Just a short blog to report that my *bonus* 2 days of quarantine are over. They were probably the most challenging days out of the lot because RobO could go out. Thank goodness he went to the store yesterday and replenished our chocolate supply or neither of us would have lived to tell this tale.
Day 15 – before the rules changed and I could no longer go outside. Day 16 – yep, this evening I pretended that I could make my escape.
All in all, there were many lessons to learn through this experience, and I’m sure many more to come. We could not have done it without the support of friends and family. And, in case I haven’t said it enough times, I truly believe that having a daily routine is critical for wellness.
I have no idea when our next actual travel blog post will be, but hopefully it will be soon than later. Stay safe and healthy.
Today marks the official day 14 of quarantine for us, which gives us our ‘get out of jail free’ card. Except that it doesn’t for me. Last weekend when I had a mild runny nose I called my work health nurse and my time in self isolation was extended to 16 days. I can just picture tomorrow… RobO driving down the road with all of the windows open and the wind blowing his hair while I sit in our tiny house. At least he’ll be able to buy us some chocolate, which has been sorely lacking from our pantry.
We had a good past few days of isolation, as the selfies will show:
Day 10. I can’t even remember anything specific as the days are running together. I’m sure that we went for a walk and were flabbergasted by Tiger King on the TV.Day 11: Another date night which included Skip the Dishes Indian food and virtual games night with friends. It is important to note that the girls won the best of 5 of poker dice!
Day 12’s ‘selfie’ is a special one. We were challenged by Richelle and Doug Thomas to a dance competition. And we delivered. It was a fun activity to break up the morning. Click on the link to check it out.
Day 13: It was a beautiful day for a walk outside, until there were ten billion people out on the path. Look at these amazing food commercial burgers!Bonus Day 13: Family video chat!Day 14: Freedom for RobO, continued jail time for me.
I’ve also had a chance to do some online art classes through the website Skillshare. One that I highly recommend is called Drawing as Self Discovery: 5 Ways to Start.
Might get one more blog out of this time… the DawnO self isolation alone selfies. Get ready for the single tear shot.
This is the next installation of our quarantine blog. There have definitely been some ups and downs in the past 5 days, but for the most part we’ve stayed pretty positive. Here are our daily selfies:
Day 4: Continued deep cleaning of our condo. A special treat was a Honeyco coffee delivery from Doug.Day 5: RobO planned date night – thanks to Leah for the sushi delivery! 108 Sun Salutations to bring in spring, RobO started organizing the school bus drivers to do Food Bank deliveries.Day 6: Weekend days were harder for me as we didn’t have our ‘normal’ routine. A bit more sleep, a bit more tv time, a few more Reese’s pieces.Day 7: Olson Wii challenge. Great news – RobO’s swab was negative, and we reached the halfway point!Day 8: back to ‘work’ for RobO, another grocery delivery (thanks Mom and Dad), I started online art classes, a nightcap before bed.
I can definitely vouch for keeping up a daily routine, as when we let it slide on the weekend the days were definitely longer. It’s been great to continue with our outside walk per day and special choice of which record to listen to.
We’ve seen some positives from all of this chaos – a lot of re-connecting with friends, daily mindfulness and meditation, simplification of life and slowing down.
This is definitely not a normal blog for us. We are on a 14 day self isolation following our return to Canada, but we have decided to document our experience both for our own memories and for entertainment for others.
We have decided to do a ‘daily selfie’ to document our experience.
Day 1 – dusting off the crib board. There were a lot of hours in that first day. Many things on the list were checked off, including cleaning out the fridge. Day 2 – excited for grocery delivery. I had a Skype CHAT news interview for the Quaran-team group I started. Day 3 – RobO was swabbed as he has a sore throat (no other symptoms though). Highlights: Honeyco coffee delivery by a tennis friend, first online yoga class, a group video chat.
So far so good in the Olson house, but we’ll see how the daily selfies progress.
Some OT friends and I have developed a ‘Guide to Wellness While on Self Isolation’. The purpose is to help those in self isolation, so share it with your friends and contacts.
This trip was planned about 8 months ago when we decided to watch the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament. On the evening of March 8 we found out that the tournament was cancelled due to outbreak of Covid-19. We agonized over the decision of whether to go on the trip or not. Based on advice from our amazing doctor, info from our AirBnB host, and current travel advisories we decided to go. What could go wrong with plans to play daily tennis and sit by the pool?
When we arrived on March 11 we were feeling pretty good as we made our way to a local taqueria for dinner.
Yum!Still able to make a joke about Covid-19 at this point…
It was when we got back to our AirBnB that we realized that perhaps we had made a mistake with our travel plans. It was announced that Trump was shutting down all flights from Europe as of March 13.
The next day was torrentially rainy, which didn’t do much for our moods. Unfortunately we were inside most of the day, glued to updates about the virus. The Canadian government instituted a 14 day self isolation for those returning home from all international travel. We tried to change our flights to go home early, but jammed phone lines and chaos prevented this. Thankfully friends hooked us up with back up plans of people who were driving home from the area that we could connect with if flights were cancelled.
Buoyed with a back up plan to get home, we spent the next day exploring Joshua Tree National Park. It was a beautiful setting to help us to relax and clear our heads.
View of the San Andreas fault.New ‘doMy favourite area: The Cholla Cactus garden
The next day was clear skies and beautiful sunshine. We enjoyed playing tennis and sitting by the pool, punctuated with making plans for our upcoming quarantine.
In the end our flights were smooth sailing. When we arrived to the nearly empty YYC we were never so happy to have landed on Canadian soil. One day, when the world has healed, we’d like to see Palm Springs again.
We’ve spent the last few days with a home base of San Miguel de Allende. I had read in my guidebook that there is a large American ex-pat presence here and we saw it first thing when we had organic kombucha at a gringo cafe. Both of us were a bit turned off because we share the same travel philosophy: we like to eat, travel, and experience how the locals do.
Soon enough we found our groove and figured out why San Miguel is a popular spot. It’s colourful buildings and elaborate cathedral have a cozy feel. We had our cameras ready around every corner.
We found the local market and returned every day for chilequile breakfast. It’s basically nachos for breakfast. Yum!
The night views didn’t disappoint either.
One day we decided to take the local bus for a day trip to the UNESCO town of Guanajuato (pronounced “wanna-wuato”). For the first time this trip we didn’t have the magic timing of showing up at the exact time that the bus was about to depart. We were questioning our plan and trying to decide if we should change course, but in the end opted to wait a couple of hours for the bus. Our instincts were right.
We had no idea until we got there that there was a big festival going on for the day of the Virgin Guadalupe. It seemed that every family in town had their kids dressed up like little Juans or Guadalupes. There were photo ops, foods, and a large moving mass of people going to the Templo de Guadalupe. We were definitely glad we went.
When Rocky and I were planning this trip we had a shared notes page where we wrote in the things that we wanted to do. On a whim I put down Lucha Libre, which is Mexican professional wrestling. I tried to look it up for the cities that we were going to but didn’t find any events. I had almost given up when I searched in San Miguel de Allende. What are the chances that there was an event for our last night there? It was fate.
We took an Uber to a suburb of town where I was expecting a colosseum event. Even better, there was a ring set up on the local futbol pitch with cement bleachers and free admission. It started with children showing their skills at their extra-curricular Lucha Libre classes and then, with much anticipation, it was the main event. It brought me back to my childhood Stampede Wrestling events. Jeers from the crowd, terrible acting, and high flying stunts had us belly laughing. My favorite part was trying to translate the commentator and trash talk from the wrestlers and crowd.
What a perfect way to end another incredible Rock-Awn holiday. I’m so glad to have a travel friend who shares my desire for adventure, even if she sometimes books a hotel room without a bathroom door. Hasta la proxima (until next time)!
Our sauna time in Tequisquiapan done, we moved on to the small town of Bernal. It’s in wine and cheese country and is best known for its blue corn tortillas and the ‘Peña’, which is a monolith that is the tallest freestanding rock in the world. We hiked up as far as we could without needing rock climbing gear and soaked in the energy that Mexicans believe eminates from it. Supposedly now we should live to be 100. We enjoyed a well earned Chilada after the climb. Taking the beer and salt into account, maybe we’ll only live until 99.
In the morning we got up before sunrise to see the pink hued Peña bathed in the morning light. As the sun rose a dense fog set in and within 10 minutes we couldn’t even see the rock anymore.
We returned via local bus to Queretaro, where we checked into a new guesthouse. I think I have to point out that Rocky booked this one. Turns out there isn’t a door on the bathroom. I guess you can say that our travel buddy commitment has reached a new level. Here’s the view from my bed:
Today was a day that puts a check mark on a bucket list item and makes my life highlight reel. We travelled about 2.5 hours to El Rosario, which is a sanctuary for the migration of Monarch butterflies. The typical lifespan of a Monarch is 24 days, but they have evolved so that the ones that hatch in Canada in July of each year actually live 8 months! Each September they start their journey south and arrive in the Mexican forests about mid November. They breed and the 2nd to 5th generations are the ones who migrate back, relay style, arriving to Canada in the spring.
As we started the trek into the forest Rocky and I were so excited to take pics of groupings of 5 or so butterflies. The further we climbed the more dense the butterflies got until we were surrounded by millions of them. We actually took a wrong turn and had the surreal experience of just the 2 of us enveloped in a sea of fluttering orange. After our ‘rescue’ by the Mexican guides we were led to the spot where the butterflies are hanging from the trees in huge clumps. It was like nothing I could have imagined.
Is it good luck if one lands on your head? Has to be!
We have a few days and more adventures planned, so stay tuned.
I know it’s surprising that I have any vacation time left, but I actually have more than I need right now. What better way to spend a few days than heading to Central Mexico with RockyB. We landed in the city of Queretaro and hit the ground running. We wandered the colonial city in the daytime and under the glow of their Christmas decorations in the evening.
Kind of looks like dog??
We really liked the aqueduct, until an Uber driver showed us a video of someone committing suicide off of it. It was awful.
We were surprised to see an ice rink. I don’t know how they keep it cool when it was still 15 degrees in the evening.
On the morning of day 2 we took a tour to a nearby pyramid called El Cerrito. It was interesting to hear the history from a local and then see how it ties in with a Virgin Mary statue in a nearby church.
We followed a great local tip and visited a craft brewery, then worked off the cervezas with a rousing ping pong match. On the walk home we happened upon a colourful local parade.
This morning we took a series of local buses to a neighbouring town of Tequisquiapan, which has a monument in the geographical centre of the country.
Our reason for coming here was a Temezcal that I found online. Basically this is an Aztec sauna that uses more than 50 herbs and spices for purification. I know it sounds pretty sketchy to take a local bus to a Mexican backyard, but it was worth it.
It started with us sitting inside the sauna (wearing swimsuits) with herbs all over the ground and a clay jug filled with water, cinnamon, and lemon leaves. They added red hot rocks until the water was boiling, then added a natural Mexican sugar. We drank this throughout the rest of the process. Then they added hot rocks to the sauna. We had water with a variety of herbs that we would splash onto the rocks to intensify the heat. We had fresh aloe Vera leaves to rub all over our bodies and hair. Every 15 minutes we would climb out and they would pour cold water over us (the first time was a pretty rude shock). After a couple of rounds we were given different herbs to smell. At one point when I was feeling a little woozy I got an extra surprise douse of cold water and he was pressing on a spot on my wrist. Maybe the hope was that the pain would distract me?! When we were finished we changed and were served fresh fruits, yogurt, and granola. I felt pretty relaxed and cleansed.
Otherwise we’ve been getting our fill of Mexican food and I’m killing it with my Spanish in this relatively tourist free area.
So far it’s been another fab chapter in the Rock-Awn travels. Can’t wait for some of the stuff we have planned in the next few days.
RobO has only added a handful of items to our ever-growing bucket list. The city of Bruges was one such item, which he learned about via the film ‘In Bruges’. Though I hadn’t seen the movie (until we watched it at our guesthouse ‘in Bruges’), a couple of photos was enough to motivate me to help check it off of the list.
A fun fact is that throughout the movie one of the main characters repeatedly calls Bruges a fu€kin’ $hit hole. Our Air BnB hosts told us that they were sitting next to the mayor at the movie premiere and that he was so mad. They were looking forward to telling him that almost 10 years later the film is still drumming up tourists!
The film character couldn’t have been more wrong about Bruges. It’s been called ‘ the Venice of the North’ because of it’s canals. It reminds me a lot of all of the things I love about Amsterdam (bikes, beers, canal boats) but feels really cozy. Like the same warm feelings that you get when smelling fresh chocolate chip cookies at Grandma’s house or drinking a glass of port while sitting beside a fireplace. You know what I mean. Add in some Belgian waffles and frites and BOOM.
We enjoyed our climb up the belfry tower, where we got to see and hear the organist playing some amazing tunes with the bells (including the Game of Thrones theme song!).
We made good use of our Air BnB bikes to explore all of old town.
During the 3 days we were there we experienced a record breaking heat wave, where temperatures reached more than 40 degrees. Unlike back home, most places in Europe do not have air conditioning, so we took to the local canal swimming hole to cool off. Anyone who knows me will know that it had to be insanely hot for me to even consider getting wet!
I don’t even think we could say we were in Belgium without having waffles, frites, and beers.
We then took a train to the capital city of Brussels. We spent our first afternoon exploring, knowing that our weather luck (if a 40 degree heat wave is lucky) was coming to an end.
Though it might sound strange, one of the things on my list here was to visit the Mannekin Pis fountain. It evokes a feeling of nostalgia as I grew up with a small replica of this statue in the downstairs bathroom of my parents’ house (a souvineer from their first trip to Europe). I’m sure they’ll be pleased to see that in the 40+ years since a whole family of statues has emerged.
We were ready for a break from the heat, but not a full day of jungle rain! We made the most of it with a visit to the Atomium, which was built for Expo 1958.
Merci for a great few days, Belgium. Now we’re flying northeast for a few days in Copenhagen.
My first impression of the island of Fuerteventura is that it is like a planet from Star Wars. It’s almost like a big barren gravel pit, dotted with the odd building. My home base is the sleepy town of Puerto del Rosario, which has black lava rock beaches and a couple of white sand spots.
I quickly got the hang of the guagua system (local buses, pronounced ‘wah-wah’) and spent my next couple of days heading to other parts of the island. One day I went to the most northern town called Corralejo, which looks like a typical resort town filled with tourists, tacky gift shops, and bars. For the morning I did an inland hike into the deserted mountain areas.
I thought that there were no animals around until I stopped walking to take a picture. Within seconds I was surrounded by these freaky little ground squirrels who were not afraid of me at all. I’m pretty sure that they would have climbed up my legs if I gave them the chance.
That afternoon I took a ferry to the small protected island of Isla de Lobos. There is a trail to hike around almost the circumference of the island, including up it’s one mountain. As you can see, there is not any shade on the entire island, so it was a hot and exhausting adventure.
Another day I went to a town called El Cotillo, which is known for it’s surfing beaches. I spent a bit of time walking the beach but I also walked inland into the middle of nowhere where a guy has built a huge labyrinth. According to the Internet it’s about 3kms of walking to get to the centre (though I would dispute this as it took much less time than that). It was an interesting, meditative experience.
Here’s a photo from above that I found online:
I also checked one of the more ridiculous items off of my bucket list.
Then I headed south of the island to the ferry terminal, where there’s also a turtle rehab centre.
The 2 hour ferry to Gran Canarias seemed like it transported me to another world. This island is so much more lush, green, and populated. I had a couple of days to explore and hike.
Now I’m getting ready to start my journey back to Canada. I have a weekend with my OT girlfriends before Rob takes me home for a haircut and 6 weeks of pretend retirement. See you at the tennis club!
