A Place for Everyone - Waterloo Park, Waterloo, Ontario

A bench in the shape of a skateboard in the West Waterloo Park

The Waterloo Park is a huge park  consisting of two parks really.

We went there last weekend to partiicpate in an event. We got off at the Father Bowie Street entrance and we had a heck of time finding the place where we were supposed to be because we were at the wrong side of the park.

Kids' playground, West Waterloo Park

The Waterloo Park is divided into the west side and the east side.

We parked on the west side parking lot closest to an area designated for skateboarders.

It boasts a spacious concrete place specially designed for people to practise their skateboarding skills. It has benches where parents/caregivers can sit and watch the kids.
















Right beside it are more play areas
for children to climb, exercises those growing bodies to build muscles and to develop their muscles.

For those who love to get themselves wet and muddy, there is a special area for that too!

There is also a baseball diamond for league games.











There is also a huge wide open
green field where games and community events can be held. Last Saturday, there was a fun community event called Medieval Festival was held there attracting might have been thousands of people to attend this event.

The pond at the east side of the Waterloo Park

We were in the east side of the park, with a nice pond and gazebos which community groups can rent for their events.

There is a big children's play area.

A wading pool for children is perfect for the hot summer days.

There is even a small zoo, admission free, in the Waterloo Park.

Last Saturday, we helped out in the community fun fair hosted by River of Life church which booked the gazebo in the east side of the park.

The youths leaders from the church set up a number of games and we encouraged children visiting the park to participate.

It was a nice, sunny day and we had tons of fun serving the community!




R.T.
Waterloo Park
Waterloo, Ontario

Comparing Our Onsen Visit in Tokyo with Our Canadian Spa Experience

Recently, we went to a Scandinavian spa in Collingwood with our best friends. We  totally enjoyed our experience there..

Our trip to Tokyo, Japan was a memorable one

In fact, it brought back some wonderful memories of our visit to a Tokyo onsen ( hot spring in Japanese ) when we visited Japan a few years ago.

Though a small space in Tokyo, it could be an oasis for its residents.

Our Scandinave Spa experience in Collingwood, Ontario, was quite different from the one we had in Japan.

To begin with, the Collingwood spa was co ed throughout the entire spa except for the change room area.  I was glad that I didn’t have to wear my birthday suit for the Scandinave Spa.

The entrance to the Tokyo onsen

There are many onsens located throughout Japan. We went to one right in Tokyo.

After paying for our admission at the reception area, we were given a big towel and a locker key. We could also rent or purchase a kimono or yukata to be used at the site. We did both.

In my yukata at the Tokyo onsen

We went into the change room and changed into our yukatas, a casual light weight summer kimono. From then on, women stayed at one area while the men stayed at another completely separate area.

Then we started the relaxation journey by entering into a quiet courtyard with a stream of water running through the middle of it.

It was so much fun visiting Japan with our church friends!

There were five of us and we strolled around the ground, enjoyed the tranquility, relaxed and dipped our feet into the stream. It was a nice start before going into the hot baths.



At the Tokyo onsen, the spas were segregated by gender.








Everyone was expected to shower at her/ his own shower stall before heading out  to the segregated spa and hot tub areas wearing absolutely nothing.

 As a result of protecting the privacy of the bathers, none of the spas at the onsen was visible beyond the area. But from the reception hall at the Collingwood spa, we could see below the bathers enjoying the hot pools.

S. & Larry in their yukatas at the Tokyo onsen

While the Tokyo onsen ( hot spring) did have hot pools set at different temperatures like the Scandinave Spa, it attempted to provide the bathers with a taste of  Japanese culture as well.














 

A taste of Japanese culture after our relaxing bath

After our bathing experience in hot baths/ pools, we donned our yukatas again and came out to meet up with our spouses/ boy friends. 

Beyond the hot bath areas, there was another area set up like a small Japanese Village lining the indoor street with stalls selling arts, crafts, food etc. Free entertainment was also provided. 

Enjoying a traditional Japanese meal in Tokyo

It was relaxing enjoying some good food with friends after the hot bath treatment.

Our trip to Japan with our good friends from church was an outstanding and pleasant experience.

Every time I recall that trip and the fun we had, it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart.

I was glad we seized the moment and went on this fabulous trip!

R.T.

Reminiscing our trip to Japan 

Enjoying a Spa Experience During Our Vacation in Collingwood

In return of our hospitality of inviting them to spend a few days with us at our holiday resort in Collingwood, William, our friend, treated us to a special spa in the area. It was strange that we have been coming up to this town for our skiing and summer holidays for years yet never thought of visiting this famous spa in the area.

The Scandenav Spa is located in a large wooded area not far from town.

The building and facilities are much bigger than I have expected. We arrived at the spa on Wednesday afternoon and both of the parking lots were full. ( I found out later there was a Wednesday special.)

At the Scandinave Spa, since it is co ed and bathing suits were required, some of the spa areas and the bathers could be visible from the registration hall.

 The Scandinave Spa has regular spas at varying temperatures. In addition, the Scandinave Spa boosted different types of saunas such as Infared sauna, Finnish sauna, regular steam bath and steam bath infused with eucalyptus leaves. There was also a cold plunge pool.  Bathers could enjoy steaming themselves at one of those saunas at more than 100 degrees F. and then plunged themselves into a cold bath pool at around 70 degrees F. 

Both William and S. did just there and they claimed that it was a refreshing experience! 

My favourite part was the steam bath. Inside the steam bath, the steam was so thick that I could not see the person sitting on the next bench. But I loved the smell of fresh eucalyptus penetrating my entire body.

After soaking up the steam in the steam baths and immersing ourselves in 100 degrees F and above water, we went into a couple of the cool off rooms, located in the next building close by, furnished with comfortable loungers.

We sat, read a magazine with soft quiet music playing in the background and enjoyed the tranquil green scenery looking through the huge picture windows in the room.

The spa offered us a pleasant experience as well as an excellent opportunity for us to be away from our busy city lives to relax and enjoy nature!

We loved the spa experience in Collingwood and will definitely revisit the place on our next visit.



R.T.
Collingwood
Ontario

Ontario's Latest Mountain Coaster Rides at Blue Mountain Village

Mountain Coaster Rides at Blue Mountain Village

Our little get away unit in Collingwood

We look forward to our week long relaxation in Collingwood, a small town about two hours north of Toronto. This is our little get away. We have been coming here for many years and  have always invited family or some close friends.

Blue Mountain Village

This time was the first time we invited two different families to spend the week with us. For the first few days, we invited my sister and brother-in-law.

For the latter part of the week, we invited William and his wife. It was a good decision as we could allow more people to enjoy our little get away.

Blue Mountain Village was decked out in a sea of Canadian flags on the Labour Day Weekend

Today we visited the Blue Mountain Village, a popular place especially in the winter for skiers.



















We visited the village many times in the winter when we went for our skiing holidays.

A Rock climbing wall at the Blue Mountain Village

We  heard that this vacation village has added a few more recreational facilities to the site making it a four season holiday spot.

One of the many outdoor challenges

We saw many new additions to the Blue Mountain Village since we were here last time.

A participant ready for the zip lining  activity

We saw people doing zip lining activity.






















We had fun exploring these new activities with William and his wife.



















William is a fun person to be around and he is just like us, with child like enthusiasm and curiosity willing to try new things.





















Among all the new additions, we found the Mountain Coaster ride as one of the most interesting one.




















Pointing to this new recreational feature, William turned around to us and said” Let’s go up and try the mountain coaster!”

Waiting to get on the Mountain Coaster Ride

I have a phobia about height and riding in fast moving machines.



I was glad that S. found a new friend for this kind of exciting activity. 

This mountain coaster ride is different from the traditional coaster rides in that the rider rides solo and needs to be in control of the speed of his/ her own vehicle.

Hands on the brakes of their mountain coasters, our husbands sped along the track.

Amy and I were contented to stay behind and cheered our men on, busy taking pictures as their coasters started the mountain climb.

Making the climb to the top of the hill

Apparently, it was quite a climb up the hill and a good  distance coming down.

We waited for sometime before we saw the coasters speeding downhill towards where we were.



As both men came into sight, we saw their wide smiles, from one side of their mouths  to the other. They were excited and delighted about this new toy.

Looking at my husband’s wide smile, I was reminded of a saying I read recently:

 “It’s never too late to enjoy your childhood.”

I couldn’t agree more especially when you can have  goods friend with whom to enjoy it again!

Relaxing by the Pond

R.T.
Blue Mountain Village
Collingwood, Ontario