9-12-19 A Day on (and in) the Water in Montreal

As I read the information in our Montreal Lonely Planet Guide one of the things that was recommended was Saute Mouton.  They run jet boat tours on the Lachine Rapids of the St. Lawrence River.  Since, we went on the shotover jet boats in New Zealand and thought it was crazy fun so we were ALL IN on Montreal jet boats.

However, first we had to get there.  After the harrowing drive to Chinatown the night before we knew we wanted to avoid driving in Montreal.  We wanted to take the ferry that leaves from our campground, but it only runs on weekends during the off season so we settled for the metro.  Luckily the nearest Metro station is about a mile away (but not walkable) so we drove the car, navigated the parking situation and hopped onto the metro.

After we go to the old town we grabbed some lunch before we headed off for our boat ride.

To get there we had to walk along the port and admire the boats

Soon after we had arrived!

We, of course, attended the safety briefing.  The guide was a comedian.  We said we were from Denver and he said “Quebec City sold their hockey team to Denver 20 years ago, but no one in Quebec City realizes it.  They keep thinking their team is on sabbatical and will return any day now.”   Many laughs later the briefing ended and we began putting on the boat ride apparel.  This company’s goal is to get all of its passengers as wet as possible.  They are 100% successful every time.  Here is the equipment that we had to put on.

1.  1 or 2 sweaters
2. Windbreaker jumpsuit
3. Sandals with backs (no flip flops as they will never stay on your feet)
4. Life jacket
5. Rain poncho

We climbed into the boat…..

…and we took off.  The boat goes 50 miles an hour so we were at the La Chine rapids west of Montreal in no time.  The captain steered the boat in to the rapids sideways and the waves would spillover and fill the boat.  One particular wave nearly took Tom and I with it.  We were underwater for a while there!  The guide kept talking through a bullhorn the whole time, making jokes about how we are all going to die and how they haven’t lost anyone in a whole week.  At times I thought we were on some strange reality show “How Weird can Tom and Dianne’s Trip to Montreal Be?” Regardless, we had a great time (and did not die)!

After the boat ride we decided to treat ourselves to the “water circuit” at Bota Bota spa.

We walked along the port to get there and saw these super strange apartments – either part of a science fiction show or possibly part of the set of the hit reality show  “How Weird can Tom and Dianne’s Trip to Montreal Be?”

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Bota Bota is a spa that was created out of an old ferry boat.

They have all the normal massages, facials, etc., but they also have dry saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, cold baths, relaxation chairs, loungers, hammocks, etc. sprinkled throughout their 4 floors. They recommend that you spend 10-15 minutes in the sauna/steam room, then spend 30 seconds to 10 minutes in the cold bath (depending on how much you can stand), followed by 15-20 minutes of relaxation and then repeat at least 3 times.  Well, Tom and I did it all and got super relaxed.  No pics though since cameras are not allowed inside.  We were so relaxed that it was a bit tough to get back on the subway and return to the camper.  We will sleep well tonight! Water rules!