You didn't think I was going to write these things in order did you? Silly you. Here is chapter 4 of my promised many chapters (was it 10 chapters? Seriously?) I'm sure chapters 1-3 will be written at some point prior to chapter 10. I must now ready myself for Church where Mr. Tory Toews will be my guide. Perhaps I will be inspired to write chapter 1 (about the prayer vigil) upon my return? I just hope I dress appropriately. I'm thinking button up shirt with some crisp slacks? Certainly not the tie-dye shirt (keep reading for more on hippies).
I was told by my wife that my last blog entry was a tad bit confusing and all over the place. Thus I shall try to keep this entry "on track". Get it? It's about being on a train and I'm going to keep it on track? Anyways…
Indeed Nicole and I decided to take a train out to BC. It came about because Nicole still has this thing about "keeping me alive". Turns out air travel involves just a little bit more natural radiation than being on a train does, and since I've been given a 'maximum lifetime dose' of the stuff Nicole tries to keep me away from sources of it, like the sun. In all honesty the amount of extra radiation I (or anyone) would be exposed to by taking a plane (being 40,000 feet closer to that flaming ball of gas in the sky that makes me sneeze when I look directly at it) is incredibly small. But "incredibly small ≠ the same", so on the train we go! Plus this was supposed to be a fantastic getaway for us both so as I like to say "What the heck!?!"
We boarded the train on a Thursday morning. Turns out that giant building I pass on Main St. on the way to the HSC so often does serve some sort of purpose. Go figure? Steve & Pat were kind enough to drop off Nicole & I, along with a heck of a lot of luggage at the station. I have to say that taking the train was a fantastic experience that I would encourage anyone to do (provided of course, they had a few days to get to their destination). Also… make sure you get a cabin (place to sleep on the train), as I can't imagine doing what we did without one.
The highlights of taking the train has to start with the hippies. I've been asked by people since our return "Is everyone on the train a hippie?" The answer is a clear "yes". This included Nicole and I who feared the hippies would recognize us as outsiders if we didn't blend in, hence the CCR, Doors, and Bob Dylan music we kept on in our cabin at all times while discussing the global economic crisis at a low murmur. The mountains in the background were amazing to look at! So were the unicorns flying over them pulling their multicoloured chariots of peace and love (though in hindsight this may have been a result of the many hallucinogenic drugs we took to blend in with the hippies, as I cannot seem to see them in any of the pictures we took).
As the train had stopped in Winnipeg having started out East (Toronto… who like to think of themselves as "out Centre"), there were a lot of people from Toronto, Montreal, and the East Coast. The interesting thing about the Torontonians is that none of them liked Mike Harris. By that I mean they all hated Mike Harris with a passion. One guy (who had once owned a cockatoo… you learn interesting things about people when you are stuck on a train with them) seemed to me to believe that Mike himself had a hand in introducing E. coli into the Walkerton water system. I found a good strategy for dealing with people on the train was to nod in agreement with whatever they said. It is the same strategy you might find yourself using with "the elderly"*. This way the speaker assumes you agree with their point of view and in having their political opinions validated will have no issues with you whilst on the train. NOTE: You do not have to agree with them! Just don't make the mistake of trying to introduce your own political views into the mix. People on the train don't use the same approach I did. They will interrupt you and challenge your 'wayward beliefs', perhaps even believing you are secretly are or were a Mike Harris supporter.
*NOTE ABOUT THE TRAIN & ELDERLY PEOPLE: I just realized my comparison of people on the train vs. the elderly expands much beyond my initial thought of "nodding & smiling" while engaged in polite conversation with them. No one on a train seems to be able to walk straight on a train. Watch anyone on a train try to put that piece of broccoli into their mouth. Adding milk to your coffee? More like to your entire plate of food you mean! (In other words… the train shakes a lot causing the people on the train to shake. Elderly people also tend to shake a lot, hence my inappropriate comparison).
At one point, Nicole and I met a young MP from Quebec who had recently been elected as a member of the NDP. She had no idea she even stood a chance at winning and now was representing her country (or at least local riding). Turns out MP's can ride the train for free, hence our chance meeting. We had some good conversation with her and I was impressed with everything but her teeth (Therressa: you would not have wanted to meet her), but again she was likely a hippie so we shall not judge her for her hygiene or her general appearance. Later on while conversing with the cockatoo guy I got to hear a rant about how ridiculous it was that all of these "young clueless students got elected as Quebec NDP members to Parliament" and how we'll have to pay them a full pension in only a few short years in office. I used my tried and true "nod & smile" technique and avoided pointing out to the gentleman that such a person was indeed on the train (I think he would have gone into a mini movie trailer where Sam Jackson shouts out "I have had it with these mother-fudging NDP on this mother-fudging train!"). But I digress…
For an idea of what the train ride was like there is a video on the Via Rail website that gives a close representation of the trip (http://www.viarail.ca/en/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian) Keep in mind everyone on our trip was wearing Tie-dye and humming Janis Joplin songs. So how was the food Tom? Glad you asked! None too shabby actually. I was expecting carp (with the "a" and the "r" reversed) as anytime you are stuck in a confined space doubling as a method of transportation, the food cannot be expected to be 'amazing'. I found the food ranged from acceptable to actually quite good. They have a good system of feeding you on the train. Everyone is given a choice of time (A, B, or C) with "A" being the early sitting, "C" the late, and I'll let you guess where "B" falls into line. The train we were on had two dining cars, so about half the train ate in the front car, while half ate in the back. Between Jasper and Vancouver breakfast was simply a "show up and eat" sort of system, so I went for an early breakfast prior to Nicole waking up (which is when I got to talk to the Cockatoo guy… he had to get rid of the things because his wife was developing breathing problems due to the microfibres coming off the bird's feathers) and later returned for a second breakfast once Nicole woke up (for which I has given the same breakfast options as before, one of which was Ravioli, which was more like a brunch type of food anyways, so I was happy)!
In trying to fit in with the hippies on the train, Nicole and I did not shower while on the train, despite one being available to us. I figured using the washroom was hard enough, I did not want to add a wet soapy floor to the mix.
Another great part (as previously mentioned) was that I did not get sick at all on the train. I found it to be very comfortable and despite being on my Chemo meds the entire time, I did not even get slightly nauseous.
Well, I must be off now. Hope you all have a good day! Today is my last day of chemo on this cycle, and so far so good I must say! A little tired, but not "exhausted" as I have found some times prior. CHEERS ALL!
--
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment