Dim Sum in Montreal

As far as Dim Sum in Montreal Chinatown goes, I vote for Ruby Rouge which takes up the entire second floor of a small mall. www.restaurantrubyrouge.com

Outremont finds - Montreal

The portuguese restaurant that serves both tapas and table d'hôte diagonally across from the Outremont theatre in Montreal is excellent. Very reasonably priced, as is all food in Montreal. The gaspacho is the best I've tasted in a while, and the barbequed pork portuguese style was tender, succulent, and you could just taste the charcoal which just right and not too overwhelming. The oyster bar directly facing the theatre seems really popular too. Not to forget lilloquet down the street, for ice cream.

Parts of 417 between Ottawa and Montreal reduced to 1 lane

I discovered today that parts of the 417 between Ottawa and Montreal are reduced to 1-lane each way due to construction. Basically, while the 2-lane section going one direction is closed to traffic, the traffic is redirected to share the 2-lane highway normally going the other direction. Vertical pylons are placed in between the two lanes (now going opposite directions) in order to prevent overtaking. It's smooth going unless there is an accident but there will always be one car which will slow to 85 kph (the speed limit in the construction zone is 80 kph), even though I personally feel safe up to 100 kph. I have no idea when the construction will end.

There was in fact an accident that caused a jam on the way to Montreal this morning, and despite the fact that I had no map with me, I decided to follow a UPS van off the highway onto the side road which turned out (fortunately) to be a rather convenient bypass of the construction as well as the accident.

2 Kings 19:29-34

29 'This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And in the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

30 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.

31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.'

32 "Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it.

33 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the Lord.

34 'For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David's sake.' "

(New King James Version)

Las Aguas - Hamilton

I'm in Hamilton for the Canadian Economics Association conference, and my colleague has this suggestion for supper, Las Aguas at 1375 King Street East. Turns out to be a cosy little portuguese restaurant. Expensive by Hamilton standards. Starter, main course, and a glass of wine set my expense account back by about $40. But well worth the treat, and cosy enough for a special occasion.

Note that 1375 King Street East is on the two-way stretch of King Street East which branches off from Main Street East after where the one-way King Street East "crosses" Main, i.e. where the one-way Main becomes two-way. If this sounds confusing, this is because it is. Furthermore, the turn-off from Main to the two-way section of King Street East is not obvious, even though there is a small sign indicating where it is. My colleague originally gave me the impression that it was on the one-way stretch, which meant I got lost for a while. Anyway, if this is still unclear, check Mapquest before setting out.

How to avoid the Arnprior junction on highway 17

The 17 at Arnprior tends to be jammed.

The alternative is to take county road 52 from Renfrew to Burnstown, straight through across the Madawaska river to White Lake, and then cut through to county road 23 to Pakenham. You can then go across the old stone bridge on the Mississippi (no, not the more famous one), onto the Kinburn Side Road to the 417.

And oh, the Blackbird Cafe in Burnstown is wonderful. Delicious blueberry flan, mmm... I almost stopped if not for the need to be back in Ottawa to meet with the rest of the group.

Littledoe Lake - Algonquin Park

This lake is worth a second visit. Perhaps then, we'll have more time to explore the long narrow bays off the east side of the lake that I see on the topo map, instead of heading out instinctively to the west in the direction of Tom Thompson Lake as we have done.

It finally looked more like wilderness country after about a couple of hours canoeing from the Canoe Lake put-in, first passing the cottages (for the Singaporeans, read bungalows), and then the boys and girls camps, to relatively uncivilised territory where we spent relaxing the rest of Saturday, and exploring all of Sunday.

Most of Algonquin Park is extremely organised in order to prevent camper destruction of the natural environment. Campsites are clearly marked and equipped with thunder-boxes (i.e. outhouse without roof and walls, just a cover) so that irresponsible campers do not do their personal business at random spots and leave toilet paper all over the place, which I heard is the case at certain other parks. The only thing we came across that was not on the map was a beaver dam, which needed to be traversed by getting out of the canoe.

We camped at the entrance to the lake at a very large campground with tent pads overlooking the entrance to the lake over a steep cliff. Great spot so long as you are not expecting strong winds, as the higher elevation minimises bugs. There is a 30m walk up from the take-out to the campsite proper, which is fine for this time for the year, but not as nice if swimming at the campsite is on the agenda. The water is still too cold for swimming at the moment. I can swim with my 3mm neoprene farmer john wetsuit on, but I find my exposed arms freezing up...

Time to head home now. It was a wonderful trip. Back to the evil? city. I'm going to miss the peace and quiet.

Tom Thompson Cairn - Canoe Lake - Algonquin Park

If you have never visited Tom Thompson Cairn on Canoe Lake, make it a point to stop there on the way to whatever lake you are headed to. All it takes is a little scrambling up a few rocky steps (about 10m elevation). The totem and cairn in honour of the great Canadian artist Tom Thompson who drowned mysteriously in Canoe Lake provide us a moment to reflect on the grand Algonquin landscape that was the subject of so many of his paintings. It's also a great photo op.

Canisbay Campground - Algonquin Park

Arrived at Canisbay campground, which is an OK place to stay for the night if you are looking for a convenient place near the Canoe Lake put-in for next morning's trip into the park interior, but be prepared to turn in late...

On this long weekend Friday evening, there's quite a queue at the campground office crowded with 20 people inside. Some were waiting in line to get checked in, while others were coming in to ask for firewood and what not.

When it was our turn, the young lady at the counter had trouble with the computer system. Apparently, the program would not allow her to simply move someone from one campsite to another. She had to do a delete, followed by an add.

Once we were underway, we drove to the car-camping ground, set-up the tents under the illumination of the headlights, and was soon in bed. However, sleep did not come easy. Our neighbours were having a party, and a rather loud one at that. And as far as I can tell, the party ended at about 2 am. So much for the lights out rules at these campsites. Not a pleasant experience for me at all. It reminded me of East Coast Park in Singapore. I did not come to Canada or all the way to Algonquin Park to be reminded of the high-density and overcrowded place I evacuated from.

Perhaps the other smaller campgrounds along highway 60 are better than Canisbay, but for now, I am looking forward to the Algonquin interior. BTW, there is cellphone reception here (I'm using Bell Canada), but please turn it off unless you really need it.

Granary Schnitzel House - Eganville

Be sure to stop by the Granary Schnitzel House in Eganville on the way to Algonquin Park (if you are coming from the east side). Great schnitzel, good beer, nice patio, or if you prefer the dining room is immaculate too.

I've also been told that the tavern in Wilno, Canada's oldest Polish settlement, has excellent Polish food. Definitely next in line on my places to stop on the way to/from Algonquin.