I walk the streets of my now former hometown and revel in the charms that my Rocky Mountain paradise holds for any visitor who braves the long journey up the Icefields Parkway from Banff National Park…

Pyramid Mountain dominates the background as the Athabasca River wends its way through the Jasper area.

After ditching my previous reality, a life of jumping from one crappy job to another, I had finally had enough of the status quo that was no longer working in my life.  I decided to embrace my passions (in my case, travel and the outdoors) and reject selecting career paths based on money and the subsequent aqcuisition of stuff.  I felt that the money would come in amounts necessary to make my dreams and life goals a reality.  So far it has, and though I have bigger plans that will require a larger cash flow going forward in the future, I have faith that I will do whatever is necessary to bring my plans to complete fruition.

These dreams and ambitions brought me to the Rocky Mountain town of Jasper, 365 kilometres west of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where I worked for three years as a tour guide for a boat operation on Maligne Lake, and as a food and beverage worker at the local ski area, Marmot Basin (not related directly to my newly chosen career path, but it allowed me to ski bum it up for “free”).  This photo essay is a brief introduction to the town itself … more will be forthcoming as I comb through the hundreds of photos that I have taken over the years of one of the coziest, authentic mountain towns I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing!

 View of the town of Jasper from the Pyramid Bench, with Mount Tekkara in the background.  The town of Jasper is town to approximately 4,500 permanent year-round residents … temp workers and tourists push that figure to 20,000 in the peak of the summer season!

 A line of railcars sits below an imposing wall of limestone that comprises the Colin Range, one of many front ranges made from the remains of ancient coral reefs and sea creatures, as a shallow tropical ocean occupied this area hundreds of millions of years ago.  In today’s Jasper, the trains, administered by Canadian National Railways, puts the bread and milk on the table for just over half of the town’s inhabitants, helping to keep the town’s economy humming even through the slow tourist season in the Fall and early Winter.

 One of the simple joys of living and working in Jasper is coming home from your job to a view like this … the Colin Range as viewed from Patricia Street South in Jasper.

Jasper the Bear, the town’s official mascot, stands in a pocket park behind the CIBC bank … Jasper the Bear was originally a cartoon character invented by a cartoonist for MacLean’s magazine, after which he was adopted by the town itself as a mascot.

Champ Sports Bar, in the basement of the Sawridge Hotel, bustles with the party-hearty and the wing-hungry on a Wednesday night in May.  The bar is swollen with the ranks of the newly arrived, seeking the Rocky Mountain Dream, yours truly included.  This place, with 35c wings, and always entertaining karaoke, is a fixture in Jasper’s nightlife scene, and is not to be missed!

My humble abode in Cavell Apartments, a massive building at the north end of town packed with tiny bachelor and 1 bedroom units, in a less-than-perfect state of repair.  It thus earns the nickname Cave Hell — the rooms resemble tiny caves, and some think of it as their personal Hell … the hallways can be likened to the tunnels in the movie 12 Monkeys … seriously creepy!

That’s not all about Jasper, as there’s still plenty more to come!  Trail reports, attraction summaries, and more looks around town over the coming weeks.  Also, as my memory card fills with pics from current travels in SE Asia, expect periodic posts on my current adventures as well!

 Starting off a big road trip the right way: I made sure to do what I failed to do prior to my departure for SE Asia months earlier … drop in on my little sister and her partner Malcolm in Truro, Nova Scotia.  After not seeing her in person for years, picking up the tab on a scrumptious breakfast was the least I could do!

Six months on from the time I departed Jasper, Alberta, Canada on an epic trip that had no equal in my life to that point, I set out from my parent’s house in Havre Boucher, Nova Scotia, Canada to close the circle on what had been a life-changing experience.  I had one final stop before a 5000 kilometre marathon across the United States of America to make first: a long overdue brunch with my little sister and her boyfriend.  Their spread of food is depicted above …

… while I opted for lunch!  Mmm mmm, chicken fingers and fries!

Picture of the New York State Thruway from a pedway leading to a Macky D’s on the other side … no time for sightseeing when you’re spending first world money again, and you have limited funds to play with!

Nearing the end of its lifespan, my car decided to break down in South Dakota.  Seated at the desk of the Mitchell, SD Ford dealership waiting for a diagnosis, I noticed a certain political bias in this sector of the country … who needs affordable health care when you can have a shiny new F-150!

But even in a rushed dash across the country, there is beauty … at a fuel stop in Montana, a heart-stopping view of the leading edge of the American Rocky Mountains.  Another reminder of the paradise I was returning to, from the paradise which I had resided in over the winter…

Over the next while (with the possible exception of a theme post or three should the inspiration strike), this blog will focus on my former home base, Jasper, Alberta, Canada, heart of the Canadian Rockies!  Expect info on the town, its attractions and trails, among other things!

I’m headed off to the beach here in Koh Chang, Thailand … wherever you are, enjoy the rest of your weekend … cheers!

Sorry about the silence of the last few days, as I was more or less in transit over past couple of weeks.  When it wasn’t travel to Edmonton or Vancouver or Bangkok, it was packing up my stuff, eliminating the excess, and recovering from the jetlag that a 14 hour jump induces in a person.

Now that I have arrived in Thailand, I will begin to re-normalize my posting sched, in spite of all the uncertainties that global travel entails.  Today’s entry focuses on the return home to my home village in Nova Scotia, Havre Boucher.  After arriving and decompressing from the longest bout of air travel I had ever subjected myself to, I began to walk about town, in an attempt to capture the place more completely than when I had been here prior to my departure to Southeast Asia…

 My graduation tree, planted in the side yard in front of my parent’s home 13 years on … makes me feel positively old!

Pausing to take in distant snow flurries falling in the distance, over the Gulf of St. Lawrence … the land in the foreground belongs to the Havre Boucher ball field and soccer field, located on the former grounds of the playground of the elementary school used to go to, also long since demolished.

 Taking in an excellent early Spring day in rural Nova Scotia, but I didn’t really appreciate as such … going from +30c everyday to +10c (or less) felt like jumping straight into winter … SE Asia had officially broke my internal thermostat

 On a cloudier, moodier day, I went for a walk along the rail lines that pass through the village … it used to serve as a divisional point for CN, though this line has been passed over to a short line operator 15 years ago, Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia railways…

WHY IS THE FINGER RED!?! :O

 Walking the tracks along Havre Boucher harbour, which lies just behind the stand of trees on the left hand side of the rail line.

After  coming upon a worn, muddy track crossing the rails, I followed it to the shore of Havre Boucher harbour…

 A typical Maritime scene: dour, damp sky, a quaint fishing harbour, replete with a old shack, paint peeling at the edges… 

Apart from a post detailing my journey back across the US and A, my posting sched will start to evolve somewhat from the past.  I have a TON of material from my former home of three years, Jasper, Alberta, Canada.  There will be posts outlining some outdoor adventure options, as well as posts covering the town itself.  There will be theme posts cropping up as well, so stick around for those, featuring funny signs, a certain Japanese cartoon cat (and no, it’s NOT Hello Kitty), and so on.  Finally, I will be posting on the new adventures that I will be getting myself into, but these will come in lesser frequency than before, as many of these locales I have been to several times before!  Needless to say, when I hit a new spot in Asia or elsewhere, expect a post within a short period of time afterwards, as I feel that the quality of my travel writing is greatly enhanced when I’m fresh off an experience, as opposed to struggling to remember basic details many months later…!

The marathon travel day that had brought me from the warm embraces of the Southeast Asian tropics to my homeland of rural Nova Scotia, Canada … dropped me into the chilly grasp of Old Man Winter. In mid-April, I might add.

At least the reception at my parent’s house was warm

After charging through five action-packed months in Southeast Asia, the sad day had finally arrived: time to go back home to Canada.  It wasn’t entirely sad, I must confess … I was looking forward to another summer of boat tours, snow-capped mountains, and hiking in Jasper National Park, as well as seeing my parents again, confirming to them that YES, you can go to There Be Dragons territory, and not only survive, but THRIVE, and come home ALIVE!

But I felt I was leaving behind something that had a stolen a piece of my heart (a feeling that has pulled me back to the region, starting January 19th … more on this in the coming days!), and that I’d be back before I knew it…

Aside from this bit of introspection, let’s chronicle this 19 hour marathon of travel fun fun FUN! starting with a early morning breakfast at Hanoi airport…

… ah yes, a good ‘ole hotdog!  The lack of traditional breakfast options at Hanoi airport led me to revert to the culinary choice I made on Air Asia many months previous…!

Aboard the Vietnam Airways flight to Beijing, lunch was served halfway through the three hour flight.  While I don’t remember what was on offer that day, I do remember being offered wine FOR FREE … this gob-smacked me, as many western airlines charge you exorbitant rates for alcohol of any type!

CREDIT: Blackwych at flickr.com (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackwych/2225954852/)

As you can see, Vietnam Airways food is not an afterthought, but a statement of national pride to the entire world … this was not my exact meal, but Blackwych, a very talented photographer on flickr.com dined on this very delectable meal en route to Siem Reap from Hanoi.  I ordered the chicken on my flight, but our meals had one central thing in common: a lovely glass of refreshing red wine! 

Upon arrival at Beijing International Airport, I noted that the terminal that we arrived at looked completely different than the one that I passed through five months previous.    An uneasy feeling came over me, as I realized that my flight out of China left from a different terminal, and I lacked a Chinese transit visa (I arrived and left Beijing from the same terminal back in November 2010) … oops!

Fortunately, I caught my immigration officials on a good day, as they just got me to fill in an arrival and declaration form, and gave me a stern warning not to head downtown.  I caught my bus to Terminal 3, unsure now whether or not I was supposed to claim my baggage and re-check it at the new terminal; the passengers holding an assortment of rolling suitcases and backpacks gave me reason to be quite nervous!

Once I arrived at the gargantuan terminal 3 (it is three kilometres long, and I needed to take a transit train to get from the check-in area to the departures sector of the building!), I received an only slightly reassuring promise from the desk agent that my bag, checked through to Toronto, was transported 3-4 km from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 for me.  Left wondering if it was the truth, or whether the agent was only telling me what I wanted to hear in order to save face, I made my way to my gate to await the giant leap across the Pacific.  I had Pizza Hut for dinner, shockingly priced at first world rates, and then boarded one of Air Canada’s jumbo jets, to travel back in time, courtesy of the International Date Line!

Home sweet home, here I come!

We lifted off the tarmac, leaving “misty” China behind, the massive Pacific beckoning.  I preoccupied myself during the long-haul flight by doing photo editing (AC plug units ftw!) on my laptop, listening to my music on my computer, plus perusing the library provided by the on-board entertainment system.

After re-watching Inception, I fell into a short nap.  Shortly after, I awoke and noticed a fringe of light tracing the blackout screen on my airplane window.  I cracked it slightly to avoid disturbing my seatmates … after the brilliant light hurt my eyes initially, they adjusted to the icy panorama outside; we were directly over the Arctic Ocean, somewhere over the vast nothingness of Nunavut!

CREDIT: wikimedia.org

Arctic sea ice, as viewed from any plane window passing over the vast stretches of the largely empty Canadian territory of Nunavut.  Picture borrowed from wikimedia.org, as all the pics I took turned out very badly.

Eventually, the terrain began to take on greener formations, as the plane broke through the permafrost/timber line, and soon enough, the first signs of Southern Canadian civilization began to appear.  Roads, traced like pencil markings, carved through the wilderness below.  Frontier towns, like supply stations in deep interstellar space, stood out conspicuously against the rugged northlands of Ontario.  Stabbing further southward, the Canadian Shield finally gave way to the Saint Lawerence/Great Lake Lowlands, revealing a patchwork of farmer’s fields, perfectly formed and organized townships, and thickets of mixed Coniferous and Carolinian deciduous forest.  Finally, like viral bricking multiplying inside an unwilling host, the eternally growing suburbs of the Greater Toronto Area came into view, and at once, the plane began to descend.

Gliding mere hundreds of feet above the 401 and the airport warehouses of Mississauga, we lined up and executed a perfect touchdown … BOOM! ROOOAAAARRRRRR!!!  The air brakes slowed us to a comfortable cruising speed on one of the many runways of Lester B. Pearson International Airport.  We taxied toward our gate, cross-checked, and hooked up to the transfer bridge.

And with that, I was home.

Well not quite.  I made my way inside, claimed my backpack (which while it was not lost in transit, it turned out that the shoulder strap that I fixed before the trip had been DAMAGED … sigh, **disgusted shoulder shrug**), and made haste towards domestic departures (final destination on this day was Halifax)… but not before having my first bite of Canadiana after almost half a year away.  Yup, you guessed it, I paid a visit to Uncle Tim’s (Tim Horton’s)!  Cina-raisin bagel and orange juice, and I was ready to tackle my last obstacle: a short-hop flight to Nova Scotia!

At around 11pm local time, I pulled into Bluenose Country once more, and after a courtesy shuttle to a nearby airport hotel (thanks Mom and Dad for setting me up with the softest bed I’ve ever slept in!), I collapsed in my room, giving no thought to the fact that I was back in my own culture, stomping ground, comfort zone.  There would be plenty enough time for storytelling, reverse culture shock, and reflection on the trip that had been in the days, weeks, and months to come…

My last diary cam from SE Asia before going home to Canada. This was shot on April 10th, 2011 … I am about to return to the region in about 2 1/2 weeks, and I am just uploading this on December 29th…!

I promise to be more punctual this time around

In the days leading up to my departure from Vietnam, and Southeast Asia, I settled down in Hanoi to relax and reflect on the trip that had transpired over five long months.  New experiences had, fears faced and unmasked as phony, and most importantly, new perspectives gained on life and how it could be lived.  It had been a wild ride, and soon, I would be at my parent’s doorstep again within mere days, ready to tell the tales of a million adventures.

But I also found a little time to do what do best: wander around and try to soak in the essence of the place!  Behold, the final city of the 2010-2011 SE Asian backpacking excursion, Hanoi…!

 Another impressive cathedral near the Old Quarter in Hanoi

  There are interesting ways vendors earn a living on the streets of Vietnam … this man is no exception

 Catching up on the days news in front of Hoan Kiem Lake, just south of the Old Quarter

 Hanoi may not have as many modern accouterments as its rival in the south, Saigon, there are skyscrapers that are starting to dot the skyline in the nation’s capital, as Vietnam’s economic ascendancy continues.

Not for dinner, just cute puppies!  I simply couldn’t resist taking a snap of these so-cute-it-hurts canines, and their lucky owner!

 Cute overload, computer melttinnnggg dooooowwwwwnnnnnn…..!

 Art installation near Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

 It’s Vietnam’s world; we just live in it…

 Entrance to a shrine of sorts on Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi … they were charging an extortionate amount for entrance to the site, and I was all templed out at this point, so I didn’t bother…

One of the only legit Old Quarter photos that turned out … earlier, I tried to take a photo of a merchant woman selling bread, only get a loud “NOOOOO!!!” … message heard loud and clear!  Despite that encounter, this part of town is easy to get lost in … and that’s part of the magic!  Had I not needed to catch a flight home the next morning, I would wandered this part of town for days!

Final night in town: time for the quintessential Hanoi experience, Bia Hoi!  At dimes a glass, the cheapest way to get hammered this side of the Pacific!

Dô Vô!  (cheers in Vietnamese)

Simply put:  next time … we go home!  To Canada!  And freeze our delicate parts off! Yaaaayyyyy!  See you then!

On this Christmas Eve, alot of people are in a festive, partying mood … what better timing then, to post this video from Nha Trang, Vietnam!

After an eventful day of playing the waves and soaking in the sun’s rays on Nha Trang’s fabulous beach, a group of backpackers and I plotted the night’s carnage. First on the menu was a watering hole called Ice Bar, as it contained a room chilled to -8c, replete with a shimmering ice-carved bar!

Alas, I couldn’t convince the group to part with the resiquite Dong to make the chilly experience happen, but as you’ll see in the video, we managed to have a smashing time despite my failure…

With time running short, I decided to embark on the mother of all sleeper bus journeys — a gut-busting 17 hour ride through most of Northern Vietnam to the nation’s capital, Hanoi.  Regrettably, doing so meant I had to cut Da Nang and Hue from the agenda (another black mark against short-term/fast travel) in order to make my flight in Hanoi AND have time to decompress before doing so.

This last marathon leg of my SE Asian odyssey started at 2PM however, giving my camera lens a teasing taste of what I was missing, as the Vietnamese countryside whizzed by outside at 80km/h…

 The seemingly endless beach/dunes of Central Vietnam become a construction zone: for at least 2-3 km, there was nothing but concrete, buildings in varying states of completion, and disturbed ground.  In several years, Da Nang will likely be Vietnam’s latest new draw for sun-seeking foreigners…

 The site’s massive parking lot…

 Pristine land in the distance, soon to become part of the same massive development…

 Crossing the Song Han River, with Da Nang city in the background

 Da Nang’s very attractive looking riverfront … wishing I had more slack in my schedule at this point!

 Da Nang’s oceanfront … also quite intriguing, and unlike Nha Trang, not a foreigner to be seen!

 Just gobsmacking scenery in rural coastal Vietnam…

 One of many epic hairpin turns winding and wending their way up the coastal mountains of Central Vietnam … gotta go back and do an easy-rider (motorbike) tour of this country, bus rides are too confining for this gent!

Shortly after that, darkness fell, I switched buses in Hue, I fell asleep on said bus (becoming a night travel pro quickly!), and when the light of dawn broke…

… I awoke in Hanoi, the capital of French Indochina, and now, Vietnam!

Next photo essay, we finish off SE Asia 2010-2011 in style!  Then we go home to Canuckistan (brrrr)!