Globe Trotting Tribe

Mo Gawdat, author of " Solve for Happy " said that the equation for happiness is equal to your life events, minus your life expectations. Meaning that if your expectations aren't met (because they're too high), you won't be happy.  The same could be said for your satisfaction or happiness with a travel destination.  I actually went into the Philippines with a mix of expectations. Coming out of Vietnam, I had high expectations of the quality and freshness of original, authentic food. Based on my always-smiling Filipina nannies back in Canada, I had high expectations of the kindness and positivity of Filipino people. Knowing that it wasn't a high tourism destination like Thailand, I had tempered expectations of how it would be as a beach vacation destination. And since I had just read " Some People Need Killing ", Filipina journalist Patricia Evangelista 's account of the narco related killings during the recent Duterte era, I went in with quite a ...

Our stay in tigman village was so fun, we stayed there for 1 week and voulenteered planting mangrove trees, and in the afternoons I would go over to the school to teach the kids things, like math, english, and why they should protect the mangrove trees. I stayed in a dorm room with 2 other guys not including me and my dad. In the mornings, we had breakfast at 8:00, and started the voulenteer work from 9- 11 AM, before it got scourching hot out. The one thing that was my FAVORITE thing that I did here at Tigman village was the basketball court, it was an outdoor plaza that was covered by giant roof.  The kids from the village were so excited when I played basketball and teached at the school. Overall, I had a great time here and I thought it was an awesome experience! these were what the mangrove trees looked like.

After Laos, we went to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. There was lots of people and there were cars and moterbikes everywhere. Here are a list of my favorite things that I did in Hanoi while staying here.  1. Playing Basketball I went to a basketball court on the edge of town near a river. It was a VERY nice court, with about 30 people there. The hoops were nice, and it was not double rim. We did have to pay 30,000 dong to get in though (like 2 canadian each). I was very glad to play since It was the first time I had played since Byron Bay in Australia! I was very rusty though, but I was there for like 4 hours so by the end of it I was back to normal.  2. Shopping at markets  I love shopping at markets in South East Asia because things are like 10x more cheap. For example, I got these fake airpods for $10, and they look the exact same, and the sound quality was actually pretty good. I didnt really need earbuds, but ig I just got them because they were so cheap. I also...

8 Days of Nautral Beauty and Cultural Experiences in Laos It's been an interesting mix of outdoor activities, sights, and cultural experiences in our short time here in Laos. With 3 days in Vang Vieng and 4 days in Luang Prabang -- I wish we had more time in Vang Vieng to explore more of the outdoors, views, and natural beauty there. Maybe in the future, we will come back and spend more time there, plus other hiking/trekking destinations in this country! Vang Vieng: Beauty and Activities Outdoors After landing in the capital of Vientianne, we quickly moved by new high-speed train to Vang Vieng to take in the limestone mountains/cliffs, caves, lagoons and river. 1. Hiking to Nam Xay Viewpoint This was alot more strenous and crowded than I had thought it would be! Backpackers galore, and some ill-fitted in slides/flip-flops for the climb up. In dry season, the dirt underfoot is certainly slippery, and the climb is quite steep, with minimal maintenance (as you'd expect in Laos).  ...