Since train arrival times in Canada are apparently something of a guessing game involving wegee boards and a healthy dose of 'blind mans bluff', we decided to overnight in the capital of Manitoba, Winnipeg (home of the windiest street corner in the world- Portage & Main- and it's usually a bone chilling Arctic wind at that!!). DH was positively giddy that not only had we booked into the historic Fort Gary Hotel (previous visits had us in the Lincoln M...

The only stop on our train journey that allowed for any visit much longer than a train-side cigarette break and leg stretch was Thompson, Manitoba. While chatting with some more experienced train riders of the north, DH had discovered that Thompson was home to a solitary and proud Tim Horton's Coffee Shop, and she-who-must-be-obeyed decided that we would be seeking out this beacon of coffee ecstasy even if it were to jeopardize our timely return to the train....

Part II of our current world wanderings is supposed to be a little bit of the 'vida loca' in Central and South America. And what better way to get to Costa Rica than via Churchill, Manitoba. Some of our more loyal viewers might be thinking that DH was somehow in charge of logistics on this leg of the trip, and while it's true that my Princess' navigational skills continue to start and finish with a coin toss, viewing polar bears in their natural e...