Well, it’s damn cold. It snowed on my second day in Toronto, which took us all a bit by surprise – even the Canadians. I packed ample clothing (so much one handle on my bag broke during the London-Toronto flight, and the second just broke yesterday on the way to Calgary) but thoroughly inadequate footwear. This has now been remedied by my new Cougar boots. Given they may look suspiciously like those granny boots you can buy from promotional pages in newspaper magazines, but after sploshing around in freezing slush at Niagra falls in suede slouch boots, the Cougars’ 100% waterproof claim and fur lining sold them to me. I’m still reeling from having to ask for a Canadian size 9 though – actually the second pair of shoes I’ve bought from here so far. The shopping here is ridiculously tempting. Unfortunately my bag is full to bursting (obviously) so that limits what I can buy.
MEN IN TIGHTS
My Toronto hostel was great, not least because of the free pancake breakfast each morning, and the fabulous people I found to hang out with. I made my first friends almost as soon as I arrived. Shalailah (“Australia”) was checking in just behind me, and staying almost exactly as long as I was. We went most of the few days in Toronto together, along with Jon (“Ireland”) and Michelle – also from Australia, sharing my dorm, and turns out she went to school with Luke. What a small place the world can be. I knew it was all going to be OK when only a few hours after meeting we were watching Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves (Kevin Costner) in the hostel’s cinema (fairly cool – old aeroplane seats, a full-wall screen and a fairly generous selection of videos and DVDs), cracking up over Kevin’s mullet and Christian’s half-arsed English accent.
STEAMWHISTLER
Shalailah, Jon and I went to the Steam Whistle roundhouse brewery on Wednesday (my first Canadian beer!) and were plied with enormous amounts of free pilsner – very nice it was too – which was a firm foundation to our friendship. It’s made with only four ingredients, so the hangover is minimal (apparently).
GO RAPTORS GO!
Along with Michelle and Alex, we went to an NBA game that night: a friendly match between the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics. We only paid $12 per ticket (£6) and had a perfect view, although we did have to walk for about fifteen minutes to get up to our seats. I’ve always wanted to go to the NBA, so I was excited as a child at Christmas. Shalailah and I kept forgetting the clear bias of the crowd and commentators and enthusiastically cheering for the Celtics (as well as the Raptors). The Raptors won (Go Raptors Go!), by a hair’s breadth, and scored over 100 points - which meant free pizza the next day from the sponsor “Pizza Pizza”. I think the crowd’s excitement was as much for the pizza as the victory. Ours certainly was, though we didn’t actually make it to Pizza Pizza the next day. Rubbish.
WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOME
Thursday Jon and I went to our BUNAC (SWAP) orientation session with the super-perky and enthusiastic Kat, which lasted a tedious three hours but was very informative. According to Kat, everything is going to be “su-weeet!” and “awesome!” for us foreigners and we are advised to play up our accents as much as possible. The anti-Aberdonian in me refuses.
I now have my very own Canadian bank account and have been switching happily in shops. Probably a bit too happily. I was fairly dismayed to find you have to pay for the privilege of just having a bank account in this silly country (paying more if you don’t want a limit on how many transactions you can do per month – which I most certainly do not). Apparently you also need to pay for incoming calls to mobile phones. Outrage.
The bank we’re with looked like something from the set of ‘Three Men and a Baby’ – all baggy 80s suits, grey/beige décor and giant plastic telephones. A lot of Toronto seemed to be like that – it slightly creeped me out. Fashion is fairly non-existent too: woolly jumpers and voluminous hair for the most part. Luckily my traveller’s wardrobe isn’t exactly a fashion haven either, so I fit right in.
EATING FOR SCOTLAND
As for the eating in this country, it’s unbelievable. Today we had iced Cinnamon buns at a coffee house, which come the size of a small melon and with the slogan “Indulge, it’s okay!” on the box. I’m sure that ought to come with some sort of government health disclaimer about heart disease, obsesity or diabetes. I found a hefty chocolate bar in a shop today (Safeway in fact, bizarrely) called “Eat More”. I’m a Tim Hortons lover already – a coffee shop as common as Starbucks but a fraction of the price. Raspberry timbits being my new favourite – teeny little donuts, with a large proportion of jam, only 15c each. However I am starting to feel my arse wobbling far more than it used to and I am in desperate need of some exercise. When the snow arrives, that ought to sort me out.
LAURA MEETS THE LOCAL WILDLIFE
I had an unfortunate experience on Thursday while dining extravagantly on sushi at lunchtime with Jon (again, I was as excited as a child at Christmas). Half way through, a cockroach casually walked into the middle of the table from under my bento box, causing Jon to pause mid-mouthful of udon. I called over the waitress who said “euwww!! That’s so disgusting! I’ll just go get someone” - leaving me, Jon and the cockroach to it. I had to tap on the table with my chopsticks to keep the roach walking in circles while she got the manager, who looked like she was going to cry when she saw it. The roach obligingly walked onto the drinks menu, which I picked up and suggested she took away. Apparently the floor above was being fumigated for pests and as the manager looked so mortified, I made minimal complaint. I finished my sushi and was given a voucher for my next visit, which I thought would be entirely useless, but paid for a take-away dinner the next night. Strong stomach – as you may remember from the curry story in Leicestershire early this year!
NIAGRA FALLS. POSSIBLY THE TACKIEST PLACE ON THE PLANET.
Shalailah and I did the Niagra thang on Friday, with JoJo and her A-team style van, where all eight of us had to introduce ourselves and talk about our Canadian aspirations. Niagra itself is a tourist trap exceeding anything I’ve been to before. There was snow lying at that point, and with aforementioned freezing, soaked feet teamed with the ride on the “Maid of the Mist” – a cold shower in an artic wind under an inadequate plastic sheet, it was a fairly unpleasant if highly amusing day out. Shalailah and I spent much of the time searching for Wellington boots in the souvenir shops. However, Tim Horton obligingly supplied hot drinks and calorific food to make up for it, and the falls themselves were very beautiful. I also enjoyed hearing about the surprising number of lunatics who’ve launched themselves over the top in years past for financial gain – with or without kayaks/barrels, often without success. We stopped in past a winery afterwards, and tasted enough to send us all off to sleep in the van home. I tried “Ice Wine” – made by picking grapes only when it’s -10oC and using them frozen. Unsurprisingly it’s very expensive, as it’s tricky to find people willing to do the picking…
CLOSE QUARTERS
My longest stay in a hostel was a good experience, thanks to the cleanliness (no evidence of bedbugs – hurrah!) and the few gems of mates I met, but my intolerance for annoying people got in the way. Sadly, it seems you can’t escape some of them, without just being unpleasant. If I’d been staying any longer, an outbreak would have been on the cards. My particular favourites were a girl from London who has an Australian accent after one year there and who loudly blurted out during the pub quiz that people in Vatican City couldn’t be Christians “because they’re Catholic!” and a girl who phoned her husband in Florida during a casual Scrabble game late one night to confirm particular words were in the Scrabble Dictionary (I didn’t even know there was one).
REST AND RELAXATION
I flew into Calgary yesterday to stay with my brother Andrew and his girlfriend Jen. They’ve got a beautiful house a bit out of town, where I am currently reclining, being looked after well. We went to the Rockies Wine and Food Festival last night, which was a massive porkfest and left me quite uncomfortable, then snowboard shopping today. With my brother’s wisdom and a 20 minute chat with the stoner assistant, I’m now well informed and have a choice of three for which I’ll be riding this season. Now to do my homework before purchasing…
I have a week here before I head to Whistler. I was supposed to be taking the greyhound bus: a 15 hour trip to Vancouver, but I’ve decided an hour and a half on a plane is a far superior experience (as fed up of flying as I am), for really not much more money.
I’m loving the Canadian way of life, with their fabulous coffee houses, gorgeous fluttery flags and customer service the way it should be. However I’m going to need to watch my eating more than I have been to avoid becoming unnecessarily lardy and I’ll need some serious winter gear for the plummeting temperatures in the coming months. I also may need a larger hold-all to cope with all the things I’m picking up along the way!
I’m thinking of you all often, and sending lots of love.
My new toy! Isn't she beautiful!? 
Family portrait. Mum should be proud... 
Sampling the local brew 
WHL: Calgary Hitmen vs Moosejaw Warriors 
Jen and I at Lake Louise. Half way up a surprisingly tall hill.
