Canadiana Backpackers Blog

We had a gorgeous group of ladies here about a week ago. They were the Czech Sychronized Skating team! No one really learned much about them (except that the were all athletic and beautiful) and were travelling for an international competition.

The team was comprised of 22 young athletes aged 18 to 28 – mostly blondes with a few ravishing brunettes thrown in for good measure. They were here for only one night and were kept under strict curfew by their equally attracive Australian coach/choreographer. Hence nobody really got to really meet them and talk to them.

No one except our new “Events Co ordinator” (and one of the founding members of the infamous Double L’s) Pearcy!

When it comes to the ladies he’s like a bird dog on point! I’m going to ask him to post an entry on the lovely skaters but I’m not convinced he knows much about them either! Other than the fact that they were easy on the eyes! I’m not saying he’s shallow but as far as depth goes, he often reminds me of an ashtray!

The photo on the preceding entry shows Pearcy at “work” with the Czech skating team.

Each day of the week, the Canadiana Backpackers Inn puts on a different “event” for our guests. These are important activities because they allow guest to meet fellow travellers from all parts of the world. Lasting friendships have been forged in our hostel including, at least, three marriages!

If you have followed our blog you will no doubt be aquainted with a group who stayed in our hostel known (affectionately) as the Double L’s or LL’s or in plain language, the Lager Louts! They are a group of young people who stayed in the hostel several months ago. They? hail from diverse backgrounds and nations; England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Mexico, Guatemala, France? and Germany.

They numbered about a dozen hard-corps party animals; in short, they were an irreverant, irresponsible and, let’s face it,? sometimes idiotic? bunch! That might seem a tad negative; but the bottom line is that, as far as groups go,? these guys? were a heck of a lot of fun! They introduced us to such games as? “Centurions” which, to them, is the downing of 100 shots of beer in 100 minutes! You know, intellectual stuff like that.

When the last of the LL’s left Toronto some months ago, I mentioned in this very blog that I highly doubted that we had seen the last of them. How right I was! They are drifting back slowly but surely. “Pearcy” and “Si” (Chris and Simon – two Charter Member’s of the LL’s) have already arrived. And we have had an email from Matt, threatening us with his presence. Jono is still in Toronto and visits the hostel regularly. They’re baaa..ck!

We’ve been working on a solution to our little “problem” with the LL’s. We’ve hired Pearcy as our “Events Co-ordinator” and judging by the large turnouts he’s been getting, it seems as if it was a splendid idea. About 40 guests turned out for his trip to “Philthy McNasty’s” Pub event! Si is a bit of a computer whiz (he’s much too extroverted a party animal to be called a geek) and we’ve hired him as well to tend to our internet connections and website.

Today’s event was an “Easter Egg Hunt” and I shudder to think what transpired. So far there has been no evidence that the SWAT Team has been here so it must have gone off without a hitch. I fill you in on what happened as soon as I can talk to Pearcy, Si or Jono. That will be a later? post. Stand by folks!

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Out on the pub golf night

The time has come to end my stay in Toronto. I really enjoyed my stay, particularly my time at the Canadiana (Aug. – Oct., 2006). It is no exaggeration when I say that my time in Toronto has changed my life.

I first came to Toronto in the summer of 2005 to see my brother Shane, who was a close member of the Canadiana team. During my ten day visit, it was just a Rock and Roll Party -? a lot of drinking and meeting new people; to sum it up, a great time!

I came back in 2006 on a working holiday? visa and the one place I knew to stay was the Canadiana? Backpacker’s Inn. I knew the staff members were very friendly, helpful,? and most of all, down to earth people who were? good at “keeping it real”.

I have travelled for most of my life and seen a lot of things; but, I have to say, that my time at the Canadiana has opened new roads for me. I have been a professional in-line skater for the past five years and that was my main focus in life. It was skate, skate and skate some more!

During my time at the Canadiana, I changed and grew. I met so many awesome people in this hostel over the past eight months – people from all over the world. I came to realize that there is so much more to life and I can meet people outside of my pro-sport career.

I finally settled down and got a real job – three in fact! I even had to learn how to speak French. I was strongly motivated to learn because French chicks are hot! The bottom line is, I am now much more open minded and possess much stronger people skills.

So to the staff at the Canadiana who have been really great to me over the past year I just want to say you’ve been so cool and made my stay unforgettable. Long live the Canadiana!

Brett King (Australia)

at Canadiana Backpackers, Toronto.

On Sunday nights, we serve “Poutine” a tasty French Canadian concoction apparently first mixed and served by accident. It was a? fortunate mistake? as the resulting combination is delicious! But like all really tasty snack foods it can’t possibly be all that good for you.

The story goes that Fernand LaChance, the owner of a small cafe in Quebec, answered a busy truckers’ hurried request for? an order of? cheese curds? and an order of fries? with gravy by tossing it all into a single bag, saying it would make “a bloody mess”. The resulting “mess”, now? known as? “poutine” has become a uniquely Quebecois culinary classic.

Poutine is a combination of french fries (chips to the British), cheese curd, gravy and salt. In short, it is swimming in trans-fats and loaded with cholestoral. A steady diet of Poutine should allow? people to listen to? their arteries harden and clog.

Our Sunday evening free poutine is a popular event and if you’ve never tried poutine, you’re in for a? tasty treat.? Just one more delicious reason to visit the Canadiana hostel in Toronto.