a peek inside the fishbowl

Posts Tagged ‘travel

11 Jun, 2023

Summer bucket list 2023: There’s no place like HOM

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: travel talk

Last summer Mark and I had fun around town guided by an “Ottawa summer bucket list” of our own design and I’m keen to do it again. I have learned that I need to make lists of ideas and places to go as they come up, otherwise they get forgotten and we revert to things […]

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08 May, 2020

Blue water, beautiful sights, monkey bites

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: travel talk

The Thailand diaries continue! To read past posts in this series, click here. We hired a private long-tail boat to take us on a three hour tour of a few different locations around the islands that are only accessible by water. It cost us $1500 bhat (about $60) and it was worth every penny, and then some. […]

02 May, 2020

Arrival at Phi Phi

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: travel talk

The Thailand diaries continue! To read past posts in this series, click here. In my previous post, we had just taken the ferry to the Phi Phi Islands. We were excited about the promise of island living for a few days. Disembarking wasn’t nearly as tranquil as promised by our first views from the ferry. […]

18 Apr, 2020

Ferry to Phi Phi

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: travel talk

I’m feeling a bit bleak my friends, so I’m picking up where I left off re: Thailand diaries. To read past posts in this series, click here. At this point I would like to share a few points I jotted down in my paper journal I was keeping during this time under the heading Lessons Learned: Drink […]

02 Feb, 2020

The risk that paid off

Posted by: andrea tomkins In: travel talk

The Thailand diaries continue! To read past posts in this series, click here. In the most recent chapter in this series, the youngest daughter and I had just visited Big Buddha, a religious site in Phuket, Thailand. Thankfully, we found our driver waiting for us in the parking lot, just as he had promised. (Phew.) […]


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  • Gretchen Humphrey: I had a beautiful bee& birdbath filled with a solar fountain and dozens of antique marbles that were suddenly disappearing. At first I thought my
  • Jinjer: I am sobbing reading this post. And you're right, companion is not enough. Little furry treasured gifts that they are. Thanks for sharing cutie-pi
  • Karen: Dear Andrea, Mark and your daughters I am so very sad for your family xxx Piper was/is my favourite Instagram post. You shared with us so intimately
  • Christina Banuelos: Thank you for sharing Pipers life with us. Your posts of Piper brought me joy. Every time I see your post and see what kind of mischief Piper was gett
  • Carla Slocum: I am sitting here yet again crying at your loss. We have known that loss with Asta the WFT our first pup but now have the enormous gift of Stryker the
  • Janelle Brown: Dear Andrea Thank you for sharing Piper’s story with her followers. I empathise with your grief and emptiness as I lost my 14 year old Westie last
  • Natasha McReynolds-Nicholl: My god reading this is heartbreaking. December 1st was the as you describe longest day of my life, we lost out beautiful WFT hazel. Pipers final momen

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


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