On an epic 5 week journey around Canada and the USA. First time in North America. Hoping to eat my way around Vancouver, Toronto, Baltimore, DC, NY, Boston, Quebec City, and Montreal.
I participated in my first ever Thanksgiving last weekend, and then had another one the very next day. I still don't one hundred percent understand Thanksgiving - but it seems it is just a great day to get together with friends and family and eat and be grateful for having food and a day off. Sounds like something we should definitely implement in Australia and NZ. In fact, that's going to be my new mission. It's like having two christmas. The food is basically the same. And its a great opportunity to just chill and take some time off. The first thanksgiving was ridiculous (in a good way). I caught up with Helene and Pierre who I lived with in NZ, in Montreal. They live in a really cool area of Montreal full of immigrants and ... read more
Leaving New York on sunday was really tough. But Boston had a few interesting highlights. There is so much history in Boston - it certainly makes it a great place to learn more about the USA. Visiting Harvard was a let down. It felt elite and it didn't have the inspiring vibe I was expecting. There's a funny seedy side to Boston - not in a ha ha way. Funny as in weird. Not sure what it is - maybe its the history of the place but something definitely didn't feel quite right in Boston. On Wednesday I hired a car and travelled north. Navigating was easier than I expected. The scenery was AMAZING. The further north I got the more the trees had changed for Autumn. I drove right through where the main ski fields ... read more
It's been a full on a few days. I would never have enough time to write about every detail. Instead I am going to make some comments about my observations. 1. The USA needs to reign in capitalism. - Now I know this is a fairly big call. However, if I was forced to visit one more shop at one more monument/museum/building, I was going to scream. Something Americans seem to fail to understand is that not everyone wants to buy stuff, ALL the time. I don't mind the presence of merchandise shops. I, in fact, bought the odd thing from the odd shop. However, making someone stop on a floor of a building specificially so they have to walk through a shop is OUT OF CONTROL (i'm talking to you Empire State Building and Top ... read more
The last few days have been really full on... And that's just the food! On Friday we travelled from Canada to the USA. We caught the bus from Toronto to Buffalo and then drove to Baltimore. There were many things that were awesome about this trip. Firstly, I saw Niagara Falls. They weren't as big as I'd expected. But it's a good thing to say I've seen! I also managed to keep track of the Collingwood score as I crossed the border into the USA. So nerve racking but awesome result! The border crossing was intimidating. But we made it! Gee those American border officials like to ask a lot of questions. Plus I really didn't need to buy my ESTA visa before I came. Apparently that is only for people entering via air or sea. ... read more
The last couple of days have been all about Toronto. I have wandered, I have hung out, and I have enjoyed. Tuesday was a great day. I headed downtown to T-O and had a look around the biggest mall I have ever seen (it was seriously massive). Then I headed over to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). I felt like I was an expert at the Toronto Subway now you see! The ROM was pretty good. The dinosaur collection was good. And they had an exhibition on Bollywood cinema. There were two posters from my two favourite Bollywood films, so that was kinda cool. The Roman section was a bit blah. I think it is just that I've seen that stuff so many times before. It didn't really wow me. Tuesday evening I headed back down ... read more
The last two days have been full of lots of food, fun and a very bad film. Last night I went to the last evening of the Toronto International Film Festival. We saw "Love and other bruises". It's a chinese/french film. It is the WORST movie EVER. There was no plot. There was no real dialogue. There was every cliche "arty" shot EVER thought of. There were way too many sex scenes - all of which were weird and mostly unnecessary. The acting was ok I guess. Overall, I would say it was the most stupid film I have ever seen. If you hear of it - DO NOT GO AND SEE IT!!! The film was the only sour part of an otherwise lovely day. Rachel and I ate and had some drinks at the very ... read more
I thought I'd done so well avoiding jet lag... and then it hit me... in an almighty dose. Didn't get to sleep until about 3am this morning (which was midnight vancouver time where I'd just come from). Then I slept... for 11 hours. Then I got up. Then I slept again for another hour. Decided to conquer the overwhelming tiredness and head out and about around the 'burbs. Checked out the local shops (lots of bars, restaurants, and food stores). Then went and sat by what I thought was the ocean. Apparently it is just a lake. It certainly looks ocean-like. I'm going to pretend it was the ocean. I never have been very good at geography. ... read more
Today was pretty much just a travel day. A travel day on about 2 hours sleep. Sleep was way too difficult last night. Not sure why. Probably the insane timezone changes! I headed straight to the airport today on the Skytrain again. I really don't know how those things work. They appear not to have a driver - it might be magic. Confusing, but very convenient. I really didn't know what to expect flying domestically in North America. It was a bit more super serious than domestic travel at home. I got to the airport with about an hour and a half before my flight. After checking in, I approached security screening. The first thing I noticed that was different was that you have to show photo ID at every stage (check in, security, and boarding ... read more
My plan today was to get up nice and early so that I could get a workout in before a day of adventures, Vancouver style. That really didn't eventuate. I headed towards the city and stopped at an IGA on the way (yes a little supermarket - not the same chain, but still found it amusing that it was an IGA like at home). I had to buy an umbrella - thanks a lot weather. I don't usually do umbrellas... but I didn't want the day to be ruined. I headed across the road to a Starbucks (one of about 14 that I saw today). Decided to try the Salted Caramel Frappucino. LIFE CHANGING. So amazingly delicious. Once I had drunk my delicious treat, I headed towards the Art Gallery. Of course, it stopped raining (thanks ... read more
Arriving at Sydney Airport on Wednesday morning I was hoping to get there early and secure a seat in exit row. The friendly girl at the Air Canada counter informed me that there were none available but that she would seat me where there was a vacant seat next to me. Once I boarded the plane, I saw the two people who were in the check in counter ahead of me. They sat down next to me. I guess I wasn't going to get that empty row afterall... I do not recommend a flight that long to anyone! The only benefit is that when you arrive, you are already at your destination (different to when travelling to Europe where you do it in two flights). The flight was bumpy for a lot of the time and ... read more