Cute sign at the Zoo.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
'E' is for Elephant
Since school starts for the kids on Tuesday, we decided to do something that they wanted to do this weekend. After discussing some options, it was off to the famous Toronto Zoo.
The zoo was a 60km drive from our home, and we took about 45 minutes to get there. The Toronto Zoo is one of the worlds best kept Zoos, with the animals kept in very environment friendly enclosures. They have a special Childrens mini zoo inside, with sandpits, climbing rocks, caves and a tree house for kids to play in. Also, some animals are allowed to be petted and fed.
If you are planning a visit to the Zoo, keep about three hours minimum for seeing as much as possible in this time. You can easily spend the whole day there, if the weather is good. The day we went, it was very hot, and so the three hours we spent walking around was pretty tiring.
The tickets cost is 20$ for adults, 12$ for kids below 12 and free for below age 3. This is for a one time visit. They charge 7$ per head if you want to go around the zoo in the mobile ride. (Recommended if you have very young, or elderly in your group) They also charge 3$ per head if you want to visit the Stingray bay, where you can touch and feed them. There are many restaurants, washrooms, water fountains, icecream and cold drink counters and rest areas.
Once you go inside, you get a map of the entire zoo and where all the animals are located.
One good option, is if you live here, and will go to the zoo more than once a year....because they have different animals on display and themed events happening all year round, take a one year membership. This costs about 130$ for one year, for two parents and upto four children free admission however many times you visit the zoo. Free zoo mobile rides, 10% discount at the gift shops etc.
You can also go inside to see everything the first time by paying for individual tickets, then convert the difference at the membership desk inside. We opted for this, to see first how the zoo was and if was a place we would visit again. It turned out to be amazing! They also have a nice water park inside, where many families brought their swim wear and had fun in the water.
My kids (age 11 and 7) loved the elephants, giraffes, tigers and lions. My daughter (7) loved the tree house, and the caves that the kids could crawl into. There were too many things to see and do , so we left the zoo halfway and we will go again later to see the rest.
It was hot, so we carried sun screen. That is something you will have to get used to putting on here. The summer sun is really harsh and you can really feel your skin burn! Wear sun glasses, hats and take an umbrella and plenty of water.
One more thing.....my title, E if for Elephant? That is where our car was parked! They charge 8$ to park the car, and the parking lot is so huge that after you park just look around for a sign with an alphabet and an aninal picture that is closest to you. You may be in A for alligator, B for bear etc. When you come back later, you can then locate your car easily. We were parked in 'E'.
Will write about Niagara falls in the next post. My In-laws are visiting for a week and we are taking them to see the falls on Monday.
Anyone planning on moving to Cananda in the near future? The best time to come in is before November. It starts to get really cold by end October.
Hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures!
The zoo was a 60km drive from our home, and we took about 45 minutes to get there. The Toronto Zoo is one of the worlds best kept Zoos, with the animals kept in very environment friendly enclosures. They have a special Childrens mini zoo inside, with sandpits, climbing rocks, caves and a tree house for kids to play in. Also, some animals are allowed to be petted and fed.
If you are planning a visit to the Zoo, keep about three hours minimum for seeing as much as possible in this time. You can easily spend the whole day there, if the weather is good. The day we went, it was very hot, and so the three hours we spent walking around was pretty tiring.
The tickets cost is 20$ for adults, 12$ for kids below 12 and free for below age 3. This is for a one time visit. They charge 7$ per head if you want to go around the zoo in the mobile ride. (Recommended if you have very young, or elderly in your group) They also charge 3$ per head if you want to visit the Stingray bay, where you can touch and feed them. There are many restaurants, washrooms, water fountains, icecream and cold drink counters and rest areas.
Once you go inside, you get a map of the entire zoo and where all the animals are located.
One good option, is if you live here, and will go to the zoo more than once a year....because they have different animals on display and themed events happening all year round, take a one year membership. This costs about 130$ for one year, for two parents and upto four children free admission however many times you visit the zoo. Free zoo mobile rides, 10% discount at the gift shops etc.
You can also go inside to see everything the first time by paying for individual tickets, then convert the difference at the membership desk inside. We opted for this, to see first how the zoo was and if was a place we would visit again. It turned out to be amazing! They also have a nice water park inside, where many families brought their swim wear and had fun in the water.
My kids (age 11 and 7) loved the elephants, giraffes, tigers and lions. My daughter (7) loved the tree house, and the caves that the kids could crawl into. There were too many things to see and do , so we left the zoo halfway and we will go again later to see the rest.
It was hot, so we carried sun screen. That is something you will have to get used to putting on here. The summer sun is really harsh and you can really feel your skin burn! Wear sun glasses, hats and take an umbrella and plenty of water.
One more thing.....my title, E if for Elephant? That is where our car was parked! They charge 8$ to park the car, and the parking lot is so huge that after you park just look around for a sign with an alphabet and an aninal picture that is closest to you. You may be in A for alligator, B for bear etc. When you come back later, you can then locate your car easily. We were parked in 'E'.
Will write about Niagara falls in the next post. My In-laws are visiting for a week and we are taking them to see the falls on Monday.
Anyone planning on moving to Cananda in the near future? The best time to come in is before November. It starts to get really cold by end October.
Hope you enjoyed seeing the pictures!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Something we learned....
After writing the last post, titled 'Hitting the highway', I read it again and thought about what it was that we learned from that whole experience.
I came up with these:
1. Never take the weather here for granted.
2. There is a weather channel on the radio and t.v for a reason.
3.Keep umbrellas and one set of jackets in the car. It may be hot when you leave the house, but it can get cold very fast.
4. Trust your instincts!
5. You know the phrase, 'The calm before the storm',? There is such a thing!
I came up with these:
1. Never take the weather here for granted.
2. There is a weather channel on the radio and t.v for a reason.
3.Keep umbrellas and one set of jackets in the car. It may be hot when you leave the house, but it can get cold very fast.
4. Trust your instincts!
5. You know the phrase, 'The calm before the storm',? There is such a thing!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Hitting the Highway
Hi and hope you had a good one. Thats a phrase you get used to here. On Friday, everyone says...Have a good one.(They are talking about your weekend), and on Monday....everyone talks about what they did to have a 'Good One'.
We decided on the spur of the moment to drive out to a place called Sauble Beach, a good three hour drive from where we live. We called the hotel, and luckily because of a last minute cancellation we managed to get a room. People normally book weeks ahead for hotel rooms, so it is better to plan these things rather than trying your luck at the last minute.
Entering the address of the hotel in our GPS system, we left after lunch on Friday. The GPS system immediately tells you when to turn, how much longer you have and along the way any gas station, restaurant or store you are going to drive past. (I talked about the GPS system in an earlier post)
What was amazing, was that when we came across a sudden roadblock the gps system actually found an alternate route in five seconds and got us to our destination at the same estimated time. Also, on our way back when we needed petrol, (they say Gas here), we 'told' the gps to tell us where the closet gas station en route was, and it guided us there. If you are a person who can't read maps for nuts, then this is something you must pick up if/when you come here. The GPS system works across the whole of North America.
We reached Sauble beach at about 6pm, and after checking in to the hotel, we left for the beach. Since the sun goes down only after eight, we got to spend a good hour there. We took sand toys for the kids, so they really had a good time.
One thing you notice here is that for most families the beach trip is a big production of sorts. They come with beach umbrellas, beach towels, toys, food, sun screen, folding chairs, all kinds of balls, frisbees, floaters and even boats, kayaks, wave runners and surf boards.
Now picture the above, while reading this: The next day we spent the morning at a nearby waterfall (whoever called it a waterfall obviously had never seen one), and had fun walking in the freezing cold water for a couple of hours. Our feet were frozen while the rest of our body burnt in the hot sun.........what an odd feeling that was!
We decided on the spur of the moment to drive out to a place called Sauble Beach, a good three hour drive from where we live. We called the hotel, and luckily because of a last minute cancellation we managed to get a room. People normally book weeks ahead for hotel rooms, so it is better to plan these things rather than trying your luck at the last minute.
At the end of this post, I've written down basic prices of everything so that you get some idea of what prices are like.
Entering the address of the hotel in our GPS system, we left after lunch on Friday. The GPS system immediately tells you when to turn, how much longer you have and along the way any gas station, restaurant or store you are going to drive past. (I talked about the GPS system in an earlier post)
What was amazing, was that when we came across a sudden roadblock the gps system actually found an alternate route in five seconds and got us to our destination at the same estimated time. Also, on our way back when we needed petrol, (they say Gas here), we 'told' the gps to tell us where the closet gas station en route was, and it guided us there. If you are a person who can't read maps for nuts, then this is something you must pick up if/when you come here. The GPS system works across the whole of North America.
We reached Sauble beach at about 6pm, and after checking in to the hotel, we left for the beach. Since the sun goes down only after eight, we got to spend a good hour there. We took sand toys for the kids, so they really had a good time.
One thing you notice here is that for most families the beach trip is a big production of sorts. They come with beach umbrellas, beach towels, toys, food, sun screen, folding chairs, all kinds of balls, frisbees, floaters and even boats, kayaks, wave runners and surf boards.
Now picture the above, while reading this: The next day we spent the morning at a nearby waterfall (whoever called it a waterfall obviously had never seen one), and had fun walking in the freezing cold water for a couple of hours. Our feet were frozen while the rest of our body burnt in the hot sun.........what an odd feeling that was!
Then we went to a nearby amusement park, where we went go-karting, driving these little buggies around a 1/2 mile track. That was fun too! To be able to drive by yourself, you have to be 54 inches or taller. Our son made it, but our daughter was too small. They have double seaters so that smaller kids can sit on one side, and the parent or taller person actually steer and drive the go-kart.
After lunch, we went back to the room as it was too hot to do anything outdoors. At around 5 in the evening we headed for the beach. The beach was packed with hundreds of holidaying families, a bunch of Indian guys playing volleyball on the beach and what looked like honeymooners.
At around 7.30 or so, we noticed these huge dark clouds coming towards us. They were moving fast,were very low and looked pretty ominous. My husband decided that it was a good time to start packing our stuff to get out of there!
It's a good thing we did because before we knew it, the clouds were over our heads and the wind had picked up to an incredible force. We noticed many familes were caught unaware, as they tried to pack their things with sand blowing in their faces and all their possessions literally blowing away. Beach balls, tissue boxes (??), beach umbrellas and plastic bags blew past us as we bent our heads down to avoid sand getting into our eyes. The sudden force of the wind was unbelievable and as the sand hit the back of our legs really hard, we somehow made it to the car. I am not exaggerating! By the time we reached the car, it had started to rain and there was major thunder and lightning. The funny thing was that the four of us sat in the car and burst out laughing because the whole thing was suddenly so funny and had been a very exciting experience. Yes, I couldn't wait to write about it here!! It poured all night, and the next morning when we went out for a drive to the beach...........everything was back to normal! The land was dry, the beach was full of people and anyone driving in would never had guessed what had happened the evening before!
We drove back home on Sunday after breakfast. It was not very tiring, and as soon as we got home, we cleaned the car out, did the laundry and watered our lawn.
The hotel rooms cost anywhere from 130 dollars up per day. This does not include any meals. Some hotels/motels give a free boat ride. Parking the car near the beach during the day between 9 to 5pm was ten dollars. Before nine and after five it was free. For most of us who go to the beach and want to avoid the sun...this is perfect. Most Canadians who want to get tanned go to the beach before 5pm, which is why the timings for paid parking. To park away from the beach, they charged 2 dollars per hour. For parking near the waterfall it was 4 dollars for two hours minimum. The Go-kart rides cost ten dollars for three laps and 3.50 dollars for one lap. Meals on an average cost around 27 to 30 dollars for the four of us.
Driving on the highway is an adventure by itself. We saw some quaint country houses, lots of dead hedgehogs on the road (run over during the nights by trucks I presume because we never saw any live ones the entire drive there and back), horse farms and many homes having yard and garage sales with cute signs inviting people to come and have a look. The roads are broad with clear signs marking every turn, bend and road ahead. Speed limits are 100 km on six lane highways, 80km per hour max on four lane highways, and 50km whenever you are driving past a town. Speed limits near schools are even slower. They follow the metric system here, but most cars have the km and the miles figures for people who want to drive into the United States and vice versa.
That is a lot of info for now.................tomorrow will fill you in on the school admission process.
Bye from me to all of you in cyberspace!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Getting used to things here....
First ..a big Thanks to all of you who are actually spending some valuable online time reading my blog!! Thanks for your comments and those who are writing to me......good luck to all of you who are planning to move this way!
Sorry for the break in writing...the past three days or so, we have been busy...but not really busy in the work sense, busy in the mundane sense. We have been mowing the lawn, (yes, your neighbors can complain to the authorities if your lawn is an eye sore), vacuuming the carpets, cleaning the bathrooms...and yes that includes the toilets!, and sweeping and mopping the kitchen and hall floors. Don't forget, I came from a life of maids and a driver back in India.
I have also been studying the 'Drivers Handbook of Rules' for my drivers test next week. This is a written test, done at the test center whenever you are comfortable enough to take it. Even if you have been driving in India for years.......study the rules before attempting this test! They actually follow them here..............
You have to know the road signs, speed limits and rules for passing, changing lanes and taking turns. You may think you know this already, but don't be over confident. Most people from India, fail this test, then study and do it over.
Here, being a pedestrian has its advantages......people driving cars actually have to stop and let you cross...provided you are crossing where it is legal. So you don't end up standing on the side of the road and having to make a mad dash for the other side when you see a gap. (Something many of us from India are used to doing.....but then that is the masala and spice that we all love, right??)
The other side of the coin is that because they are so organised here and people (in general) follow the rules, driving can be a bit boring at times...and you stop being alert, which is not safe. The other day, a guy on a bike sped through the red stop sign just when we were taking a left turn across the lane he was driving on. So, in a way, it is hard to stay alert when most of the time, nothing is happening for you to be alert for...............hope you can understand what I'm trying to say.
After next week, if and when I get through my written test, I will get a G1 license, which will allow me to learn how to drive on actual roads with an instuctor. I'm sure I'll have lots to write about in my blog then!!
Back to studying...........bye for now!
Sorry for the break in writing...the past three days or so, we have been busy...but not really busy in the work sense, busy in the mundane sense. We have been mowing the lawn, (yes, your neighbors can complain to the authorities if your lawn is an eye sore), vacuuming the carpets, cleaning the bathrooms...and yes that includes the toilets!, and sweeping and mopping the kitchen and hall floors. Don't forget, I came from a life of maids and a driver back in India.
I have also been studying the 'Drivers Handbook of Rules' for my drivers test next week. This is a written test, done at the test center whenever you are comfortable enough to take it. Even if you have been driving in India for years.......study the rules before attempting this test! They actually follow them here..............
You have to know the road signs, speed limits and rules for passing, changing lanes and taking turns. You may think you know this already, but don't be over confident. Most people from India, fail this test, then study and do it over.
Here, being a pedestrian has its advantages......people driving cars actually have to stop and let you cross...provided you are crossing where it is legal. So you don't end up standing on the side of the road and having to make a mad dash for the other side when you see a gap. (Something many of us from India are used to doing.....but then that is the masala and spice that we all love, right??)
The other side of the coin is that because they are so organised here and people (in general) follow the rules, driving can be a bit boring at times...and you stop being alert, which is not safe. The other day, a guy on a bike sped through the red stop sign just when we were taking a left turn across the lane he was driving on. So, in a way, it is hard to stay alert when most of the time, nothing is happening for you to be alert for...............hope you can understand what I'm trying to say.
After next week, if and when I get through my written test, I will get a G1 license, which will allow me to learn how to drive on actual roads with an instuctor. I'm sure I'll have lots to write about in my blog then!!
Back to studying...........bye for now!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Bits and pieces part II
Continuing from my last post........here are a few more things that I find different/amusing here in Canada:
It stays daylight outside past 8pm. I was so used to it getting dark by 6.30 or 7 back in India. Here the sun goes down only by 8.15. Here I am, feeling like making a cup of tea. (Feels like 4pm), then I take a look at the time and see that it is 7 already. Bright sunlight outside....feels strange. It has been great .......I take the kids to the park and they can play outside till 8. It's a five minute walk back to our house, in time for a quick dinner, bath and into bed. Still getting used to the fact that people here in general have early dinners. Eat by 7 or 7.30 (In India we have dinner by 8.30 or 9), then watch a movie, go out or have the time to do homework etc before going to bed. Our routine is still in a whirl, but that will fix itself by Sept 2nd when school starts.
Another thing we see here that we find so strange........many stores carry signs saying, in block letters mind you........'Buy now and pay in 2010!' I am not joking. We went to buy our t.v, and the sales rep was explaining to us about all these different installment and payment schemes. One of them, was to buy the t.v and pay for it only in the year 2010. No interest! This was their way of making a sale.........we didn't opt for this because we were not comfortable with the whole idea, but we did see lots of people buying even sofa sets under this scheme. That means they will actually use the product for the next two years, and then pay the full price. If they miss the deadline for the payment by even a day, then they get the billed amount plus a big interest amount added to it. You have to read the fine print in everything you do here. The Ad for something will say, only 20 dollars..........but by the time they add the 55 cents for this and the 3 dollars for that.....plus taxes.......the 20 dollars is suddenly 40!!
Anyway........HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY ........to everybody!!
Will put up more pictures by this weekend.
It stays daylight outside past 8pm. I was so used to it getting dark by 6.30 or 7 back in India. Here the sun goes down only by 8.15. Here I am, feeling like making a cup of tea. (Feels like 4pm), then I take a look at the time and see that it is 7 already. Bright sunlight outside....feels strange. It has been great .......I take the kids to the park and they can play outside till 8. It's a five minute walk back to our house, in time for a quick dinner, bath and into bed. Still getting used to the fact that people here in general have early dinners. Eat by 7 or 7.30 (In India we have dinner by 8.30 or 9), then watch a movie, go out or have the time to do homework etc before going to bed. Our routine is still in a whirl, but that will fix itself by Sept 2nd when school starts.
Another thing we see here that we find so strange........many stores carry signs saying, in block letters mind you........'Buy now and pay in 2010!' I am not joking. We went to buy our t.v, and the sales rep was explaining to us about all these different installment and payment schemes. One of them, was to buy the t.v and pay for it only in the year 2010. No interest! This was their way of making a sale.........we didn't opt for this because we were not comfortable with the whole idea, but we did see lots of people buying even sofa sets under this scheme. That means they will actually use the product for the next two years, and then pay the full price. If they miss the deadline for the payment by even a day, then they get the billed amount plus a big interest amount added to it. You have to read the fine print in everything you do here. The Ad for something will say, only 20 dollars..........but by the time they add the 55 cents for this and the 3 dollars for that.....plus taxes.......the 20 dollars is suddenly 40!!
Anyway........HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY ........to everybody!!
Will put up more pictures by this weekend.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Bits and Pieces...
I sat at the computer for a whole five minutes thinking about what to call this piece. I had a little bit to say about lots of things, things that I am discovering everyday about living in this new country.
For instance: If someone works from ten to four...why is it that they actually start closing the door......literally at 3.59 saying that they have to go home???? This is something that no store owner would ever do in India. The other day we went to a store to ask about a particular service, and the guy behind the counter actually asked if we could come back the next day because his shift was getting over and the store was closing. Yes, they were closing at 4pm and the time was 3.55! If any Canadian is reading this and wondering why I am over reacting, it is because in India.........the guy would never send a customer away, he would work overtime and would never ask you to come back the next day....knowing that you would probably go somewhere else. (This means a lost customer!!)
Being new here, we are still getting used to the change. The pennies, cents, toonies (one dollar) and loonies (2 dollar) coins can be really confusing at first. If you are not careful, and start giving them away as change at cash counters, you could end up with a bag full. (Remember that change like 9cents will come back to you as nine single pennies. )Something I noticed: People here are used to new immigrants and visitors, so they wait patiently for you to go through all the coins and will help when you ask. People standing in line behind you also wait patiently. When someone realises that you don't know something, normally they are quick to help.
Strange people do knock on your doors: We moved into the new house about a week and a half ago. So far, we have had two strangers knocking our door. The first, was a lady asking about the gas usage in our home. She was taking a survey for the gas company. I sent her away politely saying that we were new to the house and didn't know what our usage was. The second, were two young boys with Red Cross badges. They were going around the neighborhood reminding everyone that they exist and could we sign up to take part in some kind of awareness program next month. No to that too..........we had too many other things to think right now. So the kids now know that every time the doorbell rings it is NOT one of their friends!
Something else you notice here coming from India, is how every store, bank and public area has easy access for handicapped people, say for wheel chairs, and also families with strollers. Stores have wide aisles and buses are made to be lowered to the level of the sidewalk. Almost every public area has one bathroom cubicle made for wheel chair access, and all parking lots have handicap parking near the entrance. I remember taking my daugter to a big store in Chennai, when she was just a baby. She was in her stroller and they asked me to kindly keep the stroller outside the store while I shopped. Now everyone knows just how much shopping you can do while carrying a squirming one year old..........none! So that is something I really appreciate here.
Have to go.....tomorrow is garbage day.............and back to sorting out our garbage!
See you.
For instance: If someone works from ten to four...why is it that they actually start closing the door......literally at 3.59 saying that they have to go home???? This is something that no store owner would ever do in India. The other day we went to a store to ask about a particular service, and the guy behind the counter actually asked if we could come back the next day because his shift was getting over and the store was closing. Yes, they were closing at 4pm and the time was 3.55! If any Canadian is reading this and wondering why I am over reacting, it is because in India.........the guy would never send a customer away, he would work overtime and would never ask you to come back the next day....knowing that you would probably go somewhere else. (This means a lost customer!!)
Being new here, we are still getting used to the change. The pennies, cents, toonies (one dollar) and loonies (2 dollar) coins can be really confusing at first. If you are not careful, and start giving them away as change at cash counters, you could end up with a bag full. (Remember that change like 9cents will come back to you as nine single pennies. )Something I noticed: People here are used to new immigrants and visitors, so they wait patiently for you to go through all the coins and will help when you ask. People standing in line behind you also wait patiently. When someone realises that you don't know something, normally they are quick to help.
Strange people do knock on your doors: We moved into the new house about a week and a half ago. So far, we have had two strangers knocking our door. The first, was a lady asking about the gas usage in our home. She was taking a survey for the gas company. I sent her away politely saying that we were new to the house and didn't know what our usage was. The second, were two young boys with Red Cross badges. They were going around the neighborhood reminding everyone that they exist and could we sign up to take part in some kind of awareness program next month. No to that too..........we had too many other things to think right now. So the kids now know that every time the doorbell rings it is NOT one of their friends!
Something else you notice here coming from India, is how every store, bank and public area has easy access for handicapped people, say for wheel chairs, and also families with strollers. Stores have wide aisles and buses are made to be lowered to the level of the sidewalk. Almost every public area has one bathroom cubicle made for wheel chair access, and all parking lots have handicap parking near the entrance. I remember taking my daugter to a big store in Chennai, when she was just a baby. She was in her stroller and they asked me to kindly keep the stroller outside the store while I shopped. Now everyone knows just how much shopping you can do while carrying a squirming one year old..........none! So that is something I really appreciate here.
Have to go.....tomorrow is garbage day.............and back to sorting out our garbage!
See you.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Welcome to the life of recycling!
Today is garbage day here in Brampton where we live. Well, actually it was yesterday, but because Monday was a holiday, they pick up the garbage one day later than scheduled. Is that confusing? Wait till you hear this:
Coming from India, we were so used to throwing everything from food, to plastics to anything really into however many garbage bags we needed. We threw our garbage out everyday. We never seperated, sorted or recycled anything.
Welcome to Canada! We learned a new word here.....literally.....recycling.
We had a green bin, two blue bins and one large grey bin in our garage. We also had an organic bin under the kitchen sink and a garbage bin and a recycling bin in the kitchen. So during the week, any food waste from egg shells to the waste on your dinner plates goes into the organic bin under the sink. Garbage...that would include used tissues, food and chip wrappers, diapers (if you had any) etc would go into the black garbage bag. The recycling bin would be any paper bags, foil trays, cardboard, cans and bottles etc.
As we just moved into the house, we had a ton of carton boxes. Now, you can't just throw your boxes as they are....we learned that they had to be a minimum of three feet by three feet. So get out the knives and scissors and start cutting up or folding.
Once you have everything sorted, you carry it out to the garage and fill in the bins there. Organics in the green, recycling in the blue and garbage in the grey. Then you put out the bins along side your curb in front of your house, either after 7pm the previous night and before 7am the day of collection. You are allowed any number of green and blue bins, but only two garbage bags. If you want more, you have to go to the collection office, pay and get a token that you place on your extra bag.
Remember : They will open and check. If they find even a bit of plastic in your organics bin, they won't take it! Then you're stuck with smelly garbage for another week. So sort carefully and do your bit for saving valuable resources.
Yard waste, like cut grass and cut plants go into a brown bag and that is collected seperately.
Phew! By the time we did all this last evening, we were really tired. Then we had to keep our fingers crossed that they would actually take all the waste we left to be collected. They did!
If you have something like say an old appliance or furniture...you can actually just leave it outside your house in the front yard. Anyone who wants it will stop their car and pick it up. I learned that this is not a strange thing in Canada. Although, I just read in the paper that this is not really legal! Any old appliance left outside your house belongs to the City, who in turn will collect and sell the same for the metal and any recycleable parts....and use the money for the betterment of some public area. Last year the city of Toronto made over 12 million dollars on selling old appliances.
We also went online and checked the collection agencies website as to what exactly goes in what bin, and more importantly what does NOT.
We have been here just three weeks and already feel like we have learned enough to write a book! We still have to buy a car, admit our kids in school and start work. So stay tuned for a lot more info coming your way.
If there is anyone out there who would like more details on anything I've written please do write in!
Coming from India, we were so used to throwing everything from food, to plastics to anything really into however many garbage bags we needed. We threw our garbage out everyday. We never seperated, sorted or recycled anything.
Welcome to Canada! We learned a new word here.....literally.....recycling.
We had a green bin, two blue bins and one large grey bin in our garage. We also had an organic bin under the kitchen sink and a garbage bin and a recycling bin in the kitchen. So during the week, any food waste from egg shells to the waste on your dinner plates goes into the organic bin under the sink. Garbage...that would include used tissues, food and chip wrappers, diapers (if you had any) etc would go into the black garbage bag. The recycling bin would be any paper bags, foil trays, cardboard, cans and bottles etc.
As we just moved into the house, we had a ton of carton boxes. Now, you can't just throw your boxes as they are....we learned that they had to be a minimum of three feet by three feet. So get out the knives and scissors and start cutting up or folding.
Once you have everything sorted, you carry it out to the garage and fill in the bins there. Organics in the green, recycling in the blue and garbage in the grey. Then you put out the bins along side your curb in front of your house, either after 7pm the previous night and before 7am the day of collection. You are allowed any number of green and blue bins, but only two garbage bags. If you want more, you have to go to the collection office, pay and get a token that you place on your extra bag.
Remember : They will open and check. If they find even a bit of plastic in your organics bin, they won't take it! Then you're stuck with smelly garbage for another week. So sort carefully and do your bit for saving valuable resources.
Yard waste, like cut grass and cut plants go into a brown bag and that is collected seperately.
Phew! By the time we did all this last evening, we were really tired. Then we had to keep our fingers crossed that they would actually take all the waste we left to be collected. They did!
If you have something like say an old appliance or furniture...you can actually just leave it outside your house in the front yard. Anyone who wants it will stop their car and pick it up. I learned that this is not a strange thing in Canada. Although, I just read in the paper that this is not really legal! Any old appliance left outside your house belongs to the City, who in turn will collect and sell the same for the metal and any recycleable parts....and use the money for the betterment of some public area. Last year the city of Toronto made over 12 million dollars on selling old appliances.
We also went online and checked the collection agencies website as to what exactly goes in what bin, and more importantly what does NOT.
We have been here just three weeks and already feel like we have learned enough to write a book! We still have to buy a car, admit our kids in school and start work. So stay tuned for a lot more info coming your way.
If there is anyone out there who would like more details on anything I've written please do write in!
Connected!
It took just over an hour for the Rogers guy to connect our t.v cable, home phone line and internet connection yesterday. But the process of getting connected took us a good week. Let me explain:
In Toronto, (I don't know about the rest of Canada) there are two main companies that provide t.v, internet, telephone and cell phone connections. Rogers and Bell. You have to go to both companies, (you will find them represented at most of the big malls) and get their information leaflet for the package deals they cover.
For example: If you take just the cell phone connection, you pay the entire amount billed to you monthly. But if you take the t.v connection along with the phone connection, then they may give you a 5% dicount on your bill, and if you add the internet to the other two, you could have a 10% discount.
They also offer different levels of payments depending on your monthly usage. If you are a light internet user, you take the light package. If you are a heavy user with big downloads, then you take a more advanced package. The same goes for television. They have a basic package, that you add to for more channels if you want.
We added SUN t.v (we need our dose of the Sunday dishum dishum movie!) and got NDTV as well for a little extra.
Our internet modem is wireless, so our laptops can be used at no extra charge.
There is also dish t.v and companies that offer just cable or phone or internet services. You can do most of the leg work on the internet, so that will save you a lot of time. Also, make sure you are getting a legal connection. You can probably get illeagal connections cheap....but I strongly say NO to this.
Finally you make an informed decision based on a combination of your budget and usage.
What else? I can't think of anything right now. If you have any questions, doubts or just general views please do write!
In Toronto, (I don't know about the rest of Canada) there are two main companies that provide t.v, internet, telephone and cell phone connections. Rogers and Bell. You have to go to both companies, (you will find them represented at most of the big malls) and get their information leaflet for the package deals they cover.
For example: If you take just the cell phone connection, you pay the entire amount billed to you monthly. But if you take the t.v connection along with the phone connection, then they may give you a 5% dicount on your bill, and if you add the internet to the other two, you could have a 10% discount.
They also offer different levels of payments depending on your monthly usage. If you are a light internet user, you take the light package. If you are a heavy user with big downloads, then you take a more advanced package. The same goes for television. They have a basic package, that you add to for more channels if you want.
We added SUN t.v (we need our dose of the Sunday dishum dishum movie!) and got NDTV as well for a little extra.
Our internet modem is wireless, so our laptops can be used at no extra charge.
There is also dish t.v and companies that offer just cable or phone or internet services. You can do most of the leg work on the internet, so that will save you a lot of time. Also, make sure you are getting a legal connection. You can probably get illeagal connections cheap....but I strongly say NO to this.
Finally you make an informed decision based on a combination of your budget and usage.
What else? I can't think of anything right now. If you have any questions, doubts or just general views please do write!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Furniture and no delivery!
We just did the rounds of furniture stores and checked prices and quality of beds, dining tables and sofas. All stores offer discounts and sales, but you need to check for hidden costs. For example, one sofa could be 200 dollars and another 300. But the 200 dollar store may charge 100 for delivery and the other delivery may be free. So at the end, both actually cost 300 dollars anyway. They also add tax for everything, so prices may go up by 40 to 50 dollars at the end of billing.
Many stores do not deliver. So what happens when you get a really good deal on mattresses and furniture at a store that won't deliver? You hire a U-haul. This is a company that rents vans in all sizes, that come with a ramp in the back for carrying furniture etc in and out easily. They cost about 20 dollars per day, and if you have a license you can drive one. Get a friend or family member to come with you to help. The furniture here is mostly light and can be carried by two people. The store employees will also help in putting the furniture into the truck for you.
Once at home, in case something does not fit through your door, see if the legs of the item comes off. Normally they just screw off and you can put them back on easily once you get the piece of furniture into the house. In many homes, you can also remove the sliding back door easily to get the furniture in through the back.
We did this yesterday, bought some sofas and some bedroom furniture, U-hauled it back to our house with a friends help and managed to get everything inside.
Tomorrow, we're getting our home phone line, t.v connection and internet.
Is anyone reading this?? Pls let me know.............thanks!
Many stores do not deliver. So what happens when you get a really good deal on mattresses and furniture at a store that won't deliver? You hire a U-haul. This is a company that rents vans in all sizes, that come with a ramp in the back for carrying furniture etc in and out easily. They cost about 20 dollars per day, and if you have a license you can drive one. Get a friend or family member to come with you to help. The furniture here is mostly light and can be carried by two people. The store employees will also help in putting the furniture into the truck for you.
Once at home, in case something does not fit through your door, see if the legs of the item comes off. Normally they just screw off and you can put them back on easily once you get the piece of furniture into the house. In many homes, you can also remove the sliding back door easily to get the furniture in through the back.
We did this yesterday, bought some sofas and some bedroom furniture, U-hauled it back to our house with a friends help and managed to get everything inside.
Tomorrow, we're getting our home phone line, t.v connection and internet.
Is anyone reading this?? Pls let me know.............thanks!
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