It took us over an hour to clear customs and collect our luggage (those jumbo jets hold a TON of luggage!) and we were checked in at our hotel, unpacking by 6am.

No jet lag, thankfully we just slid into the time change with ease. We did take a homeopathic remedy called No Jet Lag which is highly recommended and it must work great because we’re feeling great! I have a new appreciation for some of our friends’ recent trips to Australia/India/Thailand. Those international overseas flights are LONG! James and I were both ready to get off the plane 3 hours in… and we still had 10 hours on the flight to go. Thank goodness for the new Isagenix sleep spray! We caught some great zzzz’s enroute.

We had a brief nap yesterday morning and then took the shuttle from the hotel to the Mall of Asia which we can see from our hotel room. It is along the same lines as West Edmonton Mall but about 2-3 times as big. 400+ stores, 160+ restaurant, movie theatre & IMAX, ice skating rink, concert arena, Bingo hall, bowling center etc. Almost every major North American brand is here, so it felt like we’d never left Canada in some respects!

The people here are wonderfully polite. Crazy driving – even I wouldn’t drive here. Much closer to the driving stories I have heard from friends who have traveled to India. 6 lanes of traffic all vying for a spot in the space of 2 lanes. They have some really crazy looking vehicles here – will send pics if I can get a good one. So far they’ve all been a blur!

The Filipino people are short so James and I both tower over most everyone. Very polite. Everyone calls me “Ma’am” and calls James “Sir”. The hotel staff goes above and beyond at every and any request, almost falling over eachother to be helpful.

So far, in our brief exposure to it, Manila feels quite similar to Mexico in a lot of respects. Billboards, buildings – they all have that semi-tropical, 2nd world country, living on an ocean wear n’ tear. We have relaxed and settled in even faster than I thought we would. I can see the Manila Bay from my hotel window – it’s nice to be able to see the water.

I’ll take some pics later today.

Hugs to everyone.

I’ve had those lyrics rattling around in my head for the past few hours!

Well, we are packed and as ready as we’ll ever be. Today we embark on my first-ever international, overseas flight ~ from Vancouver, Canada to Manila, Philippines.

Our brief trip back to Canada was a huge success~ I renewed my passport, got to “rub the belly” of my very pregnant girlfriend Ho-Yin, catch up with family, file our taxes, tease my sister and her cat profusely and then we were off to Vancouver.

These past few days in Vancouver have been a wonderful time of refuge, relaxation and rejuvenation ~ it’s been that way for the past several trips and this one has been no different. It’s been great to cocoon with Stephen and Sonora in the lushness of Langley and then tumble along in the midst of shrieks and peals of laughter with Jill, Pieter, Olivia (6yrs) and Zander (3yrs) here in North Van.

This whole trip back to Canada has been somewhat reserved; a good reminder for me that I don’t have the time or the energy to schedule time with everyone individually every time we’re in town – I was in that “cram everything in” mode for the first couple of days we were in Calgary and it didn’t take long before I had a major meltdown!

Now, I am enjoying this new notion of taking a breath. Scheduling nothing. Letting the next couple of days unfold: no pushing, no forcing, no planning out every second in advance. It’s a beautiful practice for me… maybe one I will continue with in the future!

But, for now… we’re cozying up with our neck pillows and settling in for the 14 hour plane ride ahead of us. Manila’s timezone is 14 hours ahead of Calgary, so that will be the first adjustment (of many) on this trip. May Ease and Grace be with us each step of the way.

Know that we miss you already and are sending huge heart hugs! We’ll post pics and updates as we go. Stay tuned…

Expensive Bling can lead to the wrong kind of attention, especially in poorer areas. Your necklace may be someone’s next target… unless you do this:

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Compact, inexpensive and a global solution to staying in touch… This is what we use.

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Your health is your most important asset when travelling. Follow this tip and be safe.

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We set out from Mazatlan in the wee hours of pre-dawn on April 21st and were intending on stopping in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico the first night (a 9-hour drive), but when we arrived in the mid-afternoon we decided that it was worth it to continue on the last 3 hours to the border. We still had energy to burn. Although we were exhausted at the start of the day from the previous days packing and final preparations to leave, napping while the other was driving gave us our “second wind” and by lunchtime we were full of energy, laughter and enjoyment of the drive. I am so grateful that James and I still like spending time together!

We forgot that the US/Mexico border closed at 9pm, but arrived 50 minutes before it did so and sailed through the crossing in only 25 minutes. It was much quieter than we expected, being a Sunday night. The first night we stayed in Nogales, AZ and it felt great to be back on US soil. The next morning, we activated our US cell phone, did some shopping and took advantage of our leisurely 3 hour-drive to Phoenix where we were meeting friends, Stephanie & Al Blackbird, for dinner.

Driving in Canada and the US is SO civilized!!! Everyone stays in their own lanes, most people signal when they lane-change, if it’s a single turning-lane then only one lane of cars makes the turn! It took us a few hours to adjust to the change in pace of the drivers.

Driving from Phoenix to Henderson, NV was a breeze and our beloved border collie, TAZ, was reunited with his new girlfriend Vivee! Thank you, Sandy, for making us feel so welcome. We look forward to staying for longer next time.

The fourth day of driving took us through Salt Lake City on to Pocatello, ID. It was our first sighting of “white stuff” and James was quite determined that it wasn’t a four-letter-word, the white stuff were in fact FLOWERS! Apparently high-altitude flowers… the flower sightings continued off and on all the way to Kalispell, Montana. We stayed with friends (James’ ex-wife Kim and her husband) for 2 nights which gave us time to catch up on sleep and relax a bit from the long days of driving. Taz stayed in Montana with Kim, and although it was very difficult to leave him behind, we know he’s in good hands while we’re away overseas. He has stayed with Kim every summer for several years and enjoys herding her 2 dogs, Foxie and Dudley. We’ll swing by and pick up TAZ on our way back to Calgary when we return from our Philippines/Indonesia trip.

Leaving Kalispell this past Saturday morning, we headed for the US/Canadian border via Highway 2. The “white flower” sightings increased at an alarming rate until finally James exclaimed, “#@?* it, they’re not flowers Honey! It’s SNOW. I can’t deny it any longer… it’s that dreaded 4-letter word and there’s nothing I can do about it!” It doesn’t sound quite as funny retelling it now as it was in the moment – perhaps we were so tired and ready to arrive back in Calgary that we were giddy. lol

Given that the drifts of snow were higher than the Durango by the time we arrived at the border crossing, there was no doubt!

Although we drove through quite a severe wind storm from about 30 miles south of the border all the way to High River, the border crossing was super simple and over-all the trip was effortless.

We’re staying at my sister’s condo and having a lot of fun!

It is wonderful to see friends and family again, although I was surprised to notice within myself that Calgary no longer feels like “home”. I am not sure Mazatlan does yet, but Calgary is all about the people now and not the locale. Change happens.

First priority – new my passport. Then we’re off on our next adventure: Manila, Philippines for 2 weeks ~ it’s our marketing mastermind grand-finale trip and we are both looking forward to the experience!

Hopefully by the time we have returned at the end of June, spring will finally have decided to make an appearance here in Calgary!

Stay warm!

“Dirty” power is a reality in many foreign countries and is a serious hazard to your electronics. This is your solution…

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It is a miracle that we can store some of our stuff over the summer in the condo we’re renting in October – we have accumulated a few prized beach possessions. Everything else is packed into the Durango and is making the trek north with us again.

Fortunately, there is TONS of room for Taz on this trip, although I suspect he will still spend a good portion of the trip in the front passenger’s lap… it’s his preferred spot, so he can see everything along the way.

Please send us your Angels, prayers, blessings, Light etc – we are leaving first thing tomorrow. It’s our intention to have an effortless drive back to Calgary filled with joy, laughter, loving patience (with ourselves, each other and everyone else too!) and a grand sense of humour!

Our internet and phone access will be limited until Tuesday (once we’re in the US), but we should be able to pick up emails and voicemail messages once a day in the evenings. We’ll be back in Calgary for only a short period of time (2 weeks) while I renew my passport. Then we are off to Vancouver to catch our international flight to the Philippines – more adventures await us abroad!

Blessings and love to you!

See you soon,

Shilo & James

How to have access to your money when you are away from your home country without paying a fortune in fees.

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In Mountain Standard Time, I mean! We’re still in Mazatlan (departing in 12 more sleeps) but we’re back in the same time zone as our loved ones in Calgary!

We – finally! – sprang forward today, in the wee hours this morning.

As most people know, Daylight Savings (“DS”) is the practice of advancing the clocks forward by an hour so the mornings don’t start quite so early and there is more daylight to enjoy in the evenings! Usually, the clocks are moved forward 1 hour around the beginning of spring and are moved backwards by 1 hour in the fall.

In most regions that participate in Daylight Savings, the shift happens early in the morning (2am) on a weekend to lessen disruptions to week day schedules. Not every region participates in Daylight Savings – in Canada, several parts of BC and most of Saskatchewan do not adhere to DS. In the US, Hawaii and Arizona don’t follow it either.

Previously, Canada and the US had observed Daylight Saving Time from the first Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October. However, through legislation passed in 2006, Daylight Saving Time now begins three weeks earlier on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

Here in Mexico, we follow Daylight Savings but we spring forward on the first Sunday in April and spring back the last Sunday in October .

Did you know…? Historically, interests such as retailing, sports and tourism have favoured Daylight Saving, while agricultural and evening entertainment interests have opposed it. Daylight Saving’s initial conception was prompted by energy crisis and war.*

Happy Sunday everyone!

Hugs,

Shilo & James