Ahh yeah! It’s that time of year again! We’ve done How to Dance Kpop Style for 2008, 2009, 2010, and now, we bring you How to Dance Kpop Style 2011. Sweet!

We asked you to vote for your favourite dances of the year via our Kpop Charts, which we are now using to determine who we will review every week for Kpop Music Monday. We’ve made a full playlist in the video above, so you can watch every video on our list after our review, or, if you want to view them one by one, we’ve outlined them below. Also, check out our reviews for each video, if you haven’t already. Infinite’s “Before the Dawn” was the only one we didn’t review, unfortunately. I wonder why that didn’t get voted in?

Also, as we mentioned in our Teaser for How to Dance Kpop Style 2011, we’re giving out CDs to the top commenters on our Kpop Charts for the Top 3 videos, which, in this case, are Big Bang’s “Tonight,” 2NE1′s “I Am The Best,” and Infinite’s “Before the Dawn”. And so, congrats to NaToTheWak, Eliza Carter, and taecitoff. If you’re one of the winners, please send us an email via our Contact Page using the same email address from your comment, and we’ll mail out your band’s CD ASAP!.

And on that note, here are the top 10 Kpop Videos and Dances of the Year!

10. TVXQ – Keep Your Head Down

Check out our full review of Keep Your Head Down. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

9. Wonder Girls – Be My Baby

Check out our full review of Be My Baby. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

8. Girls’ Generation – The Boys

Check out our full review of The Boys. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

7. MBLAQ – Mona Lisa

Check out our full review of Mona Lisa. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

6. Super Junior – A Cha

Check out our full review of A Cha. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

5. B2ST – Fiction

Check out our full review of Fiction. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

4. U-Kiss – Neverland

Check out our full review of Neverland. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

3. Infinite – Before the Dawn

Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

2. 2NE1 – I Am The Best

Check out our full review of I Am the Best. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

1. Big Bang – Tonight

Check out our full review of Tonight. Buy on iTunes / YesAsia

And, even though it didn’t make it on the list, here’s our favourite dance of the year. Seriously guise! How did this not make it on the list? This dance is so full of win. Go to any Korean club, put this song on, and tell me that everyone isn’t doing this freaking dance and loving it! Ah!

And, lastly, don’t forget to check out our bloopers here:

For the original post on How to Dance Kpop Style 2011, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!

There’s a lot to like about Antigua. It’s charming, clean, relaxed and easy on the eyes. Even better, it has just enough quirks to make things interesting. Here’s a few of my favorites:

The guy who rings the church bells is nuts
I really can’t figure out the church bells here. In Copan de Ruinas the bell would ring once for every hour — when it woke you up at 5 am, you could count the rings and think “I would have liked to have slept for another 4 hours”. That’s useful information.

But here, whoever is working that rope goes at it like he’s having a grand mal seizure. I counted 41 tolls one morning at 9 am. I have no idea what significance that number might hold other than that it’s a prime number. Maybe there’s a Guatemalan Rain Man up there, just marking time until he gets his shot at Vegas.

And there’s something about the mountain air here that plays with the sound levels in weird ways. It sounds something like “ding ding Dang CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG Dang ding ding…” Every time it happens, I wonder if that bunk acid I took back in the 80′s has finally kicked in.

Suck it Naples — we have three volcanoes
It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to build your capital city within the blast radius of three volcanoes, especially after the previous one has been destroyed by a volcanic mudslide. But the Spanish did and it makes for an impressive sight, especially in the morning.

The most active one can be hiked fairly easy, though I didn’t — I have a trick knee and the lava hadn’t been flowing so it didn’t seem worth the limping afterwards. That’s my excuse, at least.

The highest one can be hiked as well but requires a climb of something like 50,000 feet straight up while dodging gunfire from bandits. There’s even an alligator pit. It’s so strenuous I had to stop the tour operator halfway through his description to rest and catch my breath.

Dangerous curves ahead
Now this isn’t specific to Antigua or even Guatemala but after spending over a year in Asia, it’s nice to see women showing off their figures and not immediately thinking “put some clothes on, touron“. And what figures they are — my friend Rich and I spent a week running into lamp posts and falling out of chairs in Honduras before we acclimated. (Don’t tell his wife, Maria, that I said that.)

At breakfast a few mornings ago, a stunningly beautiful woman joined some friends at a nearby table. She was well past fifty yet still wore jeans poured out of a paint can and sported the kind of cleavage you could lose your keys in. God bless her.

Cobblestone streets that don’t kill
The stones they use to pave the streets are small, rounded and well-set, unlike Copan de Ruinas where the streets are paved with only the finest imported rubble. Walking home in the rain at night there is inviting disaster — you may as well pick up a plaster cast on the way.

And why does this matter in Antigua? Sidewalks here easily fit two Guatemalans or one of me. So far my ankles are still intact.

The Maya are anti-giants
They really are a tiny people, on the whole. At six feet, I’m used to being the biggest guy around but I’m a giant here. I wandered into the back of the market one day where people from the surrounding villages had gathered and it felt like I had stumbled into a village of very tanned Hobbits. It took all of my meager willpower to resist sticking my arms out and stomping through the place, shrieking like Godzilla.

Instead, I tried my best to avoid knocking anything over and stay out of the way as they all elbowed each other and tittered amiably at the huge gringo in their midst.

Sayonara to 2011, CHEERS to 2012!

Back in November I prematurely released a post titled Reflections of 2011. At the time I thought that I would be spending the rest of the year home (Nov/Dec) but that all changed once I booked a last minute trip to Nicaragua with my good friend Rob.

I’ve decided that I want to have one post that will summarize all of my travels in 2011, but it won’t be in depth by any means. If you’d like to read more about my 2011 travels, simply click on one of the links that you’re interested in below.

Egypt

Dates: May 7th-27th, 2011

• Welcome Back to Egypt
• Tour of Coptic Cairo and Climbing the Minarets of Bab Zuweila
• Review of Shams Hotel – Dahab, Egypt
• Watching the Sunset at Al-Azhar Park
• From Dirty to Purty: Cairo to Dahab
• Timelapse Video of an Egyptian Sunset
• It’s Good to be Back in Dahab
• Snorkeling Adventures in Dahab

Tampa, Florida

Dates: July 20-26th, 2011

• Welcome to Tampa!
• Busch Gardens Roller Coaster Wrap Up

Las Vegas!

August 19th-23rd, 2011

• Viva Las Vegas!
• Review: Sun Buggy Fun Rentals
• Review: Las Vegas Indoor Skydiving

Six Flags Great Adventure Road Trip

Dates: September 10th-12th, 2011

• End of Summer Road Trip Part I – Lambertville, NJ
• End of Summer Road Trip Part II – Six Flags Great Adventure
• End of Summer Road Trip Part III – Six Flags Wild Safari
• End of Summer Road Trip Part IV – Jersey Shore
• Review: Hampton Inn – East Windsor, NJ

Road Trip to Washington, D.C.

Dates: September 18th-24th, 2011

• Washington D.C. Road Trip Announcement
• DC Road Trip Part I – Welcome back to Lambertville
• DC Road Trip Part II – Hershey, Intercourse and Philly
• DC Road Trip Part III – Qatar Airways Media Event
• DC Road Trip Part IV – Sightseeing in DC
• Review: City Segway Tours Washington, DC
• The Dos and Donts of Washington DC

Anniversary Weekend in Portland, Maine

Dates: November 11th-13th, 2011

• Our Anniversary Stay at Inn by the Sea
• Exploring Portland and Catching a Sunset on Crescent Beach

Nicaragua

Dates: November 20th-December 16th, 2011

• Nicaragua, here we come!
• Packing for Nicaragua
• Welcome to Nicaragua
• Eating Coco on the Streets of Granada
• Exploring Granada Photo Series Part I
• Exploring Granada Photo Series Part II
• How to Exchange Money on the Streets of Nicaragua
• Happy Thanksgiving from Granada, Nicaragua
• Eating Like a Local at the Food Stalls in Granada
• Goodbye Granada, Hello Leon
• Take me Out to the Ball Game – An Authentic Nicaraguan Experience
• Quetzaltrekkers Part I – Volcano Boarding down Cerro Negro
• Quetzaltrekkers Part II – Trekking Volcano El Hoyo
• Volcano Cerro Negro in Photos
• The Cathedrals and Churches of Leon
• From Volcanoes to the Vacant Beaches of Las Pentias
• Take me to Isla de Ometepe

(more to come on Nicaragua… Stay tuned!)

So that’s about it. 2011 is a WRAP! I sure had an amazing year, how about you? If you didn’t have the year you would have liked to have, what are you going to differently in 2012?

Wow, can you believe it’s nearly 2012?

This has been a short Christmas season, it seems shorter than usual with Christmas and New Years falling on a Sunday. It seems like the holidays just got started and they are already coming to and end!

We are home for the holidays this year and as we watched the snow fall outside, we started to reminisce about where we’ve been for New Year’s over the past decade. It’s been a very fun ride.

So while we celebrate at home for the first time in a few years, enjoy our trip down memory lane and share your stories of where you’ll be this year and where in the world you have celebrated New Years abroad in the past. 

Thailand

Dave and Deb Dukin' it Out at New Years in Thailand

Last Year this time we were in Studying Muay Thai Kickboxing at Rawai Muay Thai in Phuket. A fun New Years on the beach complete with Karaoke, Lady Boys and a little Thai Wiskey. Not much though, we were all in training!

India

Hussein and His Mother in Udaipur India at New Years

We were staying in Udaipur at the Lakeshore Guesthouse where we grew close with it’s manager Hussain. He took us up to the rooftop of his families building to overlook the magical city at midnight. Fireworks were let off over the Lake Palace Hotel standing proud in the middle of Lake Pichola. It was a beautiful sight.

Egypt

2008 Started Off With a Bang, Cycling a Continent!

We were about to start our ride down the continent of Africa and celebrated New Years on the plane to Cairo. We weren’t really thinking about the celebrations we were missing out on, we were getting ready to change our lives and live our dreams.

Somewhere between Florida and Toronto

Our Home Town, Toronto at Night

We had just spent a couple of weeks visiting my parents in Florida and were going to stop at Myrtle Beach on the way home when we left late Dec. Instead, we decided to drive straight through to Canada ended up crossing the border at Niagara Falls somewhere around midnight. It was raining, it was late and it was depressing. It was that night that we made the New Years resolution to change our lives. We watched an interview on CBC with Ray Zahab about how he is now living his dream as an ultra marathon runner and made a pact to do something like that ourselves. One year later we were in Cairo at the start of the Tour d’Afrique and have never looked back!

Quebec City

The Fairmont Hotel in Quebec City Christmas

There isn’t a more romantic city in Canada than Quebec City. We bundled up in our down jackets, snowboarding pants and Sorrel winter boots to walk around the old city and take in its historical architecture. Fondue, cheese, fresh fruit, wine and hot chocolate made for the perfect getaway after a few days of snowboarding at Mont St. Anne for celebrating New years.

Honduras

Starting our Dive Masters in Honduras

We were ready to take our dive masters and there was no where cheaper on earth to study than Honduras. Hanging out on Utilla for a few weeks was an awesome way ring in the New Year. We made new friends and celebrated together like we had known each other for years. When the New Year came, we said our good byes, never to see them again. But we came away with memories to last a lifetime.

Laos

OK, So We dont' have Photos of Vang Viang, It was 2003 we didn't have digital yet!

We had arrived in Vang Vieng just a couple of days after Christmas. I hear that it is over run with backpackers these days, but when we were there on the even of 2004, things were fairly quiet. We walked down the dirt streets and sat with some locals by a fire. We walked some more and grabbed a Bear Lao on a floating bar on the river and eventually settled in while trying to drown our the blaring music coming from the empty bar next door.

Mexico

Traveling Around the Yucatan in Mexico During the Holidays

There’s nothing like celebrating New Years in the tropics and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is one of the most gorgeous places on earth. Dressed in a sundress for Deb and Shorts and a Hawaiian shirt for Dave we put the cold of winter out of our minds while sipping Margaritas at the beach bar listining to Mariachis serenade the crowd.

So, Where are you this New Years Eve? At Home with your family, somewhere exotic, an awesome party? Share your plans, we’d love to live vicariously!

Happy New Year and See you in 2012! 

Las Penitas to Isla de Ometepe

On Saturday afternoon I decided to pack my bags and take the 10AM chicken bus from Las Penitas to Leon. Little did I know that this would be the first of many modes of transportation I would take today in order to make my way over to Ometepe.

Within a half hour I arrived at the smaller bus station in Leon. The problem was that I needed to get to the main bus station in Leon and I couldn’t seem to find a bus going from the small station to the main station. After about 5 minutes of walking in circles I spotted a city bus, hopped on it and made my way to the Central station. As I walked off of the bus I paid the attendant a cool C$3 Cordoba for the short ride.

I opened my ears and followed the trail of drivers yelling out Managua, Managua, Managua! I was quickly squished into a mini bus next to an older woman with what seemed to be her grandson. For the next hour and a half or so I gazed out the windows and into a daze of sorts. I was also infatuated with the extreme window tinting of some of the vehicles I’ve been a passenger in so far in Nicaragua, one being the mini bus that I was on at the time.

Nicaraguan Window Tinting at it's best

While I usually whip out my iPod for these types of bus trips, I decided not to use or take out my iPod on any bus through out my trip to Nicaragua. Before I left for Nicaragua I said that I would do my best to be as aware of my surroundings as possible and so I stuck to those words my entire trip. It turns out that I stayed safe had nothing stolen from me and never once felt threatened during the three weeks I spent in the country. Coincidence? Maybe! But, if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

After being dropped off in Managua I made my way over the highway bridge and directly towards the small bus that was heading to Granada. As I step on the bus I mention to the driver that I don’t want to go all the way to Granada, I want to get off at Rotunda Masaya (Masaya Rotary). Thanks to the young woman I met on the bus from Leon to Managua, she saved me over an hour of extra travel time with this tip. If you’re wanting to get to Rivas from Managua be sure to follow this advice and take the bus to Granada but get off at Rotunda Masaya!

Twenty minutes passed before I saw the next bus headed towards Rivas. Once I hopped on I knew this was going to be one long uncomfortable ride. The bus was a greyhound style bus, the seats looked really comfy but there was no way I was going to get a seat on this thing. When I say it was loaded to twice it’s capacity, I’m not joking. By the time we got half way to Rivas the bus had reached at least three times it’s capacity. Everyone that was seated had it good. Real good! The unlucky people in the aisles were jam packed to the point where you would be holding on to the storage compartments above you and your body wouldn’t be able to move a half of an inch without rubbing up against the person beside you. What happens when someone needs to get off? Well, everyone leans into the seats as people squeeze by. I would estimate that there were a minimum of 60 people standing in the aisle alone. Unbelievable!

I stood for the entire ride from Masaya to Rivas (approx 2hrs). Upon arriving in Rivas I hopped in a taxi for C$40 and made it down to the docks of San Jorge just in time to catch the last ferry to Moyogalpa. I was one of three foreigners on board the ferry to Ometepe, one of which was a woman I met who was from Oklahoma. Once we got to Moyogalpa it was too late to head to the other side of the island so we settled into a hostel called Hostel Ibesa.

Hostel Ibesa

Hostel Ibesa - Sorry for the horrible photo!

While it was a place to lay our heads for the night, the conditions were not for the weak hearted. I personally had no issues with staying here for the night but I’m just being honest and upfront that some of you out there wouldn’t accept the presentation of the rooms at Hostel Ibesa. Here’s an idea of what my $5/night dorm room looked like…

$5/night - choose your bed!

Due to the size of the room I wasn’t able to take a photo of the entire thing. There is actually a single twin bed directly to my right which is not pictured. Other than that there is just simply two twin bunk beds in a concrete box of a room where the tops of the walls never actually meet the ceilings. See that green wooden box on the wall? That’s actually the window, you open that green door and you’re met by a chain link fence covered window. If this doesn’t remind you of prison, I don’t know what does…

Time to Eat!

At this point I hadn’t eaten since I had two bananas in Las Penitas at 9AM. It’s now approaching 6PM. As usual, when you starve yourself all day, you go out of your way to choose the most unhealthy food you can find in the area. This night, I chose Hawaiian Pizza  from a place called… unfortunately, I have no clue what it was called since I was so ravenous that I forgot to write down the name of it. That’s what I call HUNGRY!

UM, YUM!

After a very long day of traveling through Nicaragua, it was time to get some sleep. Tomorrow I’m headed off to the smaller island of Ometepe to a place called Hacienda Merida. Stay tuned!

—

Transportation Info:

Below you’ll find the prices and modes of transportation from Las Penitas to Moyogalpa, Ometepe

Note: Prices are shown in Nicaraguan Cordoba

• Chicken Bus from Las Penitas to Leon – C$10
• City Bus from Smaller Bus Station in Leon to Leon’s Main Bus Station –  C$3
• Mini bus from Leon to Managua – C$40
• Mini Bus from Managua to Granada C$20
• (Note: Instead of going all the way to Granada, tell the attendant you want to get off at Rotunda Masaya. Stand in front of the gas station and wait for the next bus headed towards Rivas.)
• Greyhound style bus from Rotunda Masaya to Rivas – C$40
• Taxi from Rivas station to San Jorge – C$40
• Ferry from San Jorge to Moyogalpa, Ometepe – C$40

The wooden door to the chapel slams shut behind me: A silent dimness opens up as the tempest battering Iona is closed off. Hard, simple chairs march toward a divine arched window all aglow, worn hymnals resting in the seat backs. Great pavers, damp from the Scottish autumn, jigsaw together on the floor. A cash register dings and chimes in a gift shop somewhere. Fifteen centuries ago, a building stood here that was Columba’s golem of faith. He launched sortie after sortie upon the native Picts and Scots from this scrap of land, determined to pave over their beliefs with his own: Christianity.

Into ruin and rebuilt, again and again, Iona Abbey was reborn and resurrected over the centuries. Each time an element of the original structure was ignored or forgotten until now, when what we’re left with is little more than 80 years old. Would Columba recognize today’s abbey? So I wonder about many things of antiquity that have lasted into our modern times. It seems our millennia-long games of telephone must send us in unforeseen, perhaps opposite, directions. My footsteps scrape along the stone as I make my way to the prayer corner. I strike a match and put a flame on a tealight, look out the barred window into the rain, and whisper a few words.

Picture This: Light at the Heart of Iona Abbey is a post from Traveling Savage. Copyright 2012

Making the decision to fly to Canada for the holidays was a hard one. In some ways I worried about letting my readers down. I wasn’t ‘traveling’ constantly as others were and  some of my original plans changed after I made the choice to travel along the Silk Road, solo.

I’m really good a building brick walls. Within weeks of arriving in Canada my brain started to over-think just about everything. What was I doing? Am I doing enough on the blog? Do I need to do more? It was kind of  like an over-compensation kind of thinking. I started to withdraw and plan, think, worry etc. I started to worry that I wasn’t enough, which is something I have struggled with for many, many years. In fact, I would read other blogs, shut down my laptop and walk away. As you can probably guess, I am really good at submarining myself. Why am I telling you this? Well, I recently read a post by Sherry Ott about sharing what’s inside her head, which really struck me.

In the last year I have worked at being everything but myself, and in the process I’ve managed to close down in ways that I shouldn’t have. It’s a fine line. I kind of receded into myself to avoid noise. Yeah, that was not a smart move on my part. Silly me.

I’ve decided to make an effort to relax and be myself in 2012. I want to continue writing posts on tips, tricks, gear, advice and so on, but I also want to tell entertaining and inspiring stories. I want to find new ways to bring you along with me and help you feel as though you have as much of a part in this blog as I do. I know it will take some time, but I’m willing to put in as much time as I need to.

I’ve tried a lot of new things over the past 2 years. Some of them have worked and some have bombed. I love change, which is why I think I love travel so much, but sometimes too much change can be a bad thing. In 2012 I have some big trips planned, and I’ve committed to writing for a couple of other online publications. This means that making big changes will be hard. So, I’m just going to make a few additions (like weekly photo pots, more vlogs, and monthly guest posts).

I still worry about not doing enough and I struggle with sharing too much. I know this has probably hurt some people in the past year, and for that I apologize. In the next year I will be testing myself in more ways than one. My trips will push passed every boundary I have, and I plan to exceed my mental boundaries as well.

It’s not going to be easy. I’ll probably flail around a bit. I may even sink below the surface a couple of times. I’m not going to give up though. I’m going to push passed my physical and mental boundaries and hopefully come out on top in the long run.

Making the decision to fly to Canada for the holidays was a hard one. In some ways I worried about letting my readers down. I wasn’t ‘traveling’ constantly as others were and  some of my original plans changed after I made the choice to travel along the Silk Road, solo.

I’m really good a building brick walls. Within weeks of arriving in Canada my brain started to over-think just about everything. What was I doing? Am I doing enough on the blog? Do I need to do more? It was kind of  like an over-compensation kind of thinking. I started to withdraw and plan, think, worry etc. I started to worry that I wasn’t enough, which is something I have struggled with for many, many years. In fact, I would read other blogs, shut down my laptop and walk away. As you can probably guess, I am really good at submarining myself. Why am I telling you this? Well, I recently read a post by Sherry Ott about sharing what’s inside her head, which really struck me.

In the last year I have worked at being everything but myself, and in the process I’ve managed to close down in ways that I shouldn’t have. It’s a fine line. I kind of receded into myself to avoid noise. Yeah, that was not a smart move on my part. Silly me.

I’ve decided to make an effort to relax and be myself in 2012. I want to continue writing posts on tips, tricks, gear, advice and so on, but I also want to tell entertaining and inspiring stories. I want to find new ways to bring you along with me and help you feel as though you have as much of a part in this blog as I do. I know it will take some time, but I’m willing to put in as much time as I need to.

I’ve tried a lot of new things over the past 2 years. Some of them have worked and some have bombed. I love change, which is why I think I love travel so much, but sometimes too much change can be a bad thing. In 2012 I have some big trips planned, and I’ve committed to writing for a couple of other online publications. This means that making big changes will be hard. So, I’m just going to make a few additions (like weekly photo pots, more vlogs, and monthly guest posts).

I still worry about not doing enough and I struggle with sharing too much. I know this has probably hurt some people in the past year, and for that I apologize. In the next year I will be testing myself in more ways than one. My trips will push passed every boundary I have, and I plan to exceed my mental boundaries as well.

It’s not going to be easy. I’ll probably flail around a bit. I may even sink below the surface a couple of times. I’m not going to give up though. I’m going to push passed my physical and mental boundaries and hopefully come out on top in the long run.

I recently published an article of Matador Network titled Why I’m Not Skipping Christmas. I’ve been bit of a Grinch this holiday, but Kimble made me understand all this end-of-year fuss: “The holidays are here, like it or not, and though they are inconvenient in the most heart-wrenching of ways, they are also what forces us together, a reason to sit down and drink to our health and happiness—and to holidays passed.”

And that’s exactly what we do: pause, reflect, prepare for 2012.

I get completely irked by wrap-up posts bragging about a person’s accomplishments (which, hypocritically, I’ve done more than once). But when I trace back through 2011 I keep thinking, “Holy nutbars, a lot happened in one year.” My blog is a kind of timeline, and I love going back through old posts to see how far I’ve come.

While I was home for Christmas, several people kept approaching me to say they loved my blog, and admired what I was doing. I was pretty gobsmacked. Me?

-I launched Social Media Atlantic Canada (SMAC), a tiny social media operation aimed at small businesses on a budget in Atlantic Canada.

-I weaned myself off of unemployment benefits and became fully self-employed.

-I became the leading editor of Matador Life.

-I became the Newfoundland blogger for AOL Canada.

-I was filmed in a clip titled “How to Talk Like a Newfoundlander” with the insanely funny and talented Mark Critch, which apparently has won me fame in the province and is being shown in schools. Not kidding.

-I was published in the Marine Atlantic’s ahoy! magazine.

-Cailin O’Neil and I drove across Canada, surprisingly without mishap, mayhem or misfortune. Then I toured with Moose Network through the Rockies.

-I went to Mexico to chill out in Cancun with some awesome peeps.

-I took my first trip to South America with Contiki, which ended up being the best travel experience of my life.

Sup, Sacred Valley?

-I finally got the attention of Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism, made some amazing new friends, and spent the most surreal, magical, and inspirational five days in Gros Morne National Park on the west coast. My heart is still there.

When I think back on the past 12 months, I’m baffled by how intense the year has been. I’ve been happy, despite dealing with a number of family tragedies that I have yet to write about. I’ve mentioned my Uncle Glen’s passing due to cancer. I spent a week with him in July, and then my wonderful, loving, happy uncle lost his battle. He is always on my mind.

Then in November, I lost my grandmother. I didn’t even write about this, I’m not sure why. She had Alzheimer’s for years and was placed in a home, but I grew up next door to her for most of my life. I said “good-bye” to her on her deathbed. I struggled through writing her funeral service pamphlet, unsure of which font could adequately suit such a great matriarch for a family of 12.

I have a few schemes up my sleeves for 2012, including the potential launch of a new business here within the province. I want my writing career to progress beyond news blips for link fodder.

The other major life moment is buying a house here in St. John’s.

Newfoundland is my home, and I suspect it always will be. This land is as heartbreaking, seductive and inspirational as any lover, and I always want my home base to be here. I know I’ve complained quite a bit about being broke—and I’m still struggling financially—but I’ve been saving portions of pay cheques for years for an investment such as this one. With my own home—which I’m sharing with a friend–I’ll have rooms to rent out and a place to always return. St. John’s (and Newfoundland) is growing with surprising speed, and there are things going on beneath the surface here that I desperately want to be a part of. This way, I can leave for extended amounts of time, not have to pay rent, and always have a home.

Buying a house to travel the world…who knew? But I tend to have a habit of doing things ass-backwards.

As for travel plans…I have none, other than a true vacation at a resort in the Dominican Republic to get reacquainted with old friends for a wedding. But 2011 started off in exactly the same fashion, and ended up being my busiest year for travel.

Plus I have a free plane ticket to South America. Bazinga.

This was supposed to be a humorous post but I’m sneezing and sniffling and fighting off a cold, and it kinda hurts to look at stuff. But here’s to 2012, and more handwritten posts!

December has been a busy month. We’ve been traveling through Ecuador starting in Quito by partying, climbing Cotopaxi, enjoying the hot-springs of Baños, and finally settling in Montañita for three weeks to celebrate Christmas and new years on the beach. We’ll be in Montañita till January 5th then continuing down south on our way down to Peru.

Happy New Years!

Links

Getting scammed in Shanghai… And my revenge on Never Ending Footsteps: The tea scam is extremely popular in China. It amazes me how many people have fallen for it and it still hasn’t caught enough attention for everyone to know about it. I even have friends that knew about the tea scam and still fell for it. I don’t get it. It’s a shame really because you don’t know who you can trust. Are they talking to us because they’re being nice or trying to rob us? It’s something I constantly battle on who to trust and something as travelers we get use to having to handle.

It’s Not Always About Money on View: “sacrifice what can be sold to earn what cannot be bought.” Enough said.

Tips For The Reluctant, Indifferent and Negative Traveler on Traveler Ahoy: A list that should be read by everyone before they travel.

Condiments from Around the World (And Why They Matter) on Legal Nomads: I wasn’t much of a foodie before I traveled. I’d try new foods but I was never on the hunt for it as much I am now. Now I can’t get enough reading about foods from around the world and eating everything during my travels. I loved this article. Jodi goes into detail a brief history of condiments from around the world.

How I Lived in Buenos Aires for $1000 a Month on The Travel Chica: I lived in Buenos Aires for a few months two years ago. Inflation is rough in Argentina. The constant complaining of Argentineans on their economy issues is annoying but makes sense. Prices were going up every month and to imagine things are actually worse now than they were two years ago. The article has some tips on how to spend less in the big city of Buenos Aires.

Decemeber 2011 Updates and Links is a post from Art of Backpacking