Salmon Migration in Port Hope

Salmons are amazing fish that live in fresh water during their early life, mature in salt water, and then return to fresh water to breed. Before reaching the area to lay their eggs they have to make an effort to jump and make it across a strong opposing current. This is a challenge for them but after moving up, there is a calm water waiting for them then they will lay their eggs and die. The eggs they laid will start a new life and the cycle goes on.

We went to Port Hope, Ontario (a town east of Toronto) to witness Salmon run last September 22. It was a long drive from Toronto but the trip going there was worthwhile because we started to see the fall colors. We got excited upon seeing the fishes jumping up the stream. Before heading to the beach for our picnic lunch, we checked out Canada Firefighters Museum and saw old firetrucks. Our lunch was superb not only because of the food but also because of the view - blue skies, calm lake and seagulls everywhere. Here are some of our pictures:

Post-Birthday Treat-Canada East Tour Day One

Long weekends here are mostly spent in trips and our family had an enjoyable trip to the eastern part of Canada on the Simcoe-Civic Holiday. Some members of our Church (Servants of Christ Ministries – Toronto) went with us for the 3-day bus tour to Kingston-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec-1000 islands last weekend. My kids (except for Lex who was cranky in the long bus ride) were cooperative and excited they woke up as early as 4:30 to prepare for the long day ahead.

Our group availed the Taipan Tours package and the meeting place was at Spadina. We took the TTC to get there. We got good seats near the front so that we could hear the Tour Guide very well (although some of the words were challenging because of her accent) and learned a lot about Canada and the places we’ve been to.


First stop – Kingston. This is an old city and used to be the Capital of Canada in the old days. We passed by prison and hanging tower where they used to hang criminals, Queen’s University, and the downtown where architectural structures were amazing. We saw the oldest hotel in town and still open to public. The town center has market stalls selling fresh goodies from fruits, maple syrups, honey and other souvenir items. We enjoyed posing in front of the Capitol and in the marina.



Next stop is Ottawa/Parliament Hill. I remember during the orientation we had before coming here to Canada, the Canadian speaker suggested that every immigrant must make an effort to visit the nation’s capital and see the Parliament hill. This is where all the laws, decrees and decisions are made for the welfare of every resident of Canada. For a moment there, I thought I felt patriotic but the scorching heat and the little time we had to roam around the city didn’t make up for an opportunity to reflect and think of my new country. Anyway, there’s still a chance for us to come back here, I’ll just save that moment when I come up close and personal with Canada’s capital. Loved the Parliament Building!


Next stop – City of Gatineau / Civilization Museum. I loved this Museum, well I keep saying that each time I come out of a museum and learned a lot from a place. My Aloysius appreciated it more because he already knew some of those we saw from his History class. He was telling me who that person is, what is that thing for? etc. I now know who the Pioneers, the Loyalists and the Aboriginals were. I also learned about Upper and Lower Canada and why it was separated at that time (and until now? Hahaha). We loved the view of the river from this place and the back of Parliament building which can still be seen from here. The summer sun and the cool breeze added to the perfect afternoon on the riverside while waiting for our bus.






Bye Ontario, Hello Quebec province! A few hours later we arrived in Montreal, we went to St. Joseph Oratory /Basilica – the second highest church in the world. I was telling Lito that this is where the Smallville season ender scene was taken – because I remember the altar where Clark Kent was lying down to be sacrificed because the secret about him was exposed to Lex Luthor. There, we learned about a certain Brother Andrew who was gifted with healing powers and healed those with clutches – the clutches were donated to the church and were displayed on the walls of the church as proof of the many people he healed and how he helped in building this church or was the church built in his memory, huh I got confused there. Anyway, we had a nice view of the city because the church is sitting on a mountain.

By 7:00 pm, we checked in our hotel – Ruby Foo’s and some of our companions enjoyed the dip in the pool. Our friend, Jho De Gracia-Ochoco from SGS visited us and we had a chit chat for an hour. We hope to be back here when Tita Jo arrives for more Montreal discoveries. Hit the sack early for another day.

Bata Shoe Museum - It's all about shoes (and socks)

I thought that Bata Shoe Museum is only for kids considering the name, silly me but the museum is named after the founder Sonja Bata who first began collecting footwear since the1940's. Just a block west of St. George subway station, this museum with a unique architecture houses a world-class collection of 13,000 artifacts spanning 4,500 years of history and exhibits the cultural, historical and sociological value of footwear.


I'm so glad we got the free Museum and Arts Pass from the library, the visit to this museum is worthwhile. Paying patrons will not be stripped off their wallets because it's only $10 per adult and family pass cost only $30, it's actually value for money. We learned so much from the history of footwear from around the world and seeing the shoes (and socks) of historical figures and well-known personalities gives you a sense of achievement.

We enjoyed trying on the different shoes. I liked this clogs and the red shoes which makes me feel like a princess - so dainty.

The kids asked about the big shoes and the weird ones like the chopines and the pointed metal footwear which looked like a deadly weapon. I love the shoes from the Baroque era and the tall platform shoes used by the upper class of 1800s in bathing to go to the heated tubs - surreal. I wondered why didn't the exhibit included any shoes from the collection of Imelda Marcos. Maybe the Philippines need to put up it's own Imelda Marcos Shoe Museum exhibiting the more than 3000 pairs LOL!

Free Museum and Toronto Attractions Pass

I was a bit late opening an email and so I missed this free weekend activities for my family. Families are encouraged to explore the best of Toronto's arts and cultural treasures for free. With a valid adult Toronto Public Library card, you can borrow a MAP (Museum and Arts Pass) for your family at any Toronto Public Library branch. Each week, new passes are distributed on Saturday mornings. When I asked the library if they still have available Museum and Arts Passes, they said that only 3 passes are available but all the interesting ones are already taken. The librarian told me that people line up even before the library opens on Saturdays to get their desired pass. I guess I have to line up next Saturday to avail free entrance to the following attractions: Bata Shoe Museum, Gardiner Museum, Black Creek Pioneer Village, CASA LOMA, Royal Ontario Museum, Ontario Science Center, Toronto Zoo, and other Toronto's Historic Museums.

Here's the list of upcoming programs in some of the venues:

Casa Loma Presents: Knights in Armour
Saturday, April 10, 2010, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Hear a story about knights. Then get a hands-on lesson in medieval armour and weaponry. For kids ages 5-10 and their caregivers. This event is part of the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass program.

Bata Shoe Museum Presents: All About Shoes
Saturday, April 17, 2010, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Hear a story about shoes, then take a look at shoes from around the world. For kids ages 5-10 and their caregivers. This event is part of the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass program.

Gardiner Museum Presents: Clay Animals
Saturday, April 17, 2010, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Hear a story about animals, then make one out of clay. For kids ages 5-10 and their caregivers. This event is part of the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass program.

Black Creek Pioneer Village Presents: From Sheep to Shawl!
Saturday, April 24, 2010, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Black Creek Pioneer Village staff show you how to tease and spin wool. Take home your own woollen bracelet. For kids 6-10. To register, 416-395-5980. This event is part of the Sun Life Financial Museum + Arts Pass program.

I hope to be posting one of the weekends here.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

I realized that this country is so nationalistic, patriotic and it is evident in the manner they show off, preserve and protect their nation's symbols. I now wonder how many flags can be seen along Ayala Avenue because it is not as many as what I've seen here. OH maybe during Independence Day celebration, but here I think it's all year-round and the flags as too big or too many you can't miss them.

Statue of Liberty was a gift from France. Bartholdi, the creator, with the help of Gustave Eiffel of Eiffel Tower planned and executed the existence of this great monument. After September 11 incident, the US government made extra effort to protect Liberty, their symbol of freedom. I remember one description from the museum inside the statue - "a door to new hope, welcoming those who are ready to accept new challenges". I was amazed how Liberty came to being. The museum explained how it was planned, gave the details of each material used and how it was built. I just suddenly became interested with history. Anyway, we enjoy the photo shoot with Liberty, we were jumping and laughing hard to capture Liberty's moment. Ellis Island was also interedting but since I know I don't have ancestors who may have been one of the first immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, we skipped the tour.








Inside the Liberty Monument - The Face

A day at the Museum, Central Park, Chinatown, WTC, City Hall

Have you seen the movie "Night at the Museum" starring Ben Stiller? We went to American Museum of Natural History in 79th street where this movie was taken and I was amazed how the museum looked like. It was like I'm also starring in the movie. The first thing that you will see is the lobby with the 3 big skeleton of Dinosaurs (T-rex, Brontosaurus and another one). Aloysius would have loved to see this because this is what he is looking for when they went to a museum in Manila. The diorama of mammals were lifelike. When you look at the animals, it seems that they are looking back at you too (ready to attack you hahaha, wild imagination). I learned so much about the animals and the different places the humans came from. Too bad we only had 1 hour to explore the whole place so we didnt get to see the oceanarium and the dinosaurs in the upper floors.

What struck me is what I read in the four tablets of citations by Theodore Roosevelt, Regarding NATURE = "THE NATION BEHAVES WELL IF IT TREATS THE NATURAL RESOURCES AS ASSETS WHICH IT MUST TURN OVER TO THE NEXT GENERATION INCREASED AND NOT IMPAIRED IN VALUE."

"CONSERVATION MEANS DEVELOPMENT AS MUCH AS IT DOES PROTECTION."

On MANHOOD = "A MAN’S USEFULNESS DEPENDS UPON HIS LIVING UP TO HIS IDEALS IN SO FAR AS HE CAN."

"IT IS HARD TO FAIL, BUT IT IS WORSE NEVER TO HAVE TRIED TO SUCCEED."

For the Youth ="BE PRACTICAL AS WELL AS GENEROUS IN YOUR IDEALS. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE STARS, BUT REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR FEET ON THE GROUND.

and for the Nation (the US) = "A GREAT DEMOCRACY HAS GOT TO BE PROGRESSIVE OR IT WILL SOON CEASE TO BE GREAT OR A DEMOCRACY. "

"IF I MUST CHOOSE BETWEEN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND PEACE I CHOOSE RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Words like these are double-edged sword, the first part is true to our country. It just hurts, well the truth is.

Going to the museum, we had explored a part of the Central Park and we had many photo ops there. Then, I finally got a chance to taste the great american hotdog sold along the streets, hehehe, I was able to eat 2.

After the Museum, we headed to Chinatown for the authenthic Chinese meal. We bought Siopao and Siomai in Mei Lah Wah (in tagalog, parang me laway) and then went to Wonton Garden for a hot Beef Stew noodle and Rice meals. Our dessert was Chinese Ice Cream sarap!. We were so cold by the time we reach the subway going to Brooklyn Bridge. We just had taken pictures by the City hall and decided to return tomorrow for the Brooklyn bridge adventure.

While on our way to Subway, we stopped at the World Trade Center Site where some construction is being done. A new World Trade Center is being started. Seeing the pictures of the aftermath and the names of all victims send shivers down my spine.

Finally, we were home by 10:00 pm. Had a chance to talk to the kids on the phone.