Mai with Bong Su (Bull Elephant) to be washed

So I was reading the Sunday newspaper last week while sipping my coffee when I read a story about the chance of washing Bong Su - a 5 tonnes asian elphant from the Melbourne Zoo. Within 60 seconds of reading the story I picked up my mobile and called to register my spot!

Registering and booking for your experience

To register your spot you need to call the Melbourne Zoo on +61 3 9285 9300. The cost is $100/person which you can pay via a credit card over the phone.

The $100 also includes entrance to the Zoo, hence I recommend you set aside time to explore the zoo. The money is used for the upkeep of the animal as well as helping towards conserving Asian elephant’s habitat in Asia.

Melbourne Zoo is located approx 15 minutes from city by tram or a short 10 minutes drive.

On the Arrival

Make sure you have your camera ready and get ready to take as many pictures to capture the experience. There is also the Melbourne Zoo photographer on standby if you’ve forgot to take your camera :).

I got myself well prepared by wearing comfortable shoes and clothing and avoid bright colours as it may disturb the animal.

As I arrived I was joined by 5 others who were all looking forward to the experience. The elephant we were going to wash was named Bong Su, a male bull elephant which happens to be the father of the recently born baby elephant, Mali. (video & photos of Mali theage.com.au)

After the briefing, we were herded into the elephant barn on the other side of the zoo. Passing the back door, we entered the barn. We were shown the fridge where they kept the zoo animals food as well as the simulation schedule the zoo keeper provides for the animals.

Elephant Food Chart

Elephant enrichment and simulation schedules

The elephant washing experience

As we entered the barn, I noticed that the floor was rubberish, apparently this is to protect the elephant’s feet/joints. I was waiting in anticipation and not long after Bong Su entered the barn.

My reaction: Bong Su is a HUGEEEEEEE. I don’t think anyone can comprehend the size of an elephant until they get close up. I mean I have been to Africa and seen African elephants (which are bigger) but seeing Bong Su from 2 metres is really something else. Bong Su weighs 5 tonnes and must have been around 3.5m tall. Apparently he is the biggest animal in Australia!

You might be thinking if all that steal cage is necessary? Well I can tell you that Im glad it was there. I was told even the handlers were a little toey. Compared to the females, bull elephants are VERY unpredictable which is why the cage I guess.

Bong Su - a 36 years old male bull elephant weighs 5000 kg, ready for a good scrub

The zoo keeper started spraying Bong Su with warm water. As he was being hosed, the keeper started talking to him in an Asian language to get Bong Su lift his feet, move his back, kneel and lie down. It was like giving your dog a command but 500 times bigger haha…

Bong Su’s sooooo adorable, we were told that he understood language and can think like a 3 or 4 year old. This is so amazing.

Ok so its my turn to brush Bong Su. They gave me a broom and a bucket of soap. I dipped my broom and started scrubing him. Bong Su seems to like it, I guess it’s like giving a human being a back rub. I also realised how unfit I am and how much hardwork it is  for a zoo keeper to care for this elephant. My arm started to hurt and I’ve only done a small portion of the washing. My other 2 fellow visitors finished the job up.

Bong so lifts his leg as soon as he hears instruction in an asian language given by his keeper

Once again, after verbally instructed by his keeper, Bong Su, the bull elephant lies down, ready to be washed

Mai with a broom and a bucket of soap ready to wash an elephant

Mai realises that giving an elephant a good scrub's so tiring and requires a lot of hard elbow work

Bong Su, the bull elephant's given a final rinse

I actually fell in love with Bong Su as I was brushing him, his eyes were showing that he really enjoyed this experience as much as I did. As Bong Su stood up, he looked like a totally different animal. He’s so clean and handsome :).

a coarse elephant skin with lots of hair

Bong Su renjoys the washing very much as we can tell from the way he looks :)

Hiding Bong Su (Bull Elephant)’s snack

After the washing, we were each given a bucket of elephant snack which consists of a pumpkin, couple oranges and a zuchini. We left the barn and went to Bong Su’s zoo enclosure. We were told to hide these food in one place so that as Bong Su re-enter, he will be able to play hide and seek and hit a jackpot when he finds the food. We went to different places and scattered our group of snack.

We had a ball watching Bong Su play hide and seek with his snack.

A bucket of Elephant's favourite snack - ready to be hidden away at Bong Su (the bull elephant)'s enclosureMai at Bong Su (the bull elephant's) enclosure - ready to hide some snack

Mai at Bong Su (the bull elephant's) enclosure - ready to hide some snack

Bong Su, as he comes back at his enclosure after a good wash, found the first hidden snack

Bong Su, finds the last hidden jackpot of snack

Grabbing a pumpkin

Bong Su finishes his hide and seek game

It's massive (self explanatory)

I also got a chance to visit Bong Su’s newly born daughter Mali. Mali has a lot of personality and I was told it’s rare to have a female elephant born in the zoo.

Mali - the newly born female baby elephant

Mali - playing with mud

Mali's mom, rubbing her tummy

The elephant washing experience was one of the most enjoyable experience which certainly made me fall in love with an elephant. For you who knows me well, I’m an animal lover and most of my charity support has been everything to do with protecting wild life and animal well being. By experiencing the elephant washing not that you help support animal but also have a very memorable experience. It’s certainly money well spent.

A beautiful Montreal with St Lawrence river on the background

Montreal is a really nice city - full of personality, good looking and nice people. Other than being a french speaking city, it feels very much like my home town of Melbourne in Australia. While in Montreal, I had the luxury of staying in my friend’s place in the suburb of St Lambert (across the almighty St Lawrence river) and Victoria Bridge.

 As a diehard UFC fan, Montreal is the home of my hero Georges St Pierre who trains regularly at the Tristar Gym.

Basilique_Cathedrale Marie Reine du Monde - it's built to copy the St Peter's Basilica in Vatican city

I had a chance to live like a local by shopping and visiting cafes at Rue St Dennis and Rue St Anne. Rue St Dennis is where you find independent boutiques and really nice cafe while Rue St Anne is where you find chain/high street shops. Out of all the shops I visited my favourite is a map shop called Aux 4 Points Cardinux (4 Cardinal Points). It sells maps including nautical/sailing maps. It also sells travel books. A shop fits for a nomad person like me :). When I was there, I also managed to go to one of the Montreal Jazz festival show. Summer in Canada is full of festivals, everyday, every weekend. It felt as if they want to make the most out of the warm weather they have. I also managed to enjoy the fireworks festival where Montreal displayed an hour lenght of firework shows as part of a world wide competition.

My favourite shop in Montreal - A map shop called Aux 4 points cardinux (4 cardinal points)

Cakes at one of the many cafe at Rue St Dennis

There are lots of interesting buildings and museums in Montreal. My favourite is the Arts Museum where you get to see the local artists work on display.

If you are after a little bit of green from the city or some fresh air, dash out to Mont Royal and look out for the symbol of Montreal which is The Cross. I’d recommend that you get a map if you don’t have the luxury of a mate like mine who knows Mont Royal inside and out. 

Croix du Mt Royal (The Cross) - symbol of Montreal can be found somewhere in Mont Royal :)

One of an incentive to get up to Mont Royal is the birds eye view of Montreal as you get up to Chalet Du Mont Royal. There’s also a really nice cafe to relax afterwards.

A lookout from Chalet du Mt Royal at Mont Royal

I can see myself spending summer in Montreal and winter somewhere else :), Montreal is certainly a nice city worth spending your time living like a local :).

Mai at Mont Royal with Montreal on her back

Walking the glass floor platform - a must do experience in CN Tower even for someone who's scared of heightIn an attempt to see more of Toronto, I decided to visit the infamous CN Tower. CN stands for Canadian National which is the railway company who built the tower in 1976. The tower stands 553 meterstall and has 1700 steps. The lift from the ground floor takes 58 seconds to reach the top. The tower is also a communication tower.A bomb detection as you enter CN Tower - the nozzles spray air to detect any traces of explosive

Other than views from the observation window, the tower also has a glass floor. I’m not someone who is afraid of heights but as I stepped into the glass floor, I got a little vertigo, must be the champagne that I sipped at the observation restaurant ;-p. It was really cool to get up with the lift as the lift also has a glass door.

Toronto - as viewed from CN Tower

I got a chance to get a birds eye view of Toronto, which to my surprise, didn’t give me a wow factor of Toronto as per my first impression of the city. I’ve got a mixed feeling towards Toronto. In some aspects, I think the city is mediocre, but in others, I really like a couple of their crazy financial buildings.

Toronto

I have a whole day today to explore Toronto as part of my Niagara Falls tour. My first impression of the city was “a luke warm coke with no frizz”. The city is full of concrete buildings, a little bit messy without a personality. When a local found out I was from Australia, he straight away commented that Toronto is usually compared with Sydney. I was in awe full of puzzlement. There is no way Toronto is comparable with Sydney as Sydney is a really pretty city. However, after giving it much of a thought, the local must be talking about the city being the financial district central of the country, then that’d make sense to compare Toronto. Toronto’s population of 5.5 million is also comparable to Sydney.

With Toronto, you can easily glance over the surface and think that it’s just a city of concrete buildings. However, if you give it a chance, you’ll see some amazing buildings with plenty of characters. Being the financial district, my focus was geared towards the buildings owned by the banks.

Awesome bank buildings

I came across this skycrapper building owned by BMO. It’s a 72 level building that fits 25,000 employees. What is so fascinated about this building is the marble they use all over the exterior and the interior. The marble tha is the finest marble from Italian region of Carrara. Carrara is where Michael Angelo got his marble slab for the infamous Statue of David. 

BMO building - as you can see utilising white marbles from the Italian region of Carrara (same region where Michael Angelo got his marble for the statue of David)

Each marble square (as you can see in the picture some are missing) weighs 160 kg

The banks here in Canada seem to be competing against each other. The RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) building is also fascinating as they coated gold leaf into the windows.

Royal Bank Plaza with gold leaf coated windows

Canada Stock Exchange Building

Toronto Stock Exchance building - where they kept the old with the new

Whenever I get a chance to visit a country, I always try to visit their stock exchance building, their zoo and their chinatown :). Canada Stock Exchange is certainly not to be missed. What I like about this building is they kept the original building as they build upwards to accommodate more people and activities. The most interesting part of the building is the decorations on the wall. As you can see below in the picture, it looks like the banker’s hand’s in the worker’s pocket :).

Toronto stock exchange building decoration - as you can see the banker's hand is in the worker's pocket

Fairmont Hotel - Hotel York

Fairmont Hotel Toronto

When you travel around Canada, you will notice there are a chain of fairmont hotels. The Fairmont hotels are luxury hotel and in capital cities, they tend to be positioned right across the railway station. These hotels were built by the Railway company so that each travellers can convinently stay overnight during their railway journey. The one in Toronto is called Hotel York. It looks like a castle similar to Chateau Frontenace in Quebec city.  The Queen has her own room there.

Toronto Railway Station

Toronto Railway station is another place of interest. You can go to any region of Canada from this railway station. The building itself is quite interesting but as I look closer to the details inside the station, I noticed they hang all the provincial flags and at each end, they hang the Canadian flag. Each provincial, e.g. Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, etc has its own flag. The Canada flags at each end shows that its a united country of Canada.

Inside Toronto railway station - provincial flags and Canada flags hung at each end

The Old and New Town Hall

 Canada Old and New Town Hall is next to each other. The old town hall was built in 1898 and is now utilised as a court of justice.

Toronto old town hall with the new one (white building) can be seen behind

I don’t really like the look and feel of the new town hall (well in comparison to the old one). However, the new town hall was built by a finnish architect and the shape of it resembles a human eye.

Mai in front of Toronto Old Town Hall

Underground city stretches 9km - great for winter, people don't need to re-surface outside :)

Undercover shopping - interesting architecture

Mai in front of Hockey Hall of Fame

Toronto oldest part of neighbourhood

Mai on Niagara on the lake town

When you visit Niagara Falls, a must thing to do is visit the quaint town of Niagara on the lake town. Niagara on the lake is a historic district.  It has a collection of residential, commercial, ecclesiastical and institutional buildings, many on their original sites close to the street. Here you will find some of the most well preserved buildings in Canada built between 1815 and 1859.

With classic British architecture,  Niagara on the lake was a prominent, prosperous Loyalist town.

Prince of Wales hotel at Niagara on the lake

I had a chance to simply walk around, have an ice cream, browse the quaint boutiques and shops, simply wonderful.

Shop till you drop or simply stroll and enjoy the quaint little town of Niagara on the lake

After exploring Niagara on the lake town district, a visit in Niagara is not complete without a dash to a local vineyard. Niagara Falls have many vineyards. One thing that’s worth spending a fortune (unfortunately you cannot taste it before you buy) is an Ice wine. Ice wine grapes are harvested during winter. I visited one of the Chateau to grab a couple bottles of wine which did not last very long.

A chateau in the local vineyard

Mai at Niagara Falls (The American Fall)

Niagara Falls, I cannot stop talking about it. There are two falls that share a border between USA (state of New York) and Canada (state of Ontario). There is the American fall (resides in America) and the Horse shoe fall also known as the Canada fall (resides in Canada). These falls are not that high but the volume of water is almighty - 168,000 cubic meters of water flow through every minute.

Horse Shoe Fall (Canada Fall)

I am visiting the falls from the Canadian side; it has a better view than the American side. Don’t take my word for it though, I’ve never been to the American side but just imagine that viewing them from the American side where you see the drop of the falls is not as exciting as seeing them from Canada :). I noticed as I took a helicopter that a dam was built to slow down the water flow. This is so when the tourists are asleep the water flow is slowed to minimize overall erosion of the falls. Other than for the enjoyment of tourists, the falls also help generate electricity. 

There are many ways one can enjoy the Niagara falls. From taking a helicopter, watching an IMAX show, taking a boat ride to get close to the falls by experiencing its mists to simply just staring at the falls from one of the many vantage points.

Nearby, the town is bustling with restaurants, hotels and museums. I didn’t spend a great deal of time exploring them as I did not have enough time and wanted to maximize my time at the falls :).

Around Niagara downtown

At night, there is a wonderful light show when the falls are illuminated. Simply magical.

Niagara Fall - being illuminated at night (so magical)

Having walked past the casino, I could not help but step inside for a visit before realizing it was just another casino, nothing new here. It’s a shame that a tacky casino takes position next to these otherwise beautiful falls. I guess you can pay to bring a casino to the falls but not the other way around :).

Niagara Falls Casino - like any other casino conveniently located next to Niagara Falls

Some photos for keeping my memories alive :).

The view of one of Niagara falls (the horse shoe fall/Canadian fall) from helicopter

At first I wasn’t keen on the idea of paying a small fortune to get on a 10 minute helicopter ride (I’m a student pilot myself) but seeing that I’m here and thinking it would be great for this blog I decided to give it a go.

The helicopter fitted 5 people comfortably. Being the smallest in the group :P, I was allowed to sit in the co-pilot seat (side by side with the pilot:).

The helicopter ride started with the heli spinning on different direction to give the on the ground photographer to take a few snaps. Once the heli took off, I had a wonderful view of Niagara town. The view started with the narrow part of the gorge which basically was a perfect spot for extreme water activities such as white water rafting. The view got better as we got a clear view of both the American Fall and the Horse Shoe Fall (Niagara Falls).

It was a totally awesome view from the helicopter. I also got to see the dam and how fortunate I was when I chose to visit Niagara falls from Canada side as opposed to the American side. The view from Canada is definetely a lot nicer :). The ride did not feel fast nor long, just perfect, enough to give you great glimpses of Niagara falls. I highly recommend you to take a helicopter ride when you visit Niagara Falls.

Maid of the Mist Boat ride gets you upclose and personal with Niagara Falls

Niagara falls are magnificent. Words simply cannot describe how amazing these falls are. Pictures do not do justice to the experience of being in the presence of these amazing falls. I spent a whole day and night experiencing how magical Niagara Falls can be. There was so much water, I was inspired by the power and energy of it all. I had the opportunity to experience the falls by walking along its boundaries as well as taking a birds eye view from a helicopter.

Maid of the Mist is one of the most popular tours at Niagara Falls for one reason. As the name suggests, it takes you as close as possible to the falls on a boat where you experience the permanent mist created by its force.

Before boarding the boat, I thought it was really small before realizing it can accommodate 400 people and that it wasn’t that the boat was small, the enormous scale of Niagara Falls just made it appear so.  If you only have ONE chance to experience Niagara Falls, I would highly recommend the Maid of the Mist tour.

Mai on board of the Maid of the Mist Boat Tour

The queue for the tour was long but moved quickly and as we progressed we were all provided with a blue plastic raincoat. Do not underestimate Niagara Falls, the raincoat truly is a necessity. I was prepared for this fact and had planned to take photos so I sealed my camera in cling wrap (saving me lots of $$ to buy the waterproof case that I would rarely have a need for).

Do It Yourself emergency water proof camera case :)

This church in 1000 island is the most photographed

My friend Christine booked me for a 3 days tour to Niagara Falls from Montreal. I’ve always wanted to visit Niagara Falls so I was very excited.

I arrived early to join the local tour operator, didn’t want to risk it to be late. The bus left Montreal in the morning and entour to Toronto and Niagara Falls we stopped by 1000 islands. Some of the islands reside in the USA and some in the Canada. There are a lot of things you can do here but due to time constraints, I had to settle with taking a boat cruise to enjoy the islands sceneries as well as some holiday houses.  I was told that there are more than 1000 islands despite its name, to be qualified as an Island, an island must be above the water 365 days a year and must support two living trees.

Mai on a cruise around 1000 islands

One of the many islands in 1000 islands - some island belong to USA some in Canada

Continuing on the journey, we drove along some of the craziest, widest and busiest highway in North America (Highway 401) which at one stage has a total 18 lanes (no kidding), we drove around Lake Ontario passing a steel refinery town and locks.

The busiest and widest highway in North America - the widest part has up to a total of 18 lanes

Lock

We stopped by Toronto for a toilet break and then continued our journey all the way to Niagara Falls.

When I arrived to get my first glimpse of the almighty Niagara Falls, I was welcomed by this lovely rainbow.

A rainbow welcome me to my first glimpse of Niagara Falls

WOW, what a great waterfall. Words cannot describe how enormous and powerful the fall felt. There are actually 2 falls - The American Fall and the Horse Shoe fall which belongs to Canada. Anyhow, due to a long drive, we are all dying to get into our hotel, straight to the bar and dinner.

Niagara falls - the one of the left hand side is the American fall, the one on the right hand side is the horse shoe fall belongs to Canada

The horse shoe fall belongs to Canada (one of the falls of Niagara)

The American Fall (one of the falls of Niagara)

Some more photos from thousand islands and Niagara -

Mai with a massive bowl of Cafe Au Lait in Quebec

I am back in the French speaking part of Canada on a day trip to Quebec City from Montreal. My French Canadian friend (Christine) told me earlier that everyone in Quebec will be speaking French and very little English. Quebec City is the capital of the Quebec Province in which Quebec City and Montreal reside. The drive from Montreal to Quebec City took just a couple of hours.

Historically, Quebec was a part of the New France and did not want to be a part of Canada before they lost a battle to the British.  Because the  British did not have enough people for their settlements, they allowed the French who at the time resided in Quebec to remain. Some Quebecers till this day still consider themselves as a separate nationality to Canadians.

Christine told me that Quebecers (Quebec City people) think their city is the centre of the universe and I will soon find out why.

Baked Beans cooked in Maple Syrup

My typical French Canadian Brunch (L-R) - a piece of Ham on top of a french crepe with a bowl of cranberry sauce, a piece of cranberry cake topped with chicken liver pate, two poached eggs on top of english muffns, a bowl of baked beans cooked in Maple syrup, few toasts and fresh grape fruit and oranges

I started my day with a hearty brunch at one of the many chain restaurants called Le Cochon Dingue (The crazy pig :)). I had their version of a big breakfast consisting of a slice of ham on top of a sweet crepe, poached eggs on 2 English muffins, cranberry cake topped with chicken liver parfait, a few slices of toast and last but not least the baked beans cooked in Maple syrup, a true Canadian feast.  I then wash all these down with a  massive bowl of Cafe Au Lait.

After the feed, I had all the energy I needed to get me through the entire day. I had a great time exploring Quebec City, learning its past and enjoying its present existence. Most of the time was spent strolling down little alleyways. Below are some of the main attractions -

Provincial Parliament Building

Quebec Provincial Parliament Building with one of its past provincial leaders Duplessis, who caused Quebec province to pay double tax (a separate provincial tax on top of the national tax)

As we arrived at Quebec City, my friend took me straight to their Provincial Parliament building. Around the provincial parliament building stand statutes of Quebec’s past provincial leaders. Right in front of the building there is  a massive statue named Duplessis. He is the main guy who imposed the double tax on the Quebec people which is still in place to this day. Every provincial leader is allowed to erect a statue and he decided to double his statue size of predecessors.

My timely arrival meant I was able to join the free provincial parliament tour where I had the opportunity to view the interior and the main room called the blue room where parliamentary meetings and debates are held.

The blue room - provincial parliament debates and meetings happen here

Across from the parliament building lays a fountain originally from France, presented to Quebec as a gift by the founder of Simon. The fountain was disassembled piece by piece and shipped from France to Quebec. Later I found out that Simon was a department store (originally from Quebec and pretty much part of the city’s identity) and the fountain was a symbol of gratitude for their loyalty.

Fountin brought pieces by pieces from France to Quebec - a gift from the founder of Simon (Department Store originally from Quebec) to the city of Quebec to thank them for supporting their store

City Wall - Old Town Upper town

Mai outside the outer wall of Quebec city (street of Rue St Jean)

Walking away from Parliament house towards the old Quebec City, I was amazed by its fortification. The city wall surrounded the old town with many entrances.  I entered the Upper town via Rue St Jean, where all the buildings behind the wall were very well preserved. There are so many shops and I had a great time window shopping :).

Quebec city fortifications

Simon

One particular store that satisfies not just the ladies but also Gents is Simon, a strong part of Quebec city’s identity. The stores sell affordable contemporary clothing for women and men as well as accessories and home & bath products.

Basilique Notre-Dame

Basilique Notre-dame

The chancel lamp is a gift from King Louis XIV and the church has a rich interior with most of the artworks from the French regime.

Chateau St Louis - archeological dig site

Less than a year ago this archeological site did not exist. Chateau St Louis was the official residence of the French Governor of New France, it was destroyed in 1834 and just recently found. Across from Chateau St Louis is Chateau Frontenac.

Chateau Frontenac

Chateau Frontenac - can be seen from everywhere

Chateau Frontenac can be seen from everywhere. It was built at 1892 by a Canadian Railway company as a hotel and it stays as a hotel to this day. There is a nice place to have drinks here on the rooftop terrace overlooking St Lawrence River and Terrasse Dufferin.

Chateau Frontenac - it's huge :)

Terrasse Dufferin

Terrasse Dufferin walkway - a great spot for sunset viewing and strolling

In Terrasse Dufferin, you can walk up and down the boardwalk alongside St Lawrence river. There are many green and white topped gazebos and although I did not get a chance, I was told it’s a perfect place to watch a sunset.

I was too short on time to explore the upper town, there are many attractions such as La Citadelle and its city hall. If I had an extra day, I’d certainly have spent that time on the Upper Town.

View of St Lawrence River from the rooftop bar of Chateau Frontenac

Mai and Christine at the rooftop of Chateau Frontenac overlooking a great view of Terrasse Dufferin an St Lawrence river

Funicular - avenue from Upper Town to the Lower Town

Funicular View

As I cut short my exploration of the Upper Town due to time constraints, I took a funicular down to the lower town. The view down overlooking the lower town, the old port and St Lawrence River was magnificent.

Maison Louis Jolliet

Now the funicular lower’s terminus, this was the home of Louis Jolliet (The Quebec born explorer in 1683

Rue du Petit-Champlain

This is the street full of cafes and bistros. It’s the North American oldest street. I was told in winter, it’s a beautiful place with ice statues and twinkling white lights.

I continued exploring the lower town passing many quaint shops :).

Place Royale

Mai at Place Royale

This was the first New France permanent colony. There is a statue of King Louis XIV, a gift from the city of Paris in 1928, even though King Louis XIV never actually stepped foot in Quebec. Around the square are 17th and 18th century houses which once belonged to wealthy merchants.

A handsome King Louis XIV statue in the middle of Place Royale - he's never stepped his foot in Quebec

Eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires

Notre Dame des Victoires

This Quebec’s oldest stone church’s located onto the Place Royale square. Inside this church’s a boat suspended from the ceiling, a votive offering brought by early settlers to ensure safe voyages.

Quebec city from the cruise ship crossing

It’s getting late and I decide to take a funicular back up to the upper town just in time to catch a ferry across the St Lawrence River before driving home to Montreal.

Quebec is a beautiful city so rich in history I felt I stepped back in time to a quaint town in France. Quebecers have every reason to think that their city is the centre of the universe. Their double tax is definitely money well spent :).