Beginnings on the West Side

Nearing the end of day three in Vancouver, and I have purposely been taking it easy. Don't worry, I won't make the same mistake as Toronto and naff off before I get the chance to see any of the sights, I am fairly certain I will be staying in BC for the foreseeable future!

It has been a fairly productive first few days. There has also been plenty of sitting on my arse, messing around on monster.ca, and playing NHL 2002 which I downloaded, created myself and became the best hockey player in history.

Day One was when I was feeling most sociable. I sat myself down in the bar, watched the hockey (Montreal getting panned my Toronto, dammit!), and drank myself into oblivion. Three days on the bus with deprived sleep, and then minimal food that day did nothing to help.

Needless to say, the following day was a write-off. I did manage to limp up to Stanley Park and take in some of the scenery around Vancouver, which is amazing I should add. Today was the most productive.

Fresh and recovered, finally, from the first night's festivities, I set about creating my BC life. First of all, I enquired about jobs in the hostel where I am staying, which would mean free board and therefore loads of cash!

Then on to the SWAP offices, where I ended up enrolling in the SunRun, a 10km run that takes place later on in April! It is something to work for I supposed after a snowy winter of hibernation.

In this ilk, I made my way to a place where they arrange running clinics twice a week, signed myself up and bought some flash new running trainers! So I'll be back like Paula Radcliffe in no time!

Applying for millions of jobs has been the other task enveloping me at the moment. It has been a vast and varied menagerie, from journalism internships to bar jobs to odd-job bloke. Anything that keeps me alive is good enough to begin with.

So in Van, BC, it is all good. Apart from crazy Quebecois! In my room on the first night, was a guy called Simon. He seemed nice enough at first. He (voluntarily) told me his life story, about how he loves to rap and how he is in British Columbia to learn English and spread his word and skills further. Quite commendable, I thought.

Then things began to turn sour. There was signs of it in the first conversation I had with him. He did mention that he had been here a month and didn't like it.

A couple of hours later, and evidently about a dozen cans of some cheap alcoholic fluid for Simon, I returned to the room. There I found a completely inebriated French-Canadian with not much faith in life and people.

The dialogue went something like this:

Simon: "Hey man. You are a good man. You are a nice guy."
Graham: "Err....cheers."
S: "I am a bastard. A shit. I am shit!"
G: "Er-"
S: "A shit!! Spit on me! I am a bastard. Shit on me!"

It was at this stage I recoiled into my bottom bunk bed, and Simon stumbled out into the corridor, shouting expletives at anyone passing by.

I went to sleep.

-

The time is 2:30am. Now I hear voices, and the light flicks on. I am hoping and praying that Simon doesn't talk to me and/or vomit all over my bed (which is the only eventual course of action I could see occurring).

Then I heard other voices. I slowly, and cautiously, turned round. I made an effort to make it seem that I was still asleep. Through half-closed eyes I could make out the symbol of the Vancouver constabulary! To this day, I don't know what Simon did, but to cut a long story short, he managed to argue himself from a full refund and expulsion from the hostel, to no refund and a night in the cells.

So that was Simon.

Vancouver!!!

YES! I am here! In Vancouver! After only two days, 22 hours and 48 minutes I have finally touched down on the West coast. To find out exactly how it all went down, check out the specially made blog at http://gcrontheroad.blogspot.com!

Part 1- Thoughts?

The first stage of my life in Canada is complete. After arriving to Toronto in November 2007, I have moved to a new city, spoke a different language (in a fashion), seen two capital cities, travelled in two countries, and worked in two different jobs.

It has been an experience worth remembering already. I have made some great friends, who I will surely see again in the future, taken up a new sport and team to support and follow, and picked up some annoying words and phrases (cellphone, eh?). But what are my overall thoughts on French Canada, Quebecois, poutine, the Habs, customer service and simple Americans?

I definitely miss some of the creature comforts of home more than I thought I would. Some examples that stand out are Marmite, family (obviously), the weather(!) and just the good old English pound.

What do I like? The cost of rent is one definite advantage. Here I am paying half, if not less, for my apartment in one of the most sought-after areas of Montreal. In Vancouver it will be more, but still not a patch on what I paid for my digs at university, and definitely not on the prices people pay for similar flats in cities further south!

Of course there were some things that are different that I didn't appreciate. With the cost of living being lower, of course minimum wage is low. The Quebec government like to take a VERY healthy share of everything I earn too. That is something that I have heard will be less in Western Canada, so it is something I am looking forward to.

Also, there is always so much change in my pocket. In England, if you have £4.76 in your pocket, you know you can go to a shop and find something for as close to £4.76 as you can get (I believe in getting my money's worth)!

On this side of the pond, if you have $4.76 clinking away on your thigh, it is any one's guess of how much you will have to pay over the label price once you get to the counter with your hand full of shiny coins and potential purchases.

The snow does become much less of a novelty after Monday-Fridays every week trudging through foot-deep white stuff to arrive at the Metro station each day.

Overall? I wouldn't change a thing over the last few months. Every dime, toonie, loonie and dollar spent has been money well spent; every sight I have seen has enriched my experiences in life, and made me grow as a person(damn it I am sounding very righteous and American now- next comes the whining on about liberty etc).

Boredom guaranteed

Maybe you can't see what is written on this extensive list, but let me fill you in on what it is.

This is LESS THAN HALF of the stops that I will be making on my mammoth bus ride to Vancouver. In fact, it is still showing stops in Ontario, the second province out of five that I will be passing through.

Unsurprisingly, I am not looking forward to the three days sitting in a cramped, poorly cushioned seat, but think of the rewards at the end- VANCOUVER!

American dreams, and back in CA

Quite a relaxing few days to complete my American adventure, basically just wandering around and enjoying Boston. We took a look at the 'Cheers' pubs, which was a novelty, but for the most part Kate and I just drank coffee, took in the sunshine (!) and took advantage of the cheap American prices. I acquired some sunglasses for the equivalent of £2.50, while Kate fulfilled her shoe needs with a purchase of some new boots.

The bus back to Montreal, and then on to Quebec City, was a tough one for me. Again, the bus was pretty busy, and driving through the night was hell on earth. I couldn't get comfortable, didn't get any sleep, and then when I did shut my eyes we stopped for some reason or another which woke me.

Arriving in the capital of French Canada after about 11 hours was such a relief. Back in Canada, away from the craziness of the Yanks, and back to laid-back life.

Not so. We were greeted by metres of snow. The white stuff was smacking against our faces and we were freezing. Somehow, Quebec City still manages to remain beautiful. Its old buildings (it is one of the oldest cities in North America) are quaint and rickety, and the steep roads, battlements and Gothic architecture are all reminiscent of an Alpine village.

For the first day, we had our obligatory mooch around the downtown area. We saw the main buildings that we needed to see, such as some of the cathedrals, and the Chateau Frontenac. After a fantastic meal, we then retired back to the hostel- which is quaint and classy itself- for a beer (something Kate hasn't been legally able to consume for the past 15 days).

Today was a bit more energetic. We were up early for some skidooing (otherwise known as snowmobiling). It was quite nerve wracking, with a $1000 deposit on the line! Also, rather than be shown how to do anything, we were basically patted on the back and sent on our way! The tracks were confusing, we became stuck at least twice, took the wrong turn, and incessantly felt that we were going to tip the whole thing over. Other than that, the time spent on the machine was exhilarating! The course wasn't just a flat, easy track. There were turns, steep inclines and declines, and uneven terrain for us to manoeuvre over.

Thankfully, we didn't damage anything, so our bank balances weren't cleared out. We made our way back to the hostel, and now we have been recuperating back at the hostel. Quebec is a quiet city, and I think that both of us were ready for a less hectic place where we could gradually take in all the sights, rather than rush around trying to see everything.

So tomorrow it is back to Montreal, and then the worst bus journey of them all- three days to Vancouver.

Top o' the mornin'

Actually, we weren't quite feeling "top o' the mornin'" when we woke up three hours earlier than usual this morning, to catch an early bus to Boston.

We had timed our visit to Massachusetts perfectly, because it was that popular Irish holiday- Saint Patrick's Day! The fact that we were in the Irish capital of America made it even better. No sooner had we dropped our bags off in the 'downtown' H.I. Hostel (which was in reality was a fair old subway ride out of the centre), than we were directed to 'Southie' and suddenly we were amongst hoardes of drunken Americans clad in Shamrock green.

The parade was fun, even if after the novelty of backflipping Leprechauns and novelty buses full of cheerleaders wore off we were just surrounded by wasted idiots. We had our fill of the fun, and then headed to Boston Common for some more relaxed pasttimes.

The city centre is a world away from the hectic climes of New York. Finally we could walk in a straight line down the path, without fear of being solicited or bumped into; we could hear eachother's voices without the sound of sirens of building work drowning us out; and we could buy a coffee and actually have somewhere to sit in the cafe we had purchased it!

New York was enjoyable, but for someone from the Midlands, where you turn the street corner and you are surrounded by a herd of cows or fields of corn, the in-your-face nature of the Big Apple can become a bit irritating after a while.

Boston seems a much more quiet and quaint place. It is also more upmarket. Most of the restaurants have valet parking, and the Common is littered with wealthy old couples walking their immaculately trained canines.

Both Kate and I have commented that we actually miss Canada though! We'll be back there in a few days, and it is strange, because it is a feeling of yearning for home that I have. I think I will enjoy Boston, MA, however, and am particularly looking forward to the 'Cheers' pub tomorrow!

Bye to the Knicks and Rangers, "hello" Celtics and Bruins

Finally, the five days here in New York have come to a close, and I am back in the hostel preparing for my early start tomorrow morning for Boston.

The last couple of days have been less 'touristy', with yesterday being designated boredom day for me. Kate wanted a day of shopping and who was I to deny a bargain-hungry shopaholic?

So we visited all the retail highlights- which were 'enthralling'. Macy's, H & M and no end of handbag shops were our stops. In the end, however, it was me who spent more, stocking up on pants and socks and replacing my battered, tatty old shoes with a cheap replacement.

Today was more exciting. We stayed in one place- Central Park. The area is quite substantial, but we made a good effort to cover it all. I had the summer feeling, with the sun beating down, roller disco happening on the main promenade, and the sound of children's laughter throughout as they swung on swings, ran everywhere and played football with their adoring parents.

To try and take in as much of the park as possible, Kate and I opted to hire bicycles for an hour. We managed to cover the whole bike-track in the park, atop strange 'cruiser' cycles. They took some getting used to as the brakes were not on the handlebars, but to slow down you basically cycled backwards.

As we haven't exercised in what must be months, we were readily exhausted at the end of the cycle route. That didn't stop us having a mandatory break at Starbucks, and then (slowly) edging back down the fourty-odd blocks to our hostel.

We stopped off a what was advertised as "the best burger place in New York", and it seemed so!Brgr was a diner-type place, which promoted clean, local produce and tasted great!

I have to admit that I have had enough of the non-stop nature of New York now. The food is great, and the sights are fantastic. Could I live here? No. It does get frustrating that you can't walk in a straight line down the road; you are constantly dodging tourists, artists shoving their CDs in your face, promotion workers asking you endlessly if you like comedy and free beer, beggars asking for spare change; and on top of that always keeping an eye on your wallet to see if it is still there. If the amount of sights to see don't get you tired, then all the extra bother will!

I'm looking forward to Boston now. It is a little quieter, a little more pictureque, and hopefully the sun will keep on shining!

Biting the Big Apple

Past halfway in my whistle-stop tour of the Big Apple, and this is the first chance I have had to take a breath (no, I won’t be featuring in The Colour Purple; it’s a figure of speech).

I have just got back to the hostel, which is small but has everything we need, after a fantastic night on Broadway. Following much deliberation, waiting in the cheapo tickets queue for two hours, Kate and I decided on teenage spectacular Rent. It was a tough choice, and taken with a heavy heart because of the disappointment of Les Miserables not being in town.

In the end the show turned out to be brilliant. The music, the voices, and the storyline were all captivating, powerful and, at times, heartbreaking. I will spare the details of the show, but I would recommend anyone to go and see it (especially ahead of overblown Disney theatre remakes).

Broadway is just a small portion of what we have crammed into the first few days in NYC, and still the activities are coming thick and fast. This city is like no other; it dwarfs anything I have seen before- London, Paris and Berlin included. You can’t cover downtown in a day or two, like in Montreal and Washington, and you can’t see all the buildings that you need to see over a weekend. We have given it a good effort, though!

Even on budget, we have been busy on our feet. We took in all the big sights, such as the Rockefeller Tower and Empire State Building-which offered magnificent views of the sky-scraper fest of Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty was also a Western world ‘must-see’ which has now been ticked off the list, and the sombre atmosphere of Ground Zero was somewhat a harrowing experience as we remembered the events of 2001.

So it has been a touristy affair in the Big Apple so far. One thing that we never saw coming was our attendance in the audience for one of the biggest TV shows in America- The Late Show with David Letterman! We were approached on the street by a typically over-enthusiastic Yank, who asked us an apparently simple trivia question about the show to qualify us for a seat the following day. With both of us having an inherent lack of knowledge about American chat-shows, we took a wild stab at the answer, and lo-and-behold, we were right!

So the next day, there we were in the CBS studio, within feet of Charlize Theron, Paul Schafer and Dave Letterman himself. It was great fun as a host of comedians ‘warmed us up’ before the show, and then they had us clapping to live music, and then over laughing to every joke that was uttered forth. It was strange, but the more I faked laughed the more jolly I became!

It has definitely been an action packed few days- again- and it will surely be another packed bunch of days as we head off to Boston and then onto Quebec City. In between the cups of Starbucks’ white chocolate mocha the photographs and holiday moments will be coming thick and fast.

Cheese Steak and Navajos

Another day, another (few) dollar(s) in the U.S. of A.

The last day in Washington had promised to be a bit of a mooch, making sure we ticked off all the 'must sees' in the city, but instead it opened up a can of worms that we wish we could have seen! We took a walk along the other side of the Mall this time, and first of all we wandered into the Botanical Gardens. It was quite interesting, actually- I'm hardly the budding botanist but there was plenty to see.

The find of the afternoon was the American Indian History Museum. It was so interesting learning about all the tribes and how they now integrate into society. In the end Kate and I had to drag ourselves away in order to make sure we got the rest of the day done. We took a last look at the White House, and then prepared for another day of travelling to follow.

Today, we got the early bus to Philadelphia. All I knew we had to see was the Liberty Bell, and the Rocky Steps. First things first, I donned my grey jogging suit and charged up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with as much 'Eye of the Tiger' as I could muster!

When we had done messing about, we walked back into the centre of Philadelphia, where we embarked upon a history lesson about the United States. First we saw the Liberty Bell, and learned that it actually played quite a crucial part in the revolution, and in many movements since (e.g. Women's Suffrage, Black Civil Rights). Then we went on to see where the Declaration of Independence was signed, where George Washington himself had strode and won and beat the English etc. Philadelphia was actually a real find, and I wished we could have stayed longer.

We managed to fit in visits to the grave of Ben Franklin, the oldest inhabited street in America and of course we had to eat ourselves a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich! It was so good, words can't even describe.

Now we're in the Big Apple, ready to embark on the next six action packed days of adventure!

Chillin' with George

We arrived in Washington at about 11am on Friday morning. It was such a relief to be off that bus. Rather than take the metro to our hostel, following the direction we had been given, we took the lazy option and paid for a taxi instead.

We were glad for the decision, because our driver was a pool of knowledge. He told us which metro stops we should use, where to go for food, where to go for attractions- pretty much everything you could think of about the capital of the United States of America.

After getting to the hostel which although located in the outskirts of the city, and appeared to be a home for down-and-outs, wasn’t too bad for the price we were paying. It was just over the road from the metro into town, and the beds weren’t too uncomfortable.

On the first day we just went for a wonder around. We got off at the Union Station metro stop, and were bowled over with the grandeur of all the buildings. As we stepped out of the massive train station, and admittedly into the rain, we could see Capitol Hill. I was a bit building-struck (like star-struck but for famous buildings) and it was even more impressive as we got closer. We would have stayed longer to admire the architecture, but the weather was a problem.

As the rain kept pummelling down, we braved a quick look at the White House, where I was in awe once again, and also took some photographs of the Washington Memorial, which was striking with the lights and angry sky as a backdrop.

We stayed inside and tried out the American movie theatre experience. Apparently it isn’t rude to keep talking through films over here, and shout things at the screen like “dang!” and “oh no she did not just do that!”

We had an early night on our first evening, because we had so little sleep the night before.

Day two was more of the same. Finally we had some weather which wasn’t freezing or snowing, and we loved it! We revisited the Capitol, admiring all the spectacular government buildings along the way. We sat for coffee in garden of the National Gallery of Art, which left us in a relaxed mood with the sounds of jazz in our ears, and calm from observing all the sculptures in the garden, which surrounded a quaint ice-rink.

For the rest of the day we took in the entire Mall. It is the vast stretch of grass, monuments and lakes between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. It doesn’t seem much when you can see from one end to the other, but it took us hours! The World War Two memorial was a sight. It had only been created in 2004, and symbolised all those lives lost in the war of 1939-45. We made our way up to the Lincoln Memorial, passing the pool of reflection, which looked like stormy seas in the wind.

We observed President Abraham sitting in his seat, with the words of the Constitution to his left and his own speech to his right. The view from the steps of his Memorial was enough to take in almost the whole city. It was a stark contrast to the high rise of New York, with no skyscrapers to be seen at all.

After we had seen all the memorials and buildings, we had to eat. As we sat with our ridiculously large portions of chicken wings, hummus, club sandwich and Caesar salad, we were amazed at what happened next. Wave after wave of policemen went past, closing off the road that was running next to the restaurant. And then there were black jeeps, police motorcycles (in pairs) and then a particular Presidential motorcade! It was quite a feeling to be close to the most famous (or infamous) man on the planet for just a brief moment!

Blackpool's Big Brother

With disturbed sleep, and a slight alcohol headache, we decided to catch a later bus than first planned to Niagara Falls.

It was for the best in the end, because Niagara was a ghost town. It resembled Blackpool, with all the attractions cold and empty, waiting to be glorified by the summer and the hoards of tourists once again. The hotels and rides were also looking a little decrepit and rusty. Add this to the reams of souvenirs shops that appeared tired, and which were also closed, and the ‘Blackpool look’ was complete.

Once we had walked from the town down to the Falls themselves, we took all the mandatory photographs and then basically had about two-and-a-half hours to kill. We went behind the falls, but where we would have seen the might torrents crashing down, we saw bubbles of ice.

We searched for somewhere to get a coffee, but everywhere was closed. Eventually we got to Tim Horton’s, and even that closed it doors on us when it didn’t realise we hadn’t left yet! The highlight of that part of our adventure was that I actually won on the Tim Horton’s ‘Roll the Rim to Win’ promotion! Okay, so it was just another coffee, but it was a moral victory all the same.

Once we had surpassed enough time in Niagara to wait for the bus, we headed back to the station. The bus was nearly 1 ½ hours late. In the meantime we had to contend with a rude station attendant, a drunk, racist hick and a young, single mother. So the comparisons with Blackpool continue.

Once we actually got on the bus to Buffalo, we were finally on our way to America. Customs did their best to make us miss our transfer for the bus to Washington, and once we actually did arrive in Buffalo, the differences between Canada were obvious.

Instantly Kate and I felt a bit more unsafe, and even the bus driver warned us, “don’t go outside in Buffalo. I’m not saying it’s bad, but Buffalo is Buffalo.” We didn’t go outside.

The New York bus was absolutely packed. We managed to get a seat next to the sloshing noises of the restroom and the banging of the broken door. Also, there was motor-mouth Jones on his cell phone in the seat next to us, and a girl who was doing wonders for Britain’s credibility down the bus. She was a typical prima-dona with her inflatable neck cushion and eye-mask to sleep. Also, she marched around the petrol-station when we stopped half way like she owned the place. She got on my nerves to say the least.

The 16 hours that we spent on buses between Niagara and Washington was tough. We were cranky, sleep-deprived and insanely bored. However, it was all made worth as we came into Manhattan for our New York transfer. The sun was rising up on the horizon and all the buildings were silhouetted in a brilliant pink sky. It was a sight, and the first time ever that I was pleased that I was awake at six o’clock in the morning.

Back in Big T.O.!

Plenty has happened since I left the shores of Ile-de-Montreal. I’m in a new country, new atmosphere, and new weather!

First stop on Kate and my marathon bus tour was Toronto. We had planned to see Mat and Caroline the day after we arrived, but as we came downstairs in the Global Backpacker’s Hostel, there was Mat (half-cut I think), and so we caught up for lost time that night! It was almost as if I hadn’t been away, even though I had only been in Toronto for a few nights the time before.

The next day was when we started our hardcore tourism (which is still continuing here in Washington, D.C.). First stop was the CN Tower, which had been my biggest oversight when I was whisked off to Montreal when I first arrived. The worst part about this attraction was a glass floor at the top, which you could stand on. Kate thought it was hilarious that I felt sick every time I placed a foot on it, and glanced down at the sheer drop (possibly to my death).

After the tower, we strolled along Front Street, past all the stadiums (Rogers Centre for baseball, Air Canada Centre for basketball and hockey), and then on to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Kate wasn’t too interested, as you can imagine, but I was in my element on the interactive games and looking at all the memorabilia. Highlights included the Wayne Gretzky section, the actual Stanley Cup, and the mock Montreal Canadiens dressing room.

In the evening we all went round to Mat’s house, which he had only moved into a few nights before. We ordered in two massive pizzas and met his housemate Patrick. It was a late night and Nanny Kate and I struggled the next day to get our bus to Niagara Falls.

T-minus deux jours!

Another weekend of celebrations, and actually a tinge of sadness as I cleared my desk, Jerry Maguire-style (minus the goldfish), and began to pack my life back into the rucksack from whence it came.

I opted for overtime for the last three days of my working week. Incredibly, the task of selling cosmetic surgery consultations is surprisingly fun, and the commission I was racking up made it all the more enjoyable!

After I said my goodbyes to all the MyChoice Medical colleagues, I aimed to make the most of my final weekend in the snowy plains of QC. Saturday morning was spent watching Arsenal scrape a draw against Villa, the afternoon was whiled away by packing up my room, and then I saved the fun for the evening.

Down in Vieux-Montreal, far and away my favourite part of the city, was the second and final week of the Winter Festival. The fireworks began at 8:00pm; Allie, Erica, Marg and I arrived at 7:59pm. It was all tres impressive! Hot chocolate laced with Baileys, marshmallows roasted over the open fire (just like in the Cub Scouts), maple syrup lashed onto the snow (to create syrup lollies), and strange men dressed in ape suits crowd-surfing from the stage (don't ask, I didn't understand the French master of ceremonies and just accepted that this was normal French-Canadian behaviour)!

Also, savoured some more typical French-Canadian cuisine, including my last Poutine in this icy province, and a beaver tail. It has a definite Scottish flavour- it was deep fried- and smothered with banana slices and chocolate sauce. Gorgeous.

Kate, fresh from four whole hours of sleep the night before, came round on Sunday and we were back down to the Old Port. Important things first- hot dog combo. Afterwards, we got ourselves in the queue, amongst the hordes of Spanish, snow-ball throwing toddlers (and their parents). We collected our sleds and got ourselves onto that amazing ice-slide! My coxsix took a battering on the way down, it was so bumpy- plus I was trying to go as fast as possible. It was all over in a second, and we weren't queuing up for another half hour, so we got ourselves a well earned coffee, then continued with the festivities.

Further down the hill, past an overlooking Jacques Cartier (statue), we saw energetic South American women on their tam tams, a kind of bongo drum. We partook in this other strange photo booth thing also, which had strange accessories for us to wear. Kinky feather bowers, jesters hats and sequined, rouge top hats were all at our disposal for the apparently pointless exercise. It was free though, so we took advantage.

Another twinge of sadness once we got back to the apartment, after a gorgeous Boccacino's dinner (and cheap- gladly paid for by the Valentine's Day vouchers I had won). Marg and Allie handed me my leaving present. It was a t-shirt from a snazzy made-to-order t-shirt shop downtown. On the front it has a poutine, of course, and on the back, four numbers that will be immortalised forever- 6767 (Rue St. Denis).

I'm now on borrowed time in Montreal. Technically I am homeless after my lease ran out on the 29th of February. Tomorrow, I will finally go to the Jean Talon market- a place that was mentioned to me after about one day of being here- and then on Tuesday.......travels!