Two Richmond sisters are nearing the end of an amazing and weird, year-long adventure around the world’s more obscure and off-the-beaten-track spots.
For 12 months, university grads Erika and Cait Van Vliet saved up every cent they could and packed their bags on May 18 last year. They flew to Indonesia to teach English in universities and, of all places, a local prison.
From there, the pair of McMath secondary alumni, through their traveling blog, has amassed a fascinating array of photos, observations and embarrassing stories.
They’ve walked, biked, bussed and rowed through Southeast Asia, India, Nepal, Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East. They’ve worked at an eco-resort on an isolated Cambodian island; trekked through the Himalayas in Nepal; volunteered at a hospice in India; dived in Sri Lanka; skied in Kyrgyzstan and hitch-hiked through Georgia.
One morning, while snorkelling in the Perhentian Islands near Malaysia, they were circled by a pair of black-tipped reef sharks, but survived to tell the tale (see excerpt from their blog below in Italics).
* In the Perhentians, near Malaysia:
...we headed to a nearby beach for an early morning snorkel. As we approached, we saw 5 or 6 fins circling in the shallows. We entered the water very slowly. I swear, my heart palpitations sounded exactly like the Jaws’ theme song. We found a nice grouping of rocks to spy from. These were black-tipped reef sharks, the longest about 5 feet...(still enough to scare the s*** out of us)...we were the only people on the beach, it felt very intimate. Later that day, I went snorkelling while Cait (swam)...beside me. We made it quite far out when I looked down to see 2 largish sharks looping around us. Not wanting to...tell Cait and freak her out, I kept trying to edge her back...(to the) shore...It wasn’t until we were safely back on the beach I told her.
– Erika Van Vliet
In just over two months’ time, the Van Vliet sisters will fly to Toronto from Amsterdam and then complete their incredible trip by cycling across the country back to Richmond, so they can see Canada, connect with Canadians and do their bit for the environment by off-setting a year of flying.
The pair has set up a gofundme page in a bid to cover the costs of the final leg.
Before they start heading home, the Richmond News caught up with them, via email, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, northeast of Afghanistan, and asked them a few questions:
1) Are you twins? What ages are you?
Erika: I am 25 and Cait is 28, although we have birthdays to celebrate in two weeks’ time. It seems to be a global disappointment when we say we're not twins. We get asked multiple times a day.
2) What jobs did you do?
Erika: I worked as a nanny for a wonderful family in Richmond. This often allowed for lots of overtime opportunities. It also meant I became very attached to the kids and it was hard to leave. Now I am lucky to call them family friends and we have stayed in close contact through the year.
Cait: I moved back to Richmond after having lived and worked in Victoria as a trained florist for four years. I worked two florist jobs in the year leading up to the trip, at The Prickly Pear in Steveston and Blundell Blossoms, now closed.
3) Why did you do it?
Cait: We decided to go travelling for such a long period of time mainly to launch ourselves out of our comfort zones. We both had a feeling of complacency with our lives back home. We needed change in every aspect. We also knew that there is only a small window of time in which we would both be free to take 13 months off from “real life” to explore. We wanted to come home with a greater appreciation for Canada.
4) How did you fund your trip?
Erika: We funded such a big trip by working our butts off and saving every penny for a full year. We both moved back home (thanks, Mom!). We cut back on eating out, going to movies, getting nails done, etc. We also pretty much stopped shopping for anything that wasn’t trip-related — that was a tough one! Basically, instead of going out and spending money, we stayed in and did research. We researched safe travel routes, insurance plans, required banking adjustments, equipment to buy, etc. It wasn’t a very exciting year, but it was effective.
5) What was teaching English in the Indonesian prison like and how did that come about?
Erika: We volunteered with a well-connected English teacher who would place us in different jobs around the city. At the prison, young men, usually incarcerated for drug possession or misdemeanours, could voluntarily take weekly lessons to learn English and improve their chances of employment after their sentence. They were enthusiastic but our presence brought a frenetic energy that maybe wasn't the most conducive to learning. Often we'd have to steer the conversation back to classroom appropriate topics. Overall, they were sweet and it was a very positive experience
6) Did you have difficulty with the language?
Cait: The biggest language barrier we met was in Kyrgyzstan, where most tourists are from Russia. Even in countries where English is prevalent, however, we would do our best to learn some phrases (usually food related) to endear ourselves to, or maybe just amuse, locals.
Erika: We kid ourselves thinking we can speak French. Other than that we're, sadly, lazy English speakers. Although, we're getting really good at charades!
7) What have you learned about the world?
Cait: This is a really big question and one that we talk about all the time. Of course, we’ve made observations about our destinations, but, as a subject matter, I think we’ve come to learn far more about ourselves in the world:
- You can adapt to almost anything;
- As Canadians, we are extremely lucky;
- A good sense of humour is essential to travel. You WILL look like an idiot. But that’s okay!
8) What would you do differently if you had the chance?
Erika: Generally, we have been really pleased with how everything has turned out — knock on wood for the last three months! We often say that there is nothing we would do differently. However, this doesn’t mean there weren’t learning curves. We needed to find a good balance between flexibility with our plans and a constructive schedule. It took a while to get this down. We have some regrets over how we did Myanmar (10 days of flying by the seat of our pants) because we had not yet found our balance.
9) Where are you going between now and Toronto?
Cait: In the time that we have left before we start our bike trip from Toronto, we will be flying into Istanbul and purchasing our touring bikes. We will tour around Turkey and ride through Bulgaria to Romania. Here we will do a 10-day bike trip through the countryside of Transylvania. We will ship our bikes home from Bucharest and then fly down to Italy where we will take a rest in our friend’s apartment at the foot of the Dolomites. We then head to Marrakesh, Morocco, to meet one of our closest childhood friends.
We will spend a month with her in Morocco where we want to do a camel tour into the Sahara and trek the Atlas Mountain range. Lastly, we fly to Amsterdam for one week to catch up with some friends we’ve met on the trip before we fly to Toronto on May 5.
10) Why do you need sponsorship for the final leg?
Erika: We require sponsorship and/or public support mainly because the equipment needs to meet a certain safety standard. So far, we’ve been able to make do: thrift store supplies and DIY solutions. But the bicycles, helmets, side panniers and repair kit need to be durable and reliable for roughly 4,400 km of Canadian terrain. It is for this reason that we have tried our hand at a crowd-funding campaign. We are asking for support in any form. We have some amazing Nepali product that we are raffling off via these donations as a way to show our appreciation for everyone’s efforts.
11) What will you do when you finally get home?
Erika: I will look forward to beginning a Masters program in Speech-Language Pathology.
Cait: I am hoping to change careers and draw more on my English degree by getting into writing and editing, in which I already have some experience. Ideally, I will find a position that allows me to continue travelling as a lifestyle.
Erika: And everyone has suggested that Cait write a book on our adventures — so keep an eye out for that!
Check out the sisters’ campaign at Gofundme.com/CaitandErikaBike and also their blog at CaitandErikaLeaveNorthAmerica.Wordpress.com.
