One of my favorite places in Toronto are the Toronto Islands, this beautiful patch of land rights in front of downtown Toronto, separated only by a strip of water. So close, yet so far away from the hustle and bustle and agitation. One of the most important events in the Toronto Islands is the Feast of the Dragon, a family event organized by the China Business Association of Toronto. Besides being a great entertainment event, the Dragon Boat Festival is also a major fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Foundation, so it is not only fun, but for good cause.
Then, two days ago, we went to the waterfront and took the ferry to the center of the island. At 10 am when I left things were still pretty quiet and the line-up had not yet begun. People with bicycles, cars, refrigerators on wheels, all with a day on the island, made the trip across the bay to enjoy the excitement of dragon boat races and enjoy the serenity of this sanctuary island.
The ferry ride offers absolutely the best view of the skyline of Toronto and the return of $ 6, is one of the cheapest travel options in Toronto. All skyscrapers, round shell CN Tower, Skydome (now called Rogers Centre) and an outline of the historic Royal York Hotel to come into focus to return to the city. The Toronto skyline is one of the world's most recognizable images.
After a minute fifteen, I ride set foot on the ferry wharf is at Centre Island and started walking toward the named Alan A. Lamport Regatta Course, a body of water often used for rowing events of various kinds. People are already in place on the lawn, ready for a picnic. The hearing was after the races.A food court was set up where vendors sell various types of oriental and people always cultural multicultural arts, crafts and demonstrations, and activities for children. A hole had an amazing assortment of handmade paper folding Dragonboat any décor. The lady at the booth told me it takes all day to make some of these masterpieces.
A dragon boat is actually a real boat long and narrow, propelled by oars and the boat is usually adorned with decorative Chinese dragon heads and tails. Usually, a dragon boat has a crew of about 22 people, with a drummer or caller at the front rowers, and a pivot in the back of the boat. Dragon boats are without doubt the existence of more than 2500 years in southern and central China have a long history in Chinese rituals and celebrations.
The races have started at about 08:00 on Saturday morning. Dragon Boat racers were on their way to the water channel 6 boats in both the qualifying heats for the final. This year, there were about 6,000 rowers competing over two days. About 200 teams participated in over 100 races during this past weekend and the team from all walks of life: banks, community groups, colleges, universities and other educational institutions, hospitals, technology and pharmaceutical companies and many more.
I walked to the podium, past Centreville Amusement Park Toronto Island on the bridge across the race with the intention of communicating with certain teams of dragon boat. The first team I met was a group of school directors and deputy directors to meet annually to participate in the race and raise funds for breast cancer. These teachers were very welcoming and enthusiastic bunch, and started talking to me. Their coach Glen gave me more background information on their training routine. He said in February that nearly the entire team goes to the public pool and starts vanes. Thus, around April, they actually get in the water near Ontario Place and the train twice a week. Some teams have five or even eight times a week. Glen and his friends said dragonboating is a type of sovereign effort, provides a welcome relief from the pressure of the class.
One of the team members have indicated that should certainly be one of the most interesting teams in the race: a group of breast cancer survivors. So I started hunting for this team and I entered the athlete of the people with a variety of tents for the comfort of the athletes.
Finally, I found the team, the Dragons a day, a group of women aged between 35 and 75, all of whom had survived breast cancer. All were dressed in pink shirts to call attention to the cause of breast cancer. I started talking to the group and I discovered that some group members have traveled to various destinations around the world to promote the cause of breast cancer awareness. Some of them have recently traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, and this year a number of them participate in dragon boat racing internationally in Singapore.
Dianne, media coordinator, told reporters that they are a breed known as the younger women to participate in programs of early detection of breast cancer. He added that in the past, many women told to avoid heavy upper body exercise after surgery for breast cancer. Paddlers to Dragons until the date the other hand, we firmly believe that the exercise involved dragonboating very significant health benefits, both physical and psychological.
A team member, a woman named Pam, recently participated in an initiative called UpKili: an event where 30 breast cancer survivors and their friends to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for breast cancer research. In total more than $ 120,000 was raised. Pam said she once had an accident while traveling and had to be rescued and transported by a team of sherpas. However, this was one of the most exciting events of his life, being part of this unique initiative for this great cause. And despite his injury, he ended up participating in a safari after the climb was over. I was very happy to have connected with this group of brave women who have overcome a lot and now bring their inspiring message to audiences around the world.
The official opening ceremony took place at noon, so I drove to the areas main festival. A group of politicians and dignitaries gathered on stage, and after a series of speeches and addresses of welcome by the president of the Toronto Chinese Business Association, a ceremony was held. A lion dance performance and eye-dotting ceremony of the Lions gave an authentic taste of Chinese culture in this event. It was followed by dance drum size, organized and executed by the Chinese Association Professional Women of Canada.He explained that his team is called Kindred Spirits and represented the family in Bolton. In fact, they had completed their final race of the day and were ready to relax and celebrate, and special boat miniature dragon was a symbol of his determination to make a big party.
The colorful characters kept coming. I found two pipes own fingers Commissioner Ontario Provincial Police and Drums , a group of uniformed and civilian volunteers, who make appearances as ambassadors of the Ontario Provincial Police through. These two gentlemen were simply enjoy a pizza when I approached them and asked about its future performance. They said they made about 13 hours, somewhere in the shadows. The two were dressed to the nines in a kilt and all the colors of the tartan Ontario.
Of course, I also ask them the key question is a burning question on everyones lips when they face Scottish piper. Civil Service kindly responded and said that the answer depends entirely on the question - What is less good. Nothing is good, everything is great condition: If the question is: The answer is
- If your question is What are you wearing under the kilt?" The correct answer is socks and shoes.
- It meant my curiosity remained unsatisfied, but I had a chuckle of responses, which undoubtedly has had dozens of times before you bend your query curious. I was only about two hours on the island before I had to go back to town, so I put on my roller skates and began to slip through the south of Toronto Island Garden, which will feature a fountain,flower beds and several ponds of reflection. South are the locker rooms, construction of bicycle rental island and the island dock. West of this area is Manitou Beach, a beach paradise for sun lovers greedy. Further west from there is the Hanlan, the only option beachwear Toronto.
I had to return to the mainland, so I started skating in the other direction, eastward to the room. Along the way, I found many patches of channels, entrances to facilities located in the landscape of the city, in fact, some of the best places to take in the skyline of Toronto in perfect serenity. Ward Island itself is home to a community of permanent residents, many of them artists.
I came across one of those talented people who had fabric paint t-shirt in the middle of the lawn. Christopher Pinheiro is a multidisciplinary artist born Trinidad. His description of the Toronto Islands site lists him as an actress, dancer, model, pretender, kitchen, chef and textstylist. We had a brief chat with his art of the fabric, because it was just a painting of a red maple leaf, which was then decorated with the yellow and blue. Christopher is clearly an important member of the community of Toronto Islands artist.
At 02:15 I got a ferry to the mainland from Wards Island, and probably another 20 or 30 passengers. Check the other side was a different story: the ferry port and public areas outside the ferry buildings were completely full of hundreds of people line out of all of Front Street. I think everyone wanted to take a piece of the Toronto Islands this glorious day ...
Then he walked the grounds and at the time the food court was very busy. Each case has its special characters and just after the opening ceremony, I saw this group of people who walk determinedly across the lawn, of course, a dragon boat team had just finished his career. Their leader was pulling the imitation version of a dragon-boat multi-functional which has been blowing smoke, soap bubbles and roars of Michael Jackson songs through the integrated stereo dance. The group was running at a pace fast enough and had a hard time trying to keep them and take photos at the same time. Finally settled in the shade by the water and I asked a staff member what it meant.
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