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...