Back From Brazil

I made a second trip to Brazil in less than 5 months and made it back a week before Christmas. I knew there was no option to spend X'mas in South America.. even if there are so many reasons to love Curitiba city. The Air Canada flight (view their latest video of the TO airport) alone was the best I've had, those 180 degree flat beds do really help reduce the jet lag. Air Canada dramatically improved their flight facilities, finally offering on-demand movies where you can pause and resume your movie whenever you wake up while in your 11 hour flight from Toronto to Sao Paulo. It softened the harsh one-way flight 24 hour travel time from Vancouver to Curitiba. Curitiba's 25C weather during December sparks envy, especially if you are in Canada enduring rain, wet snow and 5C weather during Christmas. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2008!

Highest Peak

Our hike took over 2 hours of rough uphill terrain to get to the top where the last bit required the use of steel chains. When we reached the top, our tired legs and battered body felt lighter. The view from the peak is magnificent. The spectacular view of the Howe sound and the coast mountains made us forget the rough trip up the mountain.

Back From Euro Trip

I'm now back in Vancouver. Angeli and I visited London, Paris, Rome, Venice and Florence. I liked all the cities - Rome being the least pleasant maybe because of the weather (was tooo hot), crowded tourist spots. We took tons of pictures, most of them can be accessed here:
http://www.flickr.com/cliffordlee/sets

Good deals

Can't wait to go back to London and Paris next month. It will be a short two week trip inluding a visit to Rome for the first time. I booked my hotels from priceline.com and got fabulous deals like "my hotel in the heart of Paris" (4 star) for only 105 USD. My Knightbridge, London stay for only 100USD. Talk about good deals.

City of Lights

I discovered that Paris is indeed beautiful - the city sights, the food are beyond what I've imagined. I like Paris more than downtown London because of its sprawling architecture similar to London but on a cleaner and bigger scale. Didn't really see much of the city except for a quick touristy two hour tour. Most of my time were spent in the office fixing software problems for the world's local bank. I intend to visit the city again - definitely not on a working basis.

Transiting in Montreal

I'm on my way back to Vancouver, currently in a lounge here at the Montreal airport. It's been awhile since I last posted a blog.. there will be more pictures coming in the next few days as I slowly upload the pictures from my recent two-week trip to Paris.

I did not intend to go to Paris other than to sight-see, but work (yet again) sent me to the city of lights. Ironically, the only lights that I saw were at the office as I stayed on average 16 hours per day at work and only a few hours of sleep the past two weeks.

Warmest Spot in Canada

Still chilly at 5C during winter, but Victoria is considered to be the warmest place in Canada. Victoria is accessible by taking your car into a ferry and driving out after a 1.5hr boat ride. Went with my family just on New Year's eve for a day trip around the city centre.