Canadiana Backpackers Blog

“VAGABOND” is a word that can mean a lot of different things depending on context.

Traditionally, it describes an indigent hobo. It can describe a unconventional bohemian lifestyle. Or the name once appropriated by a particularly nasty motor cycle gang.  But to Rolf Potts, it has meant a career.

Potts penned a book called “Vagabonding”  - a term which he  describes as simply ‘Long term travel”. But if you read his book or watch his speeches, you will see that it is much more than that.

It describes a lifestyle of those who never tire of learning and experiencing. A life reserved for the type of personality who hungers for knowlege and always wonders what is on the far side of the hill.

Working in a hostel, we see all types of travelers. We get travelers who miss “home” very badly and long for the safe haven of the familiar. In short, the kind of person who should never have left home.

We also see those who are true “VAGABONDS” choosing an unencumbered life free-on-the-earth!

There is a link provided to Rolf Pott’s blog on the home page of our blog. But you can start by looking at one of his recent speeches posted on  the Tim Ferriss blog appended below. Rolf Potts just might be one of the most truly free people you can possibly to meet.

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The Link

Can we still refer to our good neighbours to the south as “Yanks” even though they hail from south of the Mason-Dixon Line?

I mean, Washington D.C. itself is south of that 18th century boundary line.  We get a lot of Americans visiting at this time of year with schools on “March Break”.

Anyhow, the Mason-Dixon Line today merely represents a cultural demarcation between the Northern and Southern U.S.  But we think the cultural boundry is the Canada/U.S. border! So “Yanks” they are! And “Canucks” we be!

With the Olympics just finshed in Vancouver, this is a great time for Americans to visit. We can (and do) take the opportunity to remind them of how happy we are that both their Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams are silver medalists!  (We needn’t remind them about who won the GOLD!)

We’ve got a group of young students from North Carolina who made the drive to Toronto via Philidelphia and Washington D.C. They remarked on how “clean” our city is.

Well sure, But it is faint praise if you are comparing Toronto to Philidelphia or D.C.!

We are pretty sure we will be getting more American students visiting during March break. After all, the age-of-majority (read: legal beer drinking age) in Ontario isonly  nineteen! It is twenty-one everywhere in the U.S.A.

So welcome! And cheers!

This is the time of year when we get a lot of University student groups visiting Toronto. It is “March Break” at a lot of colleges in the United States.

We had a group of Wheaton College Students arrive in their own mini-bus and we will have them here for a week.

Wheaton College is a four year, residential, non-denominational, Christian liberal arts college whose motto is, “Christo et Regno Ejus,� or “For Christ and His Kingdom.�

Wheaton also ranks consistently in the top 20% of Liberal Arts colleges in the United States (according to the Princton Review; U.S. News and World Report and The Fiske Guide to Colleges among other noted publications.)

The quality of school is reflected in the quality of the students who are visiting our Toronto Backpacker’s Inn. They are a well-mannered, well behaved, temperate and considerate group of young adults.

In short, there is no “March Break Madness” associated with this college. (And believe us when we tell you we have had experience with such things in the past).

The Wheaton Group has been a pleasure to host and they are proving to be excellent ambassadors for their college, their country and their faith.

Everybody who works at our Toronto Backpacker Inn is fluent in a second language. (The only exception are the Irish staff members who are still working on their English!)

Vinka is one of our newest staff members.  She is a University graduate with a degree in International Relations and Ibero-American Studies.

You don’t know what that is? Well, neither did we.

But it is simply Latin American Studies expanded to include the Iberian Penninsula (i.e. Spain and Portugal) and that inclusion makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Vinka was born in Chile so Spanish is, in fact, her mother tongue. But she came to Canada with her family when she was very young. She was raised right here in the Great Frozen North.

So she’s 100% Canadian - almost!

The problem is Vinka prefers Soccer to Hockey in a country where the only thing more important than Hockey is…well, nothing.

To the majority of Canadians choosing soccer to Hockey is tantamount to treason. (Some people have been certified and institutionalized for less!)

Nonetheless, Vinka is a most valued member of the staff. Her presence now gives us three staff members who can communicate in Spanish.

Well, the Vancouver games of 2010 are finally over. It was the most successful Olympics for Canadian competitors ever! Canadians won more Gold Medals in these Olympic Games than any other country ever! Fourteen in all!

In spite of the lack of snow and unseasonable, spring-like  temperatures, the games have been quite a success. Even the American style paranoia of the Vancouver Olympic Committee didn’t destroy the Canadian spirit of the games.

But Pravda (the Russian News Service) has really slagged our efforts, our people and our country. They actually called us “murderers” and “cowards” among other unpleasant remarks!

Normally we Canadians would take strong exception to ridiculous and unfounded charges like that; but hey, it’s Russia!  So, whatever…

Have I pointed out than these have been the worst Winter Olympics as far as Russia is concerned? They placed a distant 11th with a measley three gold medals!

Talk about spoil sports! The Russians seem to put all of their National Pride into their athletic endeavors. (I mean, what the hell else have they done right lately?)

Anyhow as Canadians, we tend not to like the nationalism and false sense of  personal accomplishment associated with our athletes victories in Olympic sports. Let’s face it we actually didn’t win anything! Some very dedicated athletes won medals!

That said, they did win the hockey GOLD MEDALS! Both the men’s and women’s events were won by defeating the Americans!

As I said, Canadians try to rise above petty nationalism. Except when it comes to hockey. It is our game!

So, In your faces Yanks!

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Team Canada captain, Sidney “Sid the Kid” Crosby.

Women’s Hockey Team Canada captain, the legendary Hayley Wickenheiser.

We’ve got a church group of 13 visiting from Indianapolis, U.S.A. And no, it is not the leader with his 12 disciples! (Alright, I suppose that last comment is treading on the line of blasphemy.)

In fact they are a group of church goers who  are together to learn to walk more solidly with their faith. I guess that if you want to expereince diverse cultures this city is a pretty good place to do it.

There really isn’t a  more culturally diverse city in North America than Toronto. You might even argue that there is no better city in the world for a multicultural experience.  (That’s actually the opinion of the United Nations.)

It looks as if their objective is “leading by example” as opposed to prosyelizing.  They have a clearly stated image of the world in which they would like to live

And seem to go about trying to achieve a better world by, first., living it.

Their method of pacticing their religon is a little unique.  It appears as if they don’t neend a church to affirm their beliefs.

How much better to practice your faith in all facets of your life rather than reserving it only for Sunday’s in church.

“SPEED!” is the response you will hear from a Cinematographer to the prompt of the Director to “ROLL CAMERA!”

Our staff member, Elise (2009/2010) is a trained cinematographer/camera operator who has been working in Canada for a year. She has worked free lance on several feature films and TV commercial projects in the Toronto area.

She has been working at the  hostel  in between assignments and was coming to the end of her working/holiday visa.

Elise wanted to stay in Toronto in this city known as Hollywood North because of all the studio facilities  and films being shot here. In fact, the hit musical “Chicago” was filmed entirely in Toronto!

Elise is astaying on for, at least. another year having been offered an internship with Panavision Cameras - the industry standard for feature films and major commercials. She easily had her working visa extended because of the Panavision offer..

The internship (a few days a week) could be a ticket to her big breakthrough in the industry. But until that happens she will continue to work at our Toronto Backpacker’s Inn where her French language skills come in very handy!

It has been said the the ancestors of many Australians were chosen by some of the best judges in England.

We don’t  imply that they are descernded from bandits and thieves but some things happen that give you pause to consider….

We had two backpackers from Downunder stay with us for most of last summer. They both arrived at the beginning of summer and stayed until the fall.

Kali and Andy were part of the great exodus to Vancouver to find jobs at Olympic venues. A lot of people headed west just before winter.

Most of our summer guests reconnected on the west coast having forged lasting friendships while staying at our hostel in Toronto. Andy came back recently and Kali stayed in Vancouver (she’s an advanced skier!)

Andy was back at the hostel on his way to England and Europe to continue his backpacking adventures. He left a photo with us taken with Kali whom he met up with on the coast.

What is kind of suspicious is that they are holding the torch used to light the Olympic flame!  Now where do you suppose they got it…?

We’d better check to see if it is missing!

Kali and andy with their hot little hands on an actual Olympic Torch!

Nicola and Patrice (a.k.a. “The Blue Mountain Girls”) are two attractive young ladies from Oz.

Patrice hails from Brisbane and Nic from Perth. Nic arrived here early last summer and Patrice perhaps a month later. They met here and struck up a friendship as so often happens here at our Toronto Backpacker’s Inn.

Both are on working /holiday visas and when winter arrived both landed jobs in the resort town of Collingwood about three hours northwest of  Toronto.

The town nesteled in Nottawasaga Bay also boasts Blue Mountain, Ontario’s premiere ski resort. It isn’t a particularly large mountain with a vertical elevation of only 8oo feet at it’s highest ski run. But the hill is very challenging and has produced quite a number of World Cup and Olympic downhill racing champions.

Both girls were very popular here at the hostel and now that they have an apartment at Blue Mountain are even more popular! Especially among the Irish Blodgers…er…Lodgers at our hostel.

I won’t name the (mostly Irish) freeloaders who imposed their presence on the two lovely ladies from Downunder,  but their names sound something like:  Nathan, A.J., Mark, Aiden and Chuck. (Chuck was an English gentleman; but unfortunately, has been corrupted by association.)

The girls spend a lot of their time off visiting us back in Toronto. It’s a three hour bus ride to and from Blue Mountain. It is a place popular for weekend getways from the city and well known for Apres Ski parties.

So the fact that Patrice and Nic choose to spend so much time off back here with us, speaks volumes about our hostel.