Canada Trip (Blog)

[Savage]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

Canada Trip

[Armen]

I like when people inform about what they are doing as they do it.

On a separate note, that part about getting through customs was hilarious. I will probably show it to people.

[dan1529]

I'm sure you're going to get blitzed with additional suggestions for places and sights to see, but if you're going to have three weeks in Eastern Canada, I'd take the time to visit Ottawa for sure.

And if you're feeling ambitious, consider a drive over to see Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. PEI is just an easy two days' drive from Montreal, and you can even visit Central Maine on the way.

Enjoy the international travel Steve, you nut!

Dan

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[theorique]

I didn’t see why I should hide my nuts, so I checked a box on a form to declare them. As a result of that declaration, a security person directed me to a side room, where a very attractive blond woman proceeded to inquire about my nuts.

My inner 9 year old found the section about the nuts extremely funny.

[Brad Paul]

I have visited several cities in British Columbia and I loved it, but I don’t know anything about the eastern part. So it will be interesting to read your posts during your trip. Steve, do you have any plans to visit SiteSell while you’re there?

[Weena]

Very cool. I was surprised to learn Montreal comes from Mont Royal as real and royal are not the same words at all...so i searched and got some interesting links on old French. I only read half of the post as i now have to settle a little bub but will read the other half soon. It's enjoyable!

[tamzdance]

Steve, I have been to France a few times and managed to get by pretty well with high school-level french (I, too, was among the top graded french students in my school). I noticed that Parisian french sounds a bit different from Canadian french. I am moving to Mexico in about 6 months, so if you ever need an interesting fully-cultural experience, let me know. I'll be living in a small Otomi village in central Mexico. Can't get much more immersed than that!

[TumbleN]

Steve,

I have a feeling you would resonate with Benny and his style of language learning. He focuses much less on memorizing and much more on learning the bare minimum to actually get out and start speaking with people.

He also focuses a lot on adopting the right mentality to learn a new language.

About | Fluent in 3 months

-Nicky

[Brenden Cameron]

Heh, over a week ago I was flipping through a pamphlet for the London Fringe Festival when I happened to notice a show being put on by one Rachelle Fordyce... It didn't click that it was referring to 'that' Rachelle until Steve mentioned her show on his Twitter. My first thought: is Steve a part of the show too?!

I for one am up for a meet up. I'll be jumping between Toronto and London next week, so hopefully I'll be able to attend one or the other depending on the date.

[aelle]

The candid description of your trip is very cute! :P It's great to remember the fresh feelings of being a first time traveler and marveling at everything.

I would love love love a year of Steve Pavlina on the road. There is a huge travel bloggingg community out there, with members who run blogging businesses from the road as exclusive means to support themselves. Nomadic Matt (Nomadic Matt's Travel Site | Nomadic Matt's Travel Site), Chris Guillebeau (The Art of Non-Conformity), Craig and Linda from Indie Travel Podcast (The Indie Travel Podcast | travel information, travel info, online travel guides, travel magazine, audio travel guides and travel podcasts) may be among the most famous of them.
Then in each country there's also a big expat blogging scence (I'm one of them) that often has a different take on their host country than both travellers and locals.

Obviously I'm among the people who believe there is a huge potential for growth and exploration (not to mention fun!) through world travel. I'm really interested to see what you'll have to say on the topic with a little more internationalism under your belt.

[Weena]

Just read the rest of the article. It made me smile a lot (reminds me of learning to use English in everyday situations, or my husband trying his French when i have relatives coming over). Especially the crepe a la blueberry (myrtille) . And for the nuts: "les noix que j'avais apportees etaient delicieuses" (I'm sure Rachelle taught you that already).

For further travels, which countries are you attracted to? And would you only visit industrialised ones? (Thinking of internet connection...and humid weather if you want the laptop to survive...).

[SamDeen]

Hi Steve, it would be great to meet up. I recommend the old port if you haven't been there yet. There's a fair called the "Salon National de l'Environnement" you can check out and we could meet there in the dining area. (We have a stand at #126) But if you have already plan around the Biodome, that fine too as there's the Maisonneuve park or the botanical garden right beside which is also great for meet-ups. Also try to have a Bixi ride if you have time to cruise outdoor. By the way, have you tried Chu Chai restaurant? I know it's not raw but it's nothing less than awesome. Anyway, I hope i'll see the man who change my life. If not, no worries, i'll be at the CGW in august. Have a great trip! Sam 514-690-8343 smuldeen@gmail.com

[Kathe76]

An inner 9 year old?? Can I ask how one might go about obtaining one of those? Mine hangs out all the time on the outside and is pretty dominant in my daily life!! LOL!

[theorique]

Originally Posted by Kathe76

An inner 9 year old?? Can I ask how one might go about obtaining one of those? Mine hangs out all the time on the outside and is pretty dominant in my daily life!! LOL!

I generally present myself to the world as a mature grown up, but when I'm faced with something that could be interpreted in a juvenile way (and there's a lot of that in the world), the inner immature kid comes out and expresses himself...

[Head Geek]

If you'd like to arrange a meet-up in London, I'll be happy to attend. If the weather is nice, I'd suggest Victoria Park, which is just a little north of downtown. My wife says there's a Williams Coffee House next to it, if you'd prefer somewhere inside (which, depending on the weather, might be advisable).

[Elfwing]

Have you heard of the blog "Fluent in 3 months", Steve? It's a blog written by a man who immerses himself completely in languages he's barely familiar with.

(Also, the part about the nuts cracked me up, too.)

I, for one, long to travel a lot and learn foreign languages. This article's made me seriously consider getting out my French books and CDs again, now rather than later. I really, really hope you post more about your travels, it was a thrill to read this!

[Vert]

Hey Steve,

I'm not affiliated, but I thought you might enjoy knowing that Ontario's local rawfest, the Simply Raw Festival is on this weekend in Ottawa (a bit over 2 hours out of Montreal towards Toronto). It's non profit with free admission.

Festival 2010 - SimplyRaw

[ArthurHung]

A nice place for a Toronto meetup?

If you want a little change, try something new, you could hit up Pacific Mall (the largest Chinese/Asian mall in Canada, and the best Chinese vegan restaurant ever*) and across the street, I often like taking people to this place called "Destiny" for fresh fruit drinks/ special teas of all kinds, cold and hot.

It's not actually at the point on the mapquest link, but a bit North of that, you can't miss it, it's besides the Western Supermarket (No Frills, I believe... there's only 1).

How about doing some kind of experiment?** Man, if Steve Pavlina could connect to the dance crowd, that would be... can you just imagine Steve Pavlina in even like... a bboy baby freeze?

I mean, how cool would it be to see Steve do this while performing his next CGW speech (for the entire duration), raise your hands now

*It's actually at Market Village, at the far North West corner, stand-alone. Which is basically attached to Pacific mall. I've brought foreign friends to this vegan delight and they loved it, and they weren't even vegan.

**If you're interested in this specific experiment, I'll post more info, as it's definitely my passion. But if you have another, I'll see what I can do, I'm sure it'd be awesome. And it would also add value to the post about the trip

[nano]

It was great to hear your description of Montreal and your first experiences with Canada.

You have an analytical or matter of fact way of saying things. It makes me remember the first time I experienced them. Thanks for that.

Sadly for me you won't be passing through Hamilton. While in Toronto I would go to the CN Tower. That seems like a must.
Queen West or Kensington market are a short walk west and might be interesting. For some cool architecture check out the ROM and the OACD. These are all on any tourist map and easy walking distance from each other.

Enjoy your trip Steve.

Nathaniel.

[roxyruby]

what other countries do you plan to go to steve?

Oh yeah and in Australia, people don't tip at restaurants. (They can, usually in a jar on the main counter, but it's rare) Interesting hey! Maybe in Australia the meal prices cost more, so the waiters receive enough money from the way the business is built. But maybe in America the meal prices are so low or something it's become "expected" to tip the waiter as well?

[Weena]

Originally Posted by roxyruby

what other countries do you plan to go to steve?

Oh yeah and in Australia, people don't tip at restaurants. (They can, usually in a jar on the main counter, but it's rare) Interesting hey! Maybe in Australia the meal prices cost more, so the waiters receive enough money from the way the business is built. But maybe in America the meal prices are so low or something it's become "expected" to tip the waiter as well?

I confirm this. People in Australia get a fair go when it comes to earn a living. Ergo, no tipping. But when i see the way Americans talk to waiters i understand they need tips... (based on : Americans i heard in restaurants overseas + American friends i went to share a meal with) (obviously i believe/hope people on these forums are more humane when they address waiters).

[pc99]

What dates are you going to be in Toronto?

The weekend of June 26th is not only Gay Pride (where we generally get over a 1,000,000 visitors) but, this year Toronto is hosting the G20 Summit as well.

It’s going to be crazy here. Hope you get to experience it

[roxyruby]

Originally Posted by Weena

I confirm this. People in Australia get a fair go when it comes to earn a living. Ergo, no tipping. But when i see the way Americans talk to waiters i understand they need tips... (based on : Americans i heard in restaurants overseas + American friends i went to share a meal with) (obviously i believe/hope people on these forums are more humane when they address waiters).

What? they treat them as lesser citizens???

[Weena]

Originally Posted by roxyruby

What? they treat them as lesser citizens???

That's what i witnessed several times. I hope I don't start a polemic, I obviously can't generalise as i don't know each and every person in the US. The culture is simply different on lots of levels. Here people go "yeaaah, no worries" all day, they are just not very demanding (which makes it a good place to be , don't you agree? I don't know in Brissie but Melbourne and Hobart are incredibly laid back).

[roxyruby]

& steves Appearanceism made me cringe, treating/speaking about that person at customs as if they are more important than other people because of the way their appearance is, which all or most human beings largely can't help or change.

[Rachelle]

Dans le meantime, Rachelle pense que les nuts que j’avais brought elle sont tres tastement.

Oui Steve, tes noix sont très yummi et délicieux. Merci pour les amener à moi!

[Savage]

Originally Posted by roxyruby

& steves Appearanceism made me cringe, treating/speaking about that person at customs as if they are more important than other people because of the way their appearance is, which all or most human beings largely can't help or change.

Not my fault she was chaude.

[roxyruby]

Originally Posted by Weena

That's what i witnessed several times. I hope I don't start a polemic, I obviously can't generalise as i don't know each and every person in the US. The culture is simply different on lots of levels. Here people go "yeaaah, no worries" all day, they are just not very demanding (which makes it a good place to be , don't you agree? I don't know in Brissie but Melbourne and Hobart are incredibly laid back).

So you've been to U.S? How is the culture different from Aussie do you think?

That's very sad if many people there are negatively prejudiced on people because of their job waiter/waitress)

Here, the way I have seen, waiter/waitresses are treated with respect and as equals (which of-course they are!), often being told "the food was beautiful" and "thank you very much" etc at least that's what I try to do, and smile/be friendly towards them, but I try to do that to everyone. Like here I am enjoying their hard work and service, of course they deserve to be treated with respect and kindness for that.

[roxyruby]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Not my fault she was chaude.

That's like saying not my fault this person is white, that's why I treated them as more important than a black person.

I have been thinking lately that it would be more beneficial if people said "this look is attractive to me." instead of "this look is attractive" etc cause when that happens on mass with one particular look, that's basically creating beliefs/prejudices about the rest of the people that don't appear like that as physically unworthy/unimportant or even wholly unworthy/unimportant and it becomes really ingrained and accepted.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Not my fault she was chaude.

!!! When applied to a woman, chaude means horny or slutty... Not hot! Didn't they teach you that in high school?