Mother of all Road Trips -- Day 4

The fourth day is over and we are in Red Dog Inn run by a South Indian origin family. The lady gave us a room with single Queen but at the backside. We accepted paid and drove behind and did not like it. So we came back and asked for refund, so she gave us one in the front with two doubles. Yet it is costing us $111 plus. Should have researched more I feel. 

We had a pretty steady drive on Highway 17 or the TransCanada. We stopped first in Sault St Marie to look at the waterfront of Lake Superior and the bridge to the land of Trump. Earlier we had stopped at a scenic locale to take pictures on the banks of Lake Huron. The entire drive is scenic but boring at times.

At one stretch we had heavy rains for about 45 minutes. Even the wipers at the highest speed could not clear the windshield and this was through high passes and valleys. So at some points we could see clouds rising over the valley!

It was also sad to note at certain points, the Fall colours were visible and it is only the second last day of August. A lot of construction is going on and we had to stop quite a few times to obey the flagperson directing the traffic. 

Canada seems to be a really vast country and we are experiencing it firsthand. Most of the north is full of forests and reservations for the First Nation folks. The names of the tribes and the local art were a treat to read and see as we drove by. At some places they even had wigwams set up.

Mother of all Road Trips--Day 3

The third day began with us having no breakfast. After getting ready we did walk to Mohini’s place to call her down and say our goodbyes and return her sunglasses that she had forgotten in the car. However, we did miss giving her the honey-whisky liqueur that she wanted to pass on to Austeja.  Priti was driving and we did head out of Montréal without any issues. 

After being on the highway, however, we wanted to fill up gas and that made us leave highway and go backwards! This #Ultramar station was the worst one I ever encountered. This was in #Beaconsfield, and the puming machine just would not initialise. I went in to asked why and the lady said I have to pay at the pump and I could pay inside only for a specified amount. This is stupid, I wanted to fill up and how am I going to predict.

So I took a chance to use a credit card. But it kept on saying “error”. Mind you, every instruction on the terminal was in French and there was not an iota of English around. After spending 10 frustrating minutes a good fellow stopped by and helped me through the complicated process. However, it still did not get me an option of filling up and I had to choose an amount worth of gas. If possible never again will I travel through #Quebec in a car and will avoid #Ultramar stations. It is sad that we are in a bilingual country of impotent rulers who are nobody is able to discipline Quebec. At least have bilingual staff and machines if you are in a service industry.

Later it was a pretty staid trip with one lane undivided highway and the passing lanes every few kilometres. It was mostly agricultural landscape which then changed to mountains, lakes and valleys. We did a couple of stops for scenic spots. One was for some rapids, which was nothing but details about the original canoe route. The second one was at #Nippising Indian Reserve No 10 to look at the Ottawa river. And then we were in #Sudbury. We filled up gas at a Petro Canada place where the surprise was two youngsters coming out and filling up and cleaning the windows, despite the pump being marked as Self- serve. On payment, he took my Amex and was out with the receipt without my requiring to enter my pin or even sign, surprising.

At this #Motel 6 nee #Pioneer Motel, owned and operated by a Punju, we decided to stay put. We had a couple of drinks (vodka and one can of coke) and ate from the “lots of food” that we are carrying with us. Prominent among them, was the leftover pizza, and the famous and delicious Masoor rice by Priti. The plan is to leave early tomorrow morning on way to Terrace Bay, Ontario.

Mother of all Road Trips--Day 2

Second day began in Riviere du Loop. Today we had to get two things fixed for the #Merc. The low beam bulb for the left side and getting rid of the  message which stated 'check your tire pressure'. We began the day with a light breakfast at #TimHortens by having bagels, cream cheese and coffee. 

After that we drove more or less non-stop except for one stop to check in a Canadian Tire if they would be able to fix our car problems. But due to language barrier, we had to pass. Just used the washroom and carried on. In the car we ate cukes and grapes. Soon, we were in the horrendous traffic of #Montreal. First mistake,  I took what seemed like an exit but was a truck weighing place; and then a wrong lane, but finally we did reach #DuvalMercedes in #Boucherville.

Not only was the service great but even economical. They checked our tires for pressure and adjusted it to correct pressure. They replaced the bulb and charged us only for the bulb and we were on our way. Great job #duvalmercedes.  Next stop was #Walmart for Mohini. 

Despite the GPS it was really hard to reach due to the sheer volume of traffic and the ill-marked exit signs. We had to spend quite some time before we could beat all the construction and find the Walmart. From there the next stop was #Metro for groceries, again, for Mohini and finally heading downtown to her apartment. 

Luckily we found a parking spot behind her building but it was a challenge to figure out parallel parking and then the 'complex' parking ticket pay machines. For our first spot, the machine used to take our money and then say, "sorry it is reserved." How can a public parking spot be reserved?

Anyway  we found another one closer and carted off her various bags upstairs. Her room is nice though small for the amount of money we are paying. We spent some time there and came in and checked into #Deltahotelsbymarriottmontreal, where the agent did confirm that we have king sized bed etc but sent us to a room which had a queen sized bed. Upon calling them we are told that the bed is a King-sized one. Priti did tell the agent that it is not as at home we have a queen and we know what the size of the king bed should be. Anyway, we had to give up and stay put as it is too much effort to prove them the right sizes of bed when you are tired after a long drive.

(At the time of publishing the PR from the hotel did write to say it was a mistake and not all staff is aware of the bed sizes.)

In the evening went to a place called #W&G and had a meal of pasta with a bottle of wine. It was not great, just so-so. But spending time with Mohini for one last time was priceless. Now tomorrow we head to Sudbury, Ontario.

Mother of all Road Trips--Day 1

Pretty uneventful first day on the Mother of All Road Trips—Halifax to Vancouver—coast to coast in the mighty land of Canada. As planned, we did not begin at 8.00am and started out at 10.00am, thanks to over-packing and repacking to fit in as much as possible in the #MercedesB200turbo.

Once the journey began, there was nothing much to write about except an accident on Highway 102 that made the traffic crawl for almost 45 minutes. Yet, we made it in good time to the planned breakfast place in Amherst. It was worth the stopover. After that, back on the road and fighting very hard to not sleep in the passenger seat. Priti was driving and I made attempts to listen to songs etc.

In New Hartland, New Brunswick, we decided to stop for gas and #TimHortens. We did find the gas station easily, but to find TH, it was a detour of over 5 kms. We did that and passed through the scenic town. However, the staff at this Tim Hortens was the most unfriendly one ever encountered. Maybe because we had the wrong colour and to top it did not speak French.

At the fag end, the journey was pretty tedious despite the sun being up and about. Maybe it was due to the single-lane highway. At #Riviereduloop, stopped at #DaysInn but the price was too much for a room with pull-out sofa bed for the 3^rd adult. Hence, moved over to #AubergeAmerylis across the street. Decent price and an excellent room with two queen beds.

Polished off a #Pinotage between the three of us. But it was a struggle, the metal cap of the bottle just would not come off. Priti had to saw it off using a scissors and a fork. Later, we went to a place called #Symposium and had one of the fantastic meals. It included #BlackenedCod, #fishandchips and a #Generaltaochicken. It was really tasty food, despite us walking in just half an hour before closing. This restaurant had a menu featuring a “Boys” side and “Girls” side! In today’s liberated world, this was a “different” touch.

End of the first day worry is: the left hand side low-beam bulb has blown off and the check tire pressure indicator is on. So will have to find a #Mercedes dealership tomorrow, which is going to eat into our time in #Montreal.

Very romantic movie

Amazingly Saraas movie che #JabSejalmetHarry. Very Changa. It was a treat to see Anoushka and Sahrukh gallivant all over Europe. Places such as Amsterdam, Budapest, Frankfurt, Prague and even our Portugal. The real one with Fado’s and real Bangla goodas. Not the Goan goody goody goondas. It also featured real European night clubs where our ben goes kneeing the goondas! No need to travel yourself, this movie features everything that is phoren.

It was a zakaas romantic treat, it made you cry, laugh and find a purpose in life. Anoushka’s motto was if your search for it you will find it. Really, I have been searching for a job, haven’t found one yet. Anyway, it was a treat to see the gentle romance no kissing and all that until at the end. The only regret one feels is Sahrukh loses his Man Purse in Portugal when he steps in to sing a 50 second song on the streets of Lisboa. A must see movie for everyone who is a romantic at heart and loves to see trams, espressos and riverside boats of Europe.

Unfortunately, neither Fafda-jalebi nor sarson da saag was featured anywhere. Also, youngsters, be warned the fights and giving a knee in a Club and getting away from gangstas was an enactment. Do not try it at home.

It is Vancouver now

Over a month now in a place where the international airport is just a 3 letter code -- YVR!

Have been used to names to airports such as, Stanfield, Trudeau, Pearson, etc. But in British Columbia, it is only YVR.

Had been under the impression that I was moving to a big city and one that would be technologically advanced than YHZ or should I say Halifax.

Well, it is and it is not. In Vancouver Public Library (VPL), it is still old school. For fiction books they do not use dewey decimal or a good classification system. So if you have to find a book by Wodhouse, you have to go to W and search through all books by reading the author name on the spine of the book (if it is there).While in Halifax, the task was simpler. You went to W and then just followed on to WOD. Also, when you checkout books, here you have to pull out your library card, they do not yet have it on a keychain fob.  Also, you are supposed to enter the 4 digit pin for the checkout. But what takes the cake is the method of putting one book at a time under the reader.

Haligonians are able to do this simply by dropping the bunch of books under the reader and they all get scanned and checked out! You go to change your driver's license, again the same thing. There are big line-ups as there is only one person expediting and giving you the number. In Halifax this process is sort of automated. One has to take the number himself/herself choosing one of the options for which you are there. The agent at the window does the other bit and advises you.  Moreover, a license is issued immediately, unlike the temporary paper one that is given out at ICBC offices.

It has come as a shock to me that the provincial health care is not free and one has to pay $75 dollars a month to be enrolled. What happens to those like me who don't  have a job? I hope I am wrong and hope the provincial health care is free. I know we are close to the US to maybe imitate them and have to pay for the health care, but we do not earn in US dollars. And, why is the Health Card called a Service Card?

One plus side noticed so far is the automated Sky Trains or the public transit trains. They do not have a driver! But there seems to absolutely no planning gone in when they were planned. There are 3 lines, Canada Line, Expo Line and Millenium Line. The funny thing is that they do not cross or overlap each other at all unless in a couple of stations in the town of Burnaby. Canada Line, in fact, has not a single station that one can transfer to another line.

And the cyclists in the city, that would be another post  by itself. A spoilt bunch of brother/sisterhood, that neither has to have license nor insurance. But yes they do have separate lanes and traffic lights etc but all of them seem to be exempt from following road rules. You will never find them taking a stop sign, you will always find them zooming and not caring even for pedestrians. Despite marked lanes they would still be riding on sidewalks and not to mention the space they occupy in sky trains. In rush hour, there is no room for people but you will find cyclists in the trains occupying a lot of space and being a general hindrance to other passengers.

More to come about the beauty of the place and the places that I have visited so far.

Hope

Hope is a bad thing; 

once you have it; it never leaves; 

no cure yet to the habit called Hope.

Try razing it down with cruel truth 

or wash it away with disappointing tears. 

But somewhere down there, it still exists 

and crops up its nasty head every dawn 

despite the tear soaked pillows 

and fresh wounds 

of previous injustice. 

The day you kill Hope 

you are one with the eternity.

A, on Feb 12