Saskatchewan Winter.... finally over.... for now :D

May 6, 2015 - 久しぶり！I haven't been travelling this year, so not much to write..  With construction of the basement in progress (and still in progress...) plus working in the busiest emergency department in the city, 2015 travel plan has to be put on hold.  Yes... I have to endure Saskatchewan winter ...... the seemingly neverending winter... that finally ended!  This winter was quite pleasant I should say..... maybe a sign that I finally gotten used to Saskatchewan winter.... I guess it took over a decade to get used to :D.

Saskatchewan considered one of the places in Canada to have harsh winter.  Winter started early in Saskatchewan and ALWAYS ended late.  Average temperature in the winter time in Saskatchewan is -20 C to -30 C, most times not taking into account the windchill which could make the weather considerably colder than it should be, for example, when it's windy, actual temperature is -20 but the wind chill made it felt like -35 C.

This picture was taken on Christmas morning, looks really beautiful with all the frost on the tree but oh myyy..... it was a numbing almost -50C with the windchill (-_-) .... but pretty...... 

We also have frequent snow.... not too much at a time ... but frequent. The first snow fall is my favorite.  Especially when it was not too cold yet for the water in the pond to freeze.  It really reminded me of my trip to Nikkou, a place just outside of Tokyo.

Another thing that I love the most in the winter is when we get the winter frost.  Usually happened when there's quite a bit of humidity in the air and the sun is not shining (which is my favorite weather.... gloomy :D). When the weather is cloudy and gloomy, and everything covered in frost, winter looks so beautiful (did not feel beautiful though :D.... just dress warm!)

When your parents said 'If you gonna do something do it right from the first place so you don't have to do it again' is very true .... if you never experience snow :D .  

So after getting your snowblower out (which snowblower should be a subsidized item in any wintery place :D) and did a splendid job of clearing snow from your driveway (and hopefully kind enough to do the neighbor's too just like what this guy always do) just as your parents taught you, the next day you could wake up to......

This......

Or this.....

Despite the pain of superfreezing long winter I think winter in Saskatchewan is beautiful.  As the prairie is flat, all you can see is white...... as far as your eyes can see.  And nothing more beautiful than winter sunset..... I think (^^)

I did went for a small trip with a friend to Waskesiu, just 2 hours north of Saskatoon, pass the town of Prince Albert, towards Prince Albert National Park.  The scenery on the way there was beautiful, everything was frosty that morning, and the slightest fog all along the way.... the weather was gloomy.... ohh... my favorite kind of weather (^^)....

Until the sun started to peek out...... (-_-) (I hate the sun)

... and there goes the sparkly frost.... still looks beautiful though

We went to Waskesiu for dog sledding.  To my surprise, these dogs are way stronger and way smaller than I expected them to be.  The company we chose for this excursion was Sundog.  Its a small business run by the owner himself and two mushers.  This is picture of one of the dog that retired already.... and he's fixed..... so he gets to hang out with the ladies :D

From now on just pictures of cute dogs (^^).  One of the musher told me that these are Alaskan huskies, they're not pure bred but still selected breeding.  She prefers Alaskan huskies for their speed and endurance, compared to Siberian huskies. Oh yess...... these guys proved that for sure! Pulling the three of us (well.... we're not the heaviest people but still... :D) they were running like there's nothing to pull! And endurance.... even after one run they still wants to pull us some more...... what a good way to go to places I think, save some gas, decrease pollution (other than the occasional doggy poo which is environmentally friendly so that's okay) and the dogs gets to do what they love the most... running!

I am so amazed of their strength... considering their sizes... definitely not the biggest dog around

This is the look we get when we stop them....... especially by the leader.... always gave us dirty look when we stop (-_-). 

So, The 15 years I've been living in Saskatchewan, I learn one valuable lesson, is never to take things for granted... really... not even the weather.  The thing is, in April, one day you could get the most gorgeous weather, spring had sprung, the birds are chirping, the ducks are back and saying hello to everyone from the sky, the bulbs you planted last year had sprouted and emerged from the ground gracefully, then by evening of the same day....

..... somehow you are surrounded by that annoying white stuff again....

..... and woke up to this the next morning........ and being thankful if you don't have to go to work..... or cursing and swearing as you shovel the heavy wet snow because you are ten minutes late to work.... 

 Then 2 days later as if nothing ever happened....... back to spring again... :D
Saskatchewan winter is crispy, and to those who lives in places where winter is equal to our summer, saskatchewan seems like a terrible place to be in the winter.  No one (including myself who grew up in the tropical) could ever imagine how -40 C feels until they actually here to enjoy it.  It took me ... well, I guess around a decade to really appreciate the beauty of winter in Saskatchewan, and learn not to take anything for granted, as just like the weather, things could turn around unexpectedly.... a valuable lesson I learn halfway across the world from my home.

Catching up on post even though I'm home already... Narai!

August 23, 2013.  Back in Canada again.... unbelievable.... just when I started to get used to Japan (again), flight back to Canada waiting for me (again).  2 days before leaving Japan, I decided to make one more small (well... ) side trip.  I was thinking of going to Kamikouchi, but in order to enjoy the place I think I would have to spare at least 3 days... which I didn't have.  So, after searching on japanguide.com, I decided Narai, maybe a good place to go on a day trip.

Yay! We made it ! 

To get to Narai, takes almost 3 hours by JR Chuo line.  Very handy if you have JR Rail Pass.  Without the rail pass, the trip cost around 2500 yen from Shin Moriyama, so will be a bit more from Nagoya station.  Quite expensive.  Take JR Chuo line bound for Tajimi, if possible all the way to Nakatsugawa, and better if it's a rapid train.  If taking one to Tajimi, get off at Tajimi station and transfer to rapid train to Nakatsugawa.  From Nakatsugawa, take JR line bound for Matsumoto, unfortunately only local train goes to Narai.... so fight for your seat! :D  Get off at Narai station, Naraijuku main road is to the left of the station entrance.  Since it's a small station, no ticket gate therefore on the way back ticket can be purchased on the train (the conductor will go around and you could ask him to sell you a ticket..... not sure how much English they could offer... you could always say 'sumimasen, kippu o kaitaindesu' then 'Narai eki kara (whichever station you wanna go to e.g Nagoya or Kanayama eki) made'.... or just hope he could speak a little English :D ... or use body language :D )

Up this road (almost across from station entrance) to see Nihyaku Jizo (two
hundred jizo) and a shrine which I forgot the name

Just a little background on this quite pleasant little town, it was a post town along Nakasendo, one of 5 routes to Edo (old Tokyo).  I went to two different post towns along Nakasendo in January, called Magome and Tsumago juku.  Narai was one of the most flourishing post town because it was near Torii pass, the highest peak to pass of Nakasendo and the most challenging.  Narai became the place where people will rest to build the energy before going through Torii pass or after.  Many overnight lodging and restaurants around the area, also the town is famous for lacquerware dishes.  With this, Narai became the largest post town among others.  Within the town there are many shrines and temples (never a shortage of those in Japan generally), also, up on the hills behind the main town area there are vast complex of cemeteries.  Narai regarded as national treasure, therefore all the houses and buildings maintained its traditional characters.  The pictures below shown some of the attractions of the town that I found, ones that are not in the pictures are the Mary Jizo (a Buddhist stone statue resembling the virgin Mary, traces of the hidden Christianity in Edo era) and the Nakamura house, a preserved original Edo townhouse.  From one end of the town to the other took around 1 hr of slow walk along well maintained street flanked by old Japanese houses selling souvenirs, lacquerware, food etc.  Quite the nostalgic walk, also if you explore a little bit, there are many little alleys between the houses and paths up to the forest which were nice to walk through in the scorching heat of Japan's summer.  As I was walking down the street, I wonder how this town look in the past, where samurai and merchants went through the area for journey to or from Edo.
Further around 2 km from the main street area is the Torii pass, I didn't go there because I figure we won't have enough time, since train service is only every hour to Narai and we didn't want to get back home too late.
The train ride to the area was every pleasant on the eye.  All along the way there are pretty little towns surrounded by green mountains and flanked by river.  Since it's already in Nagano prefecture, I can imagine this area get quite white and cold in the winter.  Narai itself surrounded by mountains (Nakasendo literally translated as passage in the mountains), beautiful green forests of big old trees.  Definitely looks like a good place to do nature hike.
Surprisingly, Narai is not as famous as Magome or Tsumagojuku, why, I'm not sure of the answer because definitely Narai is a bigger post town compared to Magome and Tsumagojuku.
Narai worth the visit for sure.... though I should've gone earlier, so I have enough time to explore the city.  I read just now that Narai could be reach from Yabuhara, where you can ascend the Torii mountain pass, 2-3 hrs journey and ended up in Narai...... FOR MY NEXT TIME! :D

Yes, no shortage of shrines.... 

Nice garden at the temple.... I'm taking the picture not only because it's a nice little temple, also one day my garden will
look like this :D 

An example of the amazing trust system in Japan... and one of many things I love about Japan... The seller just left this nice bags of freshly picked green beans worth 100 yen each, and people just put money in the box if they wanna buy it and people don't steal it even though they could. Same thing I saw when I went to Shirakawa go. Would this work in Canada? I doubt it..... 

Shizume shrine

A trail that I thought will lead to an adventure but instead leading to someone's house :D

Naraijuku from the south end of the road...... hmmm.... very nostalgic! 

Wouldn't it be interesting to live here? Surrounded by tourists taking pictures of your house just because it looks so beautifully old? 

One of the many cemeteries there

Ah yes... the shrine near two hundred jizo, which the arrows says 'this way' (to the right :D) for two hundred jizo

What's with this house? looks more european than Japanese.... might have somethin to do with the Christianity influence ? Not even sure if the house is that old.... 

Nihyaku jizo (two hundred jizo).... I didn't count it.... too hot :D

Oohashi, another attraction in Narai.  Wooden bridge made of 300 year old cypress wood.