I couldn't sleep last night. This lack of slumber may have resulted from the fact that just before I hit the sack, I guzzled down a cup of coffee, though this wasn't entirely a fault on my behalf; I had selected 'tea' on the vending machine, but out spurted coffee. Having admitted this, I must also confess I was looking forward to a fresh scene, which is not to say that I was getting vexed by the United States, just that after an extensive chunk of the calendar spent in the country, a revitalising excursion to Canada was appetising.
Understandably, one might enquire why, after such a timely exploration in the United States, I would select to complete the scholarship in Canada. In a way, I imagine this last week in Canada to act as a trailer for a future journey; an appetiser for a more extensive Canadian adventure later in my life. It acts in much the same way that table of 'free samples' does at your local supermarket; you're tempted to a nibble and enjoy it to an extent that your taste buds tease you to buy a whole bag. Perhaps two. That's my philosophy on the matter, though there have been times when I've questioned it myself!
As the last alkaloids of caffeine paddled around in my bloodstream, I finally got a few winks at 3:00am, though what sleep I did achieve was next to ineffective, as my alarm belted out its monotonous ring down my ear canal on the strike of 6:00am. The next hour I performed like a regular military routine; checking out of hostels, now, is becoming just as familiar as brewing cups of tea. Having deposited my key at the reception, I took to hauling my bags to the entrance of the hostel, where dutifully, I would be collected and shuttled to the airport; all of which, may I add, for a reasonable expense of $15. The journey towards the airport was without incident, fortunately, and I arrived with plentiful time.
I passed 'Security' relatively successfully; have you ever listened to the conversations some idle personnel have? Having passed the various scanners and probes, I was doing my shoe laces when two armed uniformed bodies stopped behind me to enjoy a rather thorough exploration of each others favourite kitchen cleaning products. (I'm not joking!) There, before me, was a tedious three hour wait until the staff at Gate 26 even considered the possibility of boarding, though it turned out to be a well spent one. I wandered around 'Duty Free'- a concept I can never understand as very little if any products are indeed free- I bought breakfast at a rather costly restaurant and rested my soles in the departure lounge, treating my eyes to more of my Steinbeck book.
I have come to the conclusion that 'AirCanada' is one of my favourite airlines. If by small chance, your portable music device- and I use the broadest term here as I'm aware there are quite a few out there- has become deprived of power, the seats have in-built sockets with which you can simply plug and re-charge as you go. And failing that, if you have forgotten your charger, the seats have in built televisions and radios. Not once on this trip, have I been treated with such an arrangement, and a result what was a four hour flight, seemed to flash by, aided by my selection of viewing and listening. Watching 'To Kill a Mockingbird' again, after all this time, hurled back memories of revising for G.C.S.E exams.
Also included in the headrest in front of me was an updated electronic map of which specific segment of the globe we were flying over, which meant for once, I didn't require a pilots license to observe the route we were taking. It transpired we hovered over Phoenix, gained altitude and proceeded over Oklahoma City, St Louis, just missing Chicago, and then continued north-east to Cleveland, before crossing into Toronto. As we approached Canada, the heart warmed when flashing in front of me were a whole host of recognisable places; well, Canadian locations with names after English towns and cities. Scattered around the state were the delights of Bedford, Sudbury, Cambridge, Norwich, and despite the fact there wasn't an Oxford, there was Woodstock. Also appearing were Dansville and Evansville which caught the eye unsurprisingly, but let me note here that none of these recognisable names were in their 'British' geographical locations. London was north of Norwich; Cambridge even more to the south. But it was pleasurable to think that in some way, I was getting closer to the British Isles.
And so, one more week is remaining, and I aim to explore Toronto just as much as I have treated the other cities on this trip. As I funnelled my way through the obligatory customs and withdrew my luggage from the conveyor belt, I emerged into winter again. There was a biting chill; it was invisible meteorological inspired acupuncture as I waited for my coach to the hostel. If a little discomforting, it's bringing back memories of Alaska again, and that has to be nothing but a benefit.
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