toronto from ahigh

So Melbourne has booted Vancouver off the top of the list of the world's most livable cities. After a day of errand-running in Toronto, I'm not surprised the world eventually chose an Australian city over a Canadian one. After living in Burnie for the last four years, I was prepared for things to be more expensive over here. But as I've found out with their cell phone options, it isn't just more expensive, it's five years behind. There is no way an Australian mobile provider would survive charging what the companies charge over here. No one would buy it. I found banking is the same. At home I paid about $5 a month with a major back for unlimited transactions. Today I signed on for $15 a month for the same deal. If I wanted it cheaper, I would have had to limit my card use. By Australian standards it's ridiculous. All pays are also done by cheque. When I pulled out my Travel Card, the guy at the bank asked what BPay was all about. I explained it and it was like I was speaking another language. "What a great idea," he said. No kidding! I think there is a lot of money to be made if one company decided to cut the crap and offer a competitive deal, because such a thing doesn't seem to exist.

Ok so that's my whinge for the day. Oh I would like to add to that, the tax issue. All prices are shown before tax, and I'm not so good with doing calculations before I get to the register so I'm finding it downright annoying. Now don't get the impression I'm not enjoying Canada. I am. I'm just adjusting.

I wasn't that keen to see much of Toronto so today became my errand day. I waiting at Service Canada to get my Social Insurance Number (a must to work in the country). It took about half an hour of waiting and two minutes with the customer service woman. A lot of people there were applying for a marriage licence, including one couple dressed for their wedding. I got my SIN and headed to the shops to find something to wear to my job interview on Thursday. I braved the Eaton Centre (a huge underground shopping centre), found a skirt and went for a walk in search of lunch. I ended up down by the waterfront, which looks over to Toronto Island. On the way back I called into TD Canada and opened an account. To be fair, they were very helpful. Even if their charges are ridiculous.

Back at the hostel I was exhausted so I curled up with Wilson Dell (my laptop) and watched a movie. I surfaced a couple of hours later and headed out to grab dinner on the way to the CN Tower - the only touristy thing I decided to do. The tower was the tallest in the world until 2010. I arrived on dusk so enjoyed sunset at the observation deck at 346m before going up to the Sky Pod at 446m. I got a little nervous going up the first elevator, which has glass windows. Going up the to Sky Pod wasn't as bad as the elevator is inside the concrete tower, so you can't see out. I admired the view for a while before making my way back down. Apparently on a clear day you can see all the way to Niagra Falls. As nice as it would have been to be up there during the day, I actually prefer views at night. Seeing the city all lit up is gorgeous.  

a quick game of pooh sticks

This trip has taken me to several famous attractions: the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Platform 9 3/4 etc. The problem with such attractions is you have an idea of what you're in for. In some cases you've seen it hundreds of times and this gives you certain expectations. Times Square is a good example. In movies it looks like this fantastic place full of lights, life and fun. In reality it is simply insane and I spent most of the time there looking for the quickest way out.

Today, with my camera and expectations in tow, I ventured to Niagra Falls. Now I don't need to explain to anyone just what a sight this looks in pictures. In reality, it it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be. But what was surprising was the force at which the water roars over the edge. There's a barge shipwrecked not far from the edge. Apparently it's been there for a while. It's just too dangerous for anything to get in to fish it out. That gives you an idea of the verocity of the current. A woman was killed only a week ago. She climbed up on the barrier and had an umbrella. The wind caught her umbrella and over she went. Despite this, people still stood up on the barrier, or worse, lifted their kids up for a better look. The water moves at an incredible pace. It would be a very quick game of Pooh Sticks.

Uncle Mickey and I did the Journey Behind the Falls, where you ride an elevator down and can go out onto some viewing platforms or in some tunnels to see behind the falls. The falls sound like thunder and echo through the tunnels. After lunch I did the Maid of the Mist, which are the boats that cruise up to the falls. The boats push as far up as they can against the current. After everyone has had a good look they turn the boat around and it is dragged back. The current moves the boat like it is a twig. I was suitable blown about and a little wet (my Drizzle took one for the team there) when I met up with Lyn and Mick again. My Drizzle is bright pink so it was easy for them to pick me out against the sea of blue ponchos on the boat. The falls have eroded quite a lot in the last few hundred years. Unfortunately it seems this sight won't be around forever. I wonder what will happen to the casinos, hotels and amusements parks that are fuelled by the never-ending stream of tourists that visit this place. Apparently we'd come on a quiet day, and it was still hectic.

Then came the drive to Toronto. Although it's visible over Lake Ontario, it takes about 100km to drive around the lake to get to the city. Mick and Lyn dropped me off at my hostel (Mick goes back to work tomorrow) and I headed out for some dinner. To be honest, I'm not that fussed about being in Toronto and already plan just to run some errands tomorrow. It's not that I'm over travelling, it's just that reality is now only 48 hours away and I'm rather exhausted.

canadian and proud of it

After only a couple of days in Canada, I have come to the conclusion Canadians are as patriotic as Americans. I doubt you'll find a Canadian who will like the comparison. I doubt you'll find a Canadian who likes Americans. But there it is. Today the troubles of Hurricane Irene seemed a world away as the sun shone on southerwestern Ontario. After another lazy morning I decided to walk into town to take a look around. I also wanted to get a Canadian cell phone. So I walked the 3km out to Rogers, one of the main providers in Canada. From what I've heard, they are the Canadian equivalent of Telstra: good coverage, bad service. It didn't take too long to get sorted. As I walked through the suburbs, I noticed a lot of Canadian flags. I saw the same thing yesterday on our ride to Port Dover. It's just not something we do in Australia. I guess we wear the print on clothes and thongs though - wasn't that a heated debate earlier this year?!

The town has a downtown area, but the establishment of major chains outside this area has decentralised the town. The Rogers store was in the 'new' area so I walked back into 'downtown'. I had lunch at a small cafe and worked out I'm not a fan of dill pickles. I fear this is going to go about as well for me as trying to avoid corriander in Vietnam. I also got mistaken for a Brit. Mick told me later it's common. It's like an Aussie trying to pick the difference between Canadians and Americans.

I got back to Mick and Lyn's after a couple of hours walking around and without getting sunburnt. I then spent the next couple of hours studying and completing the Serving it Right exam. It's the British Columbia version of the Responsible Serving of Alcohol certificate and it's compulsory if I'm going to work somewhere that serves alcohol. I don't need it just yet but I figured I might as well get it out of the way.

That evening, choosing between pizza and a barbecue for tea, I chose the latter. It seemed like a touch of home. After eating way too much, Mick and I chilled on the couch watching House before I called it a night.

two-wheeled road trip

It seems I have a knack for avoiding drama on this trip. I left London a few days before the riots, left DC the day before the earthquake, and left New York the day before they start warning people to prepare to evacuate if Hurricane Irene hits. While my friends in New York stocked up on food and alcohol in preparation for possible trouble, I explored southwestern Ontario without a care in the world. That may be a cliche, but it's hard to have a worry when you're on the back of a motorcycle, feeling the wind hit you as you cruise through gorgeous countryside.

At Port Dover

Uncle Mickey has two bikes and has taken some mammoth trips through the States on them. His partner Lyn hadn't been on a bike before meeting him, but was a quick convert. When he offered to show me the area on his touring bike, I jumped at the chance. Mickey lives near Lake Erie, so we headed there to "the Coast". Our first stop was Port Dover, a little village on the edge of the lake. There's a little sand on the bank and quite a few people making use of it, but apparently on weekends it's crazy. The town is also home to the Friday the 13th motorcycle event. On every Friday the 13th, thousands of bikers converge on the town. It could be winter, summer, once a year, twice a year. It doesn't matter. They all come to Port Dover.

Port Dover

From Port Dover we took some back roads through Normandale, Turkey Point, St Williams and to Long Point,  pulling in at various points on the lake. It was a great place to explore on the bike. You feel more in touch with your surroundings. At Port Dover I could smell the chips from the takeaway places as we rode in and I felt the temperature change as we moved away from the water. We rode through a few farming districts. There were a lot of roadside stalls selling fresh vegetables. The main crop here is tobacco, however as demand drops because less people are smoking, many farmers have turned to ginseng. We passed a lot of tobacco crops but with the lack of rain (except for a downpour two nights ago) they weren't looking very healthy. The maze seemed to be faring a bit better.

The view from where we had supper

One of the towns we rode through is fighting against a decision to put wind turbines in the area. There were a lot of anti-turbine signs up including one reading "the answer is NOT blowing in the wind".

Long Point is near a national wildlife area, which is home to a lot of turtles. There are road signs up warning motorists of "Turtles crossing". Unfortunately I didn't see any. We stopped at a place near Long Point for an early supper before heading home on a different route.

and into canada

Ah trains. One of the best ways to travel. Yes they have their downsides: it does take a rather long time to get anywhere. But I figure if you're not in a rush, why not enjoy the journey? I could have flown from New York to Toronto, but I couldn't pass up a train trip. Amtrak is the only service that operates in the State and it runs the Maple Leaf, covering the journey in about 12 hours. It was only a quick walk from Jeremy's to the Station. I'm really grateful he let me stay with him. I'd actually booked a hostel for my last night because I didn't want to be a bother by getting up early, but he's up early anyway so it worked out well.

I'd paid a little bit extra (about $30) for business class. It wasn't much money in the scheme of things, plus I knew I would appreciate the extra space. And oh did I. I had a seat by myself that was big enough for me to curl up in, plus it reclined with a huge foot rest so it was like curling up in front of the TV at Mum and Dad's. I slept for the first few hours and then passed some time in the cafe carriage chatting with some of the staff. Mike and 'J' (he wouldn't spill on what the J on his name badge stood for) travel the line six days a week. Up one day and back the next...three times a week. I'm not sure what their actual job is. They just sat and chatted to me and a girl from Nepal who is studying in Canada and made the occasional announcement.

The scenery, what I saw of it, was nice. We followed water for a while and I could see a bit of the little towns we passed through. It was nice to be out of the city. At Niagra we all hopped off to go through the border check. I had to get my working holiday permit issued and the woman at the desk wasn't very helpful to begin with. At first she said she wasn't sure she could issue it, then said she could but she would have to start the machine and it could take an hour (meaning I would miss the train to Toronto), then suggested I get it processed when I fly into Vancouver, then realised I couldn't do that because it had to be done on entry to the country, then said she could do it but warned me again about missing my train. I said she should do whatever she had to do. I needed to get it activated so if that meant the night in Niagra, so be it. When she processed it she initially said I only had a year, even though the permit could be for two. I'd only bought insurance for one year so she was going by that. After a bit of a conversation where I promised to extend to insurance if I stayed in the country longer than a year (which of course I would!?), she approved it for two years and I was good to go. Luckily, being in business class I'd been one of the first off the train to the customs desk so even with the time it took her, I was finished before some other customers. It would have been a different story if I'd been further back in the line. There would have been no train for me to Toronto.

At the station I met my Uncle Mickey...well once we found each other. I hadn't seen him for 11 years but turns out he looks just the same. I doubt the same can be said for me though. I was 15. I really hope I don't still look like the scrawny teenager I was back then. Well, not that there's much scrawny about me after two months with lots of food and no gym. Mickey and his partner Lyn live a couple of hours out of Toronto so it was a little drive back, but again, nice to be out of the city.