So it's been... two days? Quite a lovely two days if I do say so myself. No phone and no wi-fi is a beautiful thing. However, Josh and I went from the city of London to the town of Chatham-Kent today and found a cheap hotel... with wi-fi. We camped out in the town of Woodstock, ON two nights ago and yesterday evening, we were hosted by the exceptionally interesting Dave Mitchell. Dave has been all over the world, showed an incredible ability to socialize about it without seeming arrogant, and was generous enough to share his home with us. Dave was the God of Travel. In pictures, this has been the last few days... and then I'll share with you everything I've learned about Canada.
The view from the Rail Trail upon leaving Hamilton, ON.
Independence: July 1, 1867. Secession from Britain.
Population: There are 35 million people living in Canada. In comparison, the state of California has 34.5 million people. In testimony to its heavy influence from the United States, nearly 90% of Canada's population lives within 200km (aboot 124 miles) of the border with the USA.
Geography: Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world if you include the bodies of water in their boundaries. Just based on land mass, it is the 4th behind Russia, China, and the United States.
Food/Drink: The beer is expensive and I don't know why. Six packs cost as much as a twelve pack in the states and it makes me sad. The food is pretty similar to the United States. A popular item in Canada is poutine, which are french fries slathered with gravy and cheese. Unfortunately, it's in Quebec where it's regarded as an art form but it is still delicious in Ontario. So delicious that you'll find it in every restaurant and fast food chain such as McDonald's, Wendy's, and... Tim Horton's.
Who is Tim Horton? Why is he so obsessed with putting his little fast food place on every corner of Canada? It's Canada's McDonald's and it's pretty great.
"Yeah, I have to show Ralph the Tim Horton's because he's never been to one," said Josh to our WarmShowers host John.
"When you go in for coffee, just make sure you ask for a 'Double Double'. You can pretend to be a real Canadian," laughed Jon.
A Double-Double is a coffee with two sugars and two creams.
Tim Horton's is Dunkin Donut's fancy, gay brother with more style and pizazz.
Language: All the stereotypes are true. I will say this, the Canadian accent has such a withdrawn, soft-spoken, and polite quality to it that it seems like everyone is kind. It's difficult to explain but it seems like no one is capable of violence.
Aboot = About
Eh? <<<Yes, it's used all of the time.
Sounds like the language of a Native American and the accent of one from Northern Maine mixed with a California Surfer.. yeah, that's it.
Food/Drink: The beer is expensive and I don't know why. Six packs cost as much as a twelve pack in the states and it makes me sad. The food is pretty similar to the United States. A popular item in Canada is poutine, which are french fries slathered with gravy and cheese. Unfortunately, it's in Quebec where it's regarded as an art form but it is still delicious in Ontario. So delicious that you'll find it in every restaurant and fast food chain such as McDonald's, Wendy's, and... Tim Horton's.
Who is Tim Horton? Why is he so obsessed with putting his little fast food place on every corner of Canada? It's Canada's McDonald's and it's pretty great.
"Yeah, I have to show Ralph the Tim Horton's because he's never been to one," said Josh to our WarmShowers host John.
"When you go in for coffee, just make sure you ask for a 'Double Double'. You can pretend to be a real Canadian," laughed Jon.
A Double-Double is a coffee with two sugars and two creams.
Tim Horton's is Dunkin Donut's fancy, gay brother with more style and pizazz.
Language: All the stereotypes are true. I will say this, the Canadian accent has such a withdrawn, soft-spoken, and polite quality to it that it seems like everyone is kind. It's difficult to explain but it seems like no one is capable of violence.
Aboot = About
Eh? <<<Yes, it's used all of the time.
Sounds like the language of a Native American and the accent of one from Northern Maine mixed with a California Surfer.. yeah, that's it.
Internal Problems: As most of you probably know, the providence of Quebec predominately speaks French. Nobody else does. They constantly "threaten" secession but not with any real malice. They're like America's Texas but not as trigger happy... or racist.
Currency: Canadian money contains no pennies so when something is, let's say $6.03, then they round it to $6.05. $6.02 would be $6.00. Also, paper currency at it's smallest amount is $5. By this I mean that there are no $1 or $2 bills. They're coins.
Taxes: Taxes are much higher than in the US, mostly because of health care. The sales tax is 13% in Ontario but it's for the free health care that they receive.
"I mean, I couldn't imagine that," Tim said solemnly. "If you break an arm, don't you think you deserve to have that taken care of? Do you think that should financially ruin you?"
Josh and I looked at each other.
"No," Josh said. "We're kinda used to it though. It's just how it is."
"We're trying to change it in the US with Obamacare but there's a lot of opposition," I said.
It's also interesting to note the high taxes in Canadian airports. Very few Canadians fly out from their country. Instead, they usually enter the United States and fly from there, again because of taxes. I dunno how accurate the statistic was but a friend I met on CouchSurfing said that Toronto has a 50% tax on their tickets out of the country.
Quips: "So, yeah, you'll come down here on Wellington Avenue and make a left onto Lundy's Lane, the street named after one of the battles from the War of 1812... you know, the one we beat you in," quipped Mark.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?!" I laughed as I turned to Josh.
"That's literally the third time we've heard about that today," Josh said.
"Yeah, we have a bit of an inferiority complex," said Mark.
Thomas Jefferson remarked before the war that all the America had to do to gain Canada, (then it was Great Britain) was to just march on in. It was believed that the Canadians (British) would just join the American ranks but the ole USA couldn't have been more wrong. The war lasted two years. Supposedly a walk in the park for an American Army that outnumbered Canadians 10 to 1, it was anything but. Canada successfully defended itself... and then some. They captured much of Maine and New York but returned it in the Treaty of Ghent.
An article I found from a Canadian Encyclopedia put it best:
"And the growing belief that they, the civilian soldiers, and not the First Nations and British regulars, had won the war - more mythic than real - helped to germinate the seeds of nationalism in the Canadas. Canada owes its present shape to negotiations that grew out of the peace, while the war itself - or the myths created by the war - gave Canadians their first sense of community and laid the foundation for their future nationhood. To this extent the Canadians were the real winners of the War of 1812."
Hockey: "Hey Paul, how you been?" the man in the parking lot of the supermarket yelled to another man shuffling through the area.
"You wanna know?" he called back. "October 5th, 7:00 pm, Maple Leaves vs. Colorado! It's time for hockey again!"
Josh and I saw the most epic hockey commercial while in Niagara Falls that almost brought a tear to my eye, and I don't even give a shit about the sport. Canadians absolutely live and die for hockey. It almost made me sad that the USA almost beat them in the last Olympics... almost.
In summary, Canada kicks ass (metaphorically) and I might move here.
Tomorrow is quite a special day. We're riding to Detroit from here in Chatham-Kent... and things get complicated. Till tomorrow.
It's also interesting to note the high taxes in Canadian airports. Very few Canadians fly out from their country. Instead, they usually enter the United States and fly from there, again because of taxes. I dunno how accurate the statistic was but a friend I met on CouchSurfing said that Toronto has a 50% tax on their tickets out of the country.
Quips: "So, yeah, you'll come down here on Wellington Avenue and make a left onto Lundy's Lane, the street named after one of the battles from the War of 1812... you know, the one we beat you in," quipped Mark.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?!" I laughed as I turned to Josh.
"That's literally the third time we've heard about that today," Josh said.
"Yeah, we have a bit of an inferiority complex," said Mark.
Thomas Jefferson remarked before the war that all the America had to do to gain Canada, (then it was Great Britain) was to just march on in. It was believed that the Canadians (British) would just join the American ranks but the ole USA couldn't have been more wrong. The war lasted two years. Supposedly a walk in the park for an American Army that outnumbered Canadians 10 to 1, it was anything but. Canada successfully defended itself... and then some. They captured much of Maine and New York but returned it in the Treaty of Ghent.
An article I found from a Canadian Encyclopedia put it best:
"And the growing belief that they, the civilian soldiers, and not the First Nations and British regulars, had won the war - more mythic than real - helped to germinate the seeds of nationalism in the Canadas. Canada owes its present shape to negotiations that grew out of the peace, while the war itself - or the myths created by the war - gave Canadians their first sense of community and laid the foundation for their future nationhood. To this extent the Canadians were the real winners of the War of 1812."
Hockey: "Hey Paul, how you been?" the man in the parking lot of the supermarket yelled to another man shuffling through the area.
"You wanna know?" he called back. "October 5th, 7:00 pm, Maple Leaves vs. Colorado! It's time for hockey again!"
Josh and I saw the most epic hockey commercial while in Niagara Falls that almost brought a tear to my eye, and I don't even give a shit about the sport. Canadians absolutely live and die for hockey. It almost made me sad that the USA almost beat them in the last Olympics... almost.
In summary, Canada kicks ass (metaphorically) and I might move here.
Tomorrow is quite a special day. We're riding to Detroit from here in Chatham-Kent... and things get complicated. Till tomorrow.
Tim Hortons was a lot like Canadian Dunkin Donuts until the 1990s. For a short time it was merged with Wendys in the US. They are now separate companies. Believe it or not, D Log has a few shares of Tim Hortons
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks Dad. You answered your own question about the beer: it's the taxes.
ReplyDeleteI lived off of Tim Hortons in Canada. My diet has been atrocious. Hmm, wendys and tim hortons together sounds like my fat fantasy.
ReplyDelete