Canadiana Backpackers Blog

If you were born in the year 1912 or 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 or after yesterday this year, you are a rat! (sort of)

According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar this year is the Year of the Rat. The Chinese use a Lunar Calendar that operates on a 12 year cycle. Each year is represented by a different animal. This year it is the rat; last year it was the pig; next year will be the rabbit and so on.

In China, it is no shame to be associated with the rat. It is deemed an honor to be born in the year of the rat and it is considered a privilege even to be associated with a rat. The Chinese say rats are self-reliant problem solvers with an instinctive power of observation that makes them most likely to survive in difficult situations.

People born in the Year of the Rat are considered calm and perceptive, but also require a lot of physical and mental stimulation. They are blessed with among the finest intellects but tend to take on too much at once. But add to their intellect an abiding curiosity and and bright imagination and rats seem as sharp as needles.

So how does this all affect the hostel and Toronto?

Toronto is, without a doubt, the most multi-cultural city on the planet! There are other large cities with sizable ethnic minorities (London for example); but, none with quite the blend of ethnicities as Toronto. And the real factor is that we all seem to get along!

So when you visit Toronto, you may be treated to a number of ethnic festivals. Toronto’s Chinatown is all decked out for the Lunar New Year. There are actually about 5 “Chinatowns” in the Toronto region and about half a million people of Chinese descent.

Toronto is justifiably proud of its’ reputation for tolerance. It makes this city a pretty good place to visit!

Gung Hei Fat Choi! (Greeting’s and Prosperity)

A dancer at a New Year’s celebration

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A Dragon Dance at Toronto’s New Year’s Parade.

A ra…..oops, (an honest mistake!)

In the world of professional wrestling Bret “The Hitman” Hart was one of the brightest lights in that glittering world. He is also a “fixture” at the the Canadiana Backpackers Hostel.

You see, all of the hostels rooms are named after famous Canadians; actors, artists, writers, singers, sports figures etc. So naturally, one of our rooms has a plaque on the door announcing “The Bret Hart Room” with a thumbnail sketch of his life and legendary career.

On occasion, we have a hostel event at a local pub/eatery called “Philthy McNasty’s”. (It actually isn’t that “Philthy” and not at all that “McNasty”!). It’s located in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District. (As are we.)

So some of the hostels guests went to “Philthy’s” and got a few sheets to the wind (as usual). They started up a conversation that rapidly became a real buzz! “Is that him?” one says. “Naw, can’t be!” says another! “Yeah that’s him!” says a third. “What’s he doing here?” etc., etc., etc.

It turns out that it WAS him! Bret “The Hitman” Hart, in person! Most likely on a break from the nearby Royal Alexandra Theatre where he is playing the Genie in the hit musical “Aladdin”. So what do the hostel’s guests do? Well, they bother him of course!

It’s really easy to see why Bret Hart remained so popular after his wrestling career had finished. The three hostel guests who bugged him the most were members of the infamous “Canadiana Lager Louts” – Doughy, Simon and Pearcey!

Just as you might expect from Bret Hart he treated them with grace, dignity and tolerance. (When he should have pile-driven the three of them into the bar room floor!)

He IS as you might expect a true gentleman. As he himself so modesty puts it, he’s; “…the best there is; the best there was; and the best there ever will be!”
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Bret “The Hitman” Hart at the height of his legendary career.

…and destroying an opponent (as he could easily have destroyed our “Lager Louts”!)

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“The Hitman” showing remarkable restraint with “Doughy”, Simon and Pearcey!

We’ve been getting a lot of “Saffas” at the hostel lately. What’s a “Saffa” I hear you ask? Well,”Saffa” is short for South African.

Now you must understand that South African’s are not known to be great travelers; at least, not off their own continent. There’s a lot of them to be found in London, England; but that’s about it.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in sub-Saharan Africa will have no problem understanding the reasons why they tend to stay so close to home. It is, at once, an easy place to love and a difficult place to understand.

Most of the South Africans who stay at the hostel are Boers who speak a language called Afrikaans a mixture of a lot of Dutch; a bit of German and a little French (a “Boer” means “farmer” in that language). They are known to be a self-reliant lot – people with a “can do” attitude. They also have a strong (almost pathological) connection to the land.

And what a land it is! It’s land of great beauty and diversity; yet, so troubled and at times, violent. Those who live in Africa are apt to say “T.I.A.” to describe how strangely things are done in their homeland. It simply means: “This is Africa.”

We get more than our fair share of South Africans here at the hostel. Ask any of them if they would choose to live anyplace other than Southern Africa. The answer would be a resounding “no”!

I was fortunate enough to live in Southern Africa for almost three decades and I heartily agree! It’s a really “lekker”* place to live.

(*”lekker” = “nice”)

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Two “Saffas” (l. to r.) Lourens and Rocco; with two hostel “Staffers”; Pearcey and Hailey

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Lourens and Alicia from Pretoria, S.A. at “Karaoke”!

A lot of travelers from warmer climes remark “how beautiful” it is the first time they see snow. Anyone who says that, never had to shovel it!

The Canadiana is the largest of all the hostels in Toronto. Hence, we have the largest frontage to keep clear of snow. It is not merely good-form to keep your sidewalk unobstructed – it is your responsibility under the law.

The pre-winter prediction was for the worst snowfall in more than 60 years! It was a rather brutal December when we had a massive 30cm of snow in a 24 hour period just ten days before Christmas. It then turned quite mild and virtually all the snow had melted before Christmas.

Right through January Toronto enjoyed mild temperatures in what is traditionally one of the coldest months of the year! We were all hoping against hope that the weatherman got it wrong. And, best of all, there was virtually no snow!

We had been spared the predicted savage winter where other parts of the country had not. In western Canada, Calgary was experiencing -47C while Toronto basked in +6C! Quite a difference.

It’s February 1st and we awoke to a winter scene. The night before there had been absolutely NO snow and it is now a total white mess! What’s worse is the forecast is calling for more!

We have about another four to six weeks of winter, depending how lucky (or unlucky) we get. In the meantime, any backpacker who says it’s beautiful, is welcome to shovel it!