'Canadian' Cookies

Well, I am slowly converting the Canadian locals towards the delicasies of Australian Cuisine. Here you see Scott cooking Anzac biscuits with a canadian twist, the use of Corn Syrup and not Golden Syrup - well you know we are supposed to be learning the 'Canadian Way'... Along the journey of cooking 'cookies' Scott managed to snap a wooden spoon, these Anzac buscuits certainly have a punch! Anyway, all went well, and our baking expedition was a success as you can see from the photos.

Dog Sledding

Wow! Those who know me well enough would guess that this is one sport I would be involved in. We were given the opportunity to expreience Dog Sledding out on the lake. Each team consisted of five dogs, plus a sled to which there was a passenger and driver. We were given a brief lesson on the comands and actions required for driving the sled. To begin sledding you needed to take either both or one foot off the brake, push off like a skate board and call out 'hike' to the dogs. If they became distracted at all you called 'on by', which communicated to the dogs to gain their focus again. Then to stop we called 'whoa', placed one foot on the brake, then two. Whilst stopped you needed two feet on the brake otherwise the dogs were strong enough to begin without you realising. I had a brilliant time, and it was a great feeling to be interacting with animals again, especially dogs which you all know I just absolutely love. After this experience I am researching the possibilty of longer trips Dog Sledding.

Walking at Wanakita

This past weekend the Exchange group travelled north to Camp Wanakita. Here you could experience the many winter activities on offer in Canada. My first was snow shoeing or walking with tennis racquets. Our journey was through the Forgotten Forest, with the highlight being the walk out onto Beaver Lake. Not to worry the lake was covered with 12 inches of ice, then a layer of snow. So here we are, walking on water so to speak. Quite an experience, we even had to climb over logs and 'ski' down slopes in our new shoes. From the photos you can see the magic scenery that we were experiencing. The photo of Ange and me is of us standing in the middle of the Beaver Lake, quite an interetsing feeling. Next dog sledding.

Niagara Falls

Have finally visited one of the most spectacular sights of Canada. Even frozen the Falls offer sights that take your breath away. Beware though of the mist in winter, can freeze on contact. Whilst viewing the Falls you can experience the strength and sheer volume through the sites and sounds surrounding you. By the way the Falls deliver more than a million bathtubs of water per minute.
Situated beside Niagara Falls is downtown Niagara. As you can see from the images, I visited the more tacky sites. The main strip, Clifton Hill is full of haunted houses, Ripley's Believe It or Not and the Guiness Book of Records shop (note statue of tallest man), plus variety of food shops etc. Quite an interesting mix for what is considered one of the most romantic escapes of Canada.