The last few days

With all the "excitement" of this Australia contest, we've been neglecting telling you about what we've been up to the last few days. Here's the rundown...

After receiving our new Heys backpacks I went on the Sunwing Airlines website to check their luggage policy. We planned our upcoming trip to England (only three more sleeps!) to be able to use carry on luggage only so that we can avoid any extra charges because many of the discount airlines in Great Britain and Europe charge extra for checked baggage, and allow only one carry on bag to a maximum of 10 kgs (22 lbs).

We are flying Sunwing from Toronto to London for the first leg of our trip . I hadn't checked their carry on policy, but it's a good thing I did. First of all, we are allowed 20 kgs of checked baggage included in the cost our flight ($327.50 each, tax included, one way), so we know right away that we won't incur any extra charges. However, our carry on is limited to one item to a maximum of only 5 kgs (11 lbs). So we're going to be way over that, so I guess we'll see what they say when we check in. If we have to check our backpacks, so be it, but I'd rather not. So if we're not putting any other checked baggage in, maybe they'll let us carry on our one bag. I guess we'll see.

We enjoyed the visit from our couchsurfer June. Ruth took her to see the sights of downtown Ottawa on Wednesday.

June, on a walk by the Ottawa River.

We think it's as much fun hosting a couchsurfer as it is being one! June is from South Korea and is traveling across Canada on her own. We've been part of the couchsurfing world for almost five years now, and it's always been a pleasant experience both hosting someone else or being hosted in someone else's home.

Ruth, Kevin, June, Tony. Saying goodbye to June at the Ottawa train station.

Thursday, we dropped June off at the Ottawa train station and made our way over to our son Alex's place. Helped him hang a few pictures on the walls of his new apartment and then took him for lunch. We were a little rushed because we were also picking up my nephew Marshal for an overnight visit and so we headed right to Orleans where my sister lives, and decided to get some takeout along the way.

Peal of India restaurant.

We had been to the Pearl of India restaurant once before because we used to live in Orleans which is about 20 minutes east of Ottawa. We got there at about 1:50pm, and the sign on the window says they close for lunch at 2:00pm. So we were in the process of driving away when the owner comes running out and stops us! He says "no, no, it's okay, you can come in, please come in". (say this with your best Indian accent to make it more authentic!)

So we explained we wanted take out, and he said that was fine. He went running in to get menus for us and said "I give you a deal, I give you a deal. Does anybody have any allergies?". And Ruth explained that she needs to eat gluten free. He says "no problem lady, everything gluten free except nan bread. No nan bread for you, lady".

This guy was a real character. So he did give us a deal, and we walked away with a bunch of food for $58. A bit of an expensive lunch for us, at $14.50 per person, but when we got to my sisters and unpacked everything, there was enough food for eight people! Totally serious, in fact we had enough left over for lunch the next day! The food was totally excellent and that's why I have no problem recommending the place. If you're ever in Ottawa, make the effort to go visit Pearl of India restaurant in Orleans.

This weekend, Ruth's sister and her son are coming to visit from near Toronto area, and then we are going back with them to their place on Monday. Then, they will drop us at Toronto airport on Tuesday for our flight to London! Only three more sleeps, so stay tuned. We are getting excited!