The airport doors open and we push our way into the Bangkok air. It’s like falling face-first into a pool of tepid, murky water. Horns honk, touts shout.

“Where you go? Where you go?”

Lindsie and I get scammed on our first cab ride in Thailand from the airport to our hotel, the luxurious if farang-infested Asia Hotel in downtown Bangkok. (“Farang” means “long nose” in Thai, and it’s literal – my nose really is longer than those gracing the rather elegant faces of the locals.) Keep reading »

Photo by Dr Stanz.

The boxes are packed. The condo is cleaned. The new tenant has the keys. I’ve done my taxes, written my will, and said about a hundred goodbyes.

And now we’re going. In an hour, Lindsie and I will be on a Lufthansa flight out of Vancouver International Airport, bound for Frankfurt, then Singapore… and about a day and a half from now, Bangkok.

It’s been a long journey up to this point, and I have about a million thank-yous to say. And only an hour before my flight leaves… so here’s a brief honour roll. Keep reading »

Photo by dickuhne.

Lindsie and I finished work a week ago now. Where did we spend the week? In our condo, which still looks something like the one pictured above.

We’re taking a couple of days to visit my family in Powell River now, which is a welcome bit of downtime — our first since quitting, really. Though we do have a pickup full of boxes to unload here (thanks mom!) and I have a couple of books to edit (long story), so “downtime” is a bit of a stretch. More like uptime in a more peaceful setting. I’m looking at the field and barn in the sunshine outside my mom’s study as I type here. Keep reading »

Today is my last day of work after almost five years at this job.

Working here has been a great experience. My skills have grown exponentially — I started as a copyeditor with few computer skills, and now I’ve just wrapped up a half-year project leading a team rewriting a 1,000-page course on Internet marketing.

And yes, that really is my desk.

So in that way, this job has been a bit like the scene in The Matrix where Keanu Reeves gets new skills loaded directly through a jack into his brain as he twitches in his chair, and then his eyes flutter and snap open and he mutters in wonderment, “I know Kung Fu.” Keep reading »

This post goes out to everyone who has been telling me, “You HAVE to stop in on my cousin/friend/business partner who rents mountain bikes/owns a dive shop/has this awesome place in Thailand/Bali/Australia.

I’d love to. Thanks!

To help stimulate the suggestions and start getting things coordinated, I’ve put together a basic little itinerary of where we’ll be and we imagine we’ll be doing. Subject to lots and lots and lots of change. Keep reading »

Flashpacking is all about keeping it lightweight and high-tech, but my first purchase for the trip since starting this blog wasn’t a high-end backpack or USB-powered toy. Today’s shopping trip was to the local dollar store.

The inspiration, if you can call it that, came from an email — a friend of Lindsie’s is traveling in southeast Asia, and Lindsie had the bright idea to ask her if there’s anything from Canada that goes over well there — little gifts, tokens, etc. We’re packing light, but that doesn’t mean we have to rule out the fun of bringing a few token gifts and mementos to share with friends we make along the way.

Our friend told us that Thai kids love Canadian flags, and that pens and pencils go over well too. I love seeing a kid wielding any sort of creative implement, so found the thought of bringing pens and pencils greatly appealing. (My mom just retired after a long career teaching elementary school, so I think a lot of her pro-creativity instincts rubbed off on me.) Keep reading »

I’ve worked as a writer and editor for a number of years now, and one thing this profession instills in all of us who pursue it long enough is a lust for naming. It feels… right… to pause, look skyward, and search for that perfect word, the word that grabs the topic at hand and pins a tail squarely above its ass.

This is what separates great writers (and adequate ones) from those masses who don’t devote those few seconds to finding the perfect word. It’s what makes us hopelessly irritating to many of those who (otherwise) love us.

And it’s why I’m now compelled to start this blog. Keep reading »