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Petitcodiac River Causeway Gates Opening

2010-04-14T19:12:00.009-04:00

Thank god I watch the news! If it wasn't for that I would've missed one of most historical moments of New Brunswick: the opening of the River Causeway. After a little research I found the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper website that was counting down the hours and the minutes for this much awaited grand opening! I had a hour an 35 minutes to get my butt to the chocolate river!

What a magical moment. As I got there at 1pm, there were maybe a few dozens of people but as the time approached more and more gathered to either shake their heads or shake hands! It was a little cool, maybe 9 Celsius and cloudy with very shy sun rays. Environment Canada called for a 60% chance of rain and luckily we only got a few drops not even enough to open my umbrella. As usual a few flocks of birds were there as if they knew what was about to happen.

CBC, CTV and Rogers were there among other medias. As we waited for the tide to come down a little, they took turns in interviewing spectators and protesters. A small plane flew by as well as a helicopter making it feel even more like an important moment. People gathered with their kids, their pets, with or without an opinion. Only a few Policemen were there and walked around chatting with people.

Surprisingly protesters were not aggressive but walked around with their signs. Some to protest because the government will be spending millions for the construction of a bridge while they'd rather the money be spent on health care and more important issues to them. Others were there to protest because of the water level that could reach an old dump site and that it could pollute the water. Some who live along the artificial lake that was created when they built the causeway, are afraid that their property value could drop by as much as 40%. This woman who used to go kayaking on the lake says she will not be able to anymore. One woman said that the tides we saw would no longer be. It will be a river, a simple river that flows to the sea like it's supposed to.

A lot of people are afraid of what might happen after the gates are open. It is human nature to be afraid and create scenarios. This time, humans give back to the river and nature will heal its wounds. Nature endures much worst than the opening of the causeway! Fishes won't die and birds won't become extinct because they opened the gate... and as for pollution... no need to open the causeway to pollute the oceans!

The birds really looked like they were enjoying the show! As soon as the first gate opened and the water started to flow one seagull dove into the water. After all the gates were opened the seagulls all flew in a big circle, creating a big ball! It was an awesome and wonderful moment and it brought tears to my eyes. It was like fireworks made of birds!

I hope all goes well and that protesters prayers for catastrophes and disasters are not answered. May the river flow

Snowstorm! Eastern Canada Snowed In!

2010-01-03T18:02:00.003-05:00

The snow is still falling and we've already been out twice to shovel the snow off the steps and down the back to the fish pond! It isn't stopping! We were expecting a big snow storm but it is looking worse than expected. In New Brunswick there was a huge storm surge in Port Elgin near SackVille where we had been looking for a home to buy.

Moncton was hit too and we had been spending all day between shovelling duty on the MLS looking for homes to buy in Moncton, keeping an eye on the snow fall and hoping there would be no floods in the neighborhoods we were interested in! This NorEaster is brining up to 60 cm of snow and at least we're not in Montreal where the streets are probably a disaster area...out here in the Eastern Townships all of this accumulation of snow is just plain beautiful!

The snow was piled high against the front and back door and the pond in the backyard looked like two deep valleys in the snow, we could just barely see the pond because of the pond heaters we had put in. Once we got the snow shovelled away from the ponds we could see our poor little goldfish looking up at us wondering what all the rucous was about! Their little pond and benches looks like some sort of Nunavut paradise!

DD started in the front of the house and I started in the back with the two new shovels I bought...good timing! We didn't have anything like this last year or even the year before so this looks like a record snowfall for 2010! JJ Towing was across the street hauling cars out of the ditch and we were hoping our driveway would get cleared because 48 inches of snow wouldn't be easy to drive over tomorrow when it's back to work!

This may be the biggest storm of the season or maybe the worst snowstorm of the decade but us here in Eastern Canada will do what we do best...hunker down in our pyjama's with a hot cup of cocoa and curl up on the la-z-boy with our kittens!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow!!!

Avatar: Smurfs on Steroids

2010-01-02T17:37:00.004-05:00

We just got back from seeing the Avatar movie and on the ride back through a snow storm both had to agree that we didn't like it. It wasn't like Avatar totally sucked or anything but the overall movie experience, beyond some fairly cool 3-d effects, actually did kind of leave me feeling empty like when I eat white rice and General Tao Chicken; it's good going in my mouth but half an hour after it's gone I'm feeling empty and tired, lacking real nutrition.

The eye-candy was decent, much of the fantasy world of the blue people reminded me of Myst, or some other video game background, but the story was rather dull and the violence made the movie a real let-down.

We had been looking forward to seeing more 3-D movies since we loved Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs so much. The Avatar hype finally got to us and so we decided to take in the 11:45 showing at the Cineplex in Brossard at the Dix-Trente shopping center even though we had to drive 60 kilometers in a New Years Snow Storm!

About 5 minutes into the movie we knew that the evil company, backed by their own private military, wanted to strip mine the paradise on Planet Pandora to haul as much Unobtainium out of the ground as possible since it's worth a fortune for humans. We're not sure why it's worth so much but apparently the military is ready to help the evil Corporation do what it takes to get this unobtanium from this planet. So the head of the corporate army base has to make sure we all know that the natives on Planet Pandora are very bad and ready to kill and the place is worse than hell. Such bad creaures should be killed! Especially when they are un-knowingly living on a huge deposit of Unobtanium.

So the corporate army had this strange mind-transfer machine that allowed the Americans to occupy bodies of the natives and to remotely control the bodies to get information and maybe convince the savages to move away from their sacred land so the corporation could rip open the land like the Alberta Tarsands and suck every last penny out of the ground. Or maybe like Iraq?

The trouble is that the natives considered this huge tree that covered the unobtanium to be a sacred place that contained the thoughts, memories and voices of all the ancestoral natives who had ever lived before. Damned savages! How ignorant!

So anyway this one Marine, Jake Sully, is somehow "special" and is chosen by the dancing faeries and it is revealed that he should be brought into the tribe and learn the ways of the tribe. I guess this is where the Dances with Wolves analogy and comparison comes in...I never saw that film but I can see how such a comparison could be drawn.

I thought the Avatar characters were like Smurfs on Steroids! It was hard to sympathize with the military demons in the film but the oversized blue Avatars were just as creepy in the end; they were howling like a mob and determined to fight a losing battle with an insane drive that was like the radical religions of the world.

It wasn't until one private-army pilot turned on her own people and the marine who was living in the Avatar shell started attacking his own people that the war was finally won. But the endless fighting scenes and explosions and killing was tedious. Explosions and killing are the answer to everything? Avatar was a un-focused mash-up of transformer robots, mean dinosaurs, GI Joes with fancy weapons and big eyed blue aliens all tossed into a simplistic story of colonization that was too much white rice and General Tao.

When we left we were hungry for some substance, driving home we wanted to see that green car that had been speeding and weaving in front of us overturn in an accident on the black ice and slush...something real!!

Airport Security Gonch Pull

2009-12-31T15:45:00.004-05:00

Travelling at Christmas has always been a bit of a crap-shoot; you knew that there were high odds that there would be delays and line-ups at the ticket counter and through the security and so you had to remember all your Zen-training and deep breathing techniques to combat the high-stresses of Christmas travel.

I was in Lacombe, Alberta visiting family for Christmas and flew in from Montreal on WestJet, which was fine...no waits, everything was smooth...the only worry was when the stewardess welcomed us aboard and introduced herself and the other members of the flight crew, the other steward was her Ex-Husband! She said, don't worry we still get along! Then she introduced her other stewardess co-worker who was her Ex-Mother in Law! Oh My, I thought, this could be a long flight!

Leaving from Edmonton on the way home was a different story as far as airport security goes because it was on Christmas day that this crazy kid from Nigeria, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight by igniting some explosives that he had sewn into his gonch! WTF! It's Christmas and this loser has nothing better to do than to try and harm innocent people? Well this was all over the news on Christmas how this guy had burned himself and was stopped by other passengers when he had been locked in the bathroom for an hour trying to rip open his undies and mix some sort of explosive cocktail...how sad!

Anyway so suddenly the airlines are all freaked out and airport security is ssuddenly back on the front burner and so everyone was warned to expect longer than normal delays...so I took my car renatl back to Enterrprise at the Park n' Fly in Leduc and got to the Edmonton Airport at around 6:30 AM for my 8 AM flight and the airport was packed like a ticket line-up for an Oprah Winfrey show or the Harry Potter new movie! The line-up to the WestJet ticket counter snaked all over the main concourse like a huge seething parade of wary travellers trying to get home.

At the security counter it took about 60 minutes to get to the front of the line, and lucky for me this was a flight from Edmonton to Montreal and not into the US or another country, apparently they were telling people not to have any carry-on luggage on International flights...OMG where would I store the Christmas Cake??

So the new heightened security levels mean that people are being patted down and their bags are undergoing a more stringent and rigorous inspection. The couple ahead of me were heading back to Saskatchewan after they had been in Grande Prairie visiting friends and were anxious to get back for a senior's curling tourney. They must have been 70 years old and of course the security gaurds decided that she looked like she needed a thorough patting down so she was pulled aside by some guy looking like Stephan Segall the LawMan! A lady cop came over and patted-her down...now maybe it's just me but this old couple looked as dangerous as puppy at a dog show! How did this Nigerian kid get through security with explosives?? It makes no sense that because of this they start strip-searching grandmas!!

Apparently the CIA had been warned by the FATHER of Abdulmutallab that the kid was nuttier than a fruit cake...and he paid CASH for his ticket from Amsterdam...and then strolls through security with powdered blow-up dust packed into the seams of his boxer shorts! Instead of zapping our seniors curling team members with Tazers why not just grab the obvious nut-bars like this Umar Farouk? If a father calling the CIA isn't a red flag then I don't know what is!!

Ok...so maybe the old lady from Saskatchewan had a little bulge at her waist but for Goodness Sakes that was her "Depends" Adult Diaper that needed changing!

So because of stupid lapses in intelligence like this we have to suffer through tougher and tougher security procedures to get onto our airplanes! Hey...I'm all for having extra precatautions to keep terrorists off our planes and out of our country and if we need to increase security then so be it...strap-on those rubber gloves and strip everyone! And what's even more gonzo is that the ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union, is saying that these extra securities are Anti-American and Un-Constitutional because they infringe on people's freedoms! WTF! The freedom for radical morons to kill people?

I think that what will be coming soon is that there will be NO carry-on luggage at all allowed on any flights and passengers will be forced to strip and wear little "doctor office gowns" on the airplane. Yep...I can see a day when we will all be wearing those little backless green hospital gowns on the airplane after having succumbed to a full x-ray and cavity search by robots and sniffer dogs.

But even that will not be 100% fool-proof because some whack-job will probably still get on a plane with undetectable radioactive plastic explosives injected into his kneecaps that detonates when he rubs his thighs together! Is there no way to avoid these mental defectives??

It really makes me think that driving everywhere is one of the best options for getting somewhere because I can wear my plaid pants, sing along to System of a Down and stop for box of Timbits and a Large Double Double when I want...can't do that at 36,000 feet!

Kejimkujik National Park Nova Scotia

2009-09-21T21:24:00.022-04:00

With the summer coming to an end DD and I decided to go on a road trip from Quebec to Nova Scotia. We didn't really have the resources or time to take any long-term official vacation this year so decided to take advantage of the Labour Day weekend and take 10 days off to visit Nova Scotia.

Neither of us had been to the Maritimes before, well...I had spent three months in Bishop's Falls Newfoundland when I was a Katimavik participant back in the, but basically we hadn't seen anything East of Quebec so decided it was time for a short road trip!

I had spent the first few days of my vacation at the Montreal Film Festival and we left on Tuesday after Labour day because we wanted to avoid the traffic of the families and holidayers who were returning through customs and going back to school.

We had our new Garmin Nuvi widescreen GPS unit which was great for navigating in uncharted territory. We had decided to drive through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine instead of going through Canada on the way there.

We left Bromont, Quebec at 7am on Tuesday and got to St. John, New Brunswick at around 5pm where our first stop was The Irving Nature Park. When we hopped out of the car and started getting our hiking booties on we were greeted by a fox! Wow, I thought, this is some crazy wildlife nature park when the foxes come out to say "Welcome!"

We walked out on the boardwalk to these mangrove like salt swamps full of muddy undulated banks and grassy plains rich orange from the setting sun. There is a looping hiking trail through the Irving Nature Reserve so we did a 4 km loop across the Squirrel Trail, The Seal Trail and the Caribou Trail. The smell of the ocean was powerful and the low angle of the sun created fantastic shapes on the curling bark of the trees and dark shoreline rocks from the cliffs. The trails were well groomed and well marked; maybe we weren't there at the right time to see an abundance of wildlife but we did have several close encounters with the creature known in Latin as : Headphonus Joggernuts! I guess the local Saint John fitness freaks use the trails as a perfect spot to train...which might explain why there were no creatures in the forrest...the animals had been frightened by the sound of tinny treble through headphones and zooming spandex buttocks!

We loved the little hike to give us our first taste of New Brunswick...especially after a 10 hour car ride in the 2005 Salsa Vibe that is now paid for (sweeet)! We spent the night at the Best Western in Saint John New Brunswick where we got the room with the Jacuzzi and got there just in time for our episode of Hell's Kitchen (I know...admitting we watch Hell's Kitchen is saying alot but damnit we love the show) so had a hot soak and I made some pita vege-pate sandwhiches! Nothing like a jacuzzi in a hotel eating vege-pate and hopping into a king size bed and watching America's Got Talent!

Next day we goofed around in Saint John shopping for some swim gear (oops...DAMI forgot his trunks) and a coat (D'oh! DAMI forgot his coat) and a tuque (yeah...you guessed it...DAMI left that at home too!) and found it all at WalMart and Winners at the new shopping Mecca in Saint John in the Industrial part of town where the hotel was. We picked up a Kickeroo for Alaska and Jasper and some Salmon snacks at the Pet Shop where the girl had a cold and had never heard of salmon snacks for cats before...I guess they only know about Cod Crispies!!

We drove from Saint John to the Bay of Fundy National Park. The Bay of Fundy was way-cool...while we didn't get there to see the rise and fall of the largest tides in the world we did do some hiking and spent time on the beach to see Fundy at it's finest...another place we need to go back to! After a quick hike and a Spam sandwhich Picnic we drove through Moncton and down towards Truro and skirted around Halifax on our way to the Mersey River Chalets right near Kejimkujik. We had thought of taking the ferry to Digby but wanted to see a bit of the province so opted for the long way home!

It's a nice ride, good highways...we were surprised at the quality of the roads but I guess coming from Quebec anything that doesn't knock your suspension off or give you a flat tire is considered a good road. Highways in Quebec are like a third world donkey trail but the main roads in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia felt like a runway at Kennedy Space Center!

We arrived at the Mersey River Chalets & Nature Retreat after dark...the entrance was just to the right 5 km after the entrance to the National Park...the road was dark and the tires crunched on the gravel like walking kernals of popcorn on snow....skrunch skrunch as we rolled through the narrow treed road towards the cabins...we had wanted to get there before the sun set but it was actually kind of magical pulling into the darkness and not being sure of what was surrounding us as we pulled up into the parking space for our cabin...they had left the lights on for us! After the long drive we were a bit bushed and unloaded the car and lit a fire in the woodstove and then relaxed...ready to sleep and open our eyes tomorrow to see where we were...

Oh My Goodness Gracious! We woke up nestled in the wilderness of wild Nova Scotia in an amazing cabin built along the Mersey River on several hundred acres of pristine forest in a cabin with woodstove and kitchen facilites and complete amenities for the long-haul! It was incredible! The retreat has been lovingly built with the vision of a true wilderness experience and an obvious love of the Earth. It is designed as a fully accessible area with almost 2 km of boardwalks appropriate for wheelchairs and the cabins and canoe launch facilities all have addressed accessability concerns.

They have a Tipi Villiage, which we might try in the Summer, and several modern chalets that have roll-in showers, two bedrooms and wood stoves! There were no annoying TV's or WiFi connections in the room...there was silence and the river and the mist rising from the river! Awesome! They were so friendly when we went to say hi the next day and we were given maps and a full description of the facilities by Cindy who answered all our questions and made us feel sooo welcome!

We christened this our "FastCation" because we were on a vacation that was a total of 4 days including 2000 km of driving!

We started with a 90 minute canoe ride towards the beaver dam and the falls where we had been told we might encounter some "Little People" or was it the "Faeries" living near the Beaver Dam...I'm not sure what Stephan said and as we passed his Tipi on the shores we didn't want to disturb his peacful reveries and just paddled silently...the canoeing was stupendous!

After the canoeing we drove to Kejimkujik Park with our bikes to do some touring. We checked in with the Ranger and heard tales from one visitor who had been coming to the park since 1966 and had just scared a black bear out of his black fuzzy pajamas on one of the back country bike trails...he looked at me with a rascal spark in his eyes and told me "not to worry" about the bears...GULP!!

We drove to the head of the Mersey River Hiking Trail...this is the perfect time to visit the Park...just after Labour Day when all the munchkins are back in school and the summer holidays are bascially over....we had the whole park basically to ourselves!

The Mersey River bike trail was one of the best bike trails we'd been on...instead of a railroad trail this was an intense winding trail, fairly flat, along the brown delicious tannin of the Mersey River. We did the 3.5 km ride without breaking a sweat and then pulled into the Kedge Beach Area where a few folks were launching a canoe and we just waded into the brown waters and marvelled at the horizon of dense trees without any telephone poles or hydrolines or building anywhere...so quiet and peaceful!

After the loop along the lake where the mainly empty campsites were, we passed a few deers who really ignored us and got back to the Vibe and drove down to the Snake Lake hike which also leads to Peter Point. The Snake Lake trail was for hiking only but Peter Point was a bike trails so we decided to do both and rode in towards Peter Point to where Snake Lake Trail started and locked the bikes and took the 3 km walk and then returned to the bikes and drove the rather upphill crest towards Peter Point which was...WOW!! A tiny point of land with a white sand beach and flat stones and cries of Loons on the lake...incredibly intimate place and we were able to skinny-dip, take off our clothes and wade into the warm September waters of Lake Kejimkujik. We were hosted by a tiny little lake frog who perched himself on the flat slabs of stones that contained the scratching heiroglyphics of visitors to the point from years gone by. Like people scratching their names into a tree with a penknife the point has a few flat slabs with scratchings in stone like an aboriginal cave painting...the oldest one I saw was from 1954...the nesewst said something like "Buffy Loves Jimmy" and was from 2008. But it was a magical place!

After the ride we drove back towards the chalets and stopped at M + W Restaurant and had our encounter with Marilyn at her funky corner store/restaurant. We had some take out fried fish platter and drove back to the cabin to light a fire and relax after our hiking biking and conoeing day! DAMI fell asleep after supper, probably from a combo of physical activity and the 4000 calories in the deep fried seafood platter from Marilyn, but came to life after an espresso coffe in time to go for a walk under the stars.

DD hadn't seen stars so crystal clear and bright since her last visit to the Planetarium and with more and more light pollution in the world it is harder to find areas where you can see more than 200 stars...here in the Nova Scotia darkness we could see the cloudy whisps of the Milky Way and we brought a blanket to the canoe docks and layed down for half an hour to watch the stars and see a few falling stars...it was a magical moment indeed!

The next day we had an eggs and ham breakfast on the picnic table on the boardwalk and met a few British tourists who were excited to have heard a wood-pecker...we didn't have the heart to tell them we have a few resident woodpeckers back home in Quebec that eat out of our chickadee feeder on a regular basis! We took some pictures of the morning loveliness and then packed up the car and drove to Fort St. Anne in the Anapolis Valley but didn't want to stop and pay the $3.50 fee for the site so asked Garmin where there was a park nearby and she brought us to a small Zoo not far from the park.

We thought the place was closed but they had just shut the main pavillion down for the season...the gate was open and a donation box for payment...we rode our bikes and were like two children alone in a wild animal zoo! It was crazy! We rode to see the cougars, the owls, the lynx, the moose, the eagles...all alone...with just us to say hello to them and share some kind words. It was a quiet powerful 45 minutes riding between the natural outdoor cages and saying hi to the animals without anyone else in the zoo!

We had to say goodbye to the creatures and drive down to Yarmouth because we were catching the Fast Cat from Yarmouth to Portland at 4:30 pm and according to the schedule had to be there 1 hour in advance so we drove past Digby and down the West side of Nova Scotia to Yarmouth with only a small stop on the way when we saw the sign for Doucetteville so we could take a picture, naturally...right DD?

We got to the International Ferry Terminal in Yarmouth and grabbed a ticket, we had made our reservations on the Internet thing before we left so we just had to show ID. Loading up was similar to our experiences onboard the Sunshine Coast Ferry in British Columbia but this boat looked more like a jet with whiskers!

I was disappointed that the only observation deck for passengers was off the back and was only 50 feet wide by 6 feet deep so not many people could squeeze in...I guess coming from BC where the Queen of Cowichan had wide open sun bathing decks I had been spoiled...but I understand....with the speed the Fast Cat Ferry travels it would be too easy to lose someone overboard and tough to backtrack and find them again.

The Fast Cat was ultra-deluxe...more like a jumbo-jet with comfy seats and lounges and there were like 3 movie theatres and a casino! Restaurants and a gift shop, kiddie zone, a fancy bar and cocktail lounge, and all of this travelling at 46 knots across the Atlantic!

We found a nice seat with a table and had a truly Canadian moment when we had a game of cards using a deck of cards from the Season 6 DVD from Corner Gas while eating some Kettle Chips made in New Brunswick and drinking some Big 8 Cola bought from a Nova Scotia corner store! Holy Maple Leaf!!

We stayed in Portland overnight and decided that on our next visit the total cost of the Fast Cat and hotel of $600 USD wasn't worth it as we could have drove back the long way home and saved some money and likely some time...but we try anything once and that includes Marilyn's Seafood Platter!

We loved our trip to Nova Scotia and got back home on Saturday evening...a fast 4 day vacation but we have already planned to go back in October...it's too beautiful in Canada's Ocean Playground! But this time we don't take the Ferry and we Do take the Burmese Babies!!!

See our Pictures of Nova Scotia

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

2009-09-19T20:21:00.013-04:00

We loved this film! Go see it! Seriously!

Instead of giving a review of the film "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" that involved four or five stars I would give it just three little letters...OMG! Well maybe I would add an "F" and say OMFG! Our review is: We totally loved this movie!!

It was during my last Saturday at work that we decided to go see a film! DD had been to some 3D films on her trip to Florida but I think last time I had seen a three-D movie was back in the day when they used red and blue 3-d glasses and the scariest thing was Vincent Price's fingernails growing into your popcorn! OUCH!

Normally I am a bit wary to going to spend $15.00 to go see a first run movie in the theatre...especially an animated feature...I mean, I loved Toy Story back ten years ago but stinkers like Shrek have left me unable to go to those Disney Animated flicks...

The previews I saw on TV for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" really grabbed my attention and so when I heard from PondChief that it made him bust a laugh I said to myself that maybe this summer autumn Saturday would be a good day to drive down to Brossard (?) to check it out?

The animation was fantastic, the characters were fantastic, the 3D effects were mind-blowing! I can't say enough about how much I got into this movie!

The characters were well drawn and the story was rivetting from start to end!

Since we don't have kids I must have missed the children's book that the movie was based on but we both had every emotion from tears to sweat to blood! Well....ok...so there was no blood but the experience was incredibly fulfilling!

The theatre was only half full for the 3 PM showing but there were alot of familes with kids and the kids all seemed to like the movie...none of them were bored or talking so it must have grabbed their attentions...there was only one spot when the dancing evil bar-b-que chickens were going after Little Brent that a couple of kids started bawling!

I can relate to that junior! Those brown skinned headless chickens were sooooo wierd! At that point in the movie with my Roy Orbison 3D glasses dangling off my nose, I realized that this was brilliance and genious at the same time!

At first I was just blown-away by the incredible 3D and animated effects of the film but as the characters developed and the plot developed it was clear that the film had a message but the message didn't whack me on the head...it was subtle...it was incredible!

The portrayal of gluttony, greed and selfishness in our modern culture was exposed but it wasn't moralistic...it was mainly the more sophisticated viewers who caught any sort of message...but there was a point in the film where it all made sense!

The music was perfect, the colors were techno-delicious, the action voices and backgrounds were brilliant in texture and saturation!

One of the best films I've seen in years!!

Montreal Film Festival Bike Adventure

2009-09-13T19:43:00.020-04:00

Montreal has always been known as being like a small town style of city. Everything is easy to get to and if you are biking in Montreal you can fly all over the city so fast it's great! They have introduced this new BIXI bike service which allows visitors and residents to rent a bike for a few hours or a few blocks...swipe your credit card and grab one of the bikes off a rack and you can drive all over the city!

I visited the Montreal International Film Festival in Montreal in September and it was once again one of the best times to be in Montreal. The weather has cooled down a bit so I wasn't swamped with the humidity of the city and most of the tourists had gone home. Of course, with Montreal being a fairly small city it is always kindo of tight to move around and since the weather was a lovely pre-autumn sunshine everyone was taking advantage!

The bike trails and downtown bike routes in Montreal have come a long way over the past 20 years. I remember when I was attending CEGEP Dawson back in the day and riding a bike was like wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey shirt to a game at the forum! We didn't have no stinking bike trails back then but now the city is criss-crossed with bike trails and even De Maisoneuve street has a long two-lane bike path for us! Wow!

I spent a few good years down in Saint Henri district of Montreal near the corner of Notre Dame and Atwater. Back before the area was cleansed with money dripping yuppies buying up condos on the Lachine Canal we used to walk quickly in the area that had a Little Burgendy reputation of being a dangerous spot. We survived and now that our lovely St. Henri has been developed and tidied up the only danger is getting hit by a Mercedes or BWM zipping into the Atwater Market to buy some potted flowers!

During the film festival I decided to avoid the Montreal Metro system and park my car and just ride my bike from my rented appartment in St. Henri where I was staying with up and coming Montreal Artist and Musician Marc Lacharite. I had known Marc Lachirite back in the day during my stay in Yellowknife North-West Territories where we had actually been on stage together in a crazy rock band called Small Town Rhino. Both Marc and DAMI have come a long way since then and it was fun to reminisce about the good times on tour and to see his new paintings and hear his new music!

One thing about Montreal is that it is a thriving metropolis of artists, poets and creativite types...There is so much more than the Plateau Posers have you believe is the center of Montreal...beyond The Main and the standard coolness that such pop-culture consumerist neighbourhoods would like the world to believe is the definition of Montreal.

But I was here for the festival and not for the crazy bar scene, not for the late night summer circus that is Montreal...full of the hot and heady sexiness that the city is grinding through your lungs!

The Internation Film Festival has moved down to the Quartier Latin cinemas down on St. Denis street...back in Old School days we had to run all over the city trying to catch our films but this year I was happy to be able to just park my bike down on Saint Denis street and buy my tickets and see all films in the same building...sure they were the small cineplex type of box-o-rama but still it was great to be able to see a movie and then come out to grab a thai dinner on Saint Dennis street before hopping back into the theatre for the next presentation.

Man...I remember when I was seeing 3 films per day during the Vancouver Film Festival and then would go to MTL for the Fest! This year I took in only three films and stayed within Quebec...I guess it was my initiation to being absent for so many years...I think I have the fever again...standing in line with my festival program and getting up to the ticket booth with my choices and seeing the sold-out board with my picks and then having to make a quick second choice while people pushed behind me waiting with their Premier Festival Passes dangling around their necks...CRAZY!!! I love the film festival...none of that pretentious Toronto TIFF high-brow stuff! Or so I thought!!!

Look at the snobby patrons of the film festival! We used to wear ballcaps with beer holders on each side but these film buffs fresh out of Concordia Film School and the New York School of Fine Arts are wearing hair-friendly wine helmets equipped with silcone straws that won't smudge their lipsticks!!

I can't believe the attitude of these film festival people walking around with hats carrying crystal wine glasses filled with expensive champagne!!

Anyway...I was there for the films and tried not to be bothered by the guests who made it a point to wear their VIP Festival passes wherever they walked!

The first film I saw was Wingless (Ocas Je Terky) from director Ivo Trajov from the Czech Republic. This was the story of a man who had been born with a premonition on his soul that he would die by the age of 39. On his 39th year his life started to fall apart and it looked like he wouldn't make it through the year to live to see 40! His wife and child had left him and he set out on the road after losing his job looking for a future...streaked paintings and rough bullies played into his madness...much the same as the paintings of Marc Lacharite! Ha Ha! I was sitting beside a woman from the Czech Republic who said after the screening that it was "painful" to watch...ok so maybe Ivo turned the tale into a borefest but I don't think I felt any pain lady!!

The film was opened with Never Drive A Car When You're Dead which was a great animated psychotic episode played out in black and white with splashes of red about a suicidal loser who cant finish his life...or maybe his dream is not enough...it was super freak fantastic and directed beautifully by Gregor Dashuber of Germany.

After the film I went for some hot and spicey General Tao Chicken at a restaurant on St. Denis street. It wasn't the best general Tao I had tasted and probably not as good as that little Thai restaurant at the Fauberg Saint Catherine that the Montreal Mirror readers have rated so high up the culinary charts...that wasn't too bad either but still DD makes the best Thai type of delicious noodle and shrimp bowls available this side of the Saint Lawrence River!

The sun was raging like a 800 Watt Projector Spotlight and the festival goers were hanging outside the theatre looking so suave and stern with their passes dangling arounf their necks...I was a commando film festival goer and just strode through the line of NFB wannabes! Outta my way...sure you know the DOP in the last production of the ONF production of the violin chronicles but have you ever wondered why Corner Gas was not produced by CBC?? I do...which is why I sit outside the festival doors with my Starbucks Cup in the heat of the Montreal Summer...

The Eternal (Abohomaan) was an incredible film from Indian director Rituparno Ghosh and was my after supper surprise film...a surprise because I was sure I had bought a ticket for an Italian Film about a film director who was competing against his father to win the accolades of prominant women...but when I sat down and started to hear the Tamil back-beat sounds of an Indian spectacle I realized I had either made a nig mistake or else I was in for a wonderful surprise!

The Eternal was great...a bit hard to understand in the start but the acting was fantastic and in the end I had tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat and a better appreciation of the lattitude of film and the creative process!

That was the end of the night and I was back on the city bike path. Stopped off at BattleNet.24 Cyber Cafe on Maisonneuve to say hi to DD...I much prefer this one to the BattleNet.24 Cyber Cafe on Fort where I had gone before where there were these junkies smacking up in the can and then harrassing the hotel tourists across the street...the guy looked like some soccer hooligan...staring down the drivers...the drivers looking like they were extras from the Ghosh Film!!

Strayed (Zhabludivshiisya) was presented at the Imperial Theatre also known as the Pavillion Sandra & Leo Kolber, salle Lucie & Andre Chagnon, and was part of the official film festival competition. It was directed by Akhan Satayev from Kazakhstan and he was in the theatre with his producer to introduce the film...

What a crazy film this Strayed! A family driving across the deserts of Kazakhstan becomes lost but then things get wierd! Is it the devil? Is it a dream? Is it a crazy combination of bad food and good drugs? The movie goes from desperate to pathetic to violent to stupid and back to potentially redemption...but did I like it? Not really...of course after the weekend I spent in the city it had a message of going astray and for everyone who has ever taken the wrong way in life due to sex drugs or rock and roll it can have a message! I likes the scenery and the characters...the acting was not too shabby either!

After the movie got out I rode back across the city, downtown through the streets on the bike paths that are new and safe...feeling good...riding back down to my appartment in Saint Henri for a nice sleep with the visions of the film festival in my head....you know...when you see two movies in a row you start to have a separation from reality and association...it's nice!!

As I drove on Notre Dame I saw brightly lit window on the corner where an antique store used to be, where once a local coffeehouse had been...now it was a gym and as I rode by the women were training for their kick-boxing...with the drug dealers across the street and the poor people straggling on the sidewalk it was so contrastic to see this group punching and sweating against the darkness of the night!

Sleep took me again...was this all a dream?

I think I'll start coming back to the film festival and the visual overload that used to bring my so far away from my daily drabness...Thank you Montreal!

Burlington Bike Path > The Island Line

2009-08-02T12:10:00.016-04:00

After a wet and rainy June and July it was nice when August finally gave us a hot and sunny Saturday so we could take a trip down to Burlington, Vermont to do the Burlington -South Hero section of the Island Line Trail. With the bikes strapped to the Vibe we left Bromont just after lunch and stopped for a take-out lunch of chicken sushi and calamari salad that we ate on the road while we drove the 2 hours to Burlington.

We started the bike ride at Burlington Bay where the Echo Center lake Aquarium is. There is parking for $5 right at the entrance to Burlington Bay so it's a breeze to get to from the Interstate 89, exit 14 West and then down Main Street past the University of Vermont and the Church Street Mall to the waterfront...even after 6 pieces of chicken sushi and some iced-tea we could find it without a map!

Burlington Bay was gearing up for the Dragon Boat Races and with the hot sun overhead there were alot of people on the bike path; roller-blading, walking, jogging and riding. The start of the trail is all paved so there are more crowds here as you wind through the park where the Dragon Boats were preparing to launch. The trail heads North along Lake Champlain which you can see through the trees to the left.

The path is nice and flat so we didn't have to get any burning leg muscles from major ascents. The trail takes you along nice waterfront views where sailboats and motorboats drifted and we could see swimmers and the beaches were crowded on this first real summer day in August.

There is an old train tressle bridge over the Winooski River that some kids were jumping off into the water. There were two kids in the river egging-on some other kids who were just a bit to afraid to jump off the 40 foot high bridge...I was almost tempted just because it was so hot and the water looked refreshing but we decided to continue and find a place to swim later on the trail.

The Causeway section of the trail was awesome. It is an old train track that goes right across Lake Champlain. It was built in 1900 by The Rutland Railroad and is incredible to see! There are 6 miles of causeway build on huge marble slabs and boulders. The white marble makes it look like you are riding on a line of huge sugar cubes! The white square pieces against the blue of Lake Champlain is spectacular and every once and a while there is some strange Marble Inukshook built by someone to signify their passing.

At the 12.5 mile mark we came to "The Cut" which is a 200 foot wide break in the causeway to accomodate boats...as we approached "The Cut" I wondered how the boats were crossing from one side to the other...I thought maybe there were a series of locks to let boats through and bikes across. Instead there is a Bike Ferry to take riders from one side of the path to the other. Two ferries go back and forth every 5 minutes or so so there isn't any real waiting involved...time for a Kashi bar and some water! The cost is $5 per person round trip. We decided to just take a break and not ride the Bike Ferry as we had already done 10 miles one way and just took a break and watched the sailboatds cross through "The Cut".

The Bike Ferry is currently only running during the weekends in August and the Labour Day long weekend in September. Check the Local Motion website for details on having the ferry run full time: http://localmotion.org/

One the way back we had the wind in our face so that was about the hardest part of the ride...it was flat but with the causeway being right in the middle of the lake we really felt the full force of the wind. Once we got to the mainland there was no problems and we headed south towards the Bay...hoping to find a nice spot to swim.

The path winds through some nice residential areas. Burlington has nice neighbourhoods and the trail took us on a street that was having a block party...the road was closed off and there were kids and ballons and music and the grown-ups were wearing Hawaiian colors and they were listening to The Beatles...wild!

We finally stopped for some swimming at Leddy Park. There is a quiet little spot at the far end of the beach that we found that was perfect! The water was incredible with the heat!

The sandy bottom of the lake was super-soft and we just splashed around a bit and let our engines cool down! It was a most deserved break from the heat!

When we got back to Burlington Bay we had a snack at the take-out wagon at the parking lot. I needed a Jumbo Hotdog after the 26 kilometer ride and both DD and I were fully tired out and our legs were like Ramen Noodles...we had no more energy left... no more juice in the tank, well, except for a Sprite and a Jumbo Wiennie!

For maps and guides of the Champlain Valley Biking Trails including the Colchester-South Hero Causeway and Burlington Bike Path visit : http://www.champlainbikeways.org/maps.htm

Beebe Spur'n Spin Bike Trail, Newport, Vermont

2009-07-19T16:42:00.011-04:00

We discovered this new bike trail in Newport today, The Beebe Spur'n Spin. We happened to have this map, Biking in Kingdom, Routes for Road Biking in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. We followed the directions but ended up parking at the hospital because there was a sign at the IRS parking lot saying not to park there. Guess too many people parked there during business hours.

The trail was easy to find, turn left from the Hospital and head past the Internal Revenue Service huge empty parking lot and the trail is easy to see on your left.

It was a nice flat well kept trail...just like we like!

It is a 11.2 miles round trip departing from downtown Newport and 7.6 miles round trip departing from IRS parking lot on Prouty Drive. It is a flat ride recommended for energetic beginners to advanced. Mountain bikes are best. Hybrids may work depending on trail surface conditions.

I like these trails because there are no roller bladers and none of those 10-speed racers who zip around the L'esplanada Bike Trail as if they are training for the tour de France!

It is a very beautiful trail along the Memphre Magog Lake with a marsh and cute houses. There were nice flowers and berries (DD resisted the temptation and thought it best to leave the berries to the animals...and locals). People we passed by were polite and so friendly and a couple even waved at us from their porch. We were very impressed by the people's attitudes and it makes us sad to hear so many judgemental comments about Americans. At home, people don't want to be looked at or smiled at or talked to. It must be a big city mentality. We must also admit that driving through downtown Newport we did see some tough streets. But the people living along the trail are living the Dolce Vita!

How can they not be happy? I'd be so happy to live there!

We were surprised to find a hidden mountain bike trail entrance along the way which is actually used for country ski in the winter. We decided to go ahead and give it a try on our way back: now that's where all the SPIN was!

And that's also where DD left her gloves along with her Ryder's glasses during a pee break...and got muddy! We almost got lost and DD thought this must be a tourist trap! It was like riding through a maze and she kind of got afraid we could get lost. We decided to always keep left and that was a smart decision, we got back to where we had started! DD was so tired she didn't even have the energy to cheer. Back at the hospital parking we both thought that if ever we would have been injured we were at the right place. We will sleep very well tonight!

Oh! We were almost forgetting to mention that we saved a turtle before turning on Prouty Drive towards downtown. We got out of the car and put it back in the grass where it went across the high grass tossing the leaves left and right, it was too sweet. Our spirits lifted up immidiately, we love animals and today we have had once chance to show it and make a change in a small turtle's life!

Brüno Movie, Starring Sacha Baron Cohen: Crazy!!

2009-07-11T11:22:00.009-04:00

We Loved Brüno!
Vassup?! DD and I went to see the movie Brüno! We drove to the Dix-30 on opening night. After watching the different movie trailers and all the YouTube videos we could find, we were so pumped to see the new movie! It was a warm night and just perfect to see a premiere of a movie! We got there early to make sure we had a ticket but there was no problem...the theatre was only half full! Before the movie we went for some General Thaï chicken at an outdoor restaurant and then strolled around the shops looking at the stores. DD bought The Complete Idiots Guide to Buddha. It is a nice shopping village!

It was so funny and hilarious! We were both laughing our heads off! DD was slapping her knees, stomping her feet, crying and laughing, it felt good! Brüno was crazy! The first scene of him with his lover and their sexual games was crazy! DD said she didn't recall ever laughing so much for any movie or comedian in her life.

What the hell was his Google Sack or Coogle Sack or Kugel-Sack that Bruno was obsessing about??

Bruno had this crazy velcro suit and had Paula Abdul sitting on human Mexican furniture and he was Straight Dave the redneck ultimate fighter turned gay! He was in the army and adopted a little Gaybee named O.J.! He was getting whipped by some crazy woman at a swingers party and was almost attacked by some hunters when he tried to sneak into their tent at night. WTF!! Shut The Front Door! (I wonder what Stacey and Clinton from What Not To Wear thought about Brüno if they saw it?!) How in the world does Sacha come up with this stuff...he's a crazy performance artist for sure! "Vatever"!!

That Bruno has got a lot of courage to be doing those crazy things! He was putting himself in all kinds of dangerous situations really...I'm surprised he wasn't beaten up or even killed!

We had a great Friday! We drove home with visions of Brüno dancing in our heads! We can't wait for the DVD to come out. Hopefuly there will be the deleted scene with LaToya Jackson.

Thank you so much Sacha Baron Cohen and all the crew for your movie!
See the Bruno Movie Official Website

Tomifobia Bike & Nature Trail

2009-07-01T21:49:00.008-04:00

We drove down to Stanstead, QC to do the first section of the Tomifobia bike trail today...what the heck is Tomifobia...the fear of Tommy?

The Tomifobia Nature Trail (TNT) is a 19-km rail-trail in the Tomifobia River Valley, between Rte. 141 in Ayers's Cliff, Quebec and Rte. 247 in Beebe (Stanstead), Quebec. Sentiers Massawippi, a non-profit charitable organization, purchased this property in 1993 from Canadian Pacific.

Commonly known as Sentiers Massawippi and running all the way to the U.S. border, the Tomifobia Nature Trail offers a ride through the heart of the Eastern Townships’ natural and architectural heritage. Running along a former rail bed, this trail offers cyclists a gentle excursion to Stanstead, where you’ll find the Colby-Curtis Museum, the Haskell Opera House and famous Canusa Street, with one side in Canada, the other in the United States.

The week before we started the search for the perfect nature trail in Ayers Cliff where we did a half dozen km's through the nature preserve...it was awesome! The first leg of the trip, from the information center to km 7 to be more specific, was lovely and flat and the sun shone as we drove along the Tomifobia river through forests and saw cows, ponds and flowers... it was so beautiful DD almost had a collision with another rider coming in the opposite direction. The second leg, from Stanstead to km 15 we had bike problems and I thought DD was going to rip a telephone pole in two pieces because her brakes jammed and the kick-stand was rubbing her tire!

Growwwwwl!!!

Next time we ride from Stanstead we will start at the head of the trail at km 19 instead of winding through town although we did get to see the locals and the houses for sale!

I think I liked the first section best but all in all it is a real nice bike ride on unpaved hard packed trails...no worry about roller bladers or high speed racers here...it's all about the beauty of nature!

Walt Disney World Rides - Hollywood Studios

2009-06-11T13:05:00.003-04:00

On my last Trip to Walt Disney World I visited Hollywood Studios on my third day. I was there at 8:30 am and I'd say it's worth it to get there early because you get to see a little show. In this one it wasn't Mickey and friends but a crazy Director and we all said "Lights, Camera, Action!" and off we all went to our rides. I wanted to go to the Indiana Jones show but it was only starting at 11:30.

I went to " Star Tours", a thrilling Start Wars flight simulator. This was a very bad decision on my part. Not that the ride is a bad one but because I have motion sickness. I had to keep my eyes shut almost the entire ride so it was almost a waste of time for me. Thanks to this YouTube user I can now catch up and watch it at home!

My second ride was in the Streets of America Muppet Vision 3D, a 25 minute hilarious 3D film starring The Muppets. As a child I really liked muppets, especially Miss Piggy with her outfits and hats and makeup and Kermit. It was very funny and very good. There was an orchestra under the stage with musician penguins! I especially enjoyed the Live Monster who walked in front of the stage, the rabbit on the left side balcony, and the bubbles!

My third ride was The Streets of America "Studio backlot Tour", A 35 minute walking/tram tour of movie-making magic. they took people from the audience to perform a simulation of boat being attacked then showed us the montage. The train brought us to Catastrophe Canyon. I was sitting on the left side and stayed dry despite what said the person who shot this YouTube Video.

I was looking for "Sounds Dangerous with Drew carey" but couldn't find it because they closed it. I'm glad I wasn't able to go cause it looked like it was boring from what people say. I ended up doing "The Great Movie ride", a 22 minute travel through classic film scenes and Hollywood moments. That ride was awesome! I enjoyed it a lot. I liked the chic entrance decor with the carpet and the costumes.

I wanted to go to the Indiana Jones show but no Fast Pass were available and I woul've had to wait 45 minutes standin, and the show was 30 minutes. So I turned around and went back and left the Park. It was getting too hot and with all the cement retaining the heat it must be a baking oven in the summer!

Instead of taking the bus back to Epcot I took a boat shuttle that goes to the resort hotels. It was one of my favorite rides. It was refreshing and relaxing.

Walt Disney World Rides - Epcot Center

2009-05-11T20:22:00.014-04:00

I hope you get the chance to go one day. It is a great experience. I recommend going in the low season, using the fast pass system and maybe getting a book to plan your stay. Pack light, have sunglasses for when you come outside in the bright sun from a dark movie ride. Bring a vest or something you can put on your shoulders when inside if the airconditioning's on high. Bring snacks, a bottle of water, sunblock, and some $$.

At the end of Day 1, after Animal Kingdom, I still had time before I took my shuttle back to the hotel so I decided to take a ride in the monorail. I was hoping I could sit down, my feet needed a deserved rest but no, I felt like riding in a full rushhour subway. I did get a seat once we arrived to Magic Kingdom. I enjoyed the ride back to Epcot.

And I did this ride, Spaceship Earth in the Future World. At the end of the ride they take a picture of you and ask you to fill in a questionaire on a screen in the car, and then they make a mini montage according to your answers. At the exit, like in the Dinosaur ride, they have big screens with pictures of everyone on the rides. They are numbered and they have computers where you can email the animation they made with your picture and answers. I enjoyed this free extra.

On day 2 the first ride I did was "Soarin". I believe it is the best ride that Disney has. I had tears in my eyes as it was so beautiful. It was worth my 3 day ticket with the park hopper option. If you ever go to Disney, this ride is a must. Oh, and they even lift your seat up so your feet are dangling. I'm not sure if they tilt you forward a bit but for sure I remember vividly that they spray you with scents of pine above a pine tree forest, and with the scents of orange above an orange tree grove. I felt like it was the most wonderful moment of my life.

My second ride was "Living With The Land", a boat voyage through amazing greenhouses with baby bok choi, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, lettuce and a fish farm. The rides in small cars are my favorites, after walking and waiting in lines for hours.

The next ride was "Journey Into Imagination with Figment": A Journey that will engage the imagination and the senses. The only thing I remembered after the ride was at the end we got sprayed with the smell of a skunk!

"Honey I Shrunk The Audience"In-your face 3D adventure film where I met a friendly woman from Lasalle or Lachine on the island of Montreal. Her boyish skinny daugter was so cute, asking while we waited sitting on the carpeted floor, if there would be monsters jumping on us. That woman kicked me in the legs a few times when the air shots coming out of the benches made you believe mice were running between your legs.

Canada: "O Canada", Circle-Vision 360 film. Hosted by Canadian actor martin Short. 14 minute shows. I liked this movie exept when Martin spoke a bit of french when he introduced the province of Quebec - in Part II of the YouTube video - and said "La Belle Provence" while what he meant to say was "La Belle Province". These are similar words but have totally different meanings. Provence is a region in the south of France, and Province, well, is a Province. I thought Martin should have made a bit more of an effort, being an actor he should have been able to rehearse and practice to pronounce Province right. But then maybe that was the Director's job to tell him . But I still thought he was a good host!

In the France pavillion, I saw "Impressions de France", a film celebrating the beautiful French country side.

I had lunch in Morroco, at the Tangierine Cafe, outside at a table in the shade, priceless! I had a Falafel Pita sandwich with lentil salad and couscous salad with a Dasani bottled water. I enjoyed the music and the setting.

In the Japanese shop, I saw the most exotic things. I got some paperclips in the shape of Penguins and some stickers.

In The USA Pavillion, I saw The American Adventure, a 30 minute show and inspirational story of America and its people. It felt like you were walking in the white house. It was something big and epic. The characters and their settings came out from the floor and I was wondering how much space it took to keep all of them, and how frequently they had to dust them. It was nice but I found it hard to stay awake and my eyes were shutting, it was so serious. One part they didn't show us about the hitory of America though is how the British and French killed the natives with their guns, their alcohol, and their diseases... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them but I wouldn't know! And I would be somewhere else! Maybe somewhere in the south of France... with no snow! Yeah! On my way out the first thing I saw was the Espresso Coffee Sign!

In Italy and Germany it was mostly shops and restaurants.

In China there was the 360 Movie "Reflexions of China" with beijing, the Wall of China, the Yang-Tse and the weird mountains.

In Norway, there was "Maelstrom", A Viking boat voyage through dark places.

In Mexico, it was the "Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. Donald Duck, Panchito and Jose Carioca host a musical boat tour. At the beginning of the ride, on the right there is the restaurant and it smells so good! You can see the people seated and eating in a setting simulating an evening in Mexico in a small village with outdoors shops and lanterns and lots of people. To the left, the is the Mayan Pyramids. It was very colorful.

These last two rides were not a good choice for somebody having motion sickness... But I just wanted to do all the rides! Back in Future World, I went to Test Track... In the single person lane. I was supposed to wait 20 minutes instead of 50 and waited only 5 minutes but I hated it! I shoul've known, I get sick in a regular car, imagine in a test drive car!I regreted I was on it but once the car had left there was nothing I could do but swear in my head ?%$#@!!

So the last ride had ruined this one because I was more vulnerable to feeling naucious. At Mission Space I chose the green team for a mild journey with everything but the spinning. There was an actor from the movie Mission to Mars. We were all assigned a role and tasks. I was the commendant. It's not so bad now just watching the video because my seat doesn't move and there's no bumps... I had to shut my eyes quite a few times.

As soon as I was out, my watch said 5:15 and I decided I was tired and wanted to catch the 5:30 shuttle back to the hotel. I ran to C-11 and made it on time! The same people as yesterday were there waiting, a familly from Scotland: a mother with her 2 kids and her parents. When I got to the hotel it was goolash night, a sort of macaroni with a meaty tomato sauce (which tasted like they had used the leftover breakfast pork patties), brought it upstairs, put my bikini and went for a quick swim. Thee was a Germany Movie Special on TV and it went well with all my memories of the day. At 10:00 I went to bed... tossed and turned.. that free goolash ended up costing me some rest!

At the end of the third day I went back to Epcot to do some rides I hadn't been on. I went to "The Seas with Nemo and friends" where we boarded a clamobile and did an inside ride.

Then it was Turtle Talk With crush. I didn't know what to expect in this interactive show and I was impressed! My question is how can they do that?! So there's Crush, the turtle with a British accent who says "Dude", "Toaaatally", "Awesome", "Right" all the time. The kids were very cooperative and it seemed like everybody enjoyed and had a good time. There was this little boy who was too shy to tell Crush his name "I understand totally dude, I wouldn't know what to say if a turtle spoke to me". So Crush asked the girl next to him and she said he was her brother, so crush said: "Oh, you're kinda like his representative right?" and later he called her the Rep. Crush is very quick and always has a good and funny answer. It's interesting to watch all the different Videos on YouTube with the different Crush versions... I mean all the versions are different because it's interactive, Crush doesn't always have the same voice.. he mutates!

My last ride of all was The Ellen's Energy Adventure, a 45 minute show where Ellen brings us to the Dinosaur era. I thought I was in for a movie only... So I had a big surprise when we started moving! I had seen the rails on the floor but I thought maybe we would just ride a bit forward or backword or in circle. The whole croud turned, the cars were all seperated we were riding like a train inside the dino era! It was awesome! I was so glad I came back to Epcot after Hollywood.

I had lunch at the Land, a ginger beef Thai chicken with stir fried vegetables and rice. I wanted to do Soaring again but I didn't have enought ime for the wait so I did Living with the land another time and saw "The Circle of Life", a short film with the Lion King.

I hope you get the chance to go one day. It is a great experience. I recommend going in the low season, using the fast pass system and maybe getting a book to plan your stay. Pack light, have sunglasses for when you come outside in the bright sun from a dark movie ride. bring snacks, a bottle of water, sunblock, and some $$ and voila!

Walt Disney World Rides - Animal Kingdom

2009-05-11T13:51:00.005-04:00

I was at the Walt Disney World Parks for only 3 days. I didn't have enough time to visit all of the parks, but I went to Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center and Holliwood Studios. I saw Magic Kingdom 22 years ago and all I can remember is the Caroussel of Time. Here is an interactive map of Animal Kingdom, thanks to this YouTube user. I must say when I was on the rides, I thought, what part don't they understand in no cameras and no filming? But now that I am back home, I must say I'm glad these people went against the rules... It isn't that big of a crime because there's nothing like being there in person and I believe this can also help people in planning their visit to Disney.

I hope you get the chance to go one day. It is a great experience. I recommend going in the low season, using the Fast Pass system and maybe getting a book to plan your stay. Pack light, have sunglasses for when you come outside in the bright sun from a dark movie ride. Bring a vest or something you can put on your shoulders when inside if the airconditioning's on high. Bring snacks, a bottle of water, sunblock, and some $$.

It's Tough to Be A Bug! 3D Show housed in the root system of the Tree of Life. Features Flik and Hopper, inspired by Disney-Pixar's "A Bug's Life". Some creepy-crawly moments in the dark.

This is the first ride I did Tuesday morning when I got to Animal Kingdom. I was wondering if I was at the right place cause I was the only one there, but soon enough some people started to walk in the line. I waited about 5 minutes to get in.

This is one of the videos of the movie I found. It's not the best quality but it runs til the end when they ask the audience to remain seated and you feel the maggots running underneath the seat!

The next ride I took was the Kali River Rapids, in the Asia section of Animal Kingdom. I think I was the one who got the wettest.

Since I was too wet to eat at the Yak & Yeti restaurant, I sat down on a bench in the sun and relaxed a bit. This woman next to me asked on what ride I had been on to be this wet? Yeah. I got a fast pass to The Kilimanjaro's Safaris, then rode the Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch but stayed in the train to return to Africa. The Safari reminded me of a PC Adventure game we played called Paradise, which is set in Africa.

The last ride I took in Animal Kingdom was Dinosaur. They take a picture of you inside the ride, at a scary cornier and they sell it at the exit. I thought for 20$ it wasn't worth it. I thought they show everybody in the car and one woman's picture was way funnier than mine. She looked really scared and her mouth was open, you could tell she was screeming.

DD's Flight from Burlington, Vermont to Orlando, Florida

2009-05-11T13:06:00.003-04:00

April is low season at my work so I was only working one day which was Friday April 24. It was Sunday April 19, Dami and I were having our morning coffee and I told him I thought it was too bad he had to work because we could take advantage of my time off and both go on a short trip somewhere. He said: "Why Don't you go by yourself to Orlando in Florida!" Hm... It wasn't a bad idea but it was a bit crazy to just leave like that on my own! So I phoned my mother and she was silent until I finished explaining and then she said "Why Not?" So I thought yeah! Why Not! We found a deal on Expedia.com and booked it!

I like flying from Burlington because it's a small airport. The only negative point is that it is rarely a direct flight. This time, I was flying with U.S Airways with a transfer in Washington. While I waited, I bought myself some magazines with a bottled water and recharged my new VirginMobile cellphone Dami bought me. In the small plane, I was sitting in the front row which I thought was usully reserved for First Class Passengers. The transfer went smoothly, and my flights were on schedule. I felt very fortunate because other travellers didn't have my luck and had their flights cancelled because of bad weather. There was thunderstorms all the way down to Florida.

The view from my window seat was amazing and for the first time I was able to see lightning under puffy white clouds to the east. I must say U.S. Airways is not my favorite airline. The planes are old and dirty and there was no snacks that I could buy and I starved and got a stomach ache because of that. But the staff was nice and all went well.

A Trip To The Granby Zoo

2009-01-09T11:10:00.001-05:00

Went to the Granby Zoo today. Nothing like visiting a Zoo in January when it’s 20 below zero. The Granby Zoo has a winter program until February and since they have a few animals that can stay outside even in the cold we thought we’d drive out to enjoy the Zoo; we had gone in the summer time but since DD and I both had the day off together she thought it would be fun to go to the zoo!

We first stopped to see the Elephants. They were in their indoor shelter due to the extreme cold. It resembled a surreal prison with large wide white bars caging in the two Elephants; one is named Doudoune and the younger one is Sarah. When we got there it was feeding time and the keeper stretched what looked like a slinky between the elephants. This is an electric fence to keep the elephants from grabbing the other ones bale of hay.

They both looked kind of bored which makes sense since they were inside and they looked much happier when we saw them in the summer outside. The Granby Zoo has an awesome outdoor area for the elephants and giraffes so the winter must be hard on them.

The keeper told us how they try and give the elephants things to do to keep them stimulated; they tie apparatus to the ceiling, bring in new toys for the elephants and give them special snacks of carrots and at Halloween they get pumpkins! Those lucky buddies!!

We went upstairs to see the giraffes. There was a new baby giraffe born at the Granby Zoo and he was just a tiny thing compared to the three adult giraffes in the pen. We were on a second floor viewing platform so we had a nice face level view of the giraffes as they chewed their cuds and checked us out! Again, they looked kind of lethargic but they only have a few more monthes before tthey can be out on the savannah!

They zoo is having a name the baby giraffe contest so DD and I both submitted a name; I chose Jasper after our brown Burmese cat and DD chose Kirikoo after that animated movie we saw about the little African boy. We found out later that the choice of names will be a random draw and when we checked on the Granby Zoo website they had a list of names submitted so far and so the poor giraffe could end up with a name like Ti’Claude or Stretch!

Outside we walked through Africa and saw the Zebras in the snow which was quite odd to see! The last place I’d expect to see a herd of zebras would be galloping through snowbanks! It was fun to stroll the the zoo with no crowds, it was like walking in a deserted theme park like an episode of The Twilight Zone. We saw the Flamingoes in their mirrored hot house all shiny so the flamingoes think they are in a big crowd to encourage reproduction and the formation of couples! Quack!

The little meerkats were in their heated winter shelter and so we could really get up close to the glass to see them; they are so cute! We went to Asia after that and saw the bears and then the Tigers; we got there just in time to see snack-time and so there were twenty of us right beside the tiger, on the other side of the dence naturally, and the tiger keeper had a bowl of meat and was tossing little tiger meatballs into the cage.

The tiger was growling and meowing like only a big pussy-cat can and it was impressive to be so close to the tiger. When we were there in the summer it was so hot and the tigers were just sprawled out in the shade sleeping but in this wintery wonderland they were walking around striking with their orange and brown coats against the snowy background!

The best moment was in the Hippopotamus tank. There is a dark cavernous room with a giant hippopotamus aquarium and glass walls so we can see the huge grey beasts, looking much like Manatees, swimming. If you stand on one of the bleachers you can just peek over the surface of the tank and see the huge heads, eyes and nostrils poking out of the water. They were blowing bubbles under water and opening their gaping mouths at each other and it was quite thrilling.

In the summer the viewing area was too crowded and the hippos didn’t move about too much or maybe they were outside but today we had the whole viewing cave to ourselves and the huge animals were quite active. At one point I walked to the corner of the tank and there was a huge hippos staring at me sitting there behind the glass and I had a primitive shiver of fear run through me being so close to such a dangerous animal!

Even though we had the glass between us it was crazy to see the fangs and face of that whiskered brute so close. The hippo just sat there on the massive rock shelf in the corner and DD came for a peek and we were both wide-eyed in amazement!

Then the big hippo swam away and DD walked down to the middle of the tank and the hippo came to her and started circling in the tank against the glass with DD walking in synchronicity with the hippo.

He looked at her and swam close to the glass and gently rolled over and went to the corner and then swam back to the middle pane of glass where DD was waiting and they did their little hippo dance again and again! The hippos was really having fun and DD was quite excited to be playing a game of hide-and-seek or peek-a-boo with a hippopotamus!

That was the highlight of the day but the whole walk was is so nice and the winter trip was so different! The zoo had little firepits all over the place with gently fires burning so we could stop and warm up; that was so nice, I can see why the Granby Zoo is one of the best zoos in North America! Next year we will buy seasons passes so we can just go to the Zoo anytime because there is always things new going on and it’s so nice to be in a place where animals are given such respect...I just hope the giraffe is not named Spunky Winterbean!!

Jasper & Alaska : Burmese Babies

2009-01-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

Have you met Alaska & Jasper? Maybe not but they are the newest additions to our family! We love being surrounded by creatures and when we lost our dear pussy cat Pauline we went through an emptiness and mourning that only cat lovers can comprehend.

With the loss of Pauline, who had been with DD for over a decade we decided that we wanted to adopt a pair of kittens and we found a lovely pair from a breeder here in Quebec. More pictures of our Burmese Cats

I'm not sure why we were drawn towards the Burmese breed but after much research we decided that we wanted to have two Burmese kittens as we felt that their charachter attributes well-matched our own ideals and we were drawn to them.

Naturally, when our cat Pauline passed away we were heartbroken. As we mourned and grieved, and began living without our pet who had spent so many years with us in our country retirement home, we realized that we wanted to adopt some pussy-cats to fill the gaping void Pauline, our sweetie, had left with her passing.

We were attracted to the Burmese breed due to their characteristics and sheer beauty. We were lucky enough to find a local breeder after much searching and once we began correspondence with the breeder it became clear that this was the right thing to do...there were so many odd connections that tied us to these kittens and brought us full circle with our mourning of dear Pauline.

Jasper and Alaska were both born on the 29th of February 2008 which was interesting because they both had different mothers yet they were both born on the same day! Not only that but they were born on the exact same day as Pauline was cremated. Our new kittens came in to the world the same day our Pauline, who was 15 years old, was cremated. On top of that the mother of Alaska, Sally, was born on the same date as DAMI, April 20th. All these connections created an incredible happiness within us!

Meet the Burmese Babies! If you need a theme song then just think of Brittney singing: Burmalizer Burmilzer Burmalizer!

Trip Sister!

2009-01-05T22:27:00.002-05:00

On The Road!

TripSister.com is the website of DD and DAMI; partners and friends who both love to travel! We decided to start this website to help document our camping trips, vacations and holidays.

We find that the more we travel the more pictures we have and the more pages of diaries we fill. Each trip we take, whether it is a camping trip to the Florida Keys or a stay in a luxury resort hotel in Hawaii, we end up with hundreds of stories to tell and twice as many pictures to show!

It is tough to share our stories and photos with our families and friends, who are spread around the world, so we decided to start this website so people we knew and friends we met on our travels could come to one website to read and see new pictures when it was convenient.

Visit our travel photo collection

TripSister.com is the name we chose for our website to share our stories and pictures from our travels, holidays and vacations; we chose the name because...well...we like to trip! We're not sisters but at times we can fight like sisters! No...we just liked the name because it's casual, like us!

We love doing everything from backpacking to car-camping to staying in luxury hotels. Every trip we take we try and make different...something new and exciting to a different destination so we can learn more about the world...and ourselves!

DD is a great diary enthusiast and keeps detailed notes on our trips including budgets, sights, special moments and other details that, if they hadn't been written down, would be lost! Both DD and myself, DAMI take pictures, and while neither of us are professional photographers, we sometimes are very happy with the results!

We both like to write and take pictures so we started this website to share our adventures, pictures, hotel reviews or whatever leaves an impression on us with our friends and family.

If you have come to our website by accident we welcome you! If you want to send your comments we'd love to hear your voice! You can post a comment on most pages or send an email to us at dd@tripsister.com.

Our Hawaiian Trip : 3 Islands in 2 Weeks

2009-01-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

Our trip to the Hawaiian Islands was a fantastic vacation where we spent just over two weeks visiting Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island! We spent time in Waikiki but wanted to explore the oldest Hawaiian Island which is Kauai and the island named Hawaii which is the biggest island of the island group which is often aptly referred to as The Big Island, so we quickly flew to Kauai, The Garden Island, and after a week there flew to The Big Island to explore the newest and still growing volcanic big island of Hawaii!

Coming from Canada we found everything about the trip was “Big”! Wow...it was our first trip so far away from home and it was unbelievable!

We had discovered that instead of flying out of Montreal, which was closer to our home in Knowlton, Quebec, it would be much cheaper to fly out of Burlington, Vermont which is only a short drive over the border between Canada and the USA. From Burlington we took a quick flight to Newark, New Jersey where we transferred onto a direct flight into Honolulu. We flew Continental Airlines and, while they weren't the cheapest, they did have the direct flight we were looking for as we didn't want to take chances with flights into hubs like Chicago or Seattle or Los Angeles. Continental Airlines also had great service and friendly staff.

We used TripAdvisor.com to help us choose our accommodations. We reserved in advance but sometimes had to find new places to stay because the reserved hotel or bed and breakfast didn't quite measure up. Most places we stayed at on our trip to Hawaii were awesome and left us wanting to stay longer and linger in the peace and luxury of the friendly Aloha State!

Some of the places we stayed in are the Aqua Aloha Surf & Spa in Waikiki, The Plantation Hale on Kauai, The Resort Quest Islander on the Beach in Kauai, The Volcano Cottages on The Big Island, Aaaah The Views Bed & Breakfast in Waimea, and The Jacaranda Inn also in Waimea on the Big Island. We wrote reviews and took pictures at each place and also promised to put some reviews on TripAdvisor.com since we used them to make our decisions and want to share our experiences...you know...give back to the travel community!

We visited the beaches of Kona and Kapaa, snorkelled with Green Sea Turtles and Butterflyfish, saw the volcanoes and craters of Kilohana and the Calderas of Kilaua, hiked the canyons of Waimea and the trails of the beautiful Na Pali Coast...there was so much to do and see in this vast ecosystem and we absolutely loved it all!

We flew Hawaiian Airlines on our inter-island flights and with Continental Airlines for our long flight to Hawaii and then home again. Both carriers were great!

Both DD and myself wrote diaries on our Hawaiian vacation and took a lot of pictures so you can find all of our favourite places and sights described in more detail here on the website. You can also use the site search to find hotel reviews or specifics on towns and places we visited or any topics of interest including any pictures you may want to see.

DAMI WRITES:
Burlington Vermont - On The Road To Hawaii
Newark New Jersey - The Stepping Stone
Waikiki - A Day On Oahu
Honolulu Airport - Bound For Kauai
Kauai Arrival - From Heaven To Hell
Kauai Day 2 - Changing Hotels for Resort Quest and Seeking Poipu Beach
Kauai Adventures - Beyond the Na`Poli Coast

Pictures of Kauai
Kauai, The Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Kapa'a. All our favorite hikes and sights on Hawai'is oldest island.

Pictures of Oahu and Waikiki
Honolulu, Waikiki & the sights we saw on our short trip to Oahu.

Pictures of Hawai'i The Big Island
Volcano, Mauna Kea, Waimea, Kona, Hilo & the incredible Big Island of Hawai'i.

Unusual, odd and strange pictures from Hawaii
Strange and unusual pictures that need a special category. Fun stuff and the beauty of Hawai'i that is hard to define. The artsy side of our trip to Hawai'i!

Destination Florida: Ultimate Road Trip

2009-01-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like a three week road trip to change your outlook and when we drove to Florida for an escape from the winter in Canada we had the time of our lives! The best thing about driving instead of flying is you get a chance to see the changing scenery and as we drove South on I-95, passing through New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, The Carolina's and Georgia we were better able to appreciate the size and beauty of the area.

Of course the highway doesn't always have the best views for sight-seeing but since we only had three weeks for the trip we decided to take the main road and get to Florida where we were planning to do our car-camping and exploring.

When we saw our first palm tree it was really exciting! The temperatures had been steadily rising as we drove South and by the time we hit the free orange juice stand at the Florida Visitors Center we were bathed in sunshine under blue skies and a warm wind we rarely feel up in Quebec in January!

We stayed in hotels on the drive down but once we hit Florida we started the camping! Our Salsa Vibe had all of our belongings and the comforts of home that made this car-camping so different from our backpacking trips. We had our camping gear and coolers and hiking gear and even our beloved espresso machine so we could have a morning Cappuccino at the campsite picnic tables!

We did a basic counter-clockwise route through the entire state, stopping first at Fernandina Beach then driving West to Lake City and the Osceola State Park on our way to Apalachicola on the Gulf of Mexico. We camped and explored, hiked and swam and saw so many different birds and creatures along the way that we were constantly stopping to take pictures. In the evenings, as we sat around the campfire or watched the sunsets we could talk about all the sights we had seen that day before we tucked ourselves into our small tent for the night.

We then made our way back East across the Suwannee River towards Bald Point on Ochlocknee Bay and Manatee Springs State Park before crossing Central Florida and driving down the East Coast towards the Canaveral National Seashore. The drive down highway 95 between West Palm Beach and Miami was a bit crazy and while it was neat to pass the colorful homes, surf shops, golf courses, beaches and typical Florida retirement villas in Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, it was also the most stressful part of the trip due to the traffic and when we got a bit lost in Miami we felt like we could have used the help of Horatio Kane and the CSI team for protection in some of the rough neighbourhoods we accidentally found! Gulp!!

We drove to the Keys and made a short trip to Key West but found it a bit touristy and preferred the snorkeling and laid-back areas near Key Largo where we saw some awesome corals at Pennekamp State Park before heading into Everglades National Park and the Shark Valley Slough where we came face to face with alligators, huge birds,
and incredible lush swampland and open fields!

Our last night of camping the temperatures were unseasonably cold and approaching the freezing level so we were actually a bit glad to know that it was time leave Rainbow Springs to start the drive home to Canada. After that cold night we were glad to spend the last few nights of our return trip in hotels where we could have hot showers and sleep on fluffy mattresses and pillows instead of lying on a thin inflatable mattress and brushing our teeth with pond water!

The drive from Florida to Quebec took us about three days so we enjoyed two nights of hotel continental breakfasts and take-out suppers instead camp cooking and as we got further North we started seeing more and more snow reminding us that even though it's hot and sunny back on the beach, February is approaching and we enter Canada where it is certainly winter and we were back to the land of tuques and mittens!

What a great 21 days we had! The driving was fun and DD and I really bonded as we got to spend a lot of time in the car chatting, listening to the local radio stations and only occasionally coming to blows over map directions!!

Pictures of Northern Florida
Fort Clinch State Park, Ocean Pond Campground, The Big Gum Swamp and Ochlockonee State Park

Pictures of The Gulf Coast and The Panhandle of Florida
Bald Point, The Forgotten Coast Line and Manatee Springs

Pictures of Southern Florida
The Everglades and the Keys

Unusual, odd and strange pictures from the Sunshine State
Strange and unusual pictures that need a special category. Fun stuff and the beauty of Florida that is hard to define. The artsy side of our trip!

Kauai Adventures > Beyond The Napali Coast

2008-06-02T18:27:00.014-04:00

Waking up in the soft beds of the Resort Quest Islander on The Beach was like slipping out of the warm Pacific ocean waves of a starfish dream. I looked over at the Hula-Dancer lamp on the bedside table. After the whirlwind in our heads from our Lanai evening of my extra-ounces of my Kauai Kaboom coconut and rum drinks we were due for a sleep in despite the best efforts of those Kauai Roosters!

I was up first and, ouch, I had a bit of a headache and sore legs and it’s no wonder we we’re extra tired after our hike up Kailua Ridge where we passed a group of hunters wearing camouflage carrying rifles with a pack of dogs who were sniffing at the trail as they hunted for wild boar. They had two four-by-four vehicles parked at the trail head, the hunters not the dogs, with homemade cages attached in to the truck beds. We asked one of the hunters, a young Hawaiian girl af about 22 years old what they were hunting and she told us pigs. Maybe they sell them to the large resorts for their Luau’s?

We didn’t do the entire loop of the trail which starts near the end of Highway 580 West of Wailua. We thought of heading down the Moalepe Trail or the Kuamo’ o NaNou Trail but decided to just stop at the top of the ridge and admire The Sleeping Giant to the East. The Sleeping Giant is a delicate and subtle mountain formation than when you look at from a distance it appears to be the silhouette of a large sleeping giant, you can spot his chin, his forehead, chest, arms and feet. It’s like looking at a constellation in the sky which suddenly becomes a Bull or a Lion but this Sleeping Giant, from atop the Kailua Ridge was spectacular, being on the ridge was amazing also because you can look behind you and seen an incredible lush green Kauai Valley and mountains and then turn around again and you see the Sleeping Giant in the distance with the clear blue sky and the Royal Coconut Coast!

After hiking back down the ridge we drove to the end of route 580 to the Keahua Arboretum. There is a small creek at the end of the road where people can park but since we had a 4 x 4 Dodge Nitro and since the water level was low we decided to venture across the river. There was a cement bridge that was submerged by the fairly smooth current and the water was only 9 inches deep so we drove across the bridge, it felt like we were on some military adventure seeing the river beneath us.

Instead of stopping right away we decided to follow the road beyond the river crossing. It was likely a fork of the Wailua River but maybe was just a stream, anyway, we continued up a rough dirt road and the road got steeper and bumpier and narrower and after about 20 minutes we decided to turn back...it looked more like an off-road 4 x 4 trail probably used by boar hunters so we turned around and parked near the river crossing to check out the Keahua Arboretum.

So let me say I’m not a tree maniac, I don’t hug trees, I mean I like trees but I don’t have a special interest in naming or classifications of trees. I like trees and this peaceful little site with picnic table and clean public pavilions in the shade of the forest which was home to monkeypod trees, mango trees and eucalyptus trees. Don’t ask me to pick one out of a line-up though...but there were these crazy multi-colored trees that looked like they had no bark! They were red and green skinned trees that looked like rubber skinned toys, we couldn’t believe it! And they weren’t all clumped in bunches either but just spread out here and there...huge tower trees with trunks without bark and this multi-colored smooth skin! We strolled along an open field beside the river and I chased a rooster who wanted to play a game of tag with me!

We left for Wailua along highway 580 and we stopped at the Lookout over Opaekaa Falls and the winding Wailua River with the small sight-seeing cruise-boats chugging along through the State Park. It was windy but probably always is at that height, the falls were a bit sparse but it was a nice stop but we didn’t have time to chat with the many tourists who had parked for a snapshot since we were getting hungry and needed to get some groceries for the kitchen back at the hotel.

We stopped at the Wapouli Plaza, OMG we loved Longs Drugs with everything from books to plastic crowns and post cards to cheap booze, and grabbed some Mini Mai Tais and a book on what is the meaning of Aloha. We hit the Safeway, signed up for a Safeway Card to save a bit of money on purchases, and bought some roast beef and cheese so we could have a comfort food meal at the hotel on the Lanai and learn about Aloha and of course have a Mai Tai which is likely less strong than the mean rhum drink I mixed last night which held about 3 ounces of dark rum per glass!!

Back at the hotel, we have a private parking spot because we are renting a suite at the Resort Quest which is a good thing because the parking lot is full with guests and shoppers at the Coconut Marketplace; we had our lunch overlooking the pool and then had a nap. Ahhh...nothing better than having a nap after a hike and a Mai Tai!

When we got up we strolled across to the Coconut Marketplace. It’s really cool, like a board walk with shops, boutiques and restaurants in a nice little village. The perfect spot to shop, have a snack and just check things out. We took our time and went into cool little nick-nack stores and expensive jewellery store...they had everything and it was a warm evening so we took our time and so did a lot of other tourists! I bought a red flowered Hawaiian shirt and a sharks tooth necklace and some funky ukelele and palm tree key chains. DD bought an awesome, and rather sexy Hawaiian dress, black with red flowers and two straps, along with a necklace and some flowers to put in her hair. We went back to the hotel and took some pictures on the Lanai with candles and the moonlight! How romantic it was...if only it had been our Honeymoon we would have said it was perfect. But even though we were only on holiday it WAS perfect!!! We had a mini MaiTai and Safeway Sushi for supper and with the sounds of crashing waves in the distance we went to bed early, rocked to sleep in the arms of the Aloha Islands.

The next day we got up relatively early as we wanted to take full advantage of the day, another sunny day on Kauai, and after the stress of the trip from Canada and the initial hotel shock we had finally reached a point of comfort and were ready to get up and take on the island! There is so much to see and do and in only a few hours we have to be prepped and have a written itinerary!

I was up first, making coffee with our portable espresso machine that we brought with us, oh it’s great to have a kitchenette in the room! Cool tiles on the floor beneath my bare feet and the sun coming through the main windows off the Ocean outside. Having the large suite at the hotel is perfect because I can get up early and download my pictures to the laptop and have a cup of coffee while keeping the door closed so DD can sleep. When she did wake up I had been sunning on the Lanai watching the cat prance about the grounds and the guests heading to their rooms with fluffy towels wrapped under their arms or shopping bags in their hands. When DD woke up I made us a roast beef and egg breakfast that we enjoyed with some fresh juice, no rum this morning peeps, on the Lanai.

The wind was rustling the palm trees and a cruise ship passed in the distance. After a relaxing breakfast we grabbed our snorkel gear and the days supplies of power bars, snacks and water and sun screen for an awesome day of come what may!! The wind and sounds of birds from the Lanai was magical! We love staying at the Resort Quest Islander on The Beach... dum dee dum...as we go downstairs from our suite which is right above the lobby and closest to the main entrance we find our rental car in our private parking spot! Sweeeeeeet!!

We drove south on Highway 56, which is the main road that circles the island of Kauai along with Highway 50, to do some snorkelling. We drove the Kaumaulii Highway which had fairly steady traffic, we started to recognize the locals from the tourists because the locals all had beads or shells or flowers hanging from their rear-view mirrors and the tourists all had late model clean vehicles. Two weeks later, as we left back to Canada, we bought some shell necklaces at Hilo Hatties and we’ve had those hanging in our Salsa Vibe ever since we returned...sometimes I grab the shells and rub them between my fingers and it sounds like the surf wrapping her warm arms around the driftwood of a sunlit Kapaa Beach! The traffic is pretty bad in Kauai but we were there in the off season so it wasn't too bad but apparently 5 people miss their connecting flights every day because of the snarled island traffic...maybe the island should only allow Smart Cars and not big bad Dodge Nitros!

Turning south onto highway 520 towards Koloa and Poipu we passed under the Eucalyptus Trees Tunnel which was an incredible canopy of tall trees fencing the road and hanging their leaves over the road; it was like really driving through a shady tunnel! We got a bit lost as we tried to find Poipu Beach Park. There seemed to be a lot of roads with condos and hotels and we turned in to the Marriott Waiohai Beach Club parking lot, the Hyatt Regency Kauai parking lot, the Sheraton Kauai Resort and the Poipu Bay Golf Club before we actually found the Poipu Beach Park so we could do some snorkelling.

We parked the Nitro right beside the outdoor change rooms and grabbed our gear and got changed. The beach was across the street and quite full because it was a hot sunny day. It was nice to get on to the warm sand and as we walked west on the beach we passed a group of people performing Baptisms! Maybe people come Piopu for religious ceremonies or there is a regular Baptism service here...it wouldn’t surprise me since even we came to the islands with my Gramma’s ashes to spread some of them in the sea here since this was here favorite place...well she loved Maui but my point is that I understand seeing 30 people in the green waters off the Kauai Channel getting Baptised...it was GR8!!!

We found a spot of sand, oiled up with some SPF 30 Salt Water Sunblock and I got my camera ready for some underwater filming. I had bought the Canon G7 and the Canon WP-DC11 WaterProof Case to allow me to film and take pictures underwater. When we went to Florida we only had those cheap disposable 35mm underwater cameras and we were disappointed with the results.

We got our flippers on and headed in to the sea, not sure what to expect, the area is very shallow and protected but with so many people we thought it would be barren with all the choral trampled and all the fish running scraed but no! There were all kinds of fish, mostly Lemon Butterfly Fish, but a few others as well dodging the flapping feet of the swimmers. After about 20 minutes the cool waters and current were getting the best of us and we crawled back on shore, dried off, enjoyed a bit of sun and then left. We drove back under the Eucalyptus Tree Tunnel towards the hotel, excited after our first trip in to the ocean...it always leaves us wanting more after we come out from snorkelling!!

The next day we decided to head North towards Hanalei as we wanted to do some canoeing on the Hanalei River which winds in to the Hanalei National Wildlife Reserve. It was a nice drive along the Kuhio Highway winding along the coast of the island, reminded me of The Sunshine Coast in British Columbia with the lush growing forests and winding roads often single lane. We got to the kayak and canoe rental off of Hanalei Bay and rented a canoe and paddled inland towards the bird sanctuary instead of heading North towards the bay which they said is better to visit only in a kayak which we didn’t want to do.

We took about two hours return-trip to go up the river and back which was a calm river which got interesting when we got further into the preserve and were in thick mangroves on the banks and could here natural springs but couldn’t see them through the mangrove shadows. More than half of the canoe-trip was parallel to the busy 560 Highway so it was rare wheen we paddled without seeing power lines or hearing the vehicles passing on the road. Despite that, the reflections of the palm trees around us and the flower petals drifting around our canoe and the birds nesting in the thick mangrove walls made it a worthwhile trip.

We continued West from Hanalei and past Wainiha Bay where there were cars parked along the narrow winding road at beach access points and surfers in the waves since it was fairly windy up on this North side of Kauai island. We stopped at the Maninihalo Dry Cave; a mouth-like opening in a huge towering rock face where we could go inside! It was quite freaky to see so much rock overhead and everyone is so small as they enter the huge wide opening into the cave!

In the caves it was dark and spooky with only the sunlight from behind us to illuminate the floor and distant walls. There was liquid oozing from the ceiling overhead and as you get deep inside the cave and turn around I felt like a little mouse looking out through a hole in the wall! We took a few pictures and then went back to the beach parking lot; there was an avocado tree right beside our car! How cool! We could have made homemade guacamole if we had the time but the day was wearing on and we wanted to get to the Napali Coast State Park which was only two miles from the cave!

It was so exciting to arrive at the parking of the Na Pali Coast Park! We got our hiking boots on, grabbed our backpacks and hiking poles and headed towards the trail-head. As we stood at the brown wooden trail map we couldn’t really believe the people who were venturing on to the rugged trail without being properly prepared! There were people wearing flip-flops, untied running shoes and we even saw one guy with bare feet! There were ladies in un-sensible shoes and without any water bottles!

We couldn’t believe our eyes and as we started up the initial climb of the trail, which was knotted with roots and uneven stones we couldn’t understand how people could even contemplate hiking the Napali Coast Trail without understanding what was involved! We saw one poor fellow lying on the rocks at the side of the trail with a group of hikers and he had slipped and broken his leg or ankle because he had a bone sticking out of his leg and he was wearing sandals! Uh Oh! Hotdog! They were waiting for a helicopter rescue. We were saddened to think that the resources of the search and rescue teams would be wasted on a hiker who wasn’t prepared.

With our hiking boots and poles we were like Hawaiian Mountain Goats leaping and charging up and down the trail. The trail was totally spectacular with the green turquoise ocean to the North and whitecaps and endless horizon while we headed up into the coastal mountains....it was so exciting. Every turn off the trail opened up a new panorama, the mountains receding into the distance, huge flowing trees shaped like sculptures with the coastal winds, red rocks and formations on both sides! We didn’t have time to do more than a two hour return walk, we didn’t get to see Hanakaa Falls or pass through the Kalalau Valley, but that was fine...it was dry at first but as we got further down the trail there were some muddy spots so we were happy to turn back. The views were unforgettable and when we got back to the beach we felt as if we had been to see a most incredible magic show and had a hypnotic glow in our hearts!

On the way back to Kapaa we stopped at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge but it was closed for the day so we just took a look at the Kilauea Point Lighthouse. There is an awesome lookout where you cn see this bright white lighthouse perched on the craggily cliffs and thousands of birds are swarming overhead and the wind is enough to make Steve McGarrets hair move!

In the distance, there were humpback whales...well...that’s what the sign said although we don’t think we saw any...there were too many whitecaps to be able to tell if it was a whale coming up for air or just a big Hawaii-Five-0 sized wave!

On the way home we had to detour because a car had flipped on the road and the police had closed off the road. It looked like two vehicles involved in a mash-up and they looked like rentals. The roads are fairly good on the island but there are many turns and curves and if you’re not a local and used to the road it could be dangerous...we tried to always stay within the speed limits!

We picked up a nice piece of fish at the market and we bought some cajun spice from the girl behind the counter who said it was a traditional cooking spice for such fish so we gave it a try. The hotel room filled with an acrid cajun smoke as we cooked the fish and we were both coughing and had to dash out on to the Lanai for fresh air! It was funny! So we had our fish and then some cookies and ice cream and after the day we were just exhausted and so we climbed in to bed early and drifted off to dreamland with the distant crowing of roosters reminding us of the sounds of paradise!

The next day we decided to hit the hot tub first thing because DD was homesick, probably thinking about our cat Pauline being home alone! The hot tub was nice once we finally figured out how it worked; there were already people in the hotel courtyard reading and sunning themselves! Ahhhhh nice way to start the day with tea and magazines under a thatched roof!

We drove to town to buy a Ukelele but the music store in Kapaa wasn’t very nice and we weren’t exactly welcomed warmly...I guess we looked like tourists...DD had been looking forward to buying a real Ukelele on the vacation but in the end we just bought a couple of wooden flutes, which, by the way, ended up cracking from the humidity or lack of humidity when we got back to Canada.

We headed back to Poipu for some more snorkelling and then to see the Spouting Horn. The spouting horn is an interesting coastal formation where underwater tunnels allow sea water to be forced out of the shore so the appearance is like a whale exhaling water from a blowhole. The tides and waves were not very active when we were there so it was hard to capture the spray as it hung in the air.

We got back to the hotel for some burgers and beers and then went back to the Coconut Market for some last minute shopping. I got a very funky shirt, a long sleeved blue shirt with a funky turtle design on it! My new favorite shirt! We started packing because tomorrow we flying to The Big Island and we are so excited!

Being in Kauai has been great but it is a small island and we sometimes felt that the tourists here were a bit of a burden on the locals...they growth and population seemed to be growing faster than the poor little island could handle and most of the expansion was due to the tourism trade.

We dropped off the Silver Nitro at the Dollar Rental stall and boarded our Hawaiian Airlines inter-island flight. Taking off we could see the coastline disappearing behind us and both were smiling because we are having a great time we both couldn’t help but feel a little sad to be leaving but at the same time we are looking forward to feeling the Aloha of The Big Island!!

Both DD and myself wrote diaries on our Hawaiian vacation and took a lot of pictures so you can find all of our favourite places and sights described in more detail here on the website. You can also use the site search to find hotel reviews or specifics on towns and places we visited or any topics of interest including any pictures you may want to see.

DAMI WRITES ABOUT OUR TRIP TO HAWAII:
Burlington Vermont - On The Road To Hawaii
Newark New Jersey - The Stepping Stone
Waikiki - A Day On Oahu
Honolulu Airport - Bound For Kauai
Kauai Arrival - From Heaven To Hell
Kauai Day 2 - Changing Hotels for Resort Quest and Seeking Poipu Beach

Pictures of Kauai
Kauai, The Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Kapa'a. All our favorite hikes and sights on Hawai'is oldest island.

Pictures of Oahu and Waikiki
Honolulu, Waikiki & the sights we saw on our short trip to Oahu.

Pictures of Hawai'i The Big Island
Volcano, Mauna Kea, Waimea, Kona, Hilo & the incredible Big Island of Hawai'i.

Unusual, odd and strange pictures from Hawaii
Strange and unusual pictures that need a special category. Fun stuff and the beauty of Hawai'i that is hard to define. The artsy side of our trip to Hawai'i!

Waimea Canyon: Dark Rum on The Lanai

2008-06-01T16:42:00.010-04:00

Had a good night sleep after DD’s awesome seafood and sticky rice supper and the room is very quiet and I woke up early after having some Montreal Cinema Rialto dreams of the Marquis de Sade and his powdered poisons from the Cocoa roots and I hear lamentations and protests and old ghosts from my past and their smoky damned DuMaurier dragons. Crazy dreams even for a Tropical Island! Must have been the rum-induced atmosphere that increased the depth of my sleep that manifested such visions. Anyway the Kauai roosters were crowing this morning again and I switched on the Hula Girl bedside lamp and saw that the colourful feathered cretins had woken me up at the at the most Un-Aloha hour of 7:30!

Goodness gracious Pele! Well the sun was beaming and we could see the waves crashing on the beach from over top of the pool. Our lanai was awesome with sculpted railings and below us like our miniature Hawaiian kingdom the tourists strolled with their coffees or beach towels.

I made a stove top coffee....it’s so great to have the stove top...it’s one of those flat panel jobs with no burners just little circles as to where the pots should be placed. Had some coffee and took the photos off my disc so there wouldn’t be a disc full message today as we want to go to the Waimea Canyon and do some hiking although the sky is a bit cloudy and it looks like it could rain. Rain in Kauai in January isn’t as bad as say rain back in Vancouver at this time of year! The views from the trails of the Waimea canyon are supposed to be incredible and getting ready for the hike is already filling me with excitement! Come on DD wake up! Can’t you hear the roosters calling you!?

Last night we met little Sassy! Sassy the Cat! We couldn’t believe our eyes and ears when we saw this little white mottled kitty-cat lounging on the wood floors of the lush, open lobby of the ResortQuest Islander on the Beach, Kapaa and when we asked the desk-attendant if it was the hotel cat she said yes and said her name was Sassy! Now this may not seem like a big deal but for us it was incredible because in the house we live in back in Knowlton, Quebec we have a neighbour cat called Sassy and the resemblance is startling! We thought that this was proof of magic and that wasn’t the rum-induced slurry talking either! The Sassy here has a tiny little voice...it barely meows...nothing like the Knowlton Sassy Pants who can be heard over the sound of lawn mowers!!

We finished a leisurely breakfast on the Lanai watching the birds in the palm trees and the sparkles off the waters. I made some turkey sausages lightly fried in golden buttah and we had over easy eggs and some orange juice with pineapple slices...mmmmm the pineapples have a cocount flavor in them....sourdough English muffins capped off the morning and we talked about wanting to maybe look at some sort of employment opportunity that would allow us to travel more and not be working 50 weeks out of the years.

Travelling is so great; you're always living in the moment and while it can often be overwhelming it was nice to sit back on the wicker backed chairs and dream about doing more travelling...but we have to get back to reality! Grab the boots and poles and knapsacks because the day is moving on now and we have to get ready for the hike in Wimea Canyon.

We drove from Kapa’a to the main Koke’e Park and Museum where the trail maps are handed out. It was very busy as the tourists came to get maps and find out the best trails throughout the Canyon which is knownas the Grand Canyon of the Pacific....well...I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon up close and personal so I’ll have to take Mark Twains word for it but the little 3D miniature map of the canyon made out of papier-mache was quite stunning. It was very cloudy and grey at this altitude so we weren’t sure what sort of view we would have from the overlooks and lookouts and as we looked at the large three dimensional map under the plexiglass which had the hiking trails marked with pins and stretched rubber we were quite excited. The trail maps were rather vague and compared to Florida or British Columbia. We asked the woman at the checkout, a rather thin and tall thin-lipped blonde woman who repeated my questions as if I had just asked the most stupid inquiry she had heard!

We were directed to a trail near the NASA station and first we were recommended to continue a few miles up towards the lookouts at the end of the trail and we got there and put on our rain gear and hiking boots and promptly ran up to the lookout and it was like we were crawling up into a big cloud...there was the railing and the foreground and then just empty greyness where the view should have been.

But once we drove down to the trails in to the Waimea Canyon we were not disappointed! OMG! Wow! That is like some sort of red boiled descent into the deep slices of a sweet cake! We drove the winding highway 562 up and saw the lost island in the distance as we stopped at the beach and the huge waves crashed on the black rocks.

So we drove this incredibly winding road up towards the canyon and the red earth hugged her arms around us and we wound and slithered up higher and higher from sea level up to 3500 feet within a few miles. There were some roadside vistas that we’re simply breathtaking! Hundreds if not thousands of feet dropping off from the road edge into nothingness!

The first section of the hike was a descent down a 4 by 4 road, even though we had the Dodge Nitro and could have driven the first mile or two to the trail head we decided to just walk. Even though it was cloudy and misty up at the overlooks it was a great temperature for hiking; not too hot! It was a nice walk with some mossy covered sheer walls but it was a road. It was only when we got off the main road and started on to Canyon Trail that it got interesting.

The soil is very red, like a rusting iron dark blood and we found the clay somewhat more slippery than we would find back home. The trail was well marked and even though it was marked as strenuous I didn’t find it too difficult...of course!

As with all of our hiking adventures we passed some folks who were a bit out of shape and seemed unprepared for the trail but our weeks on the cross trainer in the Gym back home paid off as I found the walk easy.

When we got to the vistas it was freaking mind blowing! The deep gorges were deep and lined with green mossy trees and it was beautiful. The red earth and seemingly volcanic boulders that lined the trail were incredible and we stood on steep edges that really made you feel alive because that feeling that if you took three steps then death was awaiting with a golden Laei. The steep cliffs were wild and we came to one part where there was logs built into the red earth overlooking the canyon and it looked like something direct out of the Video Game “Myst”!

There were some sections down towards the waterfall where DD felt a bit uncomfortable but there was a couple packing up after a picnic, or a sweet love interlude by the small waterfall. I followed a trail down towards the big waterfall and came to a trail area where DD didn’t feel comfortable coming down even with the walking poles. I came to a small ledge where I could just see the waterfalls and certainly hear them but it was sheer drop into the gorge and that was heart pounding! I went on another little leg off the main trail and DD didn’t want to follow as the round red rocks were a bit too steep for her.

It was an eerie sight to be on that precipice and wanting to go further bu the element of danger was there beckoning...I crawled up to another point and DD started getting panicked and froze in one spot not wanting to move, calling my name and just looking uncomfortable even though I was standing in an area where there was a big rock with carved graffiti saying “Bon Jovi We Love You” so it couldn’t have been that dangerous if it had been accessible by a knife wielding Bon Jovi fan!!

We climbed back up to the main trail as it is only near the gorge that it is really exciting the rest is like a walk in the park but it was nice to get some exercise. We passed a few people who were just entering the trail and it was already after 3pm and I found it odd that anyone would start down a 2 mile trail at that hour...there was one man, not sure how old but was greying beard with a khaki hat and orange earplugs and rather thin with a young, maybe 8 year old Asian looking boy...they were sitting on the edge of some tree branches and as I approached I smiled and said “Oh are you waiting for the bus?” because they we’re sitting down right? Ya you get it! The youngster had a wooden walking stick and DD commented to him that it was a very nice walking stick and the young boy asked DD as she passed why she had two poles? Unfortunately DD didn’t hear the young guy and continued up the trail but I saw his face as he asked the question and he looked a little sad that he didn’t get an answer...for a young boy DD must have looked like a real adventure person with her big red boots and knapsack and poles...he probably thought she was a Hawaiian Goddess climbing up from the canyon!

We drove back down the hill on a wild winding road that headed back to the main road that circles the entire island anxious to see more of the Walmea canyon.
In the Nitro we drove the 520 route instead and stopped at the Kauai coffee plantation the largest or second largest coffee plantation in the USA. The wind was blowing hard and it was getting cool and it was almost closing time but they had these little eyepiece things that had different scenes of the islands...we sampled some coffee out of those large pump style coffee urns and checked out the gift shop...the price of the coffee we liked the best The Blue Mountain Bean was like 20 dollars for a pound so we passed.

We took some Maui sugar packs as a souvenir as this was about all we could afford, and just moved on down the road avoiding the little sideways sidecar drive that always gets me! Darn it all...then we got back and DD is doing some laundry I am having another beer, natch and typing on the laptop out on the Lanai listening to Chicago...it’s a lot of songs that DD had on her compilation albums and it’s so cool that they are playing it on the radio! It’s cool listening to the radio stations on Hawaii because they often seem to have a playlist that is from another planet!
Back on the Lanai having a Fire Rock pale ale listening to, you guessed it, the roosters crowing! Huh, doesn’t that rooster know that it is 6:15 in the evening? The torches are glowing over by the pool and The Sand Bar has a few patrons having some fruity girlie drinks...the wind must be from the North because it is blowing through the palm trees and it’s not exactly warm out...well that is relative. DD is having the last of the Kauia Kaboom...she is starting to talk funny so it must be working! There are people strolling up the walkway and the torch lights are starting to take prominence as the sunlight drops below and out of sight. Across the lawn I see the white shadowy furriness of Sassy The Cat, and we close the lanai door and head in for hotdogs and to watch a slide-show of the pictures we took at the canyon today!

Pictures of Kauai
Kauai, The Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Kapa'a. All our favorite hikes and sights on Hawai'is oldest island.

Pictures of Oahu and Waikiki
Honolulu, Waikiki & the sights we saw on our short trip to Oahu.

Pictures of Hawai'i The Big Island
Volcano, Mauna Kea, Waimea, Kona, Hilo & the incredible Big Island of Hawai'i.

Unusual, odd and strange pictures from Hawaii
Strange and unusual pictures that need a special category. Fun stuff and the beauty of Hawai'i that is hard to define. The artsy side of our trip to Hawai'i!

The Laundry Room Episode

2008-04-08T08:44:00.008-04:00

We had a nice relaxing breakfast on the lanai. Dami cooked some eggs with sausage. We also had cheese, strawberry jam and peanut butter. We had our orange juice with pineapple wedges on our glasses! The pineapple was so sweet and tasty!

We had breakfast with pigeons and doves and another kind of bird that looked like a plump sparrow. I can't believe the low price we're paying for this place. The regular price for this suite is 325$usd, three times the Plantation Hell Worst Western and we got it for 208$, the same number as the room!

Today we went for a hike at the Waimea Canyon. I was so glad I had my poles! It was a 4 miles hike with some easy, moderate and strenuous sections. WOW! That was amazing! The red dirt and the big rocks were awesome. I panicked at the end though because I'm afraid of heights and the Canyon is so gigantic. Near the falls, we were so close to the edge with nothing to stop you if you fall. It looked like some scene taken out of the Adventure PC game Myst.

Back at the hotel the evening was so cool and windy. Sassie, the resident cat was following some guests. She actually followed us to our room last night. She can't meow very well which is a good thing. We didn't want her meowing at the door all the time!

We had hot dogs, potato salad and a green salad for dinner. The radio was playing all my favorite hits, it was perfect!

I had some laundry to do and as I went to the laundry room, I noticed a dryer with the door open with a pair of sneakers by itself and another one with 47 minutes remaining on the machine... hmmm I thought, this is very strange. It looked like somebody had its clothes stollen but the shoes didn't fit so the theif left them there. I didn't want to leave my clothes unattended since I hadn't brought enough clothes and everything I had to wear was in that pile of lundry. I wasn't going to take any chances. I put my clothes in a washing machine and went back to the room quickly to get a beer with something to read and told Dami about the whole fishy thing. Just outside the laundry room there was a plastic white chair that I sat on. I took a sip of my beer and put the bottle on the ground next to the chair and watched the action that could have came out of a Hawaii Five-0 episode! There was a guy coming out of a white van, calling his cats out to feed them. Three black cats, about a few months old and very afraid. He bent down in a bush to my left, in front of me, calling the cats to feed them wet food that I could smell from where I was sitting. Did he think I couldn't see him? So he stayed there probably waiting for me to leave but there was no way I was going to. So he waited, and waited and then lost patience and got out of the bush, put the food someplace else and left the cats there and drove his white van out of the parking lot. One cat remained in the bush, to my left, while the second one was ahead of me behind the bar, and the other one to my right, under the stairs of the hotel suites. I was surrounded. This was a very weird experience. I was wondering if there were homeless people in Kauai. I think that guy was. The night was chilly and I was looking forward going back to the room and tell Dami about the whole thing.

DD

Burlington Vermont - Hitting The Road

2008-03-16T17:30:00.002-04:00

Leaving home is like a dream. There has been months of preparation and anticipation for the vacation and when the morning finally comes and it's time to leave we're literally vibrating with excitement. We kept wondering if we had forgotten anything...but as long as we have our passports and credit cards we should be fine!!

The Holiday Inn in Burlington Vermont was our first hotel as we travelled from Quebec to the Hawaiian Islands. We chose the Holiday Inn because they had a Park and Fly...there might be a Comfort Inn Park and Fly as well but we liked the location of the Holiday Inn right off the highway. It was an easy drive from Knowlton.

Day one of the holiday started after not enough sleep visiting with long lost half brother and family for the last two nights in a beery almost heady smokey-gray fog of anticipation of Hawaii and disillusion in the winter and time, the thief of moments... and as I stepped into the front yard with the Salsa Vibe packed and ready for our holiday to Hawaii and ready to take this moment and run into the distance where snow piled in white nylon drifts against the fence.

It was sad to leave our black cat Pauline this morning and we both woke up slightly under the fighting fog of a warm rainy grey morning and little Pauline, if a 16 year old cat can be considered little, was meow meowing all morning not making the state of my membrane any better.

We left around 10 in the morning after a sweet Continental Breakfast or as close as to it that we could muster with the bare fridge and slim toastries available for our morning crunch. As we drove south to Burlington the fog was rolling over the green hills as the snow has melted away in warm weather which had been above 10 degrees Celsius for the last few days.

Finally...even though it's January...we get some warm winds like a Chinook over the Rockies as we prepared for our holiday on the Hawaiian Islands. We drove into the sunshines of beautiful Vermont and had to stop for Tums for the Tummy because DD had stomach acid from the freshly squeezed OJ we drank at home...we had a bag of fresh oranges in the fridge and before we left we squeezed em' all!

Got to the Hotel in Burlington and checked into room 220...now normally checking in to room 220 wouldn't mean much but that hotel room had the same number as our street address in Knowlton, Quebec, Canada so we took that as a sign that this was meant to be...it was like The Secret...it was all happening for a reason!

Hmmm..after 5 minutes being in the room we realized that maybe there was no sign...no meaning...except that we were in a dump of a hotel! The noise and the smell created a cocktail of nausea as we rode the elevator up to the 2nd floor...if there had been more than five floors I swear I would have thrown myself out to the street below!

The room, the infamous room 220, is right beside the ice machine and it was just vibrating from that old Detroit Diesel freon contraption and the room is loud but now not so bad as right now DD and I are watching the weather channel and getting ready for a 7:30 supper which is destined to be some microwave tv dinners or something similar to a Hungry Man Meal but since we've been working out at the Gym it will likely be a low carb Panini!!

We went to the mall, whatever that mall in Burlington is called, and shopped for our suitcases. We had no suitcases and looked around in Granby and Montreal and online a bit but decided it would be easier to buy all our suitcases right in Burlington before we took the flight to Newark.

DD got some undies and I got some sneakers on special for only $11! I love doing this cross border shopping! We had a lovely romantic pre-holiday picnic and we had both had a Subway snack in the mall and you notice a lot of soldiers and military folks here...well not a lot...but more than back home in Knowlton.

After we spent more than an hour at JC Penny going through their luggage and opening and closing so many pieces and brans as if we had a Russian Doll complex we finally chose a Cobalt blue large suitcae for me and a smaller set for DD! As we went to pay there was a wonderful Indian teller at the JC Penny checkout who got us to sign up for a card to save 10% and then we went to the store for some microwave popcorn and those famous boil in the box dinners and now, as I sit on the bed at the Park n' Fry Holiday Inn waiting for the snacks to finish cooking and thingking about Johnny mentioning the Popcorn lungd, DD is having a shower and we’ll likely eat the boxed Space Food and then just take it easy and likely go to bed early.

I’d like to go down to the pool and take some test underwater shots with the camera but may not but maybe tomorrow. I bought a high end underwater lens for my Canon G7 to take underwater photos in Hawaii and was thinking of jumping into the pool to test it...but whew...we are so tired!

Anyway, I checked my emails on the new laptop as we drifted off into a carbohydrate-high due to our microwave din-dins and we’ll likely watch another episode of Hawaii 5-0, since before we left Canada we bought and watch a lot of, the full DVD series of Hawaii Five-O! Tonight, in the stinky noisy Holiday Inn, as we eat our frozen microwaveable dinners and then finish off with some peach pie! Now as we sit on the bed of the Holiday Inn in Burlington with the thick crepe draperies closed and billowing slightly over the grinding and noisy air-conditioner... it’s nine o clock and after watching the Hawaiian Plague visit McGarrett I may need to have at least a small piece of that Peach Pie!

We have to wake up early to catch the plane at 10 am to Newark and then on to Honolulu! There is nothing better than the first day of a holiday...the excitement is incredible!

DAMI

Newark New Jersey - The Stepping Stone

2008-03-15T21:32:00.002-04:00

Just settling down at the Newark airport looking through sunny tall windows out at the blue and golden globe tail fin of a Continental jet and the Empire State Building beyond the trains in the blue grey sky distant and a red white and blue flag tussling in the brisk wind. The flight was rough due to the high winds so no in flight coffee service as the poor stewardess in her plump black sweetness wouldn’t have been able to make it down the aisles as we were jumping up and down on the flight. We flew from Burlington Vermont as we could catch a non-stop flight to Hawaii instead of stopping in Chicago or LA.

It was an early morning leaving the hotel in Burlington with the alarm sounding at 5:50 AM and then the wake up call recording and I was az bit sleepy after the melatonin and the large supper we ate. Still the room was noisy and too hot even with DD trying to turn down the thermostat it never really got cool enough so both of us tossed and turned a lot and the ice machine grinding and so when we went downstairs in the stinking elevator we called this place the Park & Fry because of the heat...oh well...there was no continental breakfast included which sucked so instead of staying there we took the shuttle to the Airport with the Sheriff and had a breakfast at the One Flight Up I had sunny siders with English muffs and DD had some poached eggs as we watched the radar dish rotating in the distance.

There wasn’t much passenger traffic at the Vermont airport, which is what we wanted, but some guy with a beard who looked somewhat like, pardon any inference of political incorrectness, a cross between a Hippie and a strict Muslim, who first sat down with his older Hippie chick but suddenly didn’t want a table near anyone else so they moved to the “closed” dining room and a minute later the waitress kindly asked them to sit where everyone else was sitting.

He got all upset...huffing and grumpin’ on about the “Population Density” being too high in the restaurant. “Population Density”?....ummm...ok dude this is Burlington, Vermont at 8 am so just chill out and maybe grab a coffee and don’t freak out at the airport!

We finished breakfast and made our way through security to the boarding area. Of course Mr. Population Density has to be on our flight! D’oh!

The flight was rough but at least now it’s sunny and DD had her head on my lap the whole 60 minute flight because of her tummy was not appreciating the bumps. The turbulence was aweful and being in the small Continental charter was like some sort of carnival ride! DD was turning paler as we bumped and swayed over the snowy New Jersey landscape below us but she’s having a ginger ale now and feeling slowly better. You Can Do It!

DAMI