Tokyo!

Almost immediately after meeting Chris in the lobby, we took off on a whirlwind tour of the neighborhood of Shibuya. As it was Friday night, the streets were filled with an after-work energy - people filing into bars and restaurants or waiting to meet up with friends for a night on the town. I was so overwhelmed  - by the speed of Chris' tour, the lights, the people, that I couldn't help but be reminded of one of my favourite scenes from Amelie.

I was almost immediately in love with Tokyo and I never saw it coming.
Our first stop was the Shibuya station to see the large scale mural "Myth of Tomorrow" by Taro Okamoto. Outside the station, we visited the statue of Hatchiko - a most famous dog whose loyalty to his owner is honoured in this station. You can read his amazing story here.
After passing through the incredible Shibuya Crossing - a set of traffic lights with a "pedestrian scramble" - we slowed down long enough to catch up over a few drinks. It was here that I was introduced to the deliciousness that is the "Chu-Hi".  Mmmm. Thankfully these drinks are not readily available in Canada or else I would be in big trouble. We followed that up with some sake, but sensing two young dudes across the bar were eyeing up the two young ladies who were sharing our table top, we decided to let them make friends and we moved on. So generous of us.

Now it was time for Chris to deliver an important lesson in Japanese culture - I was to learn all about "kawaii". Which, if you don't know, translates to "cuteness" . Japanese girls live and die by cuteness. Think pink, fluffy, big eyes, small lips, hello kitty, stuffed animals, fur boots, and short skirts. Our first stop on the cuteness field trip was a little pet store with only the cutest pets. Teeny tiny dogs and the youngest, cutest, tiniest little kittens peered at you from their glass boxed cages with the biggest eyes you can imagine. Uh-oh - I seemed to be falling prey to the cute business but luckily we moved on before I found myself going back to Canada with a pocketful of over-priced pets.
But the cuteness wasn't over yet - next up was a Photo Booth shop filled with make-up, accessories, props and a whole bunch of over-sized photo-booths. After modeling several strange hats (Chris was wearing a rice ball hat!) we made our way into one of the booths for a photo shoot. On a screen in front of us we were instructed by a very "kawaii" looking girl on how we should pose "cute" for each photo. We then waited for our photos close by where we could add all the stars, hearts etc we wanted to our masterpiece - which, when printed out had exagerated large eyes and pink lips. Too funny...and weird.

After that we decided to cruise around Shibuya and see some of the shadier sights (umm...look up a place called "Strawberry Jam" on the net) and we came across a sign for "Drinks, Guns & Popcorn". Now really, who could possibly walk past a sign that said that? We made our way up three flights of stairs to a small space that looked like an apartment. As the sign said - it was a deal for one drink, one round of air-rifle shooting and...best part...all-you-can-eat-popcorn. While the young owner fetched us a couple of Chu-Hi and fired up his old-fashioned popcorn cart, we picked our weapons from the menu. We both shot a pistol - I was only okay - but I went back for more and tried the magine gun on for size. Much better!

We were pretty hungry at this point so we hit a popular chain of restaurants that charge only 250 yen for every dish on the menu. 3 dishes, 2 chu-hi's and a bottle of sake later it was time to call it a night as Chris had to catch the metro back home. I hit the sack exhausted...but excited for another whirlwind day in Japan tomorrow.

Turning Japanine

Knowing I would have to fly through Japan on my way home from Thailand (and that I could have a free stop-over), I jumped at the chance to visit with a good friend and see a bit of Tokyo. I must admit, like most people who have never been there, I was a bit unsure of how it would all unfold. Would it be outrageously expensive?  Would I be able to communicate without knowing a lick of Japanese? How would I read the street signs, navigate the metro or order from a menu? What would I eat? (Note that I don’t eat any fish or seafood , or even seaweed – which, I am well aware, is very unfashionable and likely a true crime on a visit to Tokyo.) And though I didn’t really have much time to dwell on these curiosities with all the action going on in Bangkok – I was happy to discover that Tokyo was a cinch to navigate, I ate well and my three night stay didn’t break the bank!

I arrived at Narita airport and followed the simple instructions in my Rough Guide to Tokyo for catching the Limousine Bus to my hotel. I purchased my return ticket for ¥6000 and for another ¥200 I added in a 2-Day Metro Pass. I could have easily navigated the subway, but with my 2 suitcases it would be easier not to have to switch trains and lug my bags around. The limo bus took about 2 hours to reach my hotel – Shibuya Hotel Excel Tokyu – in the Shibuya neighborhood. I booked a 3 night stay through Expedia for $250 / night – a decent, weekend rate for a good hotel in a major city. The Shibuya Excel stands directly at the Shibuya metro station and I was absolutely thrilled to find out my room was on the 23^rd floor with windows overlooking the amazing Tokyo skyline and the famous Shibuya crossing. The room was fairly small but with a comfy bed and a fancy toilet (as is typical in Japan). And since my Blackberry had absolutely no service in Japan, thankfully there was a computer terminal conveniently located on each floor of the hotel for guests to use for free – which came in handy when trying to make plans to meet up with my friend, Chris.

Chris, an old Toronto friend from way back, met and married a lovely Japanese girl and has now been living just outside of Tokyo for the past few years. He is quite possibly the perfect tour guide - fun, up for anything and, most importantly, he shares my twisted sense of humour. Having toured some other visiting friends around the city previously, he had the Tokyo essentials all mapped out but left enough time for us both to explore some of the special brand of weirdness that is Tokyo. And there was lots of weirdness indeed…be sure to check out my next posts for the scoop. 

Buddha, boats and beers...

Our last day of work was spent among the ruins of the ancient capital of Siam, a UNESCO World Heritage site. About an hour from Bangkok, Ayutthaya is a beautiful spot full of ancient temples and lush gardens. It was truly stunning and a real privilege to have had such intimate access to some of the incredible locations there – including a view of the footprint of Bhudda.

As it was our last night in Bangkok and the three of us who had managed to escape illness decided to make the most of our last moments and make our way to the Chayo Praya River to see the city from a long-boat. We hailed a tuk-tuk to take us to a location where we could rent a private boat. He avoided traffic the entire way by using some (shady) back alleys and offered to wait the entire hour for us to return from our boat ride. A private boat cost us 1200 Baht and we grabbed some large size Singhas for the ride. It was perfect time as it was dusk and the sun was just getting ready to drop behind the amazing Wat Arun. Our boat, like most on the river, was brightly coloured, very long and was actually powered by a car engine. I will let my photos speak for themselves but the cruise was definitely one of the highlights of my stay in Bangkok…

Sure enough, our tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us when we returned to shore. We then decided to grab another drink and a bite. After a bit of shady dealings with our driver, and repeated offers to visit a ping pong show (yes…that kind of ping pong) we settled in at an Irish (strange I know) pub for drinks and dinner followed it up with a walk and some bartering for souvenirs.

I will definitely have to return to see more of Thailand but feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to see even a bit of this amazing country and meet some of it’s truly beautiful people. But my journey isn’t over yet…trip number 10 of 2010 (yes, I’ve met my goal!) awaits me in Tokyo!

TKO

Totally. Kick-Ass. Outing.

Knowing that I had very little personal time in Bangkok, the only thing really on my list to do was to see a Muay Thai Boxing Match. Fortunately for me, I was traveling with some equally blood-thirsty individuals and we made a plan to do it on Wednesday night. Ring-side seats for Rajdamnoen stadium were at a reasonable price of 2000 Baht a person. The fighters were mostly youngish (but incredibly tough) Thai boys.. And while the matches were great – it was the fans that were the highlight. People were screaming and yelling with the kind of passion rarely seen at any sporting event I’ve ever been to. And while not a drop of blood was spilled, we did see a knock-out. I know this kind of thing isn’t for everyone but, in all honesty, the scariest thing about the match was the cockroaches running around on the floor.

Motorcycle Mama

I needed to do some banking in downtown Bangkok and what’s the fastest way for a single person to travel across town, you ask? A motorcycle taxi! At first I was somewhat curious as to why a helmet is not required, but quickly embraced the idea as we whipped (very carefully) through the back alleys across the city to the bank and back. There are tons of motorcycles in the city and it’s not unusual to see an entire family on one bike.

Bangkok Weekend...

After a busy week, it was nice to be able to get out and see a bit of Bangkok. Our hotel location afforded us great proximity to some of the best shopping in the city...which is either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.

I set out with my new friends, both conveniently named Karen, and we took the Metro over to the shopping area. It was only one stop (and it would have been a short walk) but it was awesome to see their amazingly modern and clean transit system. It puts the TTC to shame. Once there, we realized the mall was not yet open but a friendly stranger decided to point us in the direction of a gem market. Turns out this random act of kindness was not actually random at all as locales are rewarded for sending tourists to gem markets and tailors. Regardless, the gem market was a success. After some bartering, Karen and I each left with a beautiful ring - mine a sparkly 2.5 karat Peridot (my birthstone) in a beautiful, simple gold setting.We hit the mall afterwards for some shopping (new, handmade leather shoes), lunch and a pedicure. We then made our way home via tuk-tuk. I could try and explain what a tuk-tuk is but I think it is better explained by this video. Our driver was extremely strange...waving at people and repeatedly saying "ladyboy" in a high pitched voice.  Check it out:



That evening we celebrated a very successful week of work with a nice dinner at Thang Long, an a-m-a-z-i-n-g Vietnamese restaurant just down the street from our hotel. Mmmmm! This was followed up by some cocktails and live music at Brown Sugar, a really cool jazz bar owned by a member of the Bangkok crew.

Sunday was a lazy day. It had nothing to do with the mojitos, I swear.

Despite wanting to lie around all day, I went for a walk to take in the sights of Bangkok for what would be my only real day off in the city. The nearby Erawan Shrine was an amazing spot to take some photos of the beautiful yellow flowers, golden elephants along with Thai dancers and musicians. I did a bit of shopping and lots and lots of walking – so much that I decided to treat my aching feet to a Thai massage. So for approximately $8 (250 Baht) I got the most amazing one-hour, full body massage of my life. I was brought to a curtained off room and given some pajamas to put on. For the next hour I was contorted, pushed, pulled, rubbed and climbed on. This was followed up with a cup of tea before I floated back to my hotel, and readied myself for another busy week.

Kanchanaburi

Our time in Kanchanaburi was mostly spent working. After a long, hot day in the sun (and with some major jet-lag settling in) it was a challenge just to stay awake long enough to have some dinner. And although I had good intentions, I was never even once able to stay up and enjoy a cold beer after work. Incredible, I know.

As Kanchanaburi is fairly remote, our accommodations were perfectly suitable but certainly less glam than some of the other hotels I have been lucky enough to stay at on business. The hotel staff were lovely (pretty much like every other Thai person I have ever met) and the food was delicious (when I wasn’t too tired to eat it). Real Thai food – not the kind you get at Spring Rolls at Fairview Mall (though I do like me some Spring Rolls). My room was large with a beautiful Thai style platform bed. The bed was so big that I alternated sides each night. The downside? Little-to-no hot water and tiny, little black beetles all over the floor. Like, hundreds of them. However, in my very zen state of jet-lag and exhaustion, I was able to block out the bugs, focus on the amazing bed and make the best of my stay.

To say it was hot was an understatement but every time I would get even remotely close to complaining, I would remind myself of the cold at home and power through.

I was lucky enough to spend my days in the jungle, on the banks of the River Kwai with some beautiful, ancient trees looming above. The history of this location was not lost on me as I spent November 11^th – Remembrance Day – here and proudly wore my poppy.

Some other highlights?

I was introduced to some amazing elephants that let me sit on their tusks and lifted me high in the air. I also visited a tiger temple which was presided over by an Abbott, a Bhuddist Monk who presented me with both a souvenir calendar as well as a tiger tooth necklace (which is meant to protect those who wear it).

And protect me it did. After a long week, we made our two hour journey back to the big city of Bangkok for the rest of our crazy adventure…

One Night in Bangkok

I have the best job.

Once again I am off traveling to an exotic, random locale in support of my work. So despite the less-than-glamorous aspects of a trip like this – the stress of all the planning, the jet-lag, the crazy hours, the inoculations - I do feel incredibly grateful to get to experience Thailand in this way. And, no, I can’t tell you about why I am here…well yet, anyhow.

The long flight here was, amazingly, quite pleasant. The empty seat next to me definitely made a world of difference on the thirteen hour flight from Toronto to Tokyo. Yet again I am traveling with someone I met for the first time (a business associate named Garry), so we were able to have a nice cold beer in the Tokyo airport and stretched our legs before the remaining six hours to Bangkok.

After finding our luggage, we met our driver and weren’t on the road for more than twenty minutes when we were pulled over by the police. But it was all just to let the King’s vehicle pass by us. The Royal family is very revered here in Thailand, so it was a privilege to see him drive by. But I like to think he was just coming to personally welcome us to his country.

After a good sleep and some breakfast, Garry and I decided to stretch our legs before the three hour journey to our final destination in Kanchanaburi. Lumpini Park is a short block from our hotel so we made our way down there to see the lake and people relaxing and enjoying the green space – children playing, soldiers riding their bikes, women with parasols and a couple practicing a ballroom dancing routine.

After some lunch we reluctantly get back in the van to fight some serious traffic and make our way three hours north west to Kanchanaburi – home of the bridge (yes, that bridge) on the River Kwai.

The 12 hour time change is not making sleep come easy. It’s late / early as I am writing this. So with a 5:45 call time in the morning, I think I had better try to get a few winks in before my busy day tomorrow. Till then…

Rockhouse, Negril

The last few days of my trip sort of blended together so I thought I'd just put together one all-encompassing post about my stay in Negril.

It was tough to leave Jake’s, if only for the amazing food. It’s a very special place and I do hope that I make it back there again someday. The bar has been set quite high, and because of that I am hoping that Negril doesn’t disappoint. O’Neill picks me up at noon for our two hour journey. We once again pass by the Black River but this time I get to see a whole new stretch of coastline as we continue north to Negril. The drive is a careful one – dodging potholes (and goats) the entire way, but I am excited to finally arrive at Rockhouse. I bid O’Neill farewell and after a quick and friendly check-in, Scarlett helps pull my very heavy suitcase to my room and shows me around the facilities. My room is fairly basic but has a beautiful big bed with mosquito netting - which I've come to realize is definitely not just for aesthetic reasons, though it does look pretty. It also has a day-bed, a strong air-conditioning unit (yay!) and, the best part, an outdoor shower.

The entire resort is lovely as the hotel perches on a volcanic rock cliff that overlooks beautiful reefs and grottoes. Despite the rocks, the hotel is quite lush and private. Shady paths wind through the facility filled with tropical trees, plants and flowers. The pool sits atop the rock and overlooks the sea and is the perfect place to catch a sunset (or happy hour). The restaurant and bar also overlooks the water and at night is lit with torches.

My experience at the hotel is relaxed and quiet. The hotel is mostly filled with couples who stay in the beautiful and private cabana-style rooms but there are a few large groups of people enjoying themselves by the pool. I met a really lovely group of two families traveling together from Brooklyn, NY - Cassandra, Abdul, Belinda, Sonya and Willow. They were nice enough to invite me to join them for a dinner at Sips n Bites - a local roadside Jamaican restaurant - where I had a great time trying to convince them to visit Toronto. I promised I would visit Brooklyn too - if only to check out Abdul (a chef) and Cassandra's restaurant: A Bistro.

Some highlights from my stay?

I took a morning outdoor yoga class with Fanette ($15) and was the only person to show up, so it was a private class. It was incredible and certainly was a great way to start my day. I definitely recommend this for any yoga fans visiting the hotel.

Secondly - I love breakfast and the Rockhouse does breakfast right: poached eggs, callaloo, roasted tomato and (the best part) jerk sausage. One morning I am happily surprised to have some breadfruit on my plate too - which was delicious!

Happy Hour is happy indeed - with 2 for 1 drinks between 5 and 6 pm.

Snorkeling (with my new underwater camera) was so easy. Equipment can be rented at the pool bar ($5 / day) and you can simply take any of the ladders down from the rocks and snorkel right beside the hotel.

It was sad to leave. I even tried to change my flight at the last minute, but no dice. So I reluctantly got in the van (Kenny's Tours transfer $80) back to the airport. It started to pour rain en route so that definitely made it easier to leave. I will definitely be back to Jamaica soon though...next time, it's Goldeneye!

Super Cool

I'm not really one for taking tours but I couldn't leave Treasure Beach without a visit to one particular local attraction: The Pelican Bar.

The Pelican Bar could quite possibly be the coolest place I have ever been. Set about a kilometre at sea on a sand bar, Pelican Bar is a shack on stilts made up of driftwood that serves cold drinks and fresh seafood. The staff at Jake's makes arrangements for a local - Captain Dennis - to shuttle me in his boat ($75) for a beer and a tour of the coastline. I am told to meet Dennis "down the beach and past the tree". Sure enough, I find him there wearing a shirt that says "Captain Dennis".

My ride is fittingly called "Super Cool". Dennis is a fantastic guy who points out all the highlights as we pass the pristine, untouched coastline and even spots (to my huge delight) a playful dolphin who follows us for almost the entire 25 minute boat ride to the bar.

The bar is even cooler than expected and is a real marvel of engineering. Apparently, it even remained untouched  by the last hurricane while nearby coastal homes were destroyed. The boys are just setting up shop when we arrive but the beer is cold and that is all that matters. The inside is decorated with flags from all over the world and there are two from Canada. I purchase a heart-shaped wooden sculpture from Andrae who carves his name in the back. I have a second beer, a good chat with Dennis and a married couple from Chicago, a quick dip in the warm, shallow waters and then we are back in the boat. Super Cool! While we don't see any more dolphins, we see plenty of swooping pelicans and a huge jumping tarpon. I bid Dennis farewell with a big hug and thank him for an awesome day and then hit Jack Sprat's for lunch.

Jack Sprat's is a restaurant owned by Jake's that is located just down the beach (before the tree). It's a very cool place with fresh seafood and pizza - which is what they seem to be famous for. I order the jerk sausage pizza (a half pie) along with a cold bottle of coke ($10 total) and it is to die for. Sigh. Life is super cool.

I spent the rest of the afternoon sunning and swimming and enjoyed a late dinner at Jake's - jerk chicken with rice and peas and coconut ice-cream (by far the best of some really good homemade ice-cream this week). I had picked up a DVD copy of The Harder They Come at the Jack Sprat gift-shop and decided to give it a watch on my lap-top. The movie is closely tied to Jake's as it's founder - Perry Henzell - is the writer / director / producer of this cult favourite from 1973.

Sadly, my time at Jake's is coming to an end as I make my way to Negril. More from the Rockhouse tomorrow...

Thursday, right?

I'm starting to forget which day of the week it is. That's a good thing in my books.

Thursday was all about chilling in the sun and I was definitely up for the task. There were no clouds in the sky...and very little wind...so it was necessary to develop a bit of a routine that involved sun, pool, bar, suntan lotion, then repeat. The pool here is a lovely mosaic-tiled, free-form design filled with saltwater. This is terrific because it allows you float around with very little work involved. I tested out my brand new underwater camera. It's great for it's ability to let me chill about ruining my camera near / in water and sand, but the picture quality just doesn't even remotely measure up to my SLR. I knew it wouldn't, but I was still hoping for a little better. I may have to upgrade when I get home.

It was a quiet day. And an early night - but not before another delicious dinner at Jake's poolside restaurant under the pretty lights up in the trees. This time I kicked things off with some Rum Punch and an appetizer portion of guacamole followed by a vegetarian pasta and some watermelon-ginger sorbet.

More food travel tales tomorrow...whatever day that is...

Banana Pancakes

My room has no clock and no phone. Sadly, this did not prevent me from waking up way too early. It must have been around six-ish when the pink sun started to stream through my bamboo covered windows so I hung out under the mosquito netting and read my book for a long while, and then decided to head to the pool area for some breakfast.

I selected the banana pancakes from the daily menu on the chalkboard - a very wise decision since they were possibly the best pancakes I have ever had (next to my grandmothers, of course). I also had some much needed Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and and a glass of fresh watermelon juice, all for under $10.

It was looking a bit gloomy but the sun started to peek through the clouds so I parked myself on the beach to catch some rays. I ended up sitting beside Mei-i, another solo traveler from NYC and we traded both travel tales and turns picking up rounds of cocktails from the poolside bar. Dougie - of Dougie's Bar - whipped us up some Passion fruit Margaritas and some of his famous Rum Punch before we moved onto the Red Stripes. It started to pour rain and thunder, so after a rainy swim in the pool we took shelter and ordered a bite of lunch. I ordered the traditional Pepperpot soup - a blended green soup made from callaloo, a vegetable popular to Jamaican cooking followed up with a warm apple and walnut cake that had a small and delicious scoop of grapenut ice-cream on top. Mei-i spent the afternoon taking a cooking class with the hotel's cook ($20) where she learned how to make (and got to eat) jerk shrimp. I spent it reading and writing on my terrace while listening to the thunder rumbling. As it was Mei-i's last evening (and her birthday), we decided to meet for drinks at Dougie's followed by dinner inside the hotel.

Over drinks we met some lovely new friends including a cool South African expat journalist from the Cayman Islands, who was traveling with her family. When we finally dragged ourselves away from Dougie's Rum Punch, we had yet another amazing meal. I had the Vegetable Rundown - a traditional coconut vegetable curry. Mei-i chose the lobster, which she knew was fresh because we saw the fisherman pull up in a boat to drop off a burlap sack of them that very morning. Everything was delicious. Sadly, we had no room for dessert.

It was thankfully much cooler than the night before, so I settled in with my almost completely devoured book (The African Safari Papers by Robert Sedlack) and fell asleep to the sound of the rain.

Jamaican me a very happy girl...

Some people just don't get it. I mention that I am going traveling again and they ask "why" instead of "where".

But that's fine by me. Everyone is different and I certainly don't expect that others find joy in the same things that make me happy. And I certainly don't write this blog to brag about how lucky I am (though I definitely feel very lucky) or to measure my choices against those of others. This blog is for me...and if you happen to like it, cool. If you don't, that's also cool, but you should stop reading now.

So, I am traveling again; and the answer is "Jamaica".

I left a hot and humid Toronto yesterday morning to begin my week long, solo vacation to Jamaica. My 4 hour direct flight with WestJet was moderately priced ($600 tax-in) and fairly uneventful. The WestJet crew made the trip quite fun with their comedy and singing...and even brought out free drinks for the adorable newlywed couple sitting next to me. I arrived at an equally hot and humid Montego Bay airport, found my bag (already waiting for me and pulled off the luggage carousel), located my driver and readied myself for the 2.5 hour drive to Treasure Beach.

Jake's Hotel is located in the sleepy fishing village of Treasure Beach, a somewhat remote destination on the west coast just south of the Black River. I have long wanted to visit Jake's which is often raved about in travel magazines as the coolest hotel in the Caribbean. The hotel has arranged a driver for me ($120 one way), a cool young guy named O'Neill who keeps me entertained with reggae from his iPod and points all of the key sights along the route. The road is pretty bumpy and filled with potholes. It takes some great care to navigate safely so I would definitely not recommend renting your own vehicle to make this trek. We pass a few large trucks stuck on very steep hills. There are people selling fruit, plants and fresh fish on the roadside. It rains a bit which makes the roads a bit trickier, but the air cooler which feels good from my open window. It's a long drive but was so much nicer than sitting in some resort shuttle bus and seeing nothing along the route.

Jake's is incredible - and exactly what I was expecting. I was greeted by my first name and taken to my (upgraded!) room. My room - called Cowrie 2 - is an upper level, large one bedroom dwelling. The best part - the wrought iron spiral staircase that leads you up to the amazing balcony with a view of the sea, complete with a table and chairs plus two cozy muskoka chairs. Inside the big bedroom area there is a large white bed with that features a romantic looking mosquito netting. There is a fridge filled with cold water, candles, a stereo, books (good books even) and a personalized welcome note from the Jake's family. The bathroom is large with a huge mosaic tiled shower and a separate dressing area. All this for little old me? Wow. 

After a bit of a rest in my luxury digs, I decided to head to the pool area to read, sip a cold Red Stripe, watch an incredible sunset and grab some dinner (delicious pumpkin soup, jerk tenderloin and chocolate chip ice-cream for dessert). I'm not sure the night could have been any better. Well...it's always better to share it with someone else, but I guess that's what this blog is for.

Till tomorrow...

Eight is great...

I am all booked to take my eighth trip in the eighth month of this year. Pretty incredible to think I may actually meet my goal - without going broke, failing at my job or having my cat forget who I am.

I was originally planning to go away with a couple of my girlfriends who, as teachers, have the summer off. We took an amazing, fun trip together last summer...and were hoping to recreate the madness of our adventure, but plans changed and I decided I still wanted to beach it up on a solo trip. For years I have been hoping and wishing to visit a particular Jamaican hotel that gets such glowing reviews and now I'll actually have the chance!

Jake's - one of Chris Blackwell's Island Outpost hotel's - is located on the remote and tourist-free southwest coast of Jamaica. Check out the website to see exactly why I am so excited to visit. It looks like just my kind of place - off the beaten path, a chill vibe, good food and a beautiful view of the sea. I will be there for 4 nights before heading into Negril for a 3 night stay. There, I will be shacking up cliff-side at the incredible Rockhouse Hotel. Check out the link - it looks so incredible.

I cannot wait!

Paris Take Two...

I was starting to feel a bit crummy as we were leaving South Africa but by the time we made it to Paris I was sick. A sore throat in a heat wave is not pleasant to say the least but I decided to just ignore it. I was in Paris after all, and time was a-wasting.

We arrived way too early to check-in at our hotel so we stored our luggage, cleaned up and grabbed some breakfast on a terrasse nearby . For those who have never had breakfast in Paris, "petit-dejeuner" generally consists of a coffee beverage (cappuccino, americano etc), orange juice, a pastry (pain chocolat or fresh croissant) plus tartine (toasted baguette served with butter and jam). Yes, croissant and baguette. Delicious.

After breakfast we decided to kill some time chilling in the Luxembourg Gardens. The sun was shining so we found a shady spot to people watch and listen to a student band perform in a gazebo . I was so wrapped up in what a perfect day it was that I decided to call my mother to check in and say hello...forgetting that it was 5am in Toronto. Oops, sorry Mom.

We spent the afternoon in and around the Eiffel tower and lunched near the fashionable Champs Elysees. Then, after a bit of a power nap we ventured out to the Marais for dinner at a bistro - Cafe Moderne. Dinner was delicious (and our waiters were cute and attentive...and French!) and we decided to splurge and treat ourselves to a good bottle of champagne to celebrate an amazing journey across two continents. And despite the fact that I wasn't feeling well, we still mustered up enough energy to visit the Rue de Lappe in the Bastille (an entire street of bars) to have a mojito at La Havanita. Bravo Janine!

Just one night in Paris isn't nearly enough time but I have no doubt that I will find myself there again very soon. Fingers crossed.