Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa and 1000-islands

So last weekend Rupali and I did a bus tour of Montreal, Quebec City, and Ottawa/Gatineau - with a 1-hr side trip into the 1000-islands area (called Gananoque). Haven't really seen much of Canada outside of the Toronot area - Guelph and Niagara included. I did however, do a trip to Ottawa one time, and a very adventurous business trip to Florenceville in New Brunswick. But these are the three other major cities outside of Toronto on the Eastern side of Canada. So when Rupali decided on the trip, I basically gave her no option into letting me come along! And am I glad I went!

So off we went - 6:30 am to the pick-up point where the bus would pick us up. From there, it was up Highway 401 to Wilson and Scarborough to pick up the last few passengers and we were off to Montreal. The stretch of the highway between Trenton and Toronto is called the highway of heroes. Trenton is the airfield where bodies of Canadian soldiers slain in the line of duty arrive. They go along the highway of heroes to Toronoto to the Coroner's office, where the final autopsy is done. People stand along the highway and bridges saluting the soldiers who gave their lives for our country.

The bus stops every couple of hours to let us stretch our legs. Our first stop - a place called the Big Apple 

http://picasaweb.google.com/madhumita.routh/MontrealQuebecCityOttawa1000Islands/

This is in the middle of nowhere - a BIG APPLE marks the spot. A pie factory, some breakfast, and we were off to Montreal.  


I didn't know that Montreal was an island on the St Lawrence river! And in French it sounds like Mon-ree-all. A small hill (NEVER call it a hill, - its a mountain - really ...**yuk,yuk**!!) call Mount Royal (or Mont Royale) looks out over the city. We were staying on the crossing of Rue Guy and Rue Rene Levesque (yep - the pronunciation is just as convoluted as the spelling). Montreal is a hustling bustling city with its cathedrals and basilicas and Latin area and English area and markets and people and sidewalk cafes and art everywhere and piers and harborfront! WOW!! We drove up Mont Royale for a spectacular view of the city. And then headed back. Rupali and I decided to go eat at the English quarter - which was about 4 blocks away. A street side restaurant with the panes removed to allow full access to the street, a tune/salmon burger served on a butchers block with handcut fries and condiments in soup spoons - ah! I liked it.. There is something arty, something very alive about Montreal. Did I mention that Rupali was ultra-excited to spot the CGI buildings in Montreal?! I have no clue why. I must mention, there were flowers everywhere. And people flipped between French and English and the houses - oh my god! the houses!! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! The Catholic bent of the city is easily visible in the two huge Cathedrals, Notre-dame and Marie-Queen of the world. Brother Andre's Sanctuary - up on hill, is another beautiful European inspired cathedral. However it has no parish and is only used for special purposes. They say, if you climb the steps on your knees - your wishes will be fulfilled and yes! it did get featured in the Amazing Race. We also spotted the Olympic Stadium - which is built like a regular stadium - except it has this leaning tower at 45 degrees, with "string" attached to the roof of the stadium. The design was to allow the strings to pull up the roof like a handkerchief. Unfortunately, the Montreal winters put paid to that idea, and now the strings are design only. To be honest - the Bird's Nest is a much more impressive stadium.

The next morning, we headed out to Quebec City. This is a city that a lot of our friends said is a must-see and totally hyped. Well - its not ... over-hyped I mean. This is totally worth a visit and another. I have to do it again once more. Quebec city stands on the river St Lawrence. The city is a walled city, and there is a garrison there. It's perched on a cliff, over looking the south. We disembarked at the Chateau Frontenac Hotel. A huge castle like building overlooking the river. From there the bus took us up the cliff to the plains of Abraham where a 20-minute battle decided the fate of Quebec. The story goes that the British were on the south of the river, and the French were on the north. The British general noticed how the french women would clamber up and down the cliff to do their laundry. He figured if the women could do it with loaded laundry baskets - his men could do it too. So at high tide the British crossed over and made their way up the cliff. The French emperor in the mean time (I am talking 18th Century here), decided that he didnt really want to defend Canada. So he let 2000 men - all farmers face the British army - with their canons and rifles. It was a massacre - and over in 20 minutes with over 1200 wounded!  

The plains of Abraham today are a green parkland, and as the bus wound around the park, we saw an 'English' park - strangely with a statue of Jean d'Arc on her horse. Remnants of the battle ground are visible in the four turrets that are visible lookout points - built by the British. They were constantly in fear of Americans attacking Canada! It is a beautiful park today and extremely serene, but most of the native people of Quebec feel like they were conquered by the British.  

The streets of Quebec city are narrow and winding and uphill and downdale; lined with houses that look like they are straight out of another century and country - which they probably are! There are statues and street-performers everywhere. And there's the imposing Cathedral of Notre-dame. Just up the hill from it, is the Protestant church. Plain and simple - its meant to emphasize the difference between the two faiths. The Archbishop's house, behind it is an imposing structure. The thing about that Protestant chursch - its reportedly haunted by a man who paces on the upper floor and a woman who pushes women that walk alone out of the side door to the sanctuary. Unfortunately, I didn't get to explore it, but I will - someday. For sure.  

We were given a choice of either going to the Sanctuary of St Anne de Beaupre or staying to check out the city. We elected to go. The bus ride took us past the Montmercy Falls - unfortunately, we couldn't stop. But the Basilica was barely a half hour away. We reached the Basilica and it is was HUGE!! We walked into the main sanctuary and there is a peace and calm inside. In typical Catholic fashion its also very ornate. The naves lead off to the sides elaborate statues of Mother Mary and the Saints look down on you. Intricate stained glass windows and subdued lighting emphasize the hushed ambiance of the interior. We found a stairway leading to a lower level. In the basement is a smaller sanctuary - that took my breath away. Parqueed arches pull your eyes to the altar in a flowing pattern. The walls are low and murals are everywhere. But the pattern of the arches change as you walk from one side of the room to the other. I took as many pictures as I could. I also said a little prayer.  

We left there and headed back to Quebec again, picking up the others and then back to Montreal.  

The next day we had to leave bright and early. Ottawa was the plan. Labor day in Ottawa is pretty empty. However, the By Ward Market was hustling and bustling. The bus stopped at Parliament hill to pick up the our guide. We would not be going into Parliament hill. And I had to pick up a grande mocha at Starbucks to get my coffee fix. I've been to Ottawa before, so I was more excited to be crossing the river into Quebec again, to reach Gatineau. The Canadian War Museum is in Gatineau as is the Museum of Civilization. I'd seen the museum across the river on my last trip - but did not explore it. However this time I was seeing it up close and personal. The theme of the building depicts a canoe overturned in a river. The canoe is visible on the roof. The rest of the building - inside and out depicts the flow of the water around the canoe. Its incredibly beautiful.  

From there we headed back to Ottawa and to the main area where all the ambassadors had their houses. The house of the US ambassador was in the best area - better than the Prime Minister's! It overlooked the Rideau River and was set back in a huge parkland. We returned to the By ward marketplace for some quick lunch and then it was Back to the Bus.  

Next stop - a boat ride in Gananoque at the 1000 islands.  

It was a gorgeous day.. hot, blue skies, white clouds, a perfect day for a ride on the water. We headed out to the boat in at Smuggler's Inn. The boat took off along the river, under a bridge, houses standing on the water, sighing with envy at the folks lucky enough to live so close to such a beautiful place. Looking at islands come and go. Some large, some tiny enough for just one tree. Show-offs on jet skis buzzed us. Motorboats waved by us. We stood there in the breeze just drinking it all in. What seems weird though is the US side is so - industrial; and the Canadian side all beautiful houses, wooded and almost fairy tale like. We came to a trio of islands with an enormous castle on it. The Boldt castle. For two days we'd been seeing the authentic stuff. This one..well... to put it kindly..doesnt hold a candle to the real thing! Who did it belong to? A search on Google reveals that it was built as a monument of love of George C Boldt for his wife Louise. I have no idea who they are! It's been donated to the authorities and is open for public viewing.  

Then it was back to good ole Toronto again.. Sigh! What a wonderful weekend. By the way - the Cathedral was so beautiful - I had to take a video - which is also available on my picasaweb page.

Beijing - A new Day in a New Country: Pt Un

April 26th, 2009

So I am back from Beijing.. News flash for those of you who did not know exactly how excited I was to be visiting a country I never even dreamed of going to. And for those of you not following my status on facebook. Many of you have asked me about my trip and how I liked it.

So let's start at the beginning. My adventures began on the way to Beijing itself.

I was meeting up with Kevin, my colleague and friend at Newark airport where we would do the hop to Beijing in a Continental flight. My flight from Toronto came in ahead of his, and we met up at the gate to the Beijing flight. We spent a few hours in the Continental club lounge before heading back for boarding. The flight was not quite full, and Kevin the lucky so-and-so got to board before I did – being the elite flier that he is. I was quite glad that he was on the same flight as I. It’s unnerving to land in a new country and not speak the language, never mind the fact that the 13 hour flight would not be quite so boring with someone to share it with. We’d planned to get some work done on the flight. So a couple of hours after the plane takes off, I decide to walk around and find him. The flight wasn’t quite full, and most of the rows were mostly occupied  in the aisle and window seats with empty center seats. We could easily swap seats and find ones next to each other! Well, my walk around was futile. I didn’t find him. Must be in the bathroom – I thought, and headed back to my seat. A few hours later, same walk around, same result. Where was the man? I was starting to feel like I was in the twilight zone. A kindly flight attendant offered to help me look him up in the manifest. A few minutes later she came back with a puzzled look. There was no Kevin on board. Now I was DEFINITELY in the Twilight zone.. how could it be? Kevin is hard to miss (see pic) and he HAD boarded before I did. Where could he be? And besides, how come he didn’t come by to my seat – I had told him I was in 34A. This was getting weird.

The flight goes straight North – up over Canada for about five hours,  past Greenland, and then curves over the North Pole and drops South into Siberia, Mongolia and China. The ride over the North Pole is a sight to behold. Vast tracts of white – ice as far as the eye can see. I saw a crevasse that looked bigger than the Grand Canyon – you could see the layers of ice in the buildup. I don’t know quite how deep it was. It’s scary and awe-inspiring, all at the same time. Somewhere, we crossed the 0 deg/180 deg longitude and it was the next day – just like that. The landscape changes slowly, oh so slowly. The ground as I see it is dry, jagged. Peaks of green pierce up through the light brown loamy soil, and I couldn’t make out if there were trees or not. Far to my right, I saw jagged, glistening white peaks. As we’re coming into Beijing airspace, the signs of humanity increase. Fields of paddy? Soy? Cut into little squares. In the center of these squares are blue-painted metal building roof-tops. Communes? I don’t know.

The airport in Beijing is to the North-East of the city. As I come out of the plane, I see Kevin at the top of the escalators. You cannot imagine the relief I felt! We walked through an impressive airport, and like most international airports there are a series of duty free shops. We walk out into the sunlight, grab a cab. All around us were little flaky things that look like snow flying around. Poplar tree flowers, Kevin informed me. The Guangdong highway leads into Beijing city and is very like any other international highway – except the signs are in Chinese and English. Green poplars line the highway. But very soon I realized, driving here is like driving in India. It’s a free for all. You got space? My car will nose in. Wow!!

The hotel was about ½ hour away – the Crowne Plaza Wuzhou Park View… overlooking the Bird’s nest stadium. Yes, it’s that close – literally across the street. It’s a great hotel; the staff all seemed to know Kevin – which was a relief. At the desk, while checking in, I heard a name – Eric. I turned to see another American checking in. It was Eric, our new Project manager whom neither Kevin nor I had met before. Kevin introduced us and we made plans to meet up after we’d all freshened up.

The room is like any other room in a five-star hotel. With one exception – there are no religious artifacts in the room. There was one more difference - which Kevin later pointed out. There are condoms in the bedside drawer – courtesy the hotel mini-bar!! Yes, you have to pay to use them. LMAO.

That first day, we went for a walk. Eric needed a cell phone, and I needed a new SIM card. The phone I’d purchased in India was going to come in handy. It was quite the experience. Kevin took us to the cell phone store, and we made our purchases. Then it was on for the walk. The streets are very clean. But quickly you spot the gobs of spit on the sidewalks. There are no beggars; in all my time there, I only spotted one couple busking – not a single other pan-handler. There aren’t that many bicycles either – something I’d come to believe was endemic to China. A lot of cars on the streets, but not many motorbikes. The cars are mostly either newer makes or really old ones. The ones I spotted most were Citroen, Buick, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, BMW, Acura and surprisingly the Mazda6. Crossing the street is desi-style – just run across. Having just come back from Pune, I was totally not surprised.

Single men – especially foreigners – will often get accosted by really pretty Chinese girls on the streets, who get really friendly and are willing to do anything – for money. Yes, you guessed it.. Professionals.

Next to our hotel was a karaoke bar – which was also a place to get special massages…...THAT kind of special massage.

Dinner was a revelation. Kevin took us to this small eatery, which was quite good. The food was good, too. But ordering from the menu was quite strenuous. We learnt that the easiest way to order was to point to menu – written in Chinese and English, and the waiter would write it down. You had to trust that they understood what you wanted. Do not order ice. And always order drinks out of a can or a bottle. Pointing is considered rude, so gesture in the general direction. Speaking loudly and slowly is completely pointless – its just hilarious watching someone try it. I know, one of our team – a big African-American man tried doing it with Diet Coke. Turns out its called Light Coke in China! And hand gestures are considered rude too. So sign language is kind of limited. But I digress.

The next day I got one more lesson in communication. Kevin carries around this card in his wallet and made me and Eric get one each. On the one side is the address of the hotel – written in English and Mandarin. As we hailed a cab to get to work,  he  flipped the card to the side where he’d got one of our Chinese colleagues to write out directions to our work site in Chinese. ‘Shey-shey’ I found out was Thank you in Chinese. And we repeated that – A LOT!! The ride to the client site was interesting. In the distance were the mountains – I still haven’t figured out what that range is called. I must check it out on Google earth. The atmosphere was a little hazy, but not as smoggy as I had feared. And so began my first day in a Chinese workplace.

Beijing - Day One

Things to do tomorrow

April 14th, 2009

After traveling through a 12-hr time difference, 48 hours of waking up on 2 hours of sleep, a glass of wine, and a glass of caipirinha - Here's what I end up doing - writing poetry at 12:30 in the morning....Granted some of the references are rather specific and/or oblique... but hey!! It's my first night in China!

As I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
I pray I wake up fresh and nice
Have a glass of juice with no ice
There's things to do, and places to go
There's so much more that I don’t know
History loads must take place somehow
I have to write the code, just not now
Sequencers to build, and then to test
Field questions from the client, developers and the rest
Think on my feet, just pray I dont fall
And if I do, get up and stand tall
Kedar needs help on his Delivery job
And Jay needs to finish, and dont forget the OHUB
Extractors are now crashing
My hopes are now dashing
Make the date, or just push on.....
Did I miss something,
Or did I add some on
Two drinks and two hours of sleep
You think I'm thinking straight?
Heck, no - I'm done!