phangan after staying on Ko Tao for 10 days. The beach at Had Rin, although beautiful, is littered with buckets, water bottles and other garbage. Although I was excited to randomly run into 3 friends... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3694/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3694/ Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:44:57 -0800 Ko Tao was the perfect getaway from city life, despite the 16 hour trip to get here. My days in Ko Tao consisted of lying on the beach, drinking banana shakes, and meeting new people. I also took in a full moon party on Ko Phangan. My frien... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3693/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3693/ Thu, 24 Jan 2008 02:41:15 -0800 Upon arriving in Bangkok I headed to the famous Khao San Road area to find a place to stay. The housing is nice and cheap compared to Hong Kong, although certainly nothing special (still a step up from Mirador Mansion). After being in the bu... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3692/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3692/ Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:34:00 -0800 After the 13.5 hour plane ride, I arrived in the busy city of Hong Kong for a 4 day stopover.  I took a bus from the airport to my derelict hostel in the huge and smelly ''Mirador Mansion." Hong Kong is certainly an interesting city, where... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3691/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/3691/ Wed, 16 Jan 2008 02:30:27 -0800 A day tour and over night stay in Havana - great city!... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/2815/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/2815/ Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:15:26 -0800 All-inclusive resorts = a lot of food, booze, sun, and fun times!... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/2814/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/2814/ Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:10:58 -0800 We made it to Osoyoos around midnight on Friday, and went straight to the bar. After an hour of drinking and socializing, we went to Gabi's parents' house to sleep. The rest of the trip consisted of cherry picking, laying on the beach, boati... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/1220/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/1220/ Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:14:37 -0700 We made it to Sombrio after about 5 hours of travel time (including ferry). The beach was pretty busy, with lots of surfers and scouts camping. We trekked to the end of the beach and pitched our matching tents. Friday the weather was great,... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/693/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/693/ Tue, 10 Apr 2007 13:11:47 -0700 We made it to the island, after sleeping through the alarm, picking Bryan up late, and making it onto the 9am ferry. The ferry ride consisted of playing 31, which Alan lost, and as punishment had to eat a pack of mustard (which he hates!) We arriv... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/692/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/692/ Sun, 08 Apr 2007 13:03:50 -0700 It's the night before we leave for camping. I'm excited! It's been far too long since I've been camping. A few days ago I even bought a brand new sleeping bag. Everything else I'm borrowing from my camping-genius roommate, Nadine.  Today's... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/673/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/673/ Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:55:08 -0700 The trip consisted of lots of driving, sleeping in my car in Salmo, meeting ALL of Alan's family (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins... they are all very nice!), visiting Robbie up at Blue Lake, enjoying the sun at Wasa Lake, seeing the cu... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/563/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/563/ Tue, 19 Jul 2005 20:27:42 -0700 We thought we could make it to Kimberley in 1 long drive - but no, after unsuccessfully searching for a campsite at 2am, we pulled over in a parking lot in Salmo to sleep. I woke up sleeping on the cooler. Not comfy.... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/564/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/564/ Mon, 18 Jul 2005 20:29:37 -0700 We finally made it to San Francisco! We checked into a cheap little motel, which has everything we need, and is within walking distance to... stuff. Seeing how we didn't really plan this trip out, we're not really sure where we should be going. Bu... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/308/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/308/ Sat, 03 Sep 2005 18:14:40 -0700 The Oregon Coast is sooo beautiful! Although we didn't do much stopping, mostly driving. At some point we both got sick of listening to the same CDs over and over and being cramped in my car while we passed by all of the gorgeous beaches, and pull... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/307/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/307/ Mon, 29 Aug 2005 18:13:45 -0700 Cannon Beach is great! Thank you Robbie for recommending this place! We also stopped in Seaside, which sounds nice, right? Well, it isn't. Just go to Cannon Beach. We arrived the same weekend as a triathalon or something like that, and it... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/306/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/306/ Sat, 27 Aug 2005 18:01:22 -0700 As the title, says, I hate border line ups! We had good intentions so leave bright and early in the morning on Saturday, thereby beating the border line up. But, true to form, we slept in, dumped all of our shit in my car, and set off. We reached... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/305/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/305/ Thu, 25 Aug 2005 18:10:51 -0700 Back in Van after the loooong 30 hr flight home. I had another 10hr stop over in Hong Kong, and I was sooo sick. Luckily I was able to sleep a bit on the flight from Hong Kong to Van. Alan picked me up from the airport, and he has a huge b... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/299/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/299/ Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:27:27 -0700 Almost time to go back to Van and back to UBC. I'm sad to go, but I also feel ready to go back to UBC and my friends. Coming to Indo was a great experience, and I really enjoyed teaching at Maple Leaf, but I know that teaching is not for me (even... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/298/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/298/ Wed, 30 Aug 2006 12:24:32 -0700 I just got back from Gili T Round 2, this time with Karen. We had a long weekend, and decided to go to Bali. All the flights were booked though, so we ended up flying to Lombok late Friday night after school, then taking a cab to Senggigi, which is o... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/295/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/295/ Wed, 23 Aug 2006 23:36:56 -0700 No one told me it would be so humid in Singapore! And rainy. But all is well. I took a bus to my hostel, checked in, and met 2 girls who are from the US and teaching English in Japan. The 3 of us walked around town, tried some Singaporean foo... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/294/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/294/ Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:30:09 -0700 Leaving Gili T and coming back to work was difficult. Getting off of Gili T was difficult! The public boat only leaves when it's full, and no one was leaving the island that day. Luckily I ran into a few French guys who were going to the airport,... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/293/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/293/ Wed, 09 Aug 2006 20:29:16 -0700 The Gilis might be my favourite place in the whole world. But getting here was a bitch. We were up at 530am to catch our 20min flight to Lombok aboard a sketchy, tiny plane. Upon landing in Lombok we caught a cab across to Bangsal, the harbour. Ba... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/292/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/292/ Sun, 06 Aug 2006 23:26:50 -0700 I'm still having a great time in Bali, although I have an impressive sunburn, after spending a day laying out in the sun being hungover. Yesterday Lorris attempted to teach me how to surf... it's hard! By the end, I think I stood up for half ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/291/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/291/ Tue, 01 Aug 2006 20:25:35 -0700 I just had my 2 weeks of vacation, after the end of summer school and before regular school starts. I was supposed to go to Mount Bromo in central Java, but unfortunately, no one was around to take me. Tari went to Jogyakarta to visit her family,... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/290/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/290/ Fri, 28 Jul 2006 20:24:50 -0700 Dian, a teacher I work with at Maple Leaf, took me on a little tour of Madura today. The small island of Madura is just above East Java, and sounds like an interesting place. It's quite a traditional society known for its bull races, and sometimes... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/289/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/289/ Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:22:52 -0700 I just had a great weekend in Solo, in central Java, with Tari. Tari's friend got married in Solo, and I got to go with her to the wedding, and stay with her sister. I really enjoyed Solo. It was sooo nice to get out of the big city, actually see... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/288/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/288/ Tue, 18 Jul 2006 20:19:12 -0700 The school vice-principal (who is also acting as my mom) Ira, took Tari and I to Lamongan with her 2 kids and husband. I was excited, looking forward to seeing different parts of Indo. The drive to Lamongan was about 2 hrs or so, and bloody hot, a... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/285/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/285/ Sun, 09 Jul 2006 20:30:47 -0700 So far I'm enjoying life in Surabaya. It is incredibly hot and humid here, but I'm growing accustomed to perma-sweat. Our house is pretty nice, and pretty huge. I live with Karen, the only other Canadian teacher (but she's going back to Canada in... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/282/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/282/ Tue, 04 Jul 2006 23:29:19 -0700 i arrived in surabaya in the evening, greeted by hot weather, humidity, and aggressive taxi drivers. luckily, the school principal, jackie, her husband and another canadian teacher, karen, were there to meet me and drive me to my new house. while... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/261/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/261/ Wed, 21 Jun 2006 13:11:52 -0700 what to do in hong kong for 10 hours.... i guess get on a train and get off somewhere random. see what happens. ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/262/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/262/ Tue, 20 Jun 2006 13:07:42 -0700 it's my bday, and i'm leaving van for surabaya after scrambling around to get my visa sorted and packing at the last minute (of course). i will officially miss my bday due to the time change. bye bye vancouver... 30hrs of travelling, and... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/269/ http://www.footstops.com/avril/blog/269/ Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:10:02 -0700