Montreal, Quebec, CanadaWell, we're back in Montreal now. We made it in last night after a very long flight, and were rudely greeted with snow, freezing rain, and ice pellets. Pre-COVID, I used to love winter, I admit the shine has worn off the season for me. I already miss the warm weather and easy freedom of socializing, eating, and living outdoors in relative safety.
The airport arrival process was completely chaotic, thanks to YUL's nonsensical policy of herding people in the arrivals hallway before letting them go through immigration. Despite the fact that the NEXUS terminals were completely empty and we sped through in ten seconds flat, we were forced to wait nearly a half hour in a massive lineup just to access the customs hall. Travelling around the world and seeing how efficiently everything works elsewhere really helps underscore how ridiculously inefficient everything is here. Thanks, Montreal, it's always good to know that not much changes around here. Quebec sait faire.
Ryan's parents were kind enough to pick us up at the airport and give us a lift home. They also picked up some groceries for us, giving us the luxury to just hibernate today. It's lovely to have a couple of recovery days before going back to work.
Southeast Asia reflections
As I sit here wrapped in blankets, paying the bills and catching up on emails while watching the snow fall outside my window, I can't help but reflect on these past four weeks.
It's been a heck of a honeymoon, a long trip for me by recent standards, and Ryan's longest time ever away from home at once. In many ways, it was a trip where nearly everything went right. Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos are some of the most travel-friendly countries in the world, easy to navigate, inviting, friendly, safe, inexpensive, full of good food and lovely people and amazing sights. In many ways, it was the perfect honeymoon destination for us, and the best possible region to explore for Ryan's first time out of North America or Europe.
In other ways, the trip did test us a bit. We both had bouts of stomach illness, lack of sleep, or moments when we were grumpy or hungry or tired. You all get the highlights version of our travels on this blog; you don't always hear about the ups and downs of the daily grind. It did prove to me, though, what I already knew: I have the best possible travel partner and life partner in Ryan. He complements me so well and supports me through everything and I'm a very lucky woman indeed.
It's good to be home, of course, sleeping in my own bed, not living out of a backpack anymore, and enjoying the simple pleasures like eating raw green vegetables or brushing my teeth with tap water. I do enjoy the fact that Montreal has actual sidewalks (when they're ploughed, that is). It's nice to be able to walk around without having to skirt hoards of motorbikes. And, as much as I enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle that the warm weather afforded us, I don't think I could deal with Southeast Asia's weather year-round. We visited in their coolest, driest season on purpose, and even then, I found Cambodia and Southern Thailand so hot as to be nearly unbearable. If that's what Phuket is like in December, I can't even imagine it in June.
But, inevitably, I return from every trip having learned something new. I sincerely believe that every country, society, and culture in the world has things to teach us, if we're open to them, and Southeast Asia is definitely no exception.
So, with that in mind, here are my Southeast Asia top 5 takeaways:
1. Night markets. Proper ones; not Montreal's overpriced, overcrowded attempts a few nights a year. No, a good night market exists year-round (or, in our climate, at least the whole summer) and has an abundance of cheap eats, market stalls selling, and easy access for anyone and everyone. Live music is an added bonus.
2. Openness to different cultures. Which is not to say that there aren't issues with racism or xenophobia there, too. Of course there are; it's a universal problem. But the way that cities like Bangkok or Phnom Penh are open to the world, the way Chiang Mai has become a multicultural hub for digital nomads, how mosques, temples, and churches exist side-by-side in Phuket, or even how Laos has (more or less) managed to combine their version of Communism with respect for Buddhist tradition, all can show us that being open usually leads to good things.
3. Life on the river. If you have cities built along a river, why not take advantage of this? Partly because of climate, partly because of culture, we in Montreal take our river access a bit for granted. In comparison, Bangkok has a wonderful public transit system of riverboats along the Chao Phraya; Phnom Penh runs nightly sunset cruises and has fireworks, night market areas, and riverfront concerts; sleepy Luang Prabang lives its entire life on the Mekong. Floating markets abound all through the region. I feel like we could do so much more with our water access, especially in the summer months here.
4. Mask-wearing culture. This is particularly apparent now due to COVID, but that the culture of wearing a mask if you're ill or in a crowded area far predates this particular pandemic in Southeast Asia. In Bangkok, every single person on the skytrain was masked. Everyone. Contrast this to Paris, or Montreal, or really most of the western world, where masks became inexplicably politicized by the far-right and, consequently, nobody seems to feel a responsibility to protect one another. For Ryan and I, there was so much more freedom in Southeast Asia due to the fact that people respect each other by masking up.
5. Slow it down. Our stress levels could all really learn from the much slower pace of life in Southeast Asia, where patience is a virtue and everything happens in its own good time. Cambodia is pretty chill; Laos even more so. Northern Thailand has fast motorbikes but a slow pace of appreciating life. Even in bustling Bangkok, which hums 24/7 with energy, people don't feel like they're in too much of a hurry to enjoy a good meal or a drink with friends.
Honourable mentions go to the food (cooking everything in a wok, with oil, is awesome), the fashion (Bangkok is especially trendy), the natural beauty and landscapes, and the people. I can't believe it's taken me this long to discover this part of
Southeast Asia, and I definitely hope to get back there one day. It's difficult not to get inspired by the region, and I completely understand why so many people return again and again or decide to make it their home.
So what's next?
Some of you are already asking us that. We've been home for less than 24 hours, so hey, give us time.
But as you know, I never sit still for long. And Ryan definitely has the travel bug now, so it's inevitable that we will be off on more adventures soon.
Joanne
2023-01-13
Thanks for the bonus read. Perfect day to rest up and assimilate…
Cuz L A
2023-01-14
I will definitely pre-order the book you'll be writing shortly. Welcome back Mr & Mrs xo
Chris
2023-03-05
I read your entire trip journal. Thanks for bringing us along vicariously. If a 100 different people went to the same place you'd read 100 different experiences and ups and downs and they'd all be interesting in their own way. In the future I may have to consider some type of story telling to go along with my photos. And yes, I totally agree here on lack of night markets in the west, you sold me on that. And taking advantage of rivers. We have a river right through downtown Nashville and it's basically used for nothing but barges transporting stuff. Well glad you had an incredible honeymoon, way more interesting than the typical 5 days in Hawaii or Cancun most Americans do.