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Experiencing Algonquin Park 5

All Photos by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country Each year my friends and I set forth on a 6-day epic journey in the interior of the beautiful 7,653 sq km Algonquin Provincial Park. Using only human power to reach the interior, we are much obliged to enjoy the serenity of the nature in ...

Making The Case Against Cottages 9

All Photos by James D. Schwartz / The Urban Country In the same way wealthy New Yorkers head to the prestigious Hamptons on summer weekends, many wealthy Torontonians have their “home away from home” known as a cottage where they spend their summer weekends. A typical drive for a cottage dweller is anywhere from 1 ...

Survived my 107KM Solo kayak trip 3

At 3:30PM today I returned from my 2-day solo kayak trip from Toronto to Oshawa and back to raise money for Noah’s Ark children’s home in the Philippines. Every muscle in my upper body is aching right now, but it was a great trip and totally worth the effort. On the way there I had ...

California Dreaming 1

I’ve just returned from 6 amazing days deep in the wilderness on our annual Algonquin canoe and camping trip. We are truly blessed in North America to have these parks that have been conserved; for the developers would love to transform the entire park into luxury cottages if they were ever propositioned to do so. ...

Majestic Garden 2

A few weeks ago Han, Tom and I went out to Wisconsin to visit my Dad and Step-Mom. It had been 2 years since I had made it out to visit my Dad’s place. We had a great time doing outdoor activities most of the weekend since he lives out in the countryside alongside the ...

$1.30/litre for gas? Who cares? 1

Tonight I experienced a whole new side of Calgary previously uncharted by me. As you may have read in my previous post, my new (used, child) bicycle is my ticket to disengage me from the restricted claustrophobic feeling of being confined to an area of 4 city blocks and to explore this (new) city. I ...

Canadian Rockies Adventure 2

I have just concluded my first week in Alberta. To be honest, I don’t see anything too special about Calgary that sets it apart from other great Canadian cities other than the oil boom, the high demand for workers, and the Stampede in the summer. I do find it interesting that most restaurants (Including fast ...

Pollution vs. Greenhouse emissions

For a while, I had always put pollution in the same category as greenhouse emissions, simply because to me, the cause and solution to both of these issues were the same. We’re addicted to driving, driving is a cause of pollution and driving causes greenhouse emissions. Some solutions to both of these problems are to ...

David Suzuki @ UofT 6

On Friday night I had the rare opportunity to see Dr. David Suzuki speak at the University of Toronto. Since it was my first-time watching Suzuki speak live, I figured I’d share my perspective on this wise and inspirational man. In the speech, entitled “Biosphere Crisis: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We ...

Toronto Island infatuation 1

Today Han and I took our bikes on the Toronto island ferry and biked around the Toronto Islands. We toured extensively through the residential area of the Toronto islands (Algonquin and Ward’s island). I was immediately captivated by this quiet community that resembled something you would only see in a small town 1 or 2 ...