I Canada and I Willanda
CANADA | Friday, 23 October 2009 | Views [37]
SO, did we think that I was back for good? Well some people did, especially one particular ginger from Edinburgh, but alas (or with relief for some) I've gone and done left the mighty mighty Scotland for a new continent, North America - Canada this time. Vancouver to be precise.
Canada was always the plan, I'd originally planned to go for an international jaunt back in 2004 but I got a permanent job at Northsound, then Xfm came along and generally life got in the way. Skip 18 months of awesomeness Glasgow, to having to deal with Pike and Norway (see you next Tuesday guys!) plus my impending oldness, it was heartily decided that although life on the up in 2008 with a great job, great boss, great girl and divine housemate, it was time to finally spend the money I'd been saving and go travelling.
It was Kev's idea to get a van and go to Europe. It was the best eight weeks Europe has ever seen.
It was Kev's idea to go to Australia, as "it'll be winter in Canada". It was a joyful romp into the sun, an 8 month piss up.
Now, this time, stuff you all. I'm going to Canada.
It was lovely to see you all back in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and good old WK - some memorable nights out and outstanding to see so many faces put up with my stories again and again. Neldo and Jax's wedding was brilliant, Ian and Miranda's wedding was even better, and now happily, two days after buying my NONREFUNDABLETICKETS Julie has announced that she is getting married in September, so I'll be home for that. What will I do after that? I dunno, I just work here.
So, five years in the saving, five years in the procrastination of planning (still don't know a lot about the country) and five years in the day dreaming about it, is it all worth it?
Yes.
It.
Is.
Let's start at the very beginning. Standing in the line for check-in I got talking to a lovely old couple from British Columbia who run a B&B on Fraser River, Deering Island, and on discovering that I was looking for a sound engineering job in Canada, they announced that their son was Mike Fraser who just so happens to have produced U2, AC/DC, Metallica.... Their last words were "Don't forget to come and visit", which I have naturally translated as "Your gold discs are practically on the bathroom wall already". A contact is a contact, even if it discovered at 7am on a Wednesday morning in Glasgow airport.
So not only did I essentially set up my career for the rest of my life, not only did I get a litre of Irish bottled joy for less than the price of a U2 CD, not only did I manage to get a steak bake out of Greggs, but a pre-match pint of Deuchers in the bar was cheaper than a coffee. I'd fallen for Canada already.
Some people interpret delays as a pain, but if you think about it carefully you soon realise that you can easily fit a third pint in at the gate. On to the plane to find that I've an empty seat beside me and the PA system is playing 'Doolittle' before take off. Brilliant. Yerman the Captain apologised for the delay and promised to make up for lost time, which in my head equated to a rip in the time-space continuum, as I definitely had that third pint, and we were still going to arrive on time....great Scott.
Funnily enough leaving the UK this time doesn't feel like such a big thing. There were no parties and there were no songs, my Dad offered to go out for a big meal to mark the occasion but the idea hadn't even crossed my mind. I think we had a fry up instead.
Yerman the Captain was possibly a game show host in the past, he was rocking the announcements on the PA, ensuring that we dragged our eyes from the garbage film selection to see the glaciers we were flying over. Although we were flying at 35,000 ft I could clearly see the patterns of the ice flows, even the distinction in the direction the snow must have been falling that week. Hundreds of miles of tundra and mountains, all covered in thick snow already - absolutely majestic and something I'd love to see from the ground. I plan to go up to the Northern Territories/Alaska in the winter, but no tours go at that time of year, so either I'll go in Spring or I'll die trying to go in winter on my tod.
Into Vancouver with no dramas, found the hostel quickly and set about doing what every traveller should do. Get out and explore the town. It's a North American city, so most of the streets are laid out in a logical grid. Without even trying I found the Gastown and Cambie easily. I fancied a pint and only once I was in the Cambie did I realise that this was the one place I had been recommended to go to. The locals were more than happy to keep me entertained with a list of things to do in the city, and I reckon I'll run into Clark and Mike in there again.
A quick stroll down the road, into an Irish bar for a quick drink before bed (which was twice the price), and an excellent start to it all.
Thursday was a drunk night in the hostel with Aussies and Englishers. These are standard now.
Friday however, we did something I've heard about for years but never managed to go to before. Oh yeah, we're going to a laser show. It was based around Radiohead, and after initial worries about the quality of it all the show kicked in big style. Floating heads and star systems backed with half of 'Kid A' and 'The Bends' is enough to put you in a trance/freak you out for an hour. As we were leaving, speechless, the queue was forming for the next show - 'Dark Side of the Moon'. That'll be next Friday sorted then.
Whilst in the mighty might Ritz in Melbourne, I had the delightful pleasure of meeting the mighty mighty Jen. Jen is a leg-end who lives in Vancouver. After chastising me for paying for a week in the hostel, I was invited to stay with her and her mate in the posh part of town for a week or so (starting this weekend), and then she invited me out to a Oktoberfest party with all her mates.
So as I'm sitting in the midst of ten lovely young ladies (and a few lovely young men), drinking German paint stripper, I'm realising that Canada, indeed, rocketh. We were up dancing to the Oompah band, we cheered on Jac as she won the beer drinking contest, we danced all the way around the bar - good clean honest fun. There were a lot of German ex-pats, naturally, who were all slightly older than say....sixty? But they loved that we were getting into the spirit of things, and the whole night had the feeling of a wedding that you didn't know anyone at - meaning you can go for it with reckless abandon.
After countless steins, I was ready for bed, but I was reliably informed by the girls to STFU, so off bar hopping we went. I don't remember much after the double rye's started, but there was more dancing I believe. Then I woke up under a blanket on a sofa.
Then, without the decency of an explanation, I was instructed to get up and go for brunch. Jac took me to Jebodiah's, ordered a Caesar, a bottomless coffee and some poutine - oh, and some menus. Poutine is chips/cheese/gravy - an end of the night snack in my eyes, but apparently an appetiser for brunch over here. A Caesar is a Bloody Mary with clam juice in it. It's like putting your tongue inside a fish. It's like finding a sock from the 1930's, adding some grated evil and some gin before dropping it all into a glass with all the care of a backstreet dog dentist. The french toast, maple syrup and bacon was da bomb though. I also discovered why/how all the girls were putting away the drink faster than I the night before. They are (very hot) rugby players. Sneaky Canadians.
The rest of my time here in the first week has been sorting out the mundane things, bank, phone, job etc. I've picked up a job for the Olympics, meaning that if nothing better comes along in the next couple of weeks, I might go travelling and return to Vancouver in January. We shall see. The Olympic job? Oh I'm a X-Ray Scanner, so I've now been trained in bombs, guns, knifes, grenades and other such banned items. If the curling sees terrorism delay the quarter finals, it'll be my fault. Having said that I've applied for actual radio jobs too, so if they come through then the Olympics can get stuffed.
I've a mobile here, damned expensive, but you can get the number on my facebook page.
So in summary, I should have done this years ago. Well, that's not true, as I'd have missed out on the best five years anyone could hope for, but you know what I mean.
Halloween is on the way, and there's a warm up party this weekend. I'm going as Renton.
xx
Tags: drinking, canada
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