Burin Peninsula - First Road Trip in Newfoundland

In mid-October I began a research project in collaboration with the communities of the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland to explore opportunities for working together regionally. Over the past weeks I have been exploring the region through reports and conference calls. Last week I had the opportunity to travel to the Burin Peninsula to meet with community leaders, business, and government representatives. After reading giant piles of academic literature and government reports for the past two months the opportunity to travel to the region was a welcomed change of environment.

The Burin Peninsula is located 4 hours way from St. John's by car. The region is home to approximately 10,000 people living in mostly coastal communities. Here are a few photographs from the region.

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Two Months on the Rock

It is hard to believe I have been a resident of Newfoundland for over two months. It seems like just yesterday I began the 5,114 kilometre drive to the east coast. The last two months in a nutshell can be described in three words: rain, rain, rain. In all my life I have never seen so much rain in a short period of time. Almost every day over the past two months have consisted of rain and/or fog (usually both).

Other than the rain, life on the east coast has been good. Settling into the community was fairly easy and my program at Memorial University is really good. A couple of weeks ago in the rain I was getting a bit arrogant with my ability to navigate around the city. Shortly thereafter I discovered I was at the harbour when the intended destination was my apartment - only 10 miles apart! Needless to say I have been consulting the map a little more often.

Although I have only been in St. John's for two months I have learned a few lessons:

• My vocabulary is inadequate for describing rain. Newfoundlanders have terms to describe the rain I have never heard of before.
• Newfoundland English is distinct, such as yaffle or yaffling.
• The price of bananas is outrageous - currently $1.30 per pound.
• The wind is a constant factor daily. My methods of describing the strength of the wind do not match local residents. Need to revise how I describe the wind.

Leia Mais…

Hello St. John's

After 5,000 kilometres of driving and a 14 hour ferry ride I arrived in St. John's! It is hard to believe that a full week has passed since I started the adventure. I would like to indicate I accomplished great things over the past week, however, that would be a lie. I accomplished nothing other than driving, singing to the radio, and sometimes talking to myself. I will also admit to a few wrong turns, or scenic drives.

Although I would like nothing more than to kick back and relax for a few days I need to quickly get organized and prepare for meetings and classes. I have meetings scheduled throughout much of Wednesday and the university classes start 8:30 AM (6 AM in Manitoba time) on Thursday morning. In between the meetings and classes I also have a small matter of finding a place to live! I have a few leads that I am hoping will translate into a roof over my head. Hopefully by the end of weekend I have resolved the immediate unknowns. I am hoping by the end of the month I will be fully settled in the city (this may be optimistic).

Leia Mais…

One Day of Driving Remaining

After arriving in Moncton, New Brunswick I realized only one day of driving remaining. The last let of my journey will be driving to North Sydney, Nova Scotia to board the ferry to Newfoundland. After a 14 hour ferry ride I will arrive in Argentia, Newfoundland on Tuesday afternoon.

It is hard to believe I departed Manitoba a week ago. Over 3,500 kilometres have been driven over the past seven days.

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2,492 km Completed - 1,595 + Ferry Ride Remaining

Three days of driving has translated into almost 2,500 kilometres. I arrived in Montreal around supper time today after having driven across much of northern Ontario and Quebec. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of traffic and the abundance of radio stations. Unfortunately, the traffic came in the form of painfully slow 5th wheel trailers and the radio stations were predominantly French! I learned to be careful what I wished for.

I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning, something I have not done in a couple of weeks. I will spend a couple of days in Montreal before beginning the final leg of the journey through eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia. I have to ensure I am in North Sydney, Nova Scotia by 6 PM on Monday to catch the ferry to Argentia, Newfoundland. Missing the ferry translates into a 3 day delay.

Leia Mais…

In the Middle of Nowhere - Ontario

After two days of driving I have arrived in the middle of nowhere in northern Ontario. To be specific, I have arrived in Kirkland Lakes - about 50 km west of the Ontario-Quebec border. Yesterday I had the privilege of entering a new province; today, however, I was not awarded that luxury! It amazes me how long it takes to drive through Ontario.

I departed Thunder Bay this morning only to encounter a multi-vehicle accident on the highway. The GPS navigator provided me an alternative route through Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and eventually back to the highway. Although the GPS navigator was quick to produce an alternative route, I was a little slower in granting it my confidence. Without a hiccup I was back on the highway and driving through northern Ontario. Amenities dropped liked rocks in water as distance from Thunder Bay grew. An hour outside Thunder Bay I lost cell phone reception and after two hours I was without any radio signals. While on the Greenbelt Highway a good 2.5 hours passed without seeing any vehicles or wildlife (not disappointed in missing the last).

Tomorrow will be a 800 km drive through northwestern Quebec with the ultimate destination of Montreal. If all goes as planned I will have a few days to kick back and relax in Montreal before departing for the East Coast.

Leia Mais…

5,000 km Journey Begins

After cleaning out my apartment and tying up loose errands at work I departed on the seven day, 5,000 km journey to St. John's. If all goes as planned I will arrive on September 8 in the mid afternoon. My anticipated route will take me through Thunder Bay, Kirkland Lakes, Montreal, Moncton, and North Sydney before boarding the ferry to Newfoundland.

I am in no real rush to arrive in St. John's. This is partly attributed to the desire to enjoy the drive and take in all the scenery. The other part is that I have no clue where I will be living once I arrive in the city! For the past six weeks I have been emailing and phoning every landlord in the city trying to arrange housing. I have had little success, although still optimistic I will locate a place. I have a few plans for housing:

Plan A is to locate a place when I arrive

Plan B is tent for a while in St. John's while I locate a place

Plan C is to find a large cardboard box (such as a fridge box) and position it in a sheltered area. Given the winds in St. John's I do not anticipate this will be a long term solution!

Regardless of the situation, I have no doubt it will all work out.

Leia Mais…

Slight Mid-Air Emergency Delay (not for or caused by me) but in Toronto

Almost 30 hours since I boarded my first plane in Johannesburg, South Africa yesterday and I am now back on Canadian soil in Toronto. The first segment of my return from South Africa to Germany was uneventful - which considering the recent aviation events is not a bad thing. The second leg of the journey home (Germany - Toronto) got a bit interesting.

Three hours into the Frankfurt - Toronto flight a frantic announcement requesting a medical doctor on board to identify them self to a crew member. The older gentlemen sitting across the aisle from me eventually identified himself as a doctor and was rushed to somewhere in the back of the aircraft (not sure where exactly as I received an upgrade to executive class where you cant see any of the economy people). After a lot of excitement and increased blood pressure for the in-flight staff the situation seemed to loose urgency. Eventually the doctor returned to his seat with a slightly disgusted look on his face as apparently the event was nothing too major. A women had passed out when she got up to go to the washroom which was the catalyst for hysteria. When the women came to she was quite worked up and was demanded to go to the nearest hospital for treatment - I am not sure she necessarily recalled that we were 39,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.

When we arrived in Toronto the plane was met by full paramedic and emergency service personnel. All passengers had to wait on the plane until the women was carried out on a stretcher by paramedics. As a result, I missed my connecting plane to Winnipeg. Fortunately, I received a seat on the next flight out to Winnipeg this afternoon without any delays. By late this evening I should (pending any other delays) be back in Brandon.

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Not a Real Trip without a Robbery

When I arrived yesterday in Johannesburg I was not joined by luggage. Apparently, it decided to spend an extra night in Mozambique. Although an inconvenience it was fairly minor as I am on the final days of my adventure. My luggage would follow on the next flight and be delivered to my hostel late that evening. I was skeptical of the evening delivery however my luggage did appear - or part of my luggage.

Somewhere between checking my luggage in Maputo and its delivery to the hostel my possessions were informally re-distributed to new owners. How convenient. After the thieves broke the lock on my bag (which they kindly placed inside my bag) they proceeded rumage around my bag and steal five items: winter jacket, shoes, flashlight, hat, and sandals. Thankfully this occurred near the end of my trip and not the beginning. I spent much of this afternoon filling out airline re-imbursement forms and police reports. The odds of being adequately compensated would appear to be slim, however, I would welcome the surprise.

No adventure would be complete without one robbery!

Leia Mais…

R$500 to See a Doc in South Africa - Thanks Maptuo!

Maputo was such an interesting city, however, I am not too disappointed to have left the city! The night before leaving I noticed small red dots on my shoulder. My first thought was bed bugs but after investigating further I ruled out this possibility. Although reassuring it was not bed bugs I would like to have known the source of the mysterious red bumps - insect bite or allergic reaction? I started to wonder about the greasy mystery meat I was served and if it could be the source. This morning when I went to investigate the red dots on my shoulder I discovered while I was sleeping the dots reproduced! Rather than try to locate a hospital/clinic in Maputo and then try to explain the situation in English to a Portuguese doctor I waited until I arrived in Johannesburg as a decent hospital is located about 20 minute walk from my hostel.

When I arrived at the walkin clinic the first question from the receptionist was "how will you be paying". Such a foreign concept to pay for medical services before even presenting your name. Before I could proceed into the examination room the receptionist wanted an imprint of my cred card - I guess this was so that I couldn't dash off without paying! Perhaps I look like the sort of shady character that would dash off without paying? After a short 10 minute wait I was visited by a doctor who declared the red dots tropical insect bites common to Mozambique. When the doctor inquired about my accommodations in Maputo I started to laugh and then proceeded to tell him about the elevator that didn't quite reach the 8th floor. He laughed and sympathized as he has stayed once at the Hotel Santa Cruz! After hearing the description of the tropical insects and the side effects I was glad I headed into the hospital. This type of insect bite can lead to massive infections and all sorts of nasty stuff. The doctor handed me a prescription for 3 different medications (none of which I can pronounce, let alone spell). Before the door closed when the doctor left the office the receptionist was in the room with the bill for 500 Rand (equivalent of C$80) for the doctor consultation and and 100 Rand (~C$15) for taking my temperature and blood pressure.

I am happy to say that I am drugged up and feeling fine. In a couple of days I should be back to normal and in my own bed in Brandon.

Leia Mais…

Roosters + Car Alarms + Pigeons = Little Sleep

The 'faulty towers' like accommodations is proving to be a constant source of amusement, however, not a place to get much sleep. Unlike previous accommodations it is not my neighbours keeping me up. Rather three events usually wake me up every hour:

1. Similar to Zambia there are a few roosters within proximity to the hostel that start annoying me at 4:30 AM.
2. Throughout the night and early morning there is usually one car alarm going off each hour. My assumption is that someone is trying to informally distribute wealth. Each alarm usually goes off for 5-10 minutes before it is turned off.
3. Two walls of my hostel room are entirely windows. This provides a great view of the city through the 'somewhat' clean windows. Unfortunately, it also provides a ledge for pigeons to congregate on once the sun rises. There oh so pleasant sounds usually start after the car alarms end - I guess no one wants to steal a car in the day light hours!

Since the weather is absolutely beautiful (unlike Cape Town) I am willing to contend with interrupted sleep.

Leia Mais…

From Luxury to ´Faulty Towers´ - Bon Dias Moçambique

For my last night in Cape Town I switched accommodation locations as getting to the airport is a costly activity from the hostel I was staying. I opted to re-locate to the Holiday Inn in the central business district - a bit more money per night but they provided a free shuttle to the airport in the morning. By comparison to all my accommodations to date in Africa the Holiday Inn was like living in luxury. I will admit to enjoying the ammenities of the hotel.

I arrived in Moçambique without any challenges. The country is unlike any other I have visited in Africa before. How to describe Moçambique ... it is kind of like Africa meets South America. However, not in the shake your neighbour's hand kind of meeting; I mean two frieght trains colliding kind of meeting. This type of meeting combined with the influence of Portugal makes and interesting combination that I am looking forward to exploring.

I was able to make arrangements for my first night in Maputo via the internet in Cape Town. When I arrived at Hotel Santa Cruz I quickly realized my experiences in luxury were over. The faded pink 13 floor building look run down and closed. Since it was dark when I arrived and my taxi drove off I had no desire to locate another hotel room in Maputo. From the life of luxury in Cape Town I arrived at a Faulty Towers like hotel in Maputo. The first indication the hotel was going to be an experience was when they handed me my free ration of toilet paper and soap with my room key. If I require more soap or toilet paper I would need to purchase it at the market across the road! I can honestly say this the first time I have ever been provided a ration of toilet paper.

The elevator was the next indicator of an true experience. The front desk clerk showed me to the elevator and informed me (in broken English) that it didn't stop on properly on the 8th floor. I would need to step up from the elevator onto the 8th floor. As the elevator traveled up I envisioned a small step that one could trip on - again, a naive thought. When the elevator stop I had to throw my bags onto the 8th floor and actually climb out of the elevator car. There was a good 2 foot difference in height!

On the surface my room seemed adequate - definitely did not have the amenities fo the Holiday Inn but functional. The room had a spectacular view of the city skyline from my room - very few buildings in Maputo exceed 10 floors. The light in the bathroom resembles a horror film flickering on and off and there is no water between 10 AM and 12 noon. This was a slight hint I didn't want to be eating at the hotel restaurant during these hours!

Oh the hotel restaurant - the final great experience of my frist day in Maputo. I was the only person in the place when I walked in at 8 PM. The waiter in what I think was broken English introduced me to his wife and then proceeded to offer me the special. Before he could describe the special he sent his wife off to cook it for me. 30 minutes later I had the 'special' - a greasy piece of dark meat with a lemon sauce, potatoe, and salad. The meat reminded me of goose but was much tougher. As the waiter and his wife watched me eat I had the pleasure of eating the entire mystery meat.

Maputo is going to be an experience!

Leia Mais…

Almost an Upset

The entire country were on the edge of their seats yesterday afternoon for the soccer match between South Africa (ranked 73 in the world) and Spain (ranked first in the world). The bronze match of the FIFA Confederation Cup should have been a blow out for Spain, however, Bafana Bafana had other plans.

Interesting the match was broadcast in both English and Africaans on the same channel, switching languages every ten minutes. I will admit this was a little confusing at first. The South Africans opening the scoring in the last 20 minutes of the game and looked to be cruising to victory when Spain scored two goals in the last two minutes of regulation time. The stadium started to clear out and people started leaving the pub I was in as well. In extra time the South Africans scored a great goal to tie the game, sending it to overtime. Unforutnately, the South Africans could not equal the effort of Spain in extra time and end up losing the match. Judging the reaction from the crowd in the pub one would have thought they were not watching the same game as the crowd was singing, dancing, and excited (even though their team lost the match). I can only imagine the excitement should Bafana Bafana won the match.

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Bafana Bafana

The FIFA Confederations Cup has been one of three huge sporting events ongoing in South Africa since I arrived. On any given day you can watch either a live match or non-stop repeats of previous matches. The other two key sporting events at the moment are the cricket world cup and UK-SA rugby series. The ticket prices and the location of the stadiums combined with the poor public transportation has resulted in only watching matches on the television. Even though I have not been able to take in a match live it has still been an experience.

South Africa received an automatic berth in the tournament as the 2010 World Cup hosts, not based on the previous performances. Coming in to the tournament the media had written off the team and most media was calling for the coach to be fired before the tournament even started! My first experience was watching the South Africa - Iraq game in Johannesburg at a small smoky pub (Joburg has a no indoor smoking policy, however, it is viewed as optional). The bar was wall to walk people to the point where you could not actually make your way to the bar to buy a beer. You had to pass your money through the crowd with your request and your beer would be passed back. The bar was packed and every other person brought a vuvuzela - a plastic horn. The place was super loud to start with and whenever South Africa (or Bafana Bafana as they are locally referred to as) came within scoring distance the vuvuzelas would be blown to ensure the walls of the poor pub were shaking. By half time the game as a 0-0 draw.

The Bafana Bafana surprisingly advanced into the playoffs however met their match in Brazil. Tonight is the bronze medal game against Spain and the celebration has already started on the streets (5 hours and counting before the game even starts!). I am sure tonight will be another experience.

Leia Mais…

I Didn't Come to Africa to See Snow

After two days of 'heavy weather warnings' Mother Nature cooperated and provided a bit of relief. The winds continued to gust today, however, no rains and for a while a bit of sun. The good fortune translated into a hike up Table Mountain to see the amazing skyline view of the city. A group of four of us departed from the hostel on the "2 hour" hike up the mountain. We foolish believed the local hiker coming day the trail that it would only take us non-locals two hours.

The first hour of climbing was easy but boring. There was no view other than into the living rooms and bedrooms of people living along the edge of the mountain. Since this was the first nice day of weather in a while every one was outside so there was nothing to see even in the apartments. The second hour the hike was still easy and the view was amazing. You could see the entire bowl of the city, the mountains on the other side, and the ocean. This section of the hike provided momentum for finishing the hike. At this stage we now realized 2 hours had passed and we could barely make out the top of table mountain - so much for the 2 hour prediction from the local hiker! The final hour to the top of Table Mountain almost killed us. The hike pretty much went straight up hill. I am sure the view was amazing but if you didn't concentrate on the 'trail' (small clearing among the lose rocks) you were a goner! Head down, hands out, and try not falling to the bottom of the mountain was the motto.

After 3 hours of hiking we conquered Table Mountain! The temperature along the hike had been quite warm and as a result I had peeled off most of the layers of clothing I was wearing. After the excitement of reaching the top of the mountain subsided I quickly had to put every layer of clothing I had back on. The temperature at the top of the mountain was only 1 C. Within an hour the temperature had dropped to -1C and snow flakes began to fall. Two of my fellow hikers from Mozambique were thrilled to see snow flakes for the first time in the lives. I on the other hand was not impressed. I did not come half around the world to see snow flakes! I can see those five months of the year.

The original plan was to hike up and down the mountain to save the ridiculous fee for riding the gondola. This plan was discarded around the beginning of the third hour of hiking when consensus was quickly reached that VISA would facilitate the ride down the mountain. This new plan was confirmed when reading the trail signs to go down the mountain!

Leia Mais…

Wild Weather Conditions in Cape Town

The "heavy weather warning" is continuing in Cape Town today. The forecast is for up to 70 mm of rain and gusting winds of 85 km/hr again! Power outages were wide spread throughout the Cape Town region last night. The storm is causing huge challenges for the port and the cargo ships. Last night three ships almost capsized while many ships lost cargo into the ocean. A local paper ignited a flurry of excitement when they proclaimed the lost cargo was bottles of beer from Europe. This in turn caused many fortune seekers to comb the beaches for the missing beer. The missing cargo was identified as being non-alcoholic and drifted out to the ocean and not on the beaches.

Leia Mais…

Sympathy for Dorothy and Toto

The first full day in Cape Town has been an experience unlike that of other cities in South Africa visited. The weather in the morning was overcast, light rain, and a cool wind. I complained and obviously upset Mother Nature and the travel gods. During the afternoon the weather got considerably worse! By lunch time "heavy weather warning" were announced for the city of Cape Town. The light rain has transformed into a continuous downfall of water, overcast skies turned into complete fog, and the cool wind into extreme wind gusts. The online weather forecast stated: "a minimum of 50 mm of rain and wind gusting exceeding 85 km per hour". I should have kept my complaining to myself!

My plan for the day involved exploring the Central Business District (CBD). Thanks to Mother Nature my plan evolved into explore the CBD while trying to stay somewhat dry and not blown off the continent! I can easily state I have never experienced winds like those today - it was truly amazing. By mid-afternoon I planned my travel route based on which direction involved the least walking head on in to the wind. I have a new sense of sympathy for Dorothy and Toto of the Wizard of Oz after walking (or attempting to walk) in the 85 km/hr gusting winds.

The winds generated my second causality of my adventure. Somewhere along the harbour front in Cape Town my hat was lifted off my head and into the ocean. After complaining about the weather all morning, perhaps it was karma? Second, I picked up cheap $10 watch from the dark side before I left for Africa. The watch seemed pretty durable and was labelled as water resistant to 5 metres, however, it was no match for Victoria Falls. After a couple of hours of hiking in the "mist" of the falls the watch stop working.

Leia Mais…

Rain and Cold - Cape Town

Mother Nature is not cooperating today. The weather in Cape Town is horrid - single digit temperatures, raining, and cold wind off the Atlantic. Considering this is the first time I have had sub-par weather during my trip to southern Africa I shouldn't complain. I was going to hiking around Table Mountain this morning, however, you could not see the mountain from my hostel because of the all the fog. Seems point less to simply walk a trail and see nothing along the way. tomorrow will have better weather.

Leia Mais…

Trouble at the Border

My first adventure via bus through Zimbabwe instilled a false sense of optimism. The bus adventure through Zimbabwe to Zambia provided no evidence of challenges or barriers in visiting the country. This false sense of optimism came crashing down last Friday when I went across the Zimbabwe border to the community south of Victoria Falls.

Crossing the Zambia-Zimbabwe border should have been smooth as I had received a Zimbabwe tourist visa a week earlier. Upon entering Zimbabwe the headache started, however, it was over fairly quickly after producing US$25 to appease the customs officer. When I returned to the Zimbabwe border to exit the hassles continued as the immigration officers were concerned if my Canadian passport was "authentic". They would not process my exit from the country until they could determine if my passport was valid. After an hour of sitting in the lobby with other foriegn travelers the immigration officers were satisfied my passport was authentic and allowed me to proceed to Zambia. The Zambian immigration officers shock their head and laughed at the ordeal and said, "Only in Zimbabwe".

Leia Mais…

Crickets and Roosters

The sounds heard at the hostel in Livingstone, Zambia make each morning a new adventure. I have very few complaints regarding the accommodations. The place is clean, reasonably priced, food is good, and staff are helpful. The hostel is constructed of traditional materials and design - thatched roofs, cement floors, and mud walls. The acoustics in the hostel are also amazing, however, not in a good way.

Everything that goes on in the hostel sounds like it came from behind the mud wall even if it occurred a couple rooms down. Crickets and the zapping sound of insects flying into the electric fence dominate the evenings. The morning brings a symphony of undesired sounds - roosters (starting around 4 AM and squawking every 10 minutes or so), cleaning staff, patrons praying to the porcelain gods (hostel is home to a lot of under 20 youth here to party), and people departing for day trips. Given the circumstances I have been up by 7 AM every day in Livingstone. I am looking forward to an opportunity to sleep past 8 AM.

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