21 Aug 2013 – 11+hrs on the Canadian Greyhound

And I am still in the same state of Ontario! Left Toronto Tue 0100hrs to arrive on time 0600hrs to Sudbury, supposedly 1.15hrs layover became 2hrs layover. C$72 S$88 on a full bus all the way with a few short 15mins stopovers but too sleepy and tired to remember where!

Appreciations to May&Lock for meeting me at the station (45mins delayed arriving at 1230hrs), which they thought was in town but have since moved to the Howard Johnson Hotel. Blue sky and lovely weather to welcome me. Roadside local produce on sale with the biggest broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower ever seen. Seems like someone is moving house and this literally gives the term to move house exactly as the words to move house!

Sault Ste. Marie (pronounced Soo Saint Marie) is a city on the St Mary’s River in Algoma District Ontario with a metro area of 805.38sq km 310.96 sq mi, pop 75,141. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means jump or rapids in French, and thus the entire name translates to St Mary’s Rapids or St Mary’s Falls. Although the word sault is pronounced like so (soʊ) in French, it is pronounced like soo (suː) in the English pronunciation of the city name. Residents of the city are called Saultites. With a mission established by French Jesuits in 1668, claiming of the area one of the oldest European settlements in Canada.

Thanks to May&Lock for delicious Italian lunch at Solo*** and looking forward to learning more about this area with USA boarding on the International Bridge.

Yummy yum yum lobster and quail dinner made by May, the best cook. For now very contented to be in their beautiful house by St Mary’s River and facing Sugar Island/USA as I post this blog. The first time here was in the 1980s and then again in 1990s both times in the winters and now for the first time in the summer. It is absolutely serene and delightful here with a view of the St Mary’s River and USA, an inviting indoor pool and an amazing staircase.

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path – Buddha

21Aug 2013 – And Enjoying Every Moment!

The Regent Park Revitalization Plan is an initiative that began in 2005 by the City or Toronto with fellow development, government and community partners, with the focus of rebuilding the neighbourhood for 12,500 residents over 15 years. This means turning what was once a rather undesirable area into a self-sufficient mixed-income, multi-use community.

There is a new aquatic centre, condos and various developments with interesting exhibits of upright painted pianos and swinging girl made up of keys.

Bell Canada outdoor junction boxes located throughout the North Downtown Yonge and Danforth East neighbourhoods is doing the Bell Boxes Murals Project. What an excellent idea to brighten up these boxes and by giving artist a chance to show their talent.

7Aug- 4Sep: Ghost Month: almost as important as honoring your ancestors, offerings to ghosts without families must be made, so that they will not cause you any harm. Ghost month is the most dangerous time of the year, and malevolent spirits are on the look out to capture souls. Yun & I went to pay respects to her parents’ grave and to do some cleaning. Did not attend 5th auntie’s funeral, Sophie was born the day auntie died.

Case Loma: entrance for seniors C$15 S$18  http://www.casaloma.org

a Gothic Revival style house and gardens in midtown.  Now a museum and landmark. It was originally a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Casa Loma was constructed over a three-year period from 1911–1914. The architect of the mansion was EJ Lennox, who was responsible for the designs of several other city landmarks.

Appreciations to Yun for her company, putting up with me, driving and tourist guiding me around, all the delicious meals, etc etc. Thanks to Chai for his company and dinner and to Minos for dim-sum lunch. Goodbye to Toronto, catching the 0100hrs Greyhound bus for a 11+hrs ride to Sault Ste Marie visiting with May&Lock. Looking forward.

The past is a ghost, the future a dream and all we ever have is now – Bill Cosby

19 Aug 2013 – Where Cousins Meet In Toronto

This must be the only place where paternal side LAM and maternal side TSANG cousins can be found together.

TSANG YanChuen, mother’s youngest and #10 brother is the only one alive from her siblings and generation. Was hoping to meet him but unfortunately he has not been well. Memories from childhood stories about him looking like the actor Charles Bronson have somehow been stuck in the mind. Appreciations to Anna TSANG for the recent pix and wishing this handsome uncle a speedy recovery!

He is the boy standing on the far right in shorts in the maternal family pix, the only one we all have of the complete family then. Could identify maternal grandparents and mother’s siblings but not sure who the kids are except for my eldest brother Lawrence. The list of names are in SIN and will update and edit when back in SIN.

TSANG family visiting father in SIN 1980s? Front row sitting: 4th aunt TSANG YokeLan, father LAM TinYue, 6th aunt TSANG LaiLan. Back row standing: 8th uncle TSANG YanBal/Eddie & his wife auntie Betty, 10th auntie LI PuiKwai &10th uncle TSANG YanChuen who is the only one still being…

Was thrilled and delighted to meet up with TSANG cousins last week. Last meeting with cousin Kathleen LEUNG KarLing (4th maternal aunt TSANG YokeLan’s daughter) was in SIN for father’s 80th Birthday celebrations 1991. 4th aunt was also there and that was the time she told the story as to how mother and father met. 4th aunt was the appointed governess to teach paternal aunties and father showed interest in 4th aunt. She then told father that she was spoken for and will return to HKG and send her younger sister TSANG MayLan (mother) to take her place as the governess. And that was how the fairy-tale started…

Standing: Henry LO, Kathleen LEUNG KarLing married LO, Anna TSANG, me and sitting, LAM KahYun

So nice to meet Henry LO, KarLIng’s husband and Anna TSANG, 10th uncle’s youngest daughter for the first time. Both Kathleen KarLing and Anna have got the TSANG family tree names down both in English and Chinese. Will need time to sort that out when back in SIN.

Youth can not know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young – JK Rowling

17 Aug 2013 – Corktown Common

Toronto city is the largest city in Canada, area of 630sq km 240sq mi with a pop of 2,615,060 and that is only for the city excluding urban and metro. Was here Apr 2008 and again last year Sep 2012. One can certainly see that the construction here is ongoing and the roads and traffic seem to always be busy now compared to a few years ago. Also the PanAm games are scheduled here for 2015. Summer is in the air and the weather is perfect but could imagine what the winters can be like, not the time to visit for someone who does not like the cold and snow!

http://amylamsg.com/2012/09/24/toronto-eh/

Just 5mins walk from cousin Yun’s is this new park to be Toronto’s waterfront signature in the West Don Lands. Interesting as to how the space under the highway (Don Valley Parkway ramp into downtown Toronto) is utilised with playgrounds and basketball nets for the younger generation.  The tagline, Forward Thinking is rather appealing to me as to me looking forward as been more or less how I like to live!

The views from the park are at present filled with construction cranes but the flowers planted there are pretty. The playground looks like a fun place for the kids.

http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/explore_projects2/west_don_lands/don_river_park

10mins walk from Yun is Toronto’s hottest designer boutiques, unique cafes, artisan shops and restaurants at The Distillery District. An internationally acclaimed pedestrian-only village, The Distillery features more than 70 ground-floor cultural and retail establishments in the restored red brick, Victorian-era buildings of the renowned Gooderham & Worts whiskey distillery. Thanks for a pub dinner at Mill Street Pub cousin Chai. The new organic beer is good even for this non beer drinker 🙂

If only these beautiful Bergo Designs are not soooo expensive and heavy….

Met up with cousins from both paternal/LAM and maternal/TSANG sides of the family. So nice to meet for the first time cousin and spouse of another cousin; blessed to have all the cousins here in Toronto. Pix and info will be up in a post on its own. The quote below is one of the best for this life’s journey…

Never make your home a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You’ll find what you need to furnish it – memory, friends you can trust, love of learning and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey – Tad Williams

16 Aug 2013 – Hello Lovely Cousins!

Thu:  so good to see May&Lock and thank you for a delicious Japanese lunch at JaBistro****

14 Aug 2013  – Goodbye to Robin Hood’s Bay

Tue: 0600hrs the sky was cloudless while waiting for the cab. A final view of RHB, one of the most charming villages soon to be in the memory but not forgotten.  Words from this poor writing skills will not be able to describe as these pix on this very perfect high-tide morning with hopes of returning some day. Am told by the cab driver that there are some people in the next village name LAM who are in the boarding school, and no do not know of them nor know of any family members who are in this area! How lucky to be for them but probably at that age, they will not agree and we have all been that age once 🙂

30mins by cab to Scarborough (too early for bus!) app 17mi 27km GBP28 S$55, ouch! Followed by another 114mi 183km 2.42hrs on the 0700hrs train from Scarborough with 8 stops, Seamer, Malton, York, Garforth, Leeds. Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Manchester Piccadilly for the so-called Manchester  Airport Express GBP23 S$45. Some fast shots thru’ the train window as it was moving too fast and when it slowed and stopped, the stations are not that exciting for the camera to be in action (pix: dep Scarborough,  arr York, dep Leeds)!

Sky was grey and the rains started by the time reaching Manchester Airport T1.  Just like most airport but has an interesting roof at Gate 32. 07.53hrs C$1,056 S$1.300 OW ticket from Manchester to Toronto on Air Transat (with many crying babies!!) is on time on an uneventful flight watching to 2 movies, A Royal Affair***/Danish and The Other Son****/French. The immigration took less than 5 mins but the baggage wait for 30mins! Airport Express bus 45min to town C$42 S$51. Appreciations to cousin Yun for picking me up at the Westin Habour Castle.

What a shock it is to be back in a city with the traffic and the so-called civilization…

Civilized society is perpetually menaced with disintegration through this primary hostility of men towards one another – Sigmund Freud

12 Aug 2013 – After 16 days of Walking…

Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located within the North York Moors National Park, 5mi S of Whitby and 15mi N of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire. Early history about pirates and smuggling seem to be part of it…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood’s_Bay 

Mon: took an easy day to explore RHB which is quite delightful on a Mon morning without the crowds. A nice morning walk out to the low-tide beach. Good views from there into land. And of course a pix at the Bay Hotel is a must and to put my name down in the book there!

Raven House B&B is the second building from the left with this view from the bedroom. Very pleasing to the eyes to spend the last 2 nights of UKc2c hike in this location.

The narrow cobblestones streets are charmingly quaint and the old town huddles around the dock with rows and rows of stone cottages. Have snapped shots from just about every corner…

111 steps of the man-made concrete stairs or the steep road to climb from the sea up to the main road.

Was at the Bay Hotel for dinner last night and the fresh mackerel is delicious with the salad. This handsome young chap ensured me that they were fresh as he personally caught them that morning. This morning was there and asked if there will be more fresh mackerel and they were honest enough to tell me that it depends if there is a catch. Decided to not bother to walk down and up the hill again.

After learning about jet (origins of the Monkey Puzzle Tree) from Gerry at Maltkiln House, have been keeping an eye on the ground to find it, no such luck. Bought a tiny piece for GBP4 S$7.80 at the Jet Black Jewellery here. Visited the museum and saw some jet and the half penny token displays.

Got an hour of massage at Treat Therapy GBP40 S$78; feeling relax and tired and with a grey sky, it is perfect for an afternoon nap before packing. Cab will be here tomorrow morning at 0615hrs!

17Aug 2017: edited with 2above pix credits to Martin Williams, an excellent English photographer and ecologist who lives in HKG.

Thu3Jun2021: appreciations to  DavidHalsall – edited by choosing the best video for me to reflect&remember this hike by. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7MZaoBl2AY

Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure  – George E Woodberry

11 Aug 2013 – North York Moors

Sun 11Aug 2013 – Day 16  Grosmont – Robin Hood’s Bay 15.5m/25.5km  0600-1400hrs

Leaving Grosmont (pronounce Gromont as I have been told, so why spell it with an s??) on this beautiful morning with ups and downs on the Sleights Moor, more or less the same scenes as the past 2 days.

Little Beck and the mysterious Hermitage/1790? are pleasant surprises.

Lower Hawsker. Whitby can be seen near High Hawsker. A caravan park ruining the beautiful nature and scene, also a reminder that this serenity is about to be over. A rude awakening to reality again 🙁

Just a few more cliffs to enjoy before having to deal with the so-called civilization! Most hikers take their pix at the Bay Hotel sign but decided against that as the Sunday crowd was just too much after over 2 weeks of space! Have note even registered in the book yet! Found this other sign across from the Bay Hotel which is more to my taste. 192m 309km officially, without taking considerations with all the side-trackings, detours and wrong directions 🙂

Headed weary and fatigued uphill again away from the crowd (thank goodness!) to find the B&B but first a side-trip to the church. More on RBH after a good night sleep as will be here for 2 nights to rest and hopefully find somewhere to get a massage and time to reflect!

Nights: Sun-Mon 11-12Aug at Raven House RHB. B&B room with bathroom attached. GBP80 S$156 for 2 nights+1breakfast+1load of laundry.

It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end – Ernest Hemingway

11 Aug 2013 – North York Moors

Sat 10Aug 2013 – Day 15  Blakey Ridge – Grosmont 14m/22.5km  0700-1400hrs

Good to be able to celebrate SIN National Day, the Lion City at Lion Inn last night 🙂

Nice and quiet to go thru’ the moors with the morning sun. Strange to look back after 30mins walk to Lion Inn, located on top of the moors in the middle of nowhere.

Passing by Fat Betty and the tradition requires that one leaves a food offering and take one back.

On Gladisdale High Moor where one is supposed to be able to view the North sea at a certain point, but must have been too pre-occupied with finding a place to pee and somehow the North Sea did not appear anywhere!! But instead found a herd of goats at the trough house. The moors and the valleys are similar to that of yesterday.

Met Carice who is also doing the c2c solo and hiked a short stretch with her into Glaisdale. Decided to stop for a scone at the Tea Garden while Carice went ahead. After going thru’ Glaisdale, could not find the path. Thank you to Cliff from Whitby who was salmon fishing on the River Esk. Without him, would have been going the wrong direction again! Wishing him all the fishing luck.

Egton Bridge, supposedly the prettiest village on the c2c… but that is relative. Many of the villages are just as charming and pretty in different ways!

For steam rail enthusiasts Grosmont must be the place to be and also home of the North York Moors Railway. The tunnel is thought to be the oldest train tunnel in the world/1829. Was thinking to ride it to Whitby and back, but too tired, perhaps another time. Took a few steps to St Matthew’s Church which is just next to the old school (now a tea room) by the tracks.

Night: Sat 10Aug at Lisvane House, Grosmont. B&B room with separate bathroom. GBP38 S$74

Humanity does not pass through phases as a train passes through stations: being alive, it has the privilege of always moving yet never leaving anything behind – CS Lewis

9 Aug 2013 – North York Moors

Thu 8Aug 2013 – Day 13  Ingleby Cross – Clay Bank Top 11m/17.7km  0700-1700hrs!

Lovely day to hike leaving early to catch the light and go by the church. Walking thru’ Arncliffe Wood, relentlessly uphill on gravel road. Came to a sign to discover the Cleveland Way and took the wrong direction towards Osmotherly for a short distance, but lovely path with a beautiful tree. Met Phil who took me that I am going in the wrong direction. Back on track with the rays shinning on the path!

Skirting around Arnchiff Wood with glimpse of the road, passing by a Telecom, not what one wants to see! Saying goodbye to Jo&Robbie and Worceste at Scarth Wood Moor as they will be doing a 20+mi today.

After the ‘old wagon’ it was just up up up to Live Moor

And then down and up again to Carlton Moor, down and

then up up up again, taking a break at Alec Falconer Memorial /Gringle Moor, chatting with Cheryl&Richard and their dog Ziggy; Penny, Susan & their dog Maggie. Down again and…

up to Wain Stones. Dee&David from Peterborough, Mindy&Glenn from USA. What a roller-roaster hike today!

Clay Bank Top, called the B&B owners to pick me up, it was nearly 1700hrs. and the B&B is off the trail. Today’s hike was the toughest and not knowing how hard it was, took too much time with chatting and taking pix. Was told by Maltkiln House B&B owners, Wendy & Gerry that today’s hike is like going up and down the Eiffel Tower/Paris 5 times!! Learnt about monkey puzzle and jet from Gerry. Will edit this info when time permits for some research…

Night: Thu 8Aug at Maltkiln House, Urra. Room with attached bathroom. Sherry pre drink, dinner with wine + breakfast GBP51 S$100

Fri 9Aug 2013 – Day 14 Clay Bank Top – Blakey 11m/17.7km  0830-1300hrs!

Happy 48th Birthday Singapore!

Goodbye and good luck to Wendy&Gerry who is trying to sell Maltkiln House as they would like to move to the south of France to be nearer their youngest son&family. Thank you for a lovely stay and appreciations to Dorothy&Malcom for leading the way back to the path.

The c2c path takes off from the Cleveland Way on these moors with grouse butts and even a few grouse sightings.

Quite a contrast hike from yesterday, easy flat walking with the moors on the steeper side with the valleys below. About the same mileage as yesterday but took half the time!

Time to part ways with fellow hikers David, Dee, Ali and Uwe at The Lion Inn. Saw in FB that the Daft WellyWalker completed their hike this afternoon at Robin Hood’s Bay, way to go and congratulations to them.

Night: Fri 9Aug at The Lion Inn. Room with separate bathroom. Lunch, steak dinner w wine & dessert, packed lunch GBP81 S$158

Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which has places us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation, and freedom in all just pursuits – Thomas Jefferson