Staycation kick-off...

"You came in with a breeze, on Sunday morning..."

Yesterday was an epic day with good friends, new foods, cultures, locations, sunshine and a fresh mind...all in my own backyard: Roncesvailles, High Park, Parkdale, Trinity Bellwood, Kensington & the quintessential sushi in the Annex. Ok, so it wasn`t quite in my backyard, as the official measurements of the yard of my townhouse shared with 3 other eclectic souls in the St.Lawrence Market district of Toronto might be 15 x 20 feet (without the shadows), but you get the idea.

Nothing says loving quite as well as being a tourist in your own town - so at 9:30am bright and early Sunday morning (complete with `proper footware`, backpack and extra large camera...)

Care and I, my tiny tot friend with a wit sharper than a set of Cutco`s and love of science, set off on the queen street car to Roncevailles: the up and came westend hood of TO known for its Polish food, proximity to High Park and yummy mummies

Once arrived at the sunny spot of Ronce, the tree-lined off-shoot streets of Roncevailles border this `so-Toronto`street of indie cafes, grocery & flower shops, Polish delis and delights, sprinkled with a hint of catholicism as those in their Sunday best emerge from their weekly hommage to the big guy in the sky...




Walking just a few blocks West, we find ourselves in Toronto`s take on Central Park - High Park. Delicious detached from the city core, yet linked at the same time, our stroll through this urban oasis is greenalicious.

We emerged out the north end of the park, strolled along Bloor West, then back down Ronce stopping to have a Polish lunch of Borscht with sour cream, egg and dill, then east on Queen alllll the way home to Care's place on Church and King.








What an incredible way to welcome back the sunshine, and also clear the mind for this week - playing the waiting game to hear back from Leith & Jochen re: SFA Project Assistant. (aka dream job at Von Trapp house in Salzburg, Austria)

Here are the facts:

Wednesday, May 12 - 30 minute Skype interview with Leith in Chicago

• She said I did "very well" and very sufficiently answered the questions about why I want the job, staying diplomatic, maintaining relationships and communicating with different groups of people
• My communications background is a strong advantage
• They are really looking for someone with "charisma" to engage and get the SFA off the ground
• There are 5 or 6 total short listed candidates - all of which will have been interviewed by now (last interview slot was Sunday)
• She and Jochen will let all candidates know by Wednesday of this week @ the latest of the outcome....

Less than 72 hours and counting....

PLEASE please please send your positivity this way :)

xoxo

V

An Arab, a Canadian and a Mexican walk into a bar...

While living in Chile, I met an odd, but seemingly kind young man name Walter. At the time I knew him, he was 25. Walter used to work in Dubai as a real estate developer, but had a inescapable awkwardness about him; perhaps due to the fact that it appeared that there was always something he was holding back from saying (not in that romantic comedy kind of way where at the end of the film he confesses his love to the "girl next door" character and blah, blah, blah. No it wasn't like that)

I got to know Walter more in my search for Chilean real estate investments, and he introduced me to another eclectic character in my growing group of contacts in Chile: Max Mills. Max was a short Chilean man who lived in a house he built, on a piece of deserted, beautiful Chilean campo. His house resided on a small cliff overlooking a gorgeous private beach of perfect surf waves, wild horses and endless miles of contemplative Pacific ocean. Max and Walter were business associates of sorts after meeting on A SMALL WORLD "ASMALLWORLD is private international community of culturally influential people who are connected by three degrees." (oooh, is that me?) It's also invite only, and one only acquires the ability to invite others by participating in the site. Needless to say, I do not have any invites to give out.

But Max did, and after a lovely, and kind of strange day together with him and my partner in business, life and experience, Adam Boszoki, at el Portillo, longest running ski resort in the America's, he must have felt I was "ready" for an invite....weeeeeeeeeee! Here`s a pic of Adam y yo at Portillo...

Now, you may be wondering - what`s all this got to do with the Arab world being transported to Toronto? Well, about a week ago, I received a message from my ASW mailbox from a young, rather dapper looking fellow from Saudi. He would be in town for a week visiting his Dr. brother whose doing his residency at St.Mikes Hospital (Queen & Victoria), and wanted to meet up with some Torontonians for drinks or what not.

Not being one to turn down a fellow solo traveller, I replied and last Friday, we met up the Yorkville pub The Pilot. Arriving in a pink dressshirt and cashmere grey sweater, he was down to earth, chatty, and great company really. His neutral-to-American accent threw me at first, as did his lighter eyes and skin, but being half serbian-half Saudi, Mo was raised in Saudi, but went to uni in Nashville, Tennessee five years ago. Now working for a an oil and gas company, his extensive travels and use of ASW to meet locals while abroad has proven a wise travel companion.

A couple glasses of red, a SteamWhistle, and Keith`s later, my new Arabian friend picks up the tab and thus begins our evening of club hopping and his re-awakening to partying with alcohol after a 6 month hiatus of being in Saudi. A fan of the convenience of cabs, I abandon my bike locked to a Toronto bike parking `lolly-pop`:

College street bound, we meet up with Amelia Velasco, my Mexican biking friend, and her friend Latoya and become the epitome of Toronto melting pot: an light skinned Arab, a tanned Mexican, caucasian me with my multi-coloured hair, and Latoya with her long dark braided black hair and dark skin - LOVE IT! Getty Images would have been all over that...stock photo heaven.

We party our tushes off at College Street Bar as the beverages kept flowing, compliments of Saudi hospitality - aka Mo. After an hour of maning the dance floor, we bid adieu to Latoya as she caught the street car East, and Amelia, Mo & I grabbed a cab once more to head to the Bay Street Crowd`s retreat of Brant House. The Arab prince paid for the cabs, the drinks and the cover, and I was beginning to feel like an Arab princess...would this what living in Dubai would be like? mmmmmmm

Arriving at around 1 am, the customary end-of-the-night meat market was in full swing, as the guys who haven`t pick up yet were on the prowl.; an attractive attribute...really. BUT the dance floor was semi-empty, leaving us plenty of space to shake our bon-bons....and we did `til 3am. Awesome night team...

Now, how does this experience work with the Year of Passion? Well, seeing as this is my first experience:

a) meeting someone from ASW

b) hanging out with someone from Saudi

c) discovering a new helpful travel nugget (aka intl friend finder of ASW)

I thought it worthy of the YOP - Torontonian style.

And to tie us over until the official YOP journey begins in mid June, I`ll make this blog a `best of`` travel blog from past experiences from around the globe, complete with some of my fav pics and characters from The Book of Job, I mean Vanessa.

Thanks for tuning in...

xoxo

V