Correr Es Mi Destino

The Phone Quest

Zhu — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:11 +0000

No More Phone Booths!

One of the first things I had to do when coming home, along with doing loads of laundry, was to get a phone.

Well, technically, I have a phone. Two, even: a landline (primarily for telemarketers to call) and a cell phone that I never use because I haven’t bought minutes in ages.

I bought my cellphone a few years ago, after valiantly resisting sales pitches for months. I’m not a phone person: I do everything by email. But as the world was getting hooked, meeting someone without having a cellphone became increasingly difficult. “I will call you when I get there but I’m not sure when.” “But I don’t have a phone,” I would protest. “Can’t we set a time?” “Sure. Let’s say between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. But I will call you when I will know.” Etc.

So I gave in and bought a pay-as-you-go cellphone. A crappy one that dropped calls and stubbornly refused to connect me when it felt like it. I hated the plan I was on: I had 200 minutes per month but I had no way to check when the 200 minutes were up. “You have to write down the length of your calls,” said customer service when I called to complain. “Don’t you have a number I can call that will give me my airtime balance?” “Nope.”

I bet I never fully used my 200 minutes. Bastards.

This year, I knew what I wanted: a BlackBerry. I figured that a smartphone would actually be useful. Being able to check my emails on-the-go is great and plans were barely more expensive than for a dumbphone.

So I started shopping around. First, I went online. In Canada, we don’t have that many providers: the big three are Bell, Rogers and Telus. Then they are a few “alternative” providers such as Virgin Mobile, Koodo and Mobilicity.

I knew what I wanted: I didn’t care that much about the phone itself, but I was looking for a plan with unlimited calls to 5 or 10 numbers (yes, I have no social life) and some data.

First, I struggled with the lingo. I thought my English was pretty good but understanding the plans, more or less detailed on each provider’s website, was tricky. What the hell is tethering? A supertab? How much data do I need?

But what annoyed me the most was the inability to see the actual monthly plan rate at a glance. After killing me eyes on reading the fine print (sometimes occupying half of the screen), I decided to meet the devil face-to-face.

Armed with a friend and a Starbucks Latte (welcome back, first world!), we paced Bank Street where most of the providers have a store.

First we went to Rogers, where I explained I was looking for a BlackBerry and a plan. “BlackBerry sucks,” the employee told me in uncertain terms. “You won’t like it. They break right away.” I felt some loyalty to RIM. “But I had one at work and it was fine,” I protested. “Nope. They all break.”

We left Rogers.

Bell was next. This time, the employee didn’t have anything against RIM and he showed me the plans. “That’s pretty good,” I acknowledged. “So it’s that much per month, right?” The employee fidgeted. “Well, yes. I mean, plus voicemail, plus call display, plus activation fee and plus tax.”

Wait a minute: isn’t that included?

Not in Canada my friend! Cellphone plans here are a notorious rip-off, but it’s not like we have much choice. I got used to paying for incoming calls and to the fact my plan was going to cost me from $50 to $80 per month. Still, I wanted to know what I was actually getting for that price.

I left the store without a phone.

The following day, Feng came with me. “Can’t be that difficult!” he boasted. We stopped at one of these cellphone brokers places. “I have a great plan for BlackBerry,” claimed the employee. “$40 a month and you can get that phone for free with a three-year contract.” “So what do I get for that price?” The employee looked at me with pity. “A phone. Do you need airtime?” “Well, yes. It’s a phone after all,” I pointed out. “Okay, make it $55 a month. Do you need data?” “That’s kind of the point of having a smartphone,” I added. “Okay, make it $60 a month then. Plus tax, plus voicemail, plus call display, plus activation fee, plus system fee. Got two pieces of ID?”

The two pieces of ID stayed in my wallet. After visiting a few stores, we called it quit. “You know what,” said Feng, exhausted. “Buy what you think is best. There are no discounts, no good deals and they are all the same.”

So I went back to my first choice (Virgin Mobile, marginally cheaper) and signed up for a plan.

I now have a BlackBerry. I just have to figure out how to use it.

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Of a Flight Back Home

Zhu — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:22:28 +0000

Pearson Airport, Waiting for the Ottawa Flight

We do the craziest things when we are in post-traveling limbo. Last year, we ended up at Tim Horton’s at 5 a.m. because we were jetlagged. This time, we walked to the supermarket even though it was – 10°C and we had quite a few bags to carry to restock the fridge. “I don’t think we will be able to take a taxi back,” I joked. “And street food isn’t an option either.”

The trip back home was tiring. It always is. I sometimes dream of flying door-to-door but it’s not going to happen as long as we live in Ottawa. Our airport sucks: it is barely bigger than a Wal-Mart and it has very few direct international flights. We always have to transfer in the U.S. or in Toronto.

We left Playa Del Carmen under the rain at noon, bused to Cancún and waited for a few hours at the airport. We were lucky to fly Air Canada, which has a nice on-board entertainment system (yes American airlines, you suck!). We got to Toronto Pearson around 9 p.m. and happily jumped the immigration queue because of our connecting flight.

That’s when I realized it’s been ten years that I set foot in Canada.

In February 2002, after our first crazy trip in Latin America, we ended up in Ottawa. We bought the return ticket in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I made Feng a fake student card so that we could buy the cheap flight to Toronto. I was supposed to fly back to Paris but I couldn’t stand the thought of it. From Rio to Paris in a few hours—it was too brutal.

So I followed Feng to Canada.

We had a stopover in Houston, Texas. My first time ever on American soil. I couldn’t stop staring at the cops—there were the biggest meanest-looking and cops I had ever seen. No match to the French police, for sure.

We weren’t exactly prepared for Canada. I wasn’t, obviously—I hadn’t planned to come to Canada in the first place. We had no winter clothes but “Peruvian jackets” (thick wool jackets we had bought in Cuzco, before going to the Macchu Picchu) and a scarf, bought in Guatemala. Feng had warned me: it was going to be cold. February in Canada, what do you expect?

As soon as we were through immigration, I hurried outside, both scared and eager to experience the famous Canadian cold. I’m not sure what I was expecting—to freeze right there, at the airport door? To turn into an instant snowman?

I breathed in deeply. It felt cold, it felt dry. It smelled of winter, of wooden houses.

I loved it, even though I usually don’t like the cold.

It was unusually chilly that day for Toronto and temperatures were in the – 20°C. But I didn’t complain. We walked downtown Toronto, headed to Chapters (“heaven,” I proclaimed) and had a burger in a sports bar later. Canada was nice, I thought. Cold but comfortable.

This time, when I walked out, I remember my first time there ten years ago. This time, the night we arrived wasn’t that cold in Toronto—around 5°C I think. But it smelled the same as it did when I first landed, this unique mix of salt, dry air, wood, exhaust and coffee.

We stayed at Pearson for a few hours and finally took a red eye to Ottawa. The plane was late and we only made it home around 2 a.m. It was strange to be in an airport that late. Everything was closed and all the passengers were sleepy, in a hurry to get back home. In a world where a lot of stores open 24/7, airports still close at night. Funny.

You know what are the strangest things of being back home? Scratching my last few mosquito bites, and putting cream on the little sunburn I got the last day in Playa del Carmen—looking back, going topless the last day was not a good idea.

P.S.: Sorry about the blog mess, I had to update my theme and WordPress and I’m working on fixing the last bugs!

Landing in Toronto

Waiting at Pearson

Welcome Winter

Zhu — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:15:21 +0000

Last Time Without a Jacket… For a While

We are heading home. The trip is over. Winter is starting… for us. Am I sad to leave? Always. A little bit. But to be honest, I don’t mind it that much. We’ve been everywhere we wanted to and a couple of weeks more wouldn’t change anything—we would probably spend it bumming around somewhere.

Some parts of the trip were pretty rough, especially in Honduras. I’m a backpacker, I can take it. But I wouldn’t mind showering in my own shower, which I know for a fact has hot water and proper water pressure. Our kitchen doesn’t come with cockroaches and I’m looking forward to cooking again, to making a meal to my taste. To sleeping in my bed, with clean sheet and comfy pillow.

Coming home last year was psychologically harder because we were geographically far. This time, we are flying out of Cancún and the flight will be short—four or five hour-long, at most. We won’t even be jetlagged.

We’ve been gone for seven weeks and it has been a good trip. As much as I like Mexico and Central America, I like this part of the world as a tourist and I can’t see myself settling anywhere there.

I still love the freedom of traveling. I like exploring places, seeing the world. But I like having a home to go back to as well.

For the first few years, when Feng and I were traveling, we were shouting a big “fuck you” to the world. We had little money saved and it was gone to the last cent by the end of the trip. We didn’t care about going home because we didn’t have one. Life at home didn’t matter. We came back because we were broke or about to be and because we had to work and save money to travel again. We thought in terms of weeks, months left before going traveling. We lived out of our respective backpacks. Our friends were people we met one night and had a quick drink with before parting ways in the morning.

Unfortunately, this kind of life gets old after a while. Early 2004, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired to go back to France at the end of each trip and I was tired of traveling, of sleeping in hotel rooms.

We ended up in Ottawa. I ended up being an immigrant. And then, five years later, I ended up being a Canadian. Life changes. We still travel. Maybe we aren’t as crazy. Maybe we are more reasonable now. We actually know we won’t spend years on the road—I’m not sure we would like it anyway.

I’m pretty sure I’ll cry at some point—when I’ll get my exit stamp, when we will board the plane, when I will wake up and realize this is it.

I always do.

But life goes on, and there is a life to live at home, in Canada, the country I choose to belong to. There are projects I want to work on, people I want to see.

Thank you for following us on the road and for all of your comments. There are still stories to be told, here or elsewhere. I’ll be back in a few days as a (tan) Canadian!

Playa Del Carmen

Zhu — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:14:03 +0000

!Hola chica! ¡Mire!

I don’t wanna mirar.

Playa Del Carmen is a circus.

Walk in the main street and dodge restaurants, tours and hotels offers. Decline to hold the baby tiger or the little iguana for the picture. Walk straight, ignore people, because even a polite “no gracias” won’t be enough. I do not want to go to Chichen Itza or Tulum. I just want to go buy a bottle of water. I do not want to eat. It’s 3 p.m.

I think people took classes at the Silk Market in Beijing. They are just about as pushy.

Cozumel is very American but Playa Del Carmen is apparently loved by Europeans—Italians, French, Spanish, Germans… all nationalities stroll the main street, more or less drunk and more or less tan. I wonder if tourists feel weird walking in a street full of gringos. I do. The best part of Mexico are the Mexicans, no?

Trust me, you do want to get away from the main street for all the reasons mentioned above.

There is the beach. A pretty nice one, all things considered. The water isn’t as clear as in Tulum and it’s pretty packed but it’s long, so there is room for everyone. I liked the stormy sky, it made the water even more blue. It added depth. We beach bummed for most of the day. Our last beach.

Playa Del Carmen is our last stop. It’s the end of the trip. Tomorrow, we will fly from Cancún, back home.

I have this theory that the last stop shouldn’t be too nice a place because otherwise, you regret leaving. I won’t be sad to leave Playa. It was nice… for a day.

Leaving Cozumel

Playa Del Carmen Bus Station

Playa Del Carmen

Sombreros For Sale

And Blankets!

The Beach

Isla Cozumel, The (Ghost) Town

Zhu — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 14:13:56 +0000

Cozumel is really quiet at night. Like really quiet. Like ”where the hell can we find some food” quiet.

Like I said yesterday, we are a bit out of our element here. Cozumel mostly caters to the “all inclusive” crowd and people tend to stay in their hotels where they lounge by the pool, drink and sleep.

We ended up in a small eatery where a large group was busy downing shots of tequila. Food was pretty bad and expensive. “No wonder people complain they get sick when they eat Mexican food,” we joked. “Street food in Tulum, Valladolid or just about anywhere was better and fresher!”

This morning, we went snorkeling around some shallow reef. It isn’t our first time snorkeling. This trip, we did it in Utila, and we snorkeled in Australia, Thailand and a bunch of other places before. Regardless, the underwater world never ceases to amaze me. What you see once you have a mask on is amazing and you really don’t suspect it until you look down, just below the surface. Hundreds of fishes swimming around, tree-like corals at the bottom, and a few rays of sunshine lighting up the scene like in a huge aquarium.

In the afternoon, we headed to the town to get some food. While Mexican towns are usually very lively, Cozumel was dead quiet. The island seems to march to the beat of the cruise ships which dock there for a few hours. The main street is lined up with diamond stores (because nothing says “Mexico” like diamonds, right?), cigar shops (usually with some kind of Fidel Castro poster) and tequila shops (because there is nothing better than a free shot of tequila at 10 a.m.). The town reminds me of Niagara Falls: same international franchises, same tacky taglines and souvenirs.

There weren’t any cruise ship at the dock today so most stores were closed. Mexican families were picnicking on the rocky beach and most people were drinking by the water.

Cozumel on a Sunday…

Leather Sandals

Scooters

Snorkeling

Glass Bottom Boat

Cozumel Zocalo

Cozumel Town Shoreline

Mexican Family at the Beach

Sculptures by the Water

Maya Calendar

Quintana Roo License Plate

Reverse Culture Shock in Isla Cozumel

Zhu — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:32:21 +0000

We are experiencing a reverse culture shock and we are not even back home yet. No, we are still in Mexico—I think so, anyway.

For our last few days, we had the chance to book a nice hotel in Isla Cozumel, Mexico biggest island. We knew it was going to be a touristic place: the Cancún-Playa Del Carmen-Cozumel is a hot spot for North Americans, especially during the winter.

From Tulum, we took a collectivo to Playa. Once there, we entered another world, one of pasty-white tourists in Hawaiian shirts, drinking tequila and strolling the main street. The ferry was a strange experience: passengers were all gringos for a start. Before the boat left, a guy selling food and drink showed up and most passengers bought chips and beer. I’m still French when it comes to food and I never really understood why North Americans feel the need to eat in places where you don’t really need to. The first time I saw a guy eating a burger at the wheel in Canada, I was puzzled. “Why doesn’t he park somewhere and have a proper lunch?” I wondered.

Don’t get me wrong, I snack too. But I tend to do it when it’s a long bus ride, not an hour-long trip to the island. And I’m always surprised to see so many people associate “holiday” with “booze”. I don’t really drink myself but I’m not a teetotaller—it’s just strange to see people behaving like drunks everywhere.

On the boat, most tourists clearly weren’t having their first drink of the day. They were loud, the kind of loud people are when they have one too many.

And then, the band started to play. Yes, there was a band on the boat, playing “Mexican” music—well, something that kind of sounded party-ish/holiday-ish. For a second, I feared people would start dancing. Ain’t no fucking cruise ship people!

I’m a killjoy. I know.

We are clearly out of our element here. Cozumel is a huge island and the hotel is located 4.5 kilometres from the town. There isn’t much around and the few restaurants charge American prices. Forget about paying in peso, everything is in U.S. dollar.

We look different. Actually, only Mexicans and us were searched by the military upon arriving in Cozumel. I take it as a compliment: we blended in.

We are going to make the most of our time in Cozumel. But it still feels strange to be in a “resort” kind of place, miles away from Honduras or Guatemala.

The Boat in Playa

In The Boat

Arriving in Cozumel

Beach Bumming in Tulum

Zhu — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:23:49 +0000

For our last few days in Mexico, we decided to be beach-bum. An easy decision to make considering how great the coastline is in Quintana Roo, and how cold it will be when we go back to Canada.

From Valladolid, we bused back to Tulum. Back in December, when we stopped there, I was amazed by the great beach but I naively thought most of the Caribbean would be like that. I was wrong. Utila, in Honduras, had clear waters but no beach—we swam from a pier. Placencia and Dangriga had small beaches but the sand was very coarse and the water was dirty. San Pedro and Caye Calker had good shallow water but sea grass was a problem.

Tulum is truly unique. It has everything: talcum powder sand, clear and clean water and a long stretch of sand. It’s not too busy either, which is a plus in my book.

Even the village, 8 kilometres from the beach, is laid back. All things considered, for such a touristic place in Mexico, cost of living is quite low. We can have lunch for two for about 100 pesos (less than $10). And beach bumming doesn’t cost a cent—except litres of water and jugo de toronja because it gets hot under the sun!

Tulum Playa

Not Scared At All

Tulum Playa

Valladolid, Cenote and More Ruinas

Zhu — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:53:14 +0000

Valladolid was a breath of fresh air. A large enough city often overlooked by tourists who bus directly from Cancún to Chichén Itzá, it had everything we need, including a number of interesting things to see—minus the crowd. For Mexico, we pretty much ditched the guidebook. Hotels are cheap here and my Spanish is more than enough to get by. We are on our own. It feels great.

In a way, Valladolid reminded me of Arequipa. A city stuck between tradition and modernity, a noble and proud place with a rich history. Sun-drenched colourful walls, women wearing the traditional Yucatán dress, a zócalo center to the life of the people… in many aspects, Valladolid is your traditional Mexican city.

It’s hard to believe all the CNN security warnings and reports on Mexico. I have no doubt there is drug-related violence but I feel it was blown out of proportion by the media. I feel safe in Mexico. Safer than in Honduras, for sure. People are welcoming and it’s not a problem to hang out outside after dark. Like in any place, we still pay attention but again, I would in any major U.S. city.

On the first day, we headed to Chichén Itzá, an hour away. Our second day there was busier. We started by checking out Cenote Zací in the morning. Cenotes are limestone sinkholes filled with fresh water, there are a lot of these in Yucatán and Quintana Roo. I wasn’t expecting much of that cenote because it was located right downtown (sometimes, the less accessible the better!) but it turned out to be better than expected. In the early morning, we were the only visitors and the water was a deep blue, and amazingly clear: we could see the limestone walls and the fishes swimming!

In the afternoon, we headed to Ek’ Balam, a major archeological site. It’s hard to access and it’s much less popular than Chichén Itzá so it was mercifully quiet and vegetation still covered most of the site. In these kinds of places, the atmosphere is everything and wandering around the ruinas almost alone was quite enjoyable. The site isn’t that big but the huge acropolis was well worth the steep climb for the view on the jungle.

Finally, I finished the day around the zócalo for some street photography. Zócalos (main plazas) are often at the centre of people’s life in Latin America. This is where you can grab some street food (and I’m not one to say no to marquesas, aka Nutella crêpes), observe the people, have a good chat and relax.

Valladolid Cathedral

Ek Balam

Cenote Zaci

Ek Balam

Beetles in Mexico

Tequila

Mexican Bar

Valladolid

Selling Tamales

Drumming in the Park

At The Park

Three Mexican Teens

Night Traffic

Rediscovering Canada – Things To See and Do If You Live in Canada

Zhu — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:47:04 +0000

Often, when we consider taking a vacation, we do not necessarily think about places within our own country, as the trend is very much about vacationing abroad. Residents of Canada will already know that it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world but may not be aware of how much there is that they can do without having to cross a border.

City dwellers, who perhaps live close to work or who rely on public transport, might want to consider hiring a car for a week or two so that they can make the most of their vacation time and see as much as possible. However, there are plenty of attractions within the cities which are perfect for a day out with the family. The CN Tower in Toronto is the one of the tallest buildings in the world and visitors are able to go right to the top. The SkyPod at the tower is officially the highest observation deck in the world and those who brave it certainly need a head for heights.

The end of January is a good time to visit the city of Quebec as there is a winter carnival held there each year which is one of the largest in the world. People take part in parades at night, ice fishing, sleigh rides, concerts and ice-skating. The carnival has a winter theme and visitors to the area can even stay in an ice hotel. Enthusiasts of winter sports can also visit areas such as Whistler Blackcomb which is one of the largest resorts in the world for snowboarding and skiing.

If hiring a car a visit to one of the less populated provinces of the country is a good idea. At the town of Churchill, located in Manitoba visitors have the opportunity of watching the polar bears, although it is important to visit at the right time. September is the time of year that the bears pass by the town on their move between the ice and the land.

Spending time in the great outdoors is just one of the many benefits to living in Canada and whether you prefer hiking, cycling or horse riding, there is a wealth of locations to choose from. Hiring a car means that you could use your vacation time to visit more than one of the country’s areas of outstanding natural beauty.

The Rocky Mountains are one of the country’s big attractions and there should be no excuse for those who live in Canada not taking the time to see them at least once. The train journey from Vancouver to Jasper is a popular option for those who want to see this part of the world close up. In the heart of this region is Banff National Park. This has been given World Heritage Site status and it is a good place to visit for those who enjoy winter sports. Alternatively a trip to Peggy’s Cove is ideal for all the family. The lighthouse there is one of the most famous buildings in Canada and tourists flock there at all times of the year.

This article is a guest post.

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Back to the Maya World: Chichén Itzá

Zhu — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:56 +0000

And we are back in Mexico for the final leg of the trip–one more week to go.

Crossing the border turned out easier than planned, as we discovered there was a boat from San Pedro to Chetumal. We didn’t even have to backtrack to Belize City—a 90 minute-long ride, a smooth one this time, took us across the border.

As soon as the boat arrived, we jumped on the quay and were told to stand in line, a few feet behind our backpacks. The military and a trained dog inspected our luggage but no one traveled with a few pounds of cocaine so we were let go quickly. At the other end of the spectrum, the migracíon officer didn’t even bother looking at our passports—he just stamped them without checking our IDs.

From Chetumal, we jumped in a bus to Tulum, three hours away. We somehow got a chicken bus that stopped everywhere. “Directo” in Mexico doesn’t mean “direct” as in “this bus won’t stop every five metres to pick up passengers on the ride of the road”, it means that you don’t have to change bus to reach your destination. Semantics…

By the time we arrived in Tulum, we were starving and tired and we didn’t accomplish much other than eating quesadillas and marveling at the modern convenience stores. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a franchise person and I’m not a huge consumer in general. But we hadn’t seen a real convenience store (and much less a well-stocked supermarket) since southern Guatemala. Most stores in Belize and Honduras are just little tienditas where products aren’t always fresh. And I’m not buying yogurts unless I take them from a fridge that is actually plugged in and actually cold.

From Tulum, we headed to Valladolid—more on that later as soon as I learn how to pronounce the name of that city properly. Our first stop was of course in Chichén Itzá, a few kilometres away.

Chichén Itzá is probably the most famous and most visited Maya archeological site. The main temple is one of the icons of Mexico and it never fails to impress. We’ve been there three times and I’m still in awe!

Because Chichén Itzá is easy to access (unlike Tikal, for instance), you have to share it with hordes of tourists from Cancún. It does get very crowded and the parking lot was packed with tour buses. You can’t climb any of the structures anymore (we did in 2001!) which is kind of a shame.

Another annoyance was the number of tacky souvenir stalls in the site. Usually, in such places, souvenir stalls are outside or right at the entrance—it used to be like that in Chichén Itzá anyway. But now, stalls are lined up between each structure and it feels like walking in a market. Every two metres, someone tried to sell us plastic “Maya” masks and other tacky stuff. I know, the sellers are only trying to make a living, but it doesn’t make the site very enjoyable when you have to say “no gracias” every two minutes. I wonder if there are more sellers this year because of the whole “2012 end of the world” prediction?

Regardless, it was great to be back at Chichén Itzá and we enjoyed it despite the buzz.

Arriving in Mexico, Chetumal

Road Block in Mexico (one of many!)

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza, The Main Temple

Lazy Lizard on Top of the Pyramid

Chichen Itza

The Only Round Building in the Maya World

: Chichen Itza

: The Ball Court

: Skulls

: The Ball Court

Chichen Itza

The Ball Court

Chichen Itza

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