Canadiana Backpackers Blog

Matt is a young American who has just returned to Ohio after a number of years in Alaska.

His job in Alaska entailed controlling the flow of oil through the pipelines. He now does the same from “head office” and controls the flow of  oil through pipelines in places as far away as the oil fields near Houston or Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

The remote valves that open and close and pumps that are switched on and off in remote places are all monitored and controlled from his desk using satellite technology.

It is a highly-specialized and highly-stressful job. An error in switching or pumping could result  in lethal consequences of epic proportions. Matt had to spend a few years “on site” in Alaska to make sure everything was working properly before handing control over to the Ohio center.

But Matt has tasted life in the Northern Wilderness and he likes it very much. He is most at home camping, hunting or fishing with a .44 magnum on his hip to deal with the threat of big bears.

Matt is currently working on a plan to return to Alaska even if it means he’ll have to relocate to a remote place that might even see him posted north of the Arctic Circle.

He misses the life in the far north. It is now difficult for him to live in Ohio after experiencing the pristine wilderness of Alaska.

Such is the allure of Alaska - the call of the wild.

Nic (short for Nicola) is an attractive blond from Western Australia. On Oz (Australia) there is an East Coast and a West Coast of a large continent and not a whole lot in the middle.

In a trip acoss this vast nation you traverse a huge section of the entire country called the “Nullabor Plain”. The name is taken from the Latin words “Null” and “Arbor” - meaning no trees!

On the East Coast are the major cities of the country. It is much more heavily populated and quite a bit more sophisticated and much more hectic.

People from the west however, are much more laid back than their cousins in the east. And Nic, is a typical example. She’s cool, laid back and beautiful!

People from Western Oz always seem to be lot more laid back then their cousins in the East. It is sort of the difference between city slickers and rural folks.

Nic is no stranger to travel. She worked in a resort in Indonesia and on an Island on the Great Barrier Reef. But always in the hospitality industry.

She is looking for similar employment as a server in a pub or nightclub here in Toronto. We think she’d make a very attractive addition to any bar or nightclub.

Alexandra is a pretty young Russian student in Canada taking courses to improve her English.

I can’t recall what her English was like when she first arrived; however she now has considerable facility with the language.

She hails from the south of Russian near the border with Kazakhstan. She named off several “large” cities close to her home but I had never heard of any of them.

Alexandra prefers to be called “Sasha”. The same way most William’s prefer the name “Bill”.

Sasha really likes Toronto. She is most impressed with the multi-cultural make up of the city. You can find virtually any ethnicity here and they actually get along as opposed to merely co-existing.

She was disappointed by the number of “homeless” people in the inner city. It really is quite an embarrassment but there isn’t a viable excuse for anyone to be homeless in Toronto.

An actual “homeless” person need find, only  a warm dry place to sit and wait for an interview at Social Social Services (located in Metro Hall) and get a “Startup Cheque”  to cover initial room and board. That cheque is over $1300.

Nonetheless many people opt to spend the money on drugs and alcohol.

“Homeless” people are seen in the Entertainment District where tourists (not knowing the circumstances) are often predisposed to giving panhandlers money.

So don’t be fooled Sasha. If they are truely homeless, it is by their own choice.

Andy hails from Newcastle in the north of England - sort of. He’s what they refer to as a “Geordie”. I say “sort of” because Andy was actually born in Victoria, B.C., Canada.

He went to England when his parents returned their when he was still an infant. Nonetheless, he is also a Canadian citizen by birth.

So Andy has been to Canada before. And this was not his first stay at our Toronto Hostel.

Andy was also a semi-professional footballer in the U.K. and has come to Canada to work as a coach. But his real vocation is in the Aerospace Industry.

He’s been offered gainful employment as a soccer coach here in Canada but has opted to return  to the U.K. to his job in the high-tech world of Aerospace Engineering.

But we’re pretty certain that we’ll see him back here shortly. As a citizen of Canada living, working and traveling here is his absolute right.

Australians are often subjected to a lot of grief. They are often painted as doing things to excess. Things like drinking, cursing, fighting, womanizing and whingeing.

I’m not going to stand in judgment of that. But I think virtually every backpacker has met enough of them to form their own opinion.

But recent events at our hostel show that (male) backpackers from Oz are definitely sexist!

Claudia is a new arrival from Mannheim, Germany. She plans to work and travel until January ‘10, when she returns to University.

Claudia is blond and attractive. She had just arrived and was sitting on our patio looking good. That was the unanimous opinion of the bunch of Aussies (an one Irishman) sitting at another table. The consensus also held that she has “very nice legs”.

(And yes, she does as you can see for yourself below.)

They were mustering up the courage to talk to her so I gave them the hostel’s camera and asked if they could get a photo of her for a future blog.

Take a look at the photos I got! They are posted below. (Claudia was aware of the photo they sneaked but was a good sport about it!)

Actually, we decided not to publish the pic they sneaked!

That is what the Irish say. Craic (pronounced “crack”) is apparently slang for “fun”. (”Crack” means something totally different here!)

Paul is an Irishman here on a working/holiday visa and he’s been in Canada for the better part of a year. He no longer stays with us at the hostel; however, like a lot of ex-guests he can’t get enough of “home”. There’s good craic here, he says.

Paul spent part of last summer working in Vancouver as a roofer. He really enjoyed his time on the west coast but he prefers it here in Toronto - just because of our hostel.

He pulls a three-seat, tourist rickshaw and does pretty well at it. I think (tink) his accent helps him hook the tourists into short rides at exorbitant prices.

Paul is going to make application to extend his visa with an eye to eventual immigration. Canada has had a lot of Irish migrants over it’s history.

Paul will be most welcome by all who know him. He’s good craic!

We have a lot of sons and daughters of Eire here in the our hostel in Toronto. A lot of them have come here on the working/holiday visa program.

This increase in the influx of young Irish nationals has been occasioned by the severe economic downturn that has affected the countries of the European Union. Work, while becoming more and more scarce is still better here than in Ireland where unemployment is somewhere in the double digits. (11.9%)

Still, there are certain visitors who are simply tourists. That is the case of the Irish twins Melissa and Leanne. The twins are both primary school teachers from Munster and work in County Wexford.

Fraternal twins, the girls only true similarity is that they are both pretty easy on the eyes. As pedagogues, they both have pretty secure jobs even in these hard economic times.

Teachers also have pretty generous vacation times. They receive fully two months summer vacation time. They plan to travel in Ontario from Toronto to Ottawa to Montreal and Quebec City.

They have been joined by Niamh (pronounced Neeve) a friend from University who has decided to return to school and join her old friends as a primary school teacher.

The three Coleens have a lot in common. Not the least of which is the fact that they are all pretty nice to look at.

Melissa and Niamh

Leanne and Melissa - the twins!

Lovely Melanie is a Language student from who will be here for several months. She hails from Switzerland and is another in a long list of lovely young ladies here to study English. The list continues below with Vivi (from Venezuela) and Bartira (from Brazil).

Vivi is carrying on a family tradition. Her older sister Katie was here three years ago (for 8 months) as an English Language student. (Katie is now engaged to Stewart, an Aussie she met right here at the hostel!

Bartira from Sao Paolo, Brazil is one of the newest additions to the list of students here to study English. She is now Vivi’s room mate. Since Vivi is a Spanish speaker and Bartira is a Portuguese speaker, they are forced to communicate in the only language they have in common - English! Something that can only aid their studies.

Moira a Scots Lass with a 100 watt smile is just finishing off her working/holiday year in Canada. She spent the winter season working at the famous Panorama Ski Resort near Banff, Alberta. She learned to ski and snowboard. Now that she has returned to Scotland, Canada is just a little less beautiful!

Graciela (Dr. Jaguar) is a Physician from Brazil. She is an Oncologist, specializing in Oral Cancer Treatment. She is here to attend an annual International Symposium on Oral Cancers held in Toronto this year.

Tall and statuesque Naro is our next “Supermodel”. Originally from Kenya, she worked in a Bakery where she was constantly being given business cards by celebrity customers who were urging her to pursue modeling. She resisted all offers but has now relented soon we’ll likely see her on the fashion runways this season.

In previous blog entries, we mentioned the recent influx of visitors from South Africa. And it is quite a new phenomenon.

A lot of South Africans of Afrikaner Heritage are seeking to settle elsewhere. It is a sign that does not bode well for the future of the country. Unlike other white settlers on the continent, Afrikaners (or Boers) claim no ties with any nation save South Africa.

A lot of Boers can trace their African roots as far back as three centuries and fifteen generations..

Dieter is an Afrikaans speaking white man from Pretoria who works as a pharmacist in his native South Africa. He is here to write examinations to qualify to practice his profession in Canada.

He plans to emigrate and come to Canada once he qualifies to practice here. It is a radical departure which many Afrikaners are making to ensure a future for their children.

Canada is a vast underpopulated nation rich in potential developement. People like Dieter, with professional qualifications are most welcome as immigrants.

Unfortunately, South Africa can ill-afford to lose such expertise. Nonetheless, their loss is our gain.

This summer has been cooler than normal. In Toronto that’s a good thing. We’ve been spared the oppressive humidity that is usual at this time of year.

And just when you think it can’t get any better, Bartira arrives at the hostel!

The first thing we did when we saw her arrive was to ask if we could take her picture for this blog. Bartira is an absolute stunner. She is simply drop-dead gorgeous!

Bartira is a language student from Brazil. You might think that Bartira isn’t a name you hear everyday; but, actually she has informed us, she does!

She’s only been here a few days and her English skills have already shown a marked improvement.

She has been put into a room with Vivi from Venezuela, Akane from Japan. The girls are all language students but with three different languages spoken among them, they are forced to speak English as the only language they all have in common.

Luckily Bartira will be staying with us for several months. And as long as she remains here, the city of Toronto, in general, and the hostel, in particular, will be much more beautiuful.

Beautiful Bartira.