What ever became of Minimonk?

Day 37 & on.

We all woke from behind The Lyon's House Hostel

& as we were walking out, Steve & Patrick called out to us from their balcony, asking whether we were coming or going.
When we told them going & went on to explain our situation, they would have none of us leaving, inviting us in, giving us breakfast & cheerful conversation & condolences.

They told me I was welcome to stay as long as it took me to get my feet on the ground & told Paul & Nate they were welcome to stay on too if the need arose. But there was no need, so
Paul & Nate were forced to continue the journey without me & left with tearful goodbyes, by foot.

I was all alone in Canada with no foreseeable way to get out.

I wandered about for a few moments, like a lost boy at a shopping mall, before returning to the hostel. It was time to get to work.

I spent two days on the internet, courtesy of Lyons House Hostel, (http://www.allcanbb.com/) which provides its patrons...and one particular hangers oner… free internet.

(God I love this photo. Computer time without exercise or much sleep does my eyes wonders. I don't know why I don't do it more often. Probably because I'd have to beat women off with a stick due to my attractive puffy eyedness & that's most unbecoming for a monk.)

Patrick, a giant of a man with a heart to match, has seen the world & understands well the concept of a man needing his pride. He also understands New Zealand culture, having lived & managed timber yards there. Being a man of honour, Patrick casually mentioned that he was looking at renovating & allowed me grab the opportunity to take up some of the work, helping out both as means of thanking him for being so hospitable & as a way of paying my way, thus avoiding the stigma of freeloading, & retaining some semblance of pride.

So for those of you wondering what Minimonk has been doing while Paul was forced to leave me behind & continue on to New York, here is your answer.

I was pulling up carpet,

Scraping floors,

Patching floors,

Painting,

Laying tiles,

Inventing & creating brackets,

Hanging mirrors,

and meeting other back packers.

Richard, from England, a particularly onto it guest at The Lyons House Hostel, worked some magic – I’m still undecided as to whether it was voodoo, or he was an angel, but either way, he found me a flight out of Canada into London for $49 plus tax. Un-heard of. Bloody legend Richard! Thanks once again.

We went to the pub to celebrate, met other Kiwis, ...and Richard wouldn’t let me touch the tab.

Good people are not only in the USA it seems.

My lovely vice, with best friend Rachel in tow, came all the way to Niagara when she head of the dramas, to deliver her condolences personally.

I put on an all new robe & we went exploring.Patrick not only housed us, entertained us with Backpacker TV (Words won't do it justice. You'll have to go to Lyons House Hostel to experience it for yourself) but also generously provided dinner & a trip on the Maid of the Mist, to get a real close up feel of the 600,000 bathtubs per second falling from the cliffs above. As I said, America doesn't have dibs on all the good people.

Niagara Falls are incredible, but the city offers so much more than just the cascading water.

We put on newer still robes & played in jet boats in Northern America’s largest whirlpool,

We ate out

Visited one of Canada’s quaintest towns, Lewiston – though were just a little too late to enjoy the free wine tasting, including Ice Wine, along the way

And just hung out & had a laugh in this zoo, carnival land of Niagara Falls.

(I'm standing in a hole.)

It was tough watching the girls leave

But again, Patrick from the Lyon’s House Hostel took care of me, providing dinner & beer & a queen sized room to sprawl out in, despite pressing demands by paying clients.

Being stuck in Canada was tough, as you can see. Darn you Boarder Control!!

But all too soon it was time to leave & once again Patrick hooked me up, suggesting to Jessica & Virilina from Germany that they take a monk with them to Toronto. They readily agreed & we made the trip in no time, the girls dropping me directly at the airport- cheers girls! I sat & waited on my flight for the following 12 hours,

And now I’m in London with my sister Sarah.Hampton Court Pallace.

(No, that's not her. No photo of her I'm afraid. She's a little camera shy. You'll just have to believe me. As for the look on my face... take a closer look.)

Looking forward to the next adventure, whatever than may be!

Thanks for following us & taking the time to read the madness. We really appreciate all the support, be that financial, emotional, spiritual or physical.
The world is full of good people. :)

Until next time!

Tim & Paul.