From April 13-15, Thailand celebrates their new year with the Songkran Festival. During these three days, the entire country participates in the biggest water fight in the world.

The throwing of water started as a way to pay respect, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this “blessed” water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Over time, this tradition has evolved among young people into a full blown water fight including full on dousing of random passers by. Some also carry a bowl of talc powder mixed with water, which they then smear it on people’s faces and bodies as a blessing for the new year.

My Songkran Experience

A few years ago I was in Thailand for this festival and was not prepared for how crazy it would be. We decided to spend it in Chiang Mai, where the most famous Songkran celebrations are held. Chiang Mai is surrounded by a moat with streets that run alongside it, providing a perfect (but dirty) water source for this celebration.

We arrived the day before the festival began so we could prepare. We found our hotel, dropped off our bags and went shopping for water guns. This Minnie Mouse super soaker was my weapon of choice.

We left the hotel to join the festival the next day and there was a group of kids waiting outside and I immediately got a full bucket of water to the chest! That was how the next three days went from start to finish. For the next three days I would wore the same clothes, still wet from the day before, as there was no point getting my limited supply of clean clothes all soaked.

This went on for three days straight! The Thai people loaded up in trucks with giant barrels of water and drove through the streets spraying water at people. Some got a bit nasty and added ice to their water buckets, which was absolutely shocking when you were doused with it. Most of the Thai people were fairly respectful not to spray water in people’s faces, which was great. It was the Western crowd that tended to take things a bit too far, spraying people in the face or in the ear with a super soaker full of ice water. Not cool.

Overall the festival was an absolute blast! When dusk hit in the evening the water fight would end for the day, and around about nine the next morning it would start up again.

Here is a taste of what those three days were like:

 What festivals have you attended while traveling? Share in the comments below.

After an incredible month of travel and amazing experiences I guess I was due for a little string of bad luck. They say bad luck comes in threes, so fingers crossed that I’ve come to the end of this crazy streak! 1. Last week my hair dryer exploded. (It scared the begeezus out of me!) It sucked but was not too big of a big deal. 2. Last night my MacBook Pro had a disagreement with my wine glass. It didn’t end well. I thought it was going to be the most expensive half glass of wine ever, but thankfully after MacPro sobered up, she seems to be working fine today. (Altho, her fan is blowing out some serious hangover breath…) Lesson Learned? — Use only stemless wine glasses when working late-night with wine. So after the computer incident last night I was thinking to myself that with the way things were going, the 3rd piece of bad luck was going to be a doozy…

(Warning: this following may be disturbing to some readers.)

3. I was driving home today when the battery light came on and an “Alternator Workshop!” message flashed up in the dash. (I thought it was related to my having left the lights on earlier — oops! — while I attended the CIBC Welcome Home event for Paralympian Braydon Luscombe.) As I drove, I lost power steering, the battery light continued to blink at me and the beeping became more and more frequent. When I got home and we popped the hood to check it out, we found something we were NOT expecting. A broken alternator belt and … … wait for it…. An obliterated RAT splattered all over the hood and motor!

** EWWW!!!! **

Oh, and it got worse! There were 3 little unborn baby rats (thankfully all in one piece,) who had had a very harsh and premature start and end to their lives. : ( We called the mechanic, ordered a new belt.

Mechanic: “Will you be installing it yourself?” Answer: “Um. No. Please send a tow truck.”

I’ve earned a cup of tea…

After that mess was over, I thought I earned a nice warm cup of Don’t Worry Be Happy tea (chamomile, peppermint and licorice root) from Steeped Tea With Jenn to celebrate the end of my Bad Luck Trifecta!

(Ok… so that may have been a kind of an weird plug for my friend Jenn’s tea business, but it’s freakin’ delicious tea! Get in touch with her to order some!)

Have you ever had a streak of bad luck? Did it come in threes? Please comment below.

Train Ride!

Day 3 had me super excited for my first day in the Mountain Cluster for snowboarding and bobsleigh events! Although the train had been advertised to take only 40 minutes to get to the mountains, I had been told to give myself at least two hours. The reasoning was that yes, the train CAN make it in 40 minutes, but there is only one track, so if there is a train coming from the other direction, your train will have to wait in certain areas to allow it to pass before continuing on. Kind of a strange way to organize and advertise your transportation services, but hey, it was what it was. I was just happy someone told me about it so that I was able to head out on time!

My snowboarding event started at 11am, so I was out the door by 8:30am to get to the Adler train station. I was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t be warm enough in the mountains, due to my lost luggage and limited clothing availability, but it was another gorgeously sunny day, so I packed everything I had in my backpack along with my camera and hoped for the best.

The train was so packed that I ended up sitting on the floor between cars with a couple of other Canadian girls. The three of us chatted and laughed and exchanged stories of our Olympic experience so far. We got more than a few strange looks from some of the Russians around us, as we were the only ones chatting (very animatedly, I should add) and I started to wonder if maybe we were having a bit too much fun for a morning train ride…?

Snowboarding at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park

When I reached the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, I caught my first mascot as well as my first hilarious bathroom stall sign.

And after several requests from Russians to have my photo taken with them, I finally made it to my seat for the Ladies Snowboard Cross event. I was perfectly seated among a group of Canadian fans, including the two friends who I had been to the 2012 London Olympics with! Awesome!  And my new friend Shauna turned out to be the perfect poster child for the Olympic Spirit Project! Yay!!

There were also a couple of (misplaced?) Americans seated with us and we thought we would have a little fun with them (they had no idea what was going on behind them…) Haha!

We watched Canada’s Dominique Maltais fly down the course to win silver (yay!), alongside Eva Samkova from the Czech Republic who won gold and Chloe Trespeuch from France who won bronze. It was an amazing day!

When the event was over, a bunch of us decided to head to Austria House for some food and drink before some headed back to the Coastal Cluster and others headed to the Bobsleigh event later that evening. So we all piled into the back of the bus and off we went!

Stay tuned for the next update, where I will tell you all about my experience at the Austria House…

Sunshine!

I woke up on Day 2 to a beautiful day. It was sunny and about 18 degrees celsius. I decided to take a walk along the boardwalk along the river Mzymta before heading toward the Olympic Park and these are the views I was faced with. Adler was absolutely beautiful! It was so warm that I found myself wishing I had packed a pair of shorts and flip flops! The palm trees along the river made the idea that I was at the winter Olympics completely surreal!

Short Track

I didn’t have any events scheduled for that day so I headed to the Olympic Park with the intention of buying a park pass to explore some of the cultural venues. I connected with an American friend who I had met through one of the Sochi Facebook groups, and as I went to stand in the 90 minute ticket lineup (ugh), he went looking for a pair of inexpensive event tickets from people selling extras outside the park. I figured that if I was going to pay for a park pass anyway, I was fine with paying a few extra dollars if it meant I would take in an Olympic event that day.

I wasn’t in line more than 15 minutes and my new friend messaged me saying that he had been successful! He had found a pair of short track speed skating tickets for only $30 each from another American who had extra tickets! Yay! And just like that, we were off to our first event of the 2014 Olympic Games! HappyDance!

If you have never watched speed skating live, it is an absolutely amazing sight! Short track is especially exciting because they move so quickly around such a small track. They lean in at such an angle around the corners that you think that they may just fall over! Unfortunately, one of our Canadian medal hopefuls did just that… I watched Charles Hamelin lose his balance and as he fell he also knocked the American competitor out of the race and they both hit the padded arena wall HARD!

In the end, two Russians won gold and silver, while the Netherlands brought home the bronze medal for the event Men’s 1000m event. They usually don’t actually present the medals at the events, but they do bring the athletes up onto a podium to recognize their achievement and to perform a flower ceremony. The medals were presented later that evening in the Medals Plaza.

When the event was over, I wandered around the park in search of Olympic Spirit and some Russians provided some excellent examples:

Swiss House

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the park photographing Olympic venues and landmarks and ended up at the House of Switzerland.

The Swiss House was great fun! Since Canadians were not permitted to go inside the Canada Olympic House unless they were friends or family of the athletes, the House of Switzerland became our second home. This is where we (Canadians) would end up daily to celebrate the events of the day with food, drinks and great company. It was no strange occurrence for the Canadian national anthem to break out (it would happen nightly, sometimes more than once), and the house would be packed until sometime between 2am and 4am, depending when they decided to shut it all down.

What I loved the most about the day was that it was a completely unplanned day without expectations and it turned into a day filled with incredible surprises from the warm weather to the unexpected short track ticket and all the wonderful people I met along the way. Any anxiety that I may have had about traveling to Russia and the Olympics solo had completely melted away, and when I got back to the hotel at 2am I was completely exhausted and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

TORONTO, February 7, 2014 – The Canadian Olympic Team will walk onto the world stage today in a look that commands attention as they proudly unveil their official parade uniforms, designed by Hudson’s Bay, at the Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony.

Canadians and fans of Canada abroad can sport the Team’s Opening Ceremony look with Hudson’s Bay’s official replica collection.  The duffle coat is available for both men and women and retails for $275.  The pompom toque and the red mittens are also available for adults and children, with $3.33 from the sale of each pair of mittens going directly to the Canadian Olympic Foundation.   The Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic Team Collection can be purchased online at thebay.com and is available at all Hudson’s Bay stores across Canada.“Hudson’s Bay has once again delivered inspiring, stylish uniforms honouring our athletes’ commitment to Canada as they take part in the Sochi 2014 Opening Ceremony,” said Derek Kent, Chief Marketing Officer, Canadian Olympic Committee. “The colour blocking of red, white and black is quintessentially Canadian and the athletes will wear it with pride.” The Sochi 2014 Canadian Olympic team consists of 221 athletes and 85 coaches.   Team members will each receive 38 items as a part of their uniform including jackets, pants, leisurewear and accessories.

About Hudson’s Bay Company

Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), founded in 1670, is North America’s longest continually operated company. Today, HBC offers customers an unparalleled range of retailing categories and shopping experiences internationally. In Canada, HBC operates Hudson’s Bay, Canada’s largest department store with 90 full-line locations and one outlet store as well as thebay.com, unsurpassed in its fashion, beauty, home and accessory designers and brands. HBC also operates Home Outfitters, Canada’s largest home specialty superstore with 69 locations across the country.In the United States, HBC operates Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the world’s pre-eminent specialty retailers, renowned for its superlative designer collections and first-rate fashion expertise.  Saks Fifth Avenue comprises 41 full-line stores in 22 states, five international licensed stores, saks.com, 72 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores and saksoff5th.com. HBC also operates Lord & Taylor, a leading department store chain with 49 full-line store locations throughout the northeastern United States, in two major cities in the Midwest and in Boca Raton, Florida, four Lord & Taylor outlet locations and lordandtaylor.com. Hudson’s Bay Company banners provide stylish, quality merchandise with a dedicated focus on service excellence. Hudson’s Bay Company trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “HBC”.

About the Canadian Olympic Committee

The Canadian Olympic Committee is a national, private, not-for-profit organization committed to sport excellence. It is responsible for all aspects of Canada’s involvement in the Olympic movement, including Canada’s participation in the Olympic, Youth Olympic and Pan American Games and a wide variety of programs that promote the Olympic movement in Canada through cultural and educational means. For news and information, visit the COC website at www.olympic.ca and find the team on both Facebook (Canadian Olympic Team) and Twitter (@CDNOlympicTeam).

The Olympic Spirit Project is in the news! The project was featured in this weekend’s local newspaper in my hometown of Duncan, BC, Canada. It was even the top story on the paper’s website all day Friday! The traction this project is getting is so exciting!

You can read the article at www.cowichannewsleader.com.

Other Upcoming Media Coverage

This coming Tuesday I’m scheduled for a live interview via Skype with CBC Toronto’s Heather Hiscox for the morning news! I hope to have a video to share with you after the show airs.

Project Update

I’m happy and excited to report that yesterday the Kickstarter campaign passed the 50% mark! There are still 13 days left in the campaign, so please pledge your support today and be a part of the spirit in Sochi!

I’m so excited that the Olympic Spirit is starting to spread both through all of my backers and supports as well as in the news. Thank you all for the continued support.

I opened my Olympics memory box this week and am now even more excited and inspired for the Olympic Spirit Project at the Sochi 2014 Olymipc Winter Games!

Here are a few of the item that I found:

The 2010 Olympics section from the Vancouver Sun from March 2, 2010.

My 2014 Olympics uniform for Sochi 2014 in Russia.

My BCMC media accreditation badge, official IPC (International Paralympic Committee) media accreditation badge, and my IPC photographer sleeve from Vancouver 2010.

Sochi 2014 media badge from Sochi House at Vancouver 2010, My True North Media House badge, House of Switzerland media badge, Holland House Press card, and Samsung media badge. All from Vancouver 2010.

Vancouver 2010 Ice Hockey and Speed Skating tickets, and London 2012 Athletics ticket.

My pin and memorabilia collection from Vancouver 2010, and a single pin from London 2012.

My Canada t-shirt that I wore at London 2012, and an awesome “eh!” t-shirt given to me to wear at Sochi 2014.

A mix of Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 clothing to wear as my Sochi 2014 fan uniform.

The Vancouver 2010 mascots! Quatchi, Miga, Mukmuk, and Sumi.

I’ve recently launched my first Kickstarter campaign to support the creation and publication of my very first photography book! YAY! I’m so excited that after 2 days I’m already at 10% of my fundraising goal, but there is much work left to be done to raise the balance of the funding and I’ve had a few people ask me, “What’s this Kickstarter thing?” So here’s a quick rundown.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is the collective effort of people to pool their money to support the efforts of other people. Crowdfunding is used to support a wide variety of activities, including creative projects, citizen journalism, support of artists by fans, startup company funding, and more. My Olympic Spirit Project is an example of a creative project.

How does Kickstarter work?

Thousands of creative projects are added to Kickstarter everyday. Each project is independently created and crafted by the person behind it. Every project creator sets their project’s funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen.

Are you guaranteed to get funding?

No. With Kickstarter, projects will only get funded if the total funding goal is reached. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding target, all backers’ credit cards are charged when the project reaches its deadline. If the project falls short, no one is charged and the project does not get funded.

Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing.

With the all-or-nothing model, it’s important to get the momentum of the campaign rolling early so that the campaign has a chance of getting on the “Staff Picks” page of the Kickstarter website. This allows the project to get more views within the crowdfunding community, and in turn more pledges.

Remember that your credit card does not get charged unless the project succeeds. Therefore your pledge is more important at the start than it is near the end of the funding deadline so that the momentum builds for the project. 

What is the Olympic Spirit Project?

The Sochi 2014 Olympics have been labeled as the most controversial and most expensive Games of our time, and I feel that the Olympic spirit has been lost for many. Some are even boycotting the Games completely.

After experiencing the Olympic energy in Vancouver in 2010 as media and again in London in 2012 as a spectator, I am inspired to recreate that feeling in Sochi this February to support our athletes (and their competitors) as they compete in the biggest competition of their lives. The athletes have worked so hard to get to this point and it’s unfair to them not to support their efforts in what for most is a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country.

So I came up with The Olympic Spirit Project.

The goal of this project is to get on the ground in Sochi Russia for 10 days during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games to photograph and document the Olympic spirit. I will attend both official Olympic and cultural events and photograph the different ways that cultures celebrate a win, or display their disappointment in a loss. The images I capture during my time in Sochi will be edited and compiled into the Olympic Spirit photo book, with a targeted publishing date of September 2014.

Because funding on Kickstarter is all or nothing, I need your help to get the momentum rolling on the funding campaign now. Every dollar counts! Two dollars, five dollars, twenty-five dollars, it all adds up! And please share the project with your friends and family to help spread the Olympic Spirit even further!

In exchange for your generous support, I’m offering some great rewards. From digital and hard cover copies of the finished book to the opportunity to join me at an official Olympic event during the project! And of course every backer will be acknowledged and thanked in the book itself on the Project Contributors page.

Please click the Kickstarter button below to pledge your support today!

I thank you for your generosity and support, and look forward to creating an amazing and inspiring book!

If you have any questions about either Kickstarter or the Olympic Spirit Project, please shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

Take an in-depth look at the Luge Relay event as they build to its Olympic debut at the upcoming Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

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The photos from the Jewels for a Cause event last night.