MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH 6:30am and it’s quiet…no more housemate…I’ll miss her…Thank you for EVERYTHI NG!...All those that are in the blogging community, I’d like to hear from you while on this journey…it’ll be long and lonely, these moments I put on some Corriane Rae Bailey, ‘Like a Star’ and Damian Marley, ‘There for You’ because it reminds me that your all with me...So, enough of my soft side for the day must go on and I’m off to Scarborough to see Jessie from Jessica’s Guest House. You’ll have to know in advance that if you want to experience the city has a Torontonian, and then this is one way to sharpen your skills. It’s about an hour on public transit so get ready for the ride if you’re coming from venturing downtown Toronto.
Yes, I did it again…went to the wrong place, but it didn’t take me long to get it right and upon my entrance was Jessica, maintaining the cleanliness of her very own Guest home.
We sat in a lounge area that was equipped for reading and not much else and got to talking ‘bout how we can support each others business and then I received a tour of the home and all the rooms on our site are a shared washroom and shower facility. Looking for a place to sleep outside of the hustling and bustling of the downtown core. Then this is a place to think about, it offers your basics and it’s not even 5 minutes off Highway 401 and another couple minutes from Agincourt Mall and a few more minutes from China town.
Jessica can inform you ‘bout much of the entertainment in the area and some she’s knowledgeable ‘bout; Casino (Fallsview) in Niagara Falls has a bus that stops minutes from her location, then there’s a recreation centre down the road, nature Trails, Eco-Tours, bike rides and much more. You’ll have to ask because there are those that come to enjoy another side of Toronto and then there are those that are there because they’re looking to become Canadians and she has an abundance of information on that too. There are two separate locations, so make sure to ask where you’ll be staying at…wouldn’t want you to be surprised.
In her garage, double locked garage, is where you can keep extra luggage while you make your way around but if your intention is too leave it after your departure then there will be a charge. Your rooms have the basic desk, bed, telephone and closet, please note that you’ll be sharing washroom time with your house mates. It’s situated in a quiet neighborhood, so beware of why your traveling and if this suits your needs because some people maybe going to work the next day. There are guest for a day or even long timers for a month all together. You can cook to your hearts content in the self-catering facility and Jessica makes daily runs to keep the place clean. She does speak Mandarin, so if that’s your mother tongue, don’t be shy…and her English is very good. There’s a big yard for you to entertain yourselves and a backyard for you to enjoy. Did I mention that she’s right off the highway…well; Jessica’s guest house is at the Kennedy exit north towards Shepherd Avenue.
Enjoy your time here; I must say that she made me very comfortable, so on that note I must depart and jump on the Red Rocket (local transit in Toronto – TTC) and make my way back downtown to my next appointment.
Last visits of the day
A couple hours later, I go to the Toronto Travelers Home and go and meet Mike. At first I must say honestly that I wasn’t impressed with this location and was later informed that it was work in progress, so you must know where your going to stay and I believe that the reason behind some of the ratings. Especially if you believe your going to stay at one location and then upon your arrival you end up somewhere else. Now Mike runs at least 4 properties on our site and I was only able to check out two of them. There’s a lot of potential with the property for the future but for now I see it only has a place for long timers that are either working and/or looking to reside here. With all that said, I was shown to the Chinatown Travelers Home and this was like night and day. This place has been recently renovated and you can tell in everyway starting with the floor, walls, safety, presentation and brightness. I meet a male there from Australia that believed that it was a good place to hang for a while and is cheap enough to make it work out for you if your staying a while.
Both receptionist speak very little English, so you might have to brush up on your Mandarin and be patient…oh, make sure to bring your receipt to make it a bit smoother also. Mike is working on a outdoor roof patio, so things are in the works for next summer…let’s see what happens because this can be a very cozy spot. It’s a place to sleep and get up and go because there’s not to do regarding interaction with other guests, but looks to be changing for next summer.
You’re in the heart of Chinatown, so if you enjoy trying to discount your food then go for it and get some dinner on the fire in their self-catering facility. What do you mean you were cutting up some fish and now you smell…take off those clothes and put them in the washer and dryer downstairs. You must like stairs, because there’s enough to keep you fit…well at least your legs.
Mike has two more properties that I was talking briefly about earlier; one is near York University and the other is in the Scarborough Chinatown by McCowan and Steeles and both are in a home. Mike reassures me that both locations are even better than this last property that I have witnessed and nothing like the first property and offers to drive me there at some point but I decline the 40 minute in traffic and then back. I’ll do it on another trip, so Mike and I go to lunch and we eat and eat and eat…Chinese cuisine in the area you’ll have many to choose from, enjoy…I did. Now I have to cut my day short because all of my goodies will have to find their way into storage, so I won’t be working the crazy hours for a couple of days at least, but after that time period of attempting some balance I’ll be off.
I’m now leaving Toronto to go to my next destination, but till then I have to put on the boot straps and make sure that I don’t fall behind too far. Yes, it’s a lot of work but all worth it knowing that we at Hostelbookers are supporting our relationships in North America. Using my Discovery Pass from Greyhound…I head to Montreal to refocus on my mission, hey it’s what you got to do sometimes because were here for the long run and hopefully you’ll keep in contact with me on my way to my next stop. Check out; visit friends, but my focus is too strategically planning my next few steps in advance.
It’s Sunday September 17th and I’m feeling like I’m falling behind in my workload so I take 3 days to catch up in Montreal. Wow! I’ve almost caught up, getting back to a manageable point. So, I jump on the greyhound and go hang by a friend of mine whom has opened his home to me to carry out my workload in a peaceful surrounding…also, I currently have no home, well it’s wherever I rest my head from now till….hmmmmm!