Quarantine Life

How is everyone holding up? We just finished week five of quarantine life. Maggie has been keeping busy at the condo.

She has been trying lots of new cookie recipes, including this one for buckwheat chocolate cookies from Bon Appetit.

She has also been reading books. Dear Girls is the last book we got from the library before it shut down because of COVID-19.

Every now and then she watches movies on Netflix. Shout out to Chris for adding us to your account!

She waters our plants.

And she takes afternoon naps with B.

Stay happy and healthy!

Stay Safe!

Hi friends. We hope you are in good spirits and good health.

We've been staying home for the past month, only going out for necessities. B's mum made us fabric face masks for our weekly grocery run. Even in times of crisis, we represent our favourite basketball team - the Toronto Raptors.

Please stay safe and take care!

Snapshots from Lima

Hola one more time! Our layover in Lima was a quick one. We tried to maximize it by visiting some historic sites, markets, and funky neighbourhoods. We didn't take many photos since the day was hot and sticky. We started our adventures at Huaca Pucllana, runis in the heart of Miraflores.

This site predates Inca times, and used to serve as an important ceremonial and administrative centre.

We spent most of the afternoon strolling by the waterfront, eating ice cream, and wandering through Barranco. There was lots of street art there. This bear appeared several times.

We capped off our day at Central. It was a once in a lifetime dining experience. My credit card is hurting because of it, but it was worth it!

We hope the new decade is off a great start for you all! Sending good vibes and lots of love to our pals near and far!

Inca Highlights (and More)

Hola again! We did a day trip to Machu Picchu, a must if you're visiting Peru. Luckily the weather cooperated with us. It rained a lot the evening before. The views were stunning at every angle. This is Bernie and Dumbo from the Sun Gate.

We did a side trek to see the "secret entrance" to Machu Picchu. It is a very narrow Inca bridge, with a wood plank connecting the two sides of the path. Could you imagine crossing that bridge back in the day? Yikes!

We saw llamas, alcapas, and sheep on many of our hikes. These did not seem phased by all of the humans out and about.

On our fourth day, we did an 18 kilometre hike, which was super tiring but also very rewarding, since we saw everything - hills, lakes, valleys, canyons, waterfalls, Inca terraces, etc. Here, Bernie and Dumbo are enjoying a picnic lunch.

The hike ended at Huchuy Qosqo. It is not visited by many tourists. We didn't see any when we were there.

Explora knew B and I were celebrating a special occasion. Bernie and Dumbo helped us finish the chocolate covered strawberries.

On our final day, we hiked to Moray. We took a local path, which offered unique views of the famous archaeological site.

These ruins are still standing, despite being hundreds of years old.

Our stay at Explora was phenomenal! We would love to go back one day, perhaps with other friends so they can enjoy the experience as well.

Next stop, Lima!

Exploring the Sacred Valley

Hola! Bernie and Dumbo represented the friends on our most recent international adventure. We spent five glorious days at Explora in the Sacred Valley. Our room had a beautiful view of corn fields and mountains. 

It also had a very comfortable (and quite possibly the largest) bed. We had a great sleep every night we were there.

The meals at Explora were five stars. We loved ordering quinoa pancakes for breakfast.

On our first full day at Explora, we did two hikes. Here, the friends are taking a wee break mid-hike.

The first hike ended at Pumamarca, a hillside fortress that once guarded the entrance to the Sacred Valley.

In the afternoon, we visited the Salineras in Maras. Salt has been extracted from these 5,000 salt pools since Inca times.

On our second day, we did a hike to see five lagoons. This is Bernie and Dumbo at the highest point of our hike, at 14,295 feet above sea level.

More snaps to come!

Home for the Holidays

Mr. Ji and Buddy moved back home from Boston with B, just in time for the holidays.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a very happy 2020!

Clem's New Bling

Clementine is not the biggest basketball fan but she is a fan of bling! B and I went to the Raptors home opener last night. We received replica championship rings to commemorate the 2018-19 season. The ring was too heavy for Clementine's hand. It fits her foot though. And she hasn't taken it off yet!

Snug!

B and I attended a wedding in Ottawa this past weekend. We were out and about during the day but Trev preferred to stay at the hotel and snug instead. How can I blame him? The bed was huge!

Oahu: Taste of Island Life

While in Oahu, we ate delicious food! Loco moco is a local staple. It is a hamburger patty over rice, with gravy and a fried egg. The Mins really liked the one we had at the Fish Hook Cafe.

And though not from Hawaii, we tried the famous Lady M crepe cake for the first time.

While driving around the island with our rental car, we made sure to go to Giovanni's. So many people told us it was a "must do", so we had to check it out.

The garlic scampi did not disappoint! Luckily we went for a very late lunch so the line was not as long as we anticipated.

We tried shaved ice at a few places, but Matsumoto was the best, hands down. The Mins had the tropical combo - lilikoi, guava, and pineapple.

There is a lot of Japanese tourists so the Japanese food in Waikiki was plentiful. If you're craving udon, we recommend Marukame Udon.

Other places we enjoyed were Zippy's (a Hawaiian fast food chain), Aloha Kitchen (for Japanese souffle pancakes), Momosan (Morimoto's ramen joint), bills (from Australia), Duke's (we were able to watch the sunset over dinner), and Goofy Cafe and Dine (fresh and organic local dishes). Yum!

Oahu: The Gathering Place

After spending five lovely days in Maui, we hopped on a short flight and arrived in Oahu. We spent our first day exploring the area close to our hotel, and met up with relatives for dinner. The Mins enjoyed our very large lanai (a.k.a. balcony) attached to our hotel room. We read there every morning while the rest of the fam was sleeping.

We spent our second day strolling along the beach in Waikiki. We would walk a few blocks, then sit...walk a few more blocks...then grab a bit to eat...walk more, then shop. It was a very leisurely day.

This is the Mins looking out to Diamond Head. He said he returns, he wants to hike it.

On my mum's birthday, we did a tour around the island with our relatives who were also vacationing in Oahu. One stop on the tour was the lookout at Hanauma Bay. It's known as a great place for snorkeling.

We also stopped at the Dole Plantation where I bought some souvenirs and ate Dole whip (soft serve pineapple ice cream). The Mins made a few pineapple friends! His pineapple friends have never met a sasquatch before.

After our tour, we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center for a luau. We saw a show in the evening that featured a lot of fire dancing.

We rented a car to drive around the island to check out other stops that were not on our tour. The windward coast of Oahu was really beautiful.

The mountains looked like they were straight out of Jurassic Park!

Despite the Mins' furry exterior, he did enjoy a decent amount of beach time. Some mornings, the Mins and I did yoga on the beach.

I can see why people like Hawaii so much. So much to see and do!