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Leafsfan.:
Week 1: FROM THE MOUNTAINS TO THE SEA
On a chilly, late spring morning, with the Athabasca Glacier and the Columbia Icefields as our shimmering snow-white backdrop, the second season of 'The Amazing Race Canada' was suddenly underway. To give the go in the midst of Jasper National Park, one of Canada’s oldest and largest national parks, and a UNESCO World Heritage site I might add, was truly a privilege. I also spent time on the awe-inspiring Glacier Skywalk, an absolutely breath-taking fusion of architecture and natural beauty.

To be honest, it was a little daunting walking out onto the glass floor of this impressive structure, jutting out from the mountainside, with the ground 918 feet below, so it was an exhilarating start to our journey. This “daredevil” who is used to sliding headfirst down an icy track at mind-boggling speeds is not so great with heights. But I got over it pretty quick and enjoyed the view.


The drive through Jasper remains my favourite drive of all time anywhere on this planet; I first drove through in my early twenties delivering an ATM of all things. Seriously. It’s a must for every Canadian. Just make sure you gas up  first as stations are few and far between. To then head straight to Winsport Canada Olympic Park was a special sensation. This is where I trained for many years, my home away from home on the sliding track. Now here I was as the host of The Amazing Race Canada – it’s overwhelming and emotional to have these two worlds collide.

Even more uncanny is the fact that we were heading for Victoria, where I would soon be moving with my wife Darla, and I was instantly swept into a whirlwind tour of this city. I got to see a bird’s eye view of Victoria when I did a tandem skydive.  It was an incredible experience in that I was able to endure all four seasons Vancouver Island has to offer on the way down. Victoria is certainly as beautiful from the sky as it is on the ground. What a sight! We made a great choice for our new home.
 
My next stop: The Fairmont Empress Hotel  and their age old Tea Room. What a neat experience, to go back in time with the gang from Walkabout Historical Tours in Victoria.  These women and some men dressed in period costumes in this stunning room, my mom would have loved this! I have to take her here when she’s in town…

 
Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to visit the Damage Control School at CFB Esquimalt, but I’ll definitely check it out as it’s near my new digs – I’d love to see how these men and women train to protect our waters and save lives at sea – truly incredible job they do! Thank you!
 
Our first Pit Stop for the race is the Fisgard Lighthouse on the historic Fort Rodd Hill, a place just teeming with interesting history. Built way back in 1860 before Vancouver Island was even a part of Canada, this place was once a beacon for the British Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron, and is now home base for the Royal Canadian Navy.


There we saw more of Victoria’s mix of weather, from sun to blustering rain, it seemed every time racers approached the weather would take a turn for the worse!
 
It was a speedy trip from the Columbia Icefields in the heart of Jasper National Park to Fisgard Lighthouse at the edge of Fort Rodd Hill on Vancouver Island, jam-packed with action every step of the way. What a start to this mind-blowing season ahead – next stop Tofino!

Source:http://www.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada/Articles/Jonsblog/Week1.aspx

Leafsfan.:
Week 2: SURF’S UP!
Tofino is, in a word, gorgeous. The spectacular beaches and scenery, the friendly laid-back vibe, the weather, the seafood, the limitless things to do – everything about this place is just fantastic. Especially the surfing!

I was amped to return to Tofino, this is my third visit, my first was seven or eight years ago. That was also my first time trying out surfing, and I instantly loved it.

There are great waves on several beaches here, with varying degrees of difficulty. Some of the best can be found in Pacific Rim National Park, like the spectacular Wickaninnish Beach (locals call it “Wick Beach”). Beginners (and experts) can enjoy Chesterman Beach, which is where our Racers caught a couple waves.

It’s a safe place to start and there’s all kinds of surf shops in and around town where you can rent gear and they know all the seasoned pros if you need a lesson.  Catherine from Tofino Paddle Surf was on hand to help out and she had a good time reviewing the racers' surf videos too. 


(Catherine from Tofino Paddle Surf)

I had a blast hitting the waves again.

It’s not surprising that some of the racers had a hard time with surfing, getting up – and staying up – on that board is pretty tiring. Add your typical race ingredients of adrenaline, fatigue and frustration, and it can take a while.


(Rob wiping out on a wave)
 
About an hour south of Tofino is the fishing town Ucluelet, B.C., the home of Ucluelet Harbour Seafoods. This was a fascinating place to visit, the fact that they process 700,000 fish a day is dumbfounding. It’s right on the water so they have these opportunistic seals and bald eagles hanging around the docks, just an incredible sight. Racers sure had their work “cut” out for them with the fillet challenge.


(Alain and Audrey filleting fish at the Detour)
 
Speaking of  seafood  , it’s not hard to find the good stuff in Tofino. My personal favourite, hands down, are all the taco stands, there are several of these hidden gems serving up killer tacos and burritos. It’s worth the trip just to sample the tuna tacos. There’s all kinds of lodging options too, something for everyone, and most of them right on the water with ocean views. Can’t go wrong.
 
At the Pit Stop on the Olsen Crab Dock overlooking Clayoquot Sound, it was great to hang out with local surfing legend and “Princess of the Peak” Mathea Olin, she’s a veteran of the waves at just 11 years old!


(Me with local surfing legend Mathea Olin. She's only 11 years old!)

We had some fun watching underwater crab fights, passing time between racers arriving. The Crab Dock is actually one of Tofino's government wharves, it’s where local crabbers store their gear and boats.
 
I definitely left Tofino feeling the opposite of crabby! Tofino really has that edge-of-the-world feel to it, just a perfect place to host a leg of the race. It’s only about a four hour drive from my new home, I know I’ll be back soon and often.
 
And now we’re off to China! Can’t wait to get to  Hong Kong  ! We’re going global!

Source:http://www.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada/Articles/Jonsblog/Week2.aspx

Leafsfan.:
Week 3: THE VERTICAL CITY
Here we are, for the first time "The Amazing Race Canada" has landed on foreign soil! What a trip! It’s an incredible feat to get from Tofino to Hong Kong, about 10,550 kilometers give or take, and the two places could not possibly be more different. From the most laid back place in Canada, already a pretty easy going country for the most part, to the dizzying hustle and bustle of Hong Kong is a mind-blowing transition. The speed of the city, the breakneck pace, even at night, is exhilarating.
 
I had visited Hong Kong, or HK as it’s often called, shortly after the Vancouver 2010 games on a speaking engagement for two days. This vibrant city is a healthy mix of Eastern and Western cultures, and oozing with history. There’s even about 300,000 Canucks calling this place home!
 
It’s an overwhelming sensation entering Hong Kong at night, the skyline and high tech light displays emanating from the buildings are an explosion of light and colour. Coupled with jet lag it’s downright trance-inducing.
 
One of the many surprising things about HK is that it’s surrounded by lush green mountains and the city doesn’t occupy all that much of a footprint, considering about 7.2 million people live here.



As a result Hong Kong is one the world’s most densely populated cities and they just build up, not out. We stayed in the Mongkok district, which is the most densely populated area of HK. It’s remarkable. HK is stacked vertically, layers of steel and glass and terrifically narrow apartment buildings towering over the commotion. It’s a bewildering marvel of human skill and ingenuity. Too much for this jet-lagged, mesmerized brain to fathom.
 
Our transport was a fully loaded really cool van, this thing even had wireless internet. I didn’t know that was even possible. We whizzed through the streets of HK; the drivers in this town are unbelievable, it is not for the squeamish. It’s exciting but I’d recommend anti-nausea medication for those of you who get a little queasy going really fast then coming to an abrupt standstill. They have several varieties of gridlock in HK, none are pleasant, but they just roll with it.
 
I was very lucky to spend some time with the Demon Chef, Alvin Leung who is a fellow Canadian and Judge on CTV’s MasterChef Canada.



I enjoy food, but his world-renowned restaurant, Bo Innovation  , is beyond anything I’ve had the pleasure of trying. We were lucky enough to enjoy the 13-course meal with wine pairings and I could barely walk outta there!
 

Click here to view the Bo Innovation Menu

Bo Innovation alone is worth the trip to HK. It’s the kind of modern, experimental cuisine that changes you and what you think about food. It’s a life altering event, a meal like this. Listening to Alvin talk about food, and how he is completely self taught, and gaining insight into the mind of this genius was an unforgettable experience.



On the other side of the Hong Kong culinary coin is  She Wong Lam  , one of the many places around the city serving up a traditional Chinese delicacy: snake soup. This place is the oldest I’m told, and has been here for well over one hundred years. There are these stacks of wooden boxes and steel cages all over the restaurant, each of them teeming with living, slithering snakes. I strive to respect cultural traditions, and I also want to try everything these racers are going to be subjected to, so I agreed to try a shot of snake bile– and I have to say, it was surprisingly not unpleasant. I’m not going to make this a go to beverage option, an ice cold beer typically does the trick, but I’m glad I was able to experience this distinct part of Chinese culture that has been around for centuries.


 
That’s one of the coolest things about Hong Kong and China: we’re talking thousands of years of history and civilization. And traditions are something they take very seriously.
 
Spending some time with Master Lee, a bonafide Kung Fu master, was very cool. Watching his students practice with weapons and choreographed moves was straight out of a Bruce Lee movie. I tried to master a few moves but I don’t think I impressed anyone.


 
The Pit Stop at Kowloon Walled City Park offered a chance to discover a fascinating part of Hong Kong’s history.  I learned this place dates back over a thousand years, and was once a military outpost that gradually turned into a lawless urban enclave, housing thousands of residents within its walls, stacked on top of each other in these ramshackle tenements. Roughly 40 years ago or so this place was notorious for being overrun with serious crime, the cops wouldn’t even come here unless in large groups apparently, as it was fully controlled by the infamous crime syndicates the Triads. In due course Kowloon Walled City was demolished in the early 90s and they quickly replaced it with this impressive series of gardens and pavilions, a peaceful retreat from HKs hectic atmosphere.


 
As if this job wasn’t already a landslide of awesome, I was lucky enough to hang out with another fellow Canuck Jennifer Tse. 



Jennifer was born in Hong Kong but immigrated to Canada with her family at a very young age.  She was raised in Vancouver before returning back to Hong Kong to pursue her career as an actress and model.

Click here to watch a video of Jennifer and I at the Pit Stop

She greeted racers by saying, “Welcome to Hong Kong, city of life.” Truer words have never been spoken. Hong Kong is an enthralling vertical city; a sophisticated, modern and inspiring place.
 
Next stop  Macau  ! All bets are off!

Source:http://www.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada/Articles/Jonsblog/Week3.aspx

Leafsfan.:
Week 4: THE MACANESE DANGLE
It was a mad dash through Hong Kong to the Turbojet ferry docks, and a speedy trip across the water to the terminal in Macau. What a place! Modern, flashy casinos and hotels all surrounded by this century's old European/Asian hybrid of architecture and cobblestone mosaic streets. And to think that Hong Kong was densely populated, Macau is even more so, while not boasting as many residents.


(Senado Square - a paved town square in Macau - during the day. This is also where teams had to learn a complicated folk dance for a Detour challenge at night.)
 
One thing that immediately struck me in this fascinating place is the humidity. Definitely don’t get this in Calgary. Ladies take note! This town is tough on the locks.
 
Like Hong Kong, Macau is a “Special Administrative Region” (SAR) of China with their own legal systems and currency, the Pataca. While I’m not a gambling man I’d bet that is one of the coolest sounding currencies on earth. The Portuguese arrived here in the 1500s and their influence is all over the city, especially places like the Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, only the façade remains from a fire back in the 1800s, and they kept it standing, which is a really neat place.


(Standing in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's)
 
I really enjoyed spending some time at A-Ma Temple, a stunning Buddhist place of worship and one of the oldest – if not the oldest – places in Macau. Although it’s crawling with tourists, it’s still very much a heightened spiritual place, and we got to light off some special firecrackers for a little good luck along the race.
 

(Me at the A-Ma Temple)
 
It seems one of the big themes of Season 2 is me jumping out of or off of things, which has been so much fun. Now, I’ve been really lucky to do a lot of pretty cool stuff in my life, but being able to bungee jump off the  Macau Tower  , the world’s highest tower jump at 233 metres (764-feet), was easily one of the coolest, most thrilling things I’ve ever done in my entire life.

To see this part of the world, the whole city of Macau, dangling off of one the world’s great towers was an unforgettable experience.

The narrow streets of Macau are just teeming with vibrant energy and history, and it’s one of those places that transforms at night into this cavalcade of taxis and cars beneath a brilliant barrage of swirling lights. This is definitely one of the world’s most unique places, kind of a collision of old Europe and ancient China, with all the flourishes of Las Vegas amped up to eleven. There are incredible  restaurants  , shows, and honestly you could just watch the cars, vans and motor bikes race around town – it’s like a stunt show on every narrow street!

(Pit Stop greeter Jasmine Ao in front of the bright lights of Macau)
 
It’s obvious that a lot of Patacas are coming into this city, it’s one of the world’s richest I’m told, and with new casinos and  hotels   in the works it shows no signs of slowing down, much like this race!
 
It’s a long way back to Canada from here! Seriously, I’d like to know how many people have left Macau and travelled straight to the Yukon, that’s gotta be pretty rare, right?

Source:http://www.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada/Articles/Jonsblog/Week4.aspx

Leafsfan.:
Week 5:YUKON GOLD
Our time in China was a whirlwind caper, and getting back to Canada would be an expedition in and of itself. Back on the Turbojet ferry to Hong Kong, a long-haul flight to Vancouver made better with some time in Air Canada’s new premium economy service, plus another flight up to Whitehorse…almost 12,000 kilometres and close to 20 hours later here we landed in the Yukon Territory.


The road to the Sky High Ranch.
 
I don’t suppose you could find two places on earth that are more polar opposite than Macau and the Yukon. To go from one of the world’s most densely populated, centuries-old cities to the wide open Canadian North is quite the contrast. It’s always great to be back on home turf, but to land in the rugged wilderness of the Yukon again added a whole layer of gratification. And the weather was absolutely perfect, a balmy 17 or 18 degrees, crisp mountain air, can’t beat it!  When we shot this episode of the race the Yukon was the warmest spot in all of Canada on that day – AMAZING! I have to say that being here in the Yukon might just be one of my favourite Canadian destinations.
 
I celebrated my birthday on this leg of the race and was lucky to have one of those all-encompassing Yukon experiences – real outdoor fun. At Sky High Ranch we were able to do some dog sledding and build a campsite (I love camping and splitting wood).





From there I was able to test out the biathlon challenge and did pretty well on those targets. The Pit Stop for this leg, which is on the edge of  Miles Canyon  , is a stunning location.

 
Topped off the fun with outstanding and authentic  Mexican Chow   (great margaritas in Whitehorse, who knew?) and had a blast with the crew. The only thing missing was my dear wife Darla, our birthdays are a day apart so it’s a pretty big deal every year for us.
 
I’m very excited to return to my home province of Manitoba and the great city of  Winnipeg  , my old stomping grounds. Can’t wait to skate on the Jets’ home ice!

Source:http://www.ctv.ca/TheAmazingRaceCanada/Articles/Jonsblog/Week5.aspx

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