Matador Network's Blog, page 2100
June 15, 2015
A man and a woman posted the exact same rideshare classified. Here’s what happened.
Photo: David Sorich
It was early March, the end of the Australian summer, when I posted an ad on Gumtree (an online classifieds website like Craigslist or Kijiji in North America). I was traveling solo from Sydney to Melbourne, and was looking for someone to share the drive and travel costs with. I received a few responses before this landed in my inbox:
I ended up finding a rideshare with an English comedian named Iain, and, of course, I told him about this completely inappropriate response to my ad. Being from the UK, Iain was quite familiar with Gumtree, and said he had never had such an experience back home. Was it Australia? Was it that I was a woman?
Driving long distances with a stranger can make you come up with some crazy ideas. This is the social experiment we brainstormed together: We would both post the exact same travel ad on Gumtree looking for a road trip partner and looking for work. The only differences: our names and photos.
Iain received two responses. Both were kind and legitimate, like this:
Hi there, we are looking for a travel buddy for an east coast road trip leaving Sydney on the 26th of March and spending just over a month traveling up the east coast to Cairns. We’re a pretty laid back group consisting of an English girl, German girl and German guy. We’re renting a campervan for the trip that seats and sleeps four. If you want to know more, text us. I’ll be in Melbourne this weekend if you want to meet up for a chat.
I received over 40 responses. There were a few that were genuine. The rest were not. Here are some of them (original text kept intact):
Hi jen, to be frank I’m looking for a sex partner during my stay in Melb. I’m a 30 yrs old professional travelling in n out of Victoria. I will pay $100/hr. We can have an easy coffee first n we go from there if both happy. Text me if u r interested.
Hi Jen, I have already sent a message to you about traveling together in my Mustang convertible (which is red with a white interior—the colors of the Canadian flag). I have since realized that you are also wanting to earn some money while you are here to help cover your travel expenses. I have recently subscribed to a site called “rentafriend” and I have been paying various girls by the hour just to spend time with me doing such things as shopping, dining at restaurants and going for drives. I was wondering if you would be interested in such an arrangement while you are here in Melbourne?
We are looking for female massage staff if you are interested please sms me. We are opening a new center soon.
Jen would you consider getting reflexology done to you and getting paid $100/hr?
I would like to drive you to various tourist attractions. Perhaps we could drive along the Great Ocean Road or to Phillip Island. I will pay for all travel expenses if you accept my offer. I hope to hear from you, Jen. Please take good care of yourself, Jen.
Hi, I am a Melbourne barrister and I can offer you $500 for an evening of your company in my city apartment, possibly on a regular basis. Let me know if you are interested.
Hey there. If you don’t mind doing massage, I’m after a one hour sensual massage either as a once off or regular basis. Paying cash. I’m happy to pay around $150 an hour. I’m after a slow sensual massage with oil, long strokes under and over the body. I’m not after a professional masseuse, just someone who enjoys giving a massage 
You seem cool xo I need some casual help should be fun n open minded text me. Also am am new here looking to travel around.
Hello. Just wondering if u would be interested in the money side of this offer. I am commissioned to do a photo shoot for a fetish gallery showing just legs and bums, no face. It’s wearing skimpy shorts and really high heels.
Hi Jen, I met up with 2 teenage German girls off Gumtree in September 2014 and they accepted my offer to drive them along the Great Ocean Road. I paid for all our travel expenses which included a one night stay at the Great Ocean Road Tourist Park located in the town of Peterborough. I am happy to pay for any accommodation if necessary. I realize that I am considerably older than you are, Jen, but I prefer spending time around people of your age and I am hoping that this will not be of concern to you.
Among the dozens of responses I got a legitimate one from a bar looking for staff:
Hi, I need some staff in my bar in St Kilda. If you still looking for work please contact me.
Iain was looking for work in Melbourne so he could extend his trip in Australia. He called and told them I passed along the information. Their response? We only want to hire a woman. 
Man bikes from Portland to Patagonia
Follow Matador on Vimeo
Follow Matador on YouTube
JEDIDIAH JENKINS KEPT MEETING ELDERLY PEOPLE who were telling him that their life had flown by in an instant, and he was terrified of that. He didn’t want to lose his life to routine and drudgery. He didn’t want his short time on this earth to fly by. He wanted it to be jam-packed. He wanted to go into his grave tired.
So Jenkins decided to save his life by rejecting comfort, routine, and drudgery. He got on his bike in Portland and rode it south to Patagonia. It took him a year and a half. Give this video a watch and hear about Jedidiah’s journey, and why he did it. 
11 places where you can get naked without getting arrested
THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES AND EVENTS WHERE NUDITY IS ENCOURAGED, and even celebrated — but a sacred site is probably not one of them.
A group of foreign backpackers are now in trouble after they decided to strip down on top of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia last month.
Ignoring their guide’s pleas to keep their clothes on, the 10 hikers stripped and posed for photos on the mountain, which the local indigenous tribe believes holds the spirits of its dead ancestors.
They might have gotten away with it had the photos not ended up on social media.
Oops.
More from GlobalPost: Tourists won’t stop getting naked at Cambodia’s most sacred temple
Malaysian authorities reacted swiftly when they learned of the offensive behavior, which some claimed angered the spirits and caused the 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck the island of Borneo with deadly force about a week after the tourists’ naked stunt.
Four of the travelers — Briton Eleanor Hawkins, Canadians Lindsey and Danielle Peterson, and Dutchman Dylan Snel — were arrested by police and remanded in custody. The others have so far escaped prosecution.
After pleading guilty the young travelers were sentenced on Friday to three days in jail and fined 5,000 Malaysian ringgit ($1,333) for “committing an obscene act.” The group will be released immediately for time already served.
Getting naked at historic sites has become bit of a trend among young travelers, but this latest incident might serve as a warning to future intrepid streakers to keep their clothes on.
Because, really, it makes little sense to run the risk of offending local customs and ending up in jail when there are so many places in the world where shedding your clothes is perfectly acceptable. And legal.
We’ve narrowed the list down to 11, but there are many more.
1. Naked bike riding
Photo: GoToVan
Every year cyclists around the world strip and ride their bikes through city streets for the World Naked Bike Ride which aims to raise awareness about bike safety and protest against car culture.
2. Naked gardening
Stripping down and pottering around the garden has become so popular, particularly in the British countryside, that there’s now a special day dedicated to it: World Naked Gardening Day. It officially falls on the first Saturday of May, but really, why wait until then?
3. Naked sledding
A pair of underpants and boots make up the official uniform for the Naked Sledding World Championship in the German town of Braunlage, where semi-naked competitors hurl themselves down an icy track on a toboggan. It’s fun, really.
4. Naked Olympics
It might not be recognized by the fully clothed International Olympic Committee, but the Pilwarren Maslin Beach Nude Games near the Australian city of Adelaide still attracts plenty of attention every year. Events include frisbee throwing, tug-of-war, three-legged races and doughnut eating competitions.
5. Naked cruise ship holiday
Photo: kansasphoto
Bare Necessities Tour and Travel offers cruise ship vacations where clothing, for the most part, is optional. “You can step out of your cabin wearing nothing but a smile and be welcome throughout the ship,” the company says on its website. The only nude-free zones are the dining rooms, possibly as a precaution to ensure no one loses their appetite.
6. Naked rugby
This is not a game for the fully clothed faint-hearted — so it takes a truly brave person to play this high contact sport naked. Every year beefy rugby players from around the world go head-to-head in the Nude Rugby International in Dunedin New Zealand, which has become the unofficial curtain raiser for the visually less-interesting rugby test matches involving New Zealand’s All Blacks.
7. Naked charity run
Want to help save endangered animals? Run naked through London’s Zoo! The Streak for Tigers charity run raises money for the Zoological Society of London, which is a scientific, conservation and educational charity working to save endangered animals and their habitats.
8. Naked swimming
Photo: http://www.thesydneyskinny.com.au/
Let’s face it, skinny dipping in Sydney’s spectacular harbor should be on everyone’s bucket list. The annual Sydney Skinny is a roughly half-mile nude swim aimed at raising money for national parks and promoting a positive body image. Spectators are kept at bay, but we’re not so sure about the sharks.
9. Run naked while wearing a motorcyle helmet
Why? Because when you attend a motocross/music festival in the Netherlands, that’s what you do. Run naked. Wearing a helmet.
10. Naked yoga
Apparently skimpy Lycra shorts and crop tops were too restrictive for some yoga fanatics, so one day they decided to do their downward dogs and sun salutations in the nude. And now naked yoga has become a thing.
11. Naked cross-country running
You might have gathered by now that there are a lot of runners in the world who just love running naked. Another place you can find large numbers of nudist joggers is La Salvaje beach near the Spanish Basque village of Sopelana. Every year runners wearing nothing more than their sneakers flock there for the Patxi Ros three-mile cross-country race.
by Allison Jackson, GlobalPost
This article is syndicated from GlobalPost.
Photographer says goodbye to his dog
Follow Matador on Vimeo
Follow Matador on YouTube
The best of friends are those who stick together through bright and dark times alike. That’s what outdoor photographer Ben Moon and his dog, Denali, were: the best of friends.
Denali was Moon’s adventure companion when he travelled in the west of the US in a van for three years. He was also his support when Moon was diagnosed with cancer and went through treatment. “When you’re going through all the cancer treatments and surviving all that, you really don’t have the energy to give on a human level a lot of times”, Moon explains to OPB, “It takes energy to just hang out with your friends, but with a dog, they don’t expect anything. He was just that constant support by my side.”
This short video is the story of this exceptional bound told from Denali’s point of view. It’s a genuine and moving portrait of what it’s like to say goodbye to your best friend. 
14 free things to do in Canada
Peyto lake stars by victor Liu on 500px
There is no shortage of camping in Canada. You can do it by a lake, up a mountain, in a field, on a beach, in the forest, by a river — you name it, you can probably camp there. While many campsites are affordably priced, there are a number of sites and books dedicated to helping you find a free slice of paradise wherever you are in our great nation. Check out Tracks and Trails for many free camping listings. Tip: if you have to hike in to get there, chances are it’s free or very cheap to stay overnight.
Above: Peyto Lake, AB
2. Hike your heart out
First Peak by Andres Rodriguez on 500px
Canadians like to get outside after a long winter, so trails are plentiful in all provinces. The most famous hikes would be The Chief (BC), Garabaldi Lake (BC), The Lake Louise Tea House Challenge or the Plain of Six Glaciers (AB), KIllarney Park (ON), Gaspeise National Park (QC), Fundy Trail (NB), Twillingate (NFLD), the East Coast Trail (NFLD) and the West Coast Trail (BC), among many more. Not all of them are free — though many are. Those that aren’t, the money goes to protecting the park and area.
3. Jump into lake country
Selfie, Boom Lake Banff by flyingfishtw on 500px
Each province and territory has it’s slew of lakes, though Manitoba and Ontario probably take the cake on this one. No matter where you are, there’s likely a lake not too far, and come July and August, they get to great swimming temperatures, if not blatantly warm. There’s long stretches of sandy beaches (Lake Winnipeg, MB), there are steeply cliffed ones great for leaping, if you dare (Manzinaw Lake, ON), super family friendly lakes (Muskoka Lake, ON), bright blue glacier fed lakes, though perpetually chilly (Garabaldi Lake, BC), and everything in between.
Above: Lake Banff, AB
4. Kick back with a bonfire
Beachy Cove Bonfire by Paul Kinsman on 500px
The perfect end to a perfect day. That is, if you do it safely. Use a proper fire pit or dig deep and ring with rocks, and ensure the fire is completely out before turning in for the night. We’d prefer you didn’t just burn everything down this way, if you don’t mind. Possible cost here would be firewood if you can’t scavenge, and beers. Obviously.
Above: Beachy Cove, NFLD
5. Free pancakes at the Calgary Stampede
Sunset Over Calgary during the Stampede by Marc Massie on 500px
A standing tradition whether or not you’ve got a ticket to the real Stampede. You can find the Calgary Stampede Caravan Committee serving up more than 70,000 pancakes at malls around Calgary, from 9am to 11am. Get in line! Then go take in the Calgary Stampede Parade, also free. The stampede itself, not so much.
Above: The Stampede lit up after sundown, Calgary, AB.
6. Take in an outdoor movie
Photo: Yaletown BIA
In most major cities across the country, outdoor cinema is taking off. Downtown Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and many more towns and cities are now hosting them. The cost is free and you should turn up with a blanket and snacks. Don’t expect block busters — mostly cult hits and gems like Jaws, Goonies, or Grease for example. Try social media for the most up-to-date information on showings.
Above: Vancouver, BC
7. Watch Canada Day fireworks
Fireworks with parliament building and full moon by Denis Murphy on 500px
Coming to every Canadian city this July 1st.
Above: The parliament buildings in Ottawa.
8. Join a pride parade
Pride Parade Toronto 2013 Yonge Street by Scott Corman on 500px
Pride parades are in nearly every major city and offer loud, colourful, and rowdy floats and events during the day and into the night. Turn up early to get a good seat; or better yet, make friends and find your way onto a float!
Above: Toronto, ON
9. Shake it off at Caribbean Carnival
Caribbean Carnival by John Steven Fernandez on 500px
Caribbean Carnival takes place in downtown Toronto and is not just a parade but a celebration of culture include food, music, and dancing. There’s no one parade — there’s actually at least three for different purposes, cultures, and styles. This festival goes on for nearly three weeks.
Above: Toronto, ON
10. Go north and find the lights
Northern Lights by Chris Gale on 500px
You need to go pretty north, and you need to stay up really late, but if you do, you can hopefully witness the Northern Lights. You should research your chances before going but the end of August and early September can be good times (outside of winter).
Above: Fort Nelson, BC
11. Do free outdoor yoga
Serene by the sea by bekon on 500px
Three times a week there is free outdoor yoga at Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, among other free yoga events. Just show up, greet the day, and namaste.
Above: Yoga with Vancouver, BC, behind
More like this 15 epic things Canadians need to do this summer
12. Niagara Falls: always free
[image error]
Rise & Fall by Marvin Ramos Evasco on 500px
If you’re in Ontario, you have to see the Falls at least once. Despite the gawdy downtown (full of Ripley’s museums and tacky tourist stops) the falls are truly impressive. Go early and you may have them nearly to yourself, but even when it’s busy, the deafening roar drowns out distractions.
Above: The falls at sunrise
13. Volunteer at a Music Festival
Squamish Music Festival by Patrick Lo on 500px
Can’t afford the steep tickets to any of the major outdoor music festivals? Try signing up to volunteer, and you’ll get at least a day pass in return (or be inside for the big acts). Major or noteworthy summer fests: Live at Squamish, Pemberton Music, Bestival, Osheaga, and Shambhala (just to name a few).
Above: Squamish Music Festival
14. Pilgrimage to Vancouver’s Festival of Lights
Fire on the Coast by Matt Jackisch on 500px
Every summer a Firework competition takes place over two weeks in Vancouver, known as the Festival of Lights. Different countries preform and locals gather on beaches with radios tuned in to music meant to go with the show. Starting last year, the best view points will have platforms with seats for sale, but the other nearly two million people will find their way to smaller beaches or bridges (or go up Cypress Mountain for an aerial view) without spending a dime. Arrive super early, don’t go by car, and be prepared to have a long wait for a home. However you get there, and home, don’t worry — it’s worth it.
Above: Vancouver, BC
9 signs you're from Egypt
Photo: AhmadHammoud
1. You’ll lie before you will admit you don’t know something.
It’s more than hard, it’s almost shameful for us Egyptians to say “I don’t know” when you ask us about something, especially directions. A friend from Palestine challenged me to prove this was true. We were walking on the street when she stopped and asked a man standing in front of his shop about the directions to “Al Shajaiya St.” The man answered with full confidence: “Yes, sure, take a left, and then turn right, it’s right in front of the cinema.”
Al Shajaiya isn’t even a street in Egypt. It’s a neighborhood in Palestine.
2. You’re the original MacGyver.
Egyptians like to brag about our uncanny ability to fix everything, everything, with just a pin or a good kick. You’re a doctor/electrician/mechanic/carpenter, depending on the situation that arises.
3. You make jokes in the darkest situations.
Egyptians are known for their humor, even in the darkest situations. Irony and laughter have always been part of the Egyptian identity. Recently, the political satire gained more ground especially after the 2011 revolution. Egyptians used humor as a weapon during the turmoil to the extent that the revolution was called “the humor revolution.”
4. You buy something just because it’s on sale.
Us Egyptians do love sales, and even if there’s not a sale, we will use our bargaining power to try to make it so. Never mind if we actually need the item or not…
5. You dream about molokhia, koshari, and mahshi when you travel outside Egypt.
The best pizza in Italy or the best caviar in Russia or an exquisite French croissant could never compensate for the absence of these Egyptian dishes. Their smell will follow you everywhere; their image will haunt your mind and make you drool on your hotel room pillow.
6. Your parents still pay your bills even after you’re married and have children.
Due to the economic situation, your parents are more than likely still helping you financially, no matter how old you are. They don’t save their retirement money for going on a long vacation; they keep it for emergencies. Emergencies = you. They will bail you out of your debts, pay the hospital bill for the delivery of your baby, and buy you a car if you need one. Who needs to work with parents like this?
7. You fight heatedly with the taxi driver over the fare.
Many taxis in Egypt don’t have a fare counter, which makes it hard to calculate it. If you don’t agree on the fare from the beginning, there is a chance there’s going to be a long conversation between you and the driver (ending up with you both shouting and disrupting the traffic).
8. You say “Insha’Allah” a ridiculous number of times per day.
It seems like the average Egyptian says Insha’Allah at least 20 times a day.
If you take a taxi and ask, “Can you take me to…,” he won’t answer yes, he will say, Insha’Allah. “Do you have a change?” again, not yes or no, it’s Insha’Allah. “Are you going to pass by the train station?” Guess what? Insha’Allah.
9. You run on Egyptian Standard Time.
15 minutes = an hour. So if you hear an Egyptian saying on the phone “I’m on my way,” trust me, he is just ‘on his way’ out of bed. 
What living in Japan is really like
Photo: Danny Choo
WHEN I ANNOUNCED TO MY FRIENDS that I was moving from Hawai’i to Japan, the responses ran the gamut:
“OH MY GOD! I’m so jealous! You’re going to have the best time and never want to come back!”
“Wow. What are you going to do over there? Do you realize what you’re getting yourself into? I know a good language program…”
“But…you don’t speak Japanese.”
With friends scattered around the world, everyone had a different take on my big international move. From well wishes to concern, I was lucky that almost everyone who had an opinion on my move had my best interests at heart (of course there were the random curmudgeons who couldn’t help but say something like, “You’re going to hate it” — thanks???).
Upon moving to Japan, I quickly learned that life here was like nothing I’d expected — or my friends had expected. In my first weeks I tried to explain the bombardment of new sights, sounds, and people I was experiencing, but the difference between being here and hearing about here was huge.
So for those of you considering a move to Japan, here are some of the things you may have to look forward to when talking with loved ones back home.
1. It’s not a vacation if you have to pay rent.
When living in, or near, a major city known as a tourist destination, many people assume you are living life on vacation. Meals out all the time, days spent siteseeing or shopping, everything’s a photo op — that’s the life that people imagine. And why wouldn’t they? That’s the Tokyo of the movies and travel brochures (do people still look at those?).
There have been so many times that I’ve heard a tinge of disappointment in a friend’s voice when they ask if I’ve been to any number of tourist destinations — many of which are very expensive! — and I tell them, “No, not yet.”
I’d love to eat at Jiro’s famous sushi restaurant, but that one-15 minute meal is half my rent for the month (plus let’s face it, I don’t speak Japanese well enough — Jiro would HATE ME).
I DREAMED of spending my days lounging beneath the cherry blossoms every afternoon during cherry blossom season, but somehow I think putting “Gone Cherry Blossom Viewing Suckers” as my out-of-office message in my email would have irritated my bosses.
It would be a blast spending my money on all the wild fashions and oddities in Harajuku or Shibuya, but then I wouldn’t have the money to feed my cat and she would eat me in my sleep.
I would say, “life gets in the way,” but really it’s more “life has to have a balance.” I’ve done or will do most of the “Must Do” things in Tokyo and Yokohama, but in order to do those things I have to work, pay my rent, and feed my cat. Those boring day-to-day routines are so easy to forget when visions of sushi, kimono, and all-night karaoke sessions are the broad strokes of your “Japan” understanding.
I’m living a life, not a vacation. And while my daily life has a unique vibrancy and contentment that vacation life just cannot offer, it’s sometimes hard for friends to grasp that a trip to the neighborhood izakaya can be just as fascinating as a trip to the robot-themed restaurant in Shinjuku.
2. Being pushy doesn’t pay off.
A while ago I was at an onsen in Yokohama (a natural hot spring bath house), and after bathing in the warm, healing waters, I decided to get a snack at the little restaurant in the lobby.
As I ordered my food at the register, I tripped over my Japanese too much, and the woman behind the register just went blank. She SHUT DOWN. Not knowing what to make of the Asian woman who can’t speak Japanese (everyone thinks I’m Japanese here), she just stared at me and looked annoyed and uncomfortable.
I apologized profusely, and kept attempting to clarify my order, but she was unresponsive. Finally, after more sumimasens (I’m sorries) than I could count, a person in line behind me stepped up to help. I was so grateful for that kindness, though they may just have been afraid that my head was going to explode. The Japanese don’t like messes.
When I relayed this story to a friend of mine she chided, “Louise! You can’t be timid! She was being difficult and unfair. You should have told her what’s what! I’ve seen you do it before in the States.”
In telling tales of my Japan misadventures, I’ve been told a version of the above more than once. “WHO ARE YOU?!” is a common remark.
Yes, in the past I’ve been wholly unwilling to put up with guff from anyone, but what I think is hard for my US friends to understand is that being pushy, or even a bit of a bully, will get you NOWHERE in Japan.
While the Japanese are polite and can seem unwilling to engage, they are not pushovers. Just because you’re a loud, cantankerous American doesn’t mean a quietly smiling Japanese person is intimidated by you. They just deal with you differently. More often than not, I’ve found they either ask you very politely to move on or, like my friend at the onsen, they just shut down.
No amount of blustery behavior will change that. And unless they come to Japan, my stateside friends’ reactions don’t bother me. If nothing else, it makes me that much more conscious of tempering my cranky gaijin ways.
3. You WANT to speak Japanese.
“You’re in such a major, international city, everyone speaks English right? You don’t really have to worry too much about speaking Japanese.”
A LOT of friends from the US said this to me when I moved to the Tokyo/Yokohama area. They meant this as a comfort to me and my utter LACK of Japanese-speaking abilities, but after nearly a year of life in Japan I find this statement particularly odd.
I live in Japan. I want to speak Japanese.
As obvious as that may sound to someone living here, friends often can’t understand why I wouldn’t want to just default to English at every chance.
When a couple friends visited a few months ago, I took them to a popular restaurant in Tokyo. When the server came over, I ordered in my crappy Japanese (Crapanese). The server then turned to my obviously not-Japanese friends and spoke to them in English. Throughout the night I continued speaking as much Japanese as I could muster.
After finishing our meal, my friends asked me why I insisted on speaking Japanese not only at the restaurant but everywhere else we went in Tokyo — even when it was obvious that English would get me by.
My answer even surprised me.
While English was what my friends on vacation hoped for, even depended on, as they made their way around Tokyo, English had become a last resort for me. While I’m very grateful to find English speakers when I’m in a particularly difficult or unnerving situation in Japan, in my daily dealings English feels like something of a failure on my part.
Speaking Japanese (or attempting to speak Japanese) is not a novelty, it’s a necessity. I have to keep trying, keep practicing. Not everyone speaks English here, and as a foreigner what right have I to demand that my native tongue be catered to?
Don’t misunderstand, I don’t think it was my friends’ intention that ENGLISH IS BEST EVERYWHERE, nor do I think anybody means any harm when they seek out English in Japan. It is intimidating to be without a language you understand — I know that first hand!
But what I do think is hard for friends to understand is that while English can be a comfort, depending on it here is very limiting. If I only went where I knew English was spoken, I’d be closing myself off to so many wonderful experiences. If I held onto the mentality, “I don’t really need to learn Japanese,” my life here would be very small.
And while it is scary to go into a restaurant or post office and potentially be met with confused “maybe we should just give her a chalkboard” stares, when I try to employ some new grammar point I’ve learned, it’s the scary parts that define my life here. Every challenge prepares me for the next, and the next, and so on.
It’s not always easy for people back home to grasp that I need the challenges to progress.
Yet living abroad has deepened many of my long-distance friendships. Talking through the scary parts, answering questions, joking about my many cultural faux pas — are just as much a part of the Japan experience as living here.
So if you find yourself living in Japan, frustrated by friends at home “just not getting it,” know that they might never, and that’s okay.
It’s part of the challenge of living in Japan. 
June 14, 2015
epic things Canadians need to do
Take yourself off the beaten track and revel in the breath-taking views from North Beach on Graham Island right across to the shores of Alaska. According to Haida legend, this is where creation began.
Nature's Canvas by Robert Postma on 500px
2. Hit the Winnipeg folk festival.
You won’t be making your way to Manitoba in the dead of winter (except if you have the dough to spend some time with polar bears), but you should devote four days in July to check out Bahamas and Shred Kelly in the folk music capital of North America.
Untitled by Greg Gallinger on 500px
3. Enjoy a craft beer on a patio.
Wherever you are in Canada, we bet there’s a microbrewery around the corner. If you’re in Thunder Bay, Ontario, grab Sleeping Giant Brewing Company‘s Snow Goose Coffee Vanilla Porter. If you’re in Nelson, British Columbia, opt for NBC‘s Harvest Moon (an organic hemp ale). If you’re in Edmonton, Alberta, open one of Alley Kat‘s ambers. In short, grab a cold, local brew, sit back, and enjoy the lack of snow.
4. Take a multi-day canoe trip in Quetico Provincial Park.
Explore some of the thousands of interconnected lakes, rivers, and streams and 460,000 hectares of wilderness for a few days, or a few weeks, and enjoy the quiet solitude of the park.
Stillness by Doug Robertson on 500px
5. Indulge at the Kaslo International Jazzfest.
This is the ultimate people-watching and jazz-listening experience. Stretch out under your beach brolly with a brew for the afternoon while spying on the local wildlife from behind your Foster Grants, and kick up your heels when the sun goes down and the party ramps up.
6. Star gaze in Elk Island National Park
After a day of watching bisons in their natural habitat, make your way to Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve. It is the closest dark sky preserve to a major urban centre (Edmonton), so appreciate the efforts from the park and the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area to reduce light pollution and enjoy a gorgeous, starry night.
aurora borealis by Geoff Rempel on 500px
7. Sea kayak in the Magdalen Islands.
If you want to explore the Îles de la Madeleine properly, you need to do it on the water. Paddling is the only you’ll get to discover the unique landscapes of the Quebec archipelago: interior lagoons, cliff formations (red sandstone, limestone, schist, alabaster), dunes, and beautiful beaches.
Morning water therapy by pndt photo on 500px
8. Learn some French.
You’ve lived in Canada your whole life and you don’t speak a single word of French? This summer is your chance to get to know how the rest of the country communicates. Also if you’re thinking of hitting the Magdalen Islands, you’ll definitely need some French.
9. Hike and camp in the Rocky Mountains.
Castle Mountain’s Rockbound Lake in Banff National Park is a 2-3 hour hike that will blow your mind. On reaching the slope’s plateau you’ll find yourself towered by mountainsides, larch trees waving under the sun, and polished rocks smooth as ostrich eggs covering the ground. At the edge of the lake the boulders stretch 10 feet tall and mountain walls curved as an amphitheater cradle the turquoise water — it’s like being in a Dali painting, totally surreal.
Camping on the edge by victor Liu on 500px
10. Explore the North.
Go night golfing or fishing for Artic grayling and Northern Pike in Yellowknife, Northwest Territory. Road trip around the Yukon, enjoy the midnight sun, and check out the Dawson City Music Fest. Go on a wildlife viewing spree in Nunavut (we’re talking narwhals, musk-oxen, bowhead whales, and walruses) and don’t miss the Alianait Arts Festival in Iqaluit.
Untitled by True North Photos on 500px
11. Make and eat the ultimate Nanaimo bar
You don’t need to crank up the oven and run the risk of a heat stroke to make these, so what’s stopping you? This delicious Canadian treat also pairs really well with one of the cold brews aforementioned… Just saying.
12. Hike pristine wilderness before we make ski hills out of it.
Get out to the Jumbo Valley, one of the last bits of untouched wilderness left in this country, take in the beauty of the place, and realize of what the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort (a massive ski resort) will destoy — 6,000 hectares of grizzly bear habitat and the core of the territory of the Ktunaxa Nation. You can go solo or wait the last weekend of August to join The West Kootenay Eco Society and learn how you can help to keep Jumbo Wild.
Giants by Colin Payne on 500px
13. Try to understand the past, present, and future of the aboriginal people of Canada.
It does not matter where you read it (bonus point if it’s a the top of Jumbo!), but if you call Canada your home and you care about its people, then you need to grab Thomas King‘s The Inconvenient Indian. Not only it is compelling and funny, but it will help you grow a social conscience that you never thought you had.
14. Camp on Cape Breton Island.
Meat Cove campground at the tip of the island is the place where you want to pitch you tent and take in all of what this sparsely-populated Maritime Island has to offer. You’ll wake up, zip open your bedroom, and think you ended up in one of the best scenes of New Zealand from Lord of the Rings.
Meat Cove Camping by Ángeles Antolín Hoyos on 500px
15. Try WWOOFing.
From New Brunswick to Vancouver Island, there are farms looking for willing workers. Wwoofers can expect to work 4-6 hours per day in exchange for food and housing, often great company and experience, and a chance to check out off-the-beaten track places. The generosity of hosts can be amazing, leading to life-long friendships! It may be time for you to learn to milk a cow, eat veggies straight out of the dirt, and meet new people.
Shell-less Egg by Jonathan H. Lee on 500px
Never date a Jersey girl
Photo: Jonathan Kos-Read
You won’t be going to any more weddings where Springsteen’s cover of “Jersey Girl” isn’t played.
I mean, no one ever complains about Springsteen playing at a wedding. But it’s gonna play at every wedding.
You’re going to have to be super charming.
New Jerseyans appreciate charm and good conversation more than most — and since she’s going to have a freakin’ huge family and a trillion lifelong friends, you’re going to need to be on all the time. You need to be able to talk about literally every subject, you need to be able to take a joke and make a joke, you’re going to need to be able hold their attention, and you’re going to need to leave an impression that makes them say, “He’s okay,” when you walk away and not, “What an asshole.” Jersey does not tolerate bores.
You’re probably going to die young.
Either you’re going to break her heart and her billions of loyal friends and family members are going to quietly murder you, or you’re going to have a heart attack at age 40 thanks to a lifetime of pork roll, egg, and cheese breakfasts. It’ll be a happy 40 years, but only 40 years nonetheless.
You’re going to develop a defensiveness about New Jersey.
Yeah, when you met her, you were making fun of Chris Christie and Snooki like the rest of them, but she ended that real quick.
You’re going to be a benny for life.
Sure, it started with grabbing a casual beer with a beautiful, sassy girl in grad school. Next thing you know, you’re living in Asbury Park where you will always, always be a benny, no matter how long you stay.
You’re going to look like an asshole when it comes to sports.
She knows more about sports than you do. She’s more loyal to her teams than you are. Her teams are better than yours. Sports is no longer a way for you to look cool.
You’re going to be eternally unimpressive to her while behind the wheel of an automobile.
New Jersey is the densest state in the country and has way too many towns and cities. You’re going to be lost all the time, and when you take a wrong turn, you’re going to have to navigate MC Escher roads with jughandles and loopedy-loos packed with aggressive drivers. You’re also gonna get yelled at when you try to pump your own gas, and you’re going to have to orient your universe around the GSP. She can handle it like it’s nothing: you’re going to look like an incompetent ass.
If this thing sticks, you’re going to have to ask her dad for his blessing.
There something in the water here that makes Jersey dads absolutely terrifying. Maybe it’s the same thing that makes the bagels delicious.
You’re never gonna leave.
You’re going to fall in love with her, settle down here, spend the rest of your days on the beach listening to Springsteen. Rough life. 
Matador Network's Blog
- Matador Network's profile
- 6 followers
