The adventures of a Chinese guy, his sports car, and an instant pot

What an adventure today was! We drove to St Viateur for bagels, a 24 hour bagel shop. Even now, it still baffles me that they have a market where offering just fresh bagels 24 hours a day is a sustainable business model. They’ve been in business since 1957, so they must be doing something right! We purchase the bagels, and drove to Mount Royal to consume them at the picnic benches by the parking lot there. I actually brought with me a bagel knife, plates, and a large tub of cream cheese from Toronto. My brother had an accident with the bagel knife, and cut his finger, so we packed everything up right away, rushed to a local WalMart for some bandages, and a new case of water.

Right afterwards, we all drove back to Mount Royale, to scale the top of the mountain.

I drove everyone to Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal to see the cane Shrine. It was a very big church. I was too tired, so I just stayed in the car to take a nap for a bit.

Afterwards, I drove my brother to a local coffee roaster to pick up a pack of local beans. He actually took his coffee kit with him from back home. We brewed a cup of fresh coffee that night. It was quite good. It had a very nice chocolatey flavor to it, with hints of berries that lingers. I really liked it!

In the past, I was always told to go to Schwartz for their Montreal smoked meats. I was very disappointed after lining up for a long time for some over-priced sandwich in some dingy cafe that apparently hasn’t been renovated since 1988! So yeah, I never went back. This time, I was told on good authority that Lester’s was a hidden gem that the locals go to for proper smoked meat. So that is where I went. The nice guy behind the counter actually recommended that I purchase just 1 lb of smoked meats, and half a loaf of bread instead of buying several pre-made sandwiches, to save money. I actually upped the 1 lb, to 1.5 pounds, and consumed the whole amount at a local park. Everybody was very satisfied with the food, and I don’t think I would think twice about visiting this restaurant for future visits! I actually got everything as a takeout, and ate at a park that was actually a block away!

Since the bagel shop was literally a block away from the smoked meat shop, we purchased another dozen bagels from them for the roadtrip to Quebec City the next day that afternoon. Can you believe that they were busier than they were that morning?!

For the final destination of the Montreal leg of this road trip, I decided to try and explore a part of the RESO underground city. Unfortunately, everybody was super tired, and wasn’t up to walking too much, so we had to cut the trip short, and drove back to the hotel.

I will definitely be visiting the RESO again when I come back in the future. I will be dedicating more time to explore by myself.

So far, everybody has been quite impressed with my gourmet choices and suggestions in Montreal. I am a little apprehensive about tomorrow, since I only spent a very small amount of time in Quebec city, and I actually never had a proper meal in a restaurant there. But we seemed to have filled our itinerary, so I hope everything goes smoothly just like the past few days without too much hiccup.

Woke up relatively early, ate breakfast at some random greasy spoon in an industrial park of all places. Not knocking it, it was good food for good value. It was actually cheaper and much more satisfying than your typical McD meal. The proprietor of the restaurant was very nice and polite.

While driving to Montreal, we stopped somewhere in between for a pee stop. I saw a random military tank just parked out in a field!

Drove straight to Chinatown for my fav meal, at Amigos. Parking was for 20 for several hours, not bad, but still kinda pricey. Luckily everything was within walking distance.

Did the usual touristy stuff. Walked up and down Old Montreal. Then walked towards Then to the Old Port. It was very lively at this time of year, even for a Monday afternoon. I wish Toronto would have something like that some day, in my lifetime!

We briefly drove to Olympic Stadium. What a disappointment that place is. The place is so run down, and the surrounding neighborhood feels so sketchy.

Afterwards, I drove to the residences of Habitat 67. We snuck in, and took pictures all around. Then got kicked out by the security guard. My brother, the engineer, did NOT have much good things to say about their architecture design.

After getting kicked out, we drove straight next door to the Casino. I think this is the first time I have ever been to the Casino during the day. It looks so nice outside, without all the artificial LED lights all around. I also saw some guy who drove a super clean EK Civic! Too bad it was an automatic!

By then, we were all quite peckish. I wanted to go try proper Montreal style Poutine. So after some quick research, I discover the best place for authentic Poutine was at La Banquise. So after paying for street parking, I walked towards the restaurant only to be greeted with this.

We decided to get takeout instead and consume it at the hotel afterwards. I found some random park benches set up on the street next to the restaurant, and we decided to eat it there instead. We all agreed that the poutine was definitely worth the lineup!

I purchased two grand sized poutines, one traditional, and one Elvis style. It was enough to feed FOUR grown adults. We actually struggled to finish consuming the last few pieces left over!

After that, I booked a hotel about 30 minutes away from central downtown. I’ve had several friends in the past who had their vehicles vandalized while parking in Montreal. I don’t want to be the next victim. It was actually a nice clean facility, for not a lot of money.

Anyway, big final day tomorrow in Montreal. Then it is Quebec City proper! Come back tomorrow for the next installment!

Woke up really really early at 7AM to start driving to the Parliament building. I scheduled two different tours, one at 9:40, and one at 10:40 for the Senate and the House of Commons tours. Unfortunately, the main building is still under construction, until 2031, (your tax dollars at work!) so the tour was not as interesting as before. I really enjoyed being in the Library in the past. Because of potential terrorist activities in the past, both tours resulted us in going through some heavy duty airport like security. They apparently took great interest in inspecting my brothers flashlight both times.

The Centennial flame still looked amazing. Because we were there so early, we practically had the whole site to ourselves. The weather was very sunny, so it made life a lot easier.

We watched the Rideau Canal Locks in use, where some boats were being transported. That was kinda neat to watch.

Afterwards, we went to the Royal Mint. I was told on good authority that they had a massive bar of gold (that is heavily guarded) where we were invited to lift, hold, and take pictures with. Unfortunately, the security guard was not there today, so they placed the bar of gold away, and replaced it with a bar of silver.

We were supposed to go to Byward Market yesterday, but the rain delayed that. We walked there today, since it was very close to the Parliament building, and had a quick lunch. It was amazing seeing so much people just walking around. I love the energy that place had.

Right after lunch, we went to Chinatown. Man, compared to the Byward Market, this place was so dead! Even the Toronto Chinatown had more action than this. I took a picture of the 牌樓 (Pai Fang), it actually looked quite nice.

Another destination I wanted to hit yesterday was Dow’s Lake park, but the rain held us back, so we went today. Mom just took a lawnchair, and slept under the shade as we explored the park. The first time I visited this park was several months ago during Tulip Fest.

Our final destination was at Remic Rapids Park. The Balanced Rock sculptures were kinda neat. I remember seeing similar sculptures in Nova Scotia, but this one seems more extreme! They actually roped things off to protect it from vandalism. I hope it works, but I highly doubt it. Unfortunately, it started raining again. Did take some nice pictures, but didn’t stay too long.

And that would conclude our Ottawa trip. The next time I update this blog, I will most likely be updating you from Montreal.

Good night.

Started driving at 8AM. Uneventful, except for crazy rain during parts of the trip. Stopped at the Big Apple, purchased an apple pie, and shortly after that, visited the Giant Toonie. I only stopped briefly at the Giant Toonie, because of the rain. So now, I’ve visited the Big Nickle (in Sudbury), the big Dime (in Lunenberg), and the Giant Toonie (in Campbellford). Just a few more trips, and I think I will get all the Canadian coins! Because of the way the trip was routed, I decided to just drive highway 7 all the way into Ottawa this time. Reminder, don’t do this next time. Single lane highway, max 80km/hr whereas 401 was a lot faster, with more lanes. However, I think it helped me a bit this time, because it allowed me to drive a bit slower because of the rain.

Made it to Ottawa at roughly 4PM. I wanted to go to Byward Market and Dow’s lake park today, but the rain held me back. Instead, I just drove back to the dorm facilities and unpacked, rested, and made dinner (with my instantpot) I guess I will fit that part into tomorrow. I hope it doesn’t rain!

The rain let up a bit in the evening, so I decided to go to the local Casino. It was very small! I think they’re in the process of building a newer and bigger facility next door. The facility was very clean and nice, nothing to complain about, but just didn’t feel very special. It was still better than Halifax imho, since it had plenty of free parking 24/7. Yeah, I’m still bitter.

It was a saturday evening! Where was everybody? Why is the parking lot so empty?

Anyway, big day tomorrow. Hope the weather co-operates.

Yeah. I’m driving again. This time it’s with friends and family members in a 16 year old Honda Accord! The car is all prepped and packed, and I will be driving at 8AM EST, roughly 5 hours from now. You must be wondering why I am here still updating my blog when I really should be sleeping. Some dumbass friend decided to WhatsApp me at 2AM. Fuck you Miko!

The InstantPot and minifridge will be with me again. It’s going to be an interesting trip. This is probably my first roadtrip where all my hotel plans have already been booked! In the past, I’ve always just winged it, or preferably, just slept in the car. But I’m not driving solo this time, so things will be very different.

First stop is to Ottawa, so only a few hours of driving. If I do get tired, I’ll just pass the reigns onto my brother while I catch some beauty sleep in the car.

Oh, and I’m not usually a country music fan, but for some reason this blog entry reminded me of this song.

you know the drill

I wasn’t about to update this blog so soon, but a recent natural event made me change my mind.

I just found out from Murray that Nova Scotia just received 3 months worth of rain in a span of 24 hours. I immediately called the Duke to follow up, and was relieved to learn that she was safe and sound at home.

I saw the aftermath of the storm. I am grateful I was able to escape the storm. I hope everyone affected will recover from this terrible situation soon with minimal impact. This really hit the province hard. I found out the Lunenburg area has been hit particularly hard. So far, it has been reported that 19 bridges have been damaged, along with 6 more that were completely destroyed province wide.

I have attached some pictures and videos I have found on various social media talking about this storm. To my new found friends at Nova Scotia, please stay safe, and I am wishing you all a speedy recovery from this latest disaster.

It’s only a few hours driving back to Toronto from Montreal. I make it home by noon time. I spent the next day in the hot scorching heat just re-installing the rear seats, and cleaning out the interior. When you’ve been living in the car for over a week, things get grimy and gross. I actually removed the front seats also in order to properly clean the car properly.

By the time I was finished cleaning the interior, I was much too exhausted from the heat that I put off washing the exterior until the next day.

There was a LOT of dead bugs stuck to the front of the car. Upon closer inspection, I also have a lot of stone chips and other minor scratches throughout the body of the car. But the car is back to being relatively clean and presentable again. Unlike me….

The fuel calculations are as follows.

Total Date	2023-06-30 to 2023-07-09
KM Traveled	5282
KM/L	13.20450483
MPG Converted (mixed)	31.05897604
Fuel Consumed (L)	400.015
Fuel Total Cost (Canadian Pesos)	723.87
$/KM	0.137044793

Fuel prices was a bit more than my Vancouver trip, most likely because it costs more in the east coast, and also, fuel prices post pandemic is higher. As I always say, everything goes up in price, except wages. But overall, I think it isn’t that expensive. A direct flight from YYZ to YHZ direct via Air Canada currently cost about $500. That doesn’t include the rental car I’d need once I have arrived, and all those interesting adventures I had in between. Once I factor that in, plus the savings I had from cooking my own meals, I think I came out ahead.

At this time, I would like to thank the following people who helped make this trip possible.

Murray – thank you for planting the idea to visit your wonderful hometown so many years ago. I never thought this trip would be possible.

Duke and Carolyne – I had a great time having lunch with you two. Thank you for helping me refine my trip, especially with interesting places to visit by the Cabot Trail. I hope to be able to visit your fine town again soon.

To my team at the SB OCC – the past year has been very difficult with many challenges. You guys took excellent care of me, and made it possible for me to realize this dream. Thank you.

To YOU – all three of you this time. Thank you for following my blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed updating these entries.

So this would conclude a dream that took almost 5 years to complete. It definitely exceeded my wildest expectations. What is next? I’m not sure yet at this time. However, as the famous E.B. Johnson once said Don’t Set Goals, Set Milestones. I promise this won’t be my last road trip, especially with my BRZ (and Instant Pot).

At this time, I would like to close off this blog with a picture of my final meal somewhere in a rest stop in east Ontario. Amazingly, I did not have a single meal at McDonalds or Tim Hortons!

With that said, I will be placing this blog in hibernation mode again. Thank you and good night.

So with much sadness, I began my trip back home today. Yesterday evening, I began driving back to Moncton, New Brunswick. At the beginning of the trip, I stopped at Quebec City, and bypassed Montreal, since I have never been in Quebec City before. It was very beautiful there. I decided to do the opposite on my return trip, since I haven’t been to Montreal in several years. On my way to Montreal, I stopped in the middle of nowhere in a WalMart parking lot, and made lunch with my instant pot. As I was waiting for it to get ready, an older model Dodge Caravan drove towards me, and out come this guy wearing a white shirt and tie. Apparently, he was a Jehovah Witness member, and tried to preach to me. I politely told him I wasn’t interested, and he drove off. What a weird encounter.

My first stop in Montreal was to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants there, and had dinner. I never realize how busy Montreal is during the summer/weekend. I guess I have always gone during the low season, winter time or non weekend times.

I also stopped by Montreal Casino just to see. Again, it was very busy. Montreal actually has one of the best Canadian casinos in my opinion. Oddly enough, they close at 2AM. Apparently, there is some kind of job action/strike happening. Last time I was in this casino, we were quickly kicked out, because of plumbing issues, and they had non running water. Maybe I am just bad luck to this place?

I would rank the Casinos I have visited in this trip as follows.

1 – Montreal Casino. The atmosphere is amazing. I love the multi level layout. The front entrance is just so beautiful at night. One of these days, I will go during the day to see what it is like around the area.

2 – New Brunswick Casino in Moncton. Not as busy or well laid out as the Montreal Casino, but the connected Hotel is quite nice. The buffet restaurant is nothing special. I got carded by the security guard here!

3 – Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax. I’m still very bitter being charged for parking. It was also the least busy casino in the evening. They don’t even have a self serve complimentary refreshment station. I think them choosing to use a central downtown location for the facility was their biggest mistake. I really enjoyed walking outside this casino around the dock area by the ocean.

You must think I am a big time gambler based on this post. I only spent $30 at the Moncton Casino for the buffet. I’m not really comfortable gambling my money. In fact, my friend tried to get me to put $20 into one of the slot machines for him on a specific machine. I just wasn’t comfortable with it, and declined the offer. Gambling never appealed to me. But I do like visiting Casinos just to walk around.