Winnipeg, Canada
It’s been another lazy weekend, as Aaron is still in town and I’m not starting work until mid-month. We don’t do much: watch movies, play video games, cook, go for drives, go to the museum, run errands, make some crafts (we even have a head-start on Christmas gifts!), read, nap, just enjoy each other’s company. Tonight we had my very good friend Rikki over to watch Walking Dead and eat nachos, so one could say it was an excellent Sunday night. I’ll be heading to a craft sale in a few weeks to check out her amazing jewelery and other local wares; for now, you can look at her stuff on etsy. I have one of her spoon necklaces and it is the kind of thing that gets endless compliments, it is so unique and beautiful.
Speaking of staying in, these photos show my kitchen, front hall, and front room in my new house; perhaps it seems a bit silly to post these on a travel blog, but I spent so long putting this house together (well, only a week, but it was a looooong week). It’s also nice to show a few of the purchases I’ve perhaps talked about on this blog: paintings from Laos, Canada, France, Lithuania, and Russia, a print from Korea, masks from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Borneo, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand, my collection of antique cameras, the Indonesian Buddha head I searched all over Ubud for, all of the religious icons/items I’ve collected (mostly from Mexico and Russia), and, of course, more books. When I think about all the trouble I went through to get these things home, I am so thankful that they all made it here safely and that I can now look at them every day. For example, throughout my journey on the Trans-Siberian last year, I tried to collect religious icons from each city I stopped in. I also collected a few antique cameras, one from Irkutsk and one from St. Petersburg. Many travellers would scoff at this; many experienced wanderers champion the “travel light” theory. I often secretly bemoan my heavy bag, pretending its weight doesn’t bother me while other backpackers or travellers carry bags they can lift with one finger. For me, however, as long as I don’t have to pay extra on a flight, and as long as I can find cheap items, I like to indulge in shopping in different countries; as I’ve mentioned before, I love spending the day in a market, bartering with shopkeepers for everything from jewelery to spices to the items shown above. I’ve also spent a lot of time and a fair bit of money sending things home, but I have had every single box make it to me, whether it be from Thailand, Norway, or India. I’ve heard horror stories, of course, but I’ve had nothing but luck when it comes to mailing things home.
I know this may sound materialistic, but I prefer to think of it as sentimental; it’s something fun I like to do when I have enough time and money while travelling and I love having these momentos from the places I’ve been. What about you? Do you like to shop when you travel? If so, do you carry your purchases with you or send them home?
See my living room and dining room here.
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