Big Train

I made it! 4000 miles, 72 hours, 5 states, 3 time zones – one very very long journey. It was the ‘once in a lifetime’ experience I was looking for – a voyage of discovery, epic in its sweep and one I will not be undertaking ever again! For all the majesty of the landscapes I witnessed, the weird and wacky people I encountered and the prolonged moments of solitude that were perfect for silent contemplation, the indescribable discomfort that I endured for three nights whilst trying to sleep in my chair mean that this venture will not be repeated. I simply am not built for this exercise. Tall and gangly folk were not considered in the design brief for the economy sleeping arrangements. I tried every possible (and some impossible) positions in my quest for comfort, but each was a forlorn effort. I resigned myself to blasts of 20-30 mins dozing throughout the night and morning, which just about did enough, but caused me to wallow in an all-enveloping lethargy for long periods of the journey and resulted in a very achy-breaky body come Friday evening.

However, all this hardship made the journey all the more fulfilling. It became a battle of endurance – my own personal marathon (and lets be clear here – this is as close as I will ever come to a real marathon). I ended the journey feeling a brimming sense of pride and achievement, merely from completing the trip with my sanity intact. It is one of the most exhausting things I’ve ever done, but it was worth it. To fill the hours I kept a very detailed journal, documenting the sights, sounds, thoughts and feelings that occurred for the duration. One day I think I will write these scribbles up and see if it forms the basis for a half-decent travel book. I was reading an excellent traveller’s tale on this journey, which inspired me into creativity. I found myself writing page after page of deeply descriptive prose, revelling in unintentional alliteration or quirky observations. It was great fun and the perfect thing to do in the enduring anonymity of a mammoth railway adventure. Another highlight of the trip has to be the overheard conversations, which were often hilarious, always entertaining. The great majority of the passengers were of the elderly variety and between them had some cracking tales and interesting views. Just pipping the earwigging time to my top highlight was my 15 mins of bonafide wildlife spotting, where I saw a burly black bear plodding through woods, quickly followed by a bald-headed eagle swooping low over a shimmering lake, and rounded off by a prime example of Canadian beaver paddling across a wee stream. I was well chuffed, especially as I alone recognised the final beast in the procession as a beaver. I corrected those around me who had mistaken the industrious beaver for a duck of all things!

I now find myself in a hostel in central Toronto ( or Tronno as it seems to be known to Canadians). The weather is crap. Cold and wet. This inclemency, coupled with my hangover from sleep-deprivation have caused me to have a fairly quiet day. I spent a few hours wandering aimlessly around the city earlier (this is my new favourite hobby and I think, the best way to explore a new city) but there was a distinct lack of things to see so I headed in earlier than planned. I did have time to see the world’s tallest building from close quarters. I resisted the $20 fee to actually go up it because I’ve been overspending a little and because it was cloudy, but can tell you that from the bottom, its certainly very tall. Not much else to report other than that. It’s a pretty dull – grey, concrete and largely pointless (there’s a restaurant and a viewing gallery) – but nonetheless at 553m high, it’s the tallest freestanding structure you’ll find anywhere on this planet. Incidentally, the tallest man-made structure (as in not freestanding) in the world is the KVLY-TV mast in North Dakota, which stands at a monumental 628.8m, but is tethered by guys and pylons, so doesn’t get the press it probably deserves. Here's a piccy of it so the world can finally witness its awesome beauty. Magnificent innit?

Other than the huge tower, I didn’t come across much of note in Toronto. Admittedly I wasn’t looking very hard and I wasn’t prepared to part with any cash, but there didn’t seem to be a huge amount goin on. That’s fine by me though. I played some 5-a-side footy today with a gang of guys’n’gals from the hostel. Scored two quite good goals and didn’t throw up on the side of the court, which is always a result. There’s a pub crawl planned for tonight, which I’ll tag along to and has the potential to scupper my planned trip to Niagara Falls tomorrow which requires a very early start. After that I’m off to Ottawa (a last minute addition on the recommendation of Cindy, a girl I met on the train) then Montreal before the long awaited arrival in the Big Apple. So much good stuff still to come. I, for one, cannot wait!

Finally, a couple of 'obrigados' (thats thank-yous for the uneducated). Firstly to Heather and JP who were just the most outstanding hosts I have ever had the pleasure to know. Thanks so much guys - I will definitely return the favour whenever you're in London, Liverpool or Rio. Also to Sarah for introducing me to Heather in the first place. Lastly to Meriem for very generously offering to buy me a Pro Flickr account. This means I can now put as many pictures on the web as possible and has made me very happy. Merci beaucoup. And one final thing - rawkus congratulatory 'biggidy biggidy bong' to Soks for getting himself a brand splanking new job back in the big smoke. He's working for these people - quite interesting. You da man and what a great CV if I do say so myself.
Tchau for now.