I don't think I'll be updating this blog as often as I was able to update our last trip.  It just takes too much time to try and track down an internet cafe 4-5 times a week.  I'll try and update once or twice weekly as I find the time.

We leave in about a week, and although i'm excited, I'm much more relaxed about our trip this time than last time.  I'm taking that as a good thing.  We're only bringing carry-on bags this trip, which should make things interesting.  Better to bring less than more I've found out in the past.  Next update will be from France or Croatia most likely.

I wasn't really expecting much when I went to the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg. I had seen the ads in the Winnipeg papers and decided to check it out. I had a great time. I went through all the government and commercial exhibits and spent hours photographing people and colours of the midway. When I got tired and hungry, I rested my sore feet at  an outdoor theatre and watched metis dancers and fiddlers perform to an enthusiastic audience.

Our hanging out at The Forks was suddenly disrupted by a downpour. Spring season, as expected, could surprise everyone with its fresh and cold showers; we were not exempted. Good thing I was able to take some shots before sprinting back to our van. Well, the opportunity was not at all lost as I was also able to take some inside shots of The Forks tourist centre.

I took a particular interest at a petrified Polar bear in its imposing and attacking stance. Standing up on its two hind legs, claws all protracted, jaws wide open allowing its two- or three-inches long fangs intimidate someone with high imagination. I cannot imagine myself being face to face with a real beast as beautiful as this. Aaah, taxidermy indeed, is a real art.    

Another particular sight of interest is a bison. I learned that they used to roam the Prairies hundreds of yers ago. My wife didn't let me leave without taking a picture of her with this bison.

Inside, it basically showcases a display of what you can find and experience in Manitoba, from its varied, weather, geography, culture, natural resources, etc.

The rest of the afternoon that day was spent by house-hopping to friends'.

We also had an outdoor barbeque under a sunny afternoon the following day. After having our fill, we drove to visit Assiniboine Park using the car lent to us by our friend.          

If you're in Winnipeg right now and you haven't been to the "BDI," drop whatever you're doing, drive out to 766 Jubilee Avenue - next to the pedestrian bridge across the Red River - and order an ice cream cone or some other ice-cold treat from the BDI's menu. Once you have the treat in hand, you can consume it while walking across the bridge. Leaving Winnipeg without stopping at the "BDI" is like visiting Paris without the seeing the Eiffel Tower, New York without the statue of Liberty - Coombs without seeing the goats on the roof (an inside joke)

(cont'd...) We landed at Winnipeg International Airport 30 minutes past five in the afternoon. It is still the same airport that I used to like; it is not as busy, the concourse is short, its parking is ample, and the technology is there, yet I could still sense a hometown feel whenever I looked around. I had the assumption - or at least as what I was told by friends, that soon it may not remain the same as the ongoing massive expansion west of the airport is being undertaken. Good for Winnipeg, I thought.

We were picked up by our friends who's been on the arrival area waiting for us. As I wait for our baggage to show up out in the rotating conveyor (carousel), I glimpsed to my wife who was few feet away from me hugging everyone of our friends with excitement. After some picture taking and five minutes of driving (that's how close the hotel is from the airport), we checked in right away at Victoria Inn Hotel. It was a weekend stay that was arranged and paid for by our very good friends. Actually, what my wife and I wanted was stay to any of our friends' place, but everyone was trying to win us and that kind of put us in such difficult situation of choosing a place to spent the night. Accommodating everyone was impossible; consequently, it ended up and was agreed that they provide us hotel accommodation. The suite they chose for us was practical in size - two king-sized beds, a wide and open dining/living room, and later, it served its purpose soon after our bunch of friends came to see us in the hotel.  

It was a night of fun, laughter, and catching-up. Our dinner was filled with Filipino dishes. (Note: if you're ever interested to know what they were, you are welcome to ask me.) You see, ours was more of a 'family-oriented' gathering, so alcoholic drinks and curse words had no place that night. The frequent cracking of jokes by our very facetious good friend Roobee kept the night alive, while all the guys' eyes were fixated at ongoing basketball game between Jazz and Lakers. It was very late at night when everybody left.

The following morning, we were picked up for breakfast at Delano's restaurant. There, we met more friends that we did not see the previous night. The restaurant offers typical Filipino foods and it specialises in traditional breakfast reminiscent of those ones I liked back in the Philippines. The "longanisa" (Filipino-version sausage/chorizo) and "tocino" (Philippine tapa) topped on fried rice garnished with fresh tomato was a sell out. A freshly brewed coffee completed the breakfast.

Considering that we only had a short stay and line up of invitations from friends, I decided to pick one place when I was asked where we want to go for a walk. I picked the perennially popular spot in Winnipeg, The Forks. How do I describe it? Let's see...it's located close to downtown area and by the Red River. It is some place sort of a central plaza where big-city event is being held most of the time. There are several interesting buildings that you can visit within The Forks like the Johnston Terminal, the Market, and the newer built suspension bridge with Salisbury restaurant at the centre.  Across at The Forks port on the other side of Red River is a classic Saint Boniface Church with its imposing facade facing the river. TO BE CONTINUED...  

As opposed to other major cities in Canada, Winnipeg may pale in comparison citing its subdued cosmopolitan character, for example. Having a humble downtown area and quaint little houses (in core city area) - among other things, Winnipeg has still maintained its charm that is uniquely different from any cities in Canadian Prairies. Its people are the friendliest ones you can find.

After more than six years since we last set an eye on Winnipeg, here we were, both worked-up and finding our way in front of a laptop skimming for seat sales over the internet. It was my wife's plan to visit Winnipeg this time as I have been favouring the idea of flying down to Las Vegas. I would feel truly regretful had I not gave in to my wife's.

I have to admit, I was a bit selfish insisting not to go. I did not realise later on after we've come back that it was actually a visit  which would turned out to be worthwhile. Behind all the beauty and thrill this city could offer was an experience we would not have found but only from those unmistakable faces, familiar laughters, and old-time camaraderie among our friends. Truth to be told, those were only the incentives as I've seen how my wife's happiness gleamed throughout the whole time.

My idea of travel, I believe, has gone up to a certain level of maturity after this trip. My notion that a travel must constitute mainly of self gratification, visual fulfillment, and be an ego nurturer (to some extent) was a bit of embarrassment to myself which my own self have encouraged in the past. Travel is such a wonderful experience, life-changing, mind-, and eye-opening, only if it's to be mutually or collectively decided, shared, and enjoyed with the ones you cared about.  Of course, I cannot discount the fact that there are those who would prefer to travel by themselves...for sure they have their own valid reasons.

Anyways, after few attempts from several online ticket agencies, we finally grabbed two sale seats at a fairly cheap price. That was a week before our scheduled flight. 

We packed light but ended up having more stuff in our hands because several dozens of Krispy Kreme doughnuts we have brought into this trip. In the morning prior to our departure, we bought six or so dozens of assorted Krispy Kreme donuts for our friends (we were told they do not have that toothsome doughnut shops in Winnipeg, this is why). It must be a pretty popular name in doughnuts since it grabbed attention from security personnel at the airport to flight attendants in the aircraft where we were in.

I totally surprised myself when I felt sick during the take-off and much worse in landing of the 737. I had been to longer flights in the past and did not experience motion sickness at all. Even the wife didn't believe at first, until she felt my hands were cold and noticed  my sweating forehead. Her lip was half-grinning, but I sensed her worry at the same time while asking me repeatedly if I was okay. I could only give her a thumbs-up sign because I felt I could throw up at that moment I open my mouth. Luckily, it didn't end up that way. Considering the last time I had this motion sickness was when I was in grade school, that experience turned up really odd to me. TO BE CONTINUED...

After an exhausting day of hiking, we set sail for Killarney the following morning.  We sailed between the islands of Fathom Five National Marine Park, but did not stop to explore (we would have if I were the captain of the ship!)  We reached Killarney with enough time to drop a kayak in the water and then clean up in time for dinner. 

Please ignore the travbuddy map of Killarney.  It is NOT actually located where the map shows.  It would be hard to sail there if it actually was...

Typical Canadian menu of grilled foods, such as steaks. Still, if that's what you go in for, the best place I can recommend in Winnipeg is Moxie's, and several more throughout Canada. On my last visit there were three Moxie's Classic Grill restaurants in the city of Winnipeg, now there are five, and being a sports nut, my favorite location was the MTS Centre, on Portage Ave., which is the local ice hockey stadium. An example of the prices: a friend and I both ate a steak menu, had six cocktails of the day between us, and I barely managed to eat a desert, while my friend couldn't even do that, amounted to $80 (Canadian), which included a handsome tip. As for that desert, do have their white chocolate brownie. Ordering just that would have been worth the visit by itself. The restaurant seems to be frequented mostly by people in their twenties and thirties out for a good time. A few TV's showing sports are present, but not in an obtrusive way. At night parking should be OK, as downtown Winnipeg isn't really a busy place after office hours, but in daytime take any bus that will take you to Portage and Main.

There are your more typical dance clubs such as Alive, Desire, and The Empire all in the Exchange District downtown and pretty much all walking distance from each other....check the free Uptown newspaper (on-line at http://www.uptownmag.com/current/whatsup.aspx) for info on eveything going on in Winnipeg and at all the local bars, clubs, lounges and other venues. The Times Change High & Lonesome Club on Main St. is the best honky tonk in town!

The King's Head pub on King Street in the Exchange District is probably the most happening English-style pub in Winnipeg, especially on the weekends when they usually have live entertainment However, be aware that you need to purchase a $5 membership to get in...or go as a guest of someone with a membership. If there's some sort of special music or event going on there may be an admission fee on top of the membership fee.

Exceptional eclectic food, great ambience in a small restaurant located in St. Boniface (Winnipeg's French Quarter). Run by a husband and wife team, the menu is hand-written every day and every meal unique. The food and service are top notch, but the atmosphere is relaxed. Phone for reservations, its not big, no one gets rushed, and its popular! Bon appetit!

Great fishing. Kississing is fed by 2 rivers, and due to that the number of troffy sized northern are there. (41 inches +) If you go ask for Billy, or Wally. Those are 2 young guides who really know what they are talking about.

Wasn't too sure how to start a travel blog, so figured an initial entry in here might be a good thing to do.  Only 10 days until I leave and still finalizing some of the plans and reading tons of other blogs and review to steal everyone elses great experiences and ideas!

First two weeks of my trip are on my own, a little aprehensive about not meeting people, but figure it will happen naturally.....any tips on best places to meet people (without getting drunk first!! lol) would be greatly appreciated.

Canada being a huuuuuge country takes some getting across. Having decided not to fly we chose to take the train that goes from East to West. We didn't regret it. We opted not to have a sleeper as it was very expensive so would spend the nights sat in normal seats. Fortuately these had loads of room, leg rests, foot rests, you dont need to be in a bed on this train. It also has a dome car so when you are travelling through the more scenic areas you can get a 360 degree view. You can imagaine that this is very good whlst travelling through the Rockies. We travelled in September, so outside of the busiest times so there was loads of room, not sure if it would be the same in Summer. In order to travel on it we bought a rail pass (15 days of travel in 30 days), although it was expensive it meant that we could travel accross at our own pace and break up the journey. Well worth doing as you get to see a lot of this massive country.

The Mennonite Heritage Village had been anticipated from the start. For some reason, we knew it was going to be great. We had talked to the people who worked there. "You could spend all day here! We have a restaurant!" They had a restaurant. Our sightseeing in Winnipeg went a little longer than expected (even while cutting the Manitoba Museum short unfortunately) so we arrived at the heritage village in Steinbach with only an hour to explore. The woman at the desk was nice enough to let us in for free, since we didn't have to much time to walk around. Though we were a little rushed, it was a nice time to be at the Heritage Village because of the lack of people. It was actually kind of odd at first. All the houses were moved from the community into one area, and each of the buildings is open for visitors to walk around and explore. Without anyone around, the village seemed a bit like a ghost town, but that didn't stop us from wandering from building to building.

Now, if you leave Denise alone, she gets into trouble. She's really like a child. When you turn your back on a child in an automobile display...

"Look! They leave the keys in the car!" she exclaimed. There it was, the key in the ignition, just waiting for someone to turn it and take the vintage car for a spin. As I'm looking at the key, Denise wanders behind me.

SLAM!

"Denise... what did you do." I slowly turn around to see what disastrous thing had just happened.

"You can open the doors!" I hear faintly.

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" I explain. She continues to open the door one more time (knowing that there was no quiet way to close the door again without that slam), to take a picture of her getting in. Oh god. She turns her attention to the fire truck. 

We went in to one of the houses. Now since our trip has started, we've noticed a similarity in all attractions and historical sites along the way - they've all been from the late 18th and early 19th century. Yes, that's about as far back as Canadian history goes. So after frequenting many historical houses and listening to many tours, we've become some what of an expert on the period. This house was from that era. Perfect. We practically knew how to use all the appliances in the house. And so we began to use them. Pounding floor, washing clothes, ironing, and just for the heck of it, opening any closet doors we could find. We entered the kitchen and found a similar waffle maker to one we had seen in the Dalnavert house in Winnipeg and got giddily excited at the genius idea. That's when we saw it. A mysterious trap door. Bound to house all the Mennonite gold in the village.

"Should we open it?"

"Hell yeah."

Much to our disappointment, what we found was a dusty entrance to the ground below the house. Lame. We were expecting treasure, or at least a hidden dead body. I guess we'd have to find our adventure elsewhere.

It was not in the closet in the school house. It was not in the closet in the next door house.

We arrived at an intriguing house. Not because of it's structure or contents, but because of a mysterious yellow cupboard about our height standing in the background. Now I'll tell you right now, this cupboard was not roped off by any means. Some of the rooms were sealed with a glass divider, making it evident to the visitor that one should not enter. This cupboard had no such warnings. We just had to know what was inside. It was just standing there, in all it's yellow glory. Denise and I look at each other. Then we look back at the cupboard and slowly advance forward, licking our lips. We notice the doors to the cupboard are a little tight and take a little effort to open. What did we find? Dishes. Plain, old dishes. Nothing really fancy, just set up nicely. Severly disappointed at yet another lack of mystery, we close the doors. They get stuck as we try to close them, so we give the cupboard a little shove. Little did we know, the cupboard was not very stable. We froze, our arms still out in front of us from trying to close the cupboard, as the entire structure rocked back and forth, back and forth, in big threatening motions, almost in slow motion. Looks of horror were thrown onto our faces. Don't. Breathe.

The rocking slowly stopped, and the cupboard settled on it's base. I breathe a sigh of relief that none of those dishes had -

*clatter* *clatter* There was that feared echoing, low sound of dishes clattering as the fell from their displayed positions. Denise and I listened closely for any shattering and winced at every noise. The clattering and settling seemed to last forever as we held our breath again, waiting for the nightmare to end. Eventually it did, and we were able to breathe again, knowing that none of the dishes had broken. I took a step back. We both take a look around. No one else was in the house. In fact, no one else was around the house.

"No one.. saw.. anything" Denise stated slowly.

The humour of the situation began to sink in as we slowly emerged from the house. As we left, we visited the gift shop, and spent an exorbitant amount of money out of guilt at being invited in for free and having wreaked such exceptional havoc in such a short amount of time. Later we day, we discussed the possibility and probability of there being surveillance cameras in the houses, and the possibility of us having become the first people to have been kicked out of and banned from the Mennonite Heritage Village.