My train from the prairies approached Toronto during the early evening. It was one last chance to have a meal in the coffee shop car on the train. I was seated next to young lady from British Columbia who was doing some traveling on the East coast for bit. She was interesting to chat to but also somewhat mysterious. She had her book with her, and I glanced at the title. “The Ethical Slut” - a guide to limitless sexual possibilities. I was tempted to inquire about her book but chickened out and didn't bring it up.
After dinner I returned to my seat and to some more savory thoughts.
For example:
As we passed through the first of the small towns I noticed some kids run out and wave to the thrice-weekly train and reflected upon the fact that it was one of my favourite things about coming through these out-of-the-way places. Very cute.
I observed the residential architecture as the train started to come through the vast sprawling greater Toronto suburbs. It was the first time in quite a while that I'd seen BRICK houses. North American houses are mainly multi storied board houses, and the lack of seeing bricks around was starting to make me feel homesick. Seeing some brick townhouses made me feel more at home, but interestingly it reminded me more of London and not Melbourne.
At Toronto's Union Station I changed to the subway which got me closer to my hostel. As I came up to ground level and looked around at the high rise city buildings lighting up the night sky above streets of restaurants, bars and cafes, I breathed in the welcome warm air and sighed in breath of satisfaction – I immediately knew I liked this place.
I walked through the “entertainment district” past some more restaurants and nightclubs to my back street hostel. I was essentially following the German girl I'd met on the train from Edmonton. She said she'd lived previously at the hostel for several months, so I figured it was a good place to stay.
It was a good assumption. The Canadiana Backpackers Lodge is one of the friendliest hostels I've ever stayed at, and with a great atmosphere to match the vibe of the city.
Canadians are surprised when I tell them, based on my limited experience, that I like Toronto better than Vancouver. Yes, Vancouver is a prettier city, but Toronto has an exciting, lively vibe. Maybe it's just the big city person in me talking. And don't get me wrong, Toronto has it's big city down sides as well. One thing I noticed was a lot of violence. On my very first night in my dorm room there was a guy who had gone out to a bar, and had apparently without provocation been smashed over the back of the head with a glass bottle. Supposedly in retaliation to an accidental nudge. I saw other examples of aggression and willful damage, but maybe that's just what you get when you stay a weekend in the heart of a big city's entertainment area. It would probably be no different to a Saturday night in front of Melbourne's CQ.
I managed to make the most out of my nights in Toronto by going out a fair bit. On ANZAC Day a bunch of Aussies and Kiwis (and an assortment of other miscellaneous nationalities) went out to celebrate in a pub that was showing some AFL. I checked out various other local bars and even experienced my first gay nightclub. Don't worry, Canada hasn't turned me, I was chaperoning a lady who had promised her gay friend she would go out in the gay village with him.
I spent my days mainly just walking around and taking the city in. My only real tourist attraction was the must-see CN Tower. I've visited a few famous towers in my time, from Rialto and Eureka back home to The Eiffel in Paris and Empire State in New York City. But Toronto's version takes the cake in terms of height.
As the glass lift blasted off up the tower I found myself holding on to the edge of the lift rather tight, and was amused by the fact that everyone in the rather crowded lift avoided standing on the see-through glass panel on the floor.
The view from the top of the tower showed what a big city Toronto really is. As far as you could see, it was houses, blocks of flats and factories, but amongst a sea of spring green trees. I hadn't noticed it till then, but Toronto was well into spring, where as back in Alberta and Manitoba all I saw was depressingly bare branches.
After 4 nights in Toronto I didn't feel like leaving yet, but it is time to experience a different Canada again. So I packed my backpack. As travel time passes I seem to collect more stuff and the backpack gets harder to pack. I've had to master the art of strapping things to the outside of my backpack instead trying to force everything inside. I bet I look like quite the site walking down the street or standing on the subway with my small backpack on my chest, main backpack on my back, with various jackets and objects dangling off.
I got to the train station in time for the 11:30 train to Montreal but it was fully booked; with the next one after 3. So with almost 4 hours to kill I went and hung out in a cool shopping centre downtown. That's when I remembered I didn't have directions to the Montreal hostel so I popped into the Apple Shop to use their wireless internet (thanks for the tip Em!) on my iPod Touch. In the store at the same time was an Aussie girl I met in the restaurant car on the train between Vancouver and Edmonton. I went to say hello. Her aunt (predictably) commented “small world” as to the story, but it really is. The small world experiences are starting to not even surprise me. So far I've met Melburnians I know at Whistler, and in Alberta I met a girl who was a student of my chiropractor friend in Melbourne.
I'm writing this from my seat on the train to Montreal. The train is modern and fast, even with a power plug for my laptop; a far jump from the 1950's train experience I had for the 4 days across the main part of the continent. In three hours I should be disembarking in Quebec's biggest city. It is also Canada's 2nd biggest city and the 2nd largest city in the world after Paris for French-speakers. Should be fun.
Where in the World is DK?
28 April 2008
24 April 2008
Winnipeg to Toronto
Winnipeg wasn't my typical travel destination. For a start it was a bit of downtime: it was an opportunity to wash some clothes and watch some movies in the hostel. It was also different because I actually went into an art gallery. As you know, I typically don't partake in those touristy favourite activities like museums and galleries (normally opting for cultural hubs like pubs), but apparently the Winnipeg Art Gallery was having a family day with free entry so I gave it a go. I actually enjoyed it.
I was a little bit worried that I would die of boredom on my 31 hour train ride from Winnipeg to Toronto, which involves crossing about half of Canada. I considered upgrading to Silver and Blue class again, but decided it didn't justify the CAD $275 expense.
As soon as the train had crossed the border from Manitoba to Ontario, both the scenery and weather changed. Dull orange plains were replaced by small rocky hills covered in birch and pine trees, and then, after a few miles lakes. Thousands and thousands of them. All the way to the Toronto outskirts we were passing lakes, ranging in sizes from ponds to huge bays where you can barely see the other side.
The weather change I mentioned was that the sun came out, and for the first time since my last day at Whistler I saw clear blue skies and sunshine. It was an instant good impression of Ontario. And as we got deeper into Ontario, the lakes changed too. As we progressed East, the lakes became less and less frozen. From icy white lakes near the Manitoba border to deep blue waterways closer to Toronto.
Me decision not to upgrade was a good one. I slept like a baby for more than 10 hours on my two seats. Every time I woke up, the train would rock me back to sleep. I even fell asleep several times again the next day.
The time passed surprisingly quickly. I had a sleep, a book, iPod and computer to entertain me, as well as food from the coffee shop car, and overall the 31 hours went quickly. I've had uni lectures which have felt longer!
As we arrived through Toronto's sprawling suburbs, just as it was getting dark, I spotted a sign displaying the temperature. 17 degrees C, after dark. I had returned to a warm climate. It made me smile.
Tomorrow I hope to go on the CN Tower, and after a few days in Toronto I plan on crossing the border to French-speaking Quebec and visiting Montreal.
I was a little bit worried that I would die of boredom on my 31 hour train ride from Winnipeg to Toronto, which involves crossing about half of Canada. I considered upgrading to Silver and Blue class again, but decided it didn't justify the CAD $275 expense.
As soon as the train had crossed the border from Manitoba to Ontario, both the scenery and weather changed. Dull orange plains were replaced by small rocky hills covered in birch and pine trees, and then, after a few miles lakes. Thousands and thousands of them. All the way to the Toronto outskirts we were passing lakes, ranging in sizes from ponds to huge bays where you can barely see the other side.
The weather change I mentioned was that the sun came out, and for the first time since my last day at Whistler I saw clear blue skies and sunshine. It was an instant good impression of Ontario. And as we got deeper into Ontario, the lakes changed too. As we progressed East, the lakes became less and less frozen. From icy white lakes near the Manitoba border to deep blue waterways closer to Toronto.
Me decision not to upgrade was a good one. I slept like a baby for more than 10 hours on my two seats. Every time I woke up, the train would rock me back to sleep. I even fell asleep several times again the next day.
The time passed surprisingly quickly. I had a sleep, a book, iPod and computer to entertain me, as well as food from the coffee shop car, and overall the 31 hours went quickly. I've had uni lectures which have felt longer!
As we arrived through Toronto's sprawling suburbs, just as it was getting dark, I spotted a sign displaying the temperature. 17 degrees C, after dark. I had returned to a warm climate. It made me smile.
Tomorrow I hope to go on the CN Tower, and after a few days in Toronto I plan on crossing the border to French-speaking Quebec and visiting Montreal.
22 April 2008
Cities in the Prairies
Edmonton. A quiet city, in the middle of nowhere. It is 300km North of Calgary, the nearest other city. My guide book said not to go there, but said that if I am stopping over for a night, I should be able to entertain myself.
Well, I was stopping over for 3 nights, because it is 3 days between trains out here in the Wild West.
Wild is the operative word. Apparently, Edmonton gets some very harsh winters. Minus 30 to minus 40 is not uncommon, and add to that the howling wind from the arctic. Not very pleasant. I wonder how the people here survive the winter. Enter Edmonton's solution: The West Edmonton Mall. A huge, sanctuary for Edmontonians to escape the reality of outside life.
It is the world's largest shopping mall. It has shops. Lots of them, including 8 department stores. But that's only the beginning. Let me list of few of the other features of the mall:
- A regulation ice hockey ice skating rink
- A huge swimming area featuring a wave pool and lots of water slides, comparable to the Gold Coast's Wet'n'Wild water park. With a bungee jumping tower too of course.
- A sea lion and dolphin under water area, with numerous daily shows
- A theme park with lots of rides, including two big rollercoasters, one with lots of loops. In fact, the largest indoor rollercoaster in the world.
- A decent sized casino
- 2 mini golf courses and go karts
- A mall area themed like Bourbon Street in New Orleans featuring restaurants and bars
- It's own Chinatown
- And of course your typical shopping mall supplements like cinemas, food courts, etc., except bigger than most.
I had treated myself in Edmonton a dorm with only 2 beds (luxury for a backpacker) and got lucky, being the only person in the room for the first 2 nights. It was my first opportunity to sleep somewhere private since I left Melbourne, and it was good! I woke up in the afternoon of my first full day in Edmonton and spent the rest of the day in the West Ed Mall.
The weather was quite mild on the first day, so on my second day in Edmonton I put on my jumper and went to walk downtown to check out some sites. The mere jumper was a big mistake! It was absurdly cold. As I walked over the high level bridge over the river, I thought I was going to freeze. It was somewhere around zero degrees, plus or minus a couple of notches, not taking into account the spine chilling wind-chill factor. I persevered though, and was relieved when I got to my destination: An old cafe called Bistro Praha. It is a Czech restaurant which I read about in my guide book. So I went in and had a nice hot goulash just like my mum makes, and a pilsner, to warm me up. I was good to go again. But this time I thought "when in Rome...." and caught the bus to the West Ed Mall for the rest of the afternoon.
It seemed to be where the town's teenagers like to spend their Friday night. Galaxy Land, the theme park with the roller coasters, which was pretty much empty on my first visit, now had 300m queue of 13 year olds waiting to get in.
But my Friday night was to be spent in the old Strathcona area, where my hostel was. It is an old street just out of the downtown area, and seemingly the place with the largest concentration of bars and pubs. My sort of place! I went back to the hostel and rallied some troops together to go out. It was an open invite but I only managed to recruit Australians, so I went out on the town with 3 other Aussies guys. At times I'm frustrated about the fact that wherever I go, I always see mainly other Australians, but they can usually be relied on for a good time.
I remembered to bring a warm jacket this time. Good thing, too, because as we walked down the street in the literally freezing temperatures, it began to snow. It was nice.
The next morning I woke up disappointed that now snow had been left on the ground. Edmonton gets cold, but there is not much precipitation,
It was check out day, so I got my stuff together and decided to go and feel sorry for my sick stomach in the common room. I was so focused on uploading my photos and writing this blog, that I hadn't noticed it snowing away outside again. When it came to going out to get some supplies for the train trip, the city was already under a few centimeters of snow. I went out and loved walking around in the freshly fallen snow. The city, which I didn't think much of in terms of appearance initially, was suddenly a nice clean bright shiny place.
I guess snow appeals to us Aussies, but the Canadians don't agree with me. When I reflected upon my joy of seeing the snow fall, they responded with stories of what a snowy winter it has been for them. How sick they get of constantly shoveling meters of snow away just to get to their front doors.
The snow has other down sides too. For example, I almost get run over by a bus. I wanted to cross a main road so I pressed the button and waited for the little green man... or, rather, white man, as is the case in North America. As the white man appeared I was about to walk, but down the outside lane coming towards the crossing was a bus. It was honking. I was wondering why the bus was honking but thought nothing much of it and was about to step out onto the road. Then it hit me! Not the bus, but the realisation that the reason the bus was honking was because he knew he wasn't going to be able to stop on the snowy road in time to not go over the pedestrian crossing. I didn't step out and live to tell story.
I headed off to the station to catch my train to Winnipeg that evening. It was nice zooming through the snow flurries, watching through the window on the warm train. I had not upgraded this time, but my trip in cattle class was fine, because the train was quite empty, and I had met a nice German girl in the hostel who was catching the same train. We managed to get a rare 4 seater area on the train normally reserved only for groups of 2 or more traveling together, and had a comfortable journey. I might have even slept better than in my sleeper class.
The next morning on the train, as we zoomed through the flatlands of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the scenery was a lot less interesting. The prairies were just lots of yellow fields, not too different to traveling through the dry Australian countryside.
I arrived in Winnipeg around lunch time and took the opportunity to have a look around. For the first time in Canada, I was quite unimpressed. It was a small city and completely uninteresting. And to make matters worse, dirty. There was rubbish flying around downtown streets and layers of dirt on the footpaths. Perhaps it was just because the cold winter had passed and the city hasn't had its spring clean, but either way it didn't inspire me very much.
As I typed this blog tonight I had a Swiss girl next to me, who was complaining that she is stuck here till Friday, and was afraid to go out around here due to stories of the place being dangerous. I didn't find it to appear too dangerous but admittedly there were some seedy types around, and so far it is the only place in Canada I had been approached by someone to buy drugs.
In the last two days I have seen about six movies on VHS in the hostel and have slept in a lot. Perhaps being in a town you don't like too much is a good excuse for some down time while traveling.
Tomorrow I leave Winnipeg. It may be a 32 hour train journey, but I look forward to it.
Well, I was stopping over for 3 nights, because it is 3 days between trains out here in the Wild West.
Wild is the operative word. Apparently, Edmonton gets some very harsh winters. Minus 30 to minus 40 is not uncommon, and add to that the howling wind from the arctic. Not very pleasant. I wonder how the people here survive the winter. Enter Edmonton's solution: The West Edmonton Mall. A huge, sanctuary for Edmontonians to escape the reality of outside life.
It is the world's largest shopping mall. It has shops. Lots of them, including 8 department stores. But that's only the beginning. Let me list of few of the other features of the mall:
- A regulation ice hockey ice skating rink
- A huge swimming area featuring a wave pool and lots of water slides, comparable to the Gold Coast's Wet'n'Wild water park. With a bungee jumping tower too of course.
- A sea lion and dolphin under water area, with numerous daily shows
- A theme park with lots of rides, including two big rollercoasters, one with lots of loops. In fact, the largest indoor rollercoaster in the world.
- A decent sized casino
- 2 mini golf courses and go karts
- A mall area themed like Bourbon Street in New Orleans featuring restaurants and bars
- It's own Chinatown
- And of course your typical shopping mall supplements like cinemas, food courts, etc., except bigger than most.
I had treated myself in Edmonton a dorm with only 2 beds (luxury for a backpacker) and got lucky, being the only person in the room for the first 2 nights. It was my first opportunity to sleep somewhere private since I left Melbourne, and it was good! I woke up in the afternoon of my first full day in Edmonton and spent the rest of the day in the West Ed Mall.
The weather was quite mild on the first day, so on my second day in Edmonton I put on my jumper and went to walk downtown to check out some sites. The mere jumper was a big mistake! It was absurdly cold. As I walked over the high level bridge over the river, I thought I was going to freeze. It was somewhere around zero degrees, plus or minus a couple of notches, not taking into account the spine chilling wind-chill factor. I persevered though, and was relieved when I got to my destination: An old cafe called Bistro Praha. It is a Czech restaurant which I read about in my guide book. So I went in and had a nice hot goulash just like my mum makes, and a pilsner, to warm me up. I was good to go again. But this time I thought "when in Rome...." and caught the bus to the West Ed Mall for the rest of the afternoon.
It seemed to be where the town's teenagers like to spend their Friday night. Galaxy Land, the theme park with the roller coasters, which was pretty much empty on my first visit, now had 300m queue of 13 year olds waiting to get in.
But my Friday night was to be spent in the old Strathcona area, where my hostel was. It is an old street just out of the downtown area, and seemingly the place with the largest concentration of bars and pubs. My sort of place! I went back to the hostel and rallied some troops together to go out. It was an open invite but I only managed to recruit Australians, so I went out on the town with 3 other Aussies guys. At times I'm frustrated about the fact that wherever I go, I always see mainly other Australians, but they can usually be relied on for a good time.
I remembered to bring a warm jacket this time. Good thing, too, because as we walked down the street in the literally freezing temperatures, it began to snow. It was nice.
The next morning I woke up disappointed that now snow had been left on the ground. Edmonton gets cold, but there is not much precipitation,
It was check out day, so I got my stuff together and decided to go and feel sorry for my sick stomach in the common room. I was so focused on uploading my photos and writing this blog, that I hadn't noticed it snowing away outside again. When it came to going out to get some supplies for the train trip, the city was already under a few centimeters of snow. I went out and loved walking around in the freshly fallen snow. The city, which I didn't think much of in terms of appearance initially, was suddenly a nice clean bright shiny place.
I guess snow appeals to us Aussies, but the Canadians don't agree with me. When I reflected upon my joy of seeing the snow fall, they responded with stories of what a snowy winter it has been for them. How sick they get of constantly shoveling meters of snow away just to get to their front doors.
The snow has other down sides too. For example, I almost get run over by a bus. I wanted to cross a main road so I pressed the button and waited for the little green man... or, rather, white man, as is the case in North America. As the white man appeared I was about to walk, but down the outside lane coming towards the crossing was a bus. It was honking. I was wondering why the bus was honking but thought nothing much of it and was about to step out onto the road. Then it hit me! Not the bus, but the realisation that the reason the bus was honking was because he knew he wasn't going to be able to stop on the snowy road in time to not go over the pedestrian crossing. I didn't step out and live to tell story.
I headed off to the station to catch my train to Winnipeg that evening. It was nice zooming through the snow flurries, watching through the window on the warm train. I had not upgraded this time, but my trip in cattle class was fine, because the train was quite empty, and I had met a nice German girl in the hostel who was catching the same train. We managed to get a rare 4 seater area on the train normally reserved only for groups of 2 or more traveling together, and had a comfortable journey. I might have even slept better than in my sleeper class.
The next morning on the train, as we zoomed through the flatlands of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the scenery was a lot less interesting. The prairies were just lots of yellow fields, not too different to traveling through the dry Australian countryside.
I arrived in Winnipeg around lunch time and took the opportunity to have a look around. For the first time in Canada, I was quite unimpressed. It was a small city and completely uninteresting. And to make matters worse, dirty. There was rubbish flying around downtown streets and layers of dirt on the footpaths. Perhaps it was just because the cold winter had passed and the city hasn't had its spring clean, but either way it didn't inspire me very much.
As I typed this blog tonight I had a Swiss girl next to me, who was complaining that she is stuck here till Friday, and was afraid to go out around here due to stories of the place being dangerous. I didn't find it to appear too dangerous but admittedly there were some seedy types around, and so far it is the only place in Canada I had been approached by someone to buy drugs.
In the last two days I have seen about six movies on VHS in the hostel and have slept in a lot. Perhaps being in a town you don't like too much is a good excuse for some down time while traveling.
Tomorrow I leave Winnipeg. It may be a 32 hour train journey, but I look forward to it.
17 April 2008
The Canadian through the Rockies
On my last morning in Vancouver I had a sleep in, packed my backpack (including my 3 cans of undrunken beer) then watched a 1970's movie in the TV room and eventually decided I should actually do something active with my last day. So I went on a long walk including crossing 2 of Vancouver's big bridges and checking out the Granville Island Market. Then it was time to go. I grabbed my pack and caught the SkyTrain to Vancouver's Pacific Central Station. It is an old historic station, with a big hall, very much like you would see in the movies. I checked in and retrieved my CanRail pass (which entitles me to 12 days of unlimited travel on Canada's national rail network within 30 days). For the first leg of my journey, a 23 hour journey through the Canadian Rockies to Edmonton, I decided to treat myself with a sleeper, which also automatically entitled me to “Silver and Blue” treatment – VIARail's first class service. So off I went to the Silver and Blue departure lounge.
If I was to use one word to describe the next 24 hours, it would probably be “wow.” (Either that, or “train.”)
The rail journey (route from Vancouver to Toronto, known as “The Canadian”) commenced with the Silver and Blue class passengers being invited to the “Club car” at the back of the train for complimentary Champagne and fingerfood. The club car was a bar and lounge, with stairs to the roof, to the viewing dome, from which you could see 360 degrees including the front of the train winding ahead. I would spend a lot of the journey in this viewing dome.
The train was nothing like Europe's high speed inter city trains. It is more of an antique. The carriages were from the 1950's, restored and refurbished. The club car lounge had an art deco design. Since stepping foot in the station, I felt like I was catapulted a number of decades into the past. The only thing missing was a steam engine at the front of the train (it was pulled by two diesel locomotives)
The train left Vancouver and made it's way into the Rockies just as it got dark. Dinner was shortly served in the dining car. The dining car was another step back in time. A bronze coloured décor, with lots of tables each seating four and having a big window to look out of. Service was excellent and the three-course-meals were good restaurant quality. Customers in not already in groups of 4 were seated with other guests by the the waiters, so there was always someone to talk to.
During dinner the sleeper rooms, which during the day were sitting rooms, were converted to their sleeper form. I didn't have a private room, but rather what they called an “upper berth”. This was a seat bay in the first class section which at night would convert to an upper and lower bunk. The bed in my upper bunk was actually bigger than the beds in the private or family sleepers, and I had a hammock above as shelving for my bags and personal items. I went to bed at 1am and drifted off to sleep to the rocking motion of the train. I woke up a lot of times during the night due to sharp turns, sudden stops or just people out in the hallway beyond my curtain separating my berth, but overall it was a decent sleep.
I woke up for the umpteenth time at 7am and was about to go back to sleep when I decide to peek outside at the scenery. I could see snow on the ground, and this excited me enough to get out of bed, have a shower, go to the restaurant car for cooked breakfast, and move on into the viewing dome for views of the Rockies winding by.
The train could only go quite slowly through these mountain ranges, and would also often come to stop to let freght trains past. But there was no rush when you had the constant views of frozen lakes, towering mountains, snowy pine forests and crystal clear creeks.
There were plenty of people to talk to as everyone was friendly. The patrons were mostly old couples but there were a few young people and some families as well. Canadians (mostly French-speaking), Americans, English, and of course a few token Aussies (can't go anywhere without Aussies!)
Just before lunch we stopped off in Jasper, a small town in the middle of the huge Jasper National Park. I went out for a stroll but was happy to get back into the train to escape the 2C temperature.
I was warmed up by soup and a delicious roast beef sandwich in the dining car for lunch. I watched the countryside and participated in wildlife spotting. Apparently the engineers at the front of the train had spotted a bear at the side of the track, but by the time the dining car had made it to that point the bear had gone down an embankment. The only animals I got to see apart from ducks were the native American mountain sheep scampering on the rocks above the train.
Up to this point it had been cloudy, which was a shame because some of the highest mountains in the Rockies were not visible past their base due to the clouds. But then the clouds broke and we continued on through the end of Rockies and the start of the prairies in nice warm sunshine. The sunshine through the dome roof and the rocking of the train put me to sleep again in my seat and before I knew it it was time for me to disembark in Edmonton.
Prior to planning this trip, I had never heard of Edmonton. I just picked it as a place to stop off because it was the most sizable city between Winnipeg and Vancouver on the train line. It is a city about 300km North of Calgary in the province of Alberta, and is comparable in size to Adelaide.
The railway station is out of the way in Edmonton. My hostel directions told me to walk 4 blocks and then catch 2 buses. So I started my walk from the train station and a big white van stopped by to offer me a lift. Still being in big city mode, I politely refused the assistance on account of not wanting to be hacked up into a million pieces. But upon reflection, and several strangers making conversation with me just on on my bus rides, I realised that this is probably a genuinely friendly place, and I could have accepted that lift, and saved myself a long wait for the buses.
I have now checked into my hostel – the only one in town – and will tomorrow probably go check out Edmonton's main attraction: the West Edmonton Mall – the world's biggest indoor shopping center (sic). You might legitimately ask why a city the size of Adelaide needs the world's biggest shopping center (sic); I asked that on the train. Apparently the winter here is so unbearable, the people need indoor entertainment. I'll report on what I find there, but supposedly it comes complete with a wave pool, amongst other things. I have 3 days in Edmonton until the next Eastbound Canadian service comes through town to pick me up and take me through the prairies.
If I was to use one word to describe the next 24 hours, it would probably be “wow.” (Either that, or “train.”)
The rail journey (route from Vancouver to Toronto, known as “The Canadian”) commenced with the Silver and Blue class passengers being invited to the “Club car” at the back of the train for complimentary Champagne and fingerfood. The club car was a bar and lounge, with stairs to the roof, to the viewing dome, from which you could see 360 degrees including the front of the train winding ahead. I would spend a lot of the journey in this viewing dome.
The train was nothing like Europe's high speed inter city trains. It is more of an antique. The carriages were from the 1950's, restored and refurbished. The club car lounge had an art deco design. Since stepping foot in the station, I felt like I was catapulted a number of decades into the past. The only thing missing was a steam engine at the front of the train (it was pulled by two diesel locomotives)
The train left Vancouver and made it's way into the Rockies just as it got dark. Dinner was shortly served in the dining car. The dining car was another step back in time. A bronze coloured décor, with lots of tables each seating four and having a big window to look out of. Service was excellent and the three-course-meals were good restaurant quality. Customers in not already in groups of 4 were seated with other guests by the the waiters, so there was always someone to talk to.
During dinner the sleeper rooms, which during the day were sitting rooms, were converted to their sleeper form. I didn't have a private room, but rather what they called an “upper berth”. This was a seat bay in the first class section which at night would convert to an upper and lower bunk. The bed in my upper bunk was actually bigger than the beds in the private or family sleepers, and I had a hammock above as shelving for my bags and personal items. I went to bed at 1am and drifted off to sleep to the rocking motion of the train. I woke up a lot of times during the night due to sharp turns, sudden stops or just people out in the hallway beyond my curtain separating my berth, but overall it was a decent sleep.
I woke up for the umpteenth time at 7am and was about to go back to sleep when I decide to peek outside at the scenery. I could see snow on the ground, and this excited me enough to get out of bed, have a shower, go to the restaurant car for cooked breakfast, and move on into the viewing dome for views of the Rockies winding by.
The train could only go quite slowly through these mountain ranges, and would also often come to stop to let freght trains past. But there was no rush when you had the constant views of frozen lakes, towering mountains, snowy pine forests and crystal clear creeks.
There were plenty of people to talk to as everyone was friendly. The patrons were mostly old couples but there were a few young people and some families as well. Canadians (mostly French-speaking), Americans, English, and of course a few token Aussies (can't go anywhere without Aussies!)
Just before lunch we stopped off in Jasper, a small town in the middle of the huge Jasper National Park. I went out for a stroll but was happy to get back into the train to escape the 2C temperature.
I was warmed up by soup and a delicious roast beef sandwich in the dining car for lunch. I watched the countryside and participated in wildlife spotting. Apparently the engineers at the front of the train had spotted a bear at the side of the track, but by the time the dining car had made it to that point the bear had gone down an embankment. The only animals I got to see apart from ducks were the native American mountain sheep scampering on the rocks above the train.
Up to this point it had been cloudy, which was a shame because some of the highest mountains in the Rockies were not visible past their base due to the clouds. But then the clouds broke and we continued on through the end of Rockies and the start of the prairies in nice warm sunshine. The sunshine through the dome roof and the rocking of the train put me to sleep again in my seat and before I knew it it was time for me to disembark in Edmonton.
Prior to planning this trip, I had never heard of Edmonton. I just picked it as a place to stop off because it was the most sizable city between Winnipeg and Vancouver on the train line. It is a city about 300km North of Calgary in the province of Alberta, and is comparable in size to Adelaide.
The railway station is out of the way in Edmonton. My hostel directions told me to walk 4 blocks and then catch 2 buses. So I started my walk from the train station and a big white van stopped by to offer me a lift. Still being in big city mode, I politely refused the assistance on account of not wanting to be hacked up into a million pieces. But upon reflection, and several strangers making conversation with me just on on my bus rides, I realised that this is probably a genuinely friendly place, and I could have accepted that lift, and saved myself a long wait for the buses.
I have now checked into my hostel – the only one in town – and will tomorrow probably go check out Edmonton's main attraction: the West Edmonton Mall – the world's biggest indoor shopping center (sic). You might legitimately ask why a city the size of Adelaide needs the world's biggest shopping center (sic); I asked that on the train. Apparently the winter here is so unbearable, the people need indoor entertainment. I'll report on what I find there, but supposedly it comes complete with a wave pool, amongst other things. I have 3 days in Edmonton until the next Eastbound Canadian service comes through town to pick me up and take me through the prairies.
15 April 2008
Vancouver
The Greyhound service from Whistler to Vancouver again provided some magnificent views of mountains, seas, forests and lakes.
I checked into the SameSun hostel in Vancouver, on slightly seedy but cool Granville Street; surrounded by clubs, venues and lots and lots of pizza shops. There are probably about 5 pizza shops within viewing distance of the hostel, all selling large $1.49 pizza slices. Vancuvrians (?) must really like pizza!!!
The hostel itself was interesting. My room was very basic: nothing but 2 bunk beds in bare room, and very messy / not very clean looking. I lay down on my bunk bed, exhausted from walking around the city with my backpack on, looking for the hostel (I followed my guidebook's version of where the hostel is which took me to the wrong end of town). Looking at the room, I thought this is what it must be like being in jail. But then I remembered the key difference, I can leave the room. So I did. The hostel came with it's own bar downstairs, called “The Beaver”. The slogan was “Be Canadian. Eat (at the) Beaver.” The “at the” was small print. The best thing about eating (at the) Beaver was the fact that they had nightly $4 meal specials, which on the first night was lasagna, second night Sunday roast and on my last night “West coast” fish and chips. Now that's what I call backpacker priced meals.
I spent my days in Vancouver shopping (first day) and sightseeing (second day). My sightseeing walk of about 5 hours took me along the famous Sea Wall all around Vancouver and the world class urban park Stanley Park, and all through the park itself.
Stanley park really is an amazing place. It is a big park right beside downtown Vancouver on one side, and surrounded by water on the 3 other sides. Walking through it you would swear you are not in the city. It feels like remote forest, lush, green and full of animals. The only sign of the city are the frequent sea landing planes zooming across the park, taking off from one of the waterways just North of Vancouver's downtown.
One of the coolest things about Vancouver is that you can almost always see mountains hiding behind the city's skylines, with their peaks still covered with snow. So you can be on a street surrounded by high rise buildings, but look down the street and see the harbour, and behind the harbour a towering, snowy mountain. But despite the snowy mountain scenery, it was nice and sunny, and 2 of my 3 days here were T-shirt weather.
My overall impression of Vancouver is that is a nice, clean place. In contrast to the US cities I have seen, it certainly feels cleaner, nicer and safer.
On my last night after the ritual meal in the bar I headed out to the local casino. I'd saved so much on buying $4 dinners that I had the urge to lose some money. Which I managed to do nicely. Though I was impressed with the 50 cent roulette tables! This morning I have checked out and am hanging around the hostel before I embark on my train journey across Canada, which departs at 5:30 in the evening.
I checked into the SameSun hostel in Vancouver, on slightly seedy but cool Granville Street; surrounded by clubs, venues and lots and lots of pizza shops. There are probably about 5 pizza shops within viewing distance of the hostel, all selling large $1.49 pizza slices. Vancuvrians (?) must really like pizza!!!
The hostel itself was interesting. My room was very basic: nothing but 2 bunk beds in bare room, and very messy / not very clean looking. I lay down on my bunk bed, exhausted from walking around the city with my backpack on, looking for the hostel (I followed my guidebook's version of where the hostel is which took me to the wrong end of town). Looking at the room, I thought this is what it must be like being in jail. But then I remembered the key difference, I can leave the room. So I did. The hostel came with it's own bar downstairs, called “The Beaver”. The slogan was “Be Canadian. Eat (at the) Beaver.” The “at the” was small print. The best thing about eating (at the) Beaver was the fact that they had nightly $4 meal specials, which on the first night was lasagna, second night Sunday roast and on my last night “West coast” fish and chips. Now that's what I call backpacker priced meals.
I spent my days in Vancouver shopping (first day) and sightseeing (second day). My sightseeing walk of about 5 hours took me along the famous Sea Wall all around Vancouver and the world class urban park Stanley Park, and all through the park itself.
Stanley park really is an amazing place. It is a big park right beside downtown Vancouver on one side, and surrounded by water on the 3 other sides. Walking through it you would swear you are not in the city. It feels like remote forest, lush, green and full of animals. The only sign of the city are the frequent sea landing planes zooming across the park, taking off from one of the waterways just North of Vancouver's downtown.
One of the coolest things about Vancouver is that you can almost always see mountains hiding behind the city's skylines, with their peaks still covered with snow. So you can be on a street surrounded by high rise buildings, but look down the street and see the harbour, and behind the harbour a towering, snowy mountain. But despite the snowy mountain scenery, it was nice and sunny, and 2 of my 3 days here were T-shirt weather.
My overall impression of Vancouver is that is a nice, clean place. In contrast to the US cities I have seen, it certainly feels cleaner, nicer and safer.
On my last night after the ritual meal in the bar I headed out to the local casino. I'd saved so much on buying $4 dinners that I had the urge to lose some money. Which I managed to do nicely. Though I was impressed with the 50 cent roulette tables! This morning I have checked out and am hanging around the hostel before I embark on my train journey across Canada, which departs at 5:30 in the evening.
13 April 2008
Whistler
My last night in Seattle, a Saturday night, was meant to be spent going out and enjoying the vibrant nightlife downtown Seattle has to offer. I met some people to go out with but it wasn't to be, because the 31 year old American had lost his ID (they check everyone for ID), an Aussie girl was being stalked by some local gangs and was too afraid to go out,and there were some 19 year olds, which of course in the USA is underage. So we stayed an partied in the hostel.
The Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle is one of the best places I've ever stayed in. Spotless showers are a luxury when you're hosteling it. Seattle was meant to be a pass-through city for me, but it turns out to be a really interesting place, with heaps to do, so I wish I had arranged to stay longer. But how could I be sad to leave when I was heading on to Whistler Village, British Columbia, to ski North America's premier ski resort, Whistler Blackcomb.
The six or seven hours from Seattle to Whistler went surprisingly quickly, thanks to catching up on sleep, chatting to fellow Aussies from the hostel and a border crossing from the USA. The US customs officials (with guns, of course) were surprisingly full on coming out of the US, asking all sorts of questions of most of the people on the bus. But they mainly picked on the black man. His bag was the only one they searched, asking “do you have any drugs in here?” as they opened it.
The service from Seattle terminated in Vancouver, where I had to change to another bus. A good American bloke which some girls from my hostel and I met on the bus was kind enough to offer us some of the cheap duty free beers he bought on the border which we subtly (ok, maybe not so subtly) drank in the Vancouver train station McDonald's. He was headed to Whistler as well, so gave me some tips on the way up as well as an initial tour on arrival. The trip up itself was great, with amazing views of lakes and snow-capped mountains all the way up!
When I arrived I met up with my friends Amanda and Jayson, who had flown to British Columbia from London to go skiing.
Together we had booked a small townhouse apartment, complete with 2 balconies overlooking snowy mountain ranges, one with a hot tub!
The week was spent skiing the vast terrain of the dual Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Each mountain feels like its 4 times the size of Mount Hotham (for those Aussie skiers), and there's 2 of them!
One of the highlights was skiing the run which will be the Men's downhill race run for the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics.
The night life in the Village was surprisingly quiet, probably due to the fact it was the end of the season. This time of the year normally brings little snow, but we were lucky as the mountain still had excellent snow cover (2.6 metres). We were usually so exhausted after a day of skiing the vast terrain though, that we were happy to have some drinks in our private hot-tub instead of hitting the town every night.
During my last 2 days on the mountain we got to sample the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in the village, which involved all sorts of festivities including band performances on big stages with the snowy mountains as a backdrop.
Today it was time to depart Whistler. I spent the morning hanging out in the Village, enjoying some really warm weather (sunny T-shirt weather) and checking out the goings-on of the festival. Then caught the greyhound back to Vancouver for the next set of Canadian adventures!
The Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle is one of the best places I've ever stayed in. Spotless showers are a luxury when you're hosteling it. Seattle was meant to be a pass-through city for me, but it turns out to be a really interesting place, with heaps to do, so I wish I had arranged to stay longer. But how could I be sad to leave when I was heading on to Whistler Village, British Columbia, to ski North America's premier ski resort, Whistler Blackcomb.
The six or seven hours from Seattle to Whistler went surprisingly quickly, thanks to catching up on sleep, chatting to fellow Aussies from the hostel and a border crossing from the USA. The US customs officials (with guns, of course) were surprisingly full on coming out of the US, asking all sorts of questions of most of the people on the bus. But they mainly picked on the black man. His bag was the only one they searched, asking “do you have any drugs in here?” as they opened it.
The service from Seattle terminated in Vancouver, where I had to change to another bus. A good American bloke which some girls from my hostel and I met on the bus was kind enough to offer us some of the cheap duty free beers he bought on the border which we subtly (ok, maybe not so subtly) drank in the Vancouver train station McDonald's. He was headed to Whistler as well, so gave me some tips on the way up as well as an initial tour on arrival. The trip up itself was great, with amazing views of lakes and snow-capped mountains all the way up!
When I arrived I met up with my friends Amanda and Jayson, who had flown to British Columbia from London to go skiing.
Together we had booked a small townhouse apartment, complete with 2 balconies overlooking snowy mountain ranges, one with a hot tub!
The week was spent skiing the vast terrain of the dual Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Each mountain feels like its 4 times the size of Mount Hotham (for those Aussie skiers), and there's 2 of them!
One of the highlights was skiing the run which will be the Men's downhill race run for the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics.
The night life in the Village was surprisingly quiet, probably due to the fact it was the end of the season. This time of the year normally brings little snow, but we were lucky as the mountain still had excellent snow cover (2.6 metres). We were usually so exhausted after a day of skiing the vast terrain though, that we were happy to have some drinks in our private hot-tub instead of hitting the town every night.
During my last 2 days on the mountain we got to sample the World Ski and Snowboard Festival in the village, which involved all sorts of festivities including band performances on big stages with the snowy mountains as a backdrop.
Today it was time to depart Whistler. I spent the morning hanging out in the Village, enjoying some really warm weather (sunny T-shirt weather) and checking out the goings-on of the festival. Then caught the greyhound back to Vancouver for the next set of Canadian adventures!
06 April 2008
Seattle
Virgin has in the last few months started a domestic airline in the USA, called (predictably enough) Virgin America. They look pretty cool online and are cheap enough, so I decided to give them a go. American authorities recommend getting to the airport 2 hours prior to scheduled departure, so I got to San Francisco Airport exactly 2 hours prior, only to be disappointed to find that my Virgin America flight to Seattle was a few hours delayed due to one of their planes being buggered (not their exact words). In the end it meant I spent over 5 hours in an especially boring airport terminal. One that only had one pizza restaurant and one cafe. The pizza made for a good late breakfast, though. And on the bright side, Virgin America bribed us not to hate them by supplying free alcohol. Their in flight entertainment was also awesome, I was won over. Mainly by the free alcohol.
Upon arriving in Seattle I was pleased to find that the way downtown was by bus, which only cost $1.50 and was due to depart in a few minutes. It was a long few minutes though, as I came to the realisation of how bloody cold Seattle is. There was no snow, but to me it felt like it should have started coming down any moment. Instead, rain started coming down while I was on the bus, and I managed to get drenched upon disembarking, mainly due to the fact I got lost looking for my hostel. I eventually found it at about 9:30pm, but was freezing and dripping wet when I did so. I recovered by having a quiet one.
Today was my only full day in Seattle so I packed a lot in. Got up early and started with a tour to the Boeing plane assembly plant just out of the city. This plant is in the largest building in the world (by volume). The place is huge. When standing inside, “Jumbo” jets look small. The building is so big in fact, that when they first started using it, it created it's own weather. Clouds would form inside it, and sometimes it would rain! They fixed it by installing giant blower fans.
I am a bit of an airline industry geek, so I was interested to see the first ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner (a revolutionary new airliner) in production, and almost finished.
I got the tour driver to drop me off at Seattle most recognisable landmark, the Space Needle. I went up and checked out the views, and then caught the monorail downtown.
I spent the rest of the day exploring the downtown area and doing some shopping. Seattle is the place where the first Starbucks coffee opened. I went to try to have a coffee there, but the line was almost out the door, and I didn't think it was worth the wait. They really love their Starbucks here though! Without exaggeration, there really seems to be one on every block here! There were several points in the city where I noticed there were 2 different Starbucks in direct view. It is quite ridiculous, really.
Last night as I walked around in the rain I came to the unfortunate realisation that my old shoes were no longer waterproof. So seeing as I am heading up to the snow tomorrow (Whistler still has 2.6m of snow as of today) I decided to shop for some new shoes. The sale in Nike Town worked out well for me.
Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan, I'm catching a Greyhound bus for 217 miles to Whistler, British Columbia (Canada) via Vancouver.
Upon arriving in Seattle I was pleased to find that the way downtown was by bus, which only cost $1.50 and was due to depart in a few minutes. It was a long few minutes though, as I came to the realisation of how bloody cold Seattle is. There was no snow, but to me it felt like it should have started coming down any moment. Instead, rain started coming down while I was on the bus, and I managed to get drenched upon disembarking, mainly due to the fact I got lost looking for my hostel. I eventually found it at about 9:30pm, but was freezing and dripping wet when I did so. I recovered by having a quiet one.
Today was my only full day in Seattle so I packed a lot in. Got up early and started with a tour to the Boeing plane assembly plant just out of the city. This plant is in the largest building in the world (by volume). The place is huge. When standing inside, “Jumbo” jets look small. The building is so big in fact, that when they first started using it, it created it's own weather. Clouds would form inside it, and sometimes it would rain! They fixed it by installing giant blower fans.
I am a bit of an airline industry geek, so I was interested to see the first ever Boeing 787 Dreamliner (a revolutionary new airliner) in production, and almost finished.
I got the tour driver to drop me off at Seattle most recognisable landmark, the Space Needle. I went up and checked out the views, and then caught the monorail downtown.
I spent the rest of the day exploring the downtown area and doing some shopping. Seattle is the place where the first Starbucks coffee opened. I went to try to have a coffee there, but the line was almost out the door, and I didn't think it was worth the wait. They really love their Starbucks here though! Without exaggeration, there really seems to be one on every block here! There were several points in the city where I noticed there were 2 different Starbucks in direct view. It is quite ridiculous, really.
Last night as I walked around in the rain I came to the unfortunate realisation that my old shoes were no longer waterproof. So seeing as I am heading up to the snow tomorrow (Whistler still has 2.6m of snow as of today) I decided to shop for some new shoes. The sale in Nike Town worked out well for me.
Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan, I'm catching a Greyhound bus for 217 miles to Whistler, British Columbia (Canada) via Vancouver.
05 April 2008
Sydney to San Francisco
Last time I came to America I flew into LA and hated the place. Then I went up to San Francisco and loved it. So this time around I decided to make my North American entry point San Francisco. There are no direct flights from Melbourne so I had to fly via Sydney.
The night prior to my departure the Bureau of Meteorology released a warning about extreme winds and sure enough, when I woke up in the morning there was weather trouble. I immediately got mental images of my plane crash landing into Melbourne's western suburbs, but was also worried about flight delays, because if my flight up to Sydney was delayed, I'd miss my San Fran connection, and that flight only flies a few times a week.
Luckily, my flight was a morning flight, and at the time of departure, winds were only about 50-60km/h (not yet to 100km/h gale force as predicted for later). My flight was bumpy, but landed in sunny Sydney without a problem. Apparently Melbourne got worse in the afternoon so I was lucky. Sydney, on the other hand was beautiful. 29 degrees and clear blue sky. The views of the harbour from the plane were awesome, I almost wanted to stay in Sydney. But I was off to another great harbour city.
My flying was really quiet. No-one to chat to. From Sydney there was an unfriendly woman only interested in sleeping, and on the big flight I was stuck next to a middle aged Eastern European couple who only seemed to know a few words in English. And much to my disappointment, the American school girl coming home with her school group from their Spring break trip to Australia and New Zealand didn't seem very interested in chatting to me either.
I only managed to catch a few hours sleep on the 14 hours flight so I was pretty tired when I landed. And due to the time difference, it was only about 10 am the same day I departed, so I had a long way to go until nighttime. I kept myself awake by going shopping and walking the steep streets, and at nightfall sinking some cheap beers with hostel randoms.
Last time I was in San Fran I wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I walked up to it one afternoon but by the time I got there it was late and cold. So this time I dedicated a day to it. I rented a bike at touristy Fishermen's Wharf, and rode along the bay, up and over the bridge, and down to an affluent town across the bay, and caught a ferry back. As with everything in San Francisco (including just walking the streets), it provided for stunning views. When I first started walking around the city on this trip, I thought that it is not as cool as I remembered it. Perhaps last time I only loved San Fran so much thanks to the contrast with LA. But then when walking the streets, I couldn't help myself exhaling audible “wow”s on many street corners, I realised again why the city is so special. The number 1 place for urban views. It had won me back.
My second and last night in SF was spent on a hostel-organised pub crawl. It was pretty fun, as you might expect. I also had a few too many drinks, as you might expect. This morning I was meant to get up at 9ish to make the 10 am checkout time but awoke from my slumber at about 11. Oops. Ah, must be the jet lag! ;)
Luckily I had enough foresight when booking my trip to make my flight departing SF at 2:30 in the afternoon. So as I write this I am at SF airport, waiting for my flight to Seattle, which, as it happens to be is more than 3 hours delayed anyway. What better way to spend a hangover than 5 hours in an airport terminal. If only there was a McDonald's here to make my stomach feel better....
The night prior to my departure the Bureau of Meteorology released a warning about extreme winds and sure enough, when I woke up in the morning there was weather trouble. I immediately got mental images of my plane crash landing into Melbourne's western suburbs, but was also worried about flight delays, because if my flight up to Sydney was delayed, I'd miss my San Fran connection, and that flight only flies a few times a week.
Luckily, my flight was a morning flight, and at the time of departure, winds were only about 50-60km/h (not yet to 100km/h gale force as predicted for later). My flight was bumpy, but landed in sunny Sydney without a problem. Apparently Melbourne got worse in the afternoon so I was lucky. Sydney, on the other hand was beautiful. 29 degrees and clear blue sky. The views of the harbour from the plane were awesome, I almost wanted to stay in Sydney. But I was off to another great harbour city.
My flying was really quiet. No-one to chat to. From Sydney there was an unfriendly woman only interested in sleeping, and on the big flight I was stuck next to a middle aged Eastern European couple who only seemed to know a few words in English. And much to my disappointment, the American school girl coming home with her school group from their Spring break trip to Australia and New Zealand didn't seem very interested in chatting to me either.
I only managed to catch a few hours sleep on the 14 hours flight so I was pretty tired when I landed. And due to the time difference, it was only about 10 am the same day I departed, so I had a long way to go until nighttime. I kept myself awake by going shopping and walking the steep streets, and at nightfall sinking some cheap beers with hostel randoms.
Last time I was in San Fran I wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I walked up to it one afternoon but by the time I got there it was late and cold. So this time I dedicated a day to it. I rented a bike at touristy Fishermen's Wharf, and rode along the bay, up and over the bridge, and down to an affluent town across the bay, and caught a ferry back. As with everything in San Francisco (including just walking the streets), it provided for stunning views. When I first started walking around the city on this trip, I thought that it is not as cool as I remembered it. Perhaps last time I only loved San Fran so much thanks to the contrast with LA. But then when walking the streets, I couldn't help myself exhaling audible “wow”s on many street corners, I realised again why the city is so special. The number 1 place for urban views. It had won me back.
My second and last night in SF was spent on a hostel-organised pub crawl. It was pretty fun, as you might expect. I also had a few too many drinks, as you might expect. This morning I was meant to get up at 9ish to make the 10 am checkout time but awoke from my slumber at about 11. Oops. Ah, must be the jet lag! ;)
Luckily I had enough foresight when booking my trip to make my flight departing SF at 2:30 in the afternoon. So as I write this I am at SF airport, waiting for my flight to Seattle, which, as it happens to be is more than 3 hours delayed anyway. What better way to spend a hangover than 5 hours in an airport terminal. If only there was a McDonald's here to make my stomach feel better....
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