Camping is the act of pulling away from pretty well every aspect of our everyday lives, and trying to live as minimally as possible. For some it’s easy, for others it’s harder. It’s a task that one has to undergo without the fear of getting dirty, of waking up with flies buzzing around or of living in a nylon tent. However, it’s also a task, where one may discover, the most beautiful of sunsets, a connectivity to nature they haven’t experienced in months, and the most serene calm that comes over one while sitting besides a fire.

This past week I have had the delight of going camping in upper New York State, near a town called Ogdensburg. Ogdensburg is a sleepy town with a lot of agriculture, and a surprising population of Amish people. After traveling throughout the summer and experiencing the highs and lows of seeing Asia, it was nice to do as simple of a task as camping. Our campground wasn’t exactly private, but it was on the St. Lawrence Seaway, which, allowed us to see giant ships and beautiful sunsets every night.

One of my favourite activities while we were camping was fishing. I never had much of the opportunity to fish in the past and my first time really fishing was last summer in Lake Ontario. I have an old family friend who is an expert fisherman, and he brought me out on a boat to show me the ropes, landing me with half a dozen perch by the end of the day. This year I experienced fishing on a dock, while an authoritative seven year old told me what I was doing right or wrong, as well as fishing on a motorboat. I’m proud to say, I ended up catching sixteen fish, all sunfish and perch. However, not having the mind to kill anything, all of the fish I caught were via the “catch and release” method. It’s more the matter of catching something than eating it for me, and at the end of the day the fish below me were fed my bucket of worms.

Riding the motorboat itself, as well as driving it, was exhilaration in itself. There’s something about hearing the humming of an engine and looking back to see v-shaped waves that is blissful. There’s something about seeing Canadian geese and loons launch themselves into the air or under the water while riding swiftly by on a boat. Being on the water, it seems like the sky is endless, and the longer I was on the boat the more the sky changed shape.

My other favourite part about camping is the campfire, a very essential part of camping. This camping trip, we used firewood as the main contributor to our fire. As each piece of wood was added, the fire devoured it, first slowly, and later rapidly. Eventually, night after night, our fire became a roaring beast of yellows and reds. We also had the delight of discovering a powdered “fire changer”, or rather copper and other powdered metals. When we poured the metals onto the fire it changed beautiful colours of light blue and a magnificent green. The trick was to make sure the metals reached the embers of the fire, as they were the hottest. Of course I roasted some marshmallows too, as is tradition with camping. I’m the type of person who likes to catch their marshmallows on fire and blow them out until they become a gooey mess. Sitting by the fire and feeling its warmth while listening to old time jazz from CBC radio (Canada’s version of NPR) was total bliss.

 I enjoyed camping; it was a good break from society, a good shift from traveling Asia and a good way to end the summer before school starts. Camping is a thing I think we should all do time and time again, it’s important to experience the beauty of the world, and it’s important to take a break from everything once in awhile, even computers.

 Until next time,

 - Leia

Driving in Los Angeles

I remember at one point while I was in Thailand someone told me “When you get back, all of this will feel like a dream”. Well, it’s true. The good and the bad have blended into a hazy dreamlike thing of “Was I really in Thailand?” Even still, some evident factors remain that I have been somewhere else and I have experienced mild reverse culture shock. It surprisingly hasn’t hit me too badly as of yet.

Benjamin and I’s friend and musician Kevin

When I first arrived at the Los Angeles airport (LAX) and began to go through customs I found myself resisting the urge to wai and say “sah wah di kah” (hello) to the airport security. I found myself having to force myself not to smile at everyone I saw or met. Most of all, I found myself absolutely exhausted by everything. When we passed security and went to grab our bags I noticed feeling comfort by looking at Thai people with white string around their arms or Buddhist amulets. For me they were a piece of Thailand and a piece of comfort in this now alien airport.

Balboa Park

We exited the airport and made our way to our destination. I found myself drawn to the empty looking streets of Los Angeles as we drove. The streets were wider than I remembered them, the sidewalks more empty. I thought about how silly it was for a street to be so wide. In Thailand dozens of motorcycles are constantly driving past as you walk down the sidewalk and vendors surround you on every street. It was strange seeing a place with no one around.

Balboa Park

I remember waking up in the middle of the night, sitting bleary eyed and wondering where I was and then waking up to the morning light of Los Angeles. It took me a few minutes to adjust to my new now unfamiliar surroundings. Being here is certainly different than being in Southeast Asia. We met up with a friend of ours and went to an Indian grocery store. He recounted how different he found Los Angeles after being in New York City for a month; how he realized how much LA wasn’t built for walking, without sidewalks and big gaping streets. We drove into Balboa Park and sat watching ducks while we ate samosas. I couldn’t help but notice how many tiny dogs there are in LA as people walked by. We watched runners in groups and old men fishing at a lake in front of us. The whole time I was thinking what a stereotypical American park it was; picturesque, runners, dogs, and kites flying in the background.

A man I met in a small Thai village

Even now that another day has passed I am finding it harder and harder to encompass the idea that I was in Thailand. That it wasn’t part of my imagination or a lengthy dream. I can look at the white string around my wrist that was placed in blessing or the fact that I leave my shoes outside of houses as evidence that I really went, that it really happened. I am now faced with the inevitability of jet lag, a more intense one than I have ever faced before. I find myself staying up until three, waking up at four and again at 11:30 only to have to take a nap for three hours at 12:30. So I apologize for any incoherency.

Benjamin playing banjo

We’ll arrive back in Ottawa in a few days from now and in a few weeks my life will re-assume studying, buying groceries and scheduled dinners. I find myself incredibly lucky that I was granted this opportunity and even now, in Los Angeles I can’t help but dream about what my future excursions will bring.

- Leia Atkinson

When we first arrived in Koh Samui, I was immediately drawn towards the ocean. The waves twinkled in an aqua-coloured blue and the sea seemed to stretch until the end of the world. Best of all, almost no people were to be seen, it was as if we found our own piece of paradise. When I stepped onto the sand barefooted, I found the sand to be rough; more tiny rocks than finely grained. The rocks on our beach in Koh Samui had not met intense waves or herds of tourists. When we walked into the ocean we found the water pleasantly warm, kind of like walking into a giant bathtub, with a clear never-ending sky and tiny fish swimming around us. Even still, sharp rocks were found at the bottom of the ocean and when we got out we discovered tiny cuts upon our feet.

Yesterday, I went swimming in Malibu, California. I have been to California many times in the past year and and although much of that time was spent walking on the shore of the ocean, or admiring it from afar, I had never swam in that edge of the Pacific until yesterday. After driving for forty-five minutes or so we found ourselves on the shores of Malibu. I looked towards the distance to see the twelve-foot crystal waves crashing upon each other. The waves were frightening and beautiful to me after seeing the gentle tumbles of Koh Samui. After I changed we trudged to the shore of the ocean. The sand felt smooth, soft and warm beneath my feet; a contrast to the sands of Koh Samui.

The beach was full of people enjoying the beautiful weather. Children surfed on the smaller waves with boards and many people lay sunbathing underneath candy coloured umbrellas. When I first put my toe into the water it felt like ice, a contrast to the swelteringly hot weather of the air. I walked further in and felt shells and rocks on the earth below. Waves took me by surprise as they hit me on my back and off of my feet. With each lash came a smooth undertow, as the water retreated to lash again with the lull of a fifteen foot smooth wave. I stayed in the water for at least a half hour feeling one with nature and exhilarated by the cold water.

After we left the beach we went to a nearby diner called “Neptune’s Net”; a place frequented by motorcycle gangs and famous for its clam chowder. I watched eccentric people walk in and out of the restaurant and waited for my order of fish and chips. On the wall behind us was a net with plastic fish intertwined between it and a sign proclaiming “Southern California”, with a painted blonde woman in a bikini at a beach. Various sayings were taped around the walls and instead of a tip jar, there was a “karma jar”, which I thought was clever. The fish and chips were lovely, crispy, lemony and drowned in vinegar (my personal preference).

If you ever head to Southern California, going to the beach is inevitable and quite enjoyable. With perfect temperatures, many seafood dining restaurants, and the beautiful waves it’s a lovely place to be.

- Leia

Jamba Juice is the quintessential fruit smoothie place in America, or what I’ve found so far. The first time I had Jamba Juice was last summer after hearing Benjamin rant and rave over it for a few months. What’s cool about Jamba Juice is, where it boasts its fresh ingredients like a lot of other smoothy places, it’s ingredients are actually fresh. It has a pretty interesting combination of drinks too, adding selections like Chillicious Chai last year. My current favourite drink though is Orange Dream Machine that tastes kind of like Creamsicles.

It also offers a lot of pretty delicious food. I remember last February, Benjamin and I went to New York City for reading week and there was a Jamba Juice a couple blocks away from where we were staying in Chelsea. Pretty much every morning we would walk over there and I’d get porridge with brown sugar and berries; I’m a sucker for porridge. You can also get different wraps there, yogurts and white popcorn. Jamba Juice is a really delicious place and if you’re ever somewhere near one you should check it out. 

Pinkberry

If you ever go to Southern California one thing you’ll notice is the mass amount of frozen yogurt places. I’ve been to a couple before, mostly this one place called “Menchies”. Yesterday though, Benjamin and I got to check out another chain called Pinkberry. One thing I found about Pinkberry was that it was positively adorable. When we walked in we didn’t really know what we were doing. Fortunately for us, the staff was incredibly friendly and approachable with a mass sampling policy. We ended up getting a mix of the Pinkberry original flavour (a kind of sweet and tangy vanilla yogurt) and pomegranate. They also had a lot of different toppings to choose from, some of them being pretty strange.

One of the topping options was a boba style pearl of either mango or strawberry, with a kind of indescribable texture. They also had strawberry coated pop-rocks. Other options included various cereals, chocolates and fresh fruit like Brazilian watermelon (that just so happens to be yellow). I decided to mention Pinkberry because frozen yogurt is a thing that seems to come up a lot in life in Southern California. I also decided to mention it because we had excellent service and it turned out to be pretty good. 

Benjamin and I’s concoction

We’ll keep you updated on Thailand and wish us luck for the flight tomorrow. Talk to you all soon,

- Leia Atkinson

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Some pictures I took while driving in the Topanga Canyon area.

So, we’re off to Thailand tomorrow night; a straight flight from LA to Bangkok. I decided it’d be kind of neat to show you guys some of the delicious eats in L.A. Los Angeles for me is a foodie’s paradise, you can get any type of food imaginable from In-and-Out Burger to high scale Moroccan dining. So, here’s a few places that I’ve had the pleasure to check out in the past couple days here in L.A. 

Lum Ka Naad: Northern and Southern Thai Food

8910 Reseda Blvd, Northridge C.A. 91324

http://www.lumkanaad.com/

Lum Ka Naad is a restaurant that I was introduced to on my first visit to Los Angeles last summer. Benjamin’s family is friends with the staff as well as regulars at the restaurant. It is definitely super delicious. Lum Ka Naad offers a wide array of Thai food, from pad-thai to Northern Thailand’s “lap kai”. It is also a really good place to go to experience Thai food. Going to a Thai restaurant is a little different from going to western styled dining such as Italian or Irish Pub food. Many of the meals are eaten in a more communal style; which is actually pretty neat. Everyone orders something that they’re interested in, as well as perhaps some white rice or sticky rice and shares everything out. Sticky rice is a Thai form of rice that is served hot and often used to grab other food, such as curry, or soak up spices. 

Sticky Rice and Thai Iced Tea

I like this style of dining because it’s pretty intimate and it’s nice to be able to try a little bit of everything. Lum Ka Naad is also awesome because it has a Thai drink called “Thai Iced Tea” that proves to be impossible to find in Ottawa. Thai Iced Tea is an orange drink with a mass amount of flavour. Benjamin and I have been trying to find a perfect recipe for it for a long time. It consists of black tea, a multitude of spices (star anise, cardamon, and ground tamarind to name a few), as well as condensed milk. If you ever get the chance to drink this I definitely recommend it. 

Chicken Satay and Lap Kai in that order

Mango and Sticky Rice

When we went to Lum Ka Naad the other day Benjamin and I ordered Thai Iced Tea. As for food we and the family ordered many things on the menu, unfortunately I didn’t get pictures of everything. Lap kai, is a Northern Thai ground chicken dish. It also, is packed with flavour through ingredients such as dried chilis, fish sauce and shallots. Lap kai is one of my favourite Thai dishes and I find every time I have it its a little different. However, Lum Ka Naad does a pretty stellar job with it. We also ordered chicken satay, which is a chicken skewer that is covered in a delicious peanut sauce. For desert we had the delightful and consistently delicious mango and sticky rice; a sweet and delightful dish that combats the spiciness of main dishes. Definitely check out Lum Ka Naad if you happen to be in the San Fernando Valley and are craving Thai food. 

Saffron: “A new approach to Indian food”

230 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, C.A. 90212

http://saffronindia.com/#/saffron–home/

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Benjamin and I were introduced to this little place yesterday by a friend and were pleasantly surprised. Saffron takes the concept of fine dining Indian food and transforms it into cafe style; but without losing quality and maintaining low prices. All in all a pretty fantastic deal. It has a select amount of different dishes you can buy such as chicken tikka masala, channa masala and aloo gobi. Along with that you can get hot or cold chai tea, mango lassis and the oh so wonderful garlic naan bread. Benjamin and I got chicken curry, aloo gobi (a cauliflower and potato dish), two garlic naans and mango lassis for around twenty dollars. That is a ridiculous bargain as going for Indian food tends to be really expensive. 

Aloo gobi, Mango Lassi and Tandoori Chicken Salad in the background

Another cool thing about this place was that there was a little spices bar as shown above and all good quality stuff. It’s pretty great to be able to grab some fresh lemon and mango chutney to slather over your food (in the best way possible). Saffron is a really lovely place in the heart of Beverly Hills, with friendly staff, chic decor and excellent prices. 

- Leia Atkinson

Walking to the buses in Chatsworth, California

Hey guys, we got here three days ago and have been pretty busy with time difference and catching up with family. Yesterday was Independence Day but unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to bring my camera into the Hollywood Bowl. They have a policy that we weren’t aware of about cameras with detachable lenses. Benjamin will probably talk more about that later today. It’s really nice to be back here, the weather is beautiful, the food is great, and it’s lovely to see family again. We fly off to Bangkok on Friday but not until late at night so we’ll get more posts then. We should also be able to get some test footage from LA up here either today or tomorrow. I think tomorrow we’re going to go to a few museums (the Natural History, Science and maybe LACMA) so we can probably write about that. Either way! I apologize for the lack of updates and we’ll be sure to update more soon.

The photo from above was taken yesterday in Chatsworth, California. We were walking to the buses we had to take to get to the Hollywood Bowl for Independence Day celebrations. Chatsworth is a really beautiful area, you look at benches to see pictures of cowboy boots and you look at the skyline to see sand-coloured rolling hills. It really gave me the feeling of the wild west. 

This one got a strangely exposed, I was still in the midst of adjusting the camera.

We’ll see you soon, hopefully with some new video.

Cheers, 

- Leia

I’d like to take some time to share something that is very dear and personal to me. It’s something that I’ve been musing about on this stormy day here in Ottawa, with my trip to Thailand looming ever closer. 

My childhood. 

When I was very young, I lived in two very different worlds

I had what most would consider a “normal” childhood, by North American standards, but when I look back at that distant time, I find myself unable to recall any vivid memories of my younger years living on the West Coast. 

It’s the memories of bustling Southeast Asian airports, and dusty rural roads surrounded by old teak houses. Memories of being bathed outside in a large bucket of boiled water during the humid nights. I remember being surrounded by mosquito netting while I listen to the hum of insects and frogs, lulling my young child-mind to sleep. 

This is how I remember growing up, and when I returned to my home in Los Angeles, I found myself sometimes not being able to relate to other children. Growing up in the district of Woodland Hills, in comparison to a world of bizarre exotic fruits and elephants, how does a child relate to another of the strange, yet wondrous world that only I seemed to knew. 

It’s been four years since I’ve been to Thailand.

I want to recreate that childlike view of the world. To show you what I’ve seen, and what I have yet to. 

I hope through my filming to come, I can guide you through the faraway lands of Elsewhere.

Like I was as a child. 

- Benjamin Sperling

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All photo credits to Dave Sperling. I can never give enough thanks to him.