Goodbye Canada, Hello Cuba

**(Sorry for the extended delay on Updates. It has been very difficult to gain access to a computer with reliable internet for more than a couple minutes at a time. Many new additions will be uploaded over the next few days, so stay tuned.)**

I love being the person on the plane, that just makes everyone jealous. I know that some people are looking at me and thinking "That guy is a dick! Why does he need all of that stuff? He basically has a full multi-media system in his lap." I am always very happy on planes, chatting with people, making friends, enjoying free snacks, watching shows or movies on my laptop, and having some drinks. Why not? I'm trying to live an endless summer vacation of a life.

Not quite the same size as Pearson in T.O.

Life is a Awesome. Live it up!

I have everything that I need to get the most out of travelling: laptop, portable speakers, headphones, wireless mouse, booklets of 100+ movies, multiple seasons of my favourite TV shows, books, magazines. If the people around me on the plane or waiting in the terminal want to have a good time, I’ll even start mini dance parties! Well, until someone complains and the flight attendants make me stop. Ha Ha!

So Refreshing!!

So after a short and enjoyable flight (only 3 hours) we land in the Jardines del Rey airport. Customs is no big deal. Really. Cuba is so laid back. In maybe 10 minutes I went from airplane, through customs, baggage claim, converted money at the banco (bank), and was chillin’ at the bus with an ice cold Cristal. Damn I love Cuban Cristal Cerveza! It’s great to be back! (Cheat codes secured. Hacks enabled. Here we go...)

A long bus ride later, maybe an hour, I have arrived at my new home for the next two weeks. Hotel Villa Cojimar. On the bus ride I meet 4 new friends that are staying at the same resort: DJ, Tasha, Julie, and Kevin. We chat, get to know each other a bit, and I tell them a bit about Cuba. Looks like it’s going to be a fun trip.


I feel right at home!!

The first night is fun but no one parties too hard, since everyone is a little tired from all the travelling. Luckily no jet lag, because Cuba is still EST.

The resort is very nice and has everything I could want. Although only considered a 3.5 star, I would happily give it a 5. Why? Because I live simple, want to enjoy everyday, and I am not one to bitch and moan about all of the little details that might not be "perfect". Afterall, I’m paying like $45 a day, in paradise and living like a king. Would I pay double or even triple that amount for a slightly larger selection at the buffet, fresher paint, or to have staff that is willing to wipe my butt? No, I can do that myself. I would go back and would definitely recommend it to family or friends.

Back in the Hammer...

Good Afternoon World!! This might be my last post for a while, since the availability and speed of Internet in Cuba is not good. I will still try and get some updates through, but no promises. By-the-way, I really underestimated the height of my flight from Calgary. The jet cruised at 36,000 feet, at a speed of 560 mph, and to avoid one patch of turbulence we hit 40,000. Much shorter trip than a car!

I spent the last 36 hours back in Hamilton/Ancaster with my bestest buddy James and crashing on his parents couch. What a great day and a half!

I woke up Friday and just had a relaxing morning and afternoon, playing video games and unwinding after my cross-country journey. It was time well wasted.

Late in the afternoon, James had to go to work, so he dropped me off at the movie theatre and I decided to watch The Avengers. Was I ever glad it came out the day before I left the country. It was an amazing movie! I saw it in Imax 3D and it was totally worth it. The 3D was good and definitely added to the overall feel of the movie. It wasn't blurry, which can happen a lot with 3D, and it wasn't just "cheesy" pop out of the screen effects. I imagine it would still be just as awesome in regular 2D.

Once James got done work, it was time to do a bit of partying. So we called up our good friends Colin and Eric, and had ourselves a good ole Ancaster garage get-together. We caught up, shared stories, watched an awesome little documentary about Cuba, and generally just hung-out, late into the night.

Time to wake up and get moving! To get to the airport, I had James drop me off at the bus station in downtown Hamilton, then I took the GO Bus to Bramalea, and transferred to a different bus that would take me the rest of the way to the airport. Two hours travel time from Hamilton to the Toronto Airport, using public transit, is fantastic! So surprising!

So now I'm just relaxing, enjoying some beverages, chicken quesadillas, and playoff NBA, at an airport bar, while I await my flight. I love airports.

Well its almost time to get ready for my flight, so until we talk again...
C.Stemp.Run... for the boarder and my Cuban home.

Peace Out Calgary!

Good Evening World! I currently sit at the Calgary Airport, waiting to board my flight. I'm scheduled to take off at 6:20pm on WestJet flight 548, so my time here in the West has come to an end.

The 3 days I spent in Calgary were good. Met a bunch of new people and got a good feel for the city, just by wandering around. I could see myself living out here, whenever I finally settle back down and get a permanent address.

The people are friendly, the tax is almost non-existent, there's lots of jobs, and did I mention THE PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO DRIVE!!! WOW! In Calgary the pedestrian has the right-of-way... always. Cars will stop for you even before you have time to motion that you want to cross the street. In fact, it makes me feel bad sometimes, because I will happily stop and wait for the flow of traffic to pass before I cross, and then all of a sudden everything is stopped and waiting for me. Its kinda eerie.

The only problem would be the cold. Calgary is one of the coldest places in Canada, and I was told it can hit -50 degrees Celsius. No thanks. I guess it will have to be Vancouver if I ever move out here, its definitely warmer.

I'd like to thank Mat for bringing me along on this trip, it was fun and definitely worth it. As well I'd like to thank Jo again for opening her apartment to me and lending her couch. She was a great hostess!!

Jo and Mat dropped me off at the airport and I proceeded to just relax, enjoy a free beer, listen to my favourite Podcast, The Basketball Jones, and play Minecraft, the only online computer game that I play. Not a bad way to kill a couple hours.

I love travelling light! No need to check baggage, and no time lost once you land. However, I did make one purchase in Calgary. I found an amazing old record store just around the corner from Jo's place and spent about an hour just wandering around and talking to the hippie who owns it. I found two old 3D posters, one of The Beatles Rubber Soul, my favourite of their albums, and The Who. They will look amazing side-by-side on the wall in my room up at the summer camp. If I hadn't bought them, I would've hated myself!

Well its just about time for me to board my flight, so I shall say 'Farewell for now!"
Until I land in Hamilton,
C.Stemp.Run... at 20000 feet or so...

Final Destination... but not the movie...

Good Afternoon World! I have arrived in Calgary, and after 4 days and 4000+kms of driving.... this city couldn't come soon enough. Mat and I are both thoroughly exhausted, cramped, and feel a little brain-dead after staring at the prairies for hours and hours. But its over!

We woke up in Saskatoon Monday morning, grabbed some coffee and subs, and headed for Edmonton. Unfortunately, there is nothing to look at.... epic expanses of nothingness. Thankfully it wasn't too long a drive.

At the Alberta/Saskatchewan border, is the town of Lloydminster. It is literally on the border. So we wondered how things like taxes, licencing, education, etc get sorted out, since the border goes through the town. We were also expecting a big sign, like all of the other Provincial borders that we have crossed. Nope. Instead, there was a little tiny street sign and 5 or 6 big red poles. If we hadn't got stopped by the red light, we would've missed it all together!

We pulled into Edmonton, and headed for the biggest mall in the world, The West Edmonton Mall. After all, it was the main reason for this Northern detour, and lots of people that we asked, told us that we would need at least a day or two to see everything... we'll see about that. As we pulled into the parking lot, our initial impression was one of "It just looks like any other big mall."

So we went inside and started to look around.... WOW!

Was it massive? For sure. It had a water park with a wave pool, a movie theatre, an ice skating rink, theme park with roller coasters, a ton of restaurants, a water show area with sea lions and a pirate ship, mini-putt course, and a casino.

It was all really cool to see, however quite unnecessary, in my opinion. It was basically just Square One, The Eaton Center, or Yorkdale Mall, except with a TON of other things that I have never wanted in a mall. Have you ever thought, I need to go buy some new shoes and a pair of pants, and while I'm there why don't I take a swim, go for a skate, or lose all my shopping money at the casino before I can even buy anything? I haven't.



Paul Blart:
Edmonton Mall Cop

It was still really cool, and definitely worth seeing, however Mat and I managed to wander through the entire mall in 35 minutes. Then we hopped back in the car and headed South to Red Deer. 1 or 2 days to see it all? Maybe if we went into all of the stores, or if we wanted to blow a few hundred dollars.

In Red Deer we met up with one of Mat's old friends, Jay, at the Boston Pizza. They got to catch up while we took in some of the NHL and NBA playoff games and had a quick drink. Then it was back into the car, so that we could finish off the home stretch of the trip and get to Calgary.

Mat's brother Steve put together a map of our travels, from info and pictures that Mat kept sending him during the drive. Its pretty cool!


HOORAY! CALGARY!! We had arrived. Success.

We made our way through the city and got to Mat's new home, at his friend Johanna's place. We unloaded only the bare essentials and then just settled in for the night, to unwind, relax and enjoy some frosty beverages.

Tuesday was spent checking out some of the city, and Mat was constantly unloading all of his things and figuring out where it would all fit. Johanna is super nice and has been a great host, while I crash on her couch until Thursday, when I fly back to Hamilton. Although I might cough up some hairballs on the flight back, due to her two dogs Daisy and Aspen. No big deal, the coughing is working out my abs.


Time to get back to relaxing, before I start my crazy travels again tomorrow.
C.Stemp.Run... but thankfully not driving...

Days 2 & 3: The Journey Continues...

Good Evening World! Two more days of travel have passed and here I sit in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, all relaxed after enjoying a hot tub soak and a brewski. Roughly 3000km driven already and more to come.
Yesterday we woke up in Wawa, Ontario, and in the daylight of morning, we had to check out some of the giant statues. The name Wawa comes from the Ojibwa Natives word for "wild goose". Needless to say there are many statues throughout the town.

Time to head farther North!

After a long drive, we stopped for food and a break from the car in Thunder Bay. WOW! Talk about a dead city... It was a Saturday, in the middle of the afternoon, and NOTHING was open. We drove around, walked around the downtown, and finally had to ask the clerk at a convenience store if there was anywhere to eat and grab a drink. Basically the only option was a place called On Deck. We weren't sure what to think of the place, but the beer was cold and the food was good, so that's what matters.

Northern Ontario has some beautiful scenery,
but it all starts to look the same.

The plan was to get to Winnipeg, Manitoba to crash for the night... not a chance. Good thing we weren't in any rush.

Well, except to make it to Kenora before The Beer Store or LCBO closed. So a thoroughly urgent pace was taken to arrive in Kenora before 9pm. Did my driving get us there? Hells yes! 8:55pm we rolled into the parking lot. Unfortunately, everything closed at 6pm... on a Saturday? Even in a town of over 15,000 people? Again.... WOW! The only way we would've made it was if it was a Friday.

So we got settled in at the Travelodge in town, rocked the hot tub, and then went to hit up the Boston Pizza in town, which for some reason is open until 3am... talk about a strange place. I wasn't feeling too hot after 2000 km driven and only 4 hours of sleep the night before the trip started, so I was just ready to crash, but Mat was ready to go out. So we did.

After two long days, we decided to start a little bit later this morning, and didn't leave Kenora until about 11am. Definitely a good choice to get a little extra sleep!

We crossed the border into Manitoba and cruised into Winnipeg. It's really nice to see the Jets back in town, since the last time I was there.

Instead of the usual route to Calgary, through Regina, we decided on going farther North to Saskatoon and Edmonton, since Mat and I haven't been to either. So that means an extra day of driving. No worries, all we have is time, since I don't fly out of Calgary until May 3rd.

After driving through Northern Ontario, for what felt like forever, Manitoba and Saskatchewan was such a breath of fresh air, because we still haven't seen a single cop on the road. Two provinces and NOT ONE... In Northern Ontario? We had to deal with 20-25, easy, in the span of a few hours. Talk about a difference in Provincial revenue sources. Clearly the OPP is being put to good use...

Unfortunately, once you get past Winnipeg, there really isn't much to look at. The Prairies officially begin, and entertainment becomes the key to staying focused. For me as the driver, music is essential! Lots and lots of music. Good thing I have almost 4 days worth on my Ipod. As for Mat, he has a few more options for entertainment, such as reading, laptop, and streaming movies through Netflix with his Iphone. Here is the Blanket Monster himself watching a classic movie quite suitable for the trip, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". Before you wonder why, it was the only way to avoid the Sun's glare.

As for wildlife, we haven't seen much. I forgot to mention the two moose standing side-by-side that we saw on the first day. Other than those two beauties, there have been the occasional deer, a super fast Peregrine Falcon, a pretty fox, and a lone muskrat chewing on a fence. However, when it comes to roadkill, now that's been interesting! There have been a few exploded deer, fox and miscellaneous other animals, but coolest was a cougar. Yes, unfortunately we saw a rare cougar dead in Manitoba. So sad!

Well its getting late, and I need to be rested for tomorrow.
So until next time...
C.Stemp.Run

Day 1: Smooth Sailing...

Hello World! No idea what happened in News today, but it appears the Earth is still spinning, whether I kept track of it or not, so that's always good. As for my day? It was awesome!
Mat and I took off from Hamilton by 9:30am, with a car so packed that it felt like we were driving a very large version of my backpack, and headed for Toronto. The biggest shock? Almost no traffic... all day... anywhere! We hit highway 400, started North, and then proceeded to take a wrong turn towards Bracebridge, instead of Parry Sound...

Me: "Hey Mat, should I just grab the next exit and turn around?"
Mat: "No worries, just keep going, I got us a good lunch spot."

So we continued on with our 'slight' detour to Bracebridge. Upon our arrival, we stopped at The Old Station for a nice quick lunch, where we were luckily served by one of Mat's old friends, Angie. Travelling is always such a great excuse to stop by and see people.

After lunch it was time to make our way back to the main highway, and head to Sudbury, instead of North Bay.  We bypassed Sudbury and stopped for gas and a quick break just outside Espanola. Next stop was going to be my parents place, just outside of Iron Bridge, even though I knew they weren't going to be there. After all, they had just left for a 2 week trip to Ireland on Monday, but I just wanted to stop by and see the place. I took a few pictures, Mat topped off the oil, and we got to appreciate the place for a few minutes before we hit the road again. The North really does feel like my home.



The next stop was my birthplace, Sault Ste Marie. We ate some subs, grabbed a 6-pack for when we finally stopped at a motel, and headed out of town on the wrong road. Again, no big deal, and this time we were back on track in minutes. These kind of things happen when you don't have a schedule, maps, and are just enjoying the trip.



The long day ended with us driving off into the sunset, literally, along the shores of Lake Superior, towards our end goal for the day, Wawa. We rolled into town and drove around looking for the best place to sleep for the night. After asking a few gentleman standing outside of the Wawa Rotary building, we decided on The Wawa Motor Inn, since we were told it was one of the nicest motels and had wireless internet.

Success! We had arrived! After Mat checked us in we found ourselves with a very nice room, and great internet connection in the room, at no charge. I would definitely be back, and would recommend it to anyone making their way through Wawa.

Day 1 done, with no issues. Awesome. Enjoying a beer, a great hot shower, and watching some playoff hockey. Even better.

Time for bed, so that we can get up and going early tomorrow.
Tomorrow's goal? Winnipeg, Manitoba here we come!
C.Stemp.Run... Run Stemp! Run.... across Canada.

Taking Flight!

Good Morning Sweet World!! Today is the day that I leave my home of brick and stone, and turn home into where I roam. Current destination: Calgary.

I will be up nice and early, so as to get a good start on the day of driving. My travel buddy Mat is making a big move like myself, and has everything he owns packed into our chariot. This is the reason for our journey, and an epic one it shall be! Our chariot of choice of course is Mat's Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, which is gutted, roll-caged, WRX engine swapped, and basically a gorgeous rally car. Should be a fun drive!! Did I mention it's loaded like my backpack? Ya... packed...

The best part? No plans. We're just kinda going with it, and honestly there is no better way to travel!

As for all of my belongings, well it turns out I constantly over-estimated how much I could fit into a 75L backpack. It really made me have to analyse what to keep and what I really needed. Not what I wanted. I realised though that before I started this whole process, I could've easily gone 3 months without doing laundry if I just wore through everything I owned... Ya a LOT of clothes. That's what happens when you stop growing at 14, and still have stuff from then.

So now I have a packed 75L backpack, and there isn't even room in the car for me to bring it to Calgary. Luckily, I can leave it at my best friend James's place since he's the one picking me up from the Hamilton Airport in a week, when I return from Calgary. So I will be living out of just my carry-on and laptop bag for the next week, no big deal.

Not sure when my next post will be, it depends on a lot of variables. But I gotta go...
C.Stemp.Run... well technically driving... safely.