blogging around the world canada

7/30/2019 Blogging Around the World Canada

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Blogging Around The WorldCover Design: Cara WilliamsPhotography: Cara Williams

Copyright 2006 by Cara WilliamsAll rights reserved

By Cara Williams


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CONTENTSChapter 1: 3Chapter 2: 5Chapter 3: 6Chapter 4: 7Chapter 5: 9


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Chapter One

I got a really good deal on flights from Gatwick to Toronto via Globespan for 250,which is unheard of now. So Amy and I booked straight away.

8th May 2006By the time we arrived at Lesley Pearson Airport at 4.40pm, we had spent 16 hours

travelling and still had to get the Downtown Express bus to our youth hostel.

We ended up walking around for some time before asking a policeman for help, as we

were exhausted and disorientated. We eventually found the Planet Travellers Hostel at

7.45pm. We only just had enough energy to check in, get to our room and collapse.

9th May 2006We had booked a Niagara Falls Moose tour for $35 CAD before leaving the UK, which

left late in the morning, so after breakfast in the communal kitchen, we went for a walk

to the harbor front (Queens Quay), before heading back to the hostel to get the

Moose Bus to Niagara Falls.

Before the Falls, we stopped at Inniskillen for some wine tasting, where we tried ice wine

(really sweet and made from frozen grapes) and then on to Niagara on the Lake,

where we saw a famous monument in Queenston Heights.

Next, we saw the Niagara whirlpool, where the

waves reach the height of a Greyhound bus. It

was pretty amazing.

We then got on the Maid on the Mist boat for

our up close and personal tour of the falls. We

were all given sexy blue windbreakers, to protect

us from the spray, as the boat moved took us

right under the falls. It was beautiful.

After the cruise, we had an hour of free time,

which Amy and I spent with the tour guide, Levi, before meeting a fellow traveler, Ed for

dinner at Cocos pizza.

We took some more pictures of the Falls after dark and boarded the Moose bus at

9.15pm, which dropped us back at our hostel at 10.30pm. It was a great trip.


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10th May 2006Before we left the UK, we had booked another Moose tour, ca lled the East Pass. It was

a 7 day trip, which involved staying at hostels in various towns along the East coast of

Canada.

The bus arrived at 8.30am and it was the tour guide (Mikeys) first day on the job. The

Moose Bus is a hop on, hop off bus. If you want to spend more than the allotted time in

a town, you can organise your own accommodation and hop on the next Moose bus

that arrives in town.

Our first stop was Gananoque, which is a

pretty little town that reminds me of

California. From there, we went on a

cruise around the 1000 islands, which

are dotted along the St. Lawrence River.

Along the way, we passed Boldt Castle

on Heart Island, which was built by a

millionaire, as a display of his love for his

wife, in the 1900s.

After the c ruise, we drove onto our next hostel (Auberge de J eunesse) in Montreal,

where we were greeted by Super Val (so called as she knew everything about

everything). We arrived at 7pm and went for some beers in Brutopia with the tour

group.

We stayed in a 10 person dorm, but I drew the short straw and had an awful nightssleep on a broken bed.

11th May 2006We went off to explore Montreal on our own in

the morning, as we had decided to stay on in

Montreal for an extra night. We wa lked through

the

Old

Town,

past

some stunning French style houses and

architecture and stopped for breakfast in the

International Quarter and admired the beauty

of the c ity.


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We were told to check out McGill University, (which is renowned worldwide). The

campus is made up of over 300 buildings, which accommodates 37,500 students. It was

beautiful.

We got on the next Moose bus and drove

onto Mont Tremblant, which is a popular skiresort in Quebec . It was gorgeous.

After some free time at the resort, we

moved onto our next hostel, which was

located by a lake.

Once unpacked, Amy and I decided to try

out the canoe that was sitting on the lake.

We had no idea what we were doing and spent 40 minutes trying to get the canoe off

the jetty. Once we did, we spent the next 20 minutes paddling around in circles. Some

of the boys from our group came out to laugh at us (especially when we paddled right

into a man who was fishing in the middle of the lake.)

We abandoned ship after that and joined the others to make the stir fry, which we ate

on a picnic table outside. After dinner, we had some beers under the stars.

Chapter Two

12th May 2006Amy and I had another go at canoeing first thing in

the morning and were a

little more successful!

After breakfast, the

Moose Bus moved onto

Omega Parc (a wildlife

park) and we got to see

deer, wolves, bears and

wapiti (elk).

Our next stop was Ottawa, where we stayed in the HI-

Ottawa J ail Hostel which was a fully functioning prison

from 1862 to1972. It had a long history of mistreating its


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inmates, many of whom are meant to haunt the cells. The prison cells have been

transformed into dorms and the hostel is meant to be one of the most haunted

buildings in Ontario.

We were taken on a night tour of the hostel, where the staff told us about the various

spooky incidents that have taken place over the years.

We went on a pub crawl in the evening, ending up in the Hitchhikers Guide to The

Galaxy bar, which was full of geeks. We headed back to the hostel at 2.30am, where

one of the staff, (Andrew) insisted on taking us on his own tour of the hostel. This tour

was slightly scarier, as it was just Amy, Andrew and I and some freaky stories.

13th May 2006We got on the bus at 2pm to go to the CMP

building (Canadian Mountie Police). We learnt

about the history of the Mounties and metsome real ones.

After a detour to see the Ottawa Prime

Ministers House, we hopped back on the bus

to our next stop (Fort-Coulongne), which is a

tiny village with a population of 2,000. We

stayed in a huge lodge, which had a beautiful

fireplace in the lounge area and a plasma

screen that played ice hockey continuously.

We had BBQd salmon for dinner, which was amazing. We also got to try the national

dish of Quebec (poutine) which is chips, gravy and melted cheese.

Chapter Three

14th May 2006Amy and some of the others went rafting at 8.30am,

but I didnt want to go and decided to go on a bike

ride to see the Coulogne Chute waterfalls with

Caroline instead. We cycled for an hour and a half,

by which time I was exhausted. We got to a steep hill

which I couldnt get up so I decided to leave


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Caroline to see the falls alone and waited for her in a caf.

After limping back to the hostel, we met the others and watched the video of their

rafting trip.

Our travelling wasnt done for the day we got back on the bus to go to Madawaska

County (which was our home for a couple of nights). We were staying in a house this

time and were the only guests, which was nice. We made a bonfire in the garden and

ate toasted marshmallows and listened to cheesy 80s music late into the night.

15th May 2006After a pancake breakfast, we went to

Algonquin Park, which was the first provincial

park in Ontario and is home to 2,000 black

bears.

We went on a two hour hike in the afternoon,

along the Big Pines Trail, which was a 2.9 km

loop, that visits spectacularly large, old growth

White Pine and the remains of an 1880s logging

camp. We saw a lone moose on the trail, which

was pretty amazing.

We went back to the house after the hike and met the owner, Frasier, who cooked us

another BBQ round the campfire.

Chapter Four

16th May 2006Amy and I went our separate ways today. She

was going camping in Algonquin and I was

getting the Moose bus back to Toronto with

Mikey.

We stopped at Rugged Falls, in Haliburton C ounty

on the way back. We got lost however and had

to find our way back to the bus in pouring rain,


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scrambling up a muddy mountain.

We arrived at the Global Backpackers Hostel at 6.30pm

and I said my goodbyes to Mikey and the driver. I

unpac ked and went out for a wander.

I bought souvenirs from Queen Street and then walked

through the entertainment district (which was funky) and to

see the CN Tower and Sky Tower.

I then looked round Kensington Market (in the hippy

district). There were lots of outdoor market stalls in peoples

front gardens, selling kaftans and pastel coloured wide

legged trousers. Everyone seemed to own a camper van

and the area smelled strongly of pot. It was a clichd hippy

town.

I then headed downtown to 401 Richmond (a large Art Gallery) with a pretty

landscaped roof terrace. I continued walking all over Toronto (Eaton Shopping Centre,

Old Town, Little Italy, the Financial District, the Fashion District) and then through Queens

Park, where I got caught in a thunderstorm.

I ran into a caf on Spadina Ave and had a cappuccino while waiting for the rain to

stop. It didnt, so I got drenched making my way back to the hostel.

I sat in the common room and met Victor (an Aussie) and Claudia and Niels (a German

couple on a year long trip tom Canada). Claudia and Niels were staying in a flat in

Kensington and invited me round for a beer. We all went out for Vietnamese food in

China Town and then had drinks in Last Temptation, which I really liked.

The others walked me back to my hostel at midnight and we chatted into the early

hours.

17th May 2006I enjoyed the Niagara trip so much that I decided to go again. It was a dull group on

this trip, so I spent the day with Levi. Got back to the hostel at 11.30pm.

Amy returned from Algonquin at midnight. It was lovely to be reunited.


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Chapter Five

18th May 2006I woke up to a full dorm today and Amy and I met

Miranda (a Dutch traveler). We spent the day

together, wandering around the city and got the

ferry to Toronto Island. I loved the island it was lush

and green and pristine. We walked around it for

two hours and got an early afternoon ferry back.

We spent the afternoon shopping and then went to

Mirandas hostel for drinks, followed by an Indian

meal.19th May 2006Amy and I headed to Bloor Street in the morning (which is the posh shopping area). We

spotted a Scientology Centre and were curious, so stopped in to see what its about.

We were taken into an auditorium to watch a video about the religion, but werent

convinced and managed to escape before being brainwashed.

We collected our bags from the hostel, said our goodbyes to the staff and our new

friends and headed to Chestnut Street bus station, where we got the airport express

back to Lester B Pearson airport and (sigh) back home to reality.

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