torsdag 18. oktober 2012

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CANADA:
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onsdag 17. oktober 2012

Heading home, Norway here we come.....


















This is our last day as backpackers and it is end on our trip her in Gambia. And it is also the end of our traveling from country to country. It is bit sad but also nice, because I am a bit homesick now....

This morning we had a lot of heavy rain, so it is okay to say good bay to that to be honest. The rainy season is very very very wet now!
It relay poured down. I am hoping the the roads not are closed because of the rain.
But I will miss the view when the sun is rising from the water. It was so beautiful. And it is very sad to think about that our times as backpackers are over now. We only have left seventeen hours on the airplane and then we will be back with our feet’s on Norwegian ground. I am looking forward to get home to be back in my bed and take a long shower in clean Norwegian water.
We have seen and learned so much in both Canada and Gambia, about the difference between the cultures and values in both countries.  I will never forget the mountain biking in Canada and the marked and the rainforest her in Gambia. It has really been a big traveling adventure.

Goodbye blog and goodbye Gambia <3<3<3<3


A.E.
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DAY 7



Today we were at Katchikally crocodile farm, it was absolutely amazing. We saw many crocodiles there. I must admit it was scary, crocodiles were very large.
 (The site was apparently discovered hundreds of years ago and is home to more than 100 crocodiles.)
We also were at Makasutu Culture Forest today. We were on tour in the beautiful forest park. We learned a bit about medicinal plants and woodland fauna. it was really nice <3
We took a boat trip by dugout canoe and sow a spirited display of local-style music and some people dance in this award-winning eco-attraction.
We sow also a lot of baboons monkeying, haha they were very funny.
One of them tried to steal my sunglasses but Anett sow him in time, so he didn’t get a change to take them.

we paid 289 GMD for the ticket, it's only 50kr.
100 GMD = 17,29 NOK   <-there is a big difference. 


Anastasiya

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Day 6 in Gambia


Hello people :)


It is very hot her in Gambia, so different form Norway and Canada!!!!
The temperature today was probably about 30°C. So it is very sunny even if we are in middle of the rainy season. So when we were visiting the city again today, we have to get more of the amazing fruit. I mean it taste so must better en the fruit back home, particularly the bananas and oranges.
But back to the point I decide to I bring my umbrella to the city today. You see I really don`t like the feeling when my hair gets wet :(



Later that day when we came home from the walk we was sitting in the hotel and discussing what we had red in the newspaper earlier that day about the partnership that are planned to end the poverty in the country. They think that the key is to focus on education. We who are from Norway thinks that education are very important and this sounds as a very good idea. But we are wondering where they are going to get the money they needed, because that didn’t they say anything about in the article. But we are hoping that this new partnership will bring better times to Gambia.
Tomorrow are we going to  the katchikally crocodile farm, I are looking very much forward to it :D

 







Yummy!!!!!!





A.E.
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DAY 5


Day 5:
 When we walked on the street today, we saw a very nice car, we got to know later that it was Yahya AJJ Jammeh (president) who drove past. 




Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh
25 May 1965 (age 47)
President Jammeh is a practising Muslim.
In July 2010, Jammeh stressed that people should believe in God, saying that "If you don't believe in God, you can never be grateful to humanity and you are even below a pig. 0.o
President Jammeh joined the Gambian National Army in 1984, was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1989, and in 1992 became commander of the Gambian Military Police.
He was elected as president in September 1996, he was re-elected on 18 October 2001 with about 53% of the vote.
On 15 May 2008, Jammeh announced that his government would introduce legislation that would set rules against homosexuals that would be "stricter than those in Iran", and that he would "cut off the head" of any gay or lesbian person discovered in the country.
In the speech given in Tallinding, Jammeh gave a "final ultimatum" to any gays or lesbians in The Gambia to leave the country. O.0

Anastasiya
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DAY 4


Day 4:
To day we had dinner with Daggah, she say that best time of year to visit The Gambia is during the winter. This time of year is the driest and coolest but still over 25°C everyday though.
we asked her about the living conditions here. She told us that when you do not have a job here you do not get any support like we get in Norway.
Here in Gambia you try to survive if you don’t have a job. It is very difficult she says, you have to wash your clothes in the sea, cook for children when you have hardly any food, but if you have a job when it goes much better, then you have home, food, and your children can go to school.
Daily life for many Gambians revolves simply around business whether it is simply selling mirrors, combs and brushes on the ground; selling a barrel of oranges on the street; or selling cold water, ice treats, peppers and spices, fish and peanuts, clothing, fabric, shoes, belts, books, art and even money! Yes money!


Her you see a women with child on the back and clothes on the head, I cud newer accomplish to go with a book on my head. 







Anastasiya.
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Day 3 in Gambia



Today when we all woke up, I turned on the radio in our hotel. They were playing one of the famous songs in the genre “wolof”. It is the traditional music genre her in Gambia. They are playing it a lot, everywhere!
 
 It is very different from Norwegian folk music, with the fiddle and the violin, “wolof” have a lot of drumming.












 <-- Her we have found a clip on YouTube to show you gays what “wolof” really is…







We think that it is important to taste a bit of the culture when we are here in Gambia. So today we are going to taste ”domada”.
“Domada” is one of the very famous dishes her in Gambia. It is often eaten when they celebrate. We have found a recipe on it that says that it have peanut butter, habanero chili pepper, water, tomato puree, bouillon cube, lemon juice and garlic in it.
I am looking look forward to taste it, but I am also a bit scared. It is always scary to taste new food, for the first time.
We have been told that it taste like lamb and chicken but with a bit more spices. So I am really hoping we are getting water with the food…









A.E.
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Day 2 in Gambia



Day 2:
Now we have extracted after sleeping like a baby all night, we met a lady who cleans our room. Her name was Daggah, we talked a lot about Banjul and lifestyles here. We learned that she had five children and was a single mother, she lived in a small house with only one room. They had no money for food so she got an offer to work here four years ago. She was very happy for the offer, since Tourism is important, but are often controlled by foreign interests, and limited number of jobs for the local population. Since Banjul has both the rich side and the poor, there are many rich who have a big house and lots of poor people who are unable to get food. We have become good friends and invited her to dinner that we will make on Saturday. <3
When we arrived at the market, we saw many people and it was very hot but then we saw a lot of fruits that we have not seen before and then we just had to try them.  =D But it is a bit strange since Gambia has few natural resources, and only one-sixth of the land is arable.

We bought some sculptures that country people make, the sculptures were made of wood and were very nice made.






 

Written by Anastasiya.

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Hello Gambia

Her we are, after seventeen hours on the airplane. Finally arriving the English speaking country Gambia. It has been a long traveling day. But we looking forward to tomorrow because then we are going to explore Banjul. I hope that we are going to meet people that can tell us about the different in this country and Norway. 
But now we have to extract and get some sleep.












A.E.

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The last day in Canada



We woke up pretty late today because of the concert yesterday. What an experience!? Celine has an amazing and very powerful voice. I have heard her songs on the radio, in stores, at home –everywhere! But it is so much better live, you feel like she is singing to you. The only thing that was poor was all the people that made it very crowded. All in all, the concert was very good! J

But as I said we woke up late today, way too late, because the breakfast was closed. So we had to go out for food. We found a cozy café, called Brit and Chips in 433 McGill Street. The English brunch was tasty, and definitely worth the money!

After being in an English speaking part of Canada for so many days, it’s so weird hearing people talking French wherever we go. The reason why most of people in Canada are speaking English is: Because there were four waves of immigrants over a period of time of almost 200 years. The first immigrants came from the USA during the American Revolution, because they didn’t want to stay in the States. The Americans did bring their type of English to Canada. And later on when the second wave of immigrants came from England and Ireland, they also brought their type of English. Both of these languages have affected and helped form the Canadian English. That’s the reason of why they do speak English I Canada. The reason of why Quebec is French-speaking is because it was colonized many hundred years ago.

So after the late breakfast we packed our things and checked out of the hotel, because we were going to Lotte’s aunt in Ottawa. Ottawa is two hours away from Montreal. We went by train this time. It was quite expensive, 176 $ for all four, almost 1000 Norwegian kroner! But it was really interesting, we could see a lot of the Canadian nature- it’s so beautiful! 

The rain was pouring down when we reached Ottawa. We were all excited to meet Lisa who is Lotte’s aunt. Lotte has told us so much about her, mostly positive… So when we finally arrived, Lotte couldn’t wait for the doors to open. And when they finally did, Lotte ran out of the train and into her aunt’s arms. They were hugging for a long time- they had obviously missed each other! After the happy reunion between Lotte and Lisa, we all ran towards the car, trying to not get wet.

Lisa’s house was much bigger than the others in the neighborhood. And Lisa told us that Canadians usually are only three people per family. They have increased from 3.7 persons per family in 1971 into 3.0 persons now in 2012. So they want to use their money on other things than a big house. But although some of the houses were small it looked like they had a high standard. And Lisa could tell us that Canada is the country with the highest standards in the world. This is because most of the population in Canada has jobs, and few are unemployed.

When Lisa opened the door a wonderful smell met us. She had baked a Nanaimo bar, which is a Canadian specialty. It was a kind of cookie with some white foam which tasted mint. And it was topped with chocolate. It was actually good, but also very sweet!

The rest of the evening we were only talking with Lisa. And we took a break from all the tourist things. All of us had to relax before the long flight tomorrow. It will be around 37 hours in the air tomorrow (and the day after that…)


Synne S.
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Off to the concert! :)


Just a quick update:
We’re about to head out for tonight’s big event, the Celine Dion concert! Yay! We’re just going to check if we have brought everything we need for tonight, then we’re off to a another great experience!  

Written by L.T
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The 4th & 5th day in Canada



Today was the fourth day in Canada and the agenda was full. We woke up pretty early, because we were going to travel a lot back and forth. We had planned to go to the world’s tallest totem pole, and so we did. The sun was shining and on our way there, there was this beautiful view as far as the eye could see. It took us about two hours to get there. The totem pole is 53 meters tall. It’s located in Alert Bay, a small village just outside Victoria. The totem poles in Canada were made by the Indians and they were made because they meant something to the owner. The village has about 550 citizens and over 50 percent of them are First Nations people, mainly Kwakwaka’wakw people.
 
After a new cultural experience we didn’t have more time to spend in Alert Bay if we were going to catch our plane to Montreal, Quebec. Therefore we got in the car and drove back to Vancouver and the airport. 

We ate on the plane because we planned on going to bed right away when we got to Quebec. It was really late when we arrived, because the flight from Vancouver was about 7 hours long. We also got up early, so we were really in need of all the sleep we could get.




We are now in Montreal, the capital of Quebec. Quebec is one of twelve provinces and three territories in Canada.
(Sorry about my bad blogging by the way. It’s just that I haven’t really had the energy to blog every day, so that’s why all these days are in one blog post.)

After a long night sleep and a fair enough breakfast at the hotel, which is named Hotel & Suits Normandin, we got a tip from a really nice Canadian couple with some kids sitting in the lobby. They told us about the Celine Dion concert that was tonight! They also offered us their tickets, because they couldn’t go as planned, due to a sick relative of them. We thanked them and wished for them that their sick relative recovered as soon as possible.

We were so excited about the big concert and that’s when I got my mind on one particular question: what do we really know about Celine Dion? Our answer was that we didn’t know as much as we maybe should have. So we took the elevator up to our hotel room and googled a bit about Celine Dion. There is a lot that I didn’t know about Celine Dion. Did you for instance know that she’s actually from Quebec? She was born in Charlemagne in 1968, which means she is 48 years of age. Celine Marie Claudette Dion first got known international in the 1980’s when she won two song contests, but her real breakthrough was in 1991 when “she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track to Disney's animated film "Beauty and the Beast .“

We had been thinking of going to a hockey game, as it’s the most popular sport in Canada. However, we didn’t because we were too lazy. The rest of the day was spent mostly in our hotel room. Frankly, all we wanted to do was just lying in our beds watching TV and eating lots of Maltesers. You know the chocolate covered crisp balls in the red package, right? Well, that’s Maltesers and they are Canadian. We all love them!

Lying there in my pajama I decided to stay a bit updated, so I turned on my laptop and browsed some local newspapers. There was one thing that actually caught my attention: an employee in a men’s clothing company got fired as a cause of his terrible action. Last week a 15 year-old girl from British Columbia (a province), Amanda Todd, took her own life after years of bullying. The employee wrote this on her memorial page: “Thank God this Bitch is dead.” A mom and an anti-bullying activist saw the comment and traced it back to the man’s Facebook profile, where he had listed his occupation. The mom emailed the company about what he had done. The man luckily got fired right away. I can’t believe how a human being can be so idiotic and cruel. Whatever he says, he can’t have a good reason for his awful action. That this one mother, who most likely didn’t know Amanda Todd, neither her family, didn’t ignore the comment, but took care of it even though it wasn’t her responsible, says something about the Canadians. This shows that they are caring, loving and responsible. Even though this was just one woman, I think most of the Canadian people are like this.

Before the Celine concert, we ate at a local restaurant just outside the hotel. Nothing special to say about the food really, but the dessert was amazing. They waiter told us about the Canadian specialty: frozen wine! How cool is that? It’s (obviously) made of frozen grapes and it has been made since 23 AD. It’s a dessert wine and another name of it is ice wine. About 75 percent of Canada’s ice wine comes from Ontario. There are both still and sparkling frozen wines and we tasted them both. It was good experience and quite different from all the other wines I’ve ever tasted.  

 Tomorrow we're going to visit my auntie! I'm so excited, because I miss her so much! <3 

Written by L.T.
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