No sign of the French hostellers when I went downstairs. They slept on the living room couches last night—the hostel was that packed. The warden said they were gone. Too bad. I filled up with petrol and had a breakfast at Harveys, a fast breakfast place. Plastic plates and cutlery. I got lost looking for the entry ramp for the highway but eventually found it. Just as I was about to enter the highway, I saw this group of rain drenched hitchhikers looking for a ride. It was none other than my French companions from yesterday. A lucky break for them. They were so excited that they jabbered in French. Yes, I can take them to Toronto. So I pulled off the entrance ramp and they loaded up the trunk. The weather had turned rainy again and it got thick in some places. By the time we reached Toronto the sun was out.
Toronto hostel was perennially crowded because it was under capacity for a city its size. They said they could take me and N because we were IHYA members but not P and M because they didn't have membership. They wanted go off to look at a cheap hotel the warden had recommended. I decided to follow them, on the chance that the hotel might have parking and save me the expense of parking near the hostel. At the hotel they discovered that the room is not as cheap at they thought. I suggested we go to the suburbs and rent a motel room for 4 at a lower price. This sounded much better to them and I found one out in Scarborough, right by the lakeside. It was quite a long drive out but the suburbs were much nicer than the inner city.
For dinner, I took them to Chinatown and introduced them to a noodle shop. The girls found noodles strange but tasty, but P had a harder time. I stocked up on Chinese groceries to take home. We walked around the city and saw City Hall. A Philippine festival was in progress. The French marvelled at the black squirrels. They had never seen these before. Down by the city offices, a brown and a black squirrel got into a fight. Squirrel racism?
My companions would like a nice place to sit down and enjoy the scenery. No doubt they are used to outdoor tables in Europe. They will find out soon enough North American culture is different. But I had a good idea, I would show them Lake Ontario. So we watched the sunset over the lake from Lakeshore Drive. My companions met a Quebec couple who had returned from New York City. Since my friends were heading for NYC, any information was of interest to them. There were some geese out in the breakwater and they were hopeful, but I had no bread. The scene was very tranquil and lovely but as Murphy would have it, I had no camera with me.
I watched the Hound of Baskervilles on the television before going out for a late drink with my roommates. I encouraged them to decide what they want to see tomorrow. I had never been up the CN tower but suggested this might interest them. They were nervous about New York City because of all they had heard about it, i.e. that it is dirty, expensive and dangerous. All this was true, but must be qualified. They were thinking of spending just a day in NYC and going on to Boston and to not even try to get a place to sleep. I tried to allay their fears with facts and told them NYC is unique and is a must-see.
Toronto hostel was perennially crowded because it was under capacity for a city its size. They said they could take me and N because we were IHYA members but not P and M because they didn't have membership. They wanted go off to look at a cheap hotel the warden had recommended. I decided to follow them, on the chance that the hotel might have parking and save me the expense of parking near the hostel. At the hotel they discovered that the room is not as cheap at they thought. I suggested we go to the suburbs and rent a motel room for 4 at a lower price. This sounded much better to them and I found one out in Scarborough, right by the lakeside. It was quite a long drive out but the suburbs were much nicer than the inner city.
For dinner, I took them to Chinatown and introduced them to a noodle shop. The girls found noodles strange but tasty, but P had a harder time. I stocked up on Chinese groceries to take home. We walked around the city and saw City Hall. A Philippine festival was in progress. The French marvelled at the black squirrels. They had never seen these before. Down by the city offices, a brown and a black squirrel got into a fight. Squirrel racism?
My companions would like a nice place to sit down and enjoy the scenery. No doubt they are used to outdoor tables in Europe. They will find out soon enough North American culture is different. But I had a good idea, I would show them Lake Ontario. So we watched the sunset over the lake from Lakeshore Drive. My companions met a Quebec couple who had returned from New York City. Since my friends were heading for NYC, any information was of interest to them. There were some geese out in the breakwater and they were hopeful, but I had no bread. The scene was very tranquil and lovely but as Murphy would have it, I had no camera with me.
I watched the Hound of Baskervilles on the television before going out for a late drink with my roommates. I encouraged them to decide what they want to see tomorrow. I had never been up the CN tower but suggested this might interest them. They were nervous about New York City because of all they had heard about it, i.e. that it is dirty, expensive and dangerous. All this was true, but must be qualified. They were thinking of spending just a day in NYC and going on to Boston and to not even try to get a place to sleep. I tried to allay their fears with facts and told them NYC is unique and is a must-see.
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