The Ferry ride back was much funner then the Ferry ride there. We caught it at 6:30pm instead of 1:00am like the first time. There was live music and basically there was just things to do. It is like a mini cruise. We arrived in North Sydney at 12:30am, and then drove till we found a campground.
The campground we found was pretty average but all we needed was somewhere to sleep. The next morning we were woke up by rain. This day we had planned on driving the Cabot Trail, which was voted one of the most beautiful roads in North America. I'm sure it is, but we didn't get to see a lot of it. It rained all day long. The wind was blowing the fog was thick and it was just plain dangerous. I compared it to a roller coaster but better. When I ride roller coasters I don't get a rush, but driving on this road in these conditions was quite a rush. There were points on the trail where we knew we were at the edge of a cliff but we couldn't see 10 feet in front of us. The fog eventually cleared and the rain slowed down, so we were able to see some pretty nice scenery. The other thing on the road was construction. So it took us about 7 hours to travel 350km.
That night we stayed in Mulgrave. We stayed with my good friends parents. I haven't seen them in a few years and it was great seeing them again. When I was young I was at there house more then I was at my own house. They were my second parents for about 10 years.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
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Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
We went back to Baie Vert to do a couple of things that we didn't have time for the first time around. We had people to see and places to go. We visited more friends of Tara's and as always mine now too.
The place we had to go was Second Falls. Tara had been up Second Falls only once when she was younger and knew that I was going to love it. At the beginning of the Falls there are 3 pools with 3 separate falls. So this is actually only the first part of the Falls. So we hiked up the side of the Falls and then hiked up a river. The river isn't very deep so we got to jump from rock to rock the whole way up. I would say it is about 2kms to the top. When we got to the top I was blown away. It is such an amazingly beautiful place. I want to say that it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and as you know I have said that a lot. So what I have discovered is that everywhere is beautiful and everywhere has its own type of beauty and it is beautiful. I must say that I am so happy to get to experience such realizations.
After Baie Vert we went to Rocky Harbour, and Rocky Harbour is in Grosse Morne National Park. Rocky Harbour is also the town where my Step Mom was born and still has family there. I called her to ask what there is for us to do while we were there, she had a lot of ideas, but we only had time and energy for some of it. We went to Fjords, which were amazing and breathe taking. We went to a bar at the Ocean View Motel so I could get Screeched in. I got Screeched in but it was just me Tara, Ben (who has a website http://www.bensstudio.ca/ and 2 Bar tenders). Another cool thing about that night was that I ran into a guy that just happened to know a guy that was born and raised in Fort McMurray like me. So he told me his name and then we went over to his house. Yes he was my friend, my friend Mike. I haven't seen him in years, so it was cool getting to see him.
The next day we went driving around the park exploring the scenery, which was beautiful of course. That night we spent the night at my step mom's parents house. We had a great time, they are both great and I must say that I really liked her father, Arch. I liked her mom as well but Arch hit a heart string with me. We spent that night at a campground called Green Point.
The next day we had an appointment at the garage. We needed to get the front brakes replaced and a new front wheel bearing. The other stuff we have had to get fixed so far were the back breaks, some hose and the starter.
The starter had to be changed in Corner Brook. We went to Corner Brook that day. We went to a soccer game that Tara's little cousin was playing at. It was the last game of the season and we got to visit with her Aunt's. When we went back to the Jeep to drive back to our hotel we discovered that the Jeep did not want to start. This had happened when we were in Rocky Harbour, the only difference was that instead of it starting up again right away, we had to walk to the hotel. We were only a 20 minute walk from the hotel so it wasn't to bad. I had to go back the next morning to try and get it started. I have no real idea when it comes to mechanics so I had to called Tara's dad to direct me. His direction was perfect because I got it started. We then got it in a garage that fixed it for us right away, which was greatly appreciated. The scary part about this whole thing was that we had to catch the Ferry to get back to Nova Scotia.
We also had to return the Canoe that we carried all over NFLD. We only used it once which made taking it, pointless.
So we made it to the Ferry in time and left the Island. We were there for 23 days in total and loved every minute of it. We want to go back already, and we already miss all the great people that we met and got to see. I love Newfoundland. I recommend checking it out, it is Absolutely Gorgeous.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
The place we had to go was Second Falls. Tara had been up Second Falls only once when she was younger and knew that I was going to love it. At the beginning of the Falls there are 3 pools with 3 separate falls. So this is actually only the first part of the Falls. So we hiked up the side of the Falls and then hiked up a river. The river isn't very deep so we got to jump from rock to rock the whole way up. I would say it is about 2kms to the top. When we got to the top I was blown away. It is such an amazingly beautiful place. I want to say that it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, and as you know I have said that a lot. So what I have discovered is that everywhere is beautiful and everywhere has its own type of beauty and it is beautiful. I must say that I am so happy to get to experience such realizations.
After Baie Vert we went to Rocky Harbour, and Rocky Harbour is in Grosse Morne National Park. Rocky Harbour is also the town where my Step Mom was born and still has family there. I called her to ask what there is for us to do while we were there, she had a lot of ideas, but we only had time and energy for some of it. We went to Fjords, which were amazing and breathe taking. We went to a bar at the Ocean View Motel so I could get Screeched in. I got Screeched in but it was just me Tara, Ben (who has a website http://www.bensstudio.ca/ and 2 Bar tenders). Another cool thing about that night was that I ran into a guy that just happened to know a guy that was born and raised in Fort McMurray like me. So he told me his name and then we went over to his house. Yes he was my friend, my friend Mike. I haven't seen him in years, so it was cool getting to see him.
The next day we went driving around the park exploring the scenery, which was beautiful of course. That night we spent the night at my step mom's parents house. We had a great time, they are both great and I must say that I really liked her father, Arch. I liked her mom as well but Arch hit a heart string with me. We spent that night at a campground called Green Point.
The next day we had an appointment at the garage. We needed to get the front brakes replaced and a new front wheel bearing. The other stuff we have had to get fixed so far were the back breaks, some hose and the starter.
The starter had to be changed in Corner Brook. We went to Corner Brook that day. We went to a soccer game that Tara's little cousin was playing at. It was the last game of the season and we got to visit with her Aunt's. When we went back to the Jeep to drive back to our hotel we discovered that the Jeep did not want to start. This had happened when we were in Rocky Harbour, the only difference was that instead of it starting up again right away, we had to walk to the hotel. We were only a 20 minute walk from the hotel so it wasn't to bad. I had to go back the next morning to try and get it started. I have no real idea when it comes to mechanics so I had to called Tara's dad to direct me. His direction was perfect because I got it started. We then got it in a garage that fixed it for us right away, which was greatly appreciated. The scary part about this whole thing was that we had to catch the Ferry to get back to Nova Scotia.
We also had to return the Canoe that we carried all over NFLD. We only used it once which made taking it, pointless.
So we made it to the Ferry in time and left the Island. We were there for 23 days in total and loved every minute of it. We want to go back already, and we already miss all the great people that we met and got to see. I love Newfoundland. I recommend checking it out, it is Absolutely Gorgeous.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
Sunday, August 22, 2010
So after finally reaching as far east as we can go we have now started back west. Like I said before, we were on our way to visit Tara's Nan in Buchans. We stayed there for 3 nights and it was a good relaxing 3 nights.
It wasn't very eventful but we sure needed the rest and relaxation we got. The first night we just hung out, talked and went to bed early. The next day we went into Grandfalls for the day to do some shopping. Nan loves going into town so that's why we did it. Buchans is a small town and doesn't have a whole lot. In its hay day though it was quite the town. It was the first town in NFLD that had running water and flushing toilets. As I mentioned before Nan is 92, what I didn't mention is that she still lives on her own and is still completely independent. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how old we get we are still young. We tend to believe that time spent on earth means we are old, but in fact our souls never age, and you can see this in older people.
Anyways we went to the lake the next day. The lake is very nice, clean and it was quite warm. With all the relaxing I got in a bunch of training and me and Tara did some Chi Sao, which I have been wanting to do for a while. It was just a nice visit and we are going to miss Nan.
Also while we were there I got a job offer for Section Repair training in Africa. Section Repair is the job I did before I left Fort McMurray and it is Fixing the the biggest tires in the world all the way down to loader tires. I don't know all the details but I do know it sounds cool and it would be another place for us to experience.
Self Defence
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Realworld Self Defence
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It wasn't very eventful but we sure needed the rest and relaxation we got. The first night we just hung out, talked and went to bed early. The next day we went into Grandfalls for the day to do some shopping. Nan loves going into town so that's why we did it. Buchans is a small town and doesn't have a whole lot. In its hay day though it was quite the town. It was the first town in NFLD that had running water and flushing toilets. As I mentioned before Nan is 92, what I didn't mention is that she still lives on her own and is still completely independent. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how old we get we are still young. We tend to believe that time spent on earth means we are old, but in fact our souls never age, and you can see this in older people.
Anyways we went to the lake the next day. The lake is very nice, clean and it was quite warm. With all the relaxing I got in a bunch of training and me and Tara did some Chi Sao, which I have been wanting to do for a while. It was just a nice visit and we are going to miss Nan.
Also while we were there I got a job offer for Section Repair training in Africa. Section Repair is the job I did before I left Fort McMurray and it is Fixing the the biggest tires in the world all the way down to loader tires. I don't know all the details but I do know it sounds cool and it would be another place for us to experience.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing CHun Fellowship
Thursday, August 19, 2010
St. John's is a very cool place. I personally would rather live outside a small city but I sure would like to come back to St. John's for another vacation. We had a lot of fun and there was still a lot to be had.
We stayed with Tara's Uncle and Auntie the whole time we were there. We still haven't had to pay for a place to stay since we got here. The first night in St. John's we went out for a drive with Tara's cousin Chris. He took us all around the city and up to Signal Hill. After he dropped us off we went for a drive ourselves. We got very lost, probably because we were looking for 2 different places. Still St. John's is hard to get around. Every road twists turns and becomes either a Y or a peace sign, so you have no idea where the road starts or ends. Once we found our bearings we went to a 24 hour restaurant on Water Street. When you hear 24 hour you think crappy food, but this place was pretty awesome. It was a pub and a restaurant. The food was great and the place was really nice. Not sure why there aren't more places like this.
The second day we went down to Water Street to do a little shopping. We also went to a nice vegetarian restaurant. We sure appreciate it when we find vegetarian restaurants but we get over-whelmed because we usually don't have much to choose from. While we were there we met up with one of Tara's friends Donald. He's a nice guy, interesting to say the least. That night which was a Saturday we went to George Street. If you haven't heard of George Street check it out, because it is awesome. The street it self is not that big but it is full of bars. I would say there is about 40 bars on the street and they are on both sides of the street. Normally when you walk outside the bar the party ends but not on George Street, it is everywhere you turn. I have never been to a street like this one, it is very cool and I want to do it again. Other than the fact that the party is in and out side the bar all the bars are really fun as well and there is something for everyone. We didn't get home till 4am and we had to train the next day.
The next day we actually felt okay. We went to a beautiful place along the coast called Pouch Cove. Here we met our new friend Dave Pilgrim. We went to meet him because 1 our Sifu recommend him to us and 2 because he teaches JKD. We met up with him at noon and planned on having a 3 hour class. We went for a walk down to the East Coast Trail which is right in front of his house. We stopped on a bunch of big flat slanted rocks right beside the water. The rocks were probably about 100ft. above the water. It was the most beautiful place we have ever trained at. During the training session our attention kept getting pulled to all the whales that were coming out of the water, some within ear shot. The training itself was great and we learned some pretty cool stuff. After the training we all walked farther along the trail so we could find some blueberries. The blueberries weren't fully grown but we did get some. The better part of the walk was the beauty of trail. We saw more whales amazing coves and rock faces. We even made it to a rock beach down in a cove with really high rock cliffs on either side and a stream running through into the ocean. We sat on the beach for about an hour looking at rocks and enjoying the peace a beauty. After that we walked back to Dave's house and he showed us around. He has a sweet dog named Daisy, she is a cross between a Rottweiler and a Mastiff. Unfortunately Dave has to move from this beautiful home, the good news is that we get to see him again in Kitchener where he is going to be teaching out of the club that we are already training out of. Our 3 hour class turned into 7 hours of training and hanging out.
That night we went for dinner at Montana's. I mention where we ate because they always blow me away with their customer service. Every time that I have either complained or just simply had something not work out perfectly they always give us something for free or even pay for the whole meal. Our Antijitoes didn't come out before our meal so we got them to go for free. Just so you know I'm not getting payed for saying that. After that we went to the movie with Tara's cousin Chris. We went to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and it is awesome. It was so much more then I could have expected. I just need to say that the Dragon Ball Z movie that was made a couple of years ago absolutely sucks. I love DBZ but the movie was atrocious and I 100% believe that if the guys that made Scott Pilgrim remade the DBZ movie, it would be amazing.
The next day Tara's Uncle and Aunt's kids came over with there kids for a BBQ, Chris is one of them. It was a great time. After that we went to a festival with Auntie and Uncle called Festival of Friends. Basically its a bunch of people with live music and a beer tent. At the end of the night they have fireworks but we left before they went off. We went to Chris's for a little bit and then to Mount Pearl to visit more of Tara's family.
The next day we went with Chris and his family to Cape Spear. Cape Spear is the most Eastern place in all of North America. It was really awesome. It wasn't a sunny day it was actually very windy which I think made it even cooler. We walked along rocks just on the edge of a cliff and there were small waves hitting the rocks. It was pretty great being there and now we can say that we were there. I wanted to climb down a bit of it because it wasn't very steep but Tara forbid it. lol.
That was the last day we were there. Our trip to St. John's was very eventful and we wanted to stay longer. We enjoyed everyone we saw but I most liked meeting Chris. He is one of Tara's favorite cousin's and I can see why. She compared him to my cousin Logan, who is my favorite cousin and one of my best friends. Now were off to Buchans to visit with Tara's 92 year old Nan.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
We stayed with Tara's Uncle and Auntie the whole time we were there. We still haven't had to pay for a place to stay since we got here. The first night in St. John's we went out for a drive with Tara's cousin Chris. He took us all around the city and up to Signal Hill. After he dropped us off we went for a drive ourselves. We got very lost, probably because we were looking for 2 different places. Still St. John's is hard to get around. Every road twists turns and becomes either a Y or a peace sign, so you have no idea where the road starts or ends. Once we found our bearings we went to a 24 hour restaurant on Water Street. When you hear 24 hour you think crappy food, but this place was pretty awesome. It was a pub and a restaurant. The food was great and the place was really nice. Not sure why there aren't more places like this.
The second day we went down to Water Street to do a little shopping. We also went to a nice vegetarian restaurant. We sure appreciate it when we find vegetarian restaurants but we get over-whelmed because we usually don't have much to choose from. While we were there we met up with one of Tara's friends Donald. He's a nice guy, interesting to say the least. That night which was a Saturday we went to George Street. If you haven't heard of George Street check it out, because it is awesome. The street it self is not that big but it is full of bars. I would say there is about 40 bars on the street and they are on both sides of the street. Normally when you walk outside the bar the party ends but not on George Street, it is everywhere you turn. I have never been to a street like this one, it is very cool and I want to do it again. Other than the fact that the party is in and out side the bar all the bars are really fun as well and there is something for everyone. We didn't get home till 4am and we had to train the next day.
The next day we actually felt okay. We went to a beautiful place along the coast called Pouch Cove. Here we met our new friend Dave Pilgrim. We went to meet him because 1 our Sifu recommend him to us and 2 because he teaches JKD. We met up with him at noon and planned on having a 3 hour class. We went for a walk down to the East Coast Trail which is right in front of his house. We stopped on a bunch of big flat slanted rocks right beside the water. The rocks were probably about 100ft. above the water. It was the most beautiful place we have ever trained at. During the training session our attention kept getting pulled to all the whales that were coming out of the water, some within ear shot. The training itself was great and we learned some pretty cool stuff. After the training we all walked farther along the trail so we could find some blueberries. The blueberries weren't fully grown but we did get some. The better part of the walk was the beauty of trail. We saw more whales amazing coves and rock faces. We even made it to a rock beach down in a cove with really high rock cliffs on either side and a stream running through into the ocean. We sat on the beach for about an hour looking at rocks and enjoying the peace a beauty. After that we walked back to Dave's house and he showed us around. He has a sweet dog named Daisy, she is a cross between a Rottweiler and a Mastiff. Unfortunately Dave has to move from this beautiful home, the good news is that we get to see him again in Kitchener where he is going to be teaching out of the club that we are already training out of. Our 3 hour class turned into 7 hours of training and hanging out.
That night we went for dinner at Montana's. I mention where we ate because they always blow me away with their customer service. Every time that I have either complained or just simply had something not work out perfectly they always give us something for free or even pay for the whole meal. Our Antijitoes didn't come out before our meal so we got them to go for free. Just so you know I'm not getting payed for saying that. After that we went to the movie with Tara's cousin Chris. We went to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and it is awesome. It was so much more then I could have expected. I just need to say that the Dragon Ball Z movie that was made a couple of years ago absolutely sucks. I love DBZ but the movie was atrocious and I 100% believe that if the guys that made Scott Pilgrim remade the DBZ movie, it would be amazing.
The next day Tara's Uncle and Aunt's kids came over with there kids for a BBQ, Chris is one of them. It was a great time. After that we went to a festival with Auntie and Uncle called Festival of Friends. Basically its a bunch of people with live music and a beer tent. At the end of the night they have fireworks but we left before they went off. We went to Chris's for a little bit and then to Mount Pearl to visit more of Tara's family.
The next day we went with Chris and his family to Cape Spear. Cape Spear is the most Eastern place in all of North America. It was really awesome. It wasn't a sunny day it was actually very windy which I think made it even cooler. We walked along rocks just on the edge of a cliff and there were small waves hitting the rocks. It was pretty great being there and now we can say that we were there. I wanted to climb down a bit of it because it wasn't very steep but Tara forbid it. lol.
That was the last day we were there. Our trip to St. John's was very eventful and we wanted to stay longer. We enjoyed everyone we saw but I most liked meeting Chris. He is one of Tara's favorite cousin's and I can see why. She compared him to my cousin Logan, who is my favorite cousin and one of my best friends. Now were off to Buchans to visit with Tara's 92 year old Nan.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
Sunday, August 15, 2010
After St. Pierre we went to Bay Roberts to visit one of my best friends from Fort McMurray. Her name is Kerri and we have been friends since kindergarten.
We had a really good time there. First we went to her parents house where we spent the night. It is a nice place like most people homes in NFLD. Kerri took us on a little tour of the area and of course it is a nice place. After we went for dinner and then to a bar to get a little drunk. We met a few of her friends and they are all cool and fun. We want to go back and have another night with them but we have to much to do before we leave the island.
The next day we went for a drive up to Victoria to see Tara's Nan and Pops grave. It took sometime to find the right grave site and then when we found it, Tara noticed that of all the grave sites her Nan and Pops were one of a small few that didn't have flowers. So then we had to go on a search for flowers, and that took us about 1 hour. To get to Victoria we drove down a beautiful rode right along the water. We passed through a few towns, they were Harbour Grace, Spaniards Bay, and Carbonear.
Once we were done with the grave site we went to St. John's.
I just wanted to add, that when I started this blog I was in Pompton Lakes New Jersey. I can't remember if I mentioned this before. I was there for a week of training. I was training with Damian Ross my Sensei at his Dojo. It was really a great time. What he does there is the Self Defense stuff that I teach, since I learned it from him, Tekken Ryu Jujutsu which I have my green belt in and would love to get my black, if it is ever possible for me to get it. Also they practise Judo there which I also have my green belt in and would like my black some day. While I was there I told my Sensei about the travels we were about to embark on. So in hearing this he figured it would be a great idea for me to write a blog. He also figured that when we finish these two years of travel and training that it would be a good idea to turn this stuff into a book. That would be pretty cool I guess. Money coming in from sales would be nice for sure. Anyways just wanted to mention the training that I was doing there and that it was my Sensei's idea for me to write this blog.
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Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
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Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
We had a really good time there. First we went to her parents house where we spent the night. It is a nice place like most people homes in NFLD. Kerri took us on a little tour of the area and of course it is a nice place. After we went for dinner and then to a bar to get a little drunk. We met a few of her friends and they are all cool and fun. We want to go back and have another night with them but we have to much to do before we leave the island.
The next day we went for a drive up to Victoria to see Tara's Nan and Pops grave. It took sometime to find the right grave site and then when we found it, Tara noticed that of all the grave sites her Nan and Pops were one of a small few that didn't have flowers. So then we had to go on a search for flowers, and that took us about 1 hour. To get to Victoria we drove down a beautiful rode right along the water. We passed through a few towns, they were Harbour Grace, Spaniards Bay, and Carbonear.
Once we were done with the grave site we went to St. John's.
I just wanted to add, that when I started this blog I was in Pompton Lakes New Jersey. I can't remember if I mentioned this before. I was there for a week of training. I was training with Damian Ross my Sensei at his Dojo. It was really a great time. What he does there is the Self Defense stuff that I teach, since I learned it from him, Tekken Ryu Jujutsu which I have my green belt in and would love to get my black, if it is ever possible for me to get it. Also they practise Judo there which I also have my green belt in and would like my black some day. While I was there I told my Sensei about the travels we were about to embark on. So in hearing this he figured it would be a great idea for me to write a blog. He also figured that when we finish these two years of travel and training that it would be a good idea to turn this stuff into a book. That would be pretty cool I guess. Money coming in from sales would be nice for sure. Anyways just wanted to mention the training that I was doing there and that it was my Sensei's idea for me to write this blog.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
Friday, August 13, 2010
We were just at a small town called Baie Verte. It is on the northern part of Newfoundland, not the northern peninsula part though. Baie Verte is where Tara was born, so I finally got to see where my girl was born. We had a really great time there.
The first night we were there we stayed at friends of here parents. We partied till about 3am. It was my first NFLD kitchen party and it was good. There was only 6 of us but we drank and danced and laughed our asses off. At about midnight me and Tara went for a bike ride around the neighbourhood and we saw 2 people picking up the smallest frogs up off the road. So in NFLD I have now seen the both the biggest and the smallest frogs I have ever seen. The next day we were done drinking, it was like our 6th day in a row being drunk, plus the fact that we took the ferry over at 1am and slept sitting up. It was getting to be to much. Anyways we went exploring the town on our bikes and I got to see Tara's old house and all the places that brought back childhood memories. It is a lovely little town and of course everyone is super friendly. In NFLD both the land and the people are wonderful. We camped out at the campground called Flat water pond. We got a site that was right in the bush without any cut out. The next morning we went down to the boat launch and went for a canoe ride. We paddled out fine but when we turned to go back we discovered how frigging windy it was. We could barely keep the boat straight and we were even catching air. We made it back alright though. Then we went to the beach and there was no one there so we got to do some training. Training the sand is so much harder. It feels like everything you are doing is wrong and off balance. Once we were done that we went for a swim and then headed back into town.
After more exploring we went to Tara's long time friends house. When got there we discovered she had gone to play softball, so we went down and got to play as well. After the game Tara's friend Amanda took us on another tour of town. Since she still lives there we got to see parts that Tara didn't know were there. We hung out the rest of the night by the fire. I really enjoyed these people, they feel like they are my friends already. A really cool thing that I discovered is that Amanda has been reading our blog since close to the start. I don't know how far she read but it was so nice to know that someone is actually reading this and enjoying it. It sure made my day.
The next day we drove for about 7 or 8 hours to get to Fortune. It is a small town where you can take a ferry over to St. Pierre. Before I get into St. Pierre I have to mention a bit of the trip there. Of course everything that we see is beautiful on the island but I was amazed by one part on the Heritage highway. It might be just me but I thought it was spectacular. The best way I can describe it is it was rolling hills that could have been mountains, the hill were very rocky but it was covered in grass. There wasn't a lot of trees but just enough to decorated the hills. There were also lots of large ponds and small lakes scattered all over. To me it was amazing. I tried taking some pictures but the camera just doesn't do it justice.
When we got to Fortune we stayed in a B&B that was really nice. It was a 2 bedroom apartment that had everything. The bed so comfortable. I give so much description to this place because of how tired we are. I just wanted to stay there for a few days and chill. I actually almost told Tara and her parents to go to St. Pierre with out me. I didn't though. So went crossed over on the ferry. St. Pierre if you don't already know is small island that is actually owned by France. So the whole place is full a french speaking people, and the culture there is completely like that in France. There are only about 7 thousand people living there and it has been a part of France for well over 100 years. The place was pretty cool and now I can say I've been to France, but it has nothing on NFLD. If I went there straight from the main land then I probably would have appreciated it more. Plus I can't speak French even though I would like to be able to.
The trip is still going great, but I sure could use a couple days off.
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The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
The first night we were there we stayed at friends of here parents. We partied till about 3am. It was my first NFLD kitchen party and it was good. There was only 6 of us but we drank and danced and laughed our asses off. At about midnight me and Tara went for a bike ride around the neighbourhood and we saw 2 people picking up the smallest frogs up off the road. So in NFLD I have now seen the both the biggest and the smallest frogs I have ever seen. The next day we were done drinking, it was like our 6th day in a row being drunk, plus the fact that we took the ferry over at 1am and slept sitting up. It was getting to be to much. Anyways we went exploring the town on our bikes and I got to see Tara's old house and all the places that brought back childhood memories. It is a lovely little town and of course everyone is super friendly. In NFLD both the land and the people are wonderful. We camped out at the campground called Flat water pond. We got a site that was right in the bush without any cut out. The next morning we went down to the boat launch and went for a canoe ride. We paddled out fine but when we turned to go back we discovered how frigging windy it was. We could barely keep the boat straight and we were even catching air. We made it back alright though. Then we went to the beach and there was no one there so we got to do some training. Training the sand is so much harder. It feels like everything you are doing is wrong and off balance. Once we were done that we went for a swim and then headed back into town.
After more exploring we went to Tara's long time friends house. When got there we discovered she had gone to play softball, so we went down and got to play as well. After the game Tara's friend Amanda took us on another tour of town. Since she still lives there we got to see parts that Tara didn't know were there. We hung out the rest of the night by the fire. I really enjoyed these people, they feel like they are my friends already. A really cool thing that I discovered is that Amanda has been reading our blog since close to the start. I don't know how far she read but it was so nice to know that someone is actually reading this and enjoying it. It sure made my day.
The next day we drove for about 7 or 8 hours to get to Fortune. It is a small town where you can take a ferry over to St. Pierre. Before I get into St. Pierre I have to mention a bit of the trip there. Of course everything that we see is beautiful on the island but I was amazed by one part on the Heritage highway. It might be just me but I thought it was spectacular. The best way I can describe it is it was rolling hills that could have been mountains, the hill were very rocky but it was covered in grass. There wasn't a lot of trees but just enough to decorated the hills. There were also lots of large ponds and small lakes scattered all over. To me it was amazing. I tried taking some pictures but the camera just doesn't do it justice.
When we got to Fortune we stayed in a B&B that was really nice. It was a 2 bedroom apartment that had everything. The bed so comfortable. I give so much description to this place because of how tired we are. I just wanted to stay there for a few days and chill. I actually almost told Tara and her parents to go to St. Pierre with out me. I didn't though. So went crossed over on the ferry. St. Pierre if you don't already know is small island that is actually owned by France. So the whole place is full a french speaking people, and the culture there is completely like that in France. There are only about 7 thousand people living there and it has been a part of France for well over 100 years. The place was pretty cool and now I can say I've been to France, but it has nothing on NFLD. If I went there straight from the main land then I probably would have appreciated it more. Plus I can't speak French even though I would like to be able to.
The trip is still going great, but I sure could use a couple days off.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
Monday, August 9, 2010
After we got the canoe on the Jeep we started out towards The Hummber Valley. So far this would be where I would like to live. It is just past Corner Brook and there is a few small communities with great views all around. There are mountains, rivers and lakes. There is even a ski hill called Marble mountain. As far as I can tell there isn't anyone teaching Self Defence like I teach and there also isn't anyone teaching Wing Chun.
While we were there we stayed with Tara's Auntie, Uncle and Cousin. They are all great and a lot of fun. We stayed with them for 2 nights. The first night we drank and hung out. At around 12am I went out side searching for frogs. I found at least 50 of them and they were all about 3 to 4 inches long. So there were a couple that were the biggest I have ever seen. The next day Tara's Uncle took us out on his boat into the Bay of Islands. The river that is in front of their house goes right into it and this Bay goes right into the ocean. The boat was docked at Corner Brook and what an awesome boat it is. It is a Boston Whaler and it was originally a Coast Guard boat, so it was even stronger then a normal one. We were told that it can be full of water and it would still take another 2500 pounds to sink it. When were out there we jumped in the ocean. It was so nice and the water was around 650 feet deep. We ended up going out about 50km. We saw so much beautiful scenery, just spectacular as Tara's Uncle always says. We even saw whales jumping out of the water. We were on our way into a small cove when we hit a rock with one of the motors. It didn't seem like much until we tried starting it up again and only one would start. The fact that we were 50km out and running low on gas wasn't a good thing. We road until we got to calm waters and then Tara's uncle and dad started it by bypassing the starter using the cilenoid or something like that. While we were stopped though we were right by a rock face that had little water falls running down it. Since I know jack about mechanics I just looked at the scenery. We did ended up making it back ok and the gas gage was on empty. It made it a little more exciting. After that we went into town and Steve Tara's uncle showed us another spot with an amazing view, he is quite the tour guide. He even took us to a restaurant with a nice view. It's all about the views in that area, so beautiful.
Almost forgot to mention that the first night we were there Tara's uncle took us on a bit of a tour a bit north of his place. He took us to a golf course with an amazing view of the valley. It was really spectacular. When we were there we even saw a black fox, which none of us had ever seen before. The last night we were there we had a bbq and had a grand old time. Tara's cousin is 8 and she wanted to play a prank on me, so they set up a situation where I ended up getting my nails painted. What can I say they over powered me. Her cousin said it was the best day ever, so it was worth letting it happen. The last day we went back into Corner Brook to have lunch with Tara's auntie and little cousin, and also to check out an old train called the Newfie Bullet. On the way out there is a natural spring where we filled up our water bottles.
It was a great visit there, everything about that area makes me want to go back. All the people that we are meeting are just as great as the scenery. Newfoundland is a hidden treasure that can't be appreciated without seeing for yourself.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Win CHun Fellowship
While we were there we stayed with Tara's Auntie, Uncle and Cousin. They are all great and a lot of fun. We stayed with them for 2 nights. The first night we drank and hung out. At around 12am I went out side searching for frogs. I found at least 50 of them and they were all about 3 to 4 inches long. So there were a couple that were the biggest I have ever seen. The next day Tara's Uncle took us out on his boat into the Bay of Islands. The river that is in front of their house goes right into it and this Bay goes right into the ocean. The boat was docked at Corner Brook and what an awesome boat it is. It is a Boston Whaler and it was originally a Coast Guard boat, so it was even stronger then a normal one. We were told that it can be full of water and it would still take another 2500 pounds to sink it. When were out there we jumped in the ocean. It was so nice and the water was around 650 feet deep. We ended up going out about 50km. We saw so much beautiful scenery, just spectacular as Tara's Uncle always says. We even saw whales jumping out of the water. We were on our way into a small cove when we hit a rock with one of the motors. It didn't seem like much until we tried starting it up again and only one would start. The fact that we were 50km out and running low on gas wasn't a good thing. We road until we got to calm waters and then Tara's uncle and dad started it by bypassing the starter using the cilenoid or something like that. While we were stopped though we were right by a rock face that had little water falls running down it. Since I know jack about mechanics I just looked at the scenery. We did ended up making it back ok and the gas gage was on empty. It made it a little more exciting. After that we went into town and Steve Tara's uncle showed us another spot with an amazing view, he is quite the tour guide. He even took us to a restaurant with a nice view. It's all about the views in that area, so beautiful.
Almost forgot to mention that the first night we were there Tara's uncle took us on a bit of a tour a bit north of his place. He took us to a golf course with an amazing view of the valley. It was really spectacular. When we were there we even saw a black fox, which none of us had ever seen before. The last night we were there we had a bbq and had a grand old time. Tara's cousin is 8 and she wanted to play a prank on me, so they set up a situation where I ended up getting my nails painted. What can I say they over powered me. Her cousin said it was the best day ever, so it was worth letting it happen. The last day we went back into Corner Brook to have lunch with Tara's auntie and little cousin, and also to check out an old train called the Newfie Bullet. On the way out there is a natural spring where we filled up our water bottles.
It was a great visit there, everything about that area makes me want to go back. All the people that we are meeting are just as great as the scenery. Newfoundland is a hidden treasure that can't be appreciated without seeing for yourself.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Win CHun Fellowship
Friday, August 6, 2010
After leaving Halifax we headed up highway 107 then 7 along the south coast of Nova Scotia. It is so beautiful. Driving along roads like this are actually quite dangerous because you aren't spending too much time paying attention to the road. The road eventually headed north to Antigonish then east towards Cape Breton Island. We ended up staying at a hotel that was over priced because we got in so late. The hotel was over priced but we got a King sized bed that was really comfortable, which was needed. Sleeping has been hard because of all the different beds we have been sleeping in. Also our camping mattresses have small holes in them, so we have to blow them up at least twice a night. Another thing that prevents me from sleeping is that I can't seem to get cool enough to use the blankets which helps me sleep.
The next day we started our drive to Sydney but along the way we went through a few towns of course but stopped in one that was very pretty and smelled very nice called St. Peter's. We pulled into the campgrounds to go for a little bike ride. It was a shorter ride then expected but it was very nice. We were right by a small river that flows into the ocean, and we were looking out over a cliff. We also took some time to practice our Wing Chun. I practice everyday but it is nice when Tara joins in with me. We got into Sydney at around 2:00pm, so we went exploring. While exploring we discovered that there was a Bike festival and street performers down on the boardwalk. We didn't get to the bike show but we did see the street performers which was pretty good. Some better then others of course. The one that I didn't like was a guy that did an escape act. I didn't like it because he spent the whole time get people excited and cheering. He was doing this to get more people to come down and he was doing it to our energy. He kept saying give me your energy. Now this might sound normal but it is actually not a very nice thing to do. What this does is transfer our energy to him. Kind of like a vampire sucking out your energy. I noticed the effects with Tara. During the show she was happy and flowing with energy, which was an expression of her releasing her energy. After the show she was sad and unable to get excited about anything. She eventually got over it when she recharged her energy. I mention this so you can be careful when giving your energy away without knowing what you are doing.
That night we stayed at a campground in Big Bras d'Or. We asked for a water front campsite but instead we got to sleep in a boat that was tied to the dock. It was really cool. I have never slept in a boat before so it was a nice experience. We sat on the back dock watching jelly fish swim by, we read our books and then looked at the stars. Also just down the shore people set off some fireworks. It was actually quite impressive, they went on for well over 5 minutes. I never saw such a good firework show from normal people on the beach.
The next day we were going to get on the Ferry to head to Newfoundland at around 5pm. We then got a call telling us that the Ferry was delayed until 1am. So we had to sleep in recliners all night. This wasn't very comfortable but when we woke up it was early in the morning and it made the arrival into Port aux Basques that much nicer.
So we are now in Newfoundland and it is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. We have only seen a small section of it so far and we will be staying here for 2 weeks so we will see a lot more. So far we stayed at friends of Tara's family. They live on George's lake in a nice house, we stayed there for 2 nights and got to go on a boat ride. Before we left they offered us their canoe, of course we took it so we can go canoeing when ever we feel like. There is more for me to share but I will wait until later to share. The next part is awesome because we are seeing a lot and it is just so friggin beautiful. I want to live here.
This is a little off topic but I wanted to let you know that my Sifu has completed training videos for Level 1 of Wing Chun. People teach Wing Chun differently so you will be getting it the way we learn. Our Sifu is an amazing teacher so if you want to learn Wing Chun the right way get these videos. It is the Hong Kong version from the Yip Man, Moy Yat, Nelson Chan lineage. My Sifu is Chuck O'Neill.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
The next day we started our drive to Sydney but along the way we went through a few towns of course but stopped in one that was very pretty and smelled very nice called St. Peter's. We pulled into the campgrounds to go for a little bike ride. It was a shorter ride then expected but it was very nice. We were right by a small river that flows into the ocean, and we were looking out over a cliff. We also took some time to practice our Wing Chun. I practice everyday but it is nice when Tara joins in with me. We got into Sydney at around 2:00pm, so we went exploring. While exploring we discovered that there was a Bike festival and street performers down on the boardwalk. We didn't get to the bike show but we did see the street performers which was pretty good. Some better then others of course. The one that I didn't like was a guy that did an escape act. I didn't like it because he spent the whole time get people excited and cheering. He was doing this to get more people to come down and he was doing it to our energy. He kept saying give me your energy. Now this might sound normal but it is actually not a very nice thing to do. What this does is transfer our energy to him. Kind of like a vampire sucking out your energy. I noticed the effects with Tara. During the show she was happy and flowing with energy, which was an expression of her releasing her energy. After the show she was sad and unable to get excited about anything. She eventually got over it when she recharged her energy. I mention this so you can be careful when giving your energy away without knowing what you are doing.
That night we stayed at a campground in Big Bras d'Or. We asked for a water front campsite but instead we got to sleep in a boat that was tied to the dock. It was really cool. I have never slept in a boat before so it was a nice experience. We sat on the back dock watching jelly fish swim by, we read our books and then looked at the stars. Also just down the shore people set off some fireworks. It was actually quite impressive, they went on for well over 5 minutes. I never saw such a good firework show from normal people on the beach.
The next day we were going to get on the Ferry to head to Newfoundland at around 5pm. We then got a call telling us that the Ferry was delayed until 1am. So we had to sleep in recliners all night. This wasn't very comfortable but when we woke up it was early in the morning and it made the arrival into Port aux Basques that much nicer.
So we are now in Newfoundland and it is the most beautiful place I have ever been to. We have only seen a small section of it so far and we will be staying here for 2 weeks so we will see a lot more. So far we stayed at friends of Tara's family. They live on George's lake in a nice house, we stayed there for 2 nights and got to go on a boat ride. Before we left they offered us their canoe, of course we took it so we can go canoeing when ever we feel like. There is more for me to share but I will wait until later to share. The next part is awesome because we are seeing a lot and it is just so friggin beautiful. I want to live here.
This is a little off topic but I wanted to let you know that my Sifu has completed training videos for Level 1 of Wing Chun. People teach Wing Chun differently so you will be getting it the way we learn. Our Sifu is an amazing teacher so if you want to learn Wing Chun the right way get these videos. It is the Hong Kong version from the Yip Man, Moy Yat, Nelson Chan lineage. My Sifu is Chuck O'Neill.
Self Defence
Martial Arts
Realworld Self Defence
The Self Defense Company
Canadian Wing Chun Fellowship
Sunday, August 1, 2010
I just wanted to mention that everywhere that we have been is so beautiful. Some are just beautiful some are breath taking. From the talked about spots to the not so talk about spots. There is just so much beautiful land scape to experience.
I will say, as of where we are now Nova Scotia is my favorite spot for beauty of the landscape. It's so green and lush with rolling hills where you can see forever and of course the shore and bays, which just adds to it all in an extreme way. There is just something about being near water.
I will say, as of where we are now Nova Scotia is my favorite spot for beauty of the landscape. It's so green and lush with rolling hills where you can see forever and of course the shore and bays, which just adds to it all in an extreme way. There is just something about being near water.
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