Year: 2016

Travel Dilemma: Heartbreaking Interactions with Southeast Asia’s Child Beggars

Published by Jenn

While begging occurs widely throughout Southeast Asia, we were struck by the prevalence of child begging in Siem Reap. Frankly, it caught us off guard. Should we help out or abstain? What were the economics behind it and what potential social repercussions would we be compounding? Being approached by a young child was alarming. She would hold your arm, look up at you with large brown eyes and say, “I no want your money, I am huuuuuungry.” Sure, she was small, as most Asian people are, but something was off. She didn’t look hungry. I needed to research this a bit further. Here’s what I uncovered online. Common Child Begging ‘Scams’ Kids are effective beggars because adults are more predisposed to giving children money. This encourages parents to put their children on the street, which is especially dangerous given that Southeast Asia is commonly acknowledged as a hotbed for human trafficking. It also encourages parents to pull kids from school and forces kids to roam the streets late at night as drunk bar patrons mill about. The …

2 Girls Try (and Fail) to Find Barkerville’s Cheeky Past

Published by Jenn

How in the world did we end up in Barkerville? I was heading from Smithers to Vancouver and needed a place to spend the night to break up an otherwise 14-hour drive. Having never been to B.C.’s famed gold rush town – Barkerville – I figured it would elevate the task from arduous drive to touristic road trip. Lucky for me, my gal pal Alex had recently moved north. With Dawson Creek just a cool six hour drive to Barkerville, she hastily accepted my invitation. What is Barkerville, anyway? “Barkerville is a preserved and dynamic gold-rush town in the British Columbia interior. Each summer, its rich history during the Cariboo Gold Rush and subsequent gold mining in the area is demonstrated for visitors from all over the world.” – TheCanadianEncyclopedia.ca Prior to arriving, we knew little of Billy Barker’s boom town. All we knew was that we’re apt to geek out over B.C. history – like that time we hit up the Royal BC Museum exhibit, Gold Rush! – so this seemed right up our alley. And surely, a gold rush ghost town …

Visiting Vimy Ridge Made Me a Better Canadian

Published by Jenn

One of the highlights of my 2014 trip to France was visiting the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. For many of us, Vimy is simply something we learn about in middle school; something we recall again during Remembrance Day ceremonies or see played out in Hollywood mini series. But you don’t have to look too far down the lineage of a Canadian family to find a relative who served in World War I. We visited on an inconspicuous Sunday in May, and we were hardly the only Canadian visitors. Our Canadian National Vimy Memorial Experience We departed Paris in the morning, arriving in Arras around 11:00 a.m. We arrived at the visitor centre by cab not more than 25 minutes later. Before the taxi left us we collected a business card from our driver which came in handy later, when we had a bilingual staffer call a cab to collect us. At the visitor centre we first signed up for the free 1 p.m. tour, then watched a short documentary and picked our way through the interpretive exhibit. Following that, we walked …

Here’s Why Bolivia’s Capital Isn’t What You Think (PHOTOS)

Published by Jenn

Who knew Bolivia’s capital isn’t La Paz? Thanks Trivial Pursuit for planting that seed of misinformation during my teens. La Paz is the administrative – or – de facto capital, while the political capital is Sucre. So now that we’ve got that straight, it’s time to acquaint yourself with this gorgeous colonial city. Sucre isn’t exactly on the beaten track, so I had very few notions of what it would be like. Actually, I had never even heard of Sucre before planting two feet on Bolivian soil. Located in a country that isn’t hailed as a touristic destination, and buried in the heart of South America, I figured it’d be another dusty Bolivian city. Boy was I wrong. Just because my corner of the Western world hadn’t been to Sucre, didn’t mean the rest of Europe was so ignorant. In fact, Sucre was founded by the Spanish in 1538. What were the Spanish doing there? In short, relentlessly mining silver from nearby Potosí, which is counted among the world’s highest elevation cities. Sitting at 4,090 metres (13,420 ft), life at this altitude …

Hiking to Eagle Bluffs Viewpoint in Cypress Provincial Park, B.C.

Published by Jenn

Location: Cypress Provincial Park Park here: 6000 Cypress Bowl Road, Vancouver Hike Distance: 8-9 kilometres (round-trip) Hike Duration: 3-4 hours (10:30 start/2:30 finish, 20-30 minutes at Eagle Bluffs) Difficulty: Intermediate What makes it intermediate? A 1.8-km uphill start Park website: env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/cypress Eagle Bluffs has become a very popular hike because the viewpoint offers unobstructed views of Vancouver, Georgia Straight, West Vancouver, Howe Sound, Bowen Island and Gibsons. I’ve been meaning to hike Eagle Bluffs for some time now, but when I first attempted it April 30th the trail was still too snowed-in for my runners. I ditched and headed for Dog Mountain in Mount Seymour Provincial Park. Today of course, was a bright, bluebird August day. Only thing was, I didn’t have anyone to go with. Then I thought about the hundreds (thousands?) of people who would be hiking to Eagle Bluffs. So off I went. Finding the Trailhead After exiting Highway 1 to Cypress Provincial Park, drive until the road ends at Cypress Ski Area. Along the way you’ll surely see cyclists making the long slog to …

Light + Cheap Decor Perfect for Personalizing your Destination Wedding

Published by Jenn

  Opting for a destination wedding I was a bit worried it would feel like a resort wedding versus our wedding. I didn’t have much in the way of photography provided by Melia Varadero (a property we had never been to) so I didn’t have a clear vision of what we were working with. My solution was to bring decor items with us. They needed to be compact but have high impact. They should be light enough to travel with yet inexpensive enough to leave behind. It just so happened that I was shopping for decorations in November. Turns out, Black Friday is a huge opportunity for brides to score steep discounts. Some items were reduced as much as 40% off with free shipping. I’d estimate we spent about $400-$500 on extra decor items which felt adequate. Here’s what we brought: CHAIR SASHES $2.95 USD for a 5-pack from chaircoverfactory.com These pops of colour communicate your wedding’s theme, colour scheme and personality. Melia Varadero did not have the champagne-gold sashes I was after so I easily sourced them online. …

Warning Signs You’re not Ready to be an Au Pair

Published by Jenn

  This post contains some of my most valuable knowledge about au pairing. It addresses you. The following needs to be considered with real thought and honesty. Your answers are critical to finding a compatible family. Happy au pair, happy kids, happier home. What is my time commitment? Consider things like upcoming academic endeavors, how long the host nation will permit you to work for and how long you can afford to go for. Be realistic about how long you would like to be abroad. Be firm. If you don’t want to commit to a full year then don’t! It is a long time to be somewhere when you don’t necessarily want to be in that somewhere for that long.  Your time commitment should be a deal breaker. There are plenty of families to choose from. It’s kind of like dating and this is certainly one aspect of (in)compatibility. Conversely, if you are looking for a 1+ year placement then leverage that commitment. I’ve never met an au pair who was crazy enough remained with one …

How to Find the Perfect Au Pair Host Family

Published by Jenn

  You’ve decided you want to au pair! How exciting.  Family hunting is really exciting. When in your life have you ever decided to so drastically change your lifestyle? Savour the experience, be picky and communicate with a lot of families, and frequently. Real communication too. Don’t just email; you need to make telephone calls or Skype at least twice before departing. But before you even start liaising with host parents take ten minutes to seriously consider the following. Trust me, once you know your parameters you can better search for compatible families. 12 Things to Consider Before Picking an Au Pair Host Family Kids |Too many, too young, too close in age to you? Timing | How long do they want you there for and does this mesh with your commitment? When do they want you to start? Is this possible? Visas | Some families prefer EU citizens for visa purposes. Nationality  | Some families actively seek au pairs from a certain nation or region so that their children learn a certain language (which you are expected …

Au Pairing: How to Travel the World for Free

Published by Jenn

Up until my early twenties all of my independent travel sprang from au pairing. My first experience was in 2007 during the gap year between high school and university. It was the first time I travelled internationally and I did it alone at that. Touching down in Zurich I was hoping that the whole thing wasn’t a cruel joke and that indeed there would be a family at the gate to greet me. And there they were. My second au pair experience was a four month contract in 2010 in northern Germany. Yet another positive experience. Living overseas has had a fundamental impact on my personal growth and au pairing made it possible. I would absolutely recommend it to young adults looking to travel internationally.  Among a wealth of learning, I no doubt attribute my present day domestication to the fact that I was preparing mid-day meals for a family of four at age 18. When I graduated high school many girls in my community were arranging au pair gigs in Europe, which is how I …

The Best Things I ate in Cusco, Peru

Published by Jenn

The food in Peru blew me away. Before arriving in South America I had set my expectations low, envisioning plates heaped with gallo pinto and guinea pig. Boy, was I wrong. In fact it wasn’t until we reached Peru that dining became travel priority numero uno. Here are our most memorable bites in Cusco, and where I think you should dine too: Pucara Address: Plateros 309 Location: Centrally located, just off the main square Price: Mid-range, very good value Website: Click here This quaint eatery is flooded with warm, low light and flickering candles. A few blooms sit atop each table and clay pots with small wooden spoons dish up Peruvian salt, pepper and granulated brown sugar. At S/8 per glass, the house wine satisfies budget-minded travellers though wine snobs might take a pass. Start with one of the many enticing soups; I recommend sopa de ajo (garlic soup with poached egg and a slice of baguette). Other options include sopa la criolla (a mild and milky Creole soup), sopa de quinua (quinoa), potato cream soup and aguadito de pollo …