Canada pre-voyage!

Canada: home of hockey, 5-cent required fee for plastic bags, Mike Meyers, snow, required compost, and Justin Bieber. It is also where my cousins live so I am staying with my fabulous older cousin Meghan and her new husband Drew here in Toronto and she is showing me this fun, modern city. We ate dinner last night at the harbor front of Lake Ontario where we saw everything from SHARK ATTACK boats (funny since there's no lake sharks!) to yachts and tons of beautiful sailboats floating in the harbor. We also discussed the dangers of capsizing and sinking which was oh so comforting right before I embark on the MV Explorer! The weather is perfect; a cool breeze felt amazing after the 95-degree humidity of Florida. Some of my favorite things about Toronto have been Yonge Street, which is the longest streets in the world - over 1,000 miles, and the Canadian saying of "eh." Canadians throw an "eh" on the end of sentences as a question of agreement. For example, "This street is quite long, eh?"  Also, Canada has a HUGE landmass, the second largest behind Russia, and a population less than the size of California! Today we experienced the Canadian fair where we sat in a Canadian "buffalo" army tank, looked in horror at the fried butter and chocolate-covered bacon, and wondered if the carny really could "guess our weight." Tonight we plan on exploring the trendy, yet historic neighborhood of Yorkville where all the celebs hang out during the annual Toronto Film Festival. I'm bummed that I missed being here for it by only a few weeks, at is is quite a famous weekend. Tomorrow Meghan and I will fly out early to Halifax where she went to university and where I board the boat. We plan on  going to Peggy's Cove, eating a fabulous lobster dinner, and hitting the fun night scene of this coastal college town. What a WONDERFUL kick-start to my adventures abroad. Thank goodness for awesome family to show me a good time around America's northern neighbor.

Anticipating the voyage!

It is overwhelming to imagine that in 13 days I will be on board Semester at Sea's floating campus, the MV Explorer, and I have only just started planning (and more importantly budgeting) my trip. Since I haven't done any travel preparations (I barely got my visas) it looks like I will be winging it from country to country, without agenda. But I like it. No arranged itineraries, just freedom to seek adventure via couchsurfing, rickshaws, locals, and hostels. Thanks for following me, I know each country will bring exciting stories full of fascinating people, exotic locations, a touch of danger, and incredible fun!

"And now, let the wild rumpus start! 

-Max, Where the Wild Things Are