Montreal, how I love (hate) you.

Day 55

Current Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA)

Total Countries visited: 2

Total Miles Driven: 7,040

Dear Montreal,

Why do you treat me so ?

What did I do to deserve

Your anger, your rejection ?

I have done nothing to you...

And yet you make me feel like

You don't want me anymore...

You know I cannot hate

You have given me so much

But I am leaving you now

To come back at a later time

Perhaps you will have changed your ways?

Montreal, I forgive you.

But please, never do this again.

Monster is back

Thanks to all who helped in the search for lost Monster.  Like the phoenix rising from the flames, he came back !!!!!  He had been hiding underneath the van until I got to Montreal, at which point he ran away and spent a few days in debauchery, drinking and partying... poor Monster, lost all his hair and money, and I had to bail him out after he got in a bar fight.  I guess he had felt a bit smothered by his little life in my pocket.  I will try to give you more space in the future - WELCOME BACK MONSTER !

Monster caught sneaking into the strip club.

Monster enjoying some cupcake decadence.

Trip update

I am currently in the Mall of America, aptly named for the largest mall in the US.  There are roller coasters here, and a Starbucks from where I am writing.

They won't make much money with me today.

It has been 11 days since my last post, and I must admit these haven't been the best 11 days.  There were a few great moments scattered here and there, but in the end I will remember it as a bit of a hassle.

Firstly, I have been a bit sick since I went hiking 2 weeks ago... perhaps I replaced a lost Monster with another type of bug that I'm carrying everywhere...  Coughing and painful throat, some difficulty sleeping... Thankfully, I am now recovered and healthy.

Secondly, on my second day in the city, Large Marge was broken into.  I had parked her overnight in a relatively busy street of downtown Montreal to find a brick on my passenger seat the next morning.  GPS, data logger, iPod were gone.  The silver lining however is that I had my camera with me, and they left the car radio alone.  And most importantly, they did not take Yoda - I don't know how I could have survived his loss.

Thirdly, I have had quite a string of bad luck with mechanics.  I don't think I can attribute this to Montreal alone, mechanics seem to be the same everywhere.  Based on my recent experience (and I have had a lot of experience over the last 50 days), there are three universal truths when it comes to dealing with mechanics:

1) They always promise that they can fix everything and anything (of course we can fix that!  Just bring it in!)

2) They are always too busy to work on your vehicle (I'm sorry, we had 14 appointments this morning.  I didn't know you were going to need your car this week!)

3) They don't ever fully fix the problem (This will require some welding, we don't do that kind of stuff)...

So Marge was at the shop for 6 days.  On the second day, all the broken pipes were fixed.  On day 6, nothing more was done, but the guy had confirmed a few more tiny leaks (that I had noted to him when I brought it in) and told me he couldn't fix the problem.  I then proceeded to call 5 more shops, and either they were booked until December or they didn't deal with welding.

It's just a tiny little leak!  I am going to take matter in my own hands.  I bought some epoxy glue and will attempt to patch the leaks in a few days... wish me luck!

I left Montreal 3 days ago.  Heading West.  Everything has been smooth since I left.  I saw Ottawa for the first time (did you know that Ottawa was the capital of Canada?  HAHA!).  A very pretty town, full of Canadian stuff.  The parliament is very british and quite impressive.

Ottawa Parliament.  This is where important things don't happen.

I am now in Minneapolis, and will leave for South Dakota this afternoon.  Badlands and Yellowstone National Parks, here I come !!!

Thank you

I wanted to give special thanks to all my friends and family in Montreal who have been so great and made my stay there a bit more bearable.  I have met with 4 cousins of mine that I hadn't seen in possibly 15 years... and above all I must thank my aunt Louise, uncle Serge and family who have lodged and fed me for 6 days and uplifted me with their stories and sense of humour... You are the best!

Aunt Louise and little cousin PO.  Always smiling, always happy.

Montreal is truly a gorgeous city, but the timing just wasn't there.  I can't wait to go back and visit you all again.

Montreal my dear, I will be back.

Cheers,

D