Walking from Canada to Australia

In January, my boyfriend and I moved from Canada to Australia. I wanted to create something that would capture the difference in climate, the excitement of the move and some footage from our adventure. 

We started in my hometown of London, Canada and traveled all through Panama and ended up in his hometown of Noosa, Australia. I shot one second from each day on my iPhone and put this together. 

Let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks!

12 Things You Must Do In Bali

In 2011, I went to Bali for two weeks and absolutely loved it. The people are amazing, the beaches are beautiful, the food is delicious and it's all super cheap. Here are some tips for the things we loved. All the photos are mine unless noted underneath. For the full photo album from Bali, click here. 


Tanah Lot Temple at Sunset 

A gorgeous temple that is located in the ocean, close enough so you can walk there when the tide is low. When tide is high, it is surrounded by water. We visited at sunset and it was just beaitiful. There are quite a few tourist shops around so you can buy snacks, drinks, etc. More info: Tanah Lot Wiki Site

Monkey Forest

You can find Monkey Forest in Ubud. This area of Bali is far from any beaches and home to lush forests and rice fields. It is a spiritual place and was where she stayed in "Eat, Pray, Love". Monkey Forest is free to visit and you can walk around see tons of monkeys. Just be careful, they do like to grab things! More info: Monkey Forest Website

Seafood Dinner on the Beach in Jimbaran Bay

There are tons of restaurants located along the sand that are set up for dinner at sunset. You will be so close to the ocean, that you will have the water sweeping over your feet at you eat. We did this twice and paid waaaay too much the first time. Then we learned the best spot was Menega Cafe which offered amazing seafood and was really cheap. You can actually see the seafood all lined up and pick what you want! Full seafood meal for 2 people (incl Lobster) was about $20 USD. Unreal. More info: Jimbaran Wiki Site

Surf

Photos from: http://biyo2011.wordpress.com/category/about-bali/

There are TONS of beaches for surfing in Bali and they offer everything from beginner waves to ridiculous pro surfing quality waves. You can either walk to the waves, rent a scooter for the day or hire a driver. All the options are very cheap.

Visit the Rice Fields

We actually tried to find these rice fields for an entire day. We probably should have stopped to ask someone.... but we didn't. We want to find something that looked like the photo on the front of our guide book for Bali (we are dorks!). We rented a scooter in Ubud and finally found them at the end of the day. There was even a local man there who charged $1 for photos with him... it was worth it. More info: Trip Advisor Rice Terraces

Echo Beach Sunday Night

Every Sunday at Echo Beach they have a live band and a seafood BBQ. This means you can walk up a huge layout of fresh-caught seafood and pick what you want them to grill for you. Then you get to devour this fresh seafood with amazing cocktails (try the ) and listen to a great band as the sunsets. Not much is better than that. More info: Echo Beach Website 

Rent a Scooter

We were VERY apprehensive to do this at first because of the craziness of the Bali streets. It is very scary. But after a few days we decided it would be the best bet to get around. They change less than $5 USD/day for the rental. Just remember to always get a good helmet and be VERY careful.

Rock Bar at Sunset

I celebrated my birthday in Bali and we decided to try out The Rock Bar for birthday drinks and apps. It is situated on the edge of a cliff with ocean views all around it. The only thing to remember for this place is that it isn't cheap. The drinks and food is pricey but definitely worth it to splurge on this one. Call ahead to see if you can reserve a table and make sure to stay for an unbelievable sunset. More info: Rock Bar Website

Try the Local Cuisine 

I absolutely LOVED the food in Bali. Here are some of my favourites: Nasi Goreng (pictured above) - Fried Rice topped with an egg, Chicken Satay - marinated chicken on a stick with peanut sauce, TONS of fresh seafood, pancakes - more like crepes with bananas or mangos, Fruit drinks - fresh fruit mixed with ice and some sugar (my favs were watermelon and pineapple) and of course fresh coconuts with a straw!

Temple at Uluwatu 

This temple is located on the edge of a cliff and offers amazing views. You have to wear a traditional sarong when entering the temple, so it's a bit more traditional than some of the other tourists spots. Watch out for the monkey's here! They like to steal your cold drinks and cameras if you aren't careful. Close by you will find Padang-Padang Beach which is gorgeous white sand and clear water, a must do as well! More info: Trip Advisor Uluwatu

Get A Beach Massage

I am a sucker for a good massage. In Bali they are unbelievably cheap. In town, you can get a full hour massage for $5 USD. We did that a few times! Also, on the beach, they come right up to your beach chair and offer you massages. (you don't even need to move!) These ones run about $5 for 20 minutes but you can always barter with them. Oh man, I miss this SO much :)

Drinks at Ku De Ta

Photos from http://indonesia.travel/forum/

One of my biggest regrets is that we didn't get to check out this beach front restaurant. We were headed there one night but were too tired and didn't make it. We will definitely have to check it out next time we are in Bali! More info: Ku De Ta Website

Cuddling Koalas in Australia

Last week I was lucky to be given a chance to visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and cuddle with one of the cutest animals on earth. I was able to see them being fed, go inside the enclosure to take photos and also cuddle with one for a photo!

Here are some facts about koalas:

• Koala's aren't actually bears. They are called Koala Bears since they look like Teddy Bears, they are actually a marsupial mammal.
• There are only 2,000-8,000 koalas left in the wild
• Koala's can sleep for up to 19 hours a day!
• They live, sleep and eat in Eucalyptus trees
• They eat up to 1KG of Eucalyptus leaves each day, this doesn't provide much energy, so that is why they sleep so much
• There are over 800 different species of Eucalyptus leaves but Koala's will only eat 50 of them

The setting at Lone Pine is perfect for learning about and seeing all the animals. It's a smaller sanctuary so it doesn't take as long to get around and doesn't have an many tourists to fight through. I went at the very beginning of the day so there was hardly anyone there. Midday on the weekends can be busier but weekdays are great if you like a quieter experience.

Here are some facts about the Koala's at Lone Pine:

• They have approx 130 koala's
• They are split up into Boys (teenaged), Kindergarten (toddlers) and Retirement (older ones)
• Lone Pine has 4 eucalyptus plantations around Brisbane. Each day 2 leaf cutters visit one of them and cut 3/4 of a tonne of leaves for the koalas
• They have a strict policy about how long each koala works (pose in photos with people) They aren't allowed to work longer than 3 hours a day and no more than 3 days a week.
• Queensland is the only state in Australia that let's you cuddle koala's. You won't be able to experience this in Melborne or Sydney!
• There were photos on the wall of all the celebrities that have come and held koala's here. They included: Pope John Paul II, John Travolta, Queen Mother, Janet Jackson, Eric Clapton, Taylor Swift, Marilyn Manson and many more.

Special thanks to Lone Pine & Tourism Queensland for this awesome experience!

Check out their sites here:

http://www.koala.net/

http://blog.queensland.com/

Here are some more photos from Lone Pine:

5 Things to Do in Toronto Before You Die

I lived in Toronto for 6 years and have recently just moved to Vancouver. I was thinking back to all the awesome things I did in Toronto over the years and a few stuck out in my head. I wanted to have a link to send to people that are new to Toronto to introduce them to things that I really loved about the city. These aren't necessarily things like CNE, Leafs games or a trip up the CN Tower. These are things off the beaten track that are mostly known by locals if you talk to enough people. Hopefully you can experience a few of them during your time in Toronto. Let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Parade

We heard that there was a spot in Toronto where everyone brings their pumpkins on the day after Halloween. I thought this sounded like a neat concept so we went to check it out. It is truly amazing to see everyone in the neighbourhood walking down the street, pumpkin in hard, heading to the park to display their unique jack o lantern. Apparently they get over 1,000 pumpkins lined up on Nov.1st every year. The pumpkins are picked up the next morning by the city and taken to be composted.

See Blog TO for more info on Pumpkin Parade

Outdoor Ice Skating

I have never been a huge hockey player or even that good of an ice skater. The one thing I do love is getting outside on an outdoor rink. Many rinks have high costs for rentals or 100's of 6 year olds falling in front of you after every turn. The great part about Toronto is there are tons of outdoor rinks all over the city offering free skating and shinny.  We would turn up for the night free skate and usually end up having the whole rink to ourselves. We could bring sticks, pass the puck around and really enjoy the outdoors.

Full list of rinks in Toronto

Saturday afternoon at Grossmans Tavern

I had never heard of this pub up until December last year. My roommate told me that we were going to have an afternoon of drinking at Grossmans that would begin at 2pm. This was a little strange to me since I usually don't go to pubs before 8pm... But I went anyway.  When we arrived, I found the place mostly filled with people over the age of 70 and rest were his friends at the back table. Here's the deal - every Saturday Grossmans has a 12 piece Dixieland Jazz Band playing all afternoon. They are great and really get into the music. The best part of the show is the conga line of musicians and drunk patrons for the last song of the night (well, more like afternoon).

Info on Grossman's Tavern

Ferry from the Island at Sunset

A few times when coming home from the island, I got to experience the Toronto skyline at sunset. It is really an amazing sight and I would recommend this to anyone who is sick of the hustle and bustle of the Toronto streets.

Full Ferry Schedule

Sunday brunch at Dakota Tavern

Sunday brunch at Dakota Tavern

If you are sick of eating over priced Eggs Benedict then this place is for you. Dakota Tavern hosts a Sunday brunch with a live Bluegrass band each week. The brunch is served 'family style' which means there are big bowls of food brought to your table. We had eggs, sausages, potatoes, fruit and pancakes. It was a decent meal but the atmosphere was great. I would suggest going right before they open at 11am. After they seat everyone waiting outside, the line starts...

Dakota Tavern website

My Birthday at the Rock Bar in Bali

The Rock Bar at Ayana Resort

When I was planning my trip to Bali, I noticed that my birthday was going to fall in the middle of my trip. I hesitated when I thought of how much I love my birthday at home... friends, drinks, bar, etc. Then I realized how amazing it would be celebrate in Bali and experience something different for just one year. So I booked my trip and started looking forward to this night.

I saw a blog post on the Rock Bar at the Ayana Resort and we decided that we should go there for sunset drinks and to celebrate my birthday. According to their website, Rock Bar is located along the 1.3 kilometer coastline of AYANA Resort and Spa Bali, a 77-hectare property that features 78 private luxury villas and a 290-room hotel. Taking the concept of "on the rocks" to a whole new level, this innovative open-top bar is perched 14 meters above Jimbaran Bay on a rocky outcrop at the base of towering cliffs.

The walk to the Rock Bar

I posted on Twitter (@Kattte_) that I would be going and was happy to get a response from the Rock Bar asking me what time I would be getting there.  We took a cab from Legian and it didn't cost too much. The resort is beautiful and we did a quick walk through and headed to the Rock Bar. When we arrived, we realized that the top deck is reserved for hotel guests only. This was very disappointing until we asked and realized they had saved a table for me since I tweeted about coming for my birthday. Very nice of them!

Very cool menu at the Rock Bar

It was extremely hot from 5pm-6pm before the sun went down, we were sweating like crazy! We ordered cold rolls and maki and a few martinis. The martinis were amazing and the food was pretty good too. The menu there is a cylinder that sits on the table and lights up at night time. I love how they took an item like the menu and made it unique and memorable. Not enough restaurants these days come up with anything original.

Delicious Martinis


Cold Rolls and Maki

Sunset views


Reflection of the sunset to our table

I heart sunsets

The sunset was beautiful and we took a TON of photos. Then it became bright pink and orange and I pretty much couldn't stop smiling. We picked a great night to be there! After it got dark, the staff came out with a cake for me and sang happy birthday. Not even an hour later, guy sitting behind us, got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes and the champagne started flowing. It was a very memorable night!

Thanks again Rock Bar staff!

For my full Bali photo album on Flickr click here.

Tanah Lot Temple at Sunset

First off, if you just like browsing photos, check them out here: Flickr Album.

Before my 12 day trip to Bali, I did some research online to see where I wanted to visit. I love photography, so I really wanted to check out some interesting spots so I could get some really cool shots. The one place that kept coming up in blogs and travel books was Tanah Lot Temple. The biggest tip was to not visit the temple at sunset. This is due to the face that bus loads of tourist descend on the temple each day at sunset to capture the incredible sight. I didn't take that advice and VERY happy with the results.

According to Wikipedia, Tanah Lot means "Land in the Sea". It also says that Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanah_Lot)

Motorbike adventure to Tanah Lot


We decided to skip the tourist bus and rent a motorbike for the night and drive there. We were staying in Legian which is about 10 minutes from Kuta. The rental was about 40,000R which works out to about $5 US. Not a bad deal! We were concerned about getting there before sunset and getting lost. It turns out there are tons of signs along the way so it was easy to find.

Sunset Terrace


When you arrive at Tanah Lot, you park in a huge parking lot and walk past tons of little market stalls before you get to the great temple. You can choose to take a view up high and sip a Bintang while you watch the sunset below. You can also choose to stay below (low tide nights only) and watch the sunset as you stand by the ocean and watch the waves crash in front of you. We chose to watch from above and then walk down for some closer shots. I am so glad I put up with the tourists and came at sunset. It was absolutely beautiful and something I will never forget.

Walk up to the watch from above


Amazing sunset views


Tourists getting front row as waves crash


The pink sky was unreal


For full Bali photo album on Flickr CLICK HERE

Eating Everything in Edmonton

I was in Edmonton for a week in November. It was probably the coldest weather I have ever experienced. It was -34c when I arrived and stayed that way for the first two days. We decided that the only way to beat the cold was to find some good food and really enjoy our meals there.

My first step was to ask my Twitter followers where I should try in Edmonton. I was directed to a blog which had a great list of restaurants in Edmonton. I decided to use this blog as the starting points and go from there. As it turns out, we got to try three of the restaurants recommended and loved all of them. Here are some photos and comments about the ones that we tried.







Skinny Legs and Cowgirls - "A sort of bistro"

I decided to try this one mainly because of the name. I decided that anyone that named a restaurant like this would have to be creative and original. I was right. On the outside, it was a tacky sign and looks like a very low end restaurant. As you walk in, the atmosphere is amazing and the staff is very welcoming. We went on a slow night so we got to chat with our server (Amy) about the food, wines and beers. They use organic food and local wines and beers. It turns out that her and her mother own the place and really take pride in all the aspects of the restaurant. At one point we ordered a beer that they were out of in the bar. She sent someone to the liquor store to pick some up for us.  Not necessary but definitely appreciated.

We ordered the three cheese salsa bake, mussels and house salad to start. The salad was anything but 'house'. It had candied pecans, pears, beets and blue cheese. We decided it was an 'epic' salad.

For the mains, we ordered the mixed grill which included stuff like bison ribs, lamb and beef tenderloin. It was also loaded with amazing vegetables. I love sharing platters so this meal was really a hit for me. Everything tasted amazing and we weren't stuffed after it was said and done. I would highly recommend this one.

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls Website and Menu

Epic house salad

Grilled Mix Sharing Platter

Wildflower Grill - "new Canadian cuisine"

We had a work event one night that ended at 8:30 and only provided apps for us. We decided to check out this restaurant as it was walking distance from downtown. It is very classy inside but not overly expensive. We weren't too hungry so we ordered a bunch of apps and shared them among three of us.

We tried the Gnocchi, Scallops & Prawns, Braised Beef short ribs and seared tuna. The presentation was really well done and made trying each dish that much better. They serve you a fresh warm bread in a measuring cup to start which was very original.

Wildflower Website and Menu

Warm bread in measuring cup

Seared Tuna

Braised Short Rib

Gnocchi with sweet pea puree

Culina Mill Creek - "Creative comfort food"

This one was a little out of the way from our hotel but we used our great smartphone GPS apps and got there on time.  It was another slow night and the place was very quiet inside. I think we might have been a little too loud for this crowd. It had a nice, dark atmosphere and very creative washrooms with tons of mirrors. The menu was small and very unique, which I think are two very important things for a restaurant.

We ordered the Persian Platter, Truffle Popcorn, Duck Hot Dogs and butternut squash soup to start. The soup was amazing and the other apps were good too. The popcorn was just normal popcorn with a light drizzle of truffle oil. It was very greasy and I think we were all expecting something way more exciting. I'll include some images of the mains below. All were very good but they were very big portions.

Culina Mill Creek Website and Menu

Duck hot dogs

Phyllo wrapped goat cheese

Alberta Beef with blue cheese and chocolate sauce + mash

Pork Tenderloin Steaks with spicy chimmichurri sauce and couscous

Honorable Mention:

Hundred Bar and Kitchen - We had lunch here one day. They offer a bunch of different sliders that all looked delicious. I asked if I could get a combo of all three (one of each). They agreed and what came was amazing! There was one Kobe Beef Burger, one Lobster BLT and one Kobe chili hot dog.

Menu

Trio of sliders

Rickys - Yes, it is a chain. Yes, it is a lot like other diners. But, wow, it always delivered great breakfast when we needed it badly. Make sure to try the stuffed hash browns. It includes shredded potatoes, bacon, cheese, sour cream and green onions. Thanks Rickys!

Menu

Not pretty, but much needed.

Tiny Tims Donuts (or Tiny Toms depending where you go) - These greasy little donuts come hot in a brown bag and are soooo yummy.

Sherlock Holmes Pub - Pub fare if you want that sort of thing. But I recommend it for having some pints with friends. Live music Thurs-Sat and very small intimate atmosphere that makes for a great pub. I try to stop in every time I'm in Edmonton. There are photos on the wall from the 80's of Gretzky, Ron MacLean, Tom Green, etc. If you go, make sure you check out Gretzky's mullet and Ron MacLeans head of hair!

Japanese Village - We had Teppanyaki one night and it was very yummy. I won't include a write up as it was a lot like other one's that I have been to in the past. A little disappointing since they wouldn't do the egg trick or the onion volcano. (even though we asked many times, haha)

Thats all! Let me know what you think and happy eating!