Right, so, seeing as I don’t have internet access like I thought I would on the train from Vancouver to Toronto I’m kinda writing this in Word and then I’m totally gonna CTRL C and then CTRL V this sucker when I get a chance.
I’ve just been asked to changed times AGAIN. I seriously don’t understand this whole time changing thing - mostly cos it can be pretty confusing. Well, its super confusing actually, I have no idea what time it is right now.... That’s probably one of the hardest things to get used to. I suppose though that once I get into Toronto which will, essentially be my new home, I won’t have to change times again until I leave. I just have to make sure I have the right time as soon as I get there (which is about 24 hours from now! Woop woop). Not taking into consideration the delays that will, according to the stories of people who have taken the train, most likely occur. I’ve overheard people say that their train was up to about 12 hours late which is pretty crazy, luckily mine has only been about 1 or maybe 2 hours behind at the most. I mean, they try to make up the time by going faster when they can but it seems like it’s a lot easier to lose time than to gain it back so hopefully I won’t be too late getting into Toronto.... especially considering that my sister is picking me up from the station and the last ferry is at 11.15pm I think.
Anyway, the trip so far has been pretty cool. I’ve now officially been through five Canadian provinces (or states?) I got on in Vancouver which is in British Columbia which was really mountainous and awesome but as we kept going on into Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba (especially Manitoba) it was kinda flatsville. There weren’t any hills let alone mountains. Actually, most of it reminded me of NZ just because most of Manitoba is like, farmland with cows and whatnot. Apparently there are buffalo hangin’ around there but I didn’t see any.... heading into Ontario though there’s a lot of forest and lakes on either side of the train which are equally as beautiful but it gets super annoying cos whenever I want to take a photo of like, the lakes or mountains or whatever, by the time I get my camera out and turned out there are frickin trees blocking the way! If not trees than big ass rocks.
Up until the stop in Winnipeg, the official halfway point, the trip was pretty fun. I met some couple cool people and the train was relatively empty. Although I was made to move from my seat when we first boarded the train to make room for a family of 4 which was a little annoying at first but I ended up spending most of my time in the lounge/ dining car anyway which is where it was at. I think I could actually live in that car. It’s got everything: lounge, kitchen, dining room – you’d just have to replace the seats in the dome up top for beds cos sleeping on the train isn’t too comfortable. I DID however, find a little nook in the lounge car which is sort of hidden away, it’s like, the curved section of the couch which is just by the staircase going up to the dome. The first night actually, I slept in the top of the car in the observation dome. In retrospect that was kind of a bad idea seeing as during the night it turns into a freezer. During the day it’s all well and good but when it gets dark it gets super cold. The air con is on full all day everyday or else the kitchen gets super hot and there only one control panel for the whole car so.....
Umm, yes, I met some cool people on the first leg of the trip but this second leg from Winnipeg has been pretty shit to be honest. Everyone I met got off at Edmonton or Winnipeg and a lot of extra people have come on board since then. There’s also a lot of kids and obviously a lot less space. They had a crew change at Winnipeg as well which was sad. That particular crew in comparison to the one now was a hell of a lot friendlier.
I’ve also been experiencing internet withdrawal. Not as bad as I thought it would be but still, I kinda need to check my emails etc for important stuff like, stuff for uni and from my cousin about plans for Toronto which I’m forced to assume have not changed significantly or at all. I mean, I’m not saying there was any doubt around it just that maybe in the last few days something may have come up or whatever...
About an hour or 2 ago we stopped at Sioux Lookout which is a tiny little station on the lakefront. We had a choice to get out here for a bit while people got off/on and while the train refuelled. I can tell you, it wasn’t the best station to stop at. The platform ended like, 6 carriages or so past the one that I was on and so it mostly looked like we stopped randomly in the middle of nowhere. It seemed just like one of those many tiny towns that you get in the middle of nowheresville. Anyway, it’s starting to get dark now and my new home (aka the lounge car) is not relatively empty. Woot. That means that (assuming there are no major delays) this will be my last night on the train. That’s a comforting thought I suppose considering the conditions I’ve slept in over the last few nights. I’m also looking forward to a shower and not moving so much so fast.
All up though, it’s been a good trip so far. The scenery has been amazing; so many completely different landscapes in one single country. It’s also been really warm which is good. I think I have a tan which is the good news; bad news is that I have major tan lines on my arms now...
*EDIT: ok, so the rest of the trip went pretty well. I spent the last night back in the freezer (aka the dome car) mostly cos there were a lot of people in the lounge car when I wanted to sleep. I got into Toronto on time which was surprising considering the stories I heard.
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