Blogs from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North America - page 22

Peeps... bears are cool. They are intelligent, curious, powerful, smelly and unbelieveably cool. Black bears (ursus Americanus) and brown bears (ursus arctos) are impressive creatures - male grizzlies (as brown bears are known in some places) can grow up to 2m long and 1m to the shoulder, and weigh in at over 200kg, with females between 90 and 120 kg. Black bears are slightly smaller, at 135 kg and 60 kg respectively. Black bears can be red, blonde, grey, blue and white (just to be helpful) and grizzly bears (known for the grey on their fur tips as opposed to a grumpy disposition) can also be not grizzled. So even experts have a tricky time, and for the sake of science, other differences (or not): 1) Grizzlies have the classic teddy bear face with rounder ears ... read more

Well here goes, my very first blog. Travel has been, and I hope will continue to be a big part of my life, so I figured it was a good idea to keep track of everything going on, so I can remember and draw from my experiences, while sharing them with whoever happens to be interested. I'll be leaving for India in a couple of weeks, for a university exchange in to St. Xavier's College in Mumbai. The program I've been selected to participate in, called the Ontario-Maharashtra-Goa (OMG) Program, organized by the Ontario (a Canadian provice), Maharashtra, and Goa (states of India) governments, with help from involved universities, rather than by individual institutions alone (like the exchange I'll be participating in to Chile right after this one). Ontario and Maharashtra especially are important regions of ... read more

Day 6 - Toronto Due to Rebecca having to work from 4 am it was left to Juliet to entertain us and show us around the city, and she did a good job for the most part. She got us fed, watered and but her combination with rich within the purse and bag shops posed to be less exciting for me as they were both in there element. We proceeded to a large mall which was pretty huge with every type of shop in. Being on a budget and limited baggage space whilst travelling meant we were going to do most shopping towards the end of the holiday. We met up with a very tired Rebecca who still managed to give us a proper tour of the city. (yes, that was a dig at you Juliet ... read more

Had planned to do the optional extra tour of the CN tower in the city of Toronto this morning however weather was against us. As it was overcast we wouldn't have seen anything other than clouds so tour director suggested we wait and see if it is clearer after lunch (suited me as was nervous about doing the tower as I remember being uncomfortable in the Sydney Tower and this is much taller apparently). Anyway, did a morning bus tour around Toronto. My impression? Glass and cement city. Not a lot of old, creative or character buildings...just lots of very similar glass and cement high rise. Don't get me wrong, it's okay just ...I don't know...repetitive. We did stop off at a market and I bought some soft cheese and raspberries for a treat in the ... read more

No, the date is not a mistake. It is over a year since I took this epic voyage....and have finally made peace with my computer, hopefully, long enough to document the experience. Many of my photos have ended up on my computer in a non-consecutive order (my computer hates me and mocks me whenever possible) and my notes are often illegible....so I am unable to label many of the photos. But I am posting them anyway and hopefully with time, and help from friends, will be able to fill in the blanks. The saga I shall try and share with you was a privilege made possible by some very special friends and family members (you know who you are!!!!!) It goes to prove that in life, we don't always get what we deserve, and that is ... read more