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Toronto’s important landmark CN Tower always stands out in the Toronto city skyline.

Central Canada Road Trip: Toronto

Canada’s largest city Toronto, like Canada’s capital Ottawa, is in Ontario Province where a third of Canada’s population lives. Toronto is located by the coast of the massive Lake Ontario. Niagara Falls is a 2-hour drive along the coast in the eastern direction. Ottawa is a 4-hour drive northeast of Toronto. Its central location makes Toronto a good base to start a road trip in Central Canada.

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Belvedere Jacques Cartier Bridge over St Lawrence River can be seen from Montreal Old Port – Montreal, Canada.

Central Canada Road Trip: Montreal and Quebec City

From Ottawa, a 3-day road trip to Montreal and Quebec City may include picking your own apple during apple harvest season at Verger Labonté on Perrot Island, which is a 30-minute drive southwest of Montreal, then Montreal downtown Underground City, Old Montreal, and the nearby Montreal Old Port waterfront, Mount Royal Park, Jean-Talon Market, and finally an evening visit to Montreal Botanical Gardens for “Gardens of Light” held at the time of my road trip. You may use Montreal as a base and have a day-trip driving to Quebec City, 3-hour away from Montreal, and back to Montreal on the same day. The Quebec City day-trip may include Plains of Abraham, Old Quebec, Quebec Old Port, and Montmorency Falls.

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Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and is Canada's sixth-largest city.

Central Canada Road Trip: Kingston, Ottawa, and Gatineau

Ottawa is the capital city of Canada and is Canada’s sixth-largest city. While Ottawa is a city in Ontario Province and Gatineau is a city in Quebec Province, the 2 cities are really just separated by the Ottawa River, on the 2 sides of the riverbank. The total metro area population of Ottawa-Gatineau is about 1.4 million and Gatineau’s population constitutes about 25% of the total population. Gatineau is often considered part of “Greater Ottawa”.

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Lotus Pond (莲池潭), where Dragon Tiger Pagodas (龙虎塔) are located, is one of the most traditional scenic spots in Kaohsiung (高雄).

Kaohsiung (高雄) and Southern Taiwan (南台湾)

Kaohsiung (高雄) is a hidden gem for travellers. It is a coastal city in southern Taiwan that has mild tropical weather and because of that, there is an abundant supply of good quality local tropical fruits. The city’s affordable and efficient mass rapid trains (which started operations in 2008) and light rail trains (which started operations in 2016) have made many tourist attractions in the city a lot more accessible. Food prices were very affordable in 2019. Visitors can have a reasonable lunch or dinner meal at less than 200 Taiwan Doller (~A$10 or ~US$7) in 2019. Be sure to visit the night markets (夜市) while in Kaohsiung where you can find many delicious Taiwan snack or small dishes (台湾小吃).

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Denham Recreational Jetty where you can see distinctive shallow and deep waters leading out to the Indian Ocean.

Walk by the Indian Ocean: Denham on the Coral Coast

Denham is the westernmost town in Australia. Located on the western shore of Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area, Denham is within Western Australia’s 1,100 km breathtaking Coral Coast which stretches from Cervantes, a 2-hour drive north of Perth, to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.

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Sunset at Monkey Mia

Walk by the Indian Ocean: Monkey Mia on the Coral Coast

Monkey Mia, a 9-hour drive north of Perth or a 4.5-hour drive if you drive north from Geraldton, is not a town but a huge Conservation Park located on the eastern shore of the Peron Peninsula in the UNESCO Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
Monkey Mia is famous for its RAC Monkey Mia Resort, located right within Monkey Mia Conservation Park, and its wild dolphin experience.

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City Beach is the closest beach to Perth's city centre. Located at just a 15-minute drive west of Perth CBD, City Beach is so accessible that you can have your morning swim or morning walk there and be in your Perth CBD office by 8 am.

Walk by The Indian Ocean: City Beach

City Beach is the closest beach to Perth’s city centre. Located at just a 15-minute drive west of Perth CBD, City Beach is so accessible that you can have your morning swim or morning walk there and be in your Perth CBD office by 8 am.

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Financial Freedom (Graphics created using free tools on Canva.com)

Living Expenses and Financial freedom

Imagine it is you who reach financial freedom. You will be able to choose to travel more. You can choose to go on cruises more. You can choose to spend more quality time with your family and loved ones. You can choose to do more volunteering work. You can choose to spend more time on your passions and hobbies. You can choose to put more focus on your personal projects that you were not able to work on if you are engaged in active work. You can even choose to start a new career which you truly love to do, not for financial consideration.
Without a doubt, not having to worry about finances is so important. The freedom of choice is so powerful.
Reaching financial freedom does not mean retirement. If you love the active work you are engaged in, you can choose to continue to do so. It is entirely your choice.
Financial freedom empowers you and gives you the freedom to choose.

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White sand and big waves along with lifeguards all year round make Scarborough Beach a favourite location for surfing, swimming, and water sports.

Walk by The Indian Ocean: Scarborough Beach

White sand and big waves along with lifeguards all year round make Scarborough Beach a favourite location for surfing, swimming, and water sports. The revitalised Scarborough foreshore has added a beachfront swimming complex (Scarborough Beach Pool), an amphitheatre (Scarborough Amphitheatre), a skate and BMX facility (“Snake Pit”), a bouldering wall, a new playground and play space for families (Whale Playground), huge grassed areas including Sunset Hill where visitors can enjoy watching the sun setting into the Indian Ocean, lookout platforms to look out over the Indian Ocean and Scarborough Beach, a new square ideal for markets and public events (Scarborough Square, where the Clock Tower is located), public toilets, showers, drinking fountains, picnic shelters, public BBQ’s, fitness/exercise equipment, plenty of car parks, and a new transit hub.

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The Ocean Reef waterfront will be dramatically transformed by the Ocean Reef Marina project. The photo shows the 2 new breakwaters nearly completed construction.

Walk by The Indian Ocean: Ocean Reef waterfront

By the end of 2023, the Ocean Reef waterfront will be dramatically transformed by the Ocean Reef Marina project which is now in progress of construction. Ocean Reef Marina project will create a waterfront precinct consisting of a mix of waterfront cafes and restaurants, retail, hotel, and short-stay accommodation, as well as Perth’s first coastal pool, new protected beach, and community parklands.

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Jackadder Lake, Perth

Walk by The Water: Jackadder Lake, Perth

Jackadder Lake is very much smaller than other nearby lakes such as Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger. So small that, unlike Herdsman Lake and Lake Monger, you can see what is on the opposite side of Jackadder Lake while you walk.

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Kalbarri waterfront area where Murchison River meets the Indian Ocean is a great spot for a relaxing walk

Walk by the Indian Ocean: Kalbarri waterfront

The best point to start your Kalbarri waterfront walk is Zuytdorp Memorial which is a lookout point providing 360-degree top-down views of the best part of the Kalbarri town centre, Murchison River mouth, the beach area, and the Indian Ocean.

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The Carnarvon Fascine waterfront area is a great spot for a relaxing evening walk

Walk by The Water: The Carnarvon Fascine waterfront

The Carnarvon Fascine refers to Carnarvon’s central waterway linking the Carnarvon community to the Indian Ocean coast. The name “Fascine” comes from a flood protection method using a pile of sticks to hold back floodwater.
The Carnarvon Fascine waterfront area is a great spot for a relaxing evening walk.

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End of Pandemic in 2022?

End of Pandemic in 2022?

When will WHO declare the end of pandemic? It has to be when the severity of COVID-19 infections is similar to that of seasonal flu, which has a commonly quoted mortality rate in the range of 0.1%. Based on the most recent reported global infection cases and deaths, COVID-19 infections still have a mortality rate of well above 1%. We have to bring down the global mortality rate down from 1% to 0.1%. It is a big gap…….

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