Blogs from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North America - page 99

Five more days... Well I'm sitting in my bedroom of my parents' apartment in Toronto counting the hours until I board a plane bound to Miami, en route to Quito Ecuador. After several trips to MEC and practice packs of my gear, I am finally feeling pretty much ready to go, a feeling that easily gives way to anxiousness. The plan (if you could call it that) for my adventure is shaping up something like this: *Get into Ecuador on Jan 5th and check into my hostel (the Secret Garden in Old Town Quito) *Spend a few days acclimatizing to the altitude (a must at the world's highest capital city) *Spend a week learning some rudimentary spanish *Embark for Cotopaxi, the world's highest active valcano about 70KM from Quito, spend a few days camping *Jo will ... read more

Tomorrow afternoon I will be on my way to Australia! The marathon begins... a flight to Chicago, a 4 hour layover in O'Hare airport, and a stop in San Francisco to change planes. From there it's 20 straight hours of flying (help... the longest flight I've ever taken is 6 hours!) Nitasha and I will landing in Sydney and spending our first three days there with our friend Dejana. Stay tuned for updates on the Australian adventure! :)... read more

As any Australian would be, I am captivated, like a 5-year-old each time snow falls here in Toronto. It’s just so pretty, falling on trees and roofs like wedding cake icing. I wake up with a twinkle in my eye - but then I’m catapulted into reality - sweeping snow off my car and figuring out how to actually drive through slush, spinning my wheels and taking the odd slide around corners. It’s a whole new world for me living in Toronto and I’m finding newcomers must enter a steep learning curve in this country to discover the unsaid rules that locals claim to have ‘known’ forever. Everything from snow removal items, that I naturally must have in my ‘trunk’ at all times, to winter fashion sense. Looks like my ‘winter’ coat, which looks outrageously heavy ... read more

I am overwhelmed here. went to meet brother Andy for tea yesterday, and of course he suggests a place in Yucky Yorkville. It is just not my scene any more. I was ambushed by lapdogs in more expensive co-ordinating sweater sets than i've ever owned and the assholes who belong to them. What a rediculous bunch of pushy rude and rich f-ers. I longed for tv bingo and a six pac of schooner as i tried to delicatley handle my petitt fours. redick. and i used to love this shit! I am now living at Young/St. Clair, which is not much better, yeah. I have to work at a call centre at Lawrence West Square just to keep it real. aha. And of course, since it's been, what? 24 hours since i've pulled a co-incidence out ... read more

Nach einer langen und erholsamen Nacht war der heutige Tag ganz im Zeichen von Sight-seeing und Shop-til-u-drop! Um mich fuer den langen Tag zu staerken, habe ich mir erstmal das Continental Breakfast, welches mein Hotel kostenlos anbietet, genehmigt. Nach 4 French Toast mit Erdnussbutter und Marmelade war ich dann endlich startklar. Auch das Wetter stand mit der Stadt heute morgen nicht mehr so auf Kriegsfuss und daher habe ich beschlossen, mir erstmal einen generellen Ueberblick ueber Toronto zu verschaffen. Das geht natuerlich nirgends besser als in 400 Meter Hoehe auf dem insgesamt 550 Meter hohen CN-Tower, dem hoechsten Gebaude bzw. Turm der Welt! Von meinem Hotel aus liegt der Turm ca. 20 Minuten Fussmarsch entfernt. Also, Strassenkarte gezueckt und los gings. Genauso hoch wie der Tower selbst ist, sind uebrigens auch die Eintrittspreise... Ganze 23 Dollar ... read more