It's a Big POST - update

  Original post

http://qatuqatsi.blogspot.ca/2014/05/its-big-post.html

Even after returning home, I continued the new tradition of sending post cards to Mr. Hoff. I found it to be such a rewarding experience (as did he), that I thought, why shouldn’t I continue to do it even if I’m not traveling! And so I did, I committed to one post card every 3-4 weeks, with another one if I was traveling.

It is now with great sadness that our dear family friend, whom I have known most of my life passed. He lived a long and wonderful life but will now join his wife who he loved and missed dearly. I am at both at a loss, for a friend and writing companion is gone, but at the same time celebrate Mr. Hoff and his life.

You will be dearly missed...

~ Christine & Jason

Thank you!

When my cousin Megan met up with us in Vietnam to travel together for a while, she pointed out a curious fact. Something that we did not notice, and had to laugh at.

Before we met up, we would make the effort of learning a few words in the language spoken of the country we were visiting if we did not already know. When Megan arrived, the first word I taught her was "Cảm ơn", or "thank you" in Vietnamese. She laughed as that was something she was going to ask me then pointed out to us, just how Canadian we were because one of the most important words we felt the need to learn was "thank you", not "help", " where is the bathroom" or such.

Arabic

It is one of the most important words you can learn because those little words will often put a smile on the face of someone helping you in another country. Not only because you are showing them a little gratitude or appreciation but because you took the effort to learn something about them. Yes it is small but we have gotten more than a few smiles from people because of it, no matter how terrible we sound!

How to say "Thank you":
Japanese - arigatou
Malay - Terima kasih
Mandarin - xie xie
Cantonese - M̀h'gōi
Korean - gomawo
Vietnamese -  Cảm ơn
Cambodian - aw khun
Thai - Kob Khun Ka (female), Kob Khun Krap (male)
Burmese (Myanmar) - cè-zù-bèh 
Portuguese - obrigada/o (female/male)
Spanish - gracias
Icelandic - Takk fyrir  

Portuguese

And thanks to you for following our journey :)

~ Christine 

Travel by Numbers

Reflecting on our journey to date, we came up with a list...

1 Journal (Christine)

12 Pens (Christine)

110 Blog posts

580 Tweets

3 Continents:
   Asia
   North America
   Europe

18 Countries traveled:

    Canada
    USA
    Japan x2
    Singapore
    Malaysia
    China & Hong Kong
    South Korea (North Korea via Panmunjom/DMZ)
    Hong Kong
    Vietnam
    Cambodia
    Thailand x2
    Myanmar
    Taiwan
    UAE
    Portugal
    Spain
    UK
    Iceland

40 Cities/Towns/Villages:

    Vancouver, BC
    San Francisco, CA
    Los Angeles, CA
    Tokyo x2, Japan
    Singapore
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Georgetown, Malaysia
    Chengdu, China
    Xian, China
    Beijing, China
    Shanghai, China
    Nanjing, China
    Seoul, South Korea
    Hong Kong, China
    Da Nang, Vietnam

    Hoi An, Vietnam
    Hue, Vietnam
    Hanoi, Vietnam
    Siem Reap, Cambodia
    Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    Bangkok, Thailand
    Yangon, Myanmar
    Bagan, Myanmar
    Mandalay, Myanmar
    Hua Hin, Thailand
    Taipei, Taiwan
    Dubai, UAE
    Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal
    Sintra, Portugal
    Madrid, Spain
    Seville, Spain

    Granada, Spain
    Barcelona, Spain
    London, UK
    Reykjavik, Iceland
    Selfoss, Iceland
    Vik, Iceland
    Hofn, Iceland
    Eglisstadir, Iceland
    Myvatn, Iceland
    Akranes, Iceland

1 Earthquake experienced (Tokyo)

1 Riverboat:
    Bagan to Mandalay, Myanmar

1 Cruise Ship:
    Vancouver to LA

18 Airplanes/Flights To:

    Vancouver, BC
    Tokyo, Japan
    Singapore
    Chengdu, China
    Seoul, South Korea
    Hong Kong, China
    Da Nang, Vietnam
    Hanoi, Vietnam
    Siem Reap, Cambodia
    Bangkok, Thailand
    Yangon, Myanmar
    Bangkok, Thailand
    Taipei, Taiwan
    Tokyo, Japan
    Dubai, UAE
    Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal
    Reykjavik, Iceland
    Edmonton, AB

1 Hot air balloon (Christine):
  Bagan, Myanmar

9 Airlines:
    Westjet
    Singapore Airlines
    Air Asia
    Scoot
    Emirates
    Eva Air
    Wow
    Iceland Air
    Vietnam Air

14 Trains (inter-city):
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Xian, China

    Beijing, China
    Shanghai, China
    Nanjing, China
    Shanghai, China
    Maglev - Shanghai, China
    Bagan, Myanmar
    Madrid, Spain
    Seville, Spain
    Granada, Spain
    Barcelona, Spain
    Paris, France
    London, UK

4 Buses (inter-city):
    Georgetown, Malaysia
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    JSA/Panmunjom
    Phnom Penh, Cambodia

4 Scooters - (only one scooter was harmed in the making of this adventure):
    Da Nang x2, Vietnam
    Mandalay, Myanmar
    Barcelona, Spain

2 Segways:
    Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal
    Granada, Spain

1 Car Rented (Iceland)

17 Currencies:

    USD
    Yen - Japan
    SIN - Singapore
    RIN - Malaysia
    Yuan - China
    Won - South Korea
    HK$ - Hong Kong, China
    Dong - Vietnam
    USD - Cambodia
    Baht x2 - Thailand
    USD/Khat - Myanmar
    NTW - Taiwan
    Yen - Japan
    Dirham - Dubai
    Euro - Europe
    Pound - London, UK
    ISK - Iceland

16 Time Zone Transitions:
    Vancouver/Pacific
    Tokyo
    Singapore
    China
    Seoul
    HK
    Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
    Myanmar
    Thailand
    Taipei
    Tokyo
    Dubai
    Lisbon (Lisboa)
    Spain
    London
    Iceland

14 Languages:
    Malay
    Japanese x2
    Mandarin
    Korean
    Cantonese
    Vietnamese
    Cambodian
    Thai
    Burmese
    Taiwanese
    Arabic
    Portuguese
    Spanish
    Icelandic

280 plus days on the road (outside of Canada)

49 times we unpacked/packed - Accommodations stayed (Apartment, Hotel, Train, Ship):
    Vancouver, BC
    Cruise

    Los Angeles, CA x2
    Tokyo, Japan x2
    Singapore
    Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia x2
    Georgetown, Malaysia
    Chengdu, China
    Xian, China
    Beijing, China
    Shanghai, China
    Seoul, South Korea
    Hong Kong, China
    Da Nang, Vietnam x3
    Hanoi, Vietnam
    Siem Reap, Cambodia
    Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    Bangkok, Thailand x3
    Yangon, Myanmar
    Train -Myanmar
    Bagan, Myanmar
    Mandalay, Myanmar
    Hua Hin, Thailand
    Taipei, Taiwan
    Dubai, UAE
    Lisbon (Lisboa), Portugal
    Train - Spain x2
    Madrid, Spain

    Seville, Spain
    Granada, Spain
    Barcelona, Spain
    London, UK
    Reykjavik, Iceland
    Selfoss, Iceland
    Vik, Iceland
    Hofn, Iceland
    Eglisstadir, Iceland
    Myvatn, Iceland
    Akranes, Iceland
    Reykjavik, Iceland
    Edmonton, AB

5100 plus pictures taken

1 Panda hugged

$$$ PRICELESS $$$

~ Christine & Jason

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Last day in Iceland, last day of our adventure and it's my birthday. To celebrate we went to the Blue Lagoon.

Yes it is touristy, yes it is expensive, but it is worth a visit. Even Jason, who is not a spa person enjoyed it. It is not cheap if you only visit for an hour or two, so we stayed for five!

It is not a swimming pool but you can do a little. Most people are just hanging out and taking it all in. You walk around (carefully) to find the little pockets of cold, warm and hot water. You apply silica mud to your face, visit the sauna, or such. The time flew by and then we had dinner at the on-site restaurant Lava.

The history of the Blue Lagoon is very interesting, a lot of people think it just happened in nature and Iceland is capitalizing on it. If you visit the Blue Lagoon website, they tell you that it "was accidentally formed in 1976 during operation at the nearby geothermal power plant. In the years that followed, people began bathe in the unique water and apply the silica mud to their skin. Those with psoriasis noticed an incredible improvement in their condition." As such, people kept going! What an interesting history!

Of course, we had to check it out and see what it could do for our skin. It was a wonderful day.

The only lifeguards you will find in winter wear!

~ Christine