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5:00pm, Sat 28 Feb 2009 : Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Tip of the day: Toronto deserves more than a 18 hour stop over.
Bustling with high rise residential development, the Toronto skyline is on the move despite the crisis. I had been in Toronto for just two hours 10 days before, and she definitely deserved a bigger chance than I had previously given her.
Couchsurfing.com had supplied somewhere to stay. Suhail from Jordon had a stack of references that you could not climb over. At the night, I would catch up with Shannon, fellow IC applicant our hopes of six months living on Hamilton Island had recently been trashed and would have the chance to commiserate together.
With explicit instructions I soon found my way to Suhail, feeling immediately welcome in his house with hot tea and WIFI internet. His two bed apartment was quite new and featured a view to other quite new apartments. Working in social services, he quite liked his job, working troubled with immigrants to assist their settling. How nice were Canadians to immigrants it seemed and I wondered about how our Australian services equated.
With less than 24 hours on the ground in Toronto I was soon on board a rent by the hour car with Suhail and friend Annie, a professional photographer. We headed to an arabic food stop, Paramount, where they purchased banquet sized amounts of tucker for a small celebration that night. Paramount was a dine in / take out spot in a lightly industrial part of town. The Garmin GPS chick spelt out the directions in a dead pan tone. Our constant chatter creating a fun environment for Suhail to eventually take a wrong turn, with plastic lady announcing his failed mission with a deadpan, slightly condescending "recalculating". Suhail responded well to the sarcastic comments from passenger and rear seat, deflecting fault to in-car annoyances, he sought his reprise.
Inside Paramount there was a feast of sight, sound and smell. The bustling cafeteria style set up, had genuine pastries, kebabs and cooked breads on display to delight the tummy worms, the smells like a small corner of some Persian Gulf shore eatery. Folk in various types of western and traditional dress noshed about their dinner in languages that I had no chance of understanding. I tried pushing some Canadian greens on my hosts with out success. Apparently I was on the edge of insulting according to their culture...
Evening
Another defining characteristic of Suhail was his set of friends. Ranging from homosexual, beautiful Annie, cousin complete with husband child. It was wonderful to meet them all. I was soon truly part of the jokes drawing on my Aussie larakin reserves to give cheek to the overly friendly fellas, much to the mirth of those otherwise present. Quipping that about whether I should be concerned or glad that I had never been "hit on" by a gay, I was immediately in receipt of offers. Check that box - move on.
Now at street level, I made my way to a subway rendezvous with Shannon and friends and shortly there after we landed in the "Unicorn". Pub, Bar, club or all three, the blonde lead, covers band banged out something classically rock. Shannon's work colleagues were travelers as well. Shannon talks more than me… and for those who know me will appreciate that must be a LOT! Very entertaining, Shannon had spent a sizeable amount of her Australian time working in a gulf town. Her stories sourced from misadventure, being attacked by a camel in the outback, finding her way back to her hostel after sunset in the underground town of Cooper Peady and interface with border control agents. It was likely that her blonde locks and ever present smile had been the key to safe escape on every occasion. She might not agree, but she's not doing the typing.....
Too soon we had missed the last trains and resorted to the "vommit comet", the late night bus system. Just prior, the last trian realising had me asking my up the street to the nearest "kangaroo rank". Failing in my quest, we were soon on the bus where the driver took point to question what an Aussie was doing in Toronto in the middle of winter. Funnily, I could not really come up with a good short answer…. But I knew that my experience of the world was meeting people and jointly finding adventure in what ever form it took. "Connector" I would be classified in Tourism Queensland's market segmentation model. Couchsurfing.com and the best job in the world had today, provided the connections and great connections they where. On to Ottawa!
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Other Stories
 01 Jul 2010 Open Letter to Adobe
11 Jun 2010 CS Marinya becomes super model for a day
10 Apr 2010 Return home from Fraser
21 Mar 2010 Mobile internet to the rescue
15 Jan 2010 Pray for Northerlies - Maryborough delivery
24 Dec 2009 What a Year, what a Whitsunday!
01 Dec 2009 Julia Gates wants her own best job in the world
22 Oct 2009 Tips for first time couch surfers
08 Aug 2009 John, Marie, Tracey and Mark went for a sail
20 Jun 2009 Yamaha 9.9 hp high thrust 4 stroke engine electrical problems.
19 Jun 2009 ChannelWhitsunday.com coverage of Seawind regatta
03 May 2009 The best couch in the world
28 Apr 2009 Superb: Dean, Clare, Hannah
20 Apr 2009 Priya
12 Apr 2009 Catrin and Marcella
09 Apr 2009 Vanessa and Romana
05 Apr 2009 Perfect sailing conditions
31 Mar 2009 Sail with Tyson
28 Mar 2009 Hayman Island with Rotary and Airlie Beach History
21 Mar 2009 Hamilton Island Wedding Cruise + 3
19 Mar 2009 Travelling Home
11 Mar 2009 LA, town of movies and bears
07 Mar 2009 Back to school in Edmonton
04 Mar 2009 Vancouver
01 Mar 2009 Ottawa, national capital of Canada
28 Feb 2009 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
25 Feb 2009 Being a good guest with Couch Surfing.
22 Feb 2009 St Thomas. Time with friends
20 Feb 2009 Viarail, Canada - Travelling from Montreal to St Thomas to stay with friends.
13 Feb 2009 Montreal - top right corner of France
11 Feb 2009 Day in London
10 Feb 2009 Sarah Simpson, Best job applicant
09 Feb 2009 Gourge, France to UK
08 Feb 2009 Gourge - French countryside
02 Feb 2009 Best job in the world video making
31 Jan 2009 Paris in winter
31 Jan 2009 Hot Koalas
29 Jan 2009 Isle of Wight and Falmouth
22 Jan 2009 Turin in snow.
17 Jan 2009 Best job in the world for Ema Q
16 Jan 2009 Rome - Old city
15 Jan 2009 Vatican and first day in Rome
13 Jan 2009 Just keep flying...
| 08 Jan 2009 Racha
07 Jan 2009 Phi Phi Don
06 Jan 2009 Phuket Arrival
06 Jan 2009 Phi Phi Lei
05 Jan 2009 Locked and loaded
31 Dec 2008 Woodford 2008
24 Dec 2008 Hamilton Island staff escape
10 Dec 2008 Randy and Shazza
18 Nov 2008 Grand Adventure
27 Oct 2008 Tigra takes a crash
12 Oct 2008 Mandurah Boat Show 2008
29 Sep 2008 5 from France
13 Sep 2008 Sailing South with Tracey
02 Jul 2008 Don't tell them its winter!
01 Jul 2008 Another
18 Jun 2008 Zineb and Ester
12 Jun 2008 Anna
05 Jun 2008 Lenni and Denis
22 May 2008 Dent to Dunk
13 May 2008 Is it winter yet?
08 May 2008 Whitsunday Private Yacht Charters
25 Apr 2008 And that's a wrap
19 Apr 2008 6 up for adventure
10 Apr 2008 Gloucester Island Assault
09 Apr 2008 Restocked and roll'n
06 Apr 2008 Sail to Nara Inlet Waterfall
31 Mar 2008 Antifoul is best on the hull, not in the tin!
29 Mar 2008 Cinetech from Hong Kong
24 Mar 2008 Dinner with friends... But what's for dinner
21 Mar 2008 Now that is a big screen!
17 Mar 2008 New office at the marina!
23 Feb 2008 Woody Head Camp Ground, Bunjalung National Park, Iluka
21 Feb 2008 Kiama, New South Wales South Coast
20 Feb 2008 Diamond Head Camping Ground
19 Feb 2008 Yagon Campground, Myall Lakes National Park
18 Feb 2008 Gillards Beach, Mimosa Rocks National Park
14 Feb 2008 Congo Point, Moruya NSW Southern Coast
12 Feb 2008 Greenpatch Campground Booderee National Park
11 Feb 2008 Camping Gear for sale, Car included.
01 Feb 2008 40th Birthday Tour
29 Jan 2008 Top Gear Australia Audition
05 May 2004 New Zealand #5
04 May 2004 New Zealand #4
30 Apr 2004 New Zealand #3
29 Apr 2004 New Zealand #2
28 Apr 2004 New Zealand #1
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Quote
from Ghandi
I
do not want my house to be walled in on
all sides and my windows to be stuffed.
I want the culture of all lands to be blown
about my house as freely as possible.
Pretty much my life... and I love it.
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John's
world trip
Where did I go on my recent round the world trip. Click below
to see it on a world map. |
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Check
the stop overs |
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Netcomm
N3G002W
Netcomm N3G002W providing Hot spot internet via 3g / Next G
Read
more |
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Next
G Coverage
Telstra Next G coverage continues to impress. Using my Tu500 handset,
I have been able to get on the net at high speed at various places.
The latency of the network also seems very low when I get on. Very
nice.
Coverage
Test List |
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Come stay on my cat using Couchsurfing.com
Couch
surfing is a world wide network of free
beds and a great way to meet people and
emerse yourself in the local culture. I offer accommodation on my sailing catamaran through this great web site:
John's
Couch Surfing profile |
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Says
it all : "Sailing" by Christopher Cross
It's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me
It's not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me
Sailing
Takes me away
To where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free
Fantasy
It gets the best of me
When I'm sailing
All caught up in the reverie
Every word is a symphony
Won't you believe me
It's not far back to sanity
At least it's not for me
And when the wind is right you can sail away
And find serenity
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me |
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Whitsunday
Guide
Visit
the Cumberland Charter Yachts Site for
the most comprehensive online area and
anchorage guide. Second only to "100 Magic Miles".
www.ccy.com.au/area
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Sony
HDR-SR1
My camera of choice, with some great customisation for even
more flexibility.
Read
more |
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Dot
Com
John
Nayler
PO Box 1039
Airlie Beach Q 4802
P: 0407 15 13 11
www.nayler.com |
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John
Nayler Home 
World Trip 
