Cost of a Desi Wedding in GTA

 I am detailing some of the costs associated for a typical desi wedding in the GTA. This is a pretty standard wedding ceremony, not elaborate. You can, of course, pay more for a more extravagant ceremony.

Girl:

1. Wedding Lehenga - $3000-$4000 (times two if there is a separate walimah function apart from the nikah reception)
2. Dress for the nikah / akht - $1500
3. Dress for halud / mayoon / haldi - $1500
4. Makeup - $600 (times three for each occasion, and this is lower end)
5. Henna artist - $200 - $600

Boy:

1. Wedding sherwani - $500 - $1000
2. Nikah sherwani - $500
3. Halud Kurta - $200 - $500

Other costs:

1. Photography / Video: $3000 - $5000
2. Hall rental (main function) - $60-$75/plate (so around $6000-$7500 for 100 people), times two if there is separate walimah
3. Hall rental (holud) - $2500 (including food that is catered)
4. Nikah (mosque) - $500 (including city's marriage license, imam fees, etc.)
5. Dates/small gift box for nikah - $5/10 per person.
6. Wedding cake - $800 - $1000 (for roughly 200 people)
7. Backdrop decorator design - $1000

These are basic costs. I am leaving aside other costs such as renting a car / limo for the ruksati, bridal showers, bachelor / bachelorette parties, gate dhora / juta churi, etc.

The question is, which one would you realistically eliminate? Most people, when they want to get married, they want a nice hall, a nice dress, photography and a good cake. 

Sunflower Farm, Markham

In a little farm in Markham, Ontario, just north of Toronto, we found a gem.

This is Sunflower Fields of Markham. Their website is https://sunflowerfieldsofmarkham.ca/ and contact number is (416) 859-6159 .

The farm's sunflower fields were massive. There were many rows of these tall flowers, and almost all of them in perfect health. 

It was the beginning of the season, I guess, so the flowers were perky and upright. We also visited around 2 pm, so the sun was nice and high, and the weather clear, with blue skies and some clouds to make it a great weather for taking pictures.

The farm had a few props such as a couple of swings, an old tractor, and a hoe (I am guessing it's a hoe - no, not that kind of hoe).

Even though we visited on a long weekend, I didn't find it quite crowded, and we were able to take pictures in peace. Usually in some of these farms, there's quite a few instagrammers, and you really get tired of waiting as they take thousands of shots to get the perfect one.

There were also quite a lot of haystacks placed here and there, so you can sit and take pictures. 

Overall, there are many sunflower farm in and around the GTA nowadays - with social media being what it is. This is one of the better ones, as it's close to the east end of the city, not too far, and not too crowded. They need to put a few wagons in there as props, and it will be perfect.

TD Festival of South Asia, 2022

 The TD Festival of South Asia is a free street festival in Gerrard India Bazaar celebrating South Asian (OK mostly Indian) culture, food, entertainment and heritage.

They close off Gerrard street for the Indian section, and even the streetcars are rerouted. It is more or less an excuse for many of the businesses here to display their wares in the street. Gerrard street (the India Bazaar section) was known back in the day (late 90s, early 2000s) as the South Asian place in Toronto. That distinction, of course, has been lost over the decades as the South Asian diaspora spread far and wide, and now no one really needs to go Gerrard any more for their desi stuff.

The food choices were many. There were multiple stalls selling appetizers such as samosas or cane juice or mango lassi, as well as regulars such as chaat, bhelpuri and so on. The line ups weren't that long in the afternoon, and the prices reasonable.

The eastern section of the plaza contained more diverse choices such as street BBQ-ed tandoori chicken (check out the red colour!) as well as cholay batoore and others.

Of course it cannot be a festival without performances, and to their credit, the organizers had some set of dancers or performers every so often. And they were not just Indian - I saw Nepalese, Bengali amongst others. So at least in that aspect, it covered the whole South Asian flavour. 

I heard there was another festival in Mississauga, which is rapidly becoming another South Asian centre, along with Brampton. However with it comes to Gerrard, it is the OG, and many of us have fond memories of our early days in Canada coming down here to get a taste of South Asia in Toronto.

The weather was clear and sunny, and not too hot, which was perfect. You could walk around, see the whole set of bazaars and stalls, while getting tasty bites to eat.

As for parking, you have to park on the surrounding streets. On some of them you can only park on one side of the street (depending on the date) and there are also time restrictions (you can only park for an hour), so do pay attention. I wish there was a Green P location nearby that was easily accessible. However, it was a fun festival to attend.

Taste of the Middle East, Toronto, 2022

The Taste of the Middle East is a festival that celebrates Arabic music, culture, food, arts and heritage. 

This year the festival was held downtown Toronto, at Nathan Phillips Square.

It was a brilliant sunny day. I visited on Friday, the first day of the festival. It runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Apparently there are bigger things planned on Sunday.

Along with the sponsor tents, there were lots of other tents of various merchants. Here is Huda, a religious organization, right next to the telecommunications giant Telus.

In the picture above, City Hall is to the background. Nathan Phillips Square has the advantage of having a huge Green P parking lot right underneath. I got in around 7 pm and got parking easily. It only cost $6.

Lots and lots of stalls, and lots and lots of people. It was great to see the huge diversity that makes Toronto one of the best cities in the world to live in. Everyone came to experience Arabic culture, not just Arabs (or Muslims).

People also have the misconception that Arabic culture is just limited to Muslims and Islam, which is not true. There's a lot of Christians in the Arab world. Some of the Arab world also have other cultures that are non Arab, for example Berbers.

As the evening went on, it became busier and busier, as more people started to drop by. The stage also started to have some shows and performances.

The one complaint I would have is that the food selection was not that big, and as expected from a festival - it was expensive. A pineapple juice drink was $13. A pastry was $8. Osmows shawarma platter was $13. I guess inflation hits everyone.

It's a great festival, particularly the musical big names at the end of the night. If you are in Toronto, it's definitely worth checking out, especially when parking is not a problem.

3 Key People When Buying a House

This is post is mostly geared to first time homebuyers (or more precisely, those looking to be first time homebuyers). You have looked at the market, you are worried about the way prices are going up, you have some savings that you can put towards a down payment, and now you are thinking of buying a house. Who are three most important people that will help you with this?

1. Your mortgage agent / finance person

Contrary to most assumptions, the first person you should consult is your finance person. You can start by contacting your bank, and speak to a mortgage specialist. They will take all your numbers (your salary, your spouse's salary, your savings and the down payment amount etc.) and then tell you how much loan they can sanction you for. This will give you a rough idea of the price you can look at. After this, look for a trusted mortgage agent. I advise almost NEVER to go through a bank's agent as they can only give you rates from their bank, whereas a mortgage agent can compare and contrast and give you the best deal from multiple sources. They may often have means to qualify you for a higher price.

A word of caution: like any industry there are some people who do shady business. Never falsify papers or your income etc. to try and qualify for a higher loan.

2. Your realtor

When you are buying a property, your realtor becomes very important. The higher a selling price of a house is, the higher the commission of the realtor. Hence there is actually a conflict of interest - your realtor when you are buying should be trying to get you the lowest price, but if the price is higher it is actually better for him or her. So it becomes very important to seek a realtor whom you trust, especially in a market like today. Talk to your realtor about your budget (you have the numbers from the bank), what you are looking for, and where. Your realtor should be able to give you an idea of what you will find. You may have to compromise on certain things, but again this is where a trusted realtor becomes very important.

A way to gauge a good realtor is word of mouth. If your friends have used a realtor's services and have highly recommended the person, that's a good sign. Another sign is how the predictions of the realtor match the result. For example you see a property, and then your realtor should be able to give you a narrow range of what this property will go for. After that, if you are not putting an offer on that property, watch it (you can use House Sigma app, for example). When it finally sells, see the price it went for and compare with what your realtor said. Whatever questions you need to ask about the whole process, your realtor should be able to answer it.

3. The lawyer

When you have put an offer on a house and it is accepted, it is time to get the mortgage paperwork done (this is where your finance person / mortgage agent comes in). Once the paperwork and mortgage is secured, the next (and final) important person is the lawyer.

He or she will be in charge of making sure the property legally becomes yours. About two three weeks before the closing date, they become active. They will exchange paperwork with the lawyer from the seller's side, have meetings with you where they walk you through all the paperwork, have you sign what is needed and explain what's going on. The lawyer is very important because they have to properly transfer over every title deed to you. Not only for the house, but they have to ensure all other things with the property, such as hot water unit rental if it's there, or title insurance, or other conditions, etc. are all taken care of. The bank will be sending the cheque to your lawyer, and you will also be giving (wiring) the deposit to your lawyer. It will be held in trust until all the closing is done. Once again, you need someone who is good, capable and experienced to be taking care of every little detail. Some properties, for example, have two PINs instead of one (this is a legal term). Both should be transferred over to your name. So look for a good lawyer (again, word of mouth very important). Your realtor may also be able to suggest one for you.

Hopefully this post will help you know what to look for when you search for these three people. I have left out lots of other folks such as the cleaning crew, movers etc. as that all happens after closing. Good luck!

Port Union Waterfront Park

 Toronto is an amazing city. Every time you can find something new, despite decades of living here. Last week, while having a small (socially distanced) picnic lunch at Colonel Danforth Park in East Scarborough, we discovered the Port Union Waterfront Trail.

Now the Port Union Waterfront Park can be accessed by car easily, but it's a little bit of a hike from Colonel Danforth Park. Nevertheless, it's a good exercise.

When you finally reach the end of the trail (or should I say the bottom of the trail), you are rewarded with some great views of the beach and Lake Ontario.

If needed, you can go down to the beach and the water, although the Pickering Nuclear Plant is not that far away (just saying).

On a clear sunny day, it's a beautiful hike, and you can get to see a lot of interesting birds.

The hike back is not bad, and as always, feels shorter than the way there.

Overall, if you want a picnic, and then a nice walk, the Port Union Waterfront Trail from Colonel Danforth Park is for you.

Reptilia Zoo in Vaughan, Ontario

In these Covid19 times, it is hard to schedule activities for children. We are home all the time; we cannot visit friends and relatives; in-person school is now closed. Wondering where we can take the kids, my wife stumbled upon Reptilia Zoo.

Reptilia is Canada's largest indoor reptile zoo, with 25,000 square feet of indoor exhibits featuring over 250 reptiles, amphibians and arachnids. 

Currently there are two Ontario locations, one in Vaughan and one in Whitby. We decided to visit the one at Vaughan. The social distancing protocols were very good. Masks were mandatory (of course!) and they gave us a time slot for the visit. When we went there, we shared the whole museum with only 3 or 4 other families.

I was really surprised at the number (and variety) of animals there. Although it's not a very big place, if you take your time to enjoy each exhibit, you can easily spend an hour or a couple of hours there, especially if you are into photography.

They had quite a number of large crocs (or were they alligators) on display. It's hard to imagine, just looking at them as they just stayed there, lazily bathing in the heat lamp, that these were ferocious creatures who could move fast if needed.

There were also quite a large number of tortoises (both small and large) on show. In addition to spiders, tarantulas and other creepy crawlies. 

The snake exhibit was one of the ... longest .... no pun intended. They even had an anaconda, along with various species of pythons and other common snakes. 

We were actually lucky to be there around feeding time, so we actually saw how a snake eats a mouse! Poor mouse. 

Another large crocodile surfaces from under the water in a large tank. This was next to the place where they had live shows. In normal times, you would touch and pet some (small) reptiles, but due to covid times it was only "see but don't touch" show.

The odd thing was, during the live show, there was actually a marriage proposal! The zookeeper who was conducting the show asked one of the ladies to come join her on stage, and then she was asked to pick a small box from a tray. There was a diamond ring inside, and then that lady's boyfriend went down on one knee to propose!

She said yes, by the way.

Also, given that they already had a kid together (they had a baby in a stroller), the risk of a no is minimized, I think. 

The guy is smart. Proposed at a reptile show, and will marry during covid times. Saved a lot of money.

These are the general show times, and feeding times (they can change, of course). If you do visit, try and schedule your visit around a feeding time.

Overall, this was a great place to take your kids (and your camera). It's not too expensive (especially if you book online), and is a great way not only to spend some time, but also to support your local businesses during these tough times.

East Coast: The Cabot Trail (Day 8)

Continued from Day 7 ...

The Cabot Trail is one of the world's most famous drives. Every travel list in North America has the Cabot Trail as one of its must drive highways.

Rising from the sea and clinging to mountains, the 298-kilometer-long Cabot Trail is a winding mix of roadway, paths, stairs, and stunning beauty that takes you from unreal ocean vistas to quaint fishing villages.

Since the Cabot Trail is a circular trail, every one debates whether to go around the Cabot Trail clockwise or anti-clockwise. We decided to do it anti-clockwise, starting from Baddeck, so this meant we were on the outside lane with the water. I would recommend the anti-clockwise route, as this means you can immediately stop on the side if you see something interesting, and the elevation keeps going higher and higher as you drive.

As a sidenote: fill up on the gas before you head out.

It was a cloudy start to the day. It had been raining in Baddeck the night before, and the forecast called for more rain. We were hoping the forecast was wrong, and thankfully, soon it brightened up.

 A small inlet of water, beautifully reflecting the sky,

somewhere just north of Baddeck

I had assumed this would be a challenging drive - somewhat like Highway 99 from Whistler to Vancouver. On the contrary, it was pleasurable drive. There were some ascents and descents, but nothing crazy.

The first stop was the Wreck Cove General Store. Now why did we stop here? Simply because almost every guide book and Tripadvisor post said to stop here. I wouldn't say there was anything much. Their lobster sandwiches are apparently "world famous" (you beginning to see a theme here?) but at $16 wasn't worth it.

You also get curious souveniers such as this. Now I am hoping this is really chocolate. I don't know though. In any case, we were soon out from the store after getting some magnets and what have you. And once again, it was starting to be a clear sky (even though it was slightly overcast) and bright sun breaking out from the clouds.

Soon we stopped at a spot that I can probably describe as an inverse Lake Louise. It was really beautiful - the mountains, the grass, the trees and then the wide expanse of the ocean. Just like anything natural - photos (particularly phone photos) do not do it justice.

Phone pictures seem to flatten out the colours, but in reality it was vibrant and the contrast was vivid. No wonder lots of cars just pulled over to take pictures!

As we started out again, it was surprising that without much elevation change being apparent, suddenly we were back at ground level with the water. I really don't know how the mapping of the road was; but sometimes we were quite high up and sometimes we were quite low on the ground.

We stopped again some time before Ingonish Beach. I don't know what the name of this Cove was, but it was not hard to imagine that at times of yore, this would have been the perfect place for smugglers to bring their wares onto shore, where known people would be waiting, perhaps in the middle of the night with lamps, to ship those goods into Canada.

It was now bright and sunny - no sign of those clouds or rain. And soon we entered Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This park occupies a huge terrain north of the island, and the Cabot Trail touches the park in many places, and you need a park pass to drive through it.

The beautiful Ingonish beach

The ocean, the rocky beach and the 

winding road hugging the coast 

line, with breeze blowing through your 

hair as you drive into the sunset

The beautiful Cabot Trail, with the

sun now beating down quite mercilessly

Waves crashing into the rocky beach,

with no one around for miles

Lakies Head is a beautiful place to stop and soak in the scenery, just north of Ingonish on the Cabot Trail. There are plaques describing the seasonal migrations of animals into the area.

It's an easy stop along the highway with great views of the ocean and sea birds. There's some warnings about the dangers of rogue waves so just be mindful.

It was now getting to be way past noon, and thus time for lunch. And for that, we stopped at one of the restaurants that almost every guidebook and tourist post seemed to praise. The Rusty Anchor.

I don't have to describe the sea food. Fried haddock. Pan crusted cod and haddock. Mussels. Clam. Corn. More haddock. And it was all so good, and disappeared from the plate so fast also!

An interesting take on the fish burger

You can never go wrong with the

standard order of a fish and

chips - just make sure there's

no beer batter if you don't

drink alcohol

They had some interesting signage

demarcating the mens' and womens'

toilets

A great restaurant - the hype is definitely

worth it - and I highly recommend
The Rusty Anchor if you are

visiting The Cabot Trail

Views of the road and the ocean

from behind The Rusty Anchor

The ocean - so blue!

The Skyline Trail: Most people who visit the Cabot Trail also hike the famous (or shall we say "world famous") Skyline Trail.

At the end of this level trail, a dramatic headland cliff overlooks the rugged coast. You can enjoy an eagle's view of the Cabot Trail as it winds its way down the mountain and vehicles look like toys. And you can watch for whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from the viewing decks. Moose, bald eagles, bears and numerous boreal birds live in this habitat.

This was the start of the Skyline Trail. Now since our group included kids and seniors - we simply were not going to do the 7 km trail. It just wasn't going to happen. Instead, we did the next best thing. The lady at the Park Canada told us a secret.

The very next stop on the route AFTER the Skyline Trail was a stop that was at the end of the trail. So you essentially get the same view as if you have just hiked the trail. Minus the boardwalk, of course.

AND WHAT A VIEW!!!

And once again I have to say pictures, as usual, do not do the scene justice. You JUST cannot take proper pictures that show the beauty of such a place. We would return to this spot after checking into our hotel at Cheticamp, the small village we were staying overnight, nearly at the end of the Cabot Trail (and close to Baddeck since this was a loop).

Our cottage (or chalet, as they called 

it) at Cheticamp

Cheticamp is a very small village. So small - there is one grocery superstore that closes by 5 - after which you only have a small convenient store to shop from. It's a beautiful French town though, and you can explore the fishing boats and the little houses. We decided to drive back to the trail to catch the sunset.

There's something to be said about sunset into the ocean. It is so pretty.

Dinner time - and why not pizza. Plus ... wait for it ... they have a world famous pizza store (but of course).

Overall, the Cabot Trail was one of the highlights of the trip. It was definitely worth the hype, especially the northern portions where you are so high up and you get some excellent views. You need a brilliant sunny day though - which is what we had - and not rain if you were to explore the Cabot Trail's beauty.