Canada - The Real World

Toronto skyline from the University

We're in a different country!  Andy and I crossed the border into Canada on Tuesday and boy, does it feel different.  It's unbelievable what a few miles and a rather impressive bridge can do.  For a start there are lots of slim people, and all of a sudden these slim Canadian folk like to walk around on pavements, not seen too many of them for a while, or they ride bicycles, or drive normal size cars, as opposed to gigantic waddlers in humongously sized pick up trucks and SUVs.  After just about 2 months in the States, what a wonderful feeling it is to be in a normal country that is trying to be sustainable with progressive attitudes to the normal everyday issues that normal people all over the world are facing.  Normal is fabulous.  Obviously not all of America is quite as bad as I'm implying, but going through the places we've been, especially so in the last month, it's refreshing just to be in another country.

Enjoying a proper nightclub!

So, we've been in Toronto for the weekend.  A very impressive city with lots of large skyscrapers, and the big CN Tower of course (the world's 3rd largest free standing structure at over 1,800ft), rather spectacularly overlooking Lake Ontario.  I've also been treated to the wonderful company, guiding and hospitality of Kat, who I met whilst at Leeds University.  She's been our personal chaufer, guide and entertainment provider for the weekend here and taken us around all the sites.  I may have possibly been sick on her driveway in the early hours of Saturday morning, but I couldn't possibly verify this as she's too good a friend to do that to.  It did feel very strange however going to a proper bar in a big city, with lots of attractive people in cool clothes, after being in the middle of nowhere for a long time, it definitely takes some adjusting to.  Andy and I did look rather trampish, Andy a bit more so than me in his rank board shorts and baselayer (had to slip that in!), but when out trip song came on, it was a memorable moment!

Lake Huron

There's more Warm Showers luck to write about.  Upon entering Canada we were put up by the lovely Ned and Cary on the shore of Lake Huron, and were first of all greeted with an incredible view, and then the possibility to swim in one of the Great Lakes, it would have been rude not to take it up, especially with the water being so incredibly warm due to the summer sun having been on it for the last few months.  A truly spectacular view and location.  They then very kindly set us up with their daughter and son-in-law in London, that's London, Ontario, not London, England!  Cary and Dave gave us a brilliant tour of the student packed bars and we saw a mini-Covent Garden, Hyde Park, River Thames and Tower of London, a very odd experience for Andy who lives in London on the otherside of the pond.  It is really nice however to be in a country with so much heritage that is familiar to us, be it for whatever rights and wrongs of the past.  Queenie looking at us on the notes and coins, very British architecture all over the place and even nice little shops selling Yorkshire Tea...lovely stuff. 

3/4 done!

The end of this epic adventure nears ever closer, there's now siginficantly less than 1,000 miles to go, and that means well over 3,000 done.  Signals such as the changing weather, shorter days and much cooler mornings and evenings show that autumn is well on the way.  The recent bad weather may or not have something to do with Hurricane Earl on the East coast, but I don't really know too much about that.  Anyway, when people now ask us where we're going, New York doesn't really conjure up much of a response, but saying we've come from LA, certainly does, "You guys have biked from LA?!  What the fuck?!" 

And then there's our bodies.  We haven't really had any physical problems, but my left hand has started to feel numb with occasional bouts of pins and needles from holding the handlebards all day, every day for 2 months.  I don't think the human body let our hands evolve with that in mind.

Hot, flat, and pretty monotonous

We're going to head to Niagara Falls today, or tomorrow, depending on Andy's hangover!  And then we'll be back in America, and all that that entails, free refills at Subway and free fat mobiles at Walmart.  We weighed ourselves last week for the first time since we set off.  Rather believably I've lost 10lbs (5kg), but Andy has rather unbelievably put on about the same amount, fattie, although he assures me it's all muscle!  What's interesting though is that this is with eating more or less the exact same diet, and doing the exact the same amount of exercise.  The only slight difference is my bike is slightly heavier, and Andy enjoys his refills more than me, so that could be it, or just being a bit older than me.  I'm definitely feeling the weight loss though, it's noticeable on pictures and Andy says I get drunk more easily now, so there you have it, if you want to lose weight, get on your bike for 3,000 miles.  Who'd have thought that hey?!  Exercise and weight loss are linked together, and not some fancy, pretentious and expensive diet promoted by magazines and the media.  Wait till we get to New York though and have 5 days of feeding our expanded stomachs, living to excess and doing no exercise, I'm sure we'll pile the pounds back on, so hopefully I shouldn't waste away.  That'd be impossible in America.