if i were a travel writer... i'd write of places near or far... of places i've arrived to by plane, bus, train or car... and along the way, i'll take some photos... and so, here my story goes...

So, I know this isn't an Asia trip, but I figured I'd send along an email about my current trip to the Pacific Northwest... probably my most long awaited destination. I arrived in LA on Thursday after packing all night (of course) and leaving my apartment at 5:30am. The flight was delayed... but I somehow made the 12pm Central Coast Shuttle to Buellton where most of the wedding party, including me, was staying. Buellton - the split pea capital of the world. Enough said, right? It is only a 15 minute drive from Solvang, which I think is the Danish capital of the US. Go figure. They have great pancakes, that's for sure. And really good wine, especially at the Gainey which is where Michele and Dillon had their wedding. We had our "rehearsal" on Friday at the beautiful grounds - the vineyards are amazing and probably the most close-to-perfect site for a wedding that I have seen. Eventually, the whole wedding party arrived... they were amazing. Dillon and Michele's family and friends are the most welcoming people I have met in a long time. By day 2, I felt like I had known them just as long as I have known Michele - 7 years. (By the way, for those of you who don't know, Michele and I met when I studied in Spain back in 2000. She's from Cali but we have kept in touch quite well over the years). The whole wedding weekend was completely laid-back. Never have I met a couple as calm as Dillon and Michele on the day before or morning of their wedding. Yet, I have never heard a couple state their vows so strongly and full of intent as I did when Dillon and Michele exchanged theirs on Saturday. It was really an amazing thing to witness and be a part of... And then from the valleys of the St Inez valley (I think that's where we were)... to the Hills of LA... I spent Sunday night with an old friend from college who moved from NY to LA to pursue a career in filmmaking. Last time I stayed with him, it was in a great area - West Hollywood. This time, we drove up the most windy road... I mean, if someone else was coming down the road, you have to pull over or reverse so they can get passed you. It's insane... and I can't even imagine driving it at night. Anyway, you get to the top - and there is this yellow house he shares with three of his friends ($4000/month for those of you wondering how much this place is). The whole back of the house is a patio - three floors of wide open windows and patios. It's hard to believe he pays less for the view of the "Hollywood" sign and a panaromic vista of the city than I do for my view of Papaya Dog and Washington Mutual. I guess I don't have to drive up that dangerously windy road for my view ; ) Anyway, he's screening one of his movies on Wednesday ("Diamonds in the Rough..." a great documentary about the hip hop revolution in Uganda) and was doing a lot of preparation for that, so I got to pet-sit his 7 month old dog, Howie for the evening. So cute. And definitely made me miss Nessa... who by the way, had a birthday today (May 7). Can't believe she's 5... or 35... if that's how they count "dog years." So, today I arrived... from the Hills... to the mountains and city of Vancouver in British Columbia. I've never been to this part of Canada... and even as we were flying overhead, I could tell I was going to love it. I had second thoughts when the Customs Officer grilled me about why I was here... why I didn't know anybody here... why I am traveling here... why I traveled to Cambodia last year... where I worked, what I did... blah, blah, blah. I swear, I thought he wasn't going to let me in at one point. A lot of questions, but I guess that's his job, right? Anyway, as I told Angela earlier today, Vancouver has a strange resemblence to Granada (Spain)... snow capped mountains jut out over and around the city... as if they are so close you can touch them. The only difference is that water is everywhere here. I love that. I actually thought I was walking one way to get to this dinner spot, Bin 941 - towards the water (that's what it looked like on the map) - and it was the wrong way. So I look at the map, and realize both ways lead to water. So, I'm sure it won't be the first time I get lost... but I did get to catch the just-before-sunrise near the pier where a lot of the cruises to Alaska leave from... this body of water with beautiful snow-capped mountains as the backdrop. Really breathtaking. I'm planning to take the ferry over to Granville Island tomorrow... not really sure what to expect there, but I've read that it's worth the trip and my hostel is hosting a trip over there, so I thought it would be a good time to go, despite the 70% chance of rain. That's actually the worst weather forecast yet though, luckily. Tonight, I went to a great place for dinner and then headed a few blocks from my hostel for some live music. It really feels like Manhattan at night... and where my hostel is located on Granville Street feels particularly like home, good ole' West 4th. No porn shops, but plenty of people on the streets... either moving from bar to bar... or asking for some change. It's amazing that no matter how different or far apart places are, there's always something comfortable about them. At least that's what I keep discovering in my travels. So, I'm here til' Thursday... and then off to meet Mom in Seattle (ssh, she doesn't know where she's going). I'm really excited for that leg of the trip also... and I have tons of plans for Washington and Oregon... hoping that she's up for it too. Until next time, Deanna