Blogger Adventures Abroad with Cleo Mag

A few months ago, I was asked if I would participate in a feature in Cleo Magazine Malaysia about bloggers who travel. I said, sure, sounds fun! I was specifically asked to write 300 words about my first trip to Bhutan and to submit ten photos and a few destination tips. It was a struggle to condense my experience into 300 words and I'm afraid I went into cliche territory with my descriptions. I hope my travel writing course (starting next week) will help me out in that respect.



The published magazine arrived by post last month. As expected, the 300 words I agonized over were edited to about half that length, and only two heavily cropped photos were used. Still, it was fun to be included and I was in good company: Amber went to Paris, Cheesie went to Japan, Benita went to Samoa, Olivia went to Mexico, Young went to Lisbon and Sarah went to Nepal.



Here's my original submission:

I’ve always had a soft spot for obscure places and a curiosity about traditional cultures: I knew I’d love Bhutan even before I got there.  Reading 'Tintin in Tibet' as a kid got me interested in the Himalayas. When I heard Bhutan referred to as ‘unspoiled Asia’, I started dreaming of a visit.

First, the basics. Bhutan is a Buddhist kingdom located above India, below China, just a step east of Nepal. Tourists come for the mountain trekking and ancient monasteries although Bhutan is one of the most expensive and isolated holiday destinations on earth. There’s no independent touring here: all travellers must be accompanied by a guide and a driver.

When my guide Kado met me at the airport, he introduced Leki, our driver, and declared, “For two weeks, we are a family.” He was not exaggerating. In a small country like Bhutan, everyone is family, and that includes tourists, too. I was dressed up in a woven kira by somebody’s sister, served home-brewed rice wine at a multistory earthen farmhouse and invited out to a karaoke club by new friends. Even as an experienced traveller, I didn't expect to make such connections with local people. I was charmed.

I toured the main cultural circuit via the only highway across Bhutan. The drive sent my stomach lurching and my heart soaring: the misty forest roads twist upwards to astonishing mountain vistas. We explored spectacular fortresses in Punakha and Trongsa. The wide, gentle Bumthang valley is known as ‘the Switzerland of Asia.’ In off-the-grid Phobjikha valley, I gazed up at the most amazing starry night sky I’ve ever seen. The capital city Thimphu is chaotic and entertaining. In Paro, I paid my respects to Bhutan’s Buddhist saint, Guru Rinpoche, at the cliff-hanging Tiger’s Nest monastery.

I like my travels to take me to take me far away from my regular life in Canada: Bhutan was truly like another planet or another age for me. I felt so inspired by my short trip to Bhutan that I soon returned to work as a volunteer for several months. I recommend visiting Bhutan if you crave a holiday that will refresh your perspectives and your spirit.

Best place to go dancing: Space 34 in JoJo’s Mall, Thimphu

Best place for people watching: Attend a festival for a fashion show of traditional style

Best place to admire the view: Dochu La pass, facing an unforgettable Himalayan vista

Best place to relax: Breathe in fresh, clean air on a hike through the Bumthang valley

How to avoid the tourist crowd: Consider visiting during the summer off-season.

Good to know: Druk Air has frequent flights from Bangkok and will offer direct flights from Singapore to Bhutan from March, 2012

List: New Years Eves Past

An exercise in memory: trying to recall where I spent the last ten or more New Year's Eves. 

1999/2000

The so-called "Millennium/Y2K" event! This was when I was in third year university. There was a place on McCaul Street at Baldwin here in Toronto which housed a brigade of proto-hipster from University College, where I was a student. The house hosted many parties: several of the occupants were DJs (he was one of them). This NYE was supposed to be a masquerade party but only my friend Anisa and I showed up in masks.  I was also wearing my mother's amazing floor length kilt in the Culloden Ancient tartan. I wish it still fit me. So, because I was in a costume, everyone at the party offered me some of whatever they were drinking, which I accepted. It was a terrible combination. I remember watching the Y2K fireworks from the fire escape with Anisa then several hours later, I woke up on a couch in an empty house. I did not feel well. In fact, it was the worst hangover I'd ever had. I started walking back to my room through the deep snow. A sympathetic taxi driver gave me a free drive, for some reason. Later, riding home from Toronto to Waterloo, my brother had to pull over on Highway 401 so I could puke on the roadside. What a night!

2000/2001

Another party at the McCaul Street house. I suspect this one was more subdued. All I can recall was that I wore my hair up in Bjork buns with a homemade crown of silver foil stars. 

2001/2002

This was my new Year's Eve in Osaka. I had spent the day doing errands, zooming around on my much loved 'mama-chari' bike. I remember my mailbox was filled with 'nengajyo' (new year's post cards). That's a tradition I really like and perhaps I should continue it myself? That night, I met a group of expat friends at Bar Isn't It? in Shinsaibashi. Later, we moved on to a club in Nishishinsaibashi for a 'nomihodai' (that means an all-you-can-drink event). This would be illegal in Canada but it's completely normal in Japan. We had just a couple of mugs of beer each, midnight passed, then I suddenly got extremely ill. At this point in my life, I could hold my liquor like never before and never again - my friends suspected that someone had slipped something into my drink. I don't know myself but it was a bit of a surprise to be so unwell after only about three beers. Anyway, the next stop was a back alley ramen counter. I remember sitting in front of the most luscious smelling bowl of ramen ever but being too unwell to eat even one bite. Later, my friends and I took a taxi all the way back to the suburban town where we lived. Despite my condition, I was apparently able to give clear directions to the cabbie in Japanese. January 1st was a lost day. I did not rise from my futon until 7pm when I had to get myself into shape to board an overnight ferry. I was off to spend a week backpacking around Kyushu. I did reach the Kobe ferry port in time. When I stood on the deck, gulping in the sea air as we sailed below the massive Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (the longest span in the world!), I was refreshed and excited for a new adventure.

2002/2003

I was home on a break from studying in England. I don't remember if I did something with friends or family. No idea. I may have stayed home with the dog.

2003/2004

Unemployed in Waterloo: I stayed in. My parents had just returned that day from several months in Australia. I did some kind of New Year's Kendo thing on the 1st.

2004/2005

I spent this night with my buddies Antoaneta and Anisa. Just music, snacks, drinks and no boys.

2005/2006

I helped out at the restaurant run by the father of my then-boyfriend Vince. Then, we went dancing at a club on College Street. Not a bad night, and I got a free mahi-mahi dinner for my trouble.

2006/2007

I was visiting my then-boyfriend Hikaru in San Francisco for a week. We got some Coronas and a pizza from Fat Slice on the Haight and stayed in watching 'Kisarazu Cats Eye'. It was better than it sounds.

2007/2008

I was staying at a cottage in the Kawarthas with my then-boyfriend Thomas. I enjoyed skating on the frozen pond in the moonlight. There was so much snow on New Year's Eve that the cars all got stuck on the unploughed cottage road the next day. I had to be back at work on the 2nd so I ended up hitching a ride as far as Pickering with some strangers who had a truck, then I had to get a late train back from there with all my winter gear. Ugh.

2008/2009

I was in Varadero, Cuba with my then-boyfriend Rich (notice a pattern here?). This remains my best New Year's Eve so far: deserted beach, warm sand, crashing waves, fireworks, distant Cuban live music, a dome of stars above and a genuine pina colada in hand. Perfection. We spent January 1st in Havana on the 50th anniversary of La Revolucion.

2009/2010

Stayed home in Waterloo with my brother. Toasted midnight with Kir Royales. Early to bed.

2010/2011

Stayed home in Waterloo with my parents. Toasted midnight with Kir Royales. Early to bed.

2011/2012

This year, I find my friends aren't in town and my dating status is indeterminate. However, I just got an invitation for dinner and a party with people I'm acquainted with only through social media connections. So, I will be breaking in 2012 with a different crowd. It's good - one of my resolutions is to be more social and meet some new people so I'll be getting a head start on that!

Andrea's Years Out-Of-Date TV Picks!

At the end of August, Canadian television channels all switched over to digital broadcasting. My hand-me-down analog TV set can't pick up digital signals so I've been without any TV channels whatsoever for over three months. It suits me just fine, to be honest.

Whenever I feel like unwinding and watching something, the Internet supplies me with illegal streaming of every program I've been meaning to see. I started off by catching up on missed seasons of the two American shows I follow. They would be Dexter and House, neither currently as engaging as past seasons in my opinion. Then I moved on to the following three top quality programs which are old news to most dedicated TV watchers, I expect.

Sherlock
BBC, 2010, 3 90 minute episodes here. Start Episode 1 here.
(Some of these host links only allow 74 minutes of play per day)

The casting is absolutely spot-on for this update of the Sherlock Holmes character. I love the 1984 series but I am very much in approval of this Sherlock for the present day. Clever dialogue, excellent soundtrack. There's a very batty Mrs. Hudson in this version too, of course! And Dr. Watson is a blogger! Amazing. One thing I did not like, however, was the overuse of tired Chinese stereotypes in the second episode. There are only three episodes in existence but the program already had a cult following. A second series of three episodes is set to start next month. Exciting!

Wallander
BBC, 2008-2010, 6 90 minute episodes here. Start Episode 1 here.
(Some of these host links only allow 74 minutes of play per day)

My gosh, this series is exceptionally well made. Kenneth Branagh is perfect as police inspector Wallander. Unlike similar characters from other crime shows, he is deeply troubled by every act of violence he investigates. The visual style and, again, soundtrack make the program extremely watchable even with such dark content. 'Wallander' is set in Sweden so there's a sort of simplicity, starkness to it. The city of Ystad, the filming location, has apparently seen a boom in tourists from the U.K. who are 'Wallander' fans. Oh, and three new episodes are set to air next year!

Garrow's Law
BBC, 2009-2011, 12 60 minutes episodes here. Start Episode 1 here.

There are not enough films or programs set in the 18th century. That's why I was so delighted to discover 'Garrow's Law', a series about London's Old Bailey judicial proceedings in the 1780s. Georgian men's fashion was splendid: great coats, breeches, tricorn hats and wigs or clubbed hair. The actors in 'Garrow's Law' carry themselves so naturally even in these complicated costumes that I can really picture how ordinary people in the 18th century would have appeared. What I mean is, the costumes never overwhelm the acting. Once again, the beautiful soundtrack enhances the show a lot but I admit that I already love music from this period. Now, the coolest thing about 'Garrow's Law' is that it is based on a real man and all the cases were actual trials of the era (details here with spoilers). Sometimes, the dialogue is pulled directly from the court archives. I have to say that I didn't really get the appeal of the main character/lead actor after the first episode because the pacing was a little too rapid. It gets much better, though, and I eventually had to restrict myself to watching only one episode per night. At present, there is no news about any future episodes beyond Series 3.


That's what's been on my computer screen of late. Let me know what you think of these shows and please do suggest any other programs for me to check out now that you know my taste!

P.S. I'm saving the second series of 'Downton Abbey' for Christmas break.

One Year Ago Today: HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!?

November 30th. It's unbelievable that I departed from Bhutan one year ago. I am rattled by this because it feels like only a few months have passed. My memories from that time are still so clear in my mind. Moreover, it is unbelievable that I hadn't posted these photos until now. Despite over three months of unemployment after my return, there are still a large number of topics I've been meaning to write about here and have not.

To mark the anniversary, photos from the scenic departure. When will I get to travel here again? The question makes me anxious as I have no answer.


Drukair's two jets at Paro airport. Note the terrain directly adjacent to the runway.


Last breath.


Taking off over farmhouses. The landscape is quite brown in late fall.




Banking over the downtown of metropolitan Paro.


Over the lhakhang (shrine) and switch-back access road.


Now the runway is visible in the centre of the frame.


Runway now just at the top right margin. The single linear feature looks out of place in a setting where nothing else is quite so rigidly aligned.




Poetic moment. Good bye Druk Yul. Will I ever see you again?


And just for a big finale, a farewell to Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak.

November life update

On October 6th, I wrote:

"1) my job contract got extended by one month
2) last week, I had an interview for an interesting but fairly challenging position
3) the position I have now will be interviewing for a one year contract soon so I applied for that along with around 30 other people
4) even if 2 and 3 don't work out, I am feeling more optimistic for myself."

At this point, late November, #1 has concluded.
#2 did not end in my favour.
#3 also did not end in my favour.
#4 was the right attitude because even though I did not get either of the jobs I interviewed for, my contract was unexpectedly extended for six more months. So, I will continue as a public servant of the province until late May, 2012. It is a good result for me and this time, I will do a better job of planning for my contract's end than last time.

Six months is a nice, neat chunk of time and so I've set out a few goals for myself. Obviously, getting something arranged to do next is the big one. I also aim to improve my knowledge and work style in the context of my current employment. I want to do more with my free time and I've already signed up for this course on travel writing (want to join me?). Finally, I need to return some attention to my health and fitness which has been very much neglected since I started my job last April.

My blogging has also been rather neglected this month. I had written a very lengthy post showing how a certain journalist/blogger has systematically stolen photos and posts from me and passed all of this (plus other stolen content) off as her own. It was shocking to discover, to be honest, and especially upsetting to see this woman accepting lots of praise and compliments on stuff she stole from me. When I named and shamed her, the blogger apologized and removed the stolen photos and words. I thought of somehow removing all the information identifying that blogger from my post, just to keep a record of what happened, but once I removed her name, her links and the screen-grabs of the plagiarized material, there was very little left in my post. Not really worth leaving, I thought.

I have seen  over 2,500 unique hits on this post's page but not a single comment, which is amusing. It says a lot about what a low percentage of readers actually leave comments. Many comments did come via Twitter, e-mail and Facebook which don't show up here, of course.

Content Theft: A Fake Travel Blog!

The content theft issue I had written about here has now been resolved. The posts containing the stolen photos and text have been deleted. Having received an apology from the guilty party, I decided to delete my entire post here rather than to edit it to remove all mention of that person. Thanks for your support.

The King and Queen of Bhutan's Wedding Outfits

The ceremony was fascinating, the setting spectacular... but what people are really talking about is the wedding clothes! Here is my round up of what His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan wore on their wedding day, October 13th, 2011. They both looked ridiculously beautiful!

Business Bhutan reporter Yiwang Pindarica writes that, "His Majesty looked stunningly handsome in a golden silk brocade gho which belonged to his great grandfather, the second King of Bhutan. The very same silk gho was also worn by the third Druk Gyalpo during his wedding to Her Majesty the Royal Grand Mother."

The 'gho' is the men's bulky robe which is the national costume of Bhutan. Out of curiosity, I started looking for a photo of the third Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) dressed in the gold gho worn by the present Druk Gyalpo at his wedding. Instead, in a book presented to me by Business Bhutan, I found this photo of the second Druk Gyalpo wearing the gho in 1947. Although there has been some debate raging on Twitter and elsewhere as to whether this is in fact the same garment, a close look at the flower and leaf embroidered details on the front piece leaves no doubt. How awesome to be able to incorporate so many family generations into one's wedding attire!

Photo of HM the Second King in 1947 from 'A King of Destiny', Rabsell Media

Photo of HM the Fifth King in 2011 from NDTV

Update! Okay, some people are still unconvinced that these are the same golden ghos. I have done a zoom in as best as I can on the old photo and the new one taken from the same angle. Factoring for the shade difference between the black and white to colour photos (the pink thread disappears in the old photo), I don't really understand why or how anyone can continue to deny the match. Even the side tie is identically located.

As noted by @simplybhutan on Twitter, this photo of His Majesty the Fifth Druk Gyalpo shows some fine, loose threads at the shoulder of the gho, indicating that this is not a newly made item of clothing.

Photo via Hello Magazine

The King was also wearing traditional Bhutanese boots called tsholham/tshoglham which signal the wearer's rank in society.  Only the king can have embroidery on the foot, I think. The tsholham workshop near where I stayed in Thimphu was rushed with orders in the months before the wedding. Actually, the boots look especially great with monochromatic red monks' garments.

During the ceremony, it went around on Twitter that His Majesty was wearing his grandfather the Third King's gho. I remembered finding this photo of that King wearing a golden floral gho and I Tweeted it around. Those of us who had very blurry views of the ceremony thought this might be a match, but the people who could actually see what was going on confirmed that this was not the same gho. Similar but not the same.

King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck and Queen Ashi Kesang Choedon Wangchuck,
1952 (via) (This Queen is dressed in Tibetan style.)

Update: purely for the sake of completeness, here is the Fourth Druk Gyalpo (father of the current King) on the occasion of his official wedding to the four sister Queens in 1988. He is wearing the same golden floral gho that his father is wearing in the 1952 photo above. Many observers thought that the Fifth Druk Gyalpo was wearing this one on his wedding day last week because this is the more recognizable/known piece of clothing. As mentioned before, the two ghos look very similar but the floral pattern is different.

Source: Bhutan-360.com

Now for Ashi Jetsun Pema Wangchuk, as she will be known henceforth. Thursday was her wedding day but also her coronation so she was dressed with many elements of national and Buddhist symbolism.

Photo via

Business Bhutan reporter Yiwang Pindarica writes that, "Her Majesty the Queen’s wedding dress was chosen according to her traditional birth element. The queen’s birth element is earth therefore she wore a yellow tego. The tego was embroidered with the auspicious eight lucky signs. The kira Her Majesty wore was a Shinglochem [a type of design] with golden threads which matched perfectly with the golden tego and the red wonju. It was gifted to her by Queen Mother Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck [the King's mother]."

Queen Jetsun Pema wedding outfit details (via)

On the subject of the new Queen's crown, Kuensel reports that the embroidery "depicts two Ja Tsherings (phoenix), the mythical longevity birds. The male and female birds symbolise the blissful relationship between the King and the Queen. It’s also a symbol of inseparability in method and wisdom. The crown also has a khorlo (wheel of dharma) between the male and the female bird. The wheel signifies the power that the King and the Queen is bestowed with to rule in a way that launches the country into a new era of continued peace and prosperity. The lotus beneath the khorlo is for purity of love and devotion for both the King and the Queen."

On the third day of the wedding, Queen Jetsun wore a stunning gold and jade crown which also had images related to Buddhism (photo below).

The Queen's shoes were of a modern stacked heel style but were covered in traditional embroidery. There appears to be a mountain landscape on the heel. She was also wearing red coral and dzi bead necklaces and a double vajra gold brooch which is part of Bhutan's national emblem.

The Queen wears a gold and jade crown on the third day of the wedding (via)

Jetsun Pema arrived at her wedding ceremony wearing a red rachu (long ceremonial scarf) but after her coronation, she emerged wearing a gold one. Business Bhutan reports that "This is the first time a queen has worn a darker shade of yellow racchu." My guess is that this is to partner with the gold kabney (large wrapped garment) that His Majesty wears. Her gold rachu has amazing embroidery of goddesses and flowers. I especially like the bright green accents!

 The Queen's red and gold rachus. Both photos from NDTV.

In my culture, the tradition of a bride wearing only white originated with another royal wedding, that of Queen Victoria in 1840. Personally, I prefer colourful traditions to colourless ones.

I am not an expert on Bhutanese fashion or ceremonial clothing. This info is all what I garnered from research. Please correct me where I am mistaken or have overlooked something important. Thanks.

PS: I have improved the K2/K5 gho picture because it has become so popular. Please cite the two source photos as listed and this blog post if you are going to post the image elsewhere. Thank you.

Bhutan Royal Wedding!

The Bhutanese royal wedding happened on Thursday morning local time. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk married his sweetheart Jetsun Pema and then she was crowned Queen of Bhutan. The outside view of the ceremony, streamed live by the Bhutan Broadcast System, mostly looked like this:

Not really the sharpest image although there was one moment of clarity about every minute. I watched for a couple of hours then went to bed. The next morning, I caught up with what had happened by way of some in depth photo articles and video reports. This one is via MSNBC:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

[Also, the AP version, BBC version and an Indian TV version].

The day after the wedding, the King and Queen walked almost the whole distance from Punakha (the old capital) to Thimphu (the current capital). The roadside was lined with well wishers who were yearning for a glimpse of the bride and groom. It took the royal party 14 hours to travel the 71 km. Apparently, the King did not want to miss anyone. Keep in mind this is a mountain road, not a flat one. Thank goodness they are both sporty! Here's the scene in Thimphu as crowds wait for the couple to arrive on foot.

The celebration continued today with an enormous public event at Changlimithang Stadium [I previously wrote about the stadium here].

Check back later because I'll be posting about the CLOTHES. Love those traditional clothes!

Minutes until the Bhutanese Royal Wedding starts!

The Bhutanese royal wedding is starting in minutes! That's just enough time to catch up with some photos of the lead-up to the big event.

The three day wedding has already started streaming on BBS TV but it will be a miracle if the bandwidth holds up.

From His Majesty's Facebook page: "10 October, 2011 - His Majesty and the Royal Bride Jetsun Pema attended a gala cultural program at the Indian Embassy, specially organized to congratulate the Royal Couple for the Royal Wedding."

From His Majesty's Facebook page: "12 October, 2011 - Royal Bride Jetsun Pema offered prayers at the Druk Wangyal Lhakhang in Dochula, on her way to Wangduephodrang where she will spend the night on the eve of the Royal Wedding. The Royal Wedding will be held in the 17th century Punaakha Dzong tomorrow."

From His Majesty's Facebook page: "12 October, 2011 - Royal Bride Jetsun Pema being welcomed in traditional Chipdrel in Wangduephodrang where she will spend the night on the eve of the Royal Wedding. The Royal Wedding will be held in the 17th century Punaakha Dzong tomorrow." She'll be crowned queen tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Thimphu has been given a spruce-up and some flashy LED lights. Photos via.



From Reuters, with a guest appearance from the honourable opposition leader.


By the way, Ashi Jetsun Pema has a Twitter account which is protected, so her posts aren't public. I noticed that her avatar is Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" so I'm thinking she may be a romantic.

The Thimphu Map is Published At Last!

I thought it might never happen. So many months had passed since I’d heard any info that I suspected the whole thing may have been abandoned. But, the good news reached me last week. My Thimphu map has been printed by Business Bhutan and it is now officially for sale!

[Background: I wrote about the inception of my map idea here, and more about the project here and the challenges of getting into Bhutan to work were summed up here.]

The thought of making a tourism map for Thimphu came to me in November 2009 and now, as of October 2011, the map is a reality. So far, the map is available at the stamp shop at the main post office in Thimphu, at the Paro Airport post office and various souvenir and book stores in Thimphu. I'll update when more vendors are confirmed. Visitors to Bhutan, you can navigate the town with the map, use it to understand your destination and find what you need there, take it home as a souvenir, show it to friends, tack it to the wall of your study, refer to it when trying to sort out what you took photos of during your city exploration. Locals, you can also enjoy the map for its artwork, pin it up in your shop or office as decoration, look at the different landmarks with your kids, marvel how many things have changed so quickly in the town.

Because I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to certain things, I couldn’t help but notice what I would have liked to change or improve on the map now that I’ve seen the result. My visa length was insufficient so I had to leave the country long before the final version was sent to print: I was not able to have a last look-over of the image. There are a few small corrections, mostly to do with the positioning of the text and arrows on the maps. The maps had been hand drawn at full size by Pema Tshering. I first saw his skillful and charming work on the banner of the Bhutan Backstage website. I drew detailed draft maps and Pema re-drew them in his style. I intended to scan Pema's original maps and then add my labels and text to the digital file in Adobe Illustrator. I soon discovered that there was no functioning scanner in Thimphu (or possibly Bhutan) larger than A4 (letter-size) paper. I went absolutely everywhere looking for a larger scanner, from the biggest newspaper office to graphics production shops to The Department of Geology and Mines. No luck. I had to scan the maps in eight panels each and then stitch the images together to get the full map. Of course, the eight panels did not match perfectly or at the exact same angles. I did my best considering the resources at hand. I added my text as separate layers of the Illustrator file. After I left, someone eventually took the maps by plane to Bangkok where they were scanned as a single sheet. Then, the graphics staff placed my layers of text over the new high quality scans. The problem is that the hundreds of little pieces of text were aligned to the images on my stitched-together map scans, not the good scan. Everything was shifted over just a little so in some places, the text overlays a street or over a building or it is slightly removed from the thing it is describing. It is just not as clear as it would have been had I been able to spend more time with the digital file.

There is also the problem that there are several businesses in town that have closed, moved or opened since I did my research. Also, I forgot to add elevation points. Oops. These are all things to keep in mind for the next, improved edition of the map! I am going to do an update list on a dedicated page here on my site. 

Despite the disappointment of discovering minor errors on the finished product, I am so happy to see the final look of the maps. I have created exactly the kind of information I would have loved to get when I first visited Thimphu as a tourist. The image above is the cover flap of the map and it features the illustration of Semtokha Dzong, the fortress which stands guard at the entrance to Thimphu Valley. The title "Welcome to the World's Happiness Capital" was not my idea but I like the optimistic tone. It refers to Bhutan's now famous 'Gross National Happiness' concept. 

Although I have not received an actual printed copy yet, I can tell you the map itself is double-sided, 36" wide and about 20" high, full colour. The front of the map shows Thimphu's city centre, including Norzin Lam (the main street), Changlimithang Stadium, the Wang Chu (river) and the National Memorial Chorten. 




The flip side of the map shows the wider valley, starting from Semtokha Dzong in the south and reaching to Tashichhoedzong in the north, with "Buddha Point" and Sangaygang to the west and the east bank hotels, also. 



Voila! I am now a published map maker!

update to my last post

Following up from my last post:
1) my job contract got extended by one month
2) last week, I had an interview for an interesting but fairly challenging position
3) the position I have now will be interviewing for a one year contract soon so I applied for that along with around 30 other people
4) even if 2 and 3 don't work out, I am feeling more optimistic for myself. The fatigue I mentioned earlier seems to be related to an unresolved medical problem I had last year and recovered from which suddenly returned. My doctor has IDed it as an inner ear issue and I hope to be feeling better soon now that I have a diagnosis.

low power

My contract job is scheduled to be ending next week. There's a chance it might be extended at the last moment but that remains undetermined. I've known since I was hired back in March that September 30th would be the end date. I should have been planning months in advance for the transition but I have done very little to prepare myself.

I owe e-mail replies to about three dozen people. This blog has been sparse on the updates, too. There are definitely topics for me to write about! I even have more things I planned to write about my time in Bhutan but it seems too long ago now. Is it? Similarly, I have several ideas for travel writing submissions along the same vein but I may be too far removed from the subject at this point...

The problem is that when I get home from a day furrowing my brow in front of a computer at the office, I'm spent. I'm doing well to get my occasional freelance editing work done. Anything more than that seems to require too much after-hours focus. I consume media but I don't have the brain energy leftover to create or correspond.

I should have set myself deadlines and priorities for the job search - I get my tasks done on time at work because I plan out my steps like this. As for e-mails, blogs and writing, must I put pressure on myself to finish things in my leisure time, too?

Toronto Plaqueathon

Last weekend, I took part in an informal event intended to get Toronto talking (tweeting) about local heritage. The goal was for people to get all 230 of Heritage Toronto's plaques and panels visited and tweeted. The plaque tweets were all tagged with #TOheritage in order to track the plaqueathon. This Torontoist article provides the full explanation behind the motivation to attempt the plaqueathon (and they just happened to illustrate it with a photo of one of the plaques I drafted a few years ago).

Over two days, I visited around 30 of the plaques, spread from Christie Street to Mount Pleasant, from Dundas to Eglinton (an area of 4 km by 6 km). Some of the plaques marked conspicuous and obvious historical structures, such as Casa Loma, but others are there to commemorate lesser known events or individuals. I learned so much about this city and I find that information about the city's past becomes more meaningful when it is tied to a specific place. Knowledge about my home city's past adds another dimension to the way I think about where I live.



I set out a challenge for you! If you live in Toronto, check out this map of the Heritage Toronto panels. When you're out and about, make an effort to find one of these panels, one that you haven't read before. Those of you who live someplace else, I encourage you to stop, pause and read the next historic plaque you notice! Let me know what you learned about!



Also, and this is very important no matter where you live, if you care about local history and heritage preservation, make sure you let your elected representatives know about it.



BONUS Toronto heritage reading on greentea.tk: the Baldwin Steps and my four part series on a great escape from the Don Jail

U2 in Toronto! (long overdue)

One month ago at this time, I was enjoying the opening song at the U2 show in Toronto. It had been a heck of a long time coming.

It was way back in October 2009 that I bought my tickets for the show that was supposed to happen in July of 2010. It would be my ninth U2 show, having seen my first one in Melbourne in 1993.

Then the 2010 North American tour was canceled and we added another year to the wait.

But that wasn't all the waiting I did for the show! The day before the concert, I went down to the stadium to get myself a number from the fans who were watching over the line-up. Since I heard about the number scheme kind of late into the process, I ended up at #97. It was higher than I wanted but it is worth remembering that I was #97 in line for a show with 60,000 tickets sold.

Monday the 11th, I had booked off as a vacation day. At 3:30 AM, I took a taxi back to the stadium, loaded down with a lawn chair, newspapers for reading plus food and drinks for the day. I needed to check in by 4 AM to keep my #97 number. Even at this hour, there were over 100 fans settling in for a day on the pavement. I was there on my own because my regular U2 buddies (brother Ewan and friend Anisa) couldn't get the day away from work to spend in a concert line-up. I guess I am making this all sound pretty dire but it was a fun atmosphere, I swear! There were U2 fans from all over the world (every continent except Antarctica!) so lots of people to meet and chat with.



It was a hot day, up to 32ºC plus humidity and the heat radiating from the concrete. I took it easy, read my newspapers in my lawn chair, applied sun screen, chatted with people, zoned out. I was interviewed by CBC TV about why people feel the need to line up for a concert (nobody saw that except Meghan, I hope!). At 1 PM, we got wrist bands from the security team and our line-up numbers were re-assigned due to some people not showing up. I was upgraded to #79! My goal was to get myself to the front rail right up against the stage. I had never been able to get right on the rail although I'd been one or two people back several times before. The fact that I was on my own would make it easier to get there, I reasoned. I thought this may well be the last chance I have to be 'on the rail'. Who knows what the format will be if there is another U2 tour? Maybe I won't have the same freedom to spend a day waiting like I did this time? I figured that this year, I would be all in.



A little after 5 PM, the gates opened at last and we started going into the stadium. I ran down the stairs to the stadium floor as fast as I could given the crowds around me. When I got to the grass of the baseball outfield, I broke into a sprint and I was able to overtake a number of people. These are the critical moments that decide your positioning around the stage. We then had to run around the side of The Claw and under the circular ramp. From that point, I looked for an open spot on the rail. And I found one! It felt amazing to be right at the front for this amazing spectacle!



I happened to end up beside notable Toronto U2 enthusiast U2BROTHR, he of the mirrorball hard hat.



The dome of the stadium had been closed all day because there was the threat of a thunderstorm.



Everyone was hoping the roof would be opened because the sound would be much better and because the lights of the CN Tower would be adding to the show. A little before the opening act started, the roof was opened up and everyone cheered! It was going to be a clear night!



By 9 PM (a good 15 hours since I'd lined up), U2 was on the stage. The first song was 'Even Better Than The Real Thing': the familiar guitar riff had an extra note which gave it a super-charged quality. Standing right up against the bank of speakers as I was, each bass note made my heart bump and my rib cage rattle. You'll experience the music at a deeper level if you're right up front.




The Globe & Mail had good things to say about the night. At dusk, the bright, full moon was set just above the rim of the stadium as Bono sang, "Johnny, take a walk with your sister the moon, let her pale light in to fill up your room". It was kind of perfect.

I won't go into a song-by-song review of the show. I was thrilled, however, to hear a couple of my favourite U2 songs performed for the first time in my experiences. Zooropa was the big delight for me. I had successfully avoided set-list spoilers (yes, even concert tours have spoilers now!) so I was not expecting it. Bono sang this one song quite flatly that night, I thought, without the teasing manner from the recording, but the instrumentals and lights were great.



I was also really excited to hear 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me' for the first time. This song had an elaborate staging involving dry ice generators being wielded by two men in gas masks. It must have looked better from a distance because from my position, the effect was lost. Here is how this would have appeared from a normal vantage point.



Although I saw three shows from this same tour in 2009, it was worth seeing the show again in 2011 as there were a number of changes in the program. The set-list was notably different with far fewer of the newer songs being performed. In terms of the special themes touched on during the tour, there was one important development: in 2009, the song 'Walk On' was dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi every night in what was one of the most touching parts of each show. Now, she is a free(r) woman. For 2011, The Lady herself recorded a message to preface 'One'. I thought that was pretty amazing.



I have to say that although the show itself was excellent and I was thrilled to be right at the front, I don't think I'll remember this night as well as some of the other U2 concerts I've been to because I didn't share it with friends or family. Being there with my favourite people makes the biggest difference!