Back to Canada

The border crossing to Costa Rica is to be believed. Just a mess of random buildings, not unlike a rough industrial park. Go into a unsigned waiting room the size and feel of a small garage where after 20 minutes some guy prods my bag and tells me to move on. Outside my bus has vanished and an eight year old kid points across the block. There are no signs, eventually find an old lady sitting in the street at a little wooden desk selling stamps to stick in my passport. I buy one on the assumption I might need one, who knows. Nearby there is a small rough hole in an anonymous wall. I peer in and get brusquely asked for my passport. It is stamped and returned I get the impression I have just officially left Panama. The kid pops up again like the white rabbit and points north and says Costa Rica. I amble through no mans land not quite sure where I am going or what I am looking for. I go past various random shops and utility buildings and find my bus again, but its empty and locked. After a few dead ends the white rabbit returns, I pay him a well earned dollar and I hand over my passport to the big greasy guy with his shirt half undone revealing a sweaty hairy torso. We are ushered in to what looks like a wire fenced tennis court, which is a little perturbing. But after an hour the greasy guy shouts my name and lets me out to rejoin the bus. Why this is all necessary is beyond me.


The flight north again is without a hitch. Miami airport was cool as I could talk to the ground staff in Spanish which surprised them no end.

Bit of a shock landing in Canada I am being frozen to death. Yesterday it was 30C and now its -5C at lunch time dropping to -14 at night.
Im not impressed with Toronto, apart from the snow its all a little dull. Very orderly and polite. Even the bums apologies when they ask for change.

I take a day trip to Niagara falls. No that place is truly weird.
The day before everywhere was green, leaves on trees, butterflies fluttered by and now I'm in a monochrome world of ice and snow.

The falls are surrounded by fractured towers of ice and snow. The falls force a plume of mist rising like if it were a forest fire. The water droplets fall and freeze all around creating wild frostings on every surface.

The main street is like a brasher version of Blackpool. Rails of yellowing T shirts 3 for $10, Movieland, House of Terror, Dairy Queen, Jacuzzi, low rates, Casino, wax work murderers.