Family reunion!

We got up around 7 and fed Jasper took showers then about 9 went downstairs to breakfast. Gita had prepared it and it was delicious. We had granola, corn flakes, fresh strawberries and currants. We also had coffee toast and Nutella. The currants were from her back yard. After having a leisurely breakfast on her back deck we packed up and got ready to meet Lyn’s family at the park for a picnic. We left at 11AM and headed towards the park on the way there we stopped at a local area that was primarily Filipino stores. They had several grocery stores and restaurants. Lyn referred to it as little Manila. It was fun seeing all of the goodies from her homeland. Next we went to the park to meet her family and have a picnic. When we got there every picnic area was filled and it looked like the whole Filipino community was there. We found our area and were greeted by Maribel and her family. They had come at 10 to reserve a spot. After awhile other family members came and the next thing you know we had a feast in front of us! We sent about three hours enjoying the company and also the great food. It was so nice for Lyn to be able to speak in her home dialect. Most of these family members she had not seen in over 10 years so they had a lot t catch up on. Thanks again for all of the food and fellowship! Around 3 we decided we better hit the road as we needed to be at our next Air BnB by 9PM and we had about 6 hours of driving to do. For the most part the driving was very easy and we zipped along at about 120 the entire time. The speed limit was 100 but everyone seemed to go about 120. Now for those of you who are wondering how in the world our fully loaded Prius can go 120 well that was really no problem as the 120 was in kilometers. We were actually going about 77 MPH. It did kind of surprise me from time to time to look down at the speedometer and see that we were going 120. It was actually kind of fun. Anyway as we approached the city traffic increased 10 fold and the closer we got to our destination the more it looked like our GPS was taking us to the wrong place. Finally we arrived in a neighborhood outside of Montreal in the middle of nowhere. It was kid of a tough situation because we were tired and now we were late and with no cell service we did not have an easy access to information. Finally we saw a McDonalds and hoped that maybe we could jump on the wifi there and figure this thing out. Now remember in Montreal they speak French so everything gets a little tricky. I went in and pointed to my phone for the wifi password and of course they gave it to me in French and I had no idea what to put in. Finally I handed them my phone. He entered it into my phone and Wa la we were connected to the Internet. After doing some research I finally found out that it was not the GPS at fault but the owner of the GPS was at fault. I had put in everything correctly except the word quest was supposed to be put in after the street name. Once I did that it said we were 30 minutes away. We followed the GPS again ad this time it looked at least like we were possibly headed in the right direction. Now we were tired and trying to find this little coffee shop with our room above it. I did not know what to expect since we were late and could not call our host on the phone. As luck would have it our host Benoit was sitting on our balcony waiting on us playing his guitar. We pulled up and he came down and helped us with our luggage and gave us the lay of the land. Wow did it feel good to find our home in Montreal. You can see the place we are staying here. https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/583162  It very basic but has everything we need. It is in the Mile End neighborhood which is a very artsy area and only 5k from Old Town. For the first time Jasper struggled a little bit as he had to get use to the sounds of the city which caused him to bark at first. But typical Jasper style he adapted and is sitting with me on the balcony as I write this. Tomorrow we will go explore old town and what ever else catches our eye.

Little Manila!

Family

Jasper making friends!

Feast

Fun times!

Wow!

Pretty ladies!

Jasper has it made!

Family!

Family!

Family!

Home sweet home Montreal!

Singapore Friends

The weather is so nice up here that you can sleep with the windows open at night which makes for some really good sleeping. We got up about 7 and took jasper out and got him breakfast. At about 8:30 our host Gita served us breakfast on her back deck and joined us for a little conversation. She had just gotten back from a week in Italy and said she was still suffering from a little bit of Jet lag. She really liked Jasper and while we were eating she also gave him a treat. She served us a yogurt and granola with strawberries on top. We also had some toast and jam and something like Nutella that came from Turkey. Very good. This was our first time trying the Air BnB thing and I will have to say we like it. Hopefully the one in Montreal will work the same way. After writing the blog and taking showers we headed out to run a few errands and then we were meeting Lyn's friend Nicole that she had not seen in 9 years. They both worked in Singapore together and were now finally going to get to see each other again. Nicole came to Toronto as a Care Giver and will most likely become a citizen of Canada. In fact there are over 140,000 Filipinos in the Toronto area. We arrived at her house at about 12:30 and wow what a feast. Everyone was busy cooking and preparing food. When Lyn first walked in I heard a scream and then found out that they had a surprise for her. Another one of Lyn's friends from Singapore had flown in from Hawaii and Lyn had no idea that she would be there. Marylou and Lyn had not seen each other in about 6 years. The house they were staying at had a great back yard and patio so we were able to take Jasper and just let him hang out in the yard with us. There was so much good food that it was hard to try everything but we did and it was all delicious! Just when we could not eat anymore the desserts were brought out. Yum Yum Yum! We had a great time hanging out and did not leave til about 8PM. Of course when we left we were sent away with enough food for at least two more meals. Hopefully they will be able to come visit us in the states next year. We would like to really thank Nicole and friends for all of the hospitality we truly enjoyed every minute.

We got home about 9:00 and could not even think about having dinner. We walked jasper for a few minutes caught up on Face book and emails went to bed abut 10PM. Tomorrow we meet some of Lyn's relatives at the park for some more food and fellowship. The weather looks like it will be dialed in for the event and then it is off to Montreal for the next part of the trip. 

Nicole and Lyn

Lyn, Marylou, and Bele

Friends

Lunch time!

Yum Yum!

Desserts

Friends

Jasper enjoying life as usual.

Fun times!

Toronto Bound

This was the morning that we would be heading to Toronto. We got up around 7. After packing up we had another great breakfast and headed out around 10. Thank you so much for the hospitality Terri, John and Dee! We had a great time and look forward to coming back! The drive to Toronto was only about two hours and was free of traffic until the very end. We decided to go to a local park and have lunch before we would check in to our next place. The weather had finally turned sunny and it was the perfect day for a picnic. We pulled into Earl Bales Park and found a great park with plenty of shade and picnic tables. We picked a table and brought all of stuff from the car and spent about two hours lounging about. Lyn and I noticed that there were also lots of Filipinos around as well. In fact we picnicked right next to a statue of Dr. Jose Rizal who is a national hero of the Philippines. After a relaxing lunch it was time to go to our room that we had booked. We were not camping because the campground was full and we actually needed to stay a little bit closer into town. For the first time we will be staying in an Air BnB. Several of our friends have used it and have had great success. The idea is that you rent a person's house, bedroom or maybe just a couch depending on your needs. We rented a bedroom. The cool part is you can see pictures beforehand and reviews about the host. Anyway if you are interested in trying it click on this link, It will allow us both to save $25 on a future rental.  www.airbnb.ca/c/bmiles88?s=8 We arrived at the house ad were greeted by Gita the owner. Here is a link to the house we are staying at if you are curious. https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/6139245  She was very nice and showed us around. We had our own bathroom a beautiful bedroom and access to the kitchen. And to top it off Jasper had a big back yard to run around in. We are planning to use this service again in Montreal. 

We took a quick power nap and then headed back out take a look around and get some laundry done. We found a laundry mat only a couple of miles away. We sat outside waiting for our clothes to finish and Jasper made friends with just about everybody that came by. While we waited we noticed a Korean restaurant about three doors down. It seemed very authentic and we decided to have dinner there. By now it had cooled off and Jasper was fine waiting for us in the car. We had fried dumplings, fried rice and some kind of noodles with beef. It was really good. After dinner we went back to the house caught up on email and called it a night. Tomorrow we will be meeting a friend of Lyn's that she worked with in Singapore! Not sure how this works but Lyn seems to know people everywhere we go. Lucky for me for sure! 

Poached egg breakfast.

Dee, Terri and John and their beautiful show dog!

Our morning view from Terri's house!

Relaxing at the park.

Lunch!

Contemplating the good life.

Living the good life!

Dr. Jose Rizal

Dinner!

The Falls

Well we woke up early as usual and I took Jasper outside and sat on the patio and just enjoyed the cool crisp air. Something that we have been in very short supply back at home. The yard that I was sitting in is actually part of the very place where the battle of Lewiston was fought in the War of 1812. The Americans came across the river and invaded but ultimately lost the battle. You can find out more about it here.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Queenston_Heights 

After getting ready for the day Lyn and I headed out to Niagara on The Lake. We wanted to see the shops and flowers and really check out the area. It was raining by the time we got there but we headed out anyway and really enjoyed going in the shops and checking out the flowers. After a few hours we headed back to the house and picked up John for a guided tour of the falls and the rest of the Niagara falls downtown area. By now we were already friends and it was great to have someone that knew the lay of the land with us. We decided to walk right through the heart of town. We referred to this area as the “cheesy” part of Niagara Falls, it had all the trappings of the usual beach scene with gift shops about every 20 yards and lots of rides and attractions. We were on the look out for a pair of sunglasses for Lyn and John and after trying them on in just about ever store we actually had some luck. We walked down to the falls again and got to see both falls from different angles. It is truly beautiful. If you get a chance to go it is definitely worth the trip. (By the way if you are wondering you could be there in about 12 hours if you drove straight from Greensboro. Then we headed back downtown and had some lunch.) Lyn and I had Fish tacos again yum yum. After that we walked around a little more and stopped in a new Mexican restaurant for a couple of beers. After talking to the waiter we learned that the actual owners were from Serbia and France. Interesting combination. Not sure how they ever came up with the idea.  Finally we drove back to the house and just hung out with everyone for a while. We instantly felt like we were staying with family and have been invited back in the future. After another great dinner we went back to the falls around 10 to see the Fireworks and to see the falls lit up. Jasper stayed home and slept on the couch. While John and I went to see the falls Terri and D went to the Casino. The fireworks were awesome and the colors that lit up the falls were beautiful. We tried to capture it with our cameras but it just did not do it justice. The fireworks are displayed every night and defiantly worth staying up for. When the show was over we headed back to the Casino and decided to get a coffee. While John and I got the coffee Lyn went to get a seat. When we turned around Lyn was surrounded by about 8 new Filipino friends. They were on vacation together and some were from Canada and a few from the states. As luck would have it one of them had just returned from the Philippines and had a big bag of  Sampalok with her that she shared with everyone. Mmm Mmm Good! (Sampalok is a fruit that is similar to a fig.) This was extra special because they all spoke Ilokano, Lyn’s home dialect. Well of course good fellowship was shared along with names and telephone numbers. What a small world.  We got home around midnight and had another great nights sleep. This was one of those days were we felt blessed from the beginning to the end. Tomorrow we plan to head out to Toronto and stay in our first Air BnB. Good times are around every corner. 

Niagara on the Lake.

Niagara on the Lake.

Shopping

The Falls

Dinner at Terri's house!

Out and about.

The Falls

New Friends.

John and Lyn.

Canada Eh?

So we had a great night sleeping on our new queen size inflatable bed. Much better than the piece of vinyl that we had last night. We got up around 6:30 and proceeded to fix breakfast break down our campsite and then head for the showers. It was around 10 AM before we left for Niagara Falls. I had been to the falls before but it was just a one day trip so I was looking forward to showing them to Lyn and getting a better feel for the entire area. We have a good friend Val that we know through working with the MS Society. As luck would have it she had a twin sister that lived right outside the falls area. Val told us to call her sister (Terri) as she would love for the three of us to stay at her house for a couple of nights. Yes she was not only a dog lover but had three dogs of her own. One that she actually showed in dog shows. She told us that we were welcome to stay with her for the two nights that we would be in the area. We had about a 6.5 hour drive ahead of us that would end with us crossing the Canadian border right before we got to Terri's house. Crossing borders always make me a little on edge. In the past we had to cross borders with Lyn's Filipino passport which always made things a little more stressful. This time she would be crossing with a US Passport which should make life just a little bit easier. This time I was actually worried about Jasper. We had heard people say that sometimes they just waved you across and other times they might give you a hard time and there was always the possibility that they would not let him in. Anyway to make a long story short we were asked a few questions and waved right on through. After that we just had anther 10 minutes to terri's house.

The house was located in a town right outside of the Niagara on the Lake area which is a super nice area. Her house actually backed up to the Niagara river and was only about 15 minutes from the falls. We pulled up to a beautiful house with a fantastic back yard area. Terri, her son John and a friend Dee live there. I am not really sure how to describe this place but it is awesome in every way. It was built in the 30's and has a very craftsman feel about it. Terri, John and Dee were very friendly and from the moment we stepped in the door we felt at home. Jasper went into super cute mode and won the hearts of everyone straight off the bat. We sat around and talked for a bit and then were treated to a gourmet dinner complete with blueberry pie for dessert. After dinner we  went up to the falls to see them first hand. They are beautiful and you can really feel the power of the water as it moves over the falls. After that we went to Niagara on the Lake and got a tour of places that we could go back and see on the next day. Then we went home to have some more great conversation and then went to bed around 10. The night was cool so we could sleep with the windows open and the fresh air felt great and made for a great sleeping night. Tomorrow we will tour the area and maybe go back to the falls at night and see the when they are lit up completely. Fun times for sure.

EH!

Backyard of our Terri's house.

Cable car ride.

Fantastic dinner!

At the Falls.

The Dutch Country

Well last night was interesting. We went to bed about 10 and about 30 minutes later a huge thunder storm rolled through. It dumped a lot of rain on us and really gave us a show. Somehow the thunder is much louder when you are in a tent. (Imagine that!) We felt like we were really out in the elements. Actually I guess we were. The tent did great and kept us safe from the rain and maybe we were just lucky with the lightning. About an hour after that we noticed that our air mattress had lost some air. Lyn had told me to check it out before we left on our trip but of course I said everything would be fine and now our mattress was obviously dying. Anyway about an hour later we were sleeping on the ground with just a piece of vinyl for a bed. When we finally got up Lyn gave me a look that had "I told you so" written all over it. We got up around 7 had breakfast grabbed a shower and headed out about 9. We decide to go to two local towns. "Bird in Hand" and "Intercourse" I have no idea where the second town got it's name and I did not dare ask. Anyway Lyn was determined to see some Amish people and also see their farms. It did not take long to see them riding around in their horse drawn buggies. We went to a few stores and sampled a lot of great foods. We also drove out in the country and checked out the farm land. It was beautiful! Large farm houses everywhere and huge fields of mainly corn. It was really neat to see them working the land and not using any modern technology to do it. I am really not sure of all the rules that they live by but obviously no cars or anything mechanical. We saw a lot of the kids riding scooters. Not just for fun, but as their main mode of transportation. It was a little like stepping back in time and waking up on the set of Little House on the Prairie. Anyway I admire them for sticking to this basic lifestyle but I think I will stick with my Townhouse no grass cutting lifestyle for sure.

After we toured around we went to visit a friend of mine that I used to work with back in my printing days. She lives in Litiz, PA which is right outside Lancaster. This town has a very cool vibe for sure. Patty was nice enough to invite us to lunch at her house and give us a sampling of some local foods that were delicious. We had not worked together in over 12 years but had kept in touch through facebook. It is really one of the most positive aspects of Facebook for sure. After lunch we left Jasper on her back porch and she took us to see a covered bridge and a local produce market. The bridge was very pretty and still being heavily used. We took some pictures and then headed back to her house. Thanks for the hospitality Patty! It was great to see you!

Next stop was Hershey. This is where the Hershey Chocolate is made. I wanted to take Lyn through the town and make a stop at the Hershey hotel. The town has Hershey kisses for street lights and has great street names like Cocoa Blvd. We left Jasper in the car with the AC on and toured the hotel and the gardens. It was very nice and we would both like to stay there one day. Anyway on our way out we ran into Mr. Reese's PB Cup himself and had our picture taken with him. We headed back to the campsite with a quick stop at Walmart to buy a new and improved bed. We also picked up some Shoo-fly pie which is a local favorite. Yummy! Lyn fixed another great dinner and as usual we were ready for bed around 10. This time sleeping on a fully inflated Queen size bed. Tomorrow we head out for Niagara Falls.

Amish

Family transportation

Scooter transportation.

Bird-In-Hand

Enough said!

Patty's deck!

Hershey

Hershey Hotel

Mr. Reese's PB Cup

Shoo-Fly Pie!

Dinner time!