Canada 150: Exploring the Best Views of Canada with Parks Canada’s FREE Discovery Pass

June 28, 2017 The Travel Pill Leave a comment

Canada is gifted with miles and miles of majestic views of it’s national parks. And as a gift by Parks Canada to Canada’s residents and visitors, the Discovery Pass 2017 is free of charge.

The Discovery Pass can be ordered online through Parks Canada’s website. It can be picked up at all CIBC branches, MEC Stores, Parks Canada offices and dozens of other partners in each province. It gives everyone a free admission to explore Canada’s beautiful national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas managed by Parks Canada (see limitations).

No wonder why there are lots of cars with passes hanging behind their rear view mirrors (including us, hehe). Definitely, the best things in life are free!!!

P.S. Happy 150th Birthday Canada!!! You are awesome!!! 😃🎂🎉

Activities, Cambridge, Europe, Punting, UK

Punting with “Ron Weasley”: the English Version of the Venetian Gondola Ride.

June 26, 2017 The Travel Pill Leave a comment

Do you want to experience a slow, scenic river ride in Cambridge? Then, you have to experience punting along the River Cam. We’re lucky to be treated by my cousin Evan on this tour. Thanks Evan!

Punting along the River Cam gives you a view of the different colleges of the University of Cambridge. We used the Scudamore Punting Company for the tour. In this tour, we rode a punt, a boat with a flat bottom. A punt has two ends: the Cambridge end is the flat deck (till) where the punter stands and the Oxford end is the open end where people sit (if you’re in a group tour); it is also where the punter stands in Oxford.

The ride was relaxing. It is also slow-paced, giving you a chance to take lots of pictures of the beautiful architecture of the different colleges of the University of Cambridge.

During our river tour, our punter introduced us to the “Ron Weasley” of punters.

There he is! It must be Ron’s part time job after the Harry Potter series. =)

Coffee, Europe, Food, Madrid, Spain, Starbucks

My Starbucks Name in Spain

June 9, 2017 The Travel Pill Leave a comment

Writing the name of customers on their cups is a fun culture in Starbucks. There is always a feeling of thrill to get your cup of coffee and know what is your Starbucks name for the day. You’ll never know if your barista will get your name right… or your barista will butcher your name… or he/she might decide to just give you a different name totally.

So here goes the story for my Starbucks name in Madrid. I ordered Gerlie a cup coffee because her coffee at the hotel is not yet enough to wake her up. LOL. It was then our turn so I gave Gerlie’s order. The barista asked for my name, and I said, “Vic, V-I-C.” He shrugged his shoulders. I thought, hmm.. did he find my name interesting? He handed me the receipt and I gave it to Gerlie so she could use the washroom.

Washrooms can only be used using the code printed on the receipt. So… you can only use their washroom if you are a buying customer. Which I think is fair.

I waited for Gerlie’s coffee. I know mine should be first because we were the first among the others that are still waiting for their orders. The second barista then called the next coffee. “Caramel macchiato for…” – (silence) – then said a name that is incomprehensible to everyone. It was a long name. Noone reacted or tried to pick up that cup. He then went back to the first barista taking orders and asked him who ordered it. To my surprise, the first barista pointed at me.

How come did the second barista said a long name and my name is just Vic, a single syllable name. I then grabbed the coffee, sat on a stool at the bar table by the window and waited for Gerlie.

While waiting, I checked what was the name on the cup and I just burst into laughter. Here is my Starbucks name in Madrid: