For our mini-honeymoon, we headed up to Mont Tremblant. We took off on the Monday, driving our slow ride in our dodgy rental car (which had unbalanced winter tires, one of which almost threadbare, causing the steering wheel to shake uncontrollably over 95kmph!) up to Mont Tremblant. It was a very scenic and pretty drive, and we arrived in time for beautiful colours reflecting off the lake. We checked into our one-bedroom suite at the Marriott and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening finally relaxing after one really long, stressful but amazingly wonderful week. Just enjoying the moment. And after dinner we came back to discover the fireplace lighted with extra logs. The next day we set off to explore and enjoy the sunshine. Feeling adventurous, we picked the 6.5km trail and headed up ... read more

One of the most common comments I got while I was in Orange, NSW was "Oh, you're Canadian, you must be loving this weather!!" Grrrr. I don't mind the cold. Okay, that's a lie. I totally mind it. My Canadian blood has been spoiled with Canadian double-paned glass, central heating and proper winter clothing. I was not prepared for a winter in Orange, NSW. Go ahead, make fun of the Canuk who can't handle an Aussie winter. Sure. But if it's -7°C outside, I do not expect to walk inside and still see my breath in the air!! I expect to walk inside to warm up, not continue shivering! I am also used to there being snow on the ground if it is -7° outside. Give me snow any day over just plain cold with no ... read more

I haven't written in ages, and I do suppose that is because I haven't gone on a big trip in a while. One might say I've dropped off the radar. Despite being in one spot for well over six months, I still run into friends in Montreal who are surprised to find out I'm here. My Montreal-based family here still assumes I'm off traveling even though I've been in town since last September. So here's a short recap of what I've been up to over the past 9 months: - Arrived back in Montreal just in time to compete with all the students looking for apartments. I finally find a cheap place in Verdun...it's alright but just doesn't hold a candle to the Plateau!! - One of my best friends got married and I ended up ... read more

A lifetime ago, it now seems, I started this blog with a trip to Denver. And now I'm writing from there yet again! Just for fun, I decided to re-read the old blogs. It's been said that travel changes a person, and of course, I spot small changes both in my writing style and my attitude towards things. Ah, I was naive, eh? And I suppose I will look back on these most recent travels in a few years and think the same thing. But I digress. Onto the Denver adventures! The first time I was in Denver to visit Sarah, we aimed to see Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak. We didn't do that this time either, but saw many a splendid site instead, with no snow to spoil our plans. I landed in ... read more

We drove into Queensland via an inland road, up a very steep hill that the car didn't like (it resorted to blowing white smoke at us through the vents). We left the car to cool as we took pictures of the New South Wales and Queensland signs, and then headed on our way. Our goal was Lamington National Park, the Green Mountains Section. We had in mind to do a big overnight hike, as I have yet to do one. One of Queensland's Great Walks went through Lamington and Springbrook National Parks, but the information hotline provided us with no more information, and the website was just as useless. So we planned to show up at Green Mountains and ask a ranger instead. The drive to Green Mountains from Byron Bay was lovely, but long, along ... read more