Gulliver's Travel - Vol 5. The Maple Leaf Story

The good and the bad

So I arrived to Canada without too much trouble last Friday arvo. Only a few slight hitches along the way...
1) I got body searched and almost got arrested at London Heathrow Airport after they suspected me of carrying explosives in my backpack...but then found out it was only a jar of Vegemite. They made me eat it just to be sure and even after that they still confiscated it.
2) I had to wait 3 hrs in a line before 1) happened
3) I left a folder full of my exchange documents at Vancouver Airport on one of them luggage trollies...but i went back to get them today. Safe.

But having said that, I had a glorious flight from London to Vancouver.
1) I got a double portion of dinner =)
2) I got a kid's pack, included in it was a funsize Mars bar, a colouring pack, playing cards and a plastic plane made in China. However, there was nothing fun about the size of the Mars bar...the fun only lasted for one mouthful.
3) I ended up with the 4 middle row seats all to myself...it was a first timer and I was lovin' it. The ability to stretch out my legs and just lie down was almost as good as first class itself.

The last 3 days in Vancouver have been a liberating experience. To start off with the weather has been more than brilliant. A nice warm 25 degs, with a summer sun beaming in the sky is glory in shorts and a T-shirt. The city itself is similar to Sydney in many ways, but quite a different vibe...and like in America, there's a Starbucks literally on every corner... its nuts.

The last 3 days has also seen my eating habits gone down the drain, Supersize Me style...not such a liberating experience. Every meal I've had has been grease or sugar from some fast food joint...and its starting to cripple me. I had a Double Stacker Bacon Cheeseburger Meal from Burger King tonight and I must say after 7 meals of fast food, it really does get to ya and you start feeling the effects of the crap that's just building up in your gut. Respect to that dude who stuck it out for 30 days tho...its hard work. Tomorrow I'll go out and get some proper food going...maybe.

The last 2 days has seen me hanging out with an aussie dude by the name of Richard. Kinda meet by chance when we were plucking away on the net. Started talking and found out that he was from UNSW as well, going to UBC for a semester like me. That was it, the catalyst was there to form the link...I had a new mate to cruise round town with. Gold! So yesterday we just went into uni to sort out some prelim stuff, and today was all about exercising off the grease and sugar we consumed for the past 48hrs. We rented bikes and rode around town for an hr or so. It was a good feeling to know we were doing something healthy...even if it was only for an hour and so slow and casual that we didn't even raise a sweat...

the next 2 days are pretty much WHATEVER! days and we'll play it by ear. But right now, after that Double Stacker Bacon cheese burger, I'm feeling pretty crook and I think I'm gonna sleep it off.

Oh yeh, note to anyone who would want to go to Canada in the future. In Canada they tax everything on top of the advertised price...it sucks. Everytime I get caught off guard and get a nasty surprise that I get charged 15% more. Most of the time I'm left there scratching my head thinking "I swear it was only $10 not $11.50...damn stupid Canadians are trying to rip me off!"

posted by Lemdog @ 2:33 PM