Brandon: The Final Destination

May 14th, 2011

Our next and final destination in our Manitoban road trip can surely be nothing less than Brandon, the wheat city. Brandon is known for its long history as Canada's agricultural centre. It is also known for its size as the the second largest city in Manitoba. However, our first impression there turns out to be quite disappointing: the city was quiet, the climate was burning hot (I started to miss Churchill D':) , and all the tourists were old. Another thing that disappointed us was the help we received from the people; none of them really know the attractions in their own city. We were stuck in the middle of the city for an hour.

The best advice we received was to go to the Riverbank Discovery Centre. The building itself was quite unique and big so it didn't take us much effort to find it. In there, we were surprised by the huge amount of people. The women there told us to go to Spruce Wood Provincial Park and so without any questions, we swiftly drove there to make up for the time we had wasted. 

When we arrived there, we were surprised by the beautiful view, even at the parking lot. We decided to go for a quick walk there. While walking on the trail, we were able to have a close look at the Assiniboine River, which was clearly rejuvenating. At the end of the trail was a sand dune, called "Spirit Sands." It was very exciting with all those strange plants and animals, that are not common in any other place. The guide told us that the sand hills are home to many unique plants and animals; including some cacti and hognose snakes.

 Another sub section in the Spruce Wood Park that was quite fascinating to us was the Kiche Manitou. There were all sorts of activities that could be done there, however we only have enough time to do just a few. We chose to go on a horse riding which was simply amazing. We also decided to go for a bike ride on the sand. It was a great experience for the both of us; falling, burning, and failing in the sun was a painful joy for all. 

 During the bike ride, we got a chance to talk with a guy who told us a lot about Brandon. We told him that we were so surprised by how hot it is was. He agreed with us. However, he told us that he was happy with this climate because in the past few years, Brandon has been intensely affected by the flooding from Assiniboine River. He also told us that flooding can cause critical damage such as destroying all the crops which would greatly affect an agricultural city like Brandon. We were surprised that a beautiful city like Brandon would have such problems. Nonetheless, we continued with our journey.

We were done around 3 and so we left into the city area of Brandon. Our destination was the Manitoba summer fair, which we heard about from many people. The fair was held in the Keystone Centre Ground. We were surprised with how many activities they had there. These are some of the events there that we found were really enjoyable:

"Chrome in the tree" which we found classic cars, rat-rods to hot rods and everything in between, as well as a fine collection of motorcycles.

"Demo Derby" was another interesting events in which we got to see cars being smashed together. IT WAS HARDCORE!!!

Even though it is not held at the museums it belong to, the exhibit called "Aboriginal Showcase: Spirits of all Nations" was also a great experience. In there, we were fascinated with all the artwork done by the natives which neatly reflected our human society. Other than the paintings, we also got to learn how to set up a tipi. Additionally, a show from the natives that reflect their cultures were also nicely done!

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This trip has been really eye-opening to us, as Manitoba is no longer just that province that fills up space. The majestic culture, extraordinary animals, magnificent buildings, and warm-hearted people have given us the chance to really understand the lifestyle of Manitoba, and how it differentiates greatly from the rest of Canada. We hope that we will be able to return to this magnanimous place sometime soon!!!

Next Stop, Winnipeg!

May 13th, 2011

After visiting Churchill, it took us about 13 hours on the train till we reach our next destination, Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba. On the train, we study the history and geography of the city. We learned all sorts things from it, from our sorts of useful to useless stuffs. This are some of what we found:

Winnipeg in the Past

Winnipeg in the Present

In the past, Winnipeg was used to be the main trading place with the natives, especially with the Metis. However, after the CPR was built, Winnipeg was flooded with immigrants, turning the city into the center of the province. Winnipeg still continues to grow, it become the center of Manitoba's economy in all kind of sectors: finance, manufacturing, food and beverage production, culture, retail and tourism.

Winnipeg is located at the geographical center of Canada: 49° 53' 0" N / 97° 10' 0" W. It is also located on the Great Plains, which were formed from the eroded materials from the edges of the Canadian Shield. The city is located in the valley of the Red River and has an extremely flat topography. There are no substantial hills in the city or its vicinity. Because of its distance from mountains and oceans, Winnipeg has an extreme humid continental climate, causing an intense change between winter and summer. In addition, due to the lack of high areas, precipitations in Winnipeg are also convectional.This was a great news for us because it meant that there will be little rain in Winnipeg.

Despite the great climate, the air quality in Winnipeg started to become an issue due to the rising in infrastructures and population: from 2007 to 2010, the number of people in Manitoba has rises from 723 000 people to 754 000 people. This great increase in population is mainly due to the increased immigration and the stable economics in Winnipeg. The only problems that this cause is the rising cost of settlement. However, it also lead to the increase in cultural differences.


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Our first stop in Winnipeg was Manitoba Legislative Assembly, which is located in the south part of downtown Winnipeg. Manitoba Legislative Assembly, principal among public buildings in the province, accommodates the legislative assembly, its committees and staff, as well as offices for the ministers and deputy ministers of all government departments. People in Winnipeg considered this building as "a symbol of strength and vitality in the capital city" and "not for present delight nor use alone... but such as our descendants will thank us for." 

The history of the Legislative Assembly isn't that interesting. However, the Architectural side of the building was amazing; the Tryndall stone, used for building the walls and the floor, gave out a really rich and warm feeling. Other than the building itself, the setting of the place was also very gorgeous; the building is located on 12 hectares of magnificently landscaped ground. 

 After visiting the assembly, we went to the Winnipeg Arena. We first thought that it was gonna be a really peaceful and quiet. However, we were really surprised to how CRAZY the place was. Instead of not having anyone, it was full of people, screaming and celebrating. We were anxious to know what happened so we went to ask a guy. He told us that the Winnipeg Jets, now known as Phoenix Coyotes, will be coming back to Winnipeg. We, as a non-hockey fans, didn't really understand that feeling. However, we still think that it's pretty cool how a team that left to Phoenix in the 70s will be coming back to its hometown.

It was around 1pm after we were done trying to find a way out of the arena. By that time, we were starving and our bellies were rumbling really loud. We decided to go to downtown Winnipeg for lunch. Though starving, it was a big business for us to find a good restaurant for us to eat in. We came across one French-continental restaurant called "Provence Bistro." We spend about two hours in there, enjoying the delightful meals. The restaurant's Les Poisons Fume was beautifully cook, and their Filet de boeuf were also amazing. After paying about a quarter of the money we have in the pocket, it was time for us to go to our next destination: RIEL HOUSE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE!!

We spent about 2 hours in Riel National Site, touring with a very beautiful guide which made our time there much more interesting. We got to know about the Metis, a group of natives descendant, and their history. We got to learn about their farming method in the past. We also got to see the design of the house in the 1880s that the Metis used to lived in, which we thought was really fascinating. However, the most important thing we learned was about Louis Riel who was regarded by many people as Canadian Hero:


Louis Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and leader of the Metis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. Riel sought to preserve Metis rights and culture as their homelands in the Northwest came progressively under the Canadian sphere of influence. He is regarded by many as a Canadian folk hero today for his actions in which was repaid with his death.

Our tears were rushing out after we heard about the story of Riel for the first time. The tour ended smoothly with a story that will struck our heat forever. After we stop crying, we went to asked about our next destination. We were recommended to go to the "Fork National Historic Site of Canada." With no time to be waste, we quickly rush there, seeking for the next adventure!

Our first reaction to the The Fork National Historic Site of Canada was "WOW!!!" It was enclosed with people of all ages and races. We got to know from one of the person at the information counter that "The Forks is of national historic significance due to its strategic location at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers that were part of a vast continental network of water routes. The site's significance derives from its continuous use over time for transportation, trade and settlement. A traditional aboriginal stopping place, The Forks was also the site of Fort Rouge, Fort Gibraltar and the two Forts Garry."

We found that this historic site is unlike any other historic we've been to. This is because instead of only showing history at one period of time, it shows all the events in the history that helped to shape Canada West into what it is in the present. In addition, there were also many activities going on which made the place very fascinating. 

It was around 6pm after we were done touring around the Forks, enough time for us to go to one more location. We decided to check out the University of Manitoba because this university is the first university in Western Canada and also the biggest university in Manitoba. We were amazed by the design of the buildings and the numerous resources in there. However, it was really strange for us, strangers, to walked in there and become the center of attention by all the students and faculties. One teacher came to ask us if we were graduate students from here. When we said "no," she gave us a strange-looking face. We decided to spent only good 30 minutes in there before we left the place.

It was amazing how many places we were able to go to in one day. Manitoba surely is a great place to visit, not only because it is the capital of Manitoba, but because of all the attractions they have. However, the adventure must go on and so, we decided to leave Winnipeg tomorrow on our Blue Dodge, towards our next and last destination in the Province of Manitoba, Brandon!

Churchill: Into the Freezer!

May 11th, 2011

After we left Thompson, our next stop was the one and only Churchill. This small town of 923 people is known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World. And boy does it live up to its reputation. The outskirts of town are literally covered with these white majestic creatures. Because Churchill is located on the coast of Hudson’s Bay, as well as being part boreal forest and tundra, it is filled with many different animals such as beluga whales and 270 different species of birds. 

 

 

We first stopped at Prince of Whales fort.  It is a trade fort built on Hudson’s Bay. The area it is built on is of great historical value as it is where the Bay was first discovered. This fort began as a log fort built in 1717 by James Knight of the Hudson's Bay Company and was originally called the "Churchill River Post". In 1719, the post was renamed Prince of Wales Fort, but is more commonly known today as Fort Prince of Wales. It was located on the west bank of the Churchill River to protect and control the Hudson's Bay Company's interests in the fur trade. Work on the current fort began in 1731 but it was never truly completed. It saw its first and only battle when three French warships took it over. Being manned by only 22 men, it was taken without a single shot being fired. It has since been taken over by nature, with no proper historical or archaeological study having been done.

 We then took a trip on the Tundra Buggy Adventure. It was very exciting. We toured around north of the town looking for polar bears. We saw a few. We also saw some beluga whales in the water of the bay.

 

We were surprise by how much time it took only for us to do only three things today, all involved around polar bear.We then went into the urban area of the city to take the Hudson Bay Railway, the OmniTRAX, towards our next station, Winnipeg.

Thompson: The Start of our Quest

May 10th, 2011

During our summer break, we decided to travel around Canada in order for us to know more about our home country. Our choice came down to Manitoba because of many reasons: Manitoba's juicy steaks, amazing nature, and extremely cheap stuffs (due to the stable economic). But more importantly, it was where Mr. Warner comes from.

The background of the province itself is also very interesting. This is because Manitoba is compose of so many ethnicity. In fact, Manitoba only contains about 20% of pure Canadian and other than that, it was mainly Asians and Europeans.  The different area in Manitoba was also very fascinating: in the urban area, we were fascinated by the beauty of the buildings. However, in the rural area, we were allure by the nature and animals. WHAT AN INTERESTING PROVINCE IT IS!?

 And for extra information, this is the demographics of Manitoba:

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We started off our journey in Thompson, "The Hub of the North," which is located in the North of Manitoba!!!

Our first destination in Thompson was the "Spirit Way." Spirit Way is a two kilometers walking and biking pathway with 16 points of interest that highlight Thompson’s art, heritage, culture, industry, geology, and scenery. The Spirit Way is considered as the main historical point of interest in Thompson. We decided to run the Spirit Way.

Along the way, we met a group of people who live in Thompson. Due to our lack of knowledge of the city of Thompson, we though it would be a good idea to ask them about it. One of the person in that group, John, began to tell us about Thompson:

"Thompson lies on the Shield Region, causing the city to have a subarctic climate. The city itself is a plateaus, and also contains many resources. The reason Thompson was known as the "Hub of the North" is because of the fact that Thompson acts as the central trade and service mecca for the region. Other than acting as the region's central, Thompson is also part of Canada's largest economic regions due to the exceeding amount of old rocks which could be mine for resources. 


Since the past, Thompson was a region that a smelters was built in; it was used as one of the main location to extract resources. In to the 20th century, Thompson is still a major city in Canadian economic. Thompson have become one of the city that Canada exports it resources from. The city is involved in all sorts of industry but mainly in mining, milling, smelting and refining of nickel.

 Though Thompson contains many resources, the number of them are decreasing rapidly, causing many issues. One of the issues is unemployment: as the number of resources decreases, more people lose their job and because most jobs in Thompson are based on resources, unemployment has become a big issue. Despite those problems, Thompson is still wonderful place that I will love and protect forever.

- John, the runner we met 

Spirit Way Wolves

By the time we finish the whole path, John was finished telling us the story. We were happy that we were able to run a 2K trail. However, we then remembered that we forgot our car at the beginning of the runway.We have no choice but to run back the whole 2 kilometers to our rented car. Along the way this time, we decided to visit some of the attractions in the Spirit Way.

One of the highlights we found was the Nickel Belt. The Nickel Belt is the historical spot that was where most nickel mining was done in the past. However, most of the nickel ores in there has become reserves. Another point of interest that we found is the Rockface Sculpture. The rockface itself is call the “Howling Wolves at the Moon.” It is the "Largest Rockface Sculpture in Canada" which greatly amazed us.

The Rockface

Highland Tower, chosen for the Spirit Way wolf mural, is the most prominent building on Thompson's skyline (We found this building along the way of the Spirit Way)

Afterward, we decided to check out the Thompson Zoo. We swiftly drove off to Mystery Lake Road. We reached our destination around 1pm. We quickly entered the zoo and we were amazed by the diversity of the animals that lived in the zoo. The zoo itself is indeed not that big, but the little farm animals in there surely gave us a good time. We also got to talk with one of the employees there. She told us that the zoo was opened in 1978 with only a few animals. However, as time passes by, the zoo began to grow with the sponsorship of the city, turning into a zoo with more than 100 animals and a northern Wildlife Rehab Centre. By the time we walked out, we were able to take more than enough pictures of cuddly animals in there (especially the Arctic Wolves). We were back to the car around 4pm, just enough time for one more location. We decided to go to the Pisew Fall Provincial Park, Manitoba's second largest falls.

It took us about 2 hours to walk through the whole trail. Though it was a long, harsh two hours walk, we weren't tired at all as if the nature was rejuvenating us while we're walking. The scenery was fantastic; the trees, the birds, and the streams was simply wonderful! The falls itself was also very attractive. The water was very clean, so clean that I was even able to see all the fungi and lichen beneath it (O_O).

We arrive to our motel around 9pm. We were really tired from all the places we went to. I was really glad that we came to Thompson or else we wouldn't be able to see the largest rockface in Canada, and the second largest lake in Manitoba. However, we really wish that we had more time so that we could go to ski D:. Despite that, our trip is currently running smoothly. It is time for us to go to sleep now because it surely is going to be a long distance till we reached our next destination, Churchill.