I haven’t really written all that much about my trip overseas apart from the wallet-stealing fiasco I know, but let me share with you some of the things I got up to...
When I got to the States, I had to wait at the airport for Jami. Jami is my friend from when I went to University in upstate New York 5 years ago and she’s wonderful. Except when you want to be picked up immediately after your flight gets in and you’ve been travelling for almost 24 hours…that’s about when she is not so wonderful.
I waited for maybe half an hour and was hit on pretty constantly by this rather large black man who told me that I should ‘spend some time with him’. Hmmm, thanks but no thanks.
It didn’t stop him trying for the entire half an hour though. I guess it’s nice to know that someone found me appealing despite being all jet-lagged and smelling like plane!
Jami and I hit up the Bodies exhibition which, while being kind of gory, was oddly compelling. They have actual cadavers on display and you can see the ligaments and sinews beneath the skin. Jami however, was particularly preoccupied with the scrotum. Actually, she’s usually preoccupied with the scrotum if I’m not mistaken;)
Anyhow, you can see that they actually start all the way up near the pubic bone. Kind of weird to see. Also found out that lungs naturally have black bits all through them and that smoker’s lungs are super black. For every pack of cigarettes you smoke, you lose 3 hours and forty minutes from your life. Take note smoker friends.
And I loved that the catch-phrase was ‘The Body never Lies.’ They even had it in Japanese as well ‘体はうそつかないです’ just in case you’re curious.
I went on a Sex and the City tour, where I shopped where the girls shopped, ate a cupcake from Magnolia, the famous bakery and more importantly, got to try their amazing banana pudding (seriously, I’m drooling now just thinking about it), saw the sex shop where Charlotte bought ‘the Rabbit’, the bar where Carrie and Big had their engagement party and Sophie (who I made friends with on the tour) knew where Carrie’s apartment was so she took me on my own private tour! It was great fun.
I went to school with a girl named Roxy from when I was 6 right through until I was 17 (bear with me, this will make sense soon). We had a rather tumultuous relationship as most teenagers do, but managed to stay friends throughout high school and after we graduated, we’ve gotten closer. Anyhow, Roxy conveniently planned a trip to NYC for her 25th Birthday (Happy Birthday by the way Roxy) that coincided with my overseas jaunt. I figured that she’d come all the way from Mexico to stalk me, so I should at least make the effort to meet up;)
Roxy is a dancer (no, not the kind you’re thinking of) in Mexico and she brought her Mexican dancer boyfriend B with her. Mostly to carry all of her shopping I secretly think;) and we did loads together. We hit up Central Park, walked down 5th Ave and ended up at Tiffanys where both Roxy and her friend Jessie treated themselves to new rings. Sensible Chelsea meanwhile decided to save her money and found a much cheaper and also bigger ring at Madison Garden. Eat your heart out Roxy;)
We went up to the top of Rockafeller Centre and the view was phenomenal. I’ve been up the Empire State Building a few times before, but this was so much more impressive. The view of Central Park was spectacular. Of course Roxy and I did lots of silly poses leaning on the Empire State Building. We did some especially for Amber who we knew would have loved to be getting up to mischief in NYC with us.
Because both Roxy and B are dancers, they decided to go to the Broadway Dance School for a dance class. I declined. Not that I don’t enjoy a good dance, but no way would I ever be able to keep up and move like they were doing! It was great to watch and even better to be sitting down and resting my poor old feet;) The day ended in booze – rather a lot in fact and half naked drag queens serenading us as we dined. Our day ended as all good days must end really;)
The following day I headed up to Montreal to meet up with my good friend C-dog from Japan. So named because she has this amazing affinity with dogs. Seriously, dogs come bounding up to her as though she has just rubbed doggie treats all over her body. No, she doesn’t smell like a doggy treat I hasten to add.
C-dog is Canadian (obviously), has Australian parents and we met in Japan when she decided to live over there for awhile with her Kenyan/Japanese boyfriend of the time. Random right?
Did I mention that C-dog is beautiful? Beautiful enough to have been on the cover of a national magazine. She’s all blonde hair, blue eyes and killer cheekbones, but is one of the smartest girls I know and she’s going places! Watch this space.
So to get up to Montreal I caught a train for 11 hours. Yes, you read correctly, 11 hours! But it was over $1300 dollars cheaper than a one-way flight would have been. So there.
And I made a friend. Sorry for those who read the email that I sent around for all the repetitions here, but I’m sure you’ll survive;)
I was lining up for Canadian check-in when I saw this pretty blonde-haired girl who had heaps of bags. Despite my exhaustion and crankiness, I smiled at her. Not a proper smile mind you, more of a no-teeth grin. She responded with the brightest mega-watt smile ever. And when she sat next to me on the train, Pixie the Kiwi and I sat beside each other for 11 hours and we bonded. I think it was more out of necessity on her part. I suppose you can’t sit beside me and watch me drooling for 11 hours without starting to feel something for me...pity perhaps?
C-dog met me at the train station. She jumped about joyously, gleefully ran up to me, wrapped me up in a hug that nearly knocked me off my feet and made me feel perhaps the most welcome that I’ve ever felt upon entering a new country. Yes C-dog, you win the first prize in the competition in my head. I may well send some Australian goodies your way;)
C-dog had a house party in my honour. Nothing like getting somewhere new, having a hot, steamy shower with awesome water pressure, then being handed a glass of vodka and having a party where people come specifically to meet you. Ah. I got to meet loads of C-dog’s friends and predictably, they were just as lovely as the C-dog herself. We drank, danced and chatted into the early hours of the morning. It was a perfect start to my stay in Montreal. Made even more perfect by the poutine (thick cut fries, beef gravy and cheese that melts over the top) that we ate at the end of the night. Or rather, the poutine that we fed to a drunken C-dog while she napped.
I loved Montreal. I loved that people effortlessly switched between French and English, I loved that while it was cold, inside there was sufficient heating (unlike Japan with the decided lack of insulation), I loved that the food was hearty and delicious, but mostly I loved the people. The people that I met were warm, sweet and friendly and didn’t seem to care overly that my French language skills were nonexistent. It felt so refreshing after the abruptness of New York.
When I think of Montreal I think of C-dog, of hot, fresh poutine when I was chilled and drunk, of three friends all wearing newly bought suspenders on a night out on the town, of C-dog and I having our tearful goodbye cut short by the stern ticket-collector who told us that ‘now is not the time’ (when is the time exactly?). Unfortunately I also think of my camera memory card being accidentally bent on my final night in Montreal. So for the first week and a half of my trip, I have no photos. It sucks, but what can you do really? Apart from complain, which doesn’t help anyone. But if anyone has any brilliant ideas for fixing it apart from a data recovery place, feel free to let me know. In fact, anyone practising witchcraft is welcome to have at my memory card. I will show no bias to anyone who can get my photos back from my days with Roxy and Montreal!
More on the rest of my trip later;)
Hope your weekend is as fun-filled as mine is right now:)
