On the road again
After staying in a motel on the US side of the border, we spent the morning gathering documents to show border patrol that we were not a couple of homeless hooligans, but in fact, laid-off engineers who happened to like thrift store clothes, road trips, and sleeping in the trunks of a small vehicles.
My favorite conversation clip during Crossing Into Canada Part II was
BP: Do you have any guns, knives, or other weapons?
Me: No
BP: Do you have any mace or other spray weapons?
Me: I have bear spray.
BP: You can't bring that in.
Me: (Having read that this is not true) Wait, really?
BP: Well... [hesitates, then sighs] What are you planning to use it on?
Me: Bears.
BP: Bears?
Me: Yes. Bears.
BP: Oh, then it's ok.
**For those of you who don't know, mace is not legal in Canada, so if you have any, you have to give it up at the border. Bear spray on the other hand, which is exactly the same as mace except that it is says "bear spray" and is ENORMOUS (like a small fire extinguisher in shape, size, and level of emergency), is allowed.
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We are now in Prince George, a city that calls itself the "northern capital" of BC despite its population being barely larger than Palo Alto's. The town isn't all that exciting, but the Canadian accents here are delightful. I'm working on one myself. :)
The trick to a Canadian accent is to end any statement, or question, with Eh! (or Eh?).
Your wollen-hat/beenie is now a toque! Talk aboot hockey and the weather. Starbucks is dead to you now, you love Timmies (Tim Hortons). Order a "large double-double" and a box of 20 timbits.
You these things right, and you're nearly Canadian.
Have fun!
Paul
You know how Montana is huge, right? And how cities in BOLD PRINT on a map usually mean they're pretty big? I didn't realize how small Montana's "big" cities are until this summer.. Billings might be the biggest at 100,000 or so. For comparison, Truckee would be the seventh-largest city in Montana if it weren't in California. Yipe.
AQ
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