Andrew's Positive Growth Blog

Fun times in Cuba....

Last week I went to Cuba for a week. It was for a wedding. I've never been to Cuba and was intrigued. 

What would it be like? How does their society function under Castro? Would I get to go on any adventures? 

 

It was a fun week. We stayed a resort with a number of people for the wedding. I was impressed with the resort (Melia Los Dunas) and the beach was also amazing. I ended up going on a couple fun trips throughout the week but unfortunately didn't get the chance to get into any cities. We went on a Catamaran through the Atlantic Ocean which was fun. I even tried snorkeling but I wasn't very good at it. I guess trying to snorkel in the Atlantic Ocean with huge waves probably isn't the best place to start. I found that it was hard to breathe. 



Another fun trip was renting a scooter to cruise the island that we were staying on Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba. We ended up going down a dirt road to a conservation area which eventually led to this really quiet area near the ocean. It was amazing..... white sand ran for miles. I couldn't believe the amount of wildlife that I saw; fish galore, jellyfish, all type of birds, crabs and geckos.

The wedding was lots of fun as well. This was my first time at a beach wedding and it was fun to see all the spectators watch along the beach with drinks in hand.

While the Cuba trip was fun I don't see myself going back to Cuba for a longggg time. There are a few reasons. The people are poor and make around $20/month. The first thing I noticed when we were being bused into the resort was the older buses which were leaving. Those were the workers going home for the night. For the entire vacation they served drinks and provided remarkable service while all of the tourists had a blast. The only problem here for me was that I was in their country enjoying the life that they should be enjoying but couldn't. There were tolls on the bridge to get to the resort and the hotel had big gates; I'm assuming this was to keep the Cubans out?!?! I had a conversation with a black guy that thought I was Cuban, I spoke to him then he realized that I wasn't like him. To be honest, watching the Cuban men in the garden in blistering hot 30 degree weather felt a lot like slave labour to me. 

 

At the airport they had a $25 surcharge to leave the country for tourists. But what is that really for? Their airports are old and look like they haven't had work done in years. Where is this money going? I totally understand that tourism subsidizes the life of the Cubans but there are so many things that just don't make sense to me. 

 Would it be different if the Cuban people were totally free? YES, because then they would control the path of their destiny but they are not totally free. So yes it was fun but no I won't be visiting for a while. 

Goodbye 2011..... and Welcome 2012!!!

What an amazing year! I can't complain about 2011, I experienced so many things this year and for that I'm really thankful. The best thing of all is I'm happy and I'm healthy. Without good health, it doesn't really mean anything because you won't be able to fully enjoy all of the wonderful things the world has to offer. 

I feel like in the past year I've learned more about myself and my passions. I went to Germany and the Czech Republic and was able to go all over the place and see so much. I enjoyed the trip so much that this year I have trips planned to Cuba and a number of countries in Europe (tentatively Spain, England, Scotland, Ireland and France).

The past year has shown that the world is constantly changing. Look at all the dictators and revolts that have happened this year alone. Europe's economy seems to be getting worse by the day, and there seems to be this fear of things slipping back into how they were in 2008 again. But I don't blame people for thinking this, governments all over the world have acted irresponsibly and the interests of a select few. Jobs that were once there for the middle class have all but disappeared. While politicians continue to say that the jobs will come back and that the real problem stems from Europe, the truth is these jobs have disappeared because of technology. Technology has been one of the bright spots of the past few years and it has enabled businesses to increase their efficiency while cutting back on staff and saving on costs. 

Here in Canada things appear to be "different". The government and media have convinced people that the problems that have existed outside of the country will stay that way and that Canada will remain strong. I do not believe this to be the case. Most people have their money wrapped up only in real estate and if you tell people you aren't buying they look are you weirdly. Perhaps if I tell them the story of the Tulip Bubble in Europe they will come to reality. Bull markets end with good news and bear markets end with the worst possible news; I'm expecting 2012 to be a good news year. 

Regardless I'm very optimistic about 2012 and all the new challenges I will encounter. My ultimate goal for next year is to put myself in the position of being totally self-sufficient; being able to do what I want and when I want. Total and absolute independence. I want to explore more and continue to pursue my passions with all of my energy. Good things await and I will see you in 2012. Happy New Year!!!

  

Washington D.C.

I ended up going to Washington D.C. last weekend for a family members wedding. It was honestly one of the best weddings I've ever been to. They put so much effort into their wedding and it was amazing to see my larger family which I don't get to see that often. 

I really like Washington even though I was only there for a short period of time. First thing I noticed was how clean the city was. The next thing I noticed is how entrepreneurial the city is, small businesses galore. But I guess that isn't just a Washington thing, it is what the US is really good at....innovation.

I ended up going to a small breakfast place called Paul's, established in 1889. American's are amazing at customer service. In Canada I find that staff are often very quiet and not interested in providing top notch service. Any store you walk into in the US, you are greeted and ask what they can help you with. Also the breakfast place, like much of the eateries I was able to go to in that short time have kitchens that you can watch the staff cook your meals. We don't really have this kind of thing in Canada, but it made me feel that the food was that much better. 

Like I said at the beginning of this blog, I honestly had about 5-6 hours of time to see some of the tourist sites. I woke up at sunlight on Sunday which was excellent because the roads were totally empty. Best time to walk around cities to see stuff is Sunday morning. 

I was able to see the White House, the National Mall, the Monument, The Capital building, The Treasury Department and also able to stop into the Smithsonian musuem for American History. I saw the new Martin Luther King memorial and really enjoyed his quotes that were written on the stone walls. My favourite out of everything had to be the Lincoln Memorial. As many know, he was a large force involved in abolishing slavery. It is hard to believe how far the US has come in such a short time if you think about it. Remember MLK was around during the 60's. 

Perhaps the funniest thing happened on the plane ride home. I was flying with United and we were on the plane but one of the overhead compartments wouldn't close. So the maintenance workers came on board to try and fix the thing, no luck. I was sitting beside someone from the Marines and they suggested to duct tape the thing. After about 45 minutes the Stewardess announces that they have the supplies to fix the overhead cabinet, hahah could you imagine that the supplies are actually the duct tape. I waited 45 minutes for someone to get duct tape. Then the workers boss came around to inspect and ripped the duct tape down and wrote deferred on it. An hour and a half later they finally were able to get the cabinet closed. 

Anyways Washington is somewhere I definitely want to come back to and would want to stay for a few days. So much to do and see there.  

 

Prague, Czech Republic trip

So I've been back in Toronto for a little over 3 weeks now and I must admit that I am totally going through vacation withdrawal. It is like a drug and now I'm addicted. That was so memorable and all of the pictures keep it fresh in my mind like I was just there yesterday. That one trip has made me curious about what else is in on this planet.

Yeah, right now I have a job but that won't stop me from planning the future.  And I have a few trips being planned...one bucket list one that I'd like to do in the next few years.

  

Back to the trip I just went on. The last destination on my vacation was Prague Czech Republic. I hopped on a bus from Germany and it took about 3.5 hours to get there. It wasn't a bad ride. As I reached the outskirts of the city of Prague, one thing became increasingly evident to me. That was the graffiti on the buildings.  As you can see from the picture below. There wasn't any in tourist district, but once you got off the main streets the graffiti was quite evident. I think it has to do with the country just finishing an era of communism not that long ago.

Regardless Prague is a beautiful city. So many old buildings, so much history....it surrounds you everywhere.  I was in shock at how old some of these buildings were, the architecture was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Of course, I have never been to old Europe so this is expected. 

Unlike Germany, this trip was more about appreciating the Arts, the architecture of the buildings and the beer which was superb. In the 5 days I was there, I managed to catch the ballet performance of Swan Lake and an orchestra concert. One thing I did that totally suprised me was the Prague Zoo, it is a must visit. The Toronto Zoo doesn't compare. I'm not a big fan of keeping animals in cages but for what it is worth the Zoo was designed well and unique. There was a shop that I stopped off that was a bit off the beaten path called the "Choco cafe". It was worth it. 



I visited the Strahov Monastary and visited one of the oldest libraries.....

 The one thing I really regret was that for this portion of my trip, I didn't visit any of the small towns outside of Prague. Those are some of the best experiences but oh well next time I guess.









 

Trip to Germany

 

 
Click here for more Photos from Germany & Czech Republic

This past weekend I got back from a 3 week trip to Germany and the Czech Republic. I haven’t been to Europe before so I was really happy to get the opportunity to see old Europe. I started off in Germany and went to a small town called Eberbach. We went there for the weekend to attend a wedding. Yes, I got to experience a German wedding and it was quite fun.


In Germany everyone communicates in German. In Munich and Frankfurt people know varying amounts of English but I found the areas outside of these cities people were predominately German. We also spent a day in Heidelberg, what a wonderful little city. It is home to the Heidelburg castle. In Germany all of the buildings are old and although most of them were destroyed in the World War they were rebuilt. The architecture in this part of Europe is one of a kind.

Transport in Germany is another aspect of my trip which was impressive. Germany is light years ahead of us in terms of transportation. Efficiency and Punctuality were two things that stood out. When they say that a train will be leaving at 8:38am and arriving at 1:04pm, this is exactly what happens. If you show up a minute late you will be out of luck. This goes for city and regional transit. Transit in this country is affordable and everyone uses it. All the times are on a screen and everything is digital. When I saw this I thought about the inefficient transit we have in Toronto Canada. There are no service people in booths, everything is self-sufficient. While I’m on the topic of transit I should mention the amount of bicycles that I saw. In all of the metropolitan areas there are bike lanes on every street. This is the way it should be; by creating efficient methods of public transportation


I really liked Munich, the city has so much history behind it as do many of the cities in Germany. I went to The Residence and the Nymphenberg Castle and also took a day trip to Neuschwanstein castle which is a must see. My personal favourite was the day trip to Bertesgarten National Park, one of a kind adventure to southern Germany right near the Alps. Most people love to go and do touristy stuff but I can’t stand most of it since there are too many crowds. Nuremberg was a good place to stop for a day while travelling to Prague, I was able to see the Nazi rally grounds/museum. 

 

I'm in Germany...

I'm in Germany and I managed to have a bite to eat at Englischer Garten today. It was amazing. I will write lots more when I return. Munich is amazing!!!

Getting Ready for a trip to Europe...

So I'm getting ready for my first trip to Europe. I've never been before and I'm really excited about it. I'm going to be going all over Germany and Prague as well. Frankfurt, Munich, Nuremberg and a few day trip to Berchtesgaden National Park in the Alps and a small town called Neuschwanstein. In the Czech Republic I'll be going to Prague and Karlstejn. 

One of the things I don't like about travelling is the logistics of it all and also making sure you have everything packed like the Camera's etc. 

Since I was a kid I've always been interested in medieval stuff, from castles to old gothic architecture. Making Prague one of my top travel destinations. I'll be going to a German wedding as well, which should be interesting. 

Anyways I'll keep everyone updated about my trip and make sure to post a lot of pictures while I'm gone. Can't wait for this adventure!!!  

Nottawasaga Bluffs - Nottawasaga Conservation Area

So finally the nice weather has arrived! A few weekends ago I decided to go hiking up north. I went to the Nottawasaga Bluffs which is close to Collingwood. It took about an hour and a half to get there from Toronto and was a bit confusing to get to but worth it. 


This was my first hike of the summer and silly me I didn't prepare for it. When I arrived to the trail I realized that I had forgotten my map of the area, so that made it a bit hard to navigate where we were heading especially since there were so many side-trails and such. Also one of the things I love doing when I'm hiking is taking pictures of the scenery, the problem on this trip was that I forgot to charge the battery on the camera. So I ended up using my phone camera, yup it was a bit of an off day!!!

The trail was extremely hard to find, but once we arrived and started moving it was really beautiful. Lots of trees and I was doing research and some of those trees are a couple hundred years old. The bugs were very bad that day but I think that is due the insane amount of rain we got in May. There were caves on the trail, created by the rock. There was snow on the ground in these areas and despite the temperature on the day being in the 20's, it was extremely friggid walking through these areas.

There were some very nice views and a lack of people which is always nice when you are coming from the city. The trail is connect to the Bruce Trail, you could probably spend a day worth of hiking on this trail.

I saw a raccoon and some really cool birds. You can see raccoons here in Toronto any given night when garbage was out but this one was different. I was walking up a hill when I saw it and it was totally caught off guard, it walked up the tree and hid while keeping an eye on us. In Toronto Raccoons don't normally care if you walk by but I guess in the wilderness they aren't really used to humans.

It was a fun day and a much needed refresher. I'm going on a 4 day Canoe trip to Algonquin Park on Canada day so I will be sure to post about that. Here are a couple pictures of the Nottawasaga Bluffs from my Camera phone.


 

Spring & Summer Plans

The nice weather is returning and I've been busy planning fun activities for my summer. I'm trying to focus on all of the things that I'm passionate about; nature/wildlife, movies/acting, business/markets, sports for the summer. I've planned a few camping trips already; a canoeing trip to Algonquin Park and another trip to Killarney which is another park near Sudbury Ontario- the Group of Seven did many of their portraits at this location. Both parks are tremendously beautiful and I'm excited about it. I like hiking as well, so I will be going on lots of different trips. I may also be going over to Europe in the fall; Germany and possibly Switzerland. I've always been one to appreciate history, so that trip to Germany will be something to behold. 

I'm trying to do more of what I'm good at these days and less of what I'm not.  

Welcome to the Year 2011

So I've celebrated my birthday and I'm a year older at age 31. We are also into the new year and with that new year we get a fresh start. Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life? Have you been meeting your own expectations?

In the past couple of months I've noticed something about myself. Internally I'm at peace with myself. I feel strong, confident and have such a feeling that 2011 will be a good year for me no matter what happens. Maybe it is that I am getting older or that I've overcome different obstacles in life that certain things don't seem as difficult as they used to.

I'm reading more and sharpening my skills that I will ultimately need to achieve my lifetime goals. I've realized what my passions are in life; the markets, acting, nature/wildlife. These are the things that make me the most happy at all times. Do you know what your passions are? Over the holidays I was lucky enough to visit my girlfriends family up in Parry Sound which is a rural region of Ontario. I was able to visit her uncle's farm, horseback ride, go on a sleigh ride, snowshoe and hike. I'm usually not a winter person, but this was a great experience as I've never done this type of stuff before. Here are a couple pictures...

Perhaps the best Christmas present I received this year was from my grandmother. She is 87. She provided her Grandchildren with a book of her life in which I helped to edit about 7 years ago. It gives a history of the family, her career and her various travels around the world. I honestly couldn't have asked for anything better. The story of her life and how she came to Canada by herself and became independent and successful as a teacher (she was a woman and a minority) are really inspirational towards me. It gave me a background of how the family was raised and why we are the way we turned out to be. 

As you get older you slowly realize that one of the most important things in life is family. I have 2 nieces and 2 nephews and I got to see them lots over the holiday season. It is amazing to watch little kids develop personalities and grow. I Never thought I would appreciate this kind of stuff when I was younger. 

Going into the new year I plan on challenging myself like never before. You should do the same. We live on this planet only one time, there is no point in leaving anything in reserve!