10 questions with…

Over the course of my travels I have been fortunate to meet, work with and travel with amazing people. I’ve put 10 common questions to people that I hope you find interesting and you might even find some secret spots in cities that you have always wanted to go to…

And now the moment we have all been waiting for…a fellow Cascadian and the man who knows more about Oregon than anyone I have ever met. He’s lived in the forest, was employee of the month, can speak Portuguese and Spanish and has troubles getting to Paraguay….it’s 10 questions with STEWART LAMPE!!!

Stewart in the wilderness!

Born?

Portland, Oregon, USA

What do you do?

I travel the western hemisphere providing info to high school students interested in UBC. I also co-own The Soap Dispensary, a refill soap store on main street.

Current city

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Distance from birthplace to current location: 

500 km

Typical day in Portland when i go home for a visit:

A must-see for anyone who heads to the PDX!

Jackpot records for indie music, then to Powell’s “City of Books”, then next door to Mio Gelato, then down to Stumptown coffee, followed by El Grillo for some greasy spoon Mexican food that shares a bathroom with a gross peeler bar. Cross over to the east side and stroll around N. Mississippi avenue neighborhood and NE Alberta street for local shops and good eats like the “Grilled Cheese Grill” which is a food cart with seating in an old school bus. Finally, must visit a few of at least 30 microbreweries in town for some hoppy ales.

The best place to eat in your city that no one knows about (on a budget)?

Pizzeria Farina. amazing, quality, simple menu, just pizzas. And they have a self serve tap of soda water or regular water. http://www.pizzeriafarina.com/

The most beautiful place you’ve ever been?

Opal Creek, Oregon. Lived in a patch of low elevation old growth forest for a year working at a camp. There’s one spot with three 1,000+ year old cedar trees. I got to know all the creeks in the watershed. Some of the cabins are available for private bookings.

The worst travel mistake you have made?
On route to Paraguay, got stopped in Brazil since I didn’t know I needed a visa for entry. Raced around town, got cash and photo, got the new visa at the consulate as it was closing, and caught the last flight to Asunción. Arrived at hotel 2:30 am and they had given my room away. fun times.

If you could change one thing about the place you live, what would it be?
Public transportation and roads. More light rail trains or street cars, more bike lanes that are not sharing lanes with cars. Make a few streets “car free” permanently. Plenty of cities have car-free zones that are completely viable economically and bring amazing vibes as a destination. I do appreciate that the city has added bike lanes in the past few years.

Necessary travel accessory?
Pockets. I like to have a suit jacket when travelling by air, an extra 5 pockets for all the stuff. Usually I hang my coat on the latch for the tray-table to keep using the pockets so I don’t leave anything on the plane.

In your travels to his point, who is the most interesting person you have met while travelling? (please include picture, if applicable)
Adam Robertson. (below) Excels at hilariousness and head-butting.

He dishes out mean head-butts!

When you build your own airport, what will be some mandatory special features?
Microbrew beers on tap in each terminal, local restaurants with local food, duty free whisky shop, high ceilings, short film movie theatre, miniature golf, gift shops with unique local treats.

What is “your perfect Sunday” in the city of your choice?
Lagos, Portugal. Stroll along the cliffs, picnic lunch on the beach, nap, walk around town, grilled fish and green wine for dinner, acoustic guitar concert, gelatto.

If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be?
Spongebob Squarepants… (I was employee of the month at my local McDonald’s.)

Besides providing the first guest post to our blog, Rachel Toyen is one of the most well-travelled people I know. A junkie for airline points and Mexican food here is 10 questions with Rachel Toyen….

Rachel in stick figure form

Born? San Diego, CA

What do you do?  Same thing as Chris, but mostly in California

Current City? Vancouver, BC

Distance between birthplace and current city? 1388 miles.  Just hop on Interstate 5

What is a typical day living in San Diego?  Good question.  It’s been more than 15 years since I have lived there.  But if memory serves me well, a typical day would involve eating great mexican food at a table outside in the sun, since it is ALWAYS sunny there.

The best place to eat in your city that no one knows about (on a budget)?  You can pretty much walk into any taco shop anywhere in San Diego, and it will most likely be cheap and really good.

I’m sure the Kremlin in the Great Barrier Reef looks exactly like this just imagine more fish and more water

The most beautiful place you’ve ever been? About 15 meters beneath the surface at a dive site called “The Kremlin” in the Great Barrier Reef. There were so many fish of all different kinds and so much going on, it was really amazing.  I remember thinking after surfacing that it was one of the best dives I have ever done.

The worst travel mistake you have made?  Trusting that trains in Italy would run on schedule.  I almost missed a flight a flight because of it.  Oh, and flying RyanAir.

If you could change one thing about the place you live, what would it be? I think I would make it easier to meet new people.  It’s not that Vancouverites are not friendly, because they are incredibly friendly.  It’s just that it is hard to meet new people here once you are no longer a student.  And I have heard this from a lot of people about Vancouver.

Necessary travel accessory? A sense of humour.  Anyone who travels a lot will agree.

In your travels to his point, who is the most interesting person you have met while travelling?  I once spoke with a man on an airplane who had been ‘lovers’ with Alice Waters of Chez Panisse (his word, not mine!) Years later when I read her biography “Alice Waters and Chez Panisse” he was not mentioned. I think he was telling the truth, but their relationship did not end well, so she left it out of her life story.

When you build your own airport, what will be some mandatory special features?  

1. Washroom stall doors that open outwards.  I HATE it when you are travelling with your carryon and there is not enough room to bring it in to the stall because the door swings inward.
2. Nap Pods (that self-sanitize after each person.)
   

   When googled, this is what “nap pod” produced. Pretty accurate

3. Healthy food/snacks for sale  that people actually want to eat.   At most airports, the only healthy option is an iceberg lettuce salad with maybe one tomato or a fruit salad.  Just because I want to eat healthy, doesn’t mean I want a salad EVERY TIME.    There are tons of great healthy options that are just as easy to package. Hummus for example, or quinoa.

What is “your perfect Sunday” in the city of your choice?  I am about to find out. In January, I will be spending 3 weeks in Buenos Aires. Cant wait.

If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be?  Daria Morgendorffer

JACK SMITH

And now the second instalment of “10 questions with…” with Jack Smith. No the name is not made up that is his real name. A “Mainer” who has met Neil Young and who knows where to get and not get seafood in the Northeast…

In his usual pose with Mac in hand and aviators not far away

The details… Born? Portland, Maine What do you do? Vagabond with background in international affairs, student recruitment, marketing, and research. Currently teaching English to Korean students. Current City? Vancouver, BC. Distance between birthplace and current city? 3,290 mi according to Google Maps. What is a typical day living in Portland, ME? Sipping a coffee on the main drag and watching a state trooper chase a moose down the street with loaded weaponry. (ok, maybe not a typical day, but this did happen). Realistically, walking along the waterfront, cliff jumping, and/or raiding my parent’s fridge. The best place to eat in your city that no one knows about (on a budget)? Well, I can’t stand seafood, but I realize that most people go to Maine to eat lobster. I’d recommend the lobster rolls at “Becky’s Dinner” – if you’re looking for the Maine ‘hole in the wall’ experience, this is it. As Becky says, there’s “nothing finah.” For those with an aversion to seafood, I’d recommend “The Pepper Club” – awesome fusion dishes and funky atmosphere. The most beautiful place you’ve ever been? Tough, tough question. I’d have to say Montreux, Switzerland – nestled between the mountains and the turquoise water of Lake Geneva…site of an acclaimed international jazz festival in early-mid July. The worst travel mistake you have made? Renting a Hyundai in Jordan which broke down (twice) on the Queen’s Highway in the middle of the desert. Thank god for Bedouin hospitality. If you could change one thing about the place you live, what would it be? Cheaper, more lively, and more diverse nightlife (Vancouver). Otherwise, things are pretty good. Necessary travel accessory? Ipod. Good to have a soundtrack while you travel. Also, a pair of aviators always give you some street cred. In your travels to his point, who is the most interesting person you have met while travelling? Neil Young, on the Big Island of Hawaii. He drives a vegetable oil powered Van that smells like homefries. I wonder if he always smells like homefries When you build your own airport, what will be some mandatory special features? Japanese-style toilets and comfortable napping space. What is “your perfect Sunday” in the city of your choice? My dream city is Beirut. I’d spend the morning at the old souks, have a massive lunch, beach it for the afternoon, explore the grounds of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in the late afternoon, and eventually end up with a good meal and a strong drink by the Mediterranean on the famous Corniche. If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be? Arnold, from “Hey Arnold!” What ever happened to that show anyways?

LAUREN SHARMAN

Batting lead-off for “10 questions with….” is Lauren Sharman, a hilarious HK ex-pat who has a passion for nachos. She also holds the dubious distinction of helping me come up with the 10 questions.

Lauren, always one for fashion atop glaciers The details Born? Hong Kong but I’m British What do you do? Careers and Higher Education Counsellor Current City? Hong Kong Distance between birthplace and current city? 0 miles, yay!! What is a typical day living in Hong Kong? On a week day I get up about 6:30am and get a taxi into work. I get in about 7 ish because the school day starts early here and you need your wits about you when working with kids!! It is usually roasting hot with high humidity, so I scurry from the taxi to my air conditioned office, where I often need a cardigan due to the stupid thermostat. I work until 3:30pm unless I am doing an after school activity such as netball for the younger students. Otherwise I get home on the school bus, and often jump in my pool which is part of the apartment block I live in. On an evening I would go into town for dinner (kitchens are so small here most people eat out), and maybe for a few drinks down in Soho during happy hour, largely because it is very expensive to drink at any other time of the day!! The best place to eat in your city that no one knows about (on a budget)? Budget eating is not a problem in HK if you are happy eating in slightly rough and ready places, such as the dai pai dongs (street stalls) with questionable hygiene, but I have never gotten ill. There is a really great noodle place just off Times Square called Ho Hung Kee. The only down side is that they don’t do an English menu (my favourite thing about this place!) so you need to be brave and point at what others are having that looks good, or accost a Cantonese speaker to help you. This place only has 6 tables so get there early if you want to eat straight away. The most beautiful place you’ve ever been? Yosemite National Park. Seriously, it was so pretty I cried. The worst travel mistake you have made? I get ripped off all the time, usually when I have just stepped off the plane. It seems that no matter how much I travel I always fall for some sort of scam within about 20mins of arriving, but seeing as nothing has never really gone wrong I see this as a fair karma pay off. If you could change one thing about the place you live, what would it be? I am not a fan of humidity so it would be nice if that could go. I would also educate the Chinese in how to hold open a door for someone rather than slamming it in your face…. Necessary travel accessory? Squishy beany travel neck pillow. I can sleep anywhere with that thing. In your travels to his point, who is the most interesting person you have met while travelling? I meet interesting people all the time, because anyone with a different point of view makes me curious, but I guess for sheer staying power (not the dirty kind), an ex boyfriend who is Dutch, who I met in New Zealand, and who I lived in the UK with is someone who constantly surprises me in his international travel chameleon abilities regardless of the fact he is 6ft 5″. When you build your own airport, what will be some mandatory special features? Lots and lots of food outlets. The airport in HK is state of the art and fabulous, but seeing as you can’t get a decent sandwich it is pretty useless to me. What is “your perfect Sunday” in the city of your choice? My love affair with HK is ongoing so I would have a lazy lie in, in the Autumn months so I can sleep with the windows open. Then I would go and meet friends for brunch downtown and then hit one of the fabulous beaches on the Island. Or I would get up early and go for a hike, with amazing views over the bays and green hills, finishing at one of my favourite restaurants in a quiet (ish) village. If you were a cartoon character, which one would you be? Sponge Bob Square Pants.