‘Toronto Tempo’ by Ryan Emond

Toronto Tempo was created by Ryan Emond, a Toronto based photographer, videographer, and visual artist. His time lapses are some of my favourite I’ve ever come across. Ryan was able to capture the city of Toronto perfectly. Anytime I’m lacking creativity, I jump into one of his time lapses and am immediately transported into another city, but in an alternate universe where the world speeds by. If this video doesn’t want to make you take in Toronto, you’re out of your mind.

If you’re looking to visit this beautiful Canadian city anytime soon, check out some of these cheap flights to Toronto today. What’s up budget-friendly!?

Sunday Canadian Travel Video: Toronto Tempo is a post from: I Backpack Canada

A warm welcome from a green building

Stepping into the downstairs lobby, it feels as if I’ve traveled to the future. A future inspired by the aesthetic design of Apple Inc, with all of the added benefits of sustainable living. In this future, staff wear cool t-shirts, buildings have awesome modern Canadian art on the walls, and travelers try to leave as little impact on the world as possible. It takes me a second to realize that this is real. Why aren’t more places like this? My curiosity was getting the best of me as performed an ocular pat-down of the hostel commons area.

One of the friendly staff members, (also sporting a cool t-shirt) showed me around this modern building. He covered the rules of the hostel, and explained the kitchen etiquette, and then gets into what separates Planet Traveler from the rest of the gang. He explained there is free wifi throughout the entire hostel & several iMac’s situated in the lobby (free to use), should you not be a laptop traveler. A commons area on the main floor allows guests from all over the world to socialize, and another on the 5th floor patio, which offers the best view of downtown Toronto that I’ve ever seen. (See last photo in this blog post! Yea, that good!)

I was then taken to the beating heart of the hostel. I looked through the glass door as the staff member informed me what steps are being taken by the hostel to ensure the smallest ecological footprint is made. The solar panels located on the roof aide in the electrical consumption of the building and also heat the water throughout the hostel.

Photo by Natalie Taylor

After pulling my jaw off the floor, I’m told that the entire building is outfitted with LED lights, which allows the entire hostel to be lit by the same amount of power that a typical household toaster would use. A smile creeps across his face as I’m visibly blown away by this information. Clearly the staff is proud to work here. Why wouldn’t they! This place is awesome!

Friendly & Happy Hostel Staff

While making my way to my room, I bumped into another staff member. She was on cleaning duty, but I managed to pull her away from work long enough to chat. She was from Germany and had been working at Planet Traveler for almost a month. I asked how she enjoyed working at this eco friendly hostel. She warmly smiled and told me how much she loved it. She explained that the entire staff are able to switch jobs whenever they want. If she wants to be at the Front of House checking guests in, she can, if she’d rather keep to herself that day, she can do room cleaning.

Photo by Natalie Taylor

Having worked at several hostels before, I know how nice it is to get out of doing the same job over and over again. This community mentality really seemed to help. Staff & guests are warm and inviting and generally seem to have the same mentality towards this movement. “These places are great for everyone, hopefully someday all hostels & buildings will be built this way” explained one of my fellow guests.

This hostel takes green to a new level!

I checked into my room expecting the same modern and eco-friendly treatment. I wasn’t disappointed. Clean white walls, fresh linens, and a duvet that was practically begging me to sleep with it. A calming green warmth surrounded the room, allowing me to feel like I’m both in luxury, and in nature. I looked around for the source of this feeling, and spot the upper window pane. A lime green piece of glass tweaks the harsh sunlight, cooling off the room and putting me into a happy state of mind.

Photo by Planet Traveler

Planet Traveler has done everything in its power to promote these feelings of quality, security, and clean ecological living. You don’t have to sacrifice electricity, hot water, or the comforts of home in order to be “Green”. Technology exists to make the impact of our own existence a small afterthought, but it requires clever designers, smart people, and eco conscious members of the community to make this type of living happen.

Photo taken from Planet Traveler Rooftop Patio!

Travelers are beginning to realize that they have an impact on the places they visit, something that’s easily visible at the Planet Traveler. If you’re in Toronto, and care about the world at all, be sure to book a reservation.

Planet Traveler

(647) 352-8747

@planet_traveler

Special thanks to the folks at Planet Traveler for assisting Natalie Taylor & Myself during our recent adventure in Toronto. All opinions expressed herein are my own. Disclosure Boom! 

Get Eco-Friendly at The Planet Traveler – North America’s Greenest Hostel is a post from: I Backpack Canada

I honestly lucked out with this whole Wolf Den Hostel encounter. Natalie Taylor (of Near Afar) and I had spoke about it but knew we were short on nights in Algonquin Park, so we weren’t able to book an evening there. Bummer! Fortunately, after an amazing 5 hour guided canoe tour with Jamie Honderich, care of Algonquin Outfitters, we had the chance to explore this unique & inviting Ontario marvel. It wasn’t planned by all means. As luck would have it our canoe guide, who’s also a teacher, just so happened to be the original owner. This man literally built the Wolf Den from the ground up! Timbre by timbre.

Jamie wanted us to meet the new owner Ben Teskey, unfortunately he was out running errands that particular day. We came across one of the staff members, who after hearing our little story was happy to let us tour the grounds snapping photos. Jamie was pulling double duty, not only had he shared his knowledge of the history and culture behind Canoe Lake & Algonquin Park, he was also telling us about how the Wolf Den came to be.

As with most savvy business owners, Jamie saw a niche that nobody else had filled. The closest hostel to Algonquin Park at the time was the HI Maynooth. It wasn’t long before work got started on building a bunkhouse where international & domestic travellers could meet and congregate, winter or summer, and experience as much of Algonquin park as possible.

Jamie took us through step by step what was built first, even going so far as to include where some of the wood came from. Turns out a lot of the wood came from his family farm, while some of the guard rails inside were just lucky finds during long hikes.

We wandered around each building. Stepping on freshly fallen leaves, the smell of autumn surrounded this place. I watched as Jamie touched each building. He happily explained details about the building process of each log cabin. It was easy to see that he’d put a lot of heart and soul into this project.

When I asked “Why did you sell it?“, he warmly replied “Running this place was a full time job, and ultimately family always comes first for me. It was time, and I still feel it was the right decision.”

As we entered the Bunkhouse, Jamie told stories of parties & musical gatherings that he used to throw on the upper level of the Wolf Den Bunkhouse. The walls of this bunkhouse oozed Ontario. Snowshoes & cross country skis hung from the walls, and an old wooden canoe was propped above the rafters. A pile of instruments were setup in the corner of the room. Cozy doesn’t begin to describe this room.

We climbed down the sturdy wooden stairs, through the large open kitchen, and found our shoes at the door. Jamie Honderich told us that if we ever make it back to Algonquin Park to be sure to stay a night at the Wolf Den. “You’ll have to meet Ben! Out of all the people that were interested in buying Wolf Den, he was the only one I could let myself sell to. He had a similar vision of what the Wolf Den is and what it can become; a safe, home away from home in one of nature’s most beautiful playgrounds.”

The Wolf Den Bunkhouse & Hostel is open year round for people of all age.

Jamie Honderich now operates his own B&B with his partner Pam, check them out at Morgan House, just outside of Algonquin Park. Huge thanks goes out to Jamie for being the friendliest and most knowledgable guide I’ve ever had!

Experience Algonquin Park At The Wolf Den Hostel & Bunkhouse [Photo Essay] is a post from: I Backpack Canada

The Historical Arlington Hotel

HI Maynooth is located in a century old frontier hotel that was once and technically still is ”The Arlington”. The layout for the most part remains unchanged. Creeks in the floors and doors greet you all over the hotel while the warm smiles from fellow travellers make this place feel as if you truly belong. 

South Algonquin Hostel Features

The hostel has a shared kitchen and a few bathrooms & showers (some on the 2nd floor, more on the 3rd). A commons area with comfy couches and plenty of stretching room provides a great end to a long day on the road or in Algonquin Park. The hostel is old, but despite its years remains well kept and clean.

HI Maynooth can be reached easily by car or by Greyhound Bus. Once you’re settled in Tom, the hostel owner & manager will gladly help set you up for any type of adventure. Whether you’re after horseback riding in the Algonquin Highlands, or Canoeing & Kayaking in the hundreds of lakes in Algonquin Park, the folks at HI Maynooth will ensure you’re geared up with all the tools and knowledge you’ll need.

My Advice

Algonquin Park is incredibly massive. People tend to assume its something you pop in and out and say you’ve “done that”. Let me assure you that you couldn’t be more wrong. Algonquin Park is not a day trip. You literally need an entire season to even put a dent in it. If your dent is going to be the southern part of Algonquin Park, setting up shop in HI Maynooth for a while might be your best bet.

Be sure check HI Maynooth out online and pop in for a visit.

HI South Algonquin

Box 233, Algonquin, ON, M5E 1B4

This post is sponsored by the guys and girls at BluePay, they specialize in Credit Card Processing for Hotels. Without help from them I wouldn’t be able to afford to keep my websites server running.

HI South Algonquin – A Gateway to Algonquin Park is a post from: I Backpack Canada

I wrapped the plastic flexible tripod around one of the handrails that line the rooftop ledge, popped in my iphone4 and pointed it towards the skyline. While I was writing I could hear the whole unit shaking with every gust of wind. As you can see in the video, it captured a lot of that shake. But I feel like the music that I stuck on it fits the shakiness. So lets just say totally meant to do that…

Toronto Skyline Timelapse

Toronto is one of those cities that the more I visit, the more I love. If you would have asked me a few years ago what my thoughts of Toronto were, I probably would have said “Toronto!!! Not for me, you can have it!“. That may or may not have been because I’ve got a some serious small town hick running through these veins. Nowadays I think I could totally live there, or at least spend a significant amount of time there without hating myself. Very cool city, nice people, lots to do, and you can’t not come out of Toronto with at least a couple funny stories.

Sunday Canadian Travel Video – Toronto Skyline Timelapse is a post from: I Backpack Canada

Natalie Taylor (of Near Afar) and I were there gathering research for our trip up to Algonquin Park at this world famous Art Collection. For those unaware of the McMichael, it is a treasure trove full of rare and valuable Canadian Art, including pieces by Frank Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackon, and Tom Thomson. Surrounded by all of these amazing pieces of Canadian Art I couldn’t help but think how much I wish I had a photo of this.

As I was taking in the museum experience, I saw this young lady snapping photos like crazy. I laughed thinking to myself “This chick is crazy! Security is going to jump her for sure!”. Our tour guide, Avril, warmly asked if she had permission to take photos.

Natalie & Corbin - Photo by Sabrina Savoy

Jupiter’s moons must have been lined up, or maybe we just got lucky. It turned out this young lady was taking photos for Ontario Tourism. When we told her we were doing some work with Ontario Tourism about the history and adventure in Algonquin Park she kindly agreed to snap a few photos of us. Turns out she needed some people in her shots to make the shot more lively anyways so it worked out great.

A Tom Thomson - Photo by Sabrina Savoy

I’m extremely grateful I was able to come out of the McMichael Art Collection with more than memories & a new intrigue into the Group of Seven. Big thanks goes out to Sabrina Savoy for being awesome and sharing these photos with us, and extra big thanks to Avril, our tour guide in the McMichael. Her knowledge of Canadian Art & the nature the inspired the Group of 7 movement was astounding.

Photo Du Jour – Tom Thomson Paintings at the McMichael Art Collection is a post from: I Backpack Canada

1. Easy to get to!

Whether by plane, train, or automobile, HI Toronto is incredibly easy to find.

If you’re flying from Eastern Canada with Porter Airlines, you can land like a rockstar in downtown Toronto at the Island Airport. A free ferry, and free Porter shuttle will get you as far as the Fairmont Royal York. From there you can easily hoof it for 10 minutes or grab a cab or street car and find yourself on the front steps of the HI Toronto Hostel.

If you’re coming from the Pearson International Airport you can hop on the Airport Express and get to the Fairmont Royal York as well. From there walk (10 minutes) or cab up to HI Toronto.

If you want to get your train on, you can take subway from Union Station to King. From there its an easy walk east to Church St. Turn left and walk up a bit and the bright orange building will be in sight.

2. Awesome Sauce Staff

Rumour has it the staff of HI Toronto takes a shot of awesome sauce every morning to maintain peak performance. Whether its booking tours, answering questions, giving high fives, or locking up your luggage, the friendly staff go out of their way to make your stay in Toronto as pleasant as possible.

Question about the nearby food? Boom! They’ll answer that. Question about nearby pubs? Double boom! They’re all over that. Most of the staff have been in Toronto long enough to be able to share their vast knowledge of the city and its people. This is super valuable if you’re intimidated at all by getting around Toronto.

3. Hostel Activities

If you’re flying solo on your Canadian adventure, chances are you’ll be keen on meeting new people. HI Toronto makes every effort to ensure you’re not the anti social leper you know you sometimes can be. Weekly pubcrawls & BBQ’s are a great way to meet new people and get a better understanding of the layout of Toronto.

If you’d rather hustle than bustle, there’s a free billiards table in the commons room where you can show off your pool prowess. The commons area also has several computers to get your Facebook on; however, I should note those aren’t free. Wifi is free though, so as long as you have a phone that isn’t from the stone age you’ll remain connected should you desire.

Boardgames & drinking games are a great way to save money and meet new people. During my most recent stay Beer Pong was on the agenda for the evening, however they also have Quiz Nights, Beach Trips, and Movie nights. If crowds aren’t your thing, head up to the 5th floor rooftop patio. While not technically an activity, it’s a great spot to hang out and take in some fresh air.

4. Great Deals & Savings

We’re all cheap. Let’s face it. Thankfully HI Toronto puts in their best effort to keep that hole in your pocket from burning too much. You can save a bit of cash by just carrying your HI Card on you, but they don’t stop there. If you know you’ll be in Toronto for more than a couple nights, you can save some extra Sir Wilfred Laurier’s (5$ bills) and earn a good meal by booking for multiple nights. Their 3 night and 5 night pass earn you a bunch of savings, including some free sights and attractions within Toronto.

5. The Cavern Cafe

Walking down to the Cavern Cafe may feel like you’re entering a bit of a dungeon. But as soon as the warm red glow of the cafe envelopes you, there’s no turning back. This cafe is neat! The Cavern Cafe serves up a warm breakfast and dinner to travellers from all over the world. While the shared kitchen is only a short walk down the hall, I assure you that it will be tough to walk by without ordering something.

Meals from the Cavern Cafe are offered with several of the discounts and packages or can be purchased separately. Be sure to ask their Awesome Sauce Staff.

In summary, HI Toronto is full of everything you’ll need to get started on some serious Cross Canada action. Meet some people, drink some beer, share some stories, shoot some pool, and figure out Toronto like a local. Can’t get a whole lot better than that.

HI-TORONTO YOUTH HOSTEL

76 Church Street, Toronto, ON M5C 2G1

(416) 971-4440 ‎

5 Reasons You Should Start Your Canadian Journey at HI Toronto Hostel is a post from: I Backpack Canada

The Ragged Falls are located along the Oxtongue River, just west of Algonquin Park in the Oxtongue Provincial Park. The Oxtongue river cuts through Algonquin Park and can be accessed off of Highway 60.

I managed to make it up to The Ragged Falls just in time for the start of sunset and spent roughly an hour taking it all in.

Photo Du Jour: The Ragged Falls, Ontario is a post from: I Backpack Canada