Out & About #1116 | Pt. 2: Peterborough Liftlock Cruises + Fancy Chinese Cuisine

Read Part 1 HERE !

​Parking appeared to be scarce no matter where we were headed. It probably didn't help our case that a music festival of sorts was taking place simultaneously at the Peterborough Marina.

Riding the Liftlock Cruise was the highlight of the day's agenda. Head count was confirmed one month in advance, and the deposit was paid. The sightseeing vessel operated three times a day at 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 or 3:30 PM, as per their website. When my browser partner had initially inquired of my interest level, I expressed neutrality, but emphasized that a boarding time of 10:30 AM was entirely out of consideration. Thankfully, ours was scheduled for 3:30 PM, permitting sufficient time for commuting and eating.

​We were the last party to join the lineup to board, meaning that we would automatically receive last pick of seating.

​In the end, all those before us had headed to the upper level deck, exclusively reserving the main deck for our party. Being last to board had actually worked in our favour!

Along Otonabee River, the boat traversed about the marina, past Little Lake Fountain (originally perceived as a man-made geyser of sorts), and slowly made its way towards the Trans Canada Trail crossing.

As the gates closed behind us, we entered into a chamber, termed Lock 20 of the Trent-Severn Waterway.

​Water began to flow from the higher elevation into the chamber, causing the boat to rise with time. This was, by no means, a rapid process. With the boat stationary, I could freely move between the upper and lower deck without fear of motion sickness.

​With time, the water level rose to match that of the northern portion of the river.

Once given the go-ahead, two men were observed manually opening the chamber doors on the north side of the waterway, which allowed the boat to continue onwards. Over the course of this process, there was a guide who provided facilitated a descriptive speech for context.

A number of us gathered about the front of the boat to capture the forward movement of the boat through the chamber doors and again when the Maria Street bridge swung open to let us through. A crew member began to raise her voice at us, scolding us for blocking the view of "other passengers". A more aggressive approach was taken when we did not immediately return to our seats after snapping photos.
"Does she not know we are one large party?" one of the party members frowned at the act.

The second and final attraction of the cruise tour was Lock 21. This canal lock has been named as National Historic Site of Canada, being the world's highest hydraulic lift and first of two apparatuses built in North America. The two chambers were constructed using concrete and steel during a time where using rebar was a relatively new approach.

​Lock 21 of the Trent-Severn Waterway made use of a "balance system", as depicted by Parks Canada, across two chambers to "lift" the boat in one chamber as water was allowed to flow into the second chamber.

After conquering this second elevation difference, the boat executed a smooth U-turn at the nearest nook and retraced the path back to the Marina. The physics of the nautical system became less intriguing this time around. Several of us began to experience fatigue in the face of an early morning, long drive, and overcast conditions.

Having boarded at 3:30 PM, departed at 4 PM, and returned by 5:30 PM, the boat ride spanned roughly 90 minutes.

Some riders had taken to the cash bar for mid-day snacking. The two unisex stalls on the lower deck also saw greater usage on the return leg. Each stall housed a urinal, toilet on a raised platform, and sink. Although the lower deck was accessible, the bathroom facilities surely were not. It was a struggle to use and even more difficult to flush. A sign posted above the toilet urged users to "push the flush lever slowly to prevent the toilet from become a bidet". In response to this, I closed the toilet lid and adhered to the directions of applying gradual pressure on the lever. Ventilation within the stall was also lacking, consequently trapping foul odours and making them more pronounced.​

​​The historical significance of the waterway was unknownst to me at the time of this outing, however later reading informed that the Trent-Severn Waterway was once an important corridor to facilitate transport of people and goods. When the modern car became more accessible to the masses, the commercial value of the waterway was reduced. In present day, the waterway serves recreational and tourism purposes, enabling kayaking, fishing, or the Liftlock Cruise that we had ridden.

​With downtime before dinner, the groups parted ways to explore their destinations of choice. Some headed to the local Costco, despite their shockingly early closing time of 6 PM. I suggested Oomomo instead.

The drive back spanned roughly 80 minutes. Congested it was not, but tedious and grueling it was.

​Finding neither the desired paper towel stand nor coffee filters I was in search of, my basket filled with other items that sparked intrigue. I exited the premises with two new chocolate moulds, two styles of youkan (red bean jelly), disposable piping bags of different sizes, a 12 g coffee scoop, overpriced lace dolly, sakura and ahgase felt mat, sturdy plastic bottles, and a bonus gift of chopstick holders. Frankly, I'm still not sure of the purpose behind the star-shaped holders.

​Having spent over $30, two stamps were affixed to the back of my receipt. The cashier informed that I was eligible for a 15% off discount on my next purchase before the end of the month.

Dinner was scheduled for 7:30 PM at Fancy Chinese Cuisine in the 14th/Kennedy plaza.

Many years have passed since I last stepped foot in the bustling asphalt lot. Even the most recent experience dates back to having Chiang Rai after Frozen 2 (and feeling horribly nauseous). Further in the archives was a stopover at Lucullus, where I learned of horribly sunken wooden chairs.

​Extremely low are my standards for Chinese food, as is my level of fondness for the cuisine.
When my browsing partner and other tablemates began expressing distaste for the plummet in quality, I simply shrugged in ambivalence.

The Sweet & Sour Pork was tasty, with fresh pineapple chunks. The E-Mien was average and poorly presented with loose strands hanging over the serving dish. Peking Duck Wraps were accompanied with starchy wrappers and lean, fleshy segments - the latter being a positive in my books.

​Battered cuttlefish and deep-fried pork cutlets incited scrunching of the nose. My browsing partner's supposed recommendation of "Mustard Kalbi" had me further raising my eyebrows in suspicion. The yellow tint was appalling to start, but its atypical sweetness and loss of texture from excessive baking soda marinade rendered the dish even less attractive. The trio had struck a chord with my browsing partner during previous visits, but I was convinced I'd not find the same dishes to be any more palatable in their usual state.

​The lone veggie dish arrived with toppings of ginger slivers, plenty of Goji berries, and intact pieces of bok choy in a mild, milky broth. Tofu was served steamed, with shrimp and finely chopped rounds of gai lan stalks. These two were my picks of the evening.

Prawn-topped rice was awfully salty. Chicken arrived after all mains had been neatly packed away for taking home.

Our large party had been split between two tables, but the dishes were not evenly distributed nor delivered in unison. Rice, tofu, and chicken had defaulted to the other table first, meaning that we'd need to personally undertake dish swaps for sharing.

Gluten-free sesame-topped biscuits and red bean soup sealed off the meal.

The bland, starch-thickened dessert soup was hardly to my liking. Similar tasteless were the biscuit rounds, which shattered with minimal pressure. One of our tablemates grimaced at the lack of texture, then declared it the perfect, teeth-friendly dessert for the elderly, immediately conjuring laughter.

​Bidding farewell to the grimy bathroom, I reminded my browsing partner that I wanted Daigyo before heading back.

And so we went, parting ways from the larger group to extend the evening into the later hours of the night.

​Unfortunately, the limited-time Yuzu Matcha Mix Soft Serve did not deliver the complementary duo of citrus-laced grassiness as we anticipated. Individually unique yet hardly harmonious, we depleted the treat, but agreed that it fell below expectations.

​Hey Tea had been proposed as a second dessert option by my browsing partner. While I was indeed keen to sample the heavily hyped Coconut Cloud Blue Matcha, my stomach could no longer stomach food after the greasy assortment of Chinese diner fare.

Fighting yawns, we made our way back to the west side of the GTA, eventually concluding the day 14.5 hours after it started at 11:22 PM.