“Happily I took the chance to travel just after teachers college years ago and it has long been my dream to share the excitement of discovering new places and cultures with my family. As a result of our trip my children, Jack, who is 12 years old and Brynn who is 10, learned about various cultures, religions, histories, geographies and did so while immersing themselves in culinary delights, music, dance and local activities,” explained Brooke.

They started their travels in sweltering Dubai where they toured the world famous Gold Souk and the Spice Souk where Jack and Brynn tried camel milk chocolate. Next stop took them over the Himalayan mountains and to a cooler Nepal. They started on a trek in the Annapurna region in the wake of a freak and tragic weather system that brought heavy snows and avalanches. Their trek was safe and provided them with amazing views of the snow capped Himalayas while they hiked through rural mountain villages. Their guide, Ganga and porters Razu and Perkash became good friends along the way and opened a window to their Nepalese lives and culture. From their base in Kathmandu, a city that intrigues but also overloads the senses, the family experienced an awe inspiring flight up close and personal of Mount Everest. Later, they travelled to Chitwan National Park for a few nights and enjoyed an elephant safari.

Next they landed in Bangkok, also known as the City Of Angels. In this city of more than 10 million people the family wandered by ferry on the Chao Phraya River to ancient palaces and Buddhist temples. They took a Thai cooking course and made Jack happy with some geocaching. They volunteered at a local orphanage.

“We couldn’t speak Thai and they couldn’t speak English but that did not matter because they just wanted us to play with them,” Brynn commented.

They also spent time on the legendary white sand beaches of Phuket and then travelled north to Chiang Mai where they visited hill tribe villages and journeyed by bamboo raft down a river to bathe an elephant. Jack and Brynn participated in “Monk Chat” where they helped the Buddhist monks with their English through questions and conversation.

In Luang Prabang, Laos the family volunteered in a program called Big Brother Mouse where they assisted young people with their English language skills. They swam at the majestic Kuang Si Falls, visited with tribal village people, sped along the narrow, dusty streets in tuk tuks and watched the sun set on the Mekong River while floating in traditional canoes.

Siem Reap, Cambodia was next where Jack and Brynn came face to face with the victims of war. Here they visited the Cambodian Landmine Museum and School where they heard the stories of how landmines were used as weapons with an ongoing disposal program to rid the local land of mines.

“When talking to our taxi driver I was surprised to learn that during the rainy season when he was a boy he and his friends swam in a bomb crater left over from the war,” said Jack.
The family also explored many temples in Siem Reap including the ancient, historical ruins of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world.

For Christmas they boarded the Volendam of the Holland America Line in Singapore en route to ports in Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar (Burma). Jack and Brynn made friends on board with other children from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was an education to travel the ancient shipping routes of Asia and a chance to relax. Everyone was amazed at the ultra modern city state of Singapore which was clean, very expensive and governed by many rules. Jack was shocked to find out that the cost of a car and permit was easily worth more than a hundred thousand dollars.

The family enjoyed their Malaysian stops in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Penang. They enjoyed learning more about the Muslim religion while touring the country.

In Myanmar (Burma) they visited the capital Yangon with its bustling markets and here they experienced their first sighting of female Buddhist monks. Only recently open to the rest of the world, Myanmar is striving to become a tourism destination and the local people were very interested in the visiting Canadian’s way of life and culture. The family visited a local Thanlyin village where they toured markets and visited monks at the Bon Pyan Monastery. In a fabric shop they met a political cartoonist who had angered the government with his views and now has to be careful with his artistic expression.

India was next on the horizon where the Vokes clan arrived in Delhi, a city of more than 25 million people. The family found that they had to rely on all of their combined resources and travel wits to deal with India on a daily basis. They found that although people struggled for opportunity and were for the most part impoverished they were also very kind and helpful. The Taj Mahal in Agra was a diamond in the rough and Jack and Brynn were mesmerized by the snake charmers on the streets of Delhi. Travel south to the beaches of Cochin brought warm weather and a trip to the backwater of Kerala on an overnight rice boat. In Cochin Brynn was decorated by a local 16 year old artist in the Henna style in her family home. By the time the artwork had dried the local family and the Vokes clan shared tea, enjoyed traditional Hindi and Bollywood songs performed by the younger Indian girls of the family who also were treated to Brynn’s singing.

“I have this fantastic memory of saying goodbye to all the women dressed in colourful saris at their front door as they waved to us. I now know that you can always find kind people in every part of the world,” commented Brynn.

After a long flight they landed in OZ……Australia that is. In Sydney, Brooke connected with Tracy, a roommate from university. She and her husband Mick welcomed the Vokes family into their home and friendships were formed quickly with their children Bella, Nate and Chloe.
The Vokes family took in all of the city sites including the Sydney Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and spent time at Bondi and Manly Beaches. The family drove up the coast and Jack and Brynn took surfing lessons, Rob golfed surrounded by Kangaroos and everyone enjoyed exploring the Great Barrier Reef on Lady Elliot Island. Swimming with sea turtles was a highlight of the road trip.

“It was summer in Australia, the weather was beautiful and the beaches were amazing. We did some awesome snorkeling and enjoyed playing as a family in the monster size waves along the coast. We also took a ferry over to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world and swam in Lake Mackenzie, one of the cleanest freshwater lakes on earth,” Rob said.

The North Island of New Zealand became a stopover before heading back to Canada. The family decided to head north to the Bay of Islands to relax and enjoy the warm weather before the return trip to the freezing temperatures in back home. New Zealand was an adrenalin rush for everyone where the family adventures included luging, zorbing and sky diving. They were thrilled to experience a Maori culture presentation in Rotorua which included the Haka traditional dance followed by a Maori Hangi feast. They also visited the capital Auckland and Waiheke Island.

On their return to Canada they landed in Vancouver to explore the west coast. Jack and Brynn enjoyed biking along the sea wall in Stanley Park. They also were thrilled with their walk on the Capilano Suspension Bridge. In Banff the family walked the streets and trails of this popular Mountain town. On to Fernie, B.C. Brooke was reunited with Nicole, who had travelled with her years before through Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Nicole, her husband Dennis and their three girls Ruby, Charlie and Lucy shared their home and introduced the Vokes family to their mountain town. The children formed strong bonds and enjoyed some trekking and the adaption to cold weather. After five months and countless adventures the family arrived back in Jarvis.
Brooke explained, “This trip was not just a vacation but rather an adventure. Every day was an open book with endless possibilities and we are so grateful for such a rich experience and all of the wonderful support and encouragement we received from our family and friends.

Another thing I want to tell you about Laos is that it was one of the heaviest bombed countries during the Vietnam War, even though they weren’t at war. Laos is beside Vietnam and during the war the country was used to send soldiers and supplies into southern Vietnam from northern Vietnam.

I learned about land mines in Cambodia. We went to a land mine museum and the guide told us that there are still many active land mines in Cambodia from the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge. We saw a lot of people who were missing arms or legs and some of them were kids who were just playing in a field or picked up something that they thought looked like a toy. People are working to find land mines and blow them up safely so no one gets hurt.

In Cambodia we stayed in a city called Siem Reap. It was busy and had a street called “Pub Street” with a lot of restuarants and crazy tuktuk drivers who liked to joke around. The biggest religious monument in the world is in Cambodia. It’s called Angkor Wat and it’s one of the wonders of the world. It was huge and neat to see all the designs carved in the stone. We went to another wat called Ta Prohm. I liked it even better than Angkor Wat because everywhere you turned roots were taking over the temple. It was really cool and Tomb Raider was filmed there.
After Cambodia we flew to Singapore. It’s one of the richest cities in the world. To own a car in Singapore you have to pay $80, 000 to get a permit for 10 years. Then you have to buy the car! Singapore is clean and there is no garbage. There are lots of rules and if you don’t follow them you can get caned. We went to Garden by the Bay and saw man made trees called Super Trees. They even have an island that’s man made and a tonne of shopping malls. It’s really hot in Singapore because it’s close to the equator. Good thing we had a pool. In Singapore we got on a cruise ship.

The ship was called the Volendam and we were on it for 14 days over Christmas and New Years. We sailed to Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar (once called Burma). On Christmas day we were in Phuket, that’s one of my favourite places. The people in Myanmar wanted to touch my skin and they were wondering about us. We went to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar and saw a monk that we met in Chaing Mai, Thailand. I recognized him and he was happy to see us. It’s a small world. We also went to a monastery to see how monks live and after that went for a ride on a trishaw through a Thanlyin Village. Another thing that happened in Myanmar is we got stuck in a full elevator for 10 minutes with no air conditioning. But we survived it.

Now we are in India. The McDonald’s just serves chicken and fish, no beef because cows are sacred in India. In Delhi we saw a snake charmer. He opened up a basket and a snake popped right out. He started playing an instrument that looked like a flute and the snake started dancing. It’s really busy with cars, tuktuks, motorcycles, and buses. Everyone is honking their horn. People are on the streets, especially men. Cows, water buffalo, dogs, goats and monkeys are on the street too. There is a lot of garbage and it is winter in Delhi so a lot of people are trying to get warm by standing near fires. Even though some people are really poor they are still friendly. I liked going to the Taj Mahal. Now we are in southern India and it’s hot. We stayed overnight on a house boat and went through the backwaters of India. Soon we will be in Australia and I will have more stories to tell you.

In Cambodia we also learned about land mines. They were used during the Vietnam War and with the Khmer Rouge. The land mines killed lots of people and it’s very sad. Some are still in fields and people try to use metal detectors to find them because they don’t want more people hurt or killed.

We stayed in Cambodia for a week and then we flew to Singapore. Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world. It’s really clean and there are a lot of rules there. Some rules are no littering, no jay walking, you can’t buy gum in a store, always flush the toilet in a public bathroom and ask permission to hug someone in public. Our hotel had a pool on the roof and it was big with see through glass.

We got on a cruise ship in Singapore. It was called the Volendom. There was a kids pool, a sports deck, movie theatre, shows like dancing and singing, ping pong tables, restaurants, a casino, library, Club HAL and more. Club HAL is where kids can play video games and do arts and crafts and play board games. I met lots of friends on the cruise like Luna, Claire, Jasmine, Sophie, Erica, and Gina. Everyday the ship stops at a different place, except sea days. We stopped in the countries Malaysia, Myanmar (which used to be called Burma) and Thailand. On Christmas Day we were in Phuket, Thailand. We swam in the ocean and it was fun. When we had supper that night on the ship we saw dolphins in the water! We also were on the boat for New Years. We listened to a band and had the count down. Everyone was so excited! I’m wishing everyone a happy 2015!

Our cruise ended after 14 days. We didn’t change our plans this time and flew into Delhi, India. I wasn’t feeling well on the plane and ended up being a bit sick in bed. I just wanted to sleep. I went to the Children’s Hospital in Delhi. It was really, really busy but everyone was very nice. The doctor gave me medicine and antibiotics. Soon I was better and we went to Gandhi’s Museum, the markets, a Sikh temple, Indira Gandhi’s house and more. We saw a snake charmer and went on a crazy cycle rickshaw! Delhi is very busy. There are dogs running around, cows and water buffalo on the streets, cars honking their horns, big buses and trucks, and tuktuks everywhere, lots of people on the streets and many poor people all around. One day we went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. It was beautiful. The outer part of the building is made out of marble. The King had it made for his second wife who died while she was having their 14th baby. Her tomb is inside the |Taj Mahal and so is the King’s. The entire thing is symmetrical, except for his tomb. When we were inside we had to wear white shoe coverings so the marble doesn’t get ruined. Now we are in Kochi. It’s in the south of India. A couple of days after we got to Kochi my Mom and I went out for a walk looking for a place that did henna design tattoos. Henna tattoos last for a week or two and the dye is from the henna plant. We found a little house on the street where a 16 year old girl did henna. I was a little scared it would hurt but it tickled. I got it done on my foot and after my Mom paid for it the girl asked if she could put a design on my hand as a gift from her. After she did my hand we talked with the family while my mom had tea. I sang for them and then one of the younger girls from the family sang us a song in Hindi. Then the girl who did my design sang a Bollywood song and she was really good. She said she loved 1 Direction and sang us another song. My mom showed them pictures of our family and everyone was crowding around the table to see my mom’s phone. When we left everyone waved to us from the door and said goodbye. It was a lot of fun. When we were walking back to our hotel we saw a goat riding a motorcycle. Well it wasn’t riding it, it was just on top but hey it’s India so anything goes! I’m glad we got to come to India and it was great now bring on Australia!