Yesterday was Canada Day and today is the holiday that most people have off. I of course am working since I am taking my big stretch of holidays soon.

There will be a new posting tomorrow for my June earnings results.

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Another month has gone by. Here are the results breakdown yet again.

This has been another good month, especially since Google started to love me again. This is the first full month since they started to send me search engine traffic again.

Also big news...I have surpassed $100 with Google. Send me my cheque please. I think I'm going to take a picture of it and frame it (okay, maybe I'm not that lame).

Thoughts From My Life Traffic Stats for June

June's numbers and May's numbers are in brackets.

June traffic was definitely higher. Note the average uniques/day stat. About a 25% increase which was really nice.

Thoughts From My Life Revenue

Overall, my earnings for June were $181.55. $90 of this was a canvas painting I received of one of my photos to review for a company called Canvs On Demand.

• PayU2Blog: $65.00 (cash) + $90.00 (product)
• PayPerPost: $0.00
• Adsense: $16.06
• Kontera: $10.49
• Chitika: ??? (site was down when I was trying to check)

Kontera definitely showed the best improvement after Google picked me back up, but Adsense themselves also showed a slight improvement. I'm still well off the $30 I made off them in April so I have a ways to go.

Overall I am happy though. I will finally see a solid $100 of my Google money now too. PayPerpost was $0 because I chose not to do any as well. PayU2Blog has been good to me, especially with the canvas painting offer they put up.

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It has been over a week now and I have not had a single piece of automated spam. This is spam that was obviously put there by a bot or something. I did have a couple comments that were definitely an advertisement for another site, but its topic was in the context of the article so I let it slide.

Overall I am quite happy and it has cut down on my workload tremendously. All I did was copy the bitmap below from a website and I include it on the comment form for all my articles. The image is always the same, never changes, but it has fooled the spam bots so far. If that ever changes, I will revisit my strategy again and make it a bit more complicated.

Feel free to copy this same image or make up your own. Just add some code to fail if the verification number they input is not correct. It will fool them for the first while for sure.

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I received my print today from Canvas On Demand. The delivery on it was very, very quick. It actually came in 2 days with FedEx, but I was unable to be home when it arrived so I had to go pick it up today.

It was well wrapped in a thin foam material that was easy to take off.

The Canvas Quality

I have to say that I am quite impressed. The picture turned out just like what I had sent it. I had them do the regular Photorealistic print for me. I had used Photoshop on my own photo however to turn it black and white the way I wanted it. They will do this for you, but I did it myself to save the cost. The canvas came out true to its black and white color.

It looks pretty nice too with the canvas look

This was originally a color photo from our professional photographer's negatives from our wedding. My wife and I took the negatives into our local Walmart and had them scanned and converted to files on a compact disc. From there we edited the photo and sent it away to Canvas On Demand.

Check out the quality of my print hanging on the wall.

A wedding print like this was an obvious choice for my wife and I because it will last for a long, long time and never become out dated. I have been greatly impressed with the quality that I would consider using them for an anniversary gift for friends and family.

They have a variety of sizes, finishes, and frames to pick from. You could find a canvas to match almost any occasion. What I find with a decent sized canvas print is that it can really add to the room and become a feature piece for a wall. I went with black and white because it will easily work in most rooms too.

Requirements

There is nothing too special you need to do. You can give them almost any digital photo. They do ask that it is at least 300dpi quality. If you have taken a photo on any digital camera made in the last few years and haven't reduced the quality too much, it should look fine.

If you want some more processing on it and you don't have the technical know how, then do not worry. They offer all of these services. You can select it as an option on your order and even put some information in the comment section of your order if you need them to crop or do something else.

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I am heading out pretty soon. My wife and I are heading on our big trip across Russia tomorrow. We have everything done and ready to go other than a few last minute details to finish off.

I tell you, my handy Checklist For Traveling has really came through again. I always feel really nervous when I'm about to leave on a trip. I think I have forgotten something. This settles my nerves that I know everything is taken care of. Things I need, people to house-sit, the subscriptions are canceled, and etc.

If you didn't know, my wife and I are doing a trip across Russia, Mongolia, and ending up in China. Here are a few articles related to it.

• Our Trip For 2007 Is Booked
• My Russian Tour Was Cancelled
• Finding the Cheapest Flights Online
• FlightCentre is Awesome For Their Price Matching

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If you haven't been to Nordegg, Alberta and you enjoy the outdoors, it might be time to check it out.

I was there in February of 2007 for a wedding. You head straight west of Red Deer on Highway #11 for an hour and a half. You'll go through Rocky Mountain House about half way, so stop and grab a bite or anything else you might need, because Nordegg itself doesn't really have a whole lot to choose from.

You'll notice after Rocky Mountain House that the foothills start getting larger and you can see a few mountains in the distance. The fences start to disappear as well as the area becomes less and less inhabited. If you see horses and they're not behind a fence, then you have probably spotted some of their wild horses in the area.

Where I Stayed

The wedding guests all stayed at the GoldEye Centre, which is about 10 minutes further west of Nordegg on Highway #11. The rooms are really cheap because it doubles as a summer camp facility. You can get your own room in one of the many long cabins on the property. There are televisions in the common areas for each room as well.

There was brunch served in the mornings as well. You'll want to phone ahead if you plan on staying here, because there are many summer camps and conferences that happen here and it might be booked.

Personally, this is camping country, so grab look for some campgrounds in the area and pack your tent.

What To Do

There is more hiking than you could want to do. For those of you who want to fish, hike, or just relax on a lake then you can do it here. I understand there is plenty of of cross-country skiing and ice fishing if you want to.

There is a local lounge/restaurant right when you enter Nordegg plus convenience and liquor stores.

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Lima is a city of over 8 million and holds a third of the population for Peru. It is an enormous city. However, one of the nicer, tourist areas is called Miraflores. It is on the ocean and has a lot of neat things.

Where To Stay

There are a lot of hotels here and nice ones to boot. You pay $200 a night or find a guest house for $20 a night. I actually did both. I stayed in one of the nicer hotels, being the Best Western La Hacienda Hotel & Casino. It was fantastic if you are looking for some comfort. Breakfast and internet were included.

Our other nights were spent at the Friends House. This was a little bed and breakfast that was actually a bit hard to find. You can find their address out of the lonely planet or on the internet, but there is no signs posted on the outside of the building. I believe it has something to do with the regulations in that area. Anyhow, they include breakfast and internet as well. For around $25 we had a room with two beds, our own bathroom, and hot showers. They would even arrange taxis and transportation if you wanted.

The Larco Mar

This is cool. Built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean is an enormous outdoor mall. It is multiple levels and there is even an escalator outside. You can find movie theatres, Pizza Hut, and even a Tony Roma's. Make sure you go here and at least walk around.

If you are thinking of buying something, think again. We found prices were higher then back in Canada for some of the clothing stores we walked into.

Travel Shops

If you are looking to make further plans and arrange tickets, there are tons of tour shops you can do it from. Just walk in and ask what they can do for you. My wife and I arrange a 3 day trip down to the Nazca Lines and Ica. Basically just bus tickets and our plane ticket to fly over the Nazca Lines, but they would do it nonetheless.

Shopping

There are lots of stores along here. If you are looking for clothes or even a musical instrument, I saw more than a few places to check out.

This is on the coolest "out of the way" towns I have been to when traveling. Batambang (one of the many spellings) is a little town in western Cambodia.

It sits on one of the rivers that feeds the Tonle Sap lake where Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) is. So one way to get there is a river boat from Siem Reap. That is how I left Batambang, but I got there by riding in a pickup truck from the town of Poipet which sits on the Cambodia side of the Thailand/Cambodia border. This isn't the funnest ride, but if you are looking for a bit of an "au naturale" experience you can check it out. After coming through immigration, there will surely be some locals looking to arrange your transportation if you let them.

Where To Stay

I can't even remember what hotel I stayed in when I was there. When we arrived, there was a horde of locals that crowded around us giving us a sales pitch in whatever English they could speak. We took the first ones that seemed decent and we were off. The hotel was alright, but be forewarned, this wouldn't even be a 1 star hotel by North American standards. Price was right though. I think it was about $3/night.

This is a town where you can't book ahead anyways. At least not at the time, maybe with the increases in tourism they will cater a bit more to the non-backpacker crowd. Seriously, just show up and you will find a place easily.

Batambang - In Town

This was my first real experience in a 3rd world town. It was an eye opener. Keep in mind, you could still access the internet on a main street cafe, but it looked so run down and poor to me. I will always remember it.

Day Tour

I received an awesome day tour from a local guide. His name was Pou (pronounced pow) and my cousin had a guide named Jay. Our tour cost $5 and included transportation on their motorbike from around 9:30 in the morning until late afternoon. By far the best deal I have ever received.

The Killings Caves

You have all heard of the Killing Fields outside Phnom Penh. Well this is the Killing Caves. Located on one of the small mountains that stick out of the flat stretches of land they have, it is a somber experience. In the height of the Khmer Rouge, many Cambodians were murdered here by being thrown off a cliff down into these caves.

Temple

There is hindu/buddhist temple on the outskirts of Batambang as well. Considered to be one of the oldest in Cambodia. It is rather run down, but very interesting to see. Check out the number of steps you have to climb to see it though. You have an amazing view of the surround area at the top.

Railroad

Later hitched a ride back to town on a little railroad cart. It ran off a gasoline engine and slowly puttered its way back into town. This cost us $5, which was a bit of a rip-off as we had just done a tour for the whole day for the same price and we each had our own guide.

Leaving Batambang By Boat

Like I said above, I left Batambang by boat. It was about an 8 hour trip to Siem Reap, but it is another experience I will never forget. You wind up a very narrow river for about 4 hours and see many villages and people just existing along the river. About half way, you switch to a larger boat and continue on. Once your get onto the lake, you will pass by some floating villages before reaching shore. There are plenty of taxis and tuk-tuk's ready to take you into Siem Reap.

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I recently spent a weekend out in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was actually 4 days over a long weekend. The first two days were spent in Quebec City, but the last two were in Montreal, which is what I will write about.

By Canadian standards, Montreal is a very cool city. There is a lot of history, a vibrant night life, and architecture to match.

Where To Stay

I stayed in the Days Inn on Boulevard Rene-Levesque. This turned out to be a pretty good choice. The price was reasonable and the service pretty good. The rooms were nice and there is free internet and printer access on the 2nd floor for all the guests (just use your keycard).

Boulevard Rene-Levesque is inbetween two of the areas we wanted to see as well. St. Catherines was the next street to the north and Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal) was to the south. Both you can walk to if you don't feel like trying to find parking.

I would recommend staying on Rene-Levesque too, if you don't feel like paying higher prices to be in Old Montreal. It might take you 15 minutes to walk there, but it puts you closer to St. Catherines anyways.

Parking sucked more than just a little bit, in my opinion. Parking isn't necesarrily standard at the hotels. Make sure you ask if parking is included in your hotel cost and if it is not, what it does cost. Our hotel offered underground parking and parking in an exposed lot. We went for the exposed lot for $12/day.

Parking

Please note my section in Where To Stay on parking at hotels. Parking can be hard to find in the busier sections of the city. We especially found it hard to find in Old Montreal. But if you do find a spot at night, chances are it will be free, which is really nice. Make sure to read the signs as well. Everything seems to have a time when it is either free to park or you cannot park there at all.

A number of signs along the busier routes will look like bus signs, but if you look closely, there might be a free parking time.

Another neat feature is their new parking meters. You park at a spot and there will be a little sign post for your car spot. Remember the letter and number (like B132). You then walk to the machine, punch in your parking spot code and it shows you how much time is left and you can add time using coins or credit cards. It then prints out a receipt and you do not need to put it back in your car. Just keep going on your way. Very convenient.

St. Catherines

Shopping, shopping, and more shopping. Definitely check it out. There are some malls and just a whole ton of stores to look through. You can park on a number of the side streets and just start walking.

My wife is a big fan of Simons where you can find a large variety of clothes for reasonable prices. It is a chain so you can find it more places than just St. Catherines.

By the way, we went farther east down St. Catherines late at night and found ourselves in a section of the street that must have been the "gay village" I have heard about in Montreal. Lots of restaurants and clubs, but 99% of the people on the street were men and a lot of them were obviously couples.

Old Montreal

This is a neat section of Montreal. The night life was very busy. Tons of restaurants and quite of few of them had live music. There are patios all over, tourist shops, hotels, street performers, and a few street vendors. We arrived on a Saturday night and the place was packed with people. I'm probably ignorant of what tourist season is really like, since we were there in May, but it was still pretty neat.

On Saturday night, we went to Jardin Nelson. This was a cool little restaurant that had a patio section inbetween two buildings. Massive up-side down umbrella type things where there to catch rain and funnel them into tubes going down into the ground. A jazz band played up on a little stage while massive glowing panels on the walls changed colours. There are heat lamps there as well so it was quite warm really.

The Sunday night, we went to The Keg. Not exactly unique to Montreal, but it was quite nice.

Notre Dame Cathedral

This is in Old Montreal as well. Very neat if you have not seen cathedrals before. A lot like Europe. We just walked right in, but I think you might have to pay a fee sometimes. We could take pictures, but we were kept to the back of the church because a service was about to start.

Across from Notre Dame on the other side of the fountain/statue is the original Bank of Montreal. It is a pretty neat building as well.

The Big O

I had to go see the building. If you do not know, it is the Olympic Stadium. You can see if from almost anywhere in the city it seems. A massive structure. They say it has cost close to a billion dollars with the original construction, repairs, and other problems this building has cost over the years. Apparently neither the city nor the province wants ownership of it now.

Mont Royal

Take a drive up here and look around. It gives you an excellent vantage point of Montreal. The downtown, river, Expo site, and the Big O are all visible from up here. Again, you were supposedly supposed to pay for parking, but we just hopped out, took our pictures, and left.

University of McGill

Just blocks north from the shopping part of St. Catherines is the university. If you like to check it out, it has some neat buildings and lnadscaping. The university crowd is always fun too.

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I was recently in Quebec City for a couple days. It was my first time there and I have to say it is a very cool city. Holds a lot of the history in Canada's earlier days.

I arrived in Montreal on a Friday morning, rented a car, and drove from Montreal to Quebec City. It took around 2 1/2 hours and was a nice drive. We took Highway 20, which runs along the south side of the St. Lawrence River.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at a nice little hotel that was around 15 minutes from Old Quebec called Hotel Sepia. I wrote a review on it in "Hotel Sepia in Quebec City". Bear in mind that this was 15 minutes without bad traffic. We hit bad traffic more than a couple times while we were there. There seemed to be construction going on almost everywhere we turned that weekend.

Parking

Parking was impossible to find for free. Unless you are there later at night, you have to either pay in some of the lots (which can upwards of $16) or find a meter.

In upper Quebec City we found a gravel parking lot for $12/day that had a parking attendant there. It worked quite well. It is just north of the Citadel. If you were to drive through the old city walls on the south most street into Old Quebec City, take your first or second right I believe and it will take you right past it.

Old Quebec

This was super cool. Very old buildings, tons of little restaurants, and lots to walk around and see. There was the lower town and the upper town as it is on the cliffs along the St. Lawrence. We usually parked in the lower town at some of the meter parking along the road.

The first night we walked around the lower part of Old Quebec and ended up eating at Cochon Dingue. A very nice restaurant with a large menu. Make sure to get there early and get a reservation though, this played filled up fast and it is a very large restaurant. There sugar pie was simply awesome and they have a good choice of "set menus" that included appetizer, meal, drink, and dessert for reasonable prices.

In the upper part of Old Quebec you can find a lot of interesting things. Chateau Frontenac stands up on the hill like a castle and looks amazing. There are the parliament buildings, numberous restaurants and stores, and a Simons if you like to clothes shop like my wife does.

Plains of Abraham and the Citadel

This is along Old Quebec city as well. The citadel is a massive fortress that was built but never really used on the cliffs of Old Quebec City. Heading back west from it is the gian park that includes a portion of the original Plains of Abraham. There are various statues and information you can find showing the spots where Montcalm was mortally wounded and Wolfe was killed.

Along side it there is an interpretive centre. There are presentations and scale model of the Plains that you can look at. It was around $8 for an adult to view the multimedia presentation about the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. If you just have a few questions, the staff working there was really friendly and eager to fill you in on a few details of history.

Legislature Buildings

The legislature buildings are in Old Quebec as well. The building looks quite neat, so stop by for a photo if you are walking by.

Outside of Quebec City

There were a few neat things to see outside of the city, but you probably need a car or be willing to make your way on a bus.

This is a town to the east of the city. The cathedral there is huge and looks amazing. Take a walk inside and look around. It supposedly has "healing powers" and there are a couple of pillars on the inside where crutches are hanging when they were "left behind". Again, if you haven't seen churches in Europe, then check this out.

This is an island in the St. Lawrence with a bridge out to it. You can go to one of the quaint little restraunts, take a drive by all the little acreage houses, or tour a maple farm.

These are waterfalls just to the east of the city as well. Rather large and there are a number of different vantage points. A set of stairs descends the cliff on the one side to get an up close and personal view if you feel like getting a bit wet. There is free parking in a few places around it, you just need to drive around.

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