TravelStream™ news feed for member wanderlust3 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/wanderlust3 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:31:03 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/2/1213399140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/2/1213399140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/2/1213399140/tpod.html Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:31:03 -0400 Fast and Furious: China in 21 Days!

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Beijing, China

Beijing - May 5/08
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/2/1209952200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/2/1209952200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/2/1209952200/tpod.html Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:41:37 -0400 Fast and Furious: China in 21 Days!

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Beijing, China

Beijing - May 4/08

After an exhausting 18-hour flight, we finally arrived in Beijing in mid afternoon. This was my first trip to Beijing, and I was excited about the prospect of spending the next four days in the capital of People's Republic of China, and the home of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games! The Beijing International Airport was impressive at first sight - ultra modern, sleek, and humming with efficiency. However, our initial impression of efficiency quickly disappeared when we waited for 30 mins to board an express train to the luggage claim area!

At the arrival gate, we were greeted by three young people who looked like they should have belonged to a 80's punk band, and claimed to know us. Like jet lagged zombies, we blindly followed these people and managed to squeeze ourselves and our many luggages into their two tiny cars. When we arrived at our hotel (the DaysInn Forbidden City), we were greeted by my uncle's friend. She explained to us that these 80's punk rockers were actually friends of her daughter, Chu Jie.

Our hotel was situated within walking distance to the Forbidden City, and the commercial areas of Beijing. The hotel staff spoke limited English, but was helpful and courteous.

My uncle friend took us to dinner at this restaurant on Wangfujing Street where we were introduced to Beijingese cuisine. The Peking duck was delicious! After a few beers, we were ready for bed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185396720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185396720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185396720/tpod.html Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:58:34 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Charlottetown (Jul 25) - Morning
Loaded up on coffee, Mike and I went across the street to check out the Farmers' Market (it is located just across the UPEI campus). Every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Farmers' Market is opened for business. The 40 vendors who set up shop here will sell you anything from coffee to handmade pottery. The specialties here are locally grown organic produces (e.g. strawberries, beets, onions, potatoes) and certified organic prepared food. Surprisingly, you can also find deliciously prepared international food here (e.g. Indian, African). I had this amazing chicken samosa that was prepared on the spot, and served piping hot! It was the best samosa I ever had!

As mentioned yesterday, the food in P.E.I is exceptionally high quality. Like the Dutch, people in P.E.I seem to pay particular attention to food quality, especially the freshness of ingredients, and quality of preparation. When in P.E.I, I would recommend trying their locally grown strawberries, new potatoes in whatever form you like, fries made from locally grown potatoes, homemade ice cream, and seafood of all sorts.

Charlottetown (Jul 25) - Afternoon
After our morning jaunt at the Farmers' Market, we headed to downtown. We parked down by Peake's Wharf, and spent a good deal of the afternoon browsing through shops and doing some sightseeing. Mike discovered the Island Beach Company where he purchased a couple of cargo pants and 3 cool t-shirts el cheapo. I found this shop called How Bazaar! that sells imported knick knacks from Australia, Asia, and Africa.This is the store where Mike and I purchased our diggiloos. We have plans to become the first brother and sister diggiloo duet of Asian decent.

After emptying our wallet at these stores, we stopped by the Province House, the birth place of Confederation. On our way there, we noticed these time travelers walking around the streets of downtown Charlottetown interacting with the locals and tourists alike. Later, we discovered that they were drama students who were desperate for summer jobs. Historically, the Province House is significant for the conference that took place here, which lead to the creation of the Articles of Confederation and subsequently, the creation of Canada in 1867. Ironically, PEI did not find the terms of union favorable and balked at joining in 1867, choosing to remain part of the nation of Great Britain and Ireland.

In 1873, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, anxious to thwart American expansionism and facing the distraction of the Pacific Scandal, negotiated for Prince Edward Island to join Canada. The Federal Government of Canada assumed the colony's railway debts and agreed to finance a buy-out of the last of the colony's absentee landlords to free the island of leasehold tenure and from any new migrants entering the island. Prince Edward Island entered Confederation on July 1, 1873.

The historic re-enactment (see pictures) in front of Province House depicts Sir John A. MacDonald, George Cole (the Premier of PEI), George-Etienne Cartier, the wife and daughter of George Cole discussing the politics surrounding the difficulty of the PEI's union with the rest of Canada. After Province House, we went to Confederation Centre Art Gallery where there is a exhibit of Charles Comfort's paintings from the early 1920's to the 1970's. His most powerful works were done during the Depression era and WWI when he worked as a war artist. There was also an exhibit of Yousuf Karsh's photography of industrial images.

Charlottetown (Jul 25) Evening
We went to MacKinnon's Restaurant located down at Peake's Wharf for dinner. Nice view of the harbour, and friendly waiter. I ordered the specialty of the restaurant, which is their fish and chips. I couldn't bear to rip the head off another lobster! This restaurant also has a good selection of locally brewed beer. So, I ordered one, and another....and shortly after that, I was attempting to play the diggiloo much to the dismay of other tourists within hearing distance! Xavier Rudd I am not!

Tomorrow, we are heading to Halifax (I love that city. I was offered a job at St. Mary's University once, but I had to turn it down). Again, I am not sure if I will have Internet access in the residence where we will be staying. In any event, I will try to find an Internet cafe. If not, then I will continue with my travel blogs once I get home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185570960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185570960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185570960/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:26:15 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

Peggy's Cove (Jul 27)

After checking out of St. Mary's University Residence, Mike and I decided to get out of the city, and head to someplace that is slower pace and cooler in temperature. The temperature was already scorchingly hot when we left Halifax at 9:30 a.m. for Peggy's Cove. The trip was supposed to take 45 mins to 1 hour; however, we made a wrong exit which added an extra hour. This was further exacerbated by construction/road closure and faulty directions given by gas station attendants.

The drive to Peggy's Cove was beautiful. We encountered small quaint fishing villages, and water front cottages communities along the way.

Interesting Facts about Peggy's Cove...
Located 43 km southwest of downtown Halifax, Peggy's Cove is one of the many small fishing villages located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula. In 1811, the Province of Nova Scotia issued a land grant of more than 800 acres to six families of German descent. The settlers relied on fishing as the mainstay of their economy but also farmed where the soil was fertile and used surrounding lands to raise cattle. In the early 1900s, the population peaked at about 300. Today, this number is a far fewer. Most of the residents only live here during the summer, but escape to town during the winter months. However, there are a few brave souls who stick it out here all year round. Apparently, Murray who owns Murray's Lobster Pound and lives in the brown house above the restaurant, lives here all year round. His son (our server) lives with his mother in town during the rest of the year.

From the beginning, the economy of Peggy's Cove was based primarily on fishery. After WW II, tourism became a secondary source of income for its inhabitants. Today, Peggy's Cove is primarily a tourist community, although its few surviving residents still fish for lobster, and maintain a rustic life style. It is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Nova Scotia and its prime attraction is the Peggys Point Lighthouse that is situated on an extensive granite outcrop.

The unusual rugged beauty of Peggy's Cove landscape is the result of a geological phenomenon that happened over a period of 400 million years. According to Wikipedia...

"In the Devonian Period, the plate tectonics movement of the earth's crust allowed molten material to bubble up from the earth's interior. This formed the rocks we see today and are part of the Great Nova Scotia batholith. The unique landscape of Peggys Cove and surrounding areas was subsequently carved by the migration of glaciers and the ocean tides. About 20,000 years ago, an ice ridge moved south from Canada's Arctic region covering much of North America. Along with the ebb and flow of the glaciers, the ice ridge eventually melted and shifted and in the process scooped away and scoured large sections of rock, vegetation, and topsoil. As melted land glaciers flowed back to the oceans the changing tidal flows and rising sea levels filled the scarred areas with water, forming coves and inlets. Large boulders composed of 415-million-year-old Devonian granite, called glacial erratics, were lifted by the ice and carried for long distances before being deposited upon the landscape as the ice receded, leaving rugged barrens. The movement of the glacial ice and rocks left scouring marks in the bedrock that can still be seen today."

(Okay kiddies, enough of the Geology lesson for today! I will re-assume my travel blog...)

The entrance of Peggy's Cove was framed by these interesting looking granite boulders that were carried by ice for a long distance and deposited here as the ice receded. Of course, this is the geological explanation; however, I have a theory that these boulders were left here by giants whose specie was killed off when they invented a game called rock throwing (yes, it is possible).

When you are in Peggy's Cove, you cannot help but go a little camera crazy. I must have taken over 100 pictures when I was there! After having taken my first 100 pictures of the Cove, Mike and I went to Murray's Lobster Pound for lunch. This restaurant is owned by Murray who has his whole family working for him. His wife at the cash, and his son (who is no more than 13 years old) serving customers. Items on the menu include lobster chowder, fresh lobsters ($20 for a 1 lb lobster), oysters, and lobster burgers. Mike and I had the lobster chowder, which was simply delicious! We had the best table overlooking the sea (the temperature was 31 degree Celsius, but it felt more like a comfortable 20 degree with the breeze and wind). This was where I sat for at least 2.5 hours drinking coffee/tea, enjoying the view, and reading. The book I am currently reading is Don DeLillo's Underworld. One of my favourite passages in the book is told by a character (a school high school teacher) who seems to find pleasure and comfort in simple things (such as the taste, texture, and smell of a tangerine he had earlier in the day, and its association to Tangier/Morocco) amidst a troubled marriage and a dying mother in the next room. The 2.5 hours spent at Murray's was about taking the time to enjoy the moment and the simple things in life (the sunshine, the beautiful view, the smell of the ocean, the breeze blowing through my hair, and the snippets of conversation overhead from other travelers).

Reluctantly I relinquished my favourite desk chair at Murray's, and ventured up to see the Peggy's Point Lighthouse. The barren landscape surrounding the Lighthouse was indeed rugged and beautiful, and some people would even say that it is sublime. Mike seems to really enjoyed climbing and exploring the rocks.

We left Peggy's Cove around 3:30, but not before we checked out the compost washroom facilities on the premise. We can sense the rising of the temperature the closer we approach Halifax!

Halifax (Jul 27): Evening
We checked into the Dalhousie Summer Residence around 5:00. It is certainly not as posh as the PEI accommodation; however, it has Internet access, parking close by, bigger rooms, and an accessible toilet and shower stall on each floor. The best part is the location, which is very central (1 block from Spring Garden and 3 blocks from the Harbour). After checking into the Dalhousie Residence, we ventured out for Chinese food as Mike was homesick for Mom's cooking. We accidentally stumbled upon (not climbed) the Great Wall Restaurant located on Bedford Street. The Great Wall was voted the best Chinese restaurant in Halifax by the city's entertainment weekly newspaper. The restaurant is owned by a Cantonese-speaking family whose members all work in the restaurant. This helps to make Mike felt "at home". Mike seems to like the food, but I didn't think it deserves the honour of having the best Chinese food in town.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185481740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185481740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185481740/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:24:09 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Charlottetown to Halifax (Jul 26)

While having breakfast at the UPEI's residence cafeteria, we run into Judy Ryan who used to work for Paul Menton Centre as the Administrative Assistant. She now works for Recruitment and Admission Services. Talk about six degree of separation! Judy and her son, Blake (and his girlfriend) are also embarking on a similar road trip. They also endured the 14 hour drive from Ottawa, and are planning to leave for Halifax today. Maybe, we will run into them again in Halifax!

Loaded up on breakfast and coffee, Mike and I re-assumed our road trip at 9:30. The destination is Halifax. While driving from Charlottetown to New Brunswick border, we stopped by the road side to purchase a bag of locally grown new potatoes. These potato stands along the highway are entirely self service, which is based on an honour system of payment. I bet some of the rural people in PEI don't even lock their doors!

Rural PEI is really pretty (in the pastoral sense). The landscape is dotted with white steeple churches, black and white dairy cows grazing in the fields, wild flowers, and rows and rows of potato crops.

Mike and I really enjoyed our 2-day stay in P.E.I. - great food and accommodation, and the people are friendly and thoughtful (especially about the needs of tourists). Most of all, we will missed our air-conditioned residence suite equipped with TV, Internet access, kitchen, and free parking!

Halifax (Jul 26)
We arrived in Halifax at 1:00 p.m. By the time we reached Halifax, the temperature had already reached a scorching 31 degree Celsius, this is not even factoring in the 75% humidity index! We have booked accommodation at St. Mary's University Residence, but they would not let us check in until 3:00 p.m. Furthermore, parking is where ever you can find space. Great!

Not wanting to sit around in a car and bake ourselves silly, we ventured downtown to find the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, which was not an easy task. Finding parking during the middle of the weekday in downtown Halifax is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Good luck! After circling around like a mad dog trying to chase it own tail, we finally forked out big bucks to pay for parking in a shopping mall parking garage.

After an hour or so, we finally arrived at the nicely air-conditioned Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. As the guy from the ING commercial would say "save your money", don't bother going to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia ($12 for regular admission and $15 for special exhibit). For lack of a better expression, their collections and exhibits suck! They have these donor collections given to them by rich people who had no idea of what constitutes good art. The best thing about the Gallery was the Cheapside Café, which does not look cheap at all.

We finally checked in at the SMU Residence at 6:00. The room they gave me is hardly accessible (very small and cramped). The shared toilet bathroom is barely accessible, and the shower/bathtub room is not accessible at all. They have grab bars for these bathrooms, but you can't get into them. Where is the logic? Furthermore, there is no Internet access, the rooms are hot, parking is where ever you can find it, and the campus is far from the downtown harbour area, which is where all the actions are. I don't recommend anyone staying here! Tomorrow, we are checking out of here, and checking into the Dalhousie Residence (bigger and cooler rooms, accessible shower stall and toilet on each floor, Internet access and parking at $4.00 per day, and about four blocks from the harbour front area). If you want to stay at some place el cheapo, this is probably the best option. However, I would recommend staying at one of the hotels near the harbour front if you can afford it.

Had dinner at this place called Trinity, a fusion of Asian/Moroccan/Maritime food. Friendly service, and reasonable prices. Our first choice was the Curry Village, which is located across the street from Trinity; however, it was not accessible. After dinner, we wandered down to the harbour front, and stopped by the Market for souvenir browsing, people watching and a yummy cup of chai café latte. Last stop for the night was at the Casino for some gambling.

Tomorrow, we are avoiding the heat, hassle, and chaos of downtown Halifax, and heading to the tranquility and breeze of Peggy's Cove.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185323700/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185323700/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185323700/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:20:47 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Jul 24, 2007 - Morning
After loading up on Tim Horton coffee, we loaded up the car and headed towards Charlottetown. We were glad to be leaving Fredericton. There was not much more to do or see. Furthermore, the weather was becoming dull and grey....

We took TransCanada Highway 2. The sun came out as we progressed further east. During this stretch of the trip, we encountered rugged landscape, and not a service station for miles!
We managed to get to the P.E.I border within 3 hours. The view while crossing the Confederation Bridge was spectacular!

Jul 24, 2007 - Afternoon & Evening
By 1:30 p.m., we were settled in our posh accommodation (double bedroom suite with kitchen, TV, air conditioned, Internet access, and private bathroom) at the Summer Residence Building of the University of P.E.I. I love this place!!

We decided to head out to Cavendish (40 mins away) to check out the Green Gables and Lucy Maud Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site. Suffice to say I was disappointed to find out that Avonlea did not exit, and that the sets and scenes shown on the TV show of the same name did not look like anything here! The National Parks and National Historic Sites of Canada has decided to use the popularity of Anne of Green Gables (the books, TV series, movie etc) to create this tourist trap, which consists of the Gift Shop, Barn, Granary, Woodshed, and the Green Gables House. The only building that is somewhat original is the Green Gables House, which was rebuilt (after the original burned down). Lucy Montgomery based the Green Gables on the real home/farm of David Jr. and Margaret MacNeil, who were cousins of her grandfather. While we were there, three bus loads of Chinese tourists (Cantonese and Mandarin speaking) were dropped off. Apparently, Chinese people love Anne of Green Gables, which is news to me! I don't even see that many Chinese people in one place when I am in Chinatown in Ottawa. As part of this tourist trap, there is also the homestead of Lucy Montgomery's grandparents where she lived half her life and wrote Anne of Green Gables. As you can see in my pictures, there is not much left of the original homestead.

After our Green Gables experience, we worked up quite the appetite, and decided nothing will do except a lobster dinner. We drove to North Rustico Harbour where there is a restaurant that can accommodate 500 people and boasts a 60 ft long salad bar! Before we chow down at the Fishermen' Wharf Lobster Restaurant, we checked out the small but quaint Harbour. Not surprisingly, the Chinese tourists followed us (all three bus loads)! For $29.95, you can get a 1 lb lobster dinner with clam chowder, all you can eat salad bar, dessert and coffee/tea. Being the lobster connoisseur (both at dismembering and eating), Mike had no problems mastering his dinner. I, on the other hand, was quite dismayed at the thought of having to dismember the poor lobster. So, I ended up posing funny pictures with my dinner, which Mike didn't find amusing (he takes lobster eating to be a serious art form) and other people around me found it strange! I think I ate enough to last me for the rest of the week (which is probably not much compared to other people around me who seem to take all-you-can-eat literally!!) I will have to hit the gym when I get back. The food is much better in P.E.I. This observation was confirmed by talking to a few other travellers who had similar bad food experience in New Brunswick.

Tomorrow, we are going to check out downtown Charlottetown, which should take about half of a day. I think I will sleep in, and check out the Farmers' Market across the street from UPEI. Until tomorrow then!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185667620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185667620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185667620/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:51:26 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia (Jul 28)
This is our last night in Halifax. Finding a restaurant has always a challenge for us. We usually started with an idea, but then changed our mind when we found something better. Tonight, we settled on a restaurant on Argle Street named after the street. On both sides of the street, you will find trendy restaurants (Greek/Mediterranean, Japanese, martini bar, fusion etc). I had a Mexican pizza, and several Coronas to complement my dinner (I may need to check into an AA when I get back!). At this same restaurant, we run into Judy Ryan and her party. They are also staying at one of the Dalhousie residences.

This is going to an early night for us. We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow (14.5 hours to be exact!)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185673740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185673740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185673740/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:31:24 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (Jul 29)

Our next stop is Lunenburg, which is just 15 km from Mahone Bay. Lunenburg (pop. of 2,800) is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay.

This town was founded in 1753 by Protestant German, Swiss, and French settlers who were recruited by the British to help stabilize their dominion. The original inhabitants of Lunenburg (mostly Germans from the southern Rhineland, Swiss and French protestants from Montbeliard) came during the same wave of immigration that produced the Pennsylvania Dutch. They were "Foreign Protestants" encouraged by the British to settle in the area. Many of the original families and descendants still inhabit and influence the development of the town today. Lunenburg was named after the King of Great Britain and Ireland, (George II), who was also the Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg. The influence of these settlers can be found in the architectural details of the churches, public buildings, and private homes.

During the 18th Century, Lunenburg was one of Nova Scotia's prominent fishing ports and shipbuilding centres. Today, the people of Lunenburg still continue the tradition and skills of shipbuilding and shipfitting of their ancestors. Lunenburg is the birthplace of the world famous schooner Bluenose and her daughter Bluenose II . Tourism is now Lunenburg's most important industry and many thousands visit the town each year. A number of restaurants, inns, hotels and shops exist to service the tourist trade including the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

In 1995, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Lunenburg as a world heritage site (Quebec City is the other city in North America that has received the same honour).



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185655560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185655560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185655560/tpod.html Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:06:10 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada

Mahone Bay (Jul 28)
At 9:00 a.m., we promptly departed for Mahone Bay, which is approximately a 1 hour drive from downtown Halifax along Highway 103. We arrived in Mahone Bay at 10:00, but the majority of the shops has not yet opened their door for business.

First, a little history lesson from Wikipedia before I begin my travel blog...

The town was first settled in 1754. by German, Swiss, and Montbéliardais settlers who founded the town and Township of Lunenburg in 1753. When the people of Mahone Bay first settled in this area, they felt the need to distinguished themselves by their religious denomination/affiliation. As the result, three churches were built (Anglican, Lutheran, and United) to reflect their difference of religious views.

Wooden boat building was the primary industry of Mahone Bay in the early years. Today, Mahone is primarily a tourist town. In order to appeal to tourists, Mahone is filled with upscale quaint shops and restaurants along Main Street. During the winter months, Mahone Bay becomes a ghost town.

We had bunch at this bristo style cafe called Gazebo Cafe. The fish cakes and egg breakfast was out of this world! The mushroom and cheese omelette was also exceptionally delicious!

I took a lot of pictures of the colourful shops along Main Street (see pics above).
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185102000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185102000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wanderlust3/roadtrip-2007/1185102000/tpod.html Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:14:49 -0400 Somei and her brother, Mike, will embark on an exciting and nerve racking roadtrip to the Maritime Provinces - New Brunswick, P.E.I, and Nova Scotia. Definitely a nail biting journey. Stay tuned!

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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Jul 22, 2007 - 7:00 a.m.
Equipped with luggages, food, water, and plenty of tunes, Mike and I set out on our 11 hour trek to Fredericton in a red sporty rental car. We knew the 11 hours could potentially be unpleasant; however, we were optimistic that we could make it there without running into any major problems since the weather was cooperating so beautifully. This is my first real long distance roadtrip in Canada (I was on a similar roadtrip in Europe when I first graduated from university, but that is another story.), so I didn't know what to expect. The first leg of the trip went smoothly. Mike was thrilled that we managed to get to Quebec City in 4 hours. However, this is where it went all wrong, and I blame MapQuest. We took a wrong exit, and almost ended up on Gaspe (the other side of the St. Lawrence). This mistake added four extra hours on our trek, and not to mention, inmeasurable stress and frustration! The traffic along Highway 138, the main street of St. Anne resort area, was painfully slow (5 miles per hour). Now, I know what it feels like to experience road rage!! St. Anne is the place to go if you want to take God with you to camping or going on a holiday with the family.

Jul 22, 2007 - 10:30 p.m.
We made it to Frederiction in one piece, and with 25% of our sanity intact. I lost the other 75% when driving through St. Anne! Our accommodation at the University of New Brunswick residence is very basic, but my room is accessible and has internet access (yes!). Had "gourmet" pizza at Bosten Pizza made by high school kids who didn't know how to cook but needed a job desparately. Given our exhausted state, we didn't care how bad it tasted. Off to bed, and let's hope for a better day tomorrow....
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