Archives for August 2012

August 13, 2012

Lake Minnewanka

“Water of the Spirits”

After hiking to the Ink Pots and grabbing some lunch in town, we decided to do one more easy hike for the day. Jenny had recommended Lake Minnewanka so we went to check it out.

The lake is the longest in Banff National Park and has been dammed twice, first in 1912 and again in 1941. The damming submerged a resort town that had been established since 1888. It always makes me sad when I hear about things like that happening. But I hear it makes Lake Minnewanka a popular and interesting place to scuba dive… if you can stand the cold water.

We, of course, did not dive but simply walked the short trail to Stuart Canyon. It took me a few minutes to spot the female big horn sheep lounging on the rocks.

 
 
Lake Minnewanka seemed like a nice place to bring a picnic lunch. There weren’t too many people around and lake cruises are available from the dock. 
 
 

 We left the lake ready to rest up for the next day’s adventures. 

xo, jill

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August 12, 2012

10 Questions: Me

I recently realized that although I’ve answered my own 10 Questions as an example for others, I’ve never posted it here. I figured that now would be a good time to share it…you know, before my three years living in Abu Dhabi become ancient history.Keep in mind I wrote this just over a year ago…

Here’s my 10 Questions:

1. Current address:
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

2. Previous address(es):
Washington State, USA 

3. I landed here because…
jobs for new teachers were becoming all too scarce in my area. When my district announced a plan to lay off 144 teachers, I decided to stop waiting around for a position that might never come. I began looking for jobs in other parts of the world. A friend found an opportunity in Abu Dhabi and even though I didn’t know much about the place, I decided to take a chance. 

At work preparing for “the show” that lasted 10 minutes despite hours of prep!

4. The best part of living abroad is…
meeting new friends from all over and getting a better perspective on the world and my home country. It also opens up so many new travel opportunities. I never thought a trip to Oman would be as simple as a two hour drive. 

Wadi Damm in Oman, the perfect swimming hole

5. The most difficult part of living abroad is…
struggling to express yourself in delicate situations. For example, when working out issues with parents or administrators who speak minimal English when you speak zero Arabic. 

My vice-principal on Play Day / My favorite naughty student

6. Before living here (abroad), I never realized…
that driving on the shoulder at high speeds with your baby on your lap was perfectly normal. 

7. An addition to my day to day vocabulary is…
”inshallah”, meaning “if God wills it”, a term used anytime the future tense is even hinted at.

First few days in country, practicing the traditional male greeting

8. Three words to describe my host country are…
new, faux, generous 

Looks like an old Arabian village, but it’s very new

9. If I could live anywhere (hometown excluded) I’d choose…
a sunny little valley that I hope to discover this summer in Slovenia. [and I did…just outside Bled]

10. A traveler or expat I admire is…
Freya Stark. In the late 1920s and early 1930s she taught her self Arabic and Farsi and set out to explore parts of Arabia and Iran that were little known to the West. 

And so there you have my 10 Questions!

xo, jill 

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August 11, 2012

Going to the chapel

Wedding + ReunionMike and I are in Los Angeles today celebrating the wedding of our good friends, Hannah and Allan. A lot of work has gone into this wedding so I’m really excited to see how it all comes together. Plus, other friends from Abu Dhabi will be in attendance as well so it will be like a little mini-reunion!

I couldn’t think of a better time to share a few engagement photos that the bride and groom asked me to take back in April. They wanted to showcase the desert so we raced to the dunes outside of Al Ain hoping to catch the sun just before it set. We barely made it.

I took about a million shots, but these were my favorite.

And then a blurry one of Mike and me when we finished. He was an excellent assistant.

xo, jill

 

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August 10, 2012

From the Hip Friday

Flower rickshaw.

Today’s photo from the hip is from Malacca, Malaysia. The town is known for it’s beautiful (and gaudy) rickshaws. Every rickshaw we saw was decked out in silk flowers, bright colors, and sometimes even a stereo.

I snapped this photo from the hip because I couldn’t bear to not document the heavily decorated rides, but didn’t want to start a bidding war with the operators. They were out of my price range!

xo, jill

From the Hip Friday features photos taken without the use of a viewfinder. If you have a photograph that was taken from the hip you’d like to share here, please contact me!
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August 9, 2012

10 Questions: Audrey

Audrey is an expat living and teaching in South Korea. She blogs about her experiences at That Backpacker. Her Engrish Edition posts in particular are quite amusing!Here’s Audrey’s 10 Questions:

1. Current address:
Seoul, South Korea

Rooftop Details

2. Previous address(es):
Toronto, Canada  

3. I landed here because…
I was looking for adventure and accepting a teaching position halfway around the world seemed like it would tick that box! So far I have not been disappointed.

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4. The best part of living abroad is…
Stumbling upon the unexpected. I love spending the weekends wandering aimlessly and seeing what strange opportunities the city presents me with. Crooked back alleys laden with graffiti, bright paper lanterns to ring in Buddha’s birthday, live performers dancing on the street, observing worship at a Buddhist temple. I am amazed by it all.  

5. The most difficult part of living abroad is…
Finding a stick of Dove deodorant! I am kind of particular about that brand and had to search high and low to find a single stick! I finally found one in a foreign goods store in a town that has an American military base, but I had to dish out a whopping $8 for it. 

Korean Flags
6. Before living here (abroad), I never realized…
How ridiculously expensive fresh produce could be. Watermelons for almost $20. And don’t get me started on the small fortune I paid for a handful of brown apples…  

7. An addition to my day to day vocabulary is…
‘Mandu guk juseyo!’ which translates to ‘I want dumpling soup!’ I went through a phase where I was eating that for lunch and dinner; it is that good!

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8. Three words to describe my host country are…
Punctual, studious, well-groomed. 

9. If I could live anywhere (hometown excluded) I’d choose…
Somewhere with tropical weather, warm-hearted people, delicious street food and natural beauty. There are a few contenders out there! 

The Green Door
10. A traveler or expat (famous or not) I admire is…
I’m going to go ahead and choose the trio behind the popular show ‘Departures’. Scott, Luke and Andre became a phenomenon by inspiring people to get off their butts and explore the fascinating world we live in; and they provided some great entertainment and brilliant cinematography while doing so.

Thanks, Audrey! And if anyone wants to throw a stick of Dove deodorant her way, I’m sure she’d be forever grateful!

xo, jill

[All photos via Audrey]
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August 6, 2012

Johnston Canyon

and the ink pots.

Our first full day in Banff we hiked Johnston Canyon and the Ink Pots on Jenny’s suggestion. It’s a pretty popular spot so you might want to get there early.

The first part of the trail was paved and a bit crowded. We had to weave in and out to maintain a comfortable pace.

The fun part is that the trail continues along the canyon wall even after the ground has dropped out. A series of catwalks are anchored to the canyon to provide a walking path. It reminded me a lot of Vintgar Gorge in Slovenia, but felt safer. (Vintgar Gorge is wood, Johnston Canyon is pavement/metal.)

After passing both the lower and upper falls, we continued the trail up to the Ink Pots. Luckily, because the trail is more strenuous, less people hike it and the experience is much more tranquil. Well, tranquil in the sense that you’re with nature not tourists, but the hike itself is a challenge. (Unless you’ve been training).

Just before reaching the Ink Pots the trail leaves the forest and enters a wide meadow.

 
The Ink Pots got their name from their blue and green colors. The pools fill from a spring at different rates which causes the variations in their color.

It was a nice spot to take a little break.

The hike down was much easier…

xo, jill

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