Gooooooooood mornin', Ca-na-da! Canada! Land of smiles! No, really. They go out of their way to help and are uniformly charming and intelligent and they speak English and there is coffee everywhere - so what's not to like?
I'll tell you what's not to like. The no-smoking policy on the trains and the fact they only stop 3 times in 48 hours! Aaaaaaaaaaagh!
Apart from that, this is a very easy country to like and I am not surprised so many people I meet in the world want to emigrate here.
Not keen on the hostel. Walk round a lot and then, on the spur of the moment, take the minibus trip to Niagara which is a good day out. We stop at a 'winery' and a model village, Niagara on the Lake, which is so Stepford Wives and spooky, can't wait to get out. All pretty houses and spotless and shops.
Niagara town itself is a hoot. Tacky as all get out, neon, amusement arcades, casinos, chilidogs and chips. Love it to bits. The joyous sound of people making a living whatever way they can. So alive.
Get off the Maid in the Mist boat ride into the falls (awesome)and promptly chuck away the complimentary blue plastic poncho. Which is a shame as the heavens open and I get drenched. Happily dancing down the stree with pals singing 'Singin' in the rain' Wake up in the night with a raging sore throat and bad cold. Worth it tho.
Go looking for internet cafe but instead find young Japanese guy selling his poems on tshirts from a bag on the pavement. Buy one immediately and chat. he mourns the fact that only in Canada will people buy as in japan, they demand English on their shirts. have poem translated by hosteller and it says - After sleeping here, we go to eternity.
Find myself in Korea town and Vietnam town and finally get my hair cut by Chinese hairdresser who doesn't laugh when I point out that with my Number 2 cut and maroon gown I am the dead spit of the Dalai Lama. Still it's a good cut and she is very nice.
Off to Winnipeg tomorrow to change trains for Churchill and, hopefully, polar bears and, very hopefully, not too close.
