They both lived happily ever after.
The End
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Things We’ve Learned
In no particular order:
- Don’t sit under coconut trees when it’s windy
- Never take malaria pills on an empty stomach
- No matter where you are, random children yelling “hello” will always make you smile
- Watch out for the bones
- Bring your own toilet paper
- The Guinness is better in Ireland
- Plan ahead, but don’t plan ahead
- Eventually you get used to the ants
- Crossing time zones is different than travelling through time
- You don’t need a mobile phone
- Always have snacks in case of monkey attacks
- No matter what happens, talking to your family will make it better
- Look out for missing sewer grates
- A lot of places smell like pee
- “Putra Jaya” is different than “Puduraja”
- No one’s going to fix that skipping CD
- Off the beaten track isn’t always worth visiting
- Smiling makes things better
- It’s impossible to find a good cheeseburger in Southeast Asia
- There’s always room for one more
- It may not be perfect, but Canada is a good place to call home
- Don’t sit under coconut trees when it’s windy
- Never take malaria pills on an empty stomach
- No matter where you are, random children yelling “hello” will always make you smile
- Watch out for the bones
- Bring your own toilet paper
- The Guinness is better in Ireland
- Plan ahead, but don’t plan ahead
- Eventually you get used to the ants
- Crossing time zones is different than travelling through time
- You don’t need a mobile phone
- Always have snacks in case of monkey attacks
- No matter what happens, talking to your family will make it better
- Look out for missing sewer grates
- A lot of places smell like pee
- “Putra Jaya” is different than “Puduraja”
- No one’s going to fix that skipping CD
- Off the beaten track isn’t always worth visiting
- Smiling makes things better
- It’s impossible to find a good cheeseburger in Southeast Asia
- There’s always room for one more
- It may not be perfect, but Canada is a good place to call home
Our Top 21 Memorable Experiences
In no particular order:
1. Gunung Bromo (Java, Indonesia)
2. Abu Simbel (Egypt)
3. Climbing in Hat Ton Sai (Thailand)
4. Mokoro safari in the Okavango Delta (Botswana)
5. Petra (Jordan)
6. the Gibbon Experience (Laos)
7. Watching “a kill” on our Serengeti safari (Tanzania)
8. Snorkelling in Nha Trang (Vietnam)
9. Seeing family & friends around the world
10. Observing wild orangutans (Sumatra, Indonesia & Sabah, Borneo-Malaysia)
11. Standing in nothing (Namibia)
12. Eating our way around the world
13. Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
14. “Ghetto Camping” throughout Africa
15. Visiting Borobodur (Java, Indonesia)
16. Seeing the Plain of Jars (Laos)
17. Flying over the Okavango Delta (Botswana)
18. Hiking through Wadi Rum (Jordan)
19. Biking through the Angkor Temples (Cambodia)
20. Watching elephants from our tent (Zambia)
21. Celebrating Christmas in Bali (Bali, Indonesia)
1. Gunung Bromo (Java, Indonesia)
2. Abu Simbel (Egypt)
3. Climbing in Hat Ton Sai (Thailand)
4. Mokoro safari in the Okavango Delta (Botswana)
5. Petra (Jordan)
6. the Gibbon Experience (Laos)
7. Watching “a kill” on our Serengeti safari (Tanzania)
8. Snorkelling in Nha Trang (Vietnam)
9. Seeing family & friends around the world
10. Observing wild orangutans (Sumatra, Indonesia & Sabah, Borneo-Malaysia)
11. Standing in nothing (Namibia)
12. Eating our way around the world
13. Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)
14. “Ghetto Camping” throughout Africa
15. Visiting Borobodur (Java, Indonesia)
16. Seeing the Plain of Jars (Laos)
17. Flying over the Okavango Delta (Botswana)
18. Hiking through Wadi Rum (Jordan)
19. Biking through the Angkor Temples (Cambodia)
20. Watching elephants from our tent (Zambia)
21. Celebrating Christmas in Bali (Bali, Indonesia)
The Skip-Bo World Tour-Nament of Champions – Update #4
Well Skip-Bo fans… we’ve had an amazing fourth and final quarter in the Skip-Bo World Tour-Nament of Champions!!!
The competition was fierce and fiery to the very end, with leads being shrunk, tables being turned and surprises all over the place.
To start, the victory purse was sweetened through a generous donation courtesy of Robyn’s Mom, Joan – she volunteered to bake the winner a cake.
Or at least, she sort of volunteered…
“Joan – can you bake the winner a cake?”
The inclusion of a delicious treat into the mix caused both the competitors to spring into action, making for one of the most dramatic show-downs in the history of Skip-Bo play.
At the end of the tournament’s third quarter, Robyn was leading by 3 games. And over the next 6 weeks, she not only doubled, but QUINTUPLED this lead to 15 games, making a victory for Eric seem next to impossible.
But Eric still had fight left in him and slowly shrunk down the overwhelming gap. And not only did he turn the tides, but for a short time he actually regained the lead by 3 games.
But in the end, Eric was no match for Robyn’s sweet-tooth…
With the series tied at 190 wins a piece and with time ticking down as they waited in Heathrow Airport for their flight home, Robyn defeated Eric in a nail-biter game to claim her victory…
And eventually, her dessert.
Therefore, the final standing is as follows:
Robyn – 191 games
Eric – 190 games
Congratulations Robyn – you earned this victory!
Um, can I have a slice?
The competition was fierce and fiery to the very end, with leads being shrunk, tables being turned and surprises all over the place.
To start, the victory purse was sweetened through a generous donation courtesy of Robyn’s Mom, Joan – she volunteered to bake the winner a cake.
Or at least, she sort of volunteered…
“Joan – can you bake the winner a cake?”
The inclusion of a delicious treat into the mix caused both the competitors to spring into action, making for one of the most dramatic show-downs in the history of Skip-Bo play.
At the end of the tournament’s third quarter, Robyn was leading by 3 games. And over the next 6 weeks, she not only doubled, but QUINTUPLED this lead to 15 games, making a victory for Eric seem next to impossible.
But Eric still had fight left in him and slowly shrunk down the overwhelming gap. And not only did he turn the tides, but for a short time he actually regained the lead by 3 games.
But in the end, Eric was no match for Robyn’s sweet-tooth…
With the series tied at 190 wins a piece and with time ticking down as they waited in Heathrow Airport for their flight home, Robyn defeated Eric in a nail-biter game to claim her victory…
And eventually, her dessert.
Therefore, the final standing is as follows:
Robyn – 191 games
Eric – 190 games
Congratulations Robyn – you earned this victory!
Um, can I have a slice?
the Final Numbers
18 – # of countries we visited
338 – # of nights we were away
20 – # of flights we took
2 – # of pairs of Robyn’s underwear “lost” using laundry services
96 – # of inter-city buses we rode
6 – # of people we saw riding one motor-scooter
342 – # of malaria pills we each took
2 - # of “shin fillets” taken out of Robyn’s leg
381 – # of games played in the Skip-Bo World Tour-Nament of Champions
7 – # of shots of Lao-Lao (Laos “whiskey”) consumed in one sitting
1 – # of cases of serious food-poisoning Eric had
29 – # of books we read
11 – # of different currencies we used
7 – # of ways we learned to say “thank-you”
3 – # of times we willingly ate snails
2 – # of malaria tests we took
7 - # of pieces of fried bread Eric ate at one sitting
1 – # of monkey attacks
$17.97 – amount of CAD$ we spent on public toilets
2 – # of rhinos we saw in the wild
1,123,581,321 – # of memories we had
338 – # of nights we were away
20 – # of flights we took
2 – # of pairs of Robyn’s underwear “lost” using laundry services
96 – # of inter-city buses we rode
6 – # of people we saw riding one motor-scooter
342 – # of malaria pills we each took
2 - # of “shin fillets” taken out of Robyn’s leg
381 – # of games played in the Skip-Bo World Tour-Nament of Champions
7 – # of shots of Lao-Lao (Laos “whiskey”) consumed in one sitting
1 – # of cases of serious food-poisoning Eric had
29 – # of books we read
11 – # of different currencies we used
7 – # of ways we learned to say “thank-you”
3 – # of times we willingly ate snails
2 – # of malaria tests we took
7 - # of pieces of fried bread Eric ate at one sitting
1 – # of monkey attacks
$17.97 – amount of CAD$ we spent on public toilets
2 – # of rhinos we saw in the wild
1,123,581,321 – # of memories we had
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Oops!!!
Did we say “our flight to Paris”?
We meant to say “our flight to Toronto”…
SURPRISE!!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Surprise Mom / Anne!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Surprise Linda / Linda!
Surprise Dad / John!
Surprise Sara!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Surprise Suzanne!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Surprise Mom / Joan!
Surprise Dad / David!
We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaack...
We meant to say “our flight to Toronto”…
SURPRISE!!!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Surprise Mom / Anne!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Surprise Linda / Linda!
Surprise Dad / John!
Surprise Sara!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Surprise Suzanne!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Surprise Mom / Joan!
Surprise Dad / David!
We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaack...
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Day 338 – England to France
September 8, 2010 – Milton Keynes, England to Paris, France
Eric and I need to get to Heathrow to catch our flight to Paris so before Mary goes to work, she drops us off at the bus station where we grab a ride to the airport.
We say our “thank yous” and “see ya laters” and then we each head off in our respective directions.
The bus shows up relatively on time and although we hit some traffic, it’s nothing like what’s happening in China, so we can’t complain. We spend the rest of our time wandering around the duty-free stores and playing Skip-Bo.
Eventually the loudspeakers “play our song” and we board our flight.
Eric and I need to get to Heathrow to catch our flight to Paris so before Mary goes to work, she drops us off at the bus station where we grab a ride to the airport.
We say our “thank yous” and “see ya laters” and then we each head off in our respective directions.
The bus shows up relatively on time and although we hit some traffic, it’s nothing like what’s happening in China, so we can’t complain. We spend the rest of our time wandering around the duty-free stores and playing Skip-Bo.
Eventually the loudspeakers “play our song” and we board our flight.
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