A Month in North America Part 4 - Winnipeg Day 1, 2, and 3

The morning after we came back from Seattle, we went to the airport to fly over to Winnipeg. Despite the pictures we posted here, we actually took West Jet, a Canadian airline company that is like a budget airline but with non-budget fares. Though IMHO Air Canada is not any better in that respect.

On the brighter side, Vancouver Airport had been listed as one of the Top 10 airports in the world. So even though our flight was about 2 hours delayed it was not a bad waiting time.

Vancover Airport

We set foot at the Winnipeg Richardson Airport about 3 hours later, and we were greeted with a much nicer airport compared to how it was when we left it nearly 4 years ago. At that time they were still building this new airport but we hadn't had the chance to see it when we moved to Jakarta. Our good friend was already waiting for us there and we were very excited! We stayed with her and the family for the whole time we were in Winnipeg, they are like family to us.

Winnipeg Richardson Airport

The Winnipeg weather was not very friendly upon our arrival, I don't know what temperature it was but it was a far cry from Vancouver's. Nevertheless, the warm welcome we received from our old friends were better than any warm weather!

Almost instantly, Miss Kiki felt right at home and she adored the family especially their two "big boys". She was showered with attention and she was enjoying every moment of it. DH and I and MM went to the Salsa Practice at her studio on the first night. And this is what we found when we got back...

The next day, we went to Superstore to buy Miss Kiki some warm gears... We were very fortunate and grateful that MM and the family made arrangements so we were able to use one of their cars everyday.

To her, this is like a fashion show of her own and she was excited about it. We finally decided on a warm head band, a pair of mittens and a pair of boots. All in pink. Sure, why not.

From Superstore we went for a light lunch at Earl's, since we've been dreaming about their Clam Chowder for a while.... I would say as good as the Pike Place Chowder, with extra vegetables in it. Expensive though, a plain pasta dish, an appetizer, clam chowder, and a piece of bread cost us more than $50 while in Jakarta this would get us a full blown dinner and more.

At Earl's

Crispy Chilli Chicken

Clam Chowder

We then walked over to Polo Park to see what's new and to specifically go to the Lululemon store. We got our favourite White Mocha from Second Cup, and of all the chances, we ran into one of our best friends MG and her daughter in the washroom! Our kids instantly became buddies and here are some of their pictures together...

White Mocha - best with shaved Lindt Chocolate

And more fun times at home!

Day 3

It was a day colder than the day before, but we were determined to go out. Miss Kiki loves bridges so we had planned to take her to the Salisbury House on Provencher Bridge..... Well that plan was a total flop because the Sals wasn't even there anymore and is now a different restaurant which was not open yet when we got there. See the clear blue sky in the picture? Yeah, that's a sign of chilly weather...

We were also able to see the newly built Museum of Human Rights. It is a funny shaped building that was supposed to represent Aurora Borealis, if I'm not mistaken. I remember they were planning to build it when we moved to Jakarta almost four years ago and it was not yet open during our visit. The grand opening date was going to be the day after our departure from Winnipeg. Oh well.....

Museum of Human Rights

We decided to have breakfast at Provencher Bistro instead...

We ordered Eggs Benedict, an egg and sausage dish, and a mixed fruit crepe. We had forgotten how BIG the portions are in Canada. The Eggs Benny was pretty good, but we haven't found one better than the one from TWG in Jakarta. And, no greens! *gasp*

From St. Boniface area we headed south west to Kenaston area. We stopped at Superstore again to exchange Miss Kiki's mitts because we found out later on that some of the stitches were gone. I do love the Canadian exchange policy.

Since we've moved, Winnipeg had several new things such as the airport and the museum mentioned above. Another thing we were excited about was the IKEA store on Kenaston. As usual, the IKEA has a huge parking lot. We took a spot and entered. I was excited to find that they have a play area where your kids can play and be looked after by their staff while you shop... for a whole hour. Well Miss Kiki was also excited about the idea so that's what we did.

From Ikea with some small items, we headed over to Henry's because DH wanted to buy a new lens for his camera. This is the camera that he bought in Japan last fall. He opted for a fixed lens with wide aperture capability. I do like the pictures it took. Here are some examples taken at the Indigo bookstore near Henry's.

Then one quick snack at Wendy's followed for good old days......

Continued with sushi dinner at the best (IMHO) sushi restaurant in Winnipeg, Yujiro, with the boys (and a girlfriend). ;) If you ever go to Yujiro, please say hi to Ed behind the sushi bar. He ensures that the ingredients he serves are of the best quality.

After dinner we went over to one of our friend's house, where a few other people, all from our dance group had gathered to see us. We felt so special! Thank you all, for taking the time to come see us and a special thanks to the host. It was a great evening!