The time to pack up and head out is finally upon us, and it can seem a bit overwhelming at times to get things in order. Luckily this is not our first kick at the can of travel, so despite instincts telling me to be anxious, I know that 5 weeks is really not a long time, and most things can be acquired once on the road. So I pulled out my trusty 80 liter backpack that has accompanied me on all my travels, and filled it up with the usual supplies.
This trip required a bit more coordination to get moving, as Tina is in Dallas, I’m in San Francisco, and we were heading to Hong Kong. However, we did have a special stop to make first. Those that know us, know about our special little guy, The Pooh. My sweet little Pomeranian. I like to take good care of my little best pal, so before heading to HK, we will fly into Calgary to visit my sister Marg, and her girlfriend Kat, who will take care of Pooh while we are gone. He will be in good hands, and familiar territory with them, so all parties will be pleased.
I headed out to SFO around 5pm on Friday, and for those that don’t know, that means… traffic. I endured the stop and go, and before I knew it, Pooh and I were at our gate heading off. The little guy has learned to fly in the last year, and loves all the attention that he gets from his fellow jet setters.
Tina had arrived a few hours earlier, which allotted the girls some time to catch up. I came in to town around midnight, and we hit the hay when I got home. We were due to fly out to the next night at 11:30PM to catch a red-eye to Hong Kong, passing quickly through Vancouver.
The next morning, we enjoyed some lazy catch up time with Marg and Kat, and basked in the luxuries of an actual house, with a back patio and yard. I’ve forgotten what this is like sometimes, living in a small, psychotically priced apartment in Redwood City. Marg surprised us with a new lunch location named after the famous Pizza Corner in Halifax, where I had lived for a couple years in university. It is a downtown location in Hali, with a different pizza shop on each corner. Drunken bar goers would spill into the streets to find their fix before sloppily rolling home.
Blowers and Grafton had some iconic Nova Scotia eats, with an authentic Halifax donair, a solid lobster roll, and a delicious donair Pizza. Tina had not had any of these, so it was fun to give her a taste of back home. Sadly, a couple days prior the lead singer of the Tragically Hip, Gord Downie, had succumb to an aggressive brain tumor. The restaurant was playing The Hip all day as a tribute. For the non-Canadians reading, it’s hard to express the magnitude of the Tragically Hip to our culture. It was the real soundtrack to growing up Canadian, and his loss was resonating across the country. I had felt a bit detached from it all, down in SF, but it felt good to be back on home soil, and pay a small tribute to the man who shaped our lives through his lyrics.
The day turned into night, and Kat had arranged a surprise dinner party for Marg. One of her best friends was in town, so they had a nice dinner at the house. Tina and I had a good time, but took some time to pack and rest, as we were coming due for our flight. After some challenging good byes with the Pooh, who never quite understands why we leave him, we were in an Uber and off to the airport. Hopefully we could sleep away a good chunk of the 18 hour journey, and wake up in the far east.
See you in Hong Kong!