A tale of 3 cities in Canada- Montreal (Part 2: Robbed of a white Christmas!)
At first I was skeptical, but after watching the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" (it's more like a documentary if you ask me) and robbed of a white Christmas during our stay in Monreal, I am utterly convinced that somehow, we have screwed up Earth's ecological system big time. In the dormitary of our hostel in Montreal, things could not get any worse. Much to our dismay, we discovered that we had to share a room with a complete stranger! Ever since we arrived in Canada, the three of us were able to move into rooms in which we were the only occupants, the unexpected fourth guest in our dormitary had therefore ruined our mood to celebrate Christmas. Visibly disheartened by the turn of events, we were nevertheless treated to a free dinner buffet entirely sponsored by the hostel. The sumptuous spread of the usual Christmas fare lifted our spirit somewhat, and after a hearty meal, we took a long stroll along Montreal's famous Rue St Catherine and St Laurent.
We stayed in this hostel called Auberge De Jennesse (translated: Inn of Jenesse) it may look unremarkable at first, but once we entered the hostel, we were bowled over by the friendly staffs and the cosy decor.
Montreal has a decent number of Chinese living in the city, as evident in Chinatown. Earlier that afternoon, our plans to have Dim Sum at a chinese restaurant was foiled by the long line formed outside the famed eatery (and of all people, Caucasians were queuing in the line!). Gastronomic disappointment aside, I'm impressed by the chinese in Montreal, who are able to speak cantonese, English and French.
Rue St Catherine, with high-end boutiques sprouting on both sides of the street (Louis Vuitton, Guess, Hugo Boss just to name a few). Jiahao and Allan had the time of their life in Root's boutique by going on a shopping spree. They grabbed a jacket each at 40 percent and 60 percent discount respectively, and to my horror, Jiahao bought the very same jacket I had bought a couple of weeks earlier back in London! Similar design aside, the jacket was so much cheaper!
Sarah, this picture is dedicated especially for you! Hope I can take a peek at your LV stash in Coppenhagen if I ever get to travel to Europe!
Just for laughs! After watching their shows on the onboard TV of SBS buses, I decided that I prefer their standup comedies more. Their 'Gotcha!' segments really fell flat most of the time.
Despite the lavish amount Singapore spend on its Christmas lightings at Orchard every year, I find it to be pale in comparison with the ones I have seen in Canada. At Montreal, the lightings did not disappoint at all further illuminating the city (already brightly lit at night by neon sign boards) that night.
We passed by the Montreal's version of 'Geylang' (Singapore's red light district) along this street. The neon lit sign boards and LCD screens outside these shops were displaying models dressed suggestively touting peek shows to passerbys. Had it not been for the dwindling cash in my wallet, I would have taken a 'peek' (no pun intended) inside.
Montreal city's Vieux Port (old port), a place where the heritage of Montreal is in full splendour. Restaurants oozing with romantic ambience are found all over this nostalgic stretch of walkway.
Not far from the Vieux Port, Montreal city hall.
From the pictures uploaded in this post, you would have guessed that the three of us did quite a bit of walking. Indeed we did, and we had a minor emergency when we were at the Vieux Port. Me and Jiahao were looking for a washroom in the vicinity after having a tad too much to drink. To our utmost exasperation, none could be found (not even at petrol kiosk!!! Don't they need to pee or something?!). With each passing minute, the wave of desperation that hit us (at least for me and Jiahao) became more vicious as our bladder fought the uncomfortable and dreadful feeling of coming dangerously close to exploding. Again, thanks to the ever perceptive Allan, we finally found a washroom at Marriot's hotel... (a conservative estimate told me that we had held our pee for close to an hour). It was almost at this time, the clock strucked 12 and Christmas had arrived in Montreal! As I exited from the hotel, I could swear that I could hear the hymns of angels celebrating the end of our ordeal! What a way to herald 2006's yuletide... Exchanging greetings gifts and greetings between the 3 of us, this Christmas will be an unforgettable one even with the absence of snow (sigh...), because of the companionship we share together that night.
We stayed in this hostel called Auberge De Jennesse (translated: Inn of Jenesse) it may look unremarkable at first, but once we entered the hostel, we were bowled over by the friendly staffs and the cosy decor.
Montreal has a decent number of Chinese living in the city, as evident in Chinatown. Earlier that afternoon, our plans to have Dim Sum at a chinese restaurant was foiled by the long line formed outside the famed eatery (and of all people, Caucasians were queuing in the line!). Gastronomic disappointment aside, I'm impressed by the chinese in Montreal, who are able to speak cantonese, English and French.
Rue St Catherine, with high-end boutiques sprouting on both sides of the street (Louis Vuitton, Guess, Hugo Boss just to name a few). Jiahao and Allan had the time of their life in Root's boutique by going on a shopping spree. They grabbed a jacket each at 40 percent and 60 percent discount respectively, and to my horror, Jiahao bought the very same jacket I had bought a couple of weeks earlier back in London! Similar design aside, the jacket was so much cheaper!
Sarah, this picture is dedicated especially for you! Hope I can take a peek at your LV stash in Coppenhagen if I ever get to travel to Europe!
Just for laughs! After watching their shows on the onboard TV of SBS buses, I decided that I prefer their standup comedies more. Their 'Gotcha!' segments really fell flat most of the time.
Despite the lavish amount Singapore spend on its Christmas lightings at Orchard every year, I find it to be pale in comparison with the ones I have seen in Canada. At Montreal, the lightings did not disappoint at all further illuminating the city (already brightly lit at night by neon sign boards) that night.
We passed by the Montreal's version of 'Geylang' (Singapore's red light district) along this street. The neon lit sign boards and LCD screens outside these shops were displaying models dressed suggestively touting peek shows to passerbys. Had it not been for the dwindling cash in my wallet, I would have taken a 'peek' (no pun intended) inside.
Montreal city's Vieux Port (old port), a place where the heritage of Montreal is in full splendour. Restaurants oozing with romantic ambience are found all over this nostalgic stretch of walkway.
Not far from the Vieux Port, Montreal city hall.
From the pictures uploaded in this post, you would have guessed that the three of us did quite a bit of walking. Indeed we did, and we had a minor emergency when we were at the Vieux Port. Me and Jiahao were looking for a washroom in the vicinity after having a tad too much to drink. To our utmost exasperation, none could be found (not even at petrol kiosk!!! Don't they need to pee or something?!). With each passing minute, the wave of desperation that hit us (at least for me and Jiahao) became more vicious as our bladder fought the uncomfortable and dreadful feeling of coming dangerously close to exploding. Again, thanks to the ever perceptive Allan, we finally found a washroom at Marriot's hotel... (a conservative estimate told me that we had held our pee for close to an hour). It was almost at this time, the clock strucked 12 and Christmas had arrived in Montreal! As I exited from the hotel, I could swear that I could hear the hymns of angels celebrating the end of our ordeal! What a way to herald 2006's yuletide... Exchanging greetings gifts and greetings between the 3 of us, this Christmas will be an unforgettable one even with the absence of snow (sigh...), because of the companionship we share together that night.
posted by Weizhong @ 6:18 AM
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