From Castro to Curry: Oh, Canada!

I hope I didn't give the impression in my last post that I didn't enjoy Cuba at all... I do have nice memories of it, and there were parts that were really beautiful and really interesting and people who were really nice to me. The poverty did really get to me, but then I was obviously in the frame of mind where that kind of thing was going to bug me more than usual.

Moving on.

Because the USA and Cuba are still quite anti each other, obviously I couldn't fly directly between the two, so I figured I'd take some time to see a bit more of the eastern side of Canada than I'd so far managed. Let's not forget that my Working Holiday visa expired the day before I flew out to Cuba, so I was definitely running a bit of a risk by trying to get back into the country ten days later. But you only live once, and a New Zealand passport and smiling nicely have got me a long way in the past, so I decided to wing it. I'd heard from several other people about how their visas had expired, so they'd driven across the border into the USA, turned around, driven straight back, and been given a new visa without any problem.

So I arrived in Toronto. The first woman who looked at my passport was obviously not convinced that I was just coming through for five days, so she sent me to see the Big Immigration Boys. I stood in line for half an hour with all the people who were actually immigrating into Canada. I always like male border agents / police officers / other officials more than females because they're far more likely to respond the way I want them to if I'm nice and give them a big smile and ask them how their day's going. The Big Immigration Boy who I saw turned out to be about in his early thirties and far happier to take me at my word than the first woman had been. I was only at the desk for about two minutes!

Montreal was all about beautiful buildings, amazing graffiti and street art, public sculpture, and SHOPPING. I was staying just off one of the main shopping streets, and it turned out to be far too dangerous. My bag was already too full, but I still came away with new rowing gear and underwear. (No, there will be no photos of either.)

Oh yeah, and food. Eggs Benedict on a Montreal bagel, SO GOOD.

The Illuminated Crowd

From Montreal, I caught the overnight bus to Toronto. Overnight buses are unexplainably awesome, you really have to do it yourself to see just how awesome. I actually had a bruise on my knee, actually for actuals, from the girl in front of me ramming her seatback into me several times during the night. She obviously thought I was holding her seat up intentionally (for once, I wasn't, it's hard to do when you're asleep). I'm six feet tall, there IS nowhere else to put my knees! Sadly I didn't take a photo before it faded.

I'm really sorry I didn't have more time in Toronto. I really enjoyed the city itself, and my friend Sheila put me in touch with her brother Jamie and the two of us went out for dinner and had a really good time as well. I'd only booked to stay for one night, and it turns out I could have stayed longer. Never mind, you learn these things as you go. This has not been the best organised trip so far, to be fair.

So in Toronto I....