Montreal, I've only been here one afternoon but...

I think this is where all the good looking people live? Seriously, all the girls are tall, size 10's or less and wearing the most stunning clothes. It seriously made me feel out of place wearing my jeans, runners, partially stained what t-shirt (from lunch, don't ask) and backpack. Ok, I was carrying the backpack because I had checked into the hostel yet, otherwise it would have been my lively Katmandu over the shoulder number... Bit still.
Feeling a little out of my league right now.
Montreal as a city however is very nice. I understand now what people mean when they say its 'Quebec's older sister'. Its a bit more difficult to walk around, as everything is so far apart. I clocked up 16,000 steps just this afternoon between 12 and 5... And I spent some of that sitting in a funky little cafe (see pics) in the old town.
Tomorrow I'm off to the Jean Talon Markets. I'm super excited and plan to spend the morning there. After that ill continue my food self-guided walking tour of the city... Here's hoping for 20,000 steps tomorrow!
So far the hostel staff seem friendly. Roommates seem to be interesting. The one in my room today didn't even introduce herself.. Until I asked anyway. Since then we have been sitting in silence for over an hour.. I'm reading a lovely Linwood Barclay I picked up at the Quebec hostel so its not been terrible. Its surprising how introverted people in hostels can be when they know they're sharing a room.
Onwards and upwards my friends
Amanda

Ps. Leaving you with some cute Montreal pics from the cafe and the old town :)

Quebec City...

Hi all,
I've spent the last two and a bit days in Quebec City. Its been a really nice time to get back to normal after Cuba. The city is pretty amazing building wise and although my French isn't great I've been able to get along just fine (thank goodness).
I spent many an hour yesterday wondering around, with close to 14000 steps clocking up on my step counter. Not too shabby considering this city is quite hilly in some places!
I've managed to buy Kylie and I some awesome culinary delights... Hello white balsamic maple syrup pearls (I know right... What the?!?). Hopefully we can figure out how to use them.. Wacky dinner party anyone?
I've also managed to score tonight on my own in my four bed dorm room (unless I get some guests in the middle of the night). The kooky Japanese girl who I spent some time with left early this morning and the strange Canadian or American girl left, I guess, not long after. I say Canadian or American because I never got her name and she bearly said two words.. Apart from asking if I wanted to go to an Anthony Bourdain reviewed restaurant.. And while I was keen, my newly acquired Japanese friend couldn't afford it and I'd already agreed to dinner with her. Oh well, save the money for maple syrup pearls I say!
Apart from that I've spent a lazy day using as much free wifi as possible (I've watched heaps of TED podcasts and learnt some interesting things.. Which I oh so kindly shared with some of you as any good librarian is prone to do). I've also caught up on masterchef episodes 1 & 2.. Looks like an awesome season.. What can I say, I'm on holidays!
And, I've also pondered many a things today, such as is twice in two days too many times to go to a chocolate shop and order hot chocolate AND mini chocolates/cake? I decided on not and spent a second afternoon at Erico. Delicious!
Traveling on your own, and being a little over museums (not that I've seen any this trip lol!) means that I've walked some streets two or three times. It also got me to pondering how many times it was acceptable to walk past the same shop.. Here's hoping three isn't too many.
I'll leave you with a great building in Quebec City (your guess and Google's is as good as mine) and my delicious purchase from Erico yesterday.
A

Ps. Early start to Montreal tomorrow. Lucky I don't have roommates (yet anyway).

Cuba = Salsa + Rum

Well after almost ten days in Cuba I can officially say that the above title is Cuba in a nutshell.
My first few days here were spent getting used to the heat. Moving from a chilly 3 degrees and a bit of falling snow in Toronto, to a 30+ degree Habana really knocked me about! Organising a tour of modern Habana (my spelling is bad, but this is how its spelt in Cuba) was a good idea to get me out of the hotel. The tour took in some great sights and really gave a great overview of the city. Its run down and yet colourful with people everywhere. Its so hot though that the locals just mill about talking and drinking. Its an interesting city and country in general. The Cubans certainly don't do tourism great but that's part of its charm.

My group tour started on Sunday last week. Our guide Dady (pronounced Da-Di - not Daddy.. Although she got all sorts of names including DoDi?!?) and driver William were both very kind and lovely. Dady is a mum to cute Marcos and a beautiful person, always ready to have a bit of a dance. William, a quiet spoken dad, always helped the ladys off the bus. In fact most Cuban men are very gentlemanly.

Group make up (mostly for you Lara :p)
2 English (couple)
4 NZ (couples not related younger and older)
10 Aus.. 1 engaged couple, 5 single girls- incl me, 1 single male.

Of all the single girls I was the only one without a single supplement.. But because of that I got my own room the whole way! Sometimes that was great... Other times not so good lol.

Home stays in Cuba are a great way to meet the locals. My Spanish is limited and their English the same.. So for 4 of our 7 nights I did a lot of sign language and relied on Italian being very similar to Spanish. Its been amusing to say the least!

The food in Cuba is actually really nice. Seafood is plentiful and very good... And usually only $2-4 more expensive than chicken or pork... Meaning we ate lots of lobster and prawns for around $18 a dinner.

The sights have been interesting and while there isn't a whole lot to do in Cuba, its been just enough considering the heat and amount of drinking time our group has gotten in. A bottle of rum is about $5 here, so drinks are often 3/4 rum and the rest is mint or cola or lemon juice/coconut milk... For about $4-5 a cocktail. Its just crazy and sometimes they'll make the drink and then bring the rum bottle over and leave it on your table so you can continue to spike tour own drink?!?

Cuban music was great days 1,2 & 3.. After that its really all started to sound the same.

All in all, I've enjoyed Cuba, but once in my life is enough and I'm ready to head to Canada again.

Hope all is well at home.
More posts to come when I get more WiFi.
A x

Planes, Rain & more Planes

And so it starts again. A blog about the mishaps and happenings of my holiday. I've got to say this one has got off to a cracking start!
First off I had windy weather in Griffith and Sydney on Monday. This meant delays from Sydney and a decent amount of bouncing on poor old Rex. And truly.. I know everyone knows how much I love to fly.. Because I've told you all!.. It was bad.
Anyway.. Landed in Sydney to rain.. Rain.. And more rain.. All night.
This meant my flight to LAX was delayed... Which meant my connection to NYC was missed. Yep, two hours planned by the airline (not my poor travel agent skills) and it was there one minute and gone the next. So.. United Airlines put me on the next available flight 2.5hrs later.. Which was ok because I had 4.5hrs to spare in NYC to get my Toronto flight.
Right? Wrong!
That flight was delayed too.. Which meant that the time I thought I had between flights I actually didn't... Oh and then add in the fact that American airlines brought my flight forward 1.25hrs AND changed the airport it left from... All meaning that.... I spent the night at JFK in NYC.
Yep not my finest hour.. I'll admit I shed two lonely tears when American airlines told me I missed the last flight out and the next one wasn't until 9am the following day :( so there was nothing I could really do, it was 8:30pm, airport info was closing and only one terminal in the airport stayed open.. So I sat with the best of them and did that nodding off, jarring 'im not asleep' wake sleep thingy for quite a few hours and made it through to 5:00am. This was witching hour, when things start to open, so I managed to wheel my suitcase around like a mad looking, homeless woman who hadn't eaten or sleep in ages.. And showered in much much longer.
And that's my story folks.
I arrived in Toronto to miserable 13 degree weather, cloudy and some rain. To a 4 bed female dorm, with shower shared between four (and usually minor mould) to a room with a very chatty Chinese student who laughed (politely I think) when I told her it had been 2 days since I showered. Don't worry, I wore things in the shower for those of you grossed out... It was minor really, just in one corner. Rest is clean I swear!
My Japanese noddle soup has finally soothed my soul.. And all going well I will meet Megan who lives in Toronto tonight for dinner. Worse case I'm in bed by 7pm :p
Hope all is well there.. Mum, Dad seriously I'm fine.. Who hasn't slept in an airport before :)
Kylie.. Thanks for the white lies.
A :)
Xox