Canadiana Backpackers Blog

Last Sunday we held what we hope was the hostel’s last indoor soccer event for quite some time.

All winter we have hired an indoor facility on Sunday’s for our guests to play the world’s most popular game. As you can inagine, we get a pretty fair turnout.

It’s a co-ed affair which makes for an interesting match up. We have some female players who have played in women’s league soccer like Karen from Canada who managed to score two goals last Sunday.

The temperature has finally risen to double digits and from now on we hope to be able to play outdoors from now into summer and fall.

We are planning a special Sunday next week. Weather permitting, we will take everyone over to the Toronto Island Park and play on the grass while enjoying the best view of the city’s skyline.

After Toronto’s particularly nasty winter it’s really going to be a treat playing on green grass in the warm sun.?

I was amazed to see that although I left The Canadiana Backpackers over three months ago that my blog ‘log in’ still works, so I thought that I would write a quick blog.

It has been fantastic to be back in New Zealand, the warm weather for one definitely made a difference but I miss my friends and ‘Canadiana Family’ very much.

What a culture shock to come back to New Zealand after four years of traveling. In Canada when you want to know where the bathroom is you ask for the washroom, in New Zealand you just come right out and say it… “Where is the toilet?” I cringed everytime I heard someone say it or had to say it myself because eye brows raised when i asked for the washroom. Mostly silly little things really, and I have mostly lost the small Canadian accent that I came back with.

I missed travelling basically as soon as I got back to New Zealand. I missed the crazy and exciting hostel life. I missed trying new foods and seeing new things. Soooooo, Ive become a Travel Consultant for Flight Centre, and now when I’m not going on holiday I’m sending other people on one.

Sure, I do miss working at the Canadiana! There is always someone to meet, something new to do and barely a quiet moment. I hope to come back and visit.

I MISS YOU ALL VERY MUCH!

Lesley McLeod

Flight Centre Darby Street Central Auckland

Lesley and Hardy. A recent photo of two Kiwi’s who met in Toronto at the Canadiana Backpackers Hostel

Lesley in Toronto with Arjen from the Netherlands.

You might, quite reasonably, add “Drag Queen” to the above list; but, that wouldn’t be quite fair. He wasn’t the only one who got caught up in the madness of last Friday night.

It might be best explained that after a particularly brutal winter spring has, at long last, arrived. Temperatures have risen to the low double digits and it seems the I.Q.’s of many of the hostel’s long-term guests have dropped to the same level.

Trevor is a fairly long-term guest at the hostel. He’s still looking for an affordable apartment in the downtown core that is “cat friendly” and close to the Circa Nightclub where he works for the club’s security department. He’s recently left the Canadian Army after nine years of service.

Trevor’s connection with the Circa Club (one block over from the hostel) is the reason our hostel’s guests are able to “jump the queue” and avoid paying up to $20 cover on Friday nights to party at the largest, snazziest and one of the most popular clubs in North America!

But Trevor took the night off on Friday; it was his birthday. He bought a case of beer (Amsterdam Blonde) and started the party late in the afternoon. By early evening everyone at the hostel was “partying” and getting a bit out of hand.

It was decided that they should “dress up” for Trevor’s party and, by that, they don’t mean jackets and ties and ladies high-fashion.

Most of the revelers would (when sober) deny participating in such antics; but we have photographic evidence that we will attach below. (Standby)

Alright, I know that I’ve mentioned this ad nauseum but I’m going to say it again. Of all of the Toronto Hostels ours feels the most like home. That’s not a boast. That’s just a fact.

Hailey is one of our front office staff members. She’s like a mother to a lot of our guests (albeit a very young mother) it’s just her maternal nature.

Hailey is a third-year York University student and an accomplished dancer. This year she is the Captain of the University’s dance team – a team that has won a lot of competitions!

Last weekend Hailey booked off work because of a “Dance Showcase” at the University. This is where the team struts its’ stuff in front of students, family and friends.

Hailey is not a Toronto native. She’s from out of town so her family and most of her friends wouldn’t be there to watch her perform.

She was also to receive an award for her dancing at the end of the showcase so it would have been nice to have a few familiar faces along to witness the occasion.

Hailey received her award and decorum broke down at the dance competition! Shouting, whooping, cheering, clapping and whistling!

It turns out at least ten of our Backpacker guests made their way to York to watch her dance. It’s quite a little jaunt to York which is located in the northwest of Toronto. It’s at least an hour or more from the hostel by subway and bus and is adjacent to the Jane/Finch area one of the dodgiest sections of Toronto.

From all reports, Hailey et al put on quite a show so it was nice to have her “hostel family” in attendance.

Hailey (center with headband and black tights) with her supporters from the hostel at her dance showcase.

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The meaning of words often change; for example, not too long ago “gay” meant something far more innocuous than it does today.

A Vagabond is a direct synonym for “tramp”, “hobo”; “vagrant” and even “bum”. In more gentle terms it can also refer to a “rover” or wanderer”.

It is in the second context that the word has been used to describe an alternative lifestyle. “Vagabonding” refers to long-term travelers; people who spend literally years on the road.

They differ enormously from your average backpacker who often travels to “do” Europe or Asia or Africa almost as a rite of passage.

Vagabonds live in foreign lands working their way from place to place. And, more often than not, don’t really know where the journey will carry them next.

In the words of Mark Twain they are the few who dare to, “Cast off the bowlines; sail away from safe harbour; catch the tradewinds in their sails; to explore, dream and discover.”

They live life in foreign lands and cultures far beyond the nightclubs, bars and beaches. It is a lifestyle not for the timid or those who lack a sense of adventure but the reward can be lessons in life that will guide them in their daily struggles all their lives.

As for the majority of young travelers, they will come away with a few photos of parties holding beer bottles or pictures in front of recognizable landmarks and travel only as long as their money lasts.

A Vagabond will work any menial job to finance his further adventures and even teach English – a language with which he/she often has limited facility even though it is his/her mother tongue.

Given a choice, I’ll take Vagabonding any day!

In a previous blog “Soldier of Fortune” we introduced you to Raoul a young British national who served as an elite paratrooper in the fabled French Foreign Legion.

He is currently working in Iraq as a security consultant escorting supply convoys over some of the most dangerous roads on the planet.

Raoul is also a new Canadian immigrant who plans to make his home in the Ottawa, the nation’s capital just as soon as construction is completed on his downtown luxury condo.

When Raoul is on “leave” from his current job (every three or four months) Raoul spends some of his time back home at our hostel. His is a high-stress job and he likes the relaxing atmosphere of the Canadiana.

We just got an email from him and a recent photo of him at work. The message said; “…don’t go out much when I’m not working, streets just too violent. How’s everything with you?”

Well, for starters, quite a bit more peaceful than it is with you (but thanks for asking.) We’re complaining because it is an exceptionally cool spring. It’s obviously pretty hot where you are!

Nonetheless, we expect to see Raoul back with us by late spring while he takes a break for a month or so.

The attached photo (Raoul is on the left) shows him with a colleague on a rather sturdy vehicle preparing for “another day at the office”.

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Evert is our longest residing “Saffa” (South African) at our Hostel. He has been in Toronto for a little over a year and has spent the entire time with us.

He has stayed in a lot of hostels since he left South Africa to work abroad more than four years ago and has always lived in hostels as a matter of convenience.

Travelers normally come here with a one-year “working holiday” visa” and can sometimes extend for an additional year.

Evert’s situation is a little different. His mother happened to have been born in Ottawa and because of that fact, he is also a Canadian citizen.

Evert doesn’t drink, smoke and carry on irresponsibly as do many of his contemporaries. He is, in fact, a workaholic in the truest sense of he word. For the better part of 11 months he worked two jobs and got by on about three or four hours sleep a night.

It was only after a doctor forced him to give up his night job to deal with headaches he was experiencing.

It was testament to his work ethic that both his day and night jobs offered him promotions at the same time with accompanying salary increases.

Evert reluctantly gave up his night job which saw him working sometimes until four in the morning and his day job starts at eight thirty a.m.! The lack of sleep did not effect his work – only his health!

Evert’s knowledge of hostels, desire to work and obvious work ethnic caused us to hire him to work a few evenings a week at our front office reception. The shifts he does end at two a.m. giving him about 6 hours sleep on those evenings.

That as it turns out is plenty for Evert!

Evert (2d from the right) not drinking at a local pubs with friends who do!