Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

What other exciting winter activities can you think of, besides downhill skiing and cross-country skiing that I previously blogged about? How about skating? It can be enjoyed even in some warm countries such as Malaysia! I’m glad to be given the opportunity to learn skating at a young age with my siblings, at an indoor skating rink inside a shopping mall, in Malaysia.

The thrill of gliding on ice gracefully is fascinating! Falling is part of the learning process, just like skiing. Gloves are highly recommended for skaters; not only to keep you warm, but also to protect your hands from injuries when you happen to fall (hard ice surface and blades on other skaters).

In north America, you get to enjoy outdoor skating as well! In Fredericton, outdoor rinks can be found at various parks. Here are some interesting skating spots I visited:

Rockefellar Center Ice Rink in New York City.

Skating rink at the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta. The largest mall in north America!

Willie O’Ree Place in Fredericton that offers free skating during noon hours, in the winter.

Besides those top tourist attractions, I enjoy visiting university campuses when I’m in a foreign city! I visited the University of Alberta in Edmonton; and I should not miss the chance to take a tour around the University of Calgary campus, in Calgary (of course).

From top left (clockwise): A residence building, the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Nickle Arts Museum, and McMahon Stadium.

After the quick campus tour, we went to Kensington Road for breakfast. We had cupcakes and some Southeast Asian food. Yumm…

There are some unique stores along Kensington Road that worth a visit. Some of them were closed since it was New Year’s Eve.

Subsequently, we went shopping at the Costco Wholesale and IKEA, before heading to Stephen Avenue Walk (famous shopping district on 8th Avenue S.W.) and the City Hall.

Left: The “Women are Persons!” Monument near the Municipal Building (can also be found at the Parliament Hill in Ottawa). Other pictures taken at Stephen Avenue and surroundings.

After that? We had a quick visit to the Pacific Place, a Chinese shopping mall. Later, in the evening, we met up with few other friends for steamboat buffet as supper, before I bade Calgary goodbye at midnight. Yes, on New Year’s Eve. A different way to celebrate the New Year ;)

Overall, my trip to Calgary (and Edmonton, Drumheller, Lake Louise, Canmore, Banff) was a fantastic one! This was one of the very few trips where I didn’t have to do a trip planning and look at maps while walking on the streets (as if I didn’t already look like a tourist). Everything was very well planned and taken care of. I even received my trip itinerary more than a month before my arrival in Calgary, from my lovely big bro, Julian.

Special thanks to Annie and Julian, for their kind hospitality and wonderful friendships over the past number of years. This was one of the best trips I had ever been on! I greatly appreciate your time and effort in making my trip a memorable one!!!

Did I not mention that I visited Calgary? So, where are the pictures of Calgary? Amazingly, I spent most of my time (if not all) during the first five days of my one-week visit to Calgary outside Calgary ;) The last two days were days which I traveled around the city itself.

The expensive housing in Calgary is a known fact. One-bedroom apartment of less than 1,000 sq. ft. will cost around CAD 350,000 for starting price.

Why Calgary?

“Calgary is a dynamic and progressive city of just over 1 million people, close to the Rocky Mountains and famous for both the Calgary Stampede (‘The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’) and the 1988 winter Olympics with Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards and the Jamaican bob-sled team. Well known for its friendly people Calgary’s motto is ‘Welcome to Calgary, Heart of the New West’.”

~ Information from Canilink Relocation

All these while, I had the impression that Alberta is one of the provinces in Canada that offers the highest minimum wage. Shockingly, the minimum wage in provinces such as Manitoba ($8.50), Newfoundland ($8.50), Quebec ($8.50), Yukon ($8.58), Saskatchewan ($8.60), Ontario ($8.75), and Nunavut ($10.00) surpass that of Alberta ($8.40). Nonetheless, Calgary is a booming city that provides great job opportunities, owing to its fast developing gas and oil industry, particularly.

“Although British Columbia and Alberta account for only 20 per cent of the Canadian population, they produced nearly half the new jobs in the country last year.”

~ Maclean’s Magazine

Desperate looking for a job? There might one waiting for you in Calgary!

Residential area in downtown Calgary.

Public transit in Calgary. From top left (clockwise): bus in downtown, CTrain, interior of CTrain, and one of the many Light Railway Transit station.

CTrain which travels along 7 Avenue is known as the free fare zone. There is no cost for riding either CTrain route between 3 Street East and 11 Street West. Wonderful!

From bottom left (clockwise): Mewata Armoury, TELUS World of Science, Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre, Chinatown, and the Chinese street signs.

The Mewata (“O Be Joyful” in Cree word) Armoury is a Canadian Forces reserve armoury in Calgary, located on 11th Street S.W.

Eau Claire Market (bottom left) and the winter scenes of Prince’s Island Park in downtown.

The awesome experience using the +15 walkway to avoid walking in the cold.

The +15 walkway is known to be the world’s most extensive pedestrian skywalk system with a total length of 16 kilometers and 59 bridges. Plus 15 refers to the skywalk that’s 15 ft from the ground level. It connects dozens of building in the downtown area, with enclosed shopping centres at the centre core. The rest of them are mainly office buildings.

Devonian Gardens, the large indoor urban park, are accessible from the skywalk. Unfortunately, the gardens were under renovations and I missed my chance to visit…

From left (clockwise): The entrance of Calgary Tower, Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Fairmont Palliser Hotel.

Bird’s eye views from the Calgary Tower. From bottom left (clockwise): City Hall and Municipal Building (top right corner), Delta Hotel, Pengrowth Saddledome within the Stampede Park, and buildings seen through the glass floor.

Calgary Tower is a 191 metre free standing observation tower in downtown Calgary. It’s the city’s most identifiable physical landmark.

It was an amazing visit to Calgary downtown. Despite the chilly weather, we managed to visit numerous places in the city. As a reward, we had our delicious meal at Bolero, the Brazilian restaurant :P

It was a ski day! Julian and I took off from Calgary, on an early Monday morning and headed to Banff. It was about an hour drive from Calgary. The view along the highway was breathtaking! The magnificent alpine looked unreal…..

The overpass ahead of us helps to keep animals off the highway during their migration. What a neat idea!

The Rundle Mountain.

The ski mountain we intended to go, Sunshine Village, was overcrowded by the time we got there (around 9:30 a.m.). It was unexpected, especially on a Monday morning. We spent an hour waiting in line before we finally got a chance to turn around. Another 30 minutes wasted just to get out of the ski mountain…

Our second choice, Mt. Norquay was not too far from where we were. Its smaller ski area allowed us to hop on and off the chairlifts without much waiting time; which in turn, maximized our ski time. It turned out great after all! We purchased half-day ski lift tickets to ski from noon till 4 p.m.

It has been my dream to ski at the Rockies. Why do I enjoy skiing? I shared my downhill skiing experience previously. As compared to the Crabbe Mountain in Fredericton, Mt. Norquay offers more and longer ski trails at higher elevations. In other words, it was more thrilling and challenging to ski at the big mountains!

The mesmerizing beauty of Canadian Rockies, snow-covered evergreen trees, as well as the long and steep skiing terrain were astonishing! Mt. Norquay has a variety of ski terrain for all abilities, ranging from beginner, intermediate (blue run), advanced (black diamond), and expert (double black diamond). The advanced trails I’ve explored at Crabbe, turned out to be much similar to the intermediate trails here at the Rockies!! Thus, I didn’t go further than that. Furthermore, I haven’t had a chance to hit the ski terrain for nearly a year… I’d need to sharpen my skills before trying anything more adventurous…

Our first chairlift ride of the day!

I was pumped to ski at the Rockies for the very first time!

All geared up and posed for a nice shot ;)

The marvelous view of the Rockies!

Julian, my ski buddy cum personal ski instructor :)

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)!!!

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!

My friendship story continues… I met up with my ex-classmate from UNB who is now studying at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. We went to a Chinese Restaurant in Edmonton in a group of five. Here are some of the dishes we had:

Loh Hon Zai, the mixed vegetable dish.

The so-called Sze Chuan beef, with onions, green and red peppers. It has the texture of the typical Gu Lou meat (fried pork) dish.