5 years ago Travel Stories

Toronto is a big and bold city and because of that there are plenty of ways to annoy its citizens. Generally a Torontonian just wants to live their life, have their friends, and feel pride in their city… if you step forward to impede these meager wants you will annoy them. Ways to annoy a Torontonians include.

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Walking Slowly

There’s a time and a place to take your time on the sidewalk of the city and it isn’t before 9 AM anywhere near the financial district. Generally people in Toronto are bustling along at pace and the sidewalks are packed. A person walking slowly puts the entire fragile social world of the sidewalk in chaos slowing it to a stand still. Next people will start trying to pass the said person and annoying the people walking the other direction. We are not talking about Olympic speed walking here just keep pace to the person in front of you and don’t stop unannounced to look at things in shop windows in the middle of the sidewalk.

Claiming the city when you’re not from Toronto

Well the truth of the matter is that half the people in Toronto are from other places. With that said, when you meet someone in the city you wouldn’t say you’re from Toronto, rather you would say where you are from originally. Downtown Torontoite’s get annoyed when people from the fringes of the GTA (the greater Toronto area) claim they are from Toronto – which generally means living in the downtown core. Why you might ask would this annoy people? People from the suburbs – Brampton, Pickering and Mississauga – are often poorly behaved downtown in the entertainment district and the locals don’t want to be associated with that behavior.

Hating on the City, just cause…

All the Toronto locals have heard the New York comparison and how Toronto really is no NYC. Well duh…, but at the same time it’s kind of sweet it even got into a sentence of comparison with that city. People, especially around Canada, are often trying to knock Toronto down saying it really isn’t that great. Saying this to locals, who overwhelmingly feel positive about the place, will not like it. Sure, there are things that aren’t perfect – public transport could be better, rent is high, and Toronto sports teams are in a seemingly permanent funk – but there is plenty right here too and that is what locals like to hear.

5 years ago Travel Tips

Traveling sometimes will bring you to cities where your dollar goes a long, long way. Other times though you may come to a place that you’re daily meal allowance is blown before you get past lunch. The following list is going to look at a few of the most expensive cities when it comes to the cost to be in them. This is a combined rating between the cost of living there and the cost of actually living there. A few of the worlds most expensive cities are.

Moscow

The former land of communist egalitarianism has given way to the capitalist mantra make Moscow one of the most expensive places on the globe. Moscow is now home to the most billionaires in the world with more then 70 and has a cost of living, shockingly, 40% higher than New York City. If you want an experience that will quickly send you to the poor house head to Tverskaya Street to the play ground of Moscow’s nouveau rich and try to keep pace dollar for dollar with them.

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Tokyo

Tokyo, along with New York and London, is one of the world’s financial centres. Basically this means there will be things in the city that allow rich people to spend their money. An example of just that is the Aragawa Steakhouse, which was listed in Forbes magazine as the most expensive restaurant in the world. A plate there can cost $400 dollars. A visit to Tokyo may have you looking to spend more of your time sitting in the city’s free parks.

Oslo

On the back of a growing energy sector, specifically in offshore oil, Norway has seen a mass influx of wealth. As often is the case a rise in wealth means that prices will increase and that has been just the case in Oslo. The prices of single consumer items is amongst the very highest in the world with a beer in a pub costing around $12 dollars and a 355 ml can of coke in a 7-11 costing around $4.

London

As one of the world’s financial capitals the cost of living in London has long been steep. A recent Zagat survey highlighted London as the most expensive city in the world to dine in on average. The cost of rents and other amentias certainly keep this one of the priciest cities in the world.

6 years ago Travel Stories

One of the big experiences of traveling is to pull off a move to a country with next to no money. This is an experience that takes the most intense focus, a few good friends, and basically just a bit of luck. There was a time several years back when I had the experience of moving to Amsterdam – at first for a girl, then later for my self – with just around $500 dollars. I’m going to detail how I did it as a blue print of sorts of how high risk moves like this are done.

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I concocted the plan and I stuck to it…

This may sounds sort of obvious, but the reality is that I very much needed to have a goal in my mind cemented that I was going to do this move and there would be no turning back. Even as certain set backs occurred, like it taking much longer in London then I had calculated to get my Dutch work visa, I didn’t give up on my plan. Keeping the goal alive kept my mind sharp for anything that would help me see the goal through. I was optimistic it would work, even when at times it did seem a little dire, and it did.

I tapped my travel contacts in Amsterdam…

Knowing that my money was so low I didn’t mess around before I was set to come to Amsterdam, I got in touch with all the people I knew there first. Rather than sugar coat the situation, I told them just how dire my circumstances were and they all leapt forward to help me. As I would come to find out Dutch people are very caring about one another and this was the first time I saw it. As I stayed with different friends I said to myself that latter on I would definitely re-pay that kindness.

No rest for the wicked, I found any job I could ASAP…

Literally from the day I arrived I didn’t bother learning the pubs and coffee shops instead I had my friend Julia show me the layout of the city and right away I was hitting the pavement looking for work. I sketched a loose outline of the city and wandered around resume in hand. I tried at some bars and a few youth hostels to no avail. The next day though, still focused from my plan, I looked hard again and found what would keep me a float in the city – a posting at a temp agency to for dishwashers. Without ego or pride I walked in there and took the job and my Amsterdam experience began. Later on, I would find much more exiting work, but I was there then and I was staying!

6 years ago Travel Tips

New Zealanders will muse how it really isn’t possible to annoy them and how they will get a kick out of your attempts to do so. Voted second, only behind Icelanders, for how accepting they are to foreigners you may wonder how do you actually do annoy a Kiwi? The truth is that it is possible to bring a Kiwi into a fury and here are a few ways to do just that.

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Just Assuming that New Zealand is the same as Australia

Australia and New Zealand are culturally different, geographically different and politically different the only thing that is remotely similar is there accent and that is only fleeting. Kiwis do not like being thought of as Australian just as Canadians don’t like to be thought of English. They will understand an accident when it comes to hearing the accent, but what will really annoy them is if a person totally believes there is no difference between the nations. Expect to hear a harsh piss off, if you ask a New Zealander about kangaroos, boomerang, or Ayers Rock.

Calling them sheep shaggers

One of the oldest ongoing jokes Australians have is that New Zealanders like to get it on with sheep. The genesis of this joke stems from the fact that there are more than 33 million sheep presently in New Zealand – only a third of what it was 25 years ago – which is 7 sheep per person. You know when you have heard the same joke a million times, multiply that by a thousand and you have the feeling New Zealanders get when they hear this. If you spout off this knowledge they will definitely get annoyed, if you are Australian and you do it they will be doubly annoyed.

Belittle rugby

Kiwis’ love rugby as it is hands down the national sport of New Zealand. Talking disparagingly about the game is definitely one way that you can annoy a lot of Kiwis. The truth is that it is quite a feat that a nation with just 4.4 million people currently holds the Rugby World Cup. If you really want to get a group of Kiwis ready to have you gang tackled talk about how American Football is a better, tougher sport. If you want to push it further tell them rugby is a brute game that has no strategy. They’ll probably offer to show you what it’s like to play rugby right then and there.

6 years ago Travel Stories, Travel Tips

You’ve seen the blockbuster films, and now you want to see the real Middle Earth! Peter Jackson built a multi-million dollar film franchise from J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit using the spectacular scenery of New Zealand. The natural beauty of New Zealand’s mountains, rivers, meadows and caves has made it a popular place for tourists and Tolkien-enthusiasts alike.

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For a first-hand experience of the locations used to re-create Middle Earth, why not try a self-guided car trip? Pick up Ian Brodie’s Lord of the Rings Guidebook for a comprehensive guide to the film and country. Or, just head out to some of the famously beautiful landmarks that were featured in the films. Take a drive around the Northern Islands starting in Waitomo where you can explore the underground caverns then on to Matamata, which served as the location for Hobbiton. See the little hobbit houses peeking out of the hillside and pet the sheep who have now made these props their homes. You won’t want to miss Mount Ngauruhoe in Tongariro National Park. This is the actual Mount Doom seen in the films and, with its vast volcanic landscaped, the park became the perfect spot to build Mordor. Or head to the Remarkables mountain range, which were featured several times in the films, notably as the Misty Mountains. Enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way to Glenorchy where you’ll find the fortress of Isengard.

If you would rather stay in one spot for a little while, perhaps consider some Tolkein-inspired accommodations? Minaret Lodge in Wanaka offers guests the true hobbit experience in their Barlimans – comfortable cottages with round doors and oversized furniture, complete with a custom “hobbit menu.” Or get a room in Wellington, home of Peter Jackson and home base for the production crew for much of the filming. Head to the Weta Cave for Lord of the Rings souvenirs and stop in to see the weavers at Stansborough, who wove all the cloaks for the movies. About an hour out of Wellington you can visit the horses used in the films

For a fully comprehensive experience of New Zealand’s Lord of the Rings locations book a tour with Southern Lakes Sightseeing. They have several prepared itineraries and can visit up to twenty film locations in one day. The tour is complete with over $15,000 in weapons, armor and costumes for guests who wish to recreate scenes and take pictures.

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