Mar 26, 2013  •  In Food, Personal, Travel

Miss Me Yet?

On my way back from Montréal, I was detained at the U.S.-Canadian border for the transportation of contraband items across international lines. I was subjected to a full-body search, a background check, and a lengthy interrogation. Eventually, my family was forced to contact the U.S. embassy to plead for my release.

Just kidding. What really happened isn’t quite as exciting: my coming down with the flu almost as soon as I returned home, J getting sick as soon as I started to recover, then my in-laws returning to China which means no help with the kids for the next five months or so.

It’s been a tiring week.

Nonetheless…

Montréal was a blast! It was a weekend full of giggles, cheese (not the eating kind), grub (the eating kind), and drinks. Lots and lots of drinks. Oh, and as expected of most bachelorette parties, some naughtiness.  😛

I’m sorry to say that I won’t be posting any (potentially) compromising pictures here. This is, after all, a public blog. However, I did want to share some of the more boring shots.

One of the first things I did after arriving at the hotel was look up the nearest Tim Hortons. I had discovered that one of my sister’s friends is a fellow HIMYM fan, and it was kind of sad just how excited we both were about visiting a Tim Hortons. Luckily, Tim Hortons are just as prevalent in Montréal as Starbucks are in NY, so we only had to walk a couple of blocks.

tim_hortons

I’m always fascinated by foreign currency whenever I travel — U.S. money is soooo boring — and Canada was no exception. The new $20 is made of a plastic-y material, and there are even see-through parts! (Later, I was to learn that most Canadians hate the new $20 because they tend to get stuck in machines.)

new_canadian_twenty

On our second day, I was able to meet up with this lovely lady and her adorable daughter. This picture does NOT do them justice — Kelly is gorgeous in real life with skin that is TDF. (Seriously, one of the first things I blurted out to her was, “Ohmigosh you’re so pretty in person!”) And her daughter Sienna is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever met.

DSC00449

I was understandably a bit hungover on my last day, and pho is one of my favorite hangover cures. Luckily, there was a Vietnamese restaurant within walking distance from our hotel. Their pho came in 3 sizes, and I decided to be badass and ordered the largest one.

I should have guessed how big it would be by the way the waitress’ eyebrows shot up when I placed my order; it was HUGE! (TWSS!) Here, you can see how large the bowl is compared to my friend’s hand. Needless to say, I was not able to finish my noodles.

giant_pho

What I returned home to. I missed these little boogers so much while I was away.

claire_aerin_tent 

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7 Responses to “Miss Me Yet?”

  1. Allie says:

    I’m glad you had a great trip and are feeling better! I was thinking about you yesterday; my husband showed me this video (which has since been taken down from YouTube) that was all six Star Wars movies played at the exact same time with full video and audio, and I thought “Jenny would have liked this!”

  2. Mina says:

    sounds like an awesome trip. i would love a donut or 5 right now. how fun to meet a blogging friend! that bowl of pho looks amazing. okay, first donuts, then a bowl of pho.

  3. Wijmke says:

    So I consider myself a HIMYMfan (I have never missed an episode), but the name Tim Hortons doesn’t ring any bell with me. What did I miss/forget?

  4. Glad to hear you had a good time. Yeah… I can never finish an XL bowl of pho. I usually order a Large maximum. As for our money, I HATE it… It’s so plastic-y. I miss the old paper money. 🙁 Less sticky too.

  5. Carol says:

    …That’s quite a story you wrote there. Very detailed. Almost like it… happened.
    Haha. Glad you had fun. I’ve never been to Canada but maybe this summer. I’ll be sure to ask you for recommendations if we head to Montreal.

  6. Amanda says:

    It’s funny that you should mention Canadian vs. US money because it’s actually something I think about a fair bit (living fairly close to the border on the Canadian side). I never understand how you can tell yours apart, considering it’s all the same colour. And I think I must be the only person who likes the new bills, although that may be because I just think it’s cool that our money is made of plastic (except for the enviromental implications), is virtually indestructible, and see-through. I mean, maybe I’m the only one?

  7. Revanche says:

    Honestly I was starting to believe your little tale there! I’ve had friend detained at the Canadian border before and we started to worry she wasn’t going to be released! It probably didn’t help that she kicked up a bit of a stink … 😉

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