This is the route Skar is traveling to
Maand: september 2007 (pagina 2 van 2)
Forwarded: Skar wrote this Sept 7 but experienced some technical difficulties in the uploading.
A special treat for my fans… a quick update from an internet cafe in
Yesterday I traveled from
After seeing all the highlights, I sat down and enjoying my barbecued ribs while a Jazz band was performing on stage. Very nice experience.
And now I just checked out of the hotel, gonna wander the streets for a few hours more and then grab a taxi to the airport and get my rental car.
One last note. I really respect you all want to hear more of my personal experiences, but for several reasons that’s not gonna happen:
1) I don’t want to get on internet daily. That wouldn’t feel like holiday, would it?
2) I so much enjoy the way Emma writes and her view on my trip – and the suddle jokes she makes
3) This afternoon I will drive away from Seattle and more into the wild rural mountain areas. So probably less internet cafes there 😉
Byeah!
And some more pictures added from my one day stay at Seattle.
Okay, okay today was REALLY REALLY REALLY, Skar’s first day in the United States of
9:20am PDT “My mind goes complete…†~ Oh my, it happened again. Why on earth….maybe the next SMS will be better.
10:18am PDT “Let’s put the name down on the agenda ;-P But just so you know: I’m in the
10:52 am PDT “After some consideration I’m willing to accept… ~ Aww someone must have appealed to his level headed “nugterness.†I wonder who is winning this argument 😀
11:19 am PDT “And don’t forget about the SA-customs/superpowers! I’m now in
2:09 pm PDT “Wanna know where I’m at? www.piroshkybakery.com Just bought apple cinnamon roll there and enjoying it in the sun. Will call later.†~ SKAR WINS! Game, Match. Point! Click that link, and weep. But only if you believe you can restain your jealousy, Paul. This one almost made me hop on a plane to Seattle.
Jaja, we are missing the info about his glorious last meal in Canada (D3) and today’s post 2:09 pm PDT Seattle adventures codeword: music (D4). So don’t allow Skar to leave his next internet cafe without touching on those topics.
Yeah. I did it. After spending about 2 hours in the internet cafe… while chatting with my baby… I’ve uploaded the first bunch of pictures to Flickr. Watch and enjoy!
To keep the information consistent, I’m gonna write in English too (also a little easier, cuz my mind is now all English-oriented). Or should I say: Canadian?
A certain person asked my reporter Emma for a first hand report. So hereby I will give Emma a break for today. But not before I give her a complement about her first two reports. I think they are awesome! Of course they don’t give a detailed report of my whereabouts and what I’ve done. But I can only talk to her for a couple of minutes and she’s already doing more then I asked for. They show just some highlights and feelings and when I’m back I’ll give everyone a thurhough report of my trip.
I think Emma is doing an outstanding job! And also because I originally wanted to stay clear of the internet for a while. But now I wanted to chat with Emma… so needed to get online and now I could write something too.
Ok, my first impressions in brief:
The flight:
The flight was good. Had to run on Heathrow, because security-check was a pain. OMG… that was horrible and I almost missed my transfer. During my flight to Chicago I got upgraded to a Economy Plus-chair… with more leg-space AND two seats next to each other. So I could even slouch back. The flight from Chicago to Vancouver was less pretty. Originally I had a seat at the window, but luckily a kid wanted to sit at the window and I could swap seats, so I at least had a seat at the aisle. But the flight – probably also because it was my third flight – was too long and not nice. But eventually I arrived at Vancouver Airport (a very nice airport though), the airport was completely abandoned, grabbed my suitcase and went to my hotel with a taxi.
The hotel:
The hotel is nice, clean and has everything needed. Even a coffee-machine (don’t need that, but it does have it). They have about 50 tv-stations… omg… and commercials on them ALL THE TIME! But for the rest, it’s a little further out of the city then I expected. But busses travel here regularly… and they are cheap as hell.
First impressions:
Some tiny first impressions based on the first days in Vancouver. The moment I walked out of my hotel, I noticed all the trafic. OMG… it was awesome! All the big nosed trucks… the American cars… and the honking and the sound of sirens (not as often as I expected though). It’s weird how normal things are special here. A Snickers tasts different, they don’t have paprika-flavoured chips and everything looks so American. I love it!
Vancouver is a great city. It’s big, but doesn’t feel overwhelming or scary. It’s pleasant and I enjoy walking the streets. I do try to fit in a little, by hiding my camera while wandering the streets – but yes… when I see something nice, I take a picture and they mark me as a tourist right away. I don’t think they allow me to upload anything here in this internet cafe (which I btw found by the help of my dear Emma). So you all have to wait for pictures for at least a couple of weeks. I hope I can upload some before that, but can’t promise.
Traveling alone:
It’s weird. Beforehand I expected that I would miss a travel companion, but only when I wanted to take a picture of myself… I needed someone else. For the rest I have Cooper (my MP3-player), my camera and myself. And during the evenings I make short phonecalls to Emma and those I charish a lot!
Things I’ve done:
Ok. Just to sum up the things I’ve done the first two days: traveled half the planet (Amsterdam-London-Chicago-Vancouver), seen all the highlights of Vancouver, visited Stanley Park, GranVille, GasTown, YaleTown and more, took a watertaxi, visited a local market, took a SkyTrain (just like our subway in Amsterdam – part underground, rest above ground), visited a big Mall (called Metropolis, in Metrotown) and visited a movie theater (watched Rush Hour 3). And for the rest of today I’m gonna eat something somewhere and think I’m heading to my hotel early… already completely exhausted and have to pack my stuff – have to leave early tomorrow.
Things I’ve eat:
Ok. Just to sum up some things I’ve eaten these first days: hotdogs, beagle with cream cheese, snickers, chips (with sour cream – blerk!), a donut (plain =Â boring), some subs (little breads) and some airplane food. Didn’t really ate at a restaurant yet. Don’t felt like it either. Maybe tonight? There is a McDonalds next to my hotel, but I refuse to go to one… we have them in NL too… so let’s try to skip those during the next couple of weeks.
So, that’s it for now. Tomorrow morning I’ll travel to Seattle with the Greyhound – very early… at 8:45 (which is 17:45 NL-time). And Emma will keep on tracking my whereabouts and tell you guys.
Bye people. Bye from 616 Seymore Street in Vancouver 😛
Okay today was actually Skar’s REAL REAL first day.
But we will call it Day 2 just to throw off the evil people that are chasing after our precious little nugget of happiness.
‘What evil people?’ you ask. The worst kind! FOREIGN ONES?
‘Come now, how do you know this?’ you protest.
Oh, let me count the ways!
5) When Skar opened his suitcase this morning, the content had been tampered with! Someone managed to crack the top secret code of his suitcase and put their dirty little paws all over his superhero costumes, I mean, brand name t-shirts. But be at piece, all belongings are unscathed.
4) 3-4 friendly strangers offered to take Skar’s picture even though he was working really hard not to act like a tourist. Only people with super spy gadgets would have known he was indeed a tourist hiding his camera on the inside of his new coat! Apparently he only snapped 400 pictures today 🙂
3) He was offered a free ride in the park with an entertaining driver who had a whole bucket of money. My theory? The sneaky bad guys paid a someone bucket of money to distract Skar.
2) Tonight he is tired and his body is aching (a teeny tiny bit). Some may say it is because he spend hours on his feet walking and exploring every nook and cranny of Vancouver. But I say he was nourished enough to overcome any tiredness. After all, he had a snickers bar, donut, hot dog AND bagel today. But here is the thing: these normal dishes ALL tasted foreign. Only one tasted better than what he is use to. Face it, if America is one of the most obesity nations in the word, the food has to be better by at least a 3:1 ratio instead of a 1:3 ratio. Conclusion: the villains are trying to steal Skar’s superpowers!
1) Skar also asked me to forward a hidden message on his blog. He had absolute confidence that the person this message is intended for would understand on account of HIM / her waking up “wiser†this morning: “re mim birr tu al so til ma fa der ha pie birf dy sip tim birr fif.â€
Now, Skar never told me outright that he is in grave danger. But that is because he is brave and confident and enjoying his adventure. Besides any good superhero he would have the sense to be careful to let this adversary know he is onto them.
Volgende Bestemming: ‘bestelwagen-dekking’,’Kan-niets’ (onveranderd)
Okay today was his REAL first day.
AND I got a few crumbs for y’all!
Inside sources reveal: After careful sneaky planning Skar got Mom and Dad exactly where he wanted them: At Schiphol for a leisurely brunch. From the pictures I saw it looked like he needed them both there to push him onto the plane and strap him into his seat cuz he was scared of leaving to go to
Okay, okay, maybe that last point is not EXACTLY accurate. I know eventually his smiling airport pictures will surface 🙂
The source revealed: Skar arrived safely in
Apparently United American force fed him some weird food while he was trapped over international waters too. We did not have enough time to dissect what the breaded wonder could have possibly been, so you will have to ask him about this when you see / chat / talk to him again. All I can deduct is that the dish involved WAY TOO MANY FOOD GROUPS to possibly have tasted good. But don’t worry, Mom, that also means he had at least one healthy meal on his 1 month American vacation.
Next stop:
*puts her little picnic basket down,
and pulls off her little red hooded cape to reveal her face*
Hi, I am the new kid on your block.
Looking forward to playing with you in the rakso woods.
*unfolds a picnic blanket onto the soft grass
and lays out a plate of chewy American chocolate chip cookies*
I also have some freshly squeezed lemonade. Come and sit down. I will tell you all about Skar’s adventures in the WILD WILD American West (and Midwest).
Nog een dag (eigenlijk twee nachtjes, maar officieel is het nu al zondagochtend) en dan vertrek ik naar Amerika en begint het grote avontuur. Alles is gepakt, alle spullen staan klaar en vrijwel alles is geregeld. Hotels, auto, route. Alles staat klaar voor vier weken fun.
Gedurende mijn reis zal ik geregeld met Emma bellen en zij zal dan ook Rakso onderhouden. Dus vanaf maandag zullen de posts in Engels zijn… maar reageren kan gewoon in het Nederlands hoor!
Tot snel!
And now I proudly present: Emma 🙂