Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Participating in the dog sled tour was an excellent experience! After out trip to Lake Louise, we had a stopover in Canmore before heading to Banff. The Snowy Owl Adventures offered an unforgettable dog sled tour, as it turned out. It was a two-hour tour, including a van ride to Spray Lake, where we began our exciting adventures!

We were given a short briefing about the huskies and some useful commands before driving the dog sled on our own! Here are a few commands we learned:

On by: Pass another team from the opposite direction

Whenever the puppies did a good job in obeying the commands, we said “good puppies!” These puppies are very tame and smart. We had six huskies for our dog sled, the two puppies in front were the leading dogs; whereas the puppies closest to the harness were among the strongest.

Gee: Turn to the right

Haw: Turn to the left

The sled dog breeds at the Snowy Owl:

Canadian Inuit Husky: “Original” sled dog, the closest living relative to the wolf
Alaskan Malamute: Very similar to the Canadian Inuit Husky, also a close relative to the wolf
Canadian Indian Husky: Indigenous to North America, the closest living relative to the coyote
Siberian Husky: The most well known sled dog breed, typical “Hollywood” Husky with blue eyes

(From left) Julian, myself, and Annie posing with the puppies during a short break.

Good puppy!

People were adventurous enough to walk on the icy Lake Louise, despite the noticeable thin ice caution signage.

The prominent Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, one of the Canada’s grand railway hotels. It’s a luxury resort hotel built in the early 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Chateau Lake Louise Ice Castle, built on the frozen lake. Simply gorgeous!

The town of Drumheller is the dinosaur capital of Canada, with its richest fossils and dinosaur bones in North America. The world-famous Royal Tyrell Museum is one of the many tourist attractions. It’s 90-minute drive from Calgary, and about 3.5 hours drive from Edmonton (West Edmonton Mall to be exact).

The World’s Largest Dinosaur is actually four times the size of a real Tyrannosaurus rex. She weighs 145,000 lbs and is constructed mainly from steel. She is 86 ft tall and 151 ft in length.

From left (clockwise): Scenic drive to Drumheller, the entrance of Royal Tyrell Museum, dinosaur display at the museum, and the world’s largest dinosaur.

On our way back to Calgary, we attended the Festival of Lights in Airdrie, a city situated just north of Calgary. During the festive season (month of December), Christmas lighting runs from 6 p.m. till 9 p.m. This is an annual event open to the public. Different activities were held each evening, such as local band performances. The beautiful and exquisite lighting was particularly charming! I haven’t seen such attractive lighting before…

It was a cold evening. The temperature was well below -20 degrees Celsius. We stood around the bonfire with a cup of steaming hot chocolate. I was glad to be there despite the cold :)

I had the opportunity to visit Edmonton, during my trip to Calgary. Edmonton is the capital of the province of Alberta. With its population of more than 750,000, it boasts to be the second largest city in Alberta. Edmontonian is the term used for a resident of Edmonton.

Edmonton is well-known as the home to North America’s largest shopping mall, West Edmonton Mall (6.1 million square feet, which was the world’s largest mall from 1981 till 2004). It reminded me of the largest shopping mall in Malaysia, Mid Valley Megamall, which has become of the main attractions in the Klang Valley. The 4.5 million square feet complex with its 430 shops certainly has lots to offer.

The University of Alberta is founded in 1908. The university’s current enrolment is over 36,000, placing itself among the five largest universities in Canada. The main campus consists of more than 90 buildings, located across the North Saskatchewan River from downtown Edmonton.

From top left (clockwise): The Butterdome (Universiade Pavilion), TELUS Centre for Professional Development, Stollery Children’s Hospital, HUB Mall, parking parkade, overhead walkway, residence building, and Arts building.

After the campus visit, we explored around the city for a bit.

From bottom left (clockwise): The Old Strathcona Arch, Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, Public Library, Chinatown, City Hall, Muttart Conservatory, and LRT station (centre).

Next, we visited the West Edmonton Mall. We reckoned it’d be quiet on Christmas Day. It worked out great for photo shooting :)

The following day was Boxing Day. We seized the opportunity to shop at the West Edmonton Mall, before heading to Drumheller. We were there before 10 a.m., when the crowd was less busy. The best deal I’ve got? A pair of jeans from Urban Behaviour for $5 (original price was $40)!!!

The moment I decided to leave home to study abroad, I knew that I had to be on my own from then on. It was a tough decision to make as there was no turning back. The detailed story was posted previously. I’m grateful for the way I was brought up and all the love & care I’ve been receiving from Mom & Dad, who have been faithful supporting me through the ups and downs in life.

It was one of the my best moments in life, when both parents attended my graduation in May 2008. Graduation is not the end, but the beginning of a new journey of life. After all, there is a long haul ahead.

There are always challenges to encounter, people to meet, places to visit, dreams to fulfill, prayers to say… Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone and take the step of faith to explore what lies before us? Do we listen closely to the soft whispers of our inner voice?

There is a new hope, new vision, and new direction for the new year. Wishing everyone Happy 2009!

What’s the best way to celebrate New Year? In a party? With loved ones? Or simply in your dreams? I’ve done all of the above in the past. Looking back the recent years, I’m rather proud that I’ve been celebrating the New Years quite uniquely.

2007: I was in St. Louise, Missouri for the Urbana student missions convention. In a crowd of 22,500, we worshipped, prayed, had communion, and celebrated New Year in the Edward Jones Dome at American Center.

2008: I visited the Big Apple, New York City. Not only that, I attended the New Year’s countdown at the well-known Times Square. I’ve seen it so much on the TV in previous years that I thought to myself that I wanted to be part of the crowd, to join in the excitement of celebrating New Year in the big crowd, at least once. My dream came true, after standing in the cold windy winter night for more than three hours… It sounded crazy, but I had no regrets ;)

2009: My flight departing from Calgary was scheduled for 12:10 a.m. In the plane, we did the countdown. Subsequently, I was so exhausted that I slept through most of my journey. I took the connecting flight from Toronto back to Freddy. I finally arrived at 11:30 a.m. Thank God for the smooth landing, despite the windy condition.

I’ve been having good food and great time in Calgary thus far. Wondering what I had on my last day in Calgary? Julian & Annie almost ran out of idea where to bring me. Finally, we visited the Crave bakery shop in Kensington Road. The moist and delicious cupcakes are offered in large or mini size, in either vanilla or chocolate, and topped with a variety of butter cream icing as toppings (e.g. blue vanilla, green lime, chocolate etc.). These cupcakes were heavenly!!

Having said that, the cupcakes were too sweet for me. Perhaps one third of the amount of icing would suffice. I’ve to admit that the cupcakes are moist and tasty nonetheless. Apparently, the bakery employees work from 5 a.m. till 12 p.m. There’s no guarantee that there’s any cupcake left after noon time. Please be sure to be there early to avoid disappointment!

A dozen of assorted mini cupcakes nicely packed in a plastic container with a brown ribbon.

Next, we had some Southeast Asian food at the Sungate Cafe nearby. They offered some Thai and Malaysian/Singaporean dishes. The food wasn’t the best but it was good enough to satisfy my cravings for Malaysian food.

From left: Spicy Chicken Sub, Hot & Sour Seafood Tom Yum Soup, and Chicken Rendang Rice.

Hmm….what was next? For my farewell supper, we had steamboat (or less commonly Chinese fondue) buffet in a group of seven at a Chinese restaurant. For $22.95 per adult, we ordered food ranging from sliced lamb, beef, chicken, fish, pork, shrimps, squids, tofu, vegetables, etc. We then cooked the food in the hot pot on the gas stoves available right in front of our eyes. It was a big meal and everyone was stuffed at the end… I can easily skip my breakfast & lunch the next day…

Cooking the food in the hot pot containing boiling water. Spices were added for a flavourful soup base.

The largest “fresh” oyster I’ve ever had! Nonetheless, it tasted quite bad compared to those delicious fresh oysters I prepared with the shells still on!

My very first experience dining in a fine Brazilian restaurant. The experience was splendid, the food was delightful, and the service was excellent. The key to it though, is to make an early reservation for the best selection. We were there at Bolero Restaurant for a 5:30 p.m. reservation.

Free flow of appetizers.

Appetizers from the fresco bar and hot bar.

A chef cut the meat skillfully and served us.

The BBQ pineapple was a hit!

A bountiful selection of food was served and cut fresh in front of our eyes. I took pleasure in savouring the good food. It was indeed a great eye-opener to a non-ordinary dining experience! Love it :)

Dim Sum is known as the southern Chinese delicacies. The closest restaurant from Fredericton that offers Dim Sum would probably be in Saint John. Yes, you got it. There’s no Dim Sum in Fredericton…

Hence, I seized the opportunity to enjoy Dim Sum during my trip to Calgary. Well, I had it twice actually ;D My first Dim Sum meal at the T&T Supermarket (a Chinese supermarket), West Edmonton Mall.

Congee, shrimp dumplings, beef tripes, and phoenix claws (a.k.a. chicken feet), hot soya milk, and cold tea. Delicious!

From left: glutinous chicken rice, beef tripes, phoenix claws, pork steamed buns, pork dumplings, and pork spare ribs.

Eggs tarts (my favourite) and fried shrimp on sugar cane sticks, a Vietnamese delicacy.

Congee with century eggs and pork. Yummy!

Each dish priced around $4. It’s best to savour Dim Sum with family or a group of friends. You get to enjoy a wide array of dishes in small amount, because they do fill up your stomach rather quick!

It was my first visit to the Keg Steakhouse & Bar. After a long day of traveling from Calgary to Banff, joining the dog sled tour in Canmore, soaking in the hot spring in Banff, we were exhausted and hungry… We’ve decided to go to the Keg for a big meal.

Appetizers: dinner roll with butter, scallops & bacon (bacon-wrapped scallops with a zesty martini cocktail sauce) for $9.95, as well as ahi tuna (a.k.a. yellowfin tuna, grilled rare, served with a mushroom reduction drizzled with cucumber-wasabi sauce and crostini) for $10.95.

From left: Honey BBQ Chicken & Ribs (grilled and basted with house honey BBQ sauce) for Annie, 8oz Prime Rib Classic (hand-carved with horseradish and au jus) for Julian, and 7oz Fillet Mignon (tenderloin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon) for me!

Julian, Annie and I had supper at the Shikiji Japanese Restaurant in Calgary. This restaurant offers specialty sushi dishes that are both presentable and delicious. Besides, their Japanese green tea, genmaicha (brown-rice tea) is the best I’ve ever had thus far!

The Spider Roll ($13.80). Crispy crab legs are used to make into the form of a spider.

The Una Una Roll (Eel Roll) for $16.90. Yumm…

The Salmon Mango Roll ($11.80), topped with colourful tobiko (flying fish caviar). Very appetizing!

This dish reminded me of something similar I had in Toronto a few months ago.

Very neat presentation of sushi at the Dazzling Restaurant in downtown Toronto.

Back to Shikiji Restaurant. Besides sushi, we also ordered a bowl of Japanese noodles.

The Chili Goma Ramen (hot & spicy Japanese noodles with sesame) for $13.50. Grind the sesame seeds yourself!

The day after we visited Shikiji Restaurant, we had Japanese/Korean buffet at the Sushi BBQ Inn. Two dishes of sashimi (fresh raw seafood) per person. We were given the choice of salmon, tuna, and spicy seafood. They tasted great, except for the tuna which turned out to be partially frozen. Hmm…previously frozen? Isn’t it supposed to be fresh??

Sashimi, maki (roll), and temaki (cone/hand roll).

Our second order.

From left: Rainbow Roll, California Roll, and BC Roll (grilled salmon skin with sweet sauce and cucumber, named after British Columbia for its famous wild Pacific salmon).

Tempura, a classic Japanese dish of deepfried battered vegetables or seafood.

Raw meat for BBQ: chicken, beef, spicy pork, lamb chop, salmon, short ribs etc.

Meat slices on the BBQ stove, right in front of us on the dining table.

Overall, the amount of food was plenty. We certainly had a lot since we skipped our lunch due to busy schedule. I was in Banff all day skiing with Julian, while Annie was working all day without her lunch box.

Having said that, I wished the sashimi was fresher and the order was unlimited. It turned out to be slightly under $30 per person on the final bill. Good food, great time!