I'm sorry that I didn't finish detailing my travels. In retrospect it's really interesting how much a mind can change over a period of time. When I left I was excited to let everyone know about all of the details that encompassed my travels, but the thing is, it wasn't all fun and games. Feeling trapped, unsafe, and homesick are not emotions that lend to making sure that I write home to Ma.
I made a major mistake when I left. I've come to realize that in order to make a trip like this one, you either have to start with zero money, or start with enough money to make it through the whole trip. The trip taught me a lot of things, many of which are very hard to explain, but the one major thing I learned could have benefited me a lot more if I'd come to certain conclusions earlier in the trip, but such is life.
I began my trip with $300, which was not enough to live on without massive supplement. I ran out of money after a couple of weeks and borrowed $500 from my boss, this was however mostly to buy a touring bike that I found on Kijiji in Montreal (which was promptly stolen). I bought the bike and ran out of money again in another couple of weeks. This time my parents sent me $200. I ran out of that money as well. At this point I knew I had no other way to get money, so I learned to find free food for all of my meals. Previously I was grabbing things here and there to supplement my budget, but I lived for a week in Toronto without spending any money on food at all.
The notion set in that I was capable of doing this and a calm came over me, I suddenly felt like I would be okay no matter what happened. I had the skills and knowhow to get by.
The reason I was prompted to write in this blog again after so long was because tonight was the first time since I've gotten home that I went dumpster diving. I didn't really need to, but a friend was going and I tagged along. It's weird, I never really considered the idea that the life I lived while I was travelling with nothing was a life that I can have in Halifax. There is food getting wasted here just as much as in every other city (per capita).
I'm inspired to be self sufficient.
I'm already planning to take another trip next summer, but this time I'm going to bike. I'll try to keep updating.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Hangin in Peterborough
Fucking great city here! I'll probably leave tomorrow, but if not tomorrow, definitely on Wednesday.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Holy shit I suck at this.
I have been informed that it's been two weeks since my last update. Sorry about that, I haven't really had a solid outlet for internet in a long time.
Here's another quiz! Only three of these statements are true!
a. My bike was stolen in Montreal
b. I went to New York City to get the new iPhone
c. I've been getting laid all over the damn place
d. I got a lesson walking on stilts, then I fell down and broke said stilts
e. I forgot my cellphone charger in Montreal
f. I'm depressed all of the time
Yeahh, so I left Montreal and hitchhiked to Peterborough which is a awesome little city that reminds me a lot of Halifax. They have about 12 pawn shops there and they're all full of the best shit.
Toronto followed after my one day in Peterborough after a pleasant bus ride since it's quite close to Toronto.
I LOVE TORONTO! I had sooo much fun there, best city in Canada to visit IMO, I ate for free, I slept for free, I basically lived for completely free. We stayed at an apartment that Brendan's sister is subletting with Clayton, Liat, and Amy. I really enjoyed hanging out with Clayton and Liat a lot! Amy seems nice but we didn't really spend any time together. I practiced the shit out of Street Fighter 4, anyone who's interested in playing me had better get their game on because I'm going to own all your asses when I get home.
Vince and I built bikes at a co-op when we got into the city under the stipulation that we would return the bikes when we were doen with them, which we did. It was a really cool and fun city to bike in.
Vince left to start heading home a few days before we left Toronto, I hope he's doing well!
I'm in Guelph currently, Brendan and I got here yesterday and I'm really enjoying it here so far, the city's full of Haligonian radicals! Really fun!
I'm leaving to head east on Sunday or Monday, I'll hit Montreal to grab the things I left there, send a care package home of things I do't need and will weigh me down, and then I'll be Halifax bound, hopefully I'll be home by Thursday.
Someone should have a party on Friday! I'll be there with bells on!
Here's another quiz! Only three of these statements are true!
a. My bike was stolen in Montreal
b. I went to New York City to get the new iPhone
c. I've been getting laid all over the damn place
d. I got a lesson walking on stilts, then I fell down and broke said stilts
e. I forgot my cellphone charger in Montreal
f. I'm depressed all of the time
Yeahh, so I left Montreal and hitchhiked to Peterborough which is a awesome little city that reminds me a lot of Halifax. They have about 12 pawn shops there and they're all full of the best shit.
Toronto followed after my one day in Peterborough after a pleasant bus ride since it's quite close to Toronto.
I LOVE TORONTO! I had sooo much fun there, best city in Canada to visit IMO, I ate for free, I slept for free, I basically lived for completely free. We stayed at an apartment that Brendan's sister is subletting with Clayton, Liat, and Amy. I really enjoyed hanging out with Clayton and Liat a lot! Amy seems nice but we didn't really spend any time together. I practiced the shit out of Street Fighter 4, anyone who's interested in playing me had better get their game on because I'm going to own all your asses when I get home.
Vince and I built bikes at a co-op when we got into the city under the stipulation that we would return the bikes when we were doen with them, which we did. It was a really cool and fun city to bike in.
Vince left to start heading home a few days before we left Toronto, I hope he's doing well!
I'm in Guelph currently, Brendan and I got here yesterday and I'm really enjoying it here so far, the city's full of Haligonian radicals! Really fun!
I'm leaving to head east on Sunday or Monday, I'll hit Montreal to grab the things I left there, send a care package home of things I do't need and will weigh me down, and then I'll be Halifax bound, hopefully I'll be home by Thursday.
Someone should have a party on Friday! I'll be there with bells on!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Multiple choice quiz
Man, have I been busy. Only one of these things aren't true, guess which one!
a. I bought two bikes.
b. I've been biking a shitload.
c. I made some money playing bucket drums on St. Catharine St.
d. We're going to leave on Tuesday morning to head to Peterborough and then Toronto, and then back to Montreal sometime before the 19th.
e. I borrowed $500 from my boss.
f. I saved $452.56 on car insurance.
g. I went to the Isis concert.
h. I went to the TV on the Radio concert.
i. I sang "A Whole New World" from the movie "Aladdin" in the middle of the ghetto.
j. I camped in a tent on a 45 degree angle 20m from a major road in the heart of Montreal.
k. I stripped to my undies with the intent to jump into a crazy river but chickened out.
l. I almost died at least 6 times.
m. I reaffirmed that I really enjoy doing dangerous things.
n. I was officially declared "Excellent Tank Operator".
o. I spent a night with a famous rap superstar.
p. Watched an old jewish man learn to ride a bicycle. It was glorious.
q. I plan to bike 1200km from Montreal to Halifax.
r. I met a man who is quite possibly the craziest punk in the world, he goes by "Dica" which is "Acid" backwards.
s. I participated in in a bike tour with 30000 other people.
t. I missed my friends and family a lot.
a. I bought two bikes.
b. I've been biking a shitload.
c. I made some money playing bucket drums on St. Catharine St.
d. We're going to leave on Tuesday morning to head to Peterborough and then Toronto, and then back to Montreal sometime before the 19th.
e. I borrowed $500 from my boss.
f. I saved $452.56 on car insurance.
g. I went to the Isis concert.
h. I went to the TV on the Radio concert.
i. I sang "A Whole New World" from the movie "Aladdin" in the middle of the ghetto.
j. I camped in a tent on a 45 degree angle 20m from a major road in the heart of Montreal.
k. I stripped to my undies with the intent to jump into a crazy river but chickened out.
l. I almost died at least 6 times.
m. I reaffirmed that I really enjoy doing dangerous things.
n. I was officially declared "Excellent Tank Operator".
o. I spent a night with a famous rap superstar.
p. Watched an old jewish man learn to ride a bicycle. It was glorious.
q. I plan to bike 1200km from Montreal to Halifax.
r. I met a man who is quite possibly the craziest punk in the world, he goes by "Dica" which is "Acid" backwards.
s. I participated in in a bike tour with 30000 other people.
t. I missed my friends and family a lot.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Still in Montreal
Jamieson and I went out to the hop out spot at 4:30am on Friday night (Saturday morning). The place is really cool, it's perfect for what it is, there's an overpass which keeps you dry if it rains, and there's a hole in the fence, so you can hang out on the legal side until the train comes and you don't get hassled by the police.
We waited until 1pm on Saturday for the train, it came, we got super excited, grabbed all of our stuff and then we watched it fly by without stopping. Why it didn't stop, I'll never know.
We went back to Jamieson's with the intentions of going out again the next night, but when we checked the weather there were storms, thundershowers, and low temperatures the whole way. So we decided not to grab the train, and instead we will wait for Brendan and Vince in Montreal.
On another note, the bio-dome is free today. Hey buuuuuuuddy!
We waited until 1pm on Saturday for the train, it came, we got super excited, grabbed all of our stuff and then we watched it fly by without stopping. Why it didn't stop, I'll never know.
We went back to Jamieson's with the intentions of going out again the next night, but when we checked the weather there were storms, thundershowers, and low temperatures the whole way. So we decided not to grab the train, and instead we will wait for Brendan and Vince in Montreal.
On another note, the bio-dome is free today. Hey buuuuuuuddy!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Rain, rain, go away
So I travelled all day Wednesday in the pouring rain.
People don't like to pick up sopping wet people.
I made it almost to Montreal in one very long day, I camped just outside of Montreal between two commuter train tracks in a tiny little grove. I thought this was genious because the commuter trains had stopped running for the day, and I was going to wake up in plenty of time before the first train ran the next morning. Well, it turned out that I wasn't so smart. They use those tracks for a billion other things when the commuter trains aren't running. I was woken up by the sound of trains clammering by every 15 minutes or so. It was a very jarring and alarming sound. I kept having dreams that I was about to get hit by a train all night.
In the morning I took the commuter into Montreal without paying for it. I've been on six different commuter trains and I've never been asked if I had a ticket.
When I got into Montreal I started looking for exit routes. I checked commuter trains, which didn't start leaving eastward till 12:30 (this was at about 7:30) and the bus station wasn't very nearby. I was very drained at this point and I decided to go back to Cazalais to sleep. I had spoken to Jamieson about ways to hitch out of Montreal eastward and he said he could show me the hop out spot for trains that night and I could leave early the next morning, I would still be around in time for everything I wanted to do out east so that was my plan.
I slept until 4pm at Cazalais. Thanks again ladies, I owe you so much.
When I headed over to Jamieson's place I was delighted to hear that he had decided to come with me, so we went off to Walmart to acquire some rain gear. We later learned that due to some complications he wouldn't be able to come with me that night, but that he could come with me if I waited one more day. Cool. It was raining terribly outside and I wasn't feeling that whole thing anyway. The problem was that now I had to miss the Three Sheet show. I'm dissapointed that I'll be missing it, but this also made me feel less rushed, which is always nice.
I slept at Jamieson's and had Indian food with Josie and Randee in the morning after Jamieson went to work. It was awkward hanging out with Josie, but I resolved to forgive and forget, and start over. I apologized for any trouble I'd caused her and I hope that we can be friends. In retrospect I can't believe things got so out of hand. Josie grabbed a ride share to Ottawa and I continued with Randee. I had a lot of fun even though we just went shopping and I didn't buy anything.
The rest of the day has consisted of getting ready physically and mentally for our train trip to Halifax.
People don't like to pick up sopping wet people.
I made it almost to Montreal in one very long day, I camped just outside of Montreal between two commuter train tracks in a tiny little grove. I thought this was genious because the commuter trains had stopped running for the day, and I was going to wake up in plenty of time before the first train ran the next morning. Well, it turned out that I wasn't so smart. They use those tracks for a billion other things when the commuter trains aren't running. I was woken up by the sound of trains clammering by every 15 minutes or so. It was a very jarring and alarming sound. I kept having dreams that I was about to get hit by a train all night.
In the morning I took the commuter into Montreal without paying for it. I've been on six different commuter trains and I've never been asked if I had a ticket.
When I got into Montreal I started looking for exit routes. I checked commuter trains, which didn't start leaving eastward till 12:30 (this was at about 7:30) and the bus station wasn't very nearby. I was very drained at this point and I decided to go back to Cazalais to sleep. I had spoken to Jamieson about ways to hitch out of Montreal eastward and he said he could show me the hop out spot for trains that night and I could leave early the next morning, I would still be around in time for everything I wanted to do out east so that was my plan.
I slept until 4pm at Cazalais. Thanks again ladies, I owe you so much.
When I headed over to Jamieson's place I was delighted to hear that he had decided to come with me, so we went off to Walmart to acquire some rain gear. We later learned that due to some complications he wouldn't be able to come with me that night, but that he could come with me if I waited one more day. Cool. It was raining terribly outside and I wasn't feeling that whole thing anyway. The problem was that now I had to miss the Three Sheet show. I'm dissapointed that I'll be missing it, but this also made me feel less rushed, which is always nice.
I slept at Jamieson's and had Indian food with Josie and Randee in the morning after Jamieson went to work. It was awkward hanging out with Josie, but I resolved to forgive and forget, and start over. I apologized for any trouble I'd caused her and I hope that we can be friends. In retrospect I can't believe things got so out of hand. Josie grabbed a ride share to Ottawa and I continued with Randee. I had a lot of fun even though we just went shopping and I didn't buy anything.
The rest of the day has consisted of getting ready physically and mentally for our train trip to Halifax.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
So many homes away from home
Hamilton has been a real treat (I owe Cory Herc royalties for that statement). I've gotten to see most everyone I planned to see, and many I didn't expect to.
It's been awesome spending time with Katie, and I'm glad that her current boyfriend Aaron isn't finding having me around too weird.
Seeing Rachel and Jeff was great too. I'm really glad to know that Rachel and I can get along well so long as we're not dating each other's best friends.
Hamilton has however made me lazy, I've been playing video games the whole time, buuut I needed a bit of a rest. My feet needed a rest.
Tomorrow I'll see a few more people I've been meaning to see, and then Wednesday morning I'm getting a ride to the other side of Toronto to start my trek eastward toward St. John for the Ruby Jean/Three Sheet show.
When I left Hamilton three years ago, I never thought I'd come back. I'm glad I have, I've experienced a bit more of the city than I was exposed to before, and having spent so much time in Montreal, the people in Hamilton seem only average crazy now.
It's been awesome spending time with Katie, and I'm glad that her current boyfriend Aaron isn't finding having me around too weird.
Seeing Rachel and Jeff was great too. I'm really glad to know that Rachel and I can get along well so long as we're not dating each other's best friends.
Hamilton has however made me lazy, I've been playing video games the whole time, buuut I needed a bit of a rest. My feet needed a rest.
Tomorrow I'll see a few more people I've been meaning to see, and then Wednesday morning I'm getting a ride to the other side of Toronto to start my trek eastward toward St. John for the Ruby Jean/Three Sheet show.
When I left Hamilton three years ago, I never thought I'd come back. I'm glad I have, I've experienced a bit more of the city than I was exposed to before, and having spent so much time in Montreal, the people in Hamilton seem only average crazy now.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Hamilton Bound
Last I mentioned was that I was waiting for the last commuter train out of Montreal after a day of hardship.
I successfully took the proper train this time, and I rode it till the end of the line.
When I got off of the train, I made eye contact with a cute girl wearing a pack almost as large as my own (which is quite large if I do say so myself). I said "Hello" and she replied "I bet you're going to Toronto", and I said "Yep!". She motioned for me to follow her, and that's how my friendship with Ezzy began.
She liked to talk, but that's ok because I like to listen. We set out toward the highway 20 being lead by some drug dealer Ezzy had met on the train.
Once we hit the highway, we hitched and talked for about an hour and a half, and the one ride we got took us about 20 minutes closer to our destination.
She seemed very glad to have a travel partner, which is understandable because she's an attractive young female. I'm perfectly fine with hitching by myself, but I liked her, so I decided to stick it through.
We camped on the side of the road at about midnight and set the alarm for 4:45am. She had some reason to be back in Toronto by 1pm so she wanted to get going at sun-up.
The night was a tad bit cold but we kept each other warm.
In the morning we heated up a can of vegetable soup and hit the road again.
We had a bit of trouble from the cops today, we were spoken to twice, once in Quebec and once in Ontario. Both of them were just trying to keep us off of the highway but said we could hitchhike from the onramps or the offramps. Pretty cool that we didn't get any tickets or much hassle.
First ride was a 30ish year old guy who lives in New York State and crosses the border to Canada often. About a 20 min ride.
Second ride was a 55ish year old man who we learned was a Special Victims Unit officer in Ontario. He had some interesting stories to tell, but his most notable statement was "you can learn a lot more out there on the road than you could ever learn anywhere else". I believe this statement to be true, and it seems pretty cool to be told such a statement from a man who has been a police officer for 30 years and has had extensive post secondary education.
After the second ride we waited for about 2 hours before we got picked up again, there were subtle tones of animosity growing within both of us as we secretly blamed the other for not getting rides.
Just as we were about to give up hope and split up we were picked up by a guy heading right into Toronto. Yay!
One cool thing about traveling in pairs is that I sat in the back and slept the whole time (3 1/2 hoursish) while the driver and Ezzy talked. What I picked up from their conversation was that he was from Russia and is a recovering drug and alcohol addict, but he was a really nice guy.
I got into Toronto, said my goodbyes to Ezzy and took a bus to Hamilton.
I successfully took the proper train this time, and I rode it till the end of the line.
When I got off of the train, I made eye contact with a cute girl wearing a pack almost as large as my own (which is quite large if I do say so myself). I said "Hello" and she replied "I bet you're going to Toronto", and I said "Yep!". She motioned for me to follow her, and that's how my friendship with Ezzy began.
She liked to talk, but that's ok because I like to listen. We set out toward the highway 20 being lead by some drug dealer Ezzy had met on the train.
Once we hit the highway, we hitched and talked for about an hour and a half, and the one ride we got took us about 20 minutes closer to our destination.
She seemed very glad to have a travel partner, which is understandable because she's an attractive young female. I'm perfectly fine with hitching by myself, but I liked her, so I decided to stick it through.
We camped on the side of the road at about midnight and set the alarm for 4:45am. She had some reason to be back in Toronto by 1pm so she wanted to get going at sun-up.
The night was a tad bit cold but we kept each other warm.
In the morning we heated up a can of vegetable soup and hit the road again.
We had a bit of trouble from the cops today, we were spoken to twice, once in Quebec and once in Ontario. Both of them were just trying to keep us off of the highway but said we could hitchhike from the onramps or the offramps. Pretty cool that we didn't get any tickets or much hassle.
First ride was a 30ish year old guy who lives in New York State and crosses the border to Canada often. About a 20 min ride.
Second ride was a 55ish year old man who we learned was a Special Victims Unit officer in Ontario. He had some interesting stories to tell, but his most notable statement was "you can learn a lot more out there on the road than you could ever learn anywhere else". I believe this statement to be true, and it seems pretty cool to be told such a statement from a man who has been a police officer for 30 years and has had extensive post secondary education.
After the second ride we waited for about 2 hours before we got picked up again, there were subtle tones of animosity growing within both of us as we secretly blamed the other for not getting rides.
Just as we were about to give up hope and split up we were picked up by a guy heading right into Toronto. Yay!
One cool thing about traveling in pairs is that I sat in the back and slept the whole time (3 1/2 hoursish) while the driver and Ezzy talked. What I picked up from their conversation was that he was from Russia and is a recovering drug and alcohol addict, but he was a really nice guy.
I got into Toronto, said my goodbyes to Ezzy and took a bus to Hamilton.
Montreal thanks
The first, fourth, and fifth, nights I was in Montreal I stayed with Danielle, Marina, and Devo at the Cazalais apt. I was introduced to these people by Cory Herc who had been staying with them for a while before I'd gotten into town. I really enjoyed my time there, and I've never felt so at home without being at home. I fed myself with free food from their kitchen many times, and I'm extremely grateful.
The second and third nights I was in Montreal I stayed with Louis-Philip. I'd known him since December when he stayed on Larch with Celeste and I'd spent quite a bit of time with him. He had made a documentary about traveling across Canada which I'd seen before I met him, and it had inspired me among other things to plan the trip that I'm on currently. He fed me several times, took me out to a movie and showed me lots of sights including the top of Mont Royal.
Thanks to everyone who hosted me, and I'll be sure to visit again soon!
The second and third nights I was in Montreal I stayed with Louis-Philip. I'd known him since December when he stayed on Larch with Celeste and I'd spent quite a bit of time with him. He had made a documentary about traveling across Canada which I'd seen before I met him, and it had inspired me among other things to plan the trip that I'm on currently. He fed me several times, took me out to a movie and showed me lots of sights including the top of Mont Royal.
Thanks to everyone who hosted me, and I'll be sure to visit again soon!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I fucked up
So, I'd planned for a couple of days that I would hitch out of Montreal today.
I woke up to my alarm today at 7am. Then I fell back to sleep and got up at noon. Great start. So I proceded to feed myself and get my things ready to go, then it was 1:30pm. I checked to see what time I would be able to grab the commuter train to start my trek outside of Montreal. The site said 3:15. So I waited around some more.
I show up at the train station at 3:05ish, get my ticket, and get on the train. It leaves about 10 mins late and I doze off. When the train got to the end of the line I got off and walked around a bit and checked my location with Trackr.
I was over an hour in the wrong direction.
I still don't understand how it happened. I bought the right ticket (well actually I bought the wrong ticket but the one I bought cost more and the info lady said it was fine, and I knew when I left which one I was supposed to have boughten.) and I got on the train that was outside the door numbered after the proper ticket.
Whatever.
So I bus back to Montreal and have to start all over again. I miss the 6:30 bus, so now I'm at square one. I've spent $20 on public transportation, and I have to wait till 9:30 to catch the next train.
Ah well.
I woke up to my alarm today at 7am. Then I fell back to sleep and got up at noon. Great start. So I proceded to feed myself and get my things ready to go, then it was 1:30pm. I checked to see what time I would be able to grab the commuter train to start my trek outside of Montreal. The site said 3:15. So I waited around some more.
I show up at the train station at 3:05ish, get my ticket, and get on the train. It leaves about 10 mins late and I doze off. When the train got to the end of the line I got off and walked around a bit and checked my location with Trackr.
I was over an hour in the wrong direction.
I still don't understand how it happened. I bought the right ticket (well actually I bought the wrong ticket but the one I bought cost more and the info lady said it was fine, and I knew when I left which one I was supposed to have boughten.) and I got on the train that was outside the door numbered after the proper ticket.
Whatever.
So I bus back to Montreal and have to start all over again. I miss the 6:30 bus, so now I'm at square one. I've spent $20 on public transportation, and I have to wait till 9:30 to catch the next train.
Ah well.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
An inside view of Anarchy.
I've been spending my time in Montreal in the shoes of a political radical, which isn't extremely far from how I've been living in Halifax, but in Montreal it's a lot easier to do things like get fresh(ish) fruit from a dumpster, or steal some cheese from an incorporated grocery store or three.
One of the places I've been spending a lot of time in has been hosting many people for the Anarchist Book fair which happened this Saturday and Sunday. Droves of mostly young dirty folk covered in patches that exclaim the poor state of today's society.
The fridge is always full and no one has much money, so we cook and share meals using whatever's available. I contributed a crate of mostly good asparagus to the collection of food, and I'm proud of that.
It's an entire sub-culture that thrives using the bits and pieces that are thrown away or poorly guarded by the people who have too much for themselves.
I'm inspired.
One of the places I've been spending a lot of time in has been hosting many people for the Anarchist Book fair which happened this Saturday and Sunday. Droves of mostly young dirty folk covered in patches that exclaim the poor state of today's society.
The fridge is always full and no one has much money, so we cook and share meals using whatever's available. I contributed a crate of mostly good asparagus to the collection of food, and I'm proud of that.
It's an entire sub-culture that thrives using the bits and pieces that are thrown away or poorly guarded by the people who have too much for themselves.
I'm inspired.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Into the wild world of Montreal
I got dropped at a bus stop which I was told is not far from downtown Montreal and that I could take any bus and get to centre-ville.
I wait.
The first bus that comes along is a number 22. I step into the bus, pay the fair, get my pack situated and then I approach the driver for a transfer, just in case I need one. The driver responds to me saying this route doesn`t connect with any other buses, and asks where I`m heading. I explain that I`m on my way to downtown Montreal. He stopped the bus immediately and tells me I`m going the wrong direction and I need to cross the road and take the same bus in the opposite direction which would be coming any second. He gives me a transfer and I cross the street.
It`s raining. I wait.
After 20 minutes I pick up my stuff and find a stop further down the street with a shelter because I`m beginning to get cold. 45 minutes passed since I stepped off of the 22 and I finally see a bus coming. It`s the same driver who told me to wait in the rain. He apologized and went on about forgetting what time it was etc. I got on the bus with the transfer I was given, and he passed me another. I got to the end of this bus` line and the driver instructed me to take the 9, so I did. The 9 was uneventful. It took me to a subway station.
I was now at the most northern possible subway stop, and I rode it for 20 minutes to get downtown.
It took me about 2 hours in total to finally meet up with Celeste who was waiting for me.
There`s so much I can write about in Montreal, but I`m going to sum it up.
Montreal is huge, it has cheap beer, you can buy the cheap beer more places than you can buy potato chips, and it`s huge.
It`s nothing for it to take you an hour and a half to walk somewhere,
My feet are full of blisters.
I`ve met some of the greatest people here in Montreal who either live here or came for the Anarchist Bookfair. I feel very welcome and at home here, but that could also be because sooo many of my friends from Halifax are here. Shore kids represent!
The first couple of days here were so beautiful. As I travel more, I`ve come to really appreciate nice weather, especially while hitchhiking or camping.
There are a lot of places here who are taking in 10+ people at a time since people are in town for the book fair, so I really wanted to find a place a little off the beaten path to leave space for people with less options. The first night I stayed at a place on Cazalay(sp?) because I wasn`t able to get ahold of my other contacts. the next two nights I`ve been spending at my friend Louis-Phillip`s place who is one of the major inspiring factors to wanting to take this trip in the first place.
I`ve been having an awesome time, and the book fair was really interesting. I`m hoping things will calm down a bit now that it`s over though. I`d like to just relax for a day or two.
I wait.
The first bus that comes along is a number 22. I step into the bus, pay the fair, get my pack situated and then I approach the driver for a transfer, just in case I need one. The driver responds to me saying this route doesn`t connect with any other buses, and asks where I`m heading. I explain that I`m on my way to downtown Montreal. He stopped the bus immediately and tells me I`m going the wrong direction and I need to cross the road and take the same bus in the opposite direction which would be coming any second. He gives me a transfer and I cross the street.
It`s raining. I wait.
After 20 minutes I pick up my stuff and find a stop further down the street with a shelter because I`m beginning to get cold. 45 minutes passed since I stepped off of the 22 and I finally see a bus coming. It`s the same driver who told me to wait in the rain. He apologized and went on about forgetting what time it was etc. I got on the bus with the transfer I was given, and he passed me another. I got to the end of this bus` line and the driver instructed me to take the 9, so I did. The 9 was uneventful. It took me to a subway station.
I was now at the most northern possible subway stop, and I rode it for 20 minutes to get downtown.
It took me about 2 hours in total to finally meet up with Celeste who was waiting for me.
There`s so much I can write about in Montreal, but I`m going to sum it up.
Montreal is huge, it has cheap beer, you can buy the cheap beer more places than you can buy potato chips, and it`s huge.
It`s nothing for it to take you an hour and a half to walk somewhere,
My feet are full of blisters.
I`ve met some of the greatest people here in Montreal who either live here or came for the Anarchist Bookfair. I feel very welcome and at home here, but that could also be because sooo many of my friends from Halifax are here. Shore kids represent!
The first couple of days here were so beautiful. As I travel more, I`ve come to really appreciate nice weather, especially while hitchhiking or camping.
There are a lot of places here who are taking in 10+ people at a time since people are in town for the book fair, so I really wanted to find a place a little off the beaten path to leave space for people with less options. The first night I stayed at a place on Cazalay(sp?) because I wasn`t able to get ahold of my other contacts. the next two nights I`ve been spending at my friend Louis-Phillip`s place who is one of the major inspiring factors to wanting to take this trip in the first place.
I`ve been having an awesome time, and the book fair was really interesting. I`m hoping things will calm down a bit now that it`s over though. I`d like to just relax for a day or two.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Wasted
So I made it to Montreal...I never thought I'd see the day I could get shitfaced for under $10.
I left Kristen's in Quebec City yesterday at about 7:30am. Thanks for letting me stay Kristen, I really had a great time and I miss you already.
I walked to route 40 from her place which was about an hour and a half. Once I pulled out mon pouce the first car who saw me stopped and gave me a ride. He didn't speak any english but at this point I'd been speaking french for four days, so I was feeling pretty confident, we had a few discussions about QC and how he'd visited Halifax in the summer of 2000. Short ride, he took me to a better hitching spot.
Next ride was a young guy who was late for work and still stopped for me, that was nice. 20 min ride, he was bumpin' sweet tunes the whole time, sometimes it's nice to not have to talk.
Third was a guy in a white delivery truck, I actually thought I was going to become a statistic for a minute with this guy. He said he had a delivery to make but then he'd take me right to the other side of Trois Rivieres. The delivery took us 20 minutes out of the way in the middle of the woods, but he made his delivery and took me where he said he would. He was quite nice, and even though his english was terrible, he wanted to speak in english to practice, and I gave him a few lessons.
Ride four took me to the outskirts of Montreal, a bus stop. What a convoluted situation that was, but I'll save it for later, many things to do!
I left Kristen's in Quebec City yesterday at about 7:30am. Thanks for letting me stay Kristen, I really had a great time and I miss you already.
I walked to route 40 from her place which was about an hour and a half. Once I pulled out mon pouce the first car who saw me stopped and gave me a ride. He didn't speak any english but at this point I'd been speaking french for four days, so I was feeling pretty confident, we had a few discussions about QC and how he'd visited Halifax in the summer of 2000. Short ride, he took me to a better hitching spot.
Next ride was a young guy who was late for work and still stopped for me, that was nice. 20 min ride, he was bumpin' sweet tunes the whole time, sometimes it's nice to not have to talk.
Third was a guy in a white delivery truck, I actually thought I was going to become a statistic for a minute with this guy. He said he had a delivery to make but then he'd take me right to the other side of Trois Rivieres. The delivery took us 20 minutes out of the way in the middle of the woods, but he made his delivery and took me where he said he would. He was quite nice, and even though his english was terrible, he wanted to speak in english to practice, and I gave him a few lessons.
Ride four took me to the outskirts of Montreal, a bus stop. What a convoluted situation that was, but I'll save it for later, many things to do!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
I almost forgot!
http://www.trackr.eu/user/neil.isenor/live
Here's a link to my GPS position. I update it a lot when I'm on the move. I've shared it with a few people already and they've really liked it. Enjoy!
Here's a link to my GPS position. I update it a lot when I'm on the move. I've shared it with a few people already and they've really liked it. Enjoy!
MuseOvelo rocks!
So I head over to MuseOvelo, the sweet bike shop I had previously mentioned and inquired about renting a bike in my newly patented flavour of franglais. Pierre, the owner of the shop offered a hybrid. I was obviously uninterested, so he asked what kind of bike I'd like to use. I said that I was hoping to find a road bike and he told me to come back later.
When I returned he had a beautiful Motobecane with almost everything original on it. I rode it like the wind for five hours. The bike lanes are great here, and riding helmetless is so fucking awesome.
When I returned the bike Pierre said that I was his guest, and that his guests don't pay to borrow bikes.
Here's a pic!
When I returned he had a beautiful Motobecane with almost everything original on it. I rode it like the wind for five hours. The bike lanes are great here, and riding helmetless is so fucking awesome.
When I returned the bike Pierre said that I was his guest, and that his guests don't pay to borrow bikes.
Here's a pic!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Found one!
I found a nice bike shop today called Muse O Velo. They have a really nice hole-in-the-wall setup that's awesome to me for some reason. They even have a little museum in the back of the shop with a lot of sweet classic hardware and other random bike stuff.
Have some pics!
This'll be a long one.
The first night I camped out was pretty good at first, I was dropped off at dusk which is when I wrote my last entry.
I crawled into my hammock/tent and laid staring at the stars through my very effective bug net and closed my eyes, when I opened my eyes again it was five hours later and I was getting drenched with rain. So at this point it's 4am (maybe 3, not sure which time zone I was in) and I had to hop out of bed and install my tarp above the hammock/tent.
Neil was not pleased.
The next time I awoke it was so cold outside that I decided in my sleep-drunk stupor that it would be smartest to wait out the cold by going back to sleep.
I began my next day at 11:30am(ish).
Within 5 minutes of walking on the road I saw a Tim Horton's which I thought would have an outlet I could take advantage of for a little bit...untrue...so I used the bathroom and left, and as I left I stepped into a watery pit that has left my left shoe stained greenish brown. Great start to a day.
First driver was a shaved bald thirty-something man with a spider web tattooed on the crown of his skull. He was drinking a rediculously large can of Budweiser and remarked "It's a great day to drink and drive!" to which I smiled and put on my seatbelt. Short ride, maybe 10 mins.
Next driver was a sporty dude wearing a wetsuit of sorts with two dogs in the car. Nice guy, we shot the shit about bikes for a while, and he dropped me off about 15 mins away from where we began.
Driver number three was a older couple, early 50's I'd guess. Drive was no longer than 5 mins.
There was a long wait before the fourth person picked me up. In this period I slathered on my sunscreen and stood, sat, laid down, did stretches, and walked around in circles to pass time.
The fourth driver was an older french man, about 55 or 60, heading to Campbellton to see his grandson perform at a talent show. This drive lasted about 45 minutes and he took me across to Point-de-la-croix Quebec so he could grab a 2-4 of beer for cheap.
This town was a little weird, I bought a snack and started walking toward the next highway and I had a man stop and offer me a ride without me having to extend my weary thumb. He would be my fifth driver for the day, and he took me no more than a 3 min drive to the highway and bid me adieu.
I was now in the native reserve called Listuguj. This was one of the most beautiful little towns I've ever seen, children playing everywhere with a picturesque backdrop of the Appalachian mountains one direction and the large river that separates New Brunswick from Quebec in the other. Hitchhiking here was like hitching in Musquodoboit Harbour. Even though I was on a "major" highway, there were few cars, and the odd thing I noticed was that most of the cars were completely full with people. I don't mind not getting picked up if the whole area carpools wherever they go, good on ya!
I got picked up eventually by a young dude who spoke english well, but claimed he wasn't very good at it. 20 minute ride.
It begins to downpour like crazy, the heaviest rain I've seen this year and here I am flailing on the side of the road to get my poncho over myself as well as my bag. Not as easy as it sounds, so I give up on covering my bag and continue walking. Around the corner was a cafe, so I stopped and took advantage of an outlet and some authentic Quebec poutine. I took my good time here and when I left it was barely raining which actually made me upset because while I was in the cafe I had fashioned an ingenious method to put my poncho on properly and easily. I put the poncho on anyway and continued walking.
This part of my day took me through a valley amongst the Appalachians with a winding river following alongside the winding road. I walked for a long while barely attempting to find a ride because I was so content with my surroundings, my bag felt like five pounds and I was skipping along. After an hour or two I started to flick out my great thumb again and I was picked up by my seventh and last driver for the day.
This was about 7pm so I was prepared to go camp for the night after this ride, and I'd basically considered this day to be a writeoff for the purposes of travel because at this point I'd only travelled about 150kms compared to the several hundred travelled the day before.
Mani was the name of this driver, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts surrounded by maps and a GPS, toothbrush and toothpaste crammed in the door handle. I had found my long haul. Mani is 29ish, heading to Montreal, and a very insteresting fellow. He comes from Iran and is finishing his PhD, we had many loooong conversations about anything and everything, we drove until 11pm and then we camped at a rest stop along the 132 highway. In the early morning (5am, yeesh) we continued to travel onward to Quebec City. Mani offered me food and supplies, and I have his e-mail address, I hope our paths will meet again someday.
I got into Quebec at about 8:30am and began walking toward the tall buildings that usually characterize downtown areas. I was near Laval university, but the area was not unlike Burnside (NS) and there were no sidewalks or public transporation that I could see, finally I found someone and asked them in my broken french if they knew where I could find a bus to downtown. They were helpful and I found my way to Kristen's place which is where I'm currently staying. We were awesome friends in school and haven't seen eachother since graduation.
I took most of the day yesterday just walking around, and actually I was trying to find a bike shop with a bit of character...I haven't found one yet. The thing that strikes me as odd here is that none of the bike shops know about the other bike shops, and they don't know what I'm talking about when I say "cycling cap" even after I pull up a picture of one on my phone. Lots of people cycle here, but they're all roadies. No culture, no appreciation for cycling history. In Halifax, everyone who works at a bike shop knows all of the other bike shops in the area, and they know most of the staff at all of the other bike shops in the area. I'll continue my search today, I have a hard time believing that all of the bike shops suck here.
-Neil
I crawled into my hammock/tent and laid staring at the stars through my very effective bug net and closed my eyes, when I opened my eyes again it was five hours later and I was getting drenched with rain. So at this point it's 4am (maybe 3, not sure which time zone I was in) and I had to hop out of bed and install my tarp above the hammock/tent.
Neil was not pleased.
The next time I awoke it was so cold outside that I decided in my sleep-drunk stupor that it would be smartest to wait out the cold by going back to sleep.
I began my next day at 11:30am(ish).
Within 5 minutes of walking on the road I saw a Tim Horton's which I thought would have an outlet I could take advantage of for a little bit...untrue...so I used the bathroom and left, and as I left I stepped into a watery pit that has left my left shoe stained greenish brown. Great start to a day.
First driver was a shaved bald thirty-something man with a spider web tattooed on the crown of his skull. He was drinking a rediculously large can of Budweiser and remarked "It's a great day to drink and drive!" to which I smiled and put on my seatbelt. Short ride, maybe 10 mins.
Next driver was a sporty dude wearing a wetsuit of sorts with two dogs in the car. Nice guy, we shot the shit about bikes for a while, and he dropped me off about 15 mins away from where we began.
Driver number three was a older couple, early 50's I'd guess. Drive was no longer than 5 mins.
There was a long wait before the fourth person picked me up. In this period I slathered on my sunscreen and stood, sat, laid down, did stretches, and walked around in circles to pass time.
The fourth driver was an older french man, about 55 or 60, heading to Campbellton to see his grandson perform at a talent show. This drive lasted about 45 minutes and he took me across to Point-de-la-croix Quebec so he could grab a 2-4 of beer for cheap.
This town was a little weird, I bought a snack and started walking toward the next highway and I had a man stop and offer me a ride without me having to extend my weary thumb. He would be my fifth driver for the day, and he took me no more than a 3 min drive to the highway and bid me adieu.
I was now in the native reserve called Listuguj. This was one of the most beautiful little towns I've ever seen, children playing everywhere with a picturesque backdrop of the Appalachian mountains one direction and the large river that separates New Brunswick from Quebec in the other. Hitchhiking here was like hitching in Musquodoboit Harbour. Even though I was on a "major" highway, there were few cars, and the odd thing I noticed was that most of the cars were completely full with people. I don't mind not getting picked up if the whole area carpools wherever they go, good on ya!
I got picked up eventually by a young dude who spoke english well, but claimed he wasn't very good at it. 20 minute ride.
It begins to downpour like crazy, the heaviest rain I've seen this year and here I am flailing on the side of the road to get my poncho over myself as well as my bag. Not as easy as it sounds, so I give up on covering my bag and continue walking. Around the corner was a cafe, so I stopped and took advantage of an outlet and some authentic Quebec poutine. I took my good time here and when I left it was barely raining which actually made me upset because while I was in the cafe I had fashioned an ingenious method to put my poncho on properly and easily. I put the poncho on anyway and continued walking.
This part of my day took me through a valley amongst the Appalachians with a winding river following alongside the winding road. I walked for a long while barely attempting to find a ride because I was so content with my surroundings, my bag felt like five pounds and I was skipping along. After an hour or two I started to flick out my great thumb again and I was picked up by my seventh and last driver for the day.
This was about 7pm so I was prepared to go camp for the night after this ride, and I'd basically considered this day to be a writeoff for the purposes of travel because at this point I'd only travelled about 150kms compared to the several hundred travelled the day before.
Mani was the name of this driver, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts surrounded by maps and a GPS, toothbrush and toothpaste crammed in the door handle. I had found my long haul. Mani is 29ish, heading to Montreal, and a very insteresting fellow. He comes from Iran and is finishing his PhD, we had many loooong conversations about anything and everything, we drove until 11pm and then we camped at a rest stop along the 132 highway. In the early morning (5am, yeesh) we continued to travel onward to Quebec City. Mani offered me food and supplies, and I have his e-mail address, I hope our paths will meet again someday.
I got into Quebec at about 8:30am and began walking toward the tall buildings that usually characterize downtown areas. I was near Laval university, but the area was not unlike Burnside (NS) and there were no sidewalks or public transporation that I could see, finally I found someone and asked them in my broken french if they knew where I could find a bus to downtown. They were helpful and I found my way to Kristen's place which is where I'm currently staying. We were awesome friends in school and haven't seen eachother since graduation.
I took most of the day yesterday just walking around, and actually I was trying to find a bike shop with a bit of character...I haven't found one yet. The thing that strikes me as odd here is that none of the bike shops know about the other bike shops, and they don't know what I'm talking about when I say "cycling cap" even after I pull up a picture of one on my phone. Lots of people cycle here, but they're all roadies. No culture, no appreciation for cycling history. In Halifax, everyone who works at a bike shop knows all of the other bike shops in the area, and they know most of the staff at all of the other bike shops in the area. I'll continue my search today, I have a hard time believing that all of the bike shops suck here.
-Neil
Friday, May 8, 2009
Night one
Battery's dying...
4 Rides today taking me to Bathurst.
1. Never made eye contact...short ride
2. Hal. Phenominal guy. 52 year old grade 1 teacher. Great meaningful conversations, long ride, and he bought me some Timmy's.
3. Couple from Belgium. Not really interested in talking much...didn't care that I love Eddy Merckx. Listened to NOFX the whole time. Short ride.
4. Guy (the french name). Great conversationalist but all the wrong topics. Advocates christianity, creationism, capitalism, and the oil business. Bought me supper at Burger King. Longest ride of the day.
More tomorrow.
4 Rides today taking me to Bathurst.
1. Never made eye contact...short ride
2. Hal. Phenominal guy. 52 year old grade 1 teacher. Great meaningful conversations, long ride, and he bought me some Timmy's.
3. Couple from Belgium. Not really interested in talking much...didn't care that I love Eddy Merckx. Listened to NOFX the whole time. Short ride.
4. Guy (the french name). Great conversationalist but all the wrong topics. Advocates christianity, creationism, capitalism, and the oil business. Bought me supper at Burger King. Longest ride of the day.
More tomorrow.
It has begun
So I'm on the 185 Link to Sackville where I'll hit the highway.
Some people might say that I'm leaving too late in the day, but quite frankly I'm getting kind of excited to use some of the camping gear I got at MEC.
Bus is moving, I get car sick. Until later.
Some people might say that I'm leaving too late in the day, but quite frankly I'm getting kind of excited to use some of the camping gear I got at MEC.
Bus is moving, I get car sick. Until later.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
For those who don't know
I'm going to be travelling for about 2 months with a small break at the end of May, so that's what's up!
Post one
So I got a new phone/crazy device called the Samsung Omnia for my trip, it allows me to take pretty nice photos and videos as well as edit them on the go, so I don't need to bring my laptop!
I'll be updating whenever I hit WiFi spots along the way and I've got some megs of free data usage in case I don't get to one for a few days.
I'll be dealing in texts while I'm gone instead of phone calls, so if you call, and I don't answer, I'll probably be hitting you back with a text to see what you wanted.
I took a long bike ride today near my parent's place which is where I took the photo above. Pretty nice quality I think.
I'll be officially kicking off my trip on Friday (the 8th) so keep track here and I'll hopefully keep you informed and maybe even entertained.
-Neil
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