4 July - Reporting from Hong Kong.

Today I was reminded of my ancestry when I was out walking in Hong Kong - "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun".  Yes, I was walking up Nathan Road at noon in a temperature of 34C plus - it seemed to me a hell'uv lot more.  Eventually I got back to my room that overlooked a large swimming complex in Kowloon Park.  The locals don't  even go into the water at noon!

From my hotel room window the swimming pool in Kowloon Park

 Had a quick lunch and laid down for a rest.  The next I knew it was 4.00 pm.  Had a quick wash and back out to those hot streets, walked around for a bit looking for some place to buy some presents for my two granddaughters, and my kids and their spouses.  Eventually I found myself in a market being shunted about by cars, bicycles, and people pushing trolleys,  all trying negotiate the narrow piece of road that was left between the stalls.  Here I got a couple of T-shirts that showed a Hong Kong origin for my two grand children.  Remembering that my daughter had told me, via Skype, that the temperature back home had got down to -1C and she had turned on the under floor heating in my Villa I bought some woolen scarves for the grownups.  Can you imagine standing in the sun, with a street temperature in the mid 30s buying  woolen scarves for those at home?

Back to the hotel all hot and exhausted.  Passed the bronze statue of three Boy scouts and up a grand marble – maybe imitation – staircase and sat myself down in comfortable tub chair in the bar.  This is a good time to use my free drink voucher – it didn’t matter what it was as long as it was long and cool.   

After a long cool beer, I ordered a gin and guava juice, also very nice.  Here is where I start to get into a bit of trouble because I thought I could cope with a gin tonic before heading off to my room.  So I ordered one and the waitress said something about happy hour, but not having my hearing aids in I ignored it.  The G&T dully arrived, I grabbed a paper and caught up on some overseas news and finished my drink.  Just as I was to ask for my bill, another G&T arrived – happy hour two for one drinks.  So that’s what the waitress was so kindly trying to tell me.  I should have known because back in 1990 when staying at the Sheridan, four of us ordered exotic drinks while seated in a booth.  To our surprise, the waiter turned up with eight drinks— two for one happy hour— completely  covering the table with glasses, drinks of all colours, straws, and some of those little umbrellas.

Anyway, on the way to my room I booked in for dinner, headed up in the lift, had little rest, change my clothes and went down to dinner.

 

Now back in my room I am looking at the large public swimming pool, it is 7.30 and getting dark, the lights are coming on, and the swimming pool has swimmers.  It seems that  in the morning and at night when the temperature has dropped a couple of degrees people her go swimming.

Had my dinner and then headed up to the Temple Street night market.  Much superior, for us blokes, to the Ladies Market I visited last night.  Just a short walk from the hotel, but the heat made it seem further.  The market has  wallets, belts, torches, umbrellas, clothes, battery operated toys, bags, tools especially those transformer type that give a whole work shop in one belt pouch, and many, many more interesting items.  Shopping is easy once you can calculate prices back into your home country prices.  For me it was $NZ1 to $HK6.4 so at first everything appeared expensive.

Walking through the Temple Street Market.

 While, in the market I took some photos and learnt taking your camera from an air condition room and then taking it out of its camera bag in the hot humid everything fogs up.

Finally after a couple of hours I get back to my room knowing that all the drinks I had dad early are now well and truly sweated out.  Shoes off and a bottle of cold water beside me the end has come to my first day in Hong Kong.

The Archive at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Woke next morning and after all those early morning rituals like showering, dressing and eating I eventual arrived at Hotel desk.  Asked if they could phone for a taxi—30 seconds one was at the door.  A coincidence I think.

During the trip to the University Library, we had quite a conversation about Australia and New Zealand.  The driver at first was not sure where to go but then realized that he often took a gentleman called Brett Riggs the library.  Another coincidence as this was just the person I was to meet.  The driver said “Say hullo to Brett from Mac.”  He took off his hat and said “Bald Mac”.  

During this trip, I learnt that it had been raining for the last six weeks.  So later I was to be grateful when during the noon to 2 pm closure of the archive that it was dry enough to walk around outside for a while.

I went up to the front desk in the library and asked to see Brett Riggs.  “Up on the next floor” the nice man behind the counter told me.  Funny I thought, last year I had to go down to the basement.  Seeing that I was a bit puzzled he came around the counter and led me up the stairs and across the room full of bookcases to Brett’s desk.

Yes, I was right, late last year the Archives moved up two floors from the basement and what a difference it has made.  A light and airy area with windows and views and as the lady sitting at the desk in the reading said, “Now we know what the weather is outside before they leave our desks.”

During this my second time in the Victor Campbell  Archive I managed to fill in more details which will help make my writing more accurate—the facts not necessarily the grammar!  For example, in the first hour I located a hand drawn map of the Browning Pass, Boomerang Glacier area where Campbell had marked the positions of their campsites during the period 11-20 January 1912.  The pencil drawn map was on the last page of one of his small sledging notebooks.  Why I missed it last year I don’t know.

The Library, from the roadside is a stepped structure of six or so stories.  The stepped area is devoted to light and airy study places for the students.  While the more conventional side houses the library’s information desks, computers (lots and lots of computers) for searches, general administration, and stack rooms.

Another interesting feature is the housing for the Student Facilities.  These are in a building on the side of the 4-lane road that splits the campus in half.  A large bridging structure spanning the highway houses the student dining room and food outlets. First you decide on what you would like to eat, go to the appropriate food outlet, and then either sit at conventional seating or like me go to bar like table set against the windows and spanning the full  width of the road.  Climb onto a ‘bar stool’ and eat you lunch while watch the traffic speed along the traffic lanes and passing directly under your seat.  Very much like the restaurants spanning the motorways in Northern Italy, except here they speak and understand English!

14 June - Return to Port Dalhousie.

To make a long story short, yesterday I made a trip to Port Dalhousie early in the morning.  Walked around a bit and found most of the shops closed.  I could not find any Information Centre, so down to the beach and found a good park for picnicking.  Thinking this was all of Port Dalhousie, and wasn't setup for a picnic, I headed back to town. 

Knowing the first three of the four Welland canals went through Dalhousie I did a Google search on ‘Dalhousie canal’.  The results of which sent me back there today.

Firstly, I went across the beachfront park to where the first canal started and found an information board telling about its history.  Nothing remains, above ground at least, but I took a photo of where the canal was.  

  On my way across got an interesting shot of a squirrel, on the lakes edge, inspecting a coke can.

Then I walked back towards town and found the first lock of the second canal.  I had walked passed it twice yesterday.  Why I didn’t see it, I don’t know.  It was in plain sight if you were not distracted by the yachts in the marina.  The first photo shows the end of the marina and the entrance to the old lock.

The second photo shows the town side of the lock with the indentation to take the lock gate when opened.  The stonework seems to be in good condition and some of ironwork for the gate hinges are visible.  Above the lock and across the road is the pub where I had lunch.  If only it was open yesterday because sitting there, I would have had a direct view into the lock.

From here, I walked around to the remains of the first lock on the third canal.  Here again the stonework is complete with a lot of the ironwork.  However, this lock had the partial remains of one of the lock gates.

From this lock I headed across the road and joint the walk way and headed up river.  Crossing a long pedestrian bridge, I had my first glimpse of the entrance to the second lock of the third canal. 

 I continued on and although the side of the lock is fenced off with trees and wire net I managed to see the entrance stone work.

On my side of the trees, on beautifully mown lawn, was a series of bollards along the length of the lock.

Following the path and crossing the lawn I reached the other end of the lock. 

Moving in closer I could obtain photograph through the trees looking down the lock to the entrance stone work. 

Now turning around I could see where the canal  once continued —now a fine stretch of parkland and part of the walkway.

At this point, hot and tired, I retraced my steps back to Murphy’s Pup, beside the first lock of the second canal, for lunch.

13 June - Dinning in (at) Montana

Tonight after some shopping for a shirt and some skivvies I stopped off at Montana—not the state, but the Steak House next to my hotel.  Timber met me on entering, tree trunk beams in the ceiling, around the walls hold up the ceiling and heavy timber tables.  I opted for a booth in the bar and once again timber with high seats and table, but sensibly place foot rests.  The wooden tables, seats, and bar were thickly coated with varnish or whatever is the modern equivalent—smooth, shiny, and thick.

That’s enough of the décor.  First off, I asked for a long cold beer.  The waiter reeled off a whole list of beers available and I stopped him at the first one I didn’t recognize.  Now with a cool beer in front of me I had to negotiate the menu.  A large glossy document with lots of pictures glorious description on what was on offer.  I finally settled for rib-eye steak (in my mind a piece of fillet steak), baked potato, and southern baked beans.  A modest selection I thought.  So I also asked for a Californian Woodbridge Merlot in, the new menu option of, a large glass.  In a surprisingly short time, it all arrived. 

Was I wrong—my modest selection ended up being large steak, a HUGE baked potato with all the trimming, a reasonable size dish of baked beans, and a large dollop of onions flour dipped and expertly fried.  With this, they supplied a sharp steak knife.  Oh!  I thought they don’t trust the steak to be tender.  Once again, I was wrong.  The steak was perfect and the knife was useful in cutting through the sinew or whatever you call it—those tough bits between the muscle.  This of course was not problem with the cooking but rather the construction of the donor animal.

Every item on the plate was delicious and not wanting to upset the cook, I ate everything on my plate, just as my mother taught me.  Now with a empty plate in front of me there was nothing else to do than have a black coffee  and ponder the bill.  The meal was expensive buy my standards as I don’t often eat out at home.  However analyzing the bill, I saw that half the cost was in what I drank and that part those nasty tax people seem want.  It occurred to me that for about every eight of us who dine out we are paying for one tax person to have a good meal.  Is this charity?  If so, could we claim it on our tax returns as a charitable donation?

After finishing my coffee, I walked back to my hotel and decided to write this blog.

Sorry Jessie and Emma no pictures.  I will go out tomorrow and take some.

12 June Niagara -on-the –Lake and four Wineries.

Up early, showered, organize a taxi, and then on my way to NOTL.  The taxi fare is set at $30 for the 20k journey.  Arrived just after nine, not many people about, walked around a bit until I came to the Prince of Wales Hotel.  Here I had breakfast of fruit, smoked salmon, cheese, grapefruit Juice, and coffee—very much different to breakfast at Perkins.  

The Prince of Wales hotel where I had breakfast nad afternoon tea.

 Once fueled I walked up and down Queen Street looking and  photographing  the restored old buildings, gardens, trees, and hanging flower baskets. 

Gardens and trees in the main street.

  Then I went down some stairs to the Information Centre to inquire about winery tours.  I was directed to a shop just across the alley, paid my money and six minutes later the bus pulled up, and my tour started.

A few minutes out of town, we stopped Reif Estate where I met the other members of the tour, four Americans.  The driver had left them tasting, when the lady from the shop rang him, and popped into town to pick me up.  As they had finished their tasting, I was given a special one-on-one tasting session.

The wine tasting group and tasting instructor at one of the wineries

 Back in the bus, we moved down the road to the next winery tasting and so on for two more until the fourth and last winery.  Here we had a complete tour, including the vines, processing hall, fermenting vats, barrel maturing cellar, wine tasting, and the inevitable shop.

At each of the wineries, we could pick three or four wines to taste from a list of whites, reds, and ice wines.  Along with the tasting, we had good clear explanations of each wine and useful advice.

I was surprised with the amount and variety of Ice Wines.  Until one nice gentleman explained that at the end of the season, they can let snow accumulate on the grapes and pick them at minus four degrees.  They don’t have to cheat by freezing the grapes after picking—in fact, they said that is a big NO NO.

Gary, another interesting piece info that came across the ‘bar’ from a couple of winery people  was that they, like us, always put their reds in the fridge for about an hour before drinking.  
 Other  facts picked up on the tour were:

• Native Canadian root stock used with European varieties grafted;
• Micro climate is governed by Lake Ontario on one side and the Niagara escarpment on the other giving moderated summer and winter conditions;
• Ice wine does mature with age and the deepening of colour is normal;
• They use corks, not a screw top in sight at the wineries I visited,  but we were told how to identify a corked wine.

Back in Niagara -on-the –Lake I walked down to the rotunda at the mouth of the Niagara River, as I wanted to see Fort Niagara on the USA side of the river.  Sure enough there it was, so close.  No wonder there was so much fighting here during the war of 1812.  As some would say so close they could spit at each other.

Looking across the mouth of the Niagara River to For Niagara in the USA.

From here, I walked along the road close to the river looking for Fort George— the one belonging to the Canadians.  I found it, but discovered I had walked right down to the far end of it, so nothing for it but up the grassy slopes around the end and back to town.  A complete circumnavigation of the fort—not what I had intended.

Now in town back to the Prince of Wales Hotel all hot and tired where I decided to ask them to ring me a taxi and have afternoon tea.  As the taxi had to come from St Catharines the afternoon tea would fill in the time.  The afternoon tea was in the Hotel’s drawing room and consisted of your selection of tea accompanied by a tiered stand with  8 sandwiches, four or five very sweet tempting cakes or pastries, and a large scone with butter, jam, and cream.  The price considerably more than the taxi fare.  In case you are interested, I didn’t eat everything.

Back at the Hotel went down to Wrigley’s Field, the attached bar and restaurant ,and had a long cool beer before heading back to my room to write this.

So ends day 5.

If you are wondering, what happened to days 3 and 4 they are coming—I think.

Afternoon of 9 June arrive at St Catharines.

My hotel in St Catharines, the Days Inn.

After settling in at the hotel, I headed off to the Fairview Mall. I knew it was handy, as I had seen it on Google Earth while checking out the area before leaving home.  On the way, I had trouble crossing a main thoroughfare.  At the newly installed traffic lights, I pushed the button facing the way I wanted to cross.  However, after many light sequences and no pedestrian light I studied the button layouts and read the instructions.  Above each button was arrow pointing in the crossing direction.  Meaning the button I pressed that faced my crossing really controlled the crossing a right angles to it.  Logical but not intuitive I thought.   So after this delay I was off again only to be waylaid by an Office Supply Depot going out of business and selling everything at 80% discount—this I could not resist.  I didn't find anything so off again, but could not find the Mall so popped into a large Building Depot complex— Interesting. As I could not find any Mall I retraced my steps.

Back at the hotel I Googled the Fairview Mall.  Found were it was and that it was open to 9 pm.  So off again, across the intersection using the correct button, past the Office Depot and all those bargains, and about 200M and around the corner from the Building Depot was the back entrance to the Mall.  Now I could have a look for a small-wheeled suitcase to replace my carryon bag.  Found a couple of possible bags, but thought I leave purchase until later.

Back at the Hotel, I went down to Perkins for dinner.  Perkins is the restaurant and bakery attached to the hotel and as their advertising proclaims "BREAKFAST is just the start".  At Perkins, they have never heard of such a thing as small or average helpings—every meal is BIG, fried or from the bakery.

Perkins restaurant and bakery attached to hotel

So ends day 2. 

Arrive in Canada 8 June 2011

Arriving in Vancouver - No real hassle although several planes had landed so the queue at emigration was long.  It was well organized and although it zigzagged across the arrival hall many times it only took 20 minutes to pass through passport control.  All passport booths were open and the hall staff opened and close sections of the barriers ensuring even numbers of travellers were being directed to each booth.
My luggage appeared on the carousel quite quickly, and Air Canada transfer desk was well sign posted and had their own customs checks.  No hassles, straight through, dropped off my case and started my long walk, or it seemed long carrying my heavy cabin bag, to the domestic terminal.  Both terminals are in the same building connected by long corridors.  Part way along  you come to a security control.  Liquids into a bag, empty your pockets into a tray, put your carry on bag into the xray machine and then walk through that magic gateway hoping it doesn't beep.  This time silence ,so no arms out to be traced over by the 'magic' wand.  Then onto  an area to obtain a boarding pass, if you haven't one.  Here I asked if I was OK with my Airnewzealand  issued pass--It was.    "Your departure gate is number 40" she added as I continued on my way.
Eventually after more walking I arrived,and thankfully put my bag down.  I need a bag with wheels or forget about carrying so much.  Here I had about an hour to fill in, so grabbed something to eat and started my new book. New in the sense that I hadn't read it, but old  in that I had picked it up at our local book fair the previous week along with three other books especially for reading on my trip for $2 each.  Sorry, but  I intend a bit of litter bug dropping these  books along the way.  The first I have already left under my seat before disembarking  my Air New Zealand flight in Vancouver.
Four thirty, local time, I flew  out to Toronto arriving there at midnight again local time-- another 4 hours in the air .  Here the wait for my luggage was longer or perhaps I was tired after 22 hours travelling.  Grabbed a taxi to Carlingview a hotel close to the airport.  Although very close there was a minimum fare of $22, but it was after midnight and all I wanted to do was go to bed.

Fig 1 - My room at the Carlingview Airport Hotel

Had a good nights sleep and after a shower walked across the drive  to the Marriott Hotel for breakfast.  Back in my room I set up my computer, checked my Emails, and started this blog.

Fig 2 - my computer ready to start writing this blog.

Later  went outside, took some photos of the hotel, and while there snapped a few low flying g airplanes landing at the airport. 

Fig 3 - A low flying plane

The shuttle bus arrive at 12:50 and I left for St. Catharines just next door to Niagara on the Lake.
End of  my first 24 hours in Canada 2011.