Flushing the toilet

Today i visited the Equator. Early last century some frenchies came down, made some measurements decided the exact spot for the equator. A monument was built, some restaurants and everyone was happy. About ten years ago, westeners came back with some better tools (GPS) and decided that the original location was about 200m off...so they built a museum that showcases the actual equator. I visited both, just in case they decide to change their mind again. One great trick they do on the actual equator (this may be a hoax...but seemed very real to me) is take a simple metal sink...fill it with water and pull the plug while it sits on the equator line...the water just flushes down without making a swirl. Then they move the same sink to either side of the equator, refill it with the same water, pull the plug and it drains swirling in different directions. Its friday, fiesta tonight!


Me and the E-dot

Oye my head

Yesterday i climbed by first volcano: Guagua Pichincha. Our guide dropped us off about 1000m below the sumit and we hiked up the rest of the way to 4800m. The weather was great the entire way up followed by a nice hail storm on the way back down. Speaking of going down...we chose a path that had very soft sand which allowed us to run down (similar to my moroccan dune experience). After a few minutes of running, i stopped for a little break and then it hit me. You know the feeling you get when you drink a slurpy too quickly...ok, multiply by 2 and have it last for 20 minutes. Lesson learned, high elevation and running dont mix too well.


Guagua...pronounced ´wawa´ and when translated means ´baby´...get it?

Oro

And lots of it...in fact 7 tons of gold was used to decorate the inside of La Compania church in old town Quito. No cameras were allowed but i did manage to get a few pictures...the moment i walked into this church the only thing i could say is Wow. Im getting antsy staying in the city knowing that all these beautiful places are around me, so ive booked a trip to climb a volcano tomorrow. Booyakasha!


La Compañia

Its Cold

Yes, i left rainy skies and mild weather in toronto...a quick stop in sunny, warm, humid miami and ended up in cold, rainy Quito (11C). What can you expect from the worlds second highest capital city (2850m)...my head is still spinning from the elevation. Hostal is great, met loads of people already...today im taking it easy...4 hours of spanish lessons is the plan.

Here we go again

Tomorrow's itinerary: Toronto -> Miami -> Quito Ecuador. Bag is repacked, some old gear, some new gear...there's more stuff (mainly rain and warmer clothing for patagonia) but i've managed to drop the weight a little. Bob Marley, Shakira and Pimsleur Spanish have been added to the ipod. I think im ready. I must say im a very anxious before this trip...just need to get started. I have no idea how frequently i will have access to the internet, presumably less than in europe, but i will do my best to update the blog when i have the opportunity. Enjoy the winter everyone! Adios amigos!

Visitors

I have site meter measuring the number of visitors i have to my blog. If you scroll to the very bottom you can get a count. Today, i was playing around with their site and found a cool feature. Below is a generated map of the places in the world where people are reading my blog from:


And although it looks like there's a huge number of people reading from greenland...no, it's just ice.

Certified

1 book, 5 assignments, 5 written tests, 5 videos, 4-hour in the swimming pool and 4 open water dives later...im now a fully certified, PADI Open Water Diver. I just got back from Tobermory where i completed the certification...yeehaw. From my limited experience, scuba diving is a very relaxing but entertaining activity...i had issues equalizing my ears all weekend mainly due to my allergies. But all is well in the end.


Campground...no, i did not scuba in this pond

Trip Rename

Well, it's come time to rename this blog. In less than two weeks i'll be flying into ecuador so the whole "European Adventure" bit goes out the window. I thought about "European, South American Adventure" but that's too long...and anything else i come up with sounds cheesy. So, lets do the easiest thing and name it after the URL..."Monsieur Bart" it is.

Now onto more exciting things...below is a map of my planned itinerary for south america. The plan is to fly into Ecuador, chill out for bit...then onto the galapagos (which are off the map) and then continue south. There is also another flight out of Santiago (marked by blue)...which also is off the map. This will be a surprise, but im sure if you looked at another map you could figure it out. Oh, and there's a little green line at the bottom...again cut off...ill be visiting the antarctic to chill (pun intended) with penguins. Finally, the trip seemingly ends in paraguay...truth is, i haven't figured out exactly what to do at that point so you'll just have to stay tuned to find out.

People

Im in Toronto taking care of a whole bunch of stuff before my next trip. Vaccinations, scuba diving certifications, dentists, etc. It's really one big headache. In my spare time ive managed to put up a few new pictures on this blog (just scroll down) and ive also created a new blog dedicated to people i met along the way.

Last post from europe

So sad. Today is my final night in amsterdam. Tomorrow morning i jump on a train to paris, party with old friends and the following day i fly out to toronto. Bu-bye europe.

Hope everyone's enjoyed reading about my europe travels...but dont worry im not done yet! Things to come: more pictures from the trip, a new blog dedicated to people (pictures and comments) i met throughout my journey, maybe a few posts from toronto, and then my south american adventure begins.

A&D

Everyone ive met who's read both Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code prefers A&D. I fall into the same boat. So if youve read Da Vinci and liked it then you owe it to yourself to read A&D. The only disappointment is how similar the stories are.

End is nearing

My european adventure is quickly coming to a close. Its a bittersweet feeling; im anxious to see my family back in toronto, im also starting to look forward to my next trip but at the same time i think ill miss europe. As much as each country in europe differs from one another, they all have that european feeling...a feeling ive gotten used to. Ive come back to Amsterdam since my first visit earlier in the trip was very brief. Gonna eat some breakfast and then off to the Van Gogh museum.

Genious

Innsbruck austria has got things figured out. Heres the deal, if you stay in the city (in a hotel or hostel) then you get a free Innsbruck card. This card entitles you to free guided hikes as long as you stay. So this morning, i arrived at a meeting point, got in a van with with driver, guide and 3 other tourists and spent the entire day hiking in the austria alps...free, paid for by the city! They also have a badging system...the more hikes you do, you get cool pins. Other than beautiful views, i also saw the worlds 2nd most poisonous mushroom and a rare alpine flower called the Edelweiß. Tomorrow morning, i get up for a sunrise hike that begins at 5am.


Look at me!


Great when fried with onions