Leaving Toronto
I have four more days to my convocation — and to unemployment. Frankly, I’m not that worried about being unemployed, although the thought of a 25-year-old bumming around at home does bother me sometimes. No matter, I’m still in a state of depression about leaving Toronto.
Although I can’t exactly say that I’ve grown to like Toronto, I’m certainly getting used to it. The freezing winters are always a challenge, but I guess I handle subzero temperatures pretty well for a guy coming from a tropical island.
More important than the city itself, I will definitely miss my friends. In fact, I feel sadder leaving Toronto now than when I first left Singapore four years ago; not because I treasure some friends more than others — I value every friendship — but I know deep in my heart that I would never see some of my friends in Toronto ever again. It is highly unlikely that either any of my friends or I will take an exhausting 24-hour flight to visit one another. Furthermore, most of my friends aren’t from Toronto, and will probably head home after graduation like me; there’ll be no reason for me to visit Toronto five years from now when all my friends have graduated, perhaps only for business purposes.
Friends come and go, but I always find it hard to let go.
11 June 2005 ·
My Life ·
Absolute Peru
For those of you whom I neglected to inform regarding my trip to Peru — by which I mean all my readers — I apologise for my abrupt hiatus. I hate to sound cliché, but the past three weeks have been totally awesome.
For the adventurous, Peru has it all. From scorching deserts to breathless highlands to humid jungles, the possibilities are limitless. For the history buffs, Peru lies in the heart of the Incan empire, one of the most fascinating ancient cultures in the world. And for the party animals, Peruvian nightlife in the big cities is as lively as anywhere else in the world.
Planning a trip to Peru can be daunting to say the least. With so many attractions situated all over the vast country, it takes a lot of planning to ensure that you see as much as possible within a short period of time. And there is also the language problem for non-Spanish speakers like us.
But Howe, Weisiang, and I were sceptical about joining a packaged tour. We wanted to experience Peru the backpacking way, not travel in style like those wealthy Japanese tourists — although we were mistaken for Japanese on more than one occasion. However, since we were all busy with our exams and the trip was just a month away, we decided to join the Absolute Peru tour organised by GAP Adventures and let the experts handle all the mind-boggling planning. As it turned out, that was the best decision we made for the trip.
Joining a GAP adventure — as the company call its organised tours — is like backpacking without the hassles. The tour leader will make all the necessary arrangements to ensure everything runs smoothly, which allows us to spend more time exploring Incan ruins or enjoying the beautiful scenery.
Every traveller will tell you that how fun your trip is very much depends on the people you’re travelling with. We were very fortunate to be travelling with a great bunch of people: Adrian and Stefanie from Belgium, Christine from Switzerland, and our tour leader Raquel.
As much as I would like to post photos from my Peru trip up quickly, I procrastinate a lot and work slowly. I know many of you are anxious to see my photos, but worry not; it’s only a matter of time before I sort them out.
After all, SG Watch is my hobby. It’ll be much less fun if I set any deadline for myself.
09 June 2005 ·
Travel ·