5.7.10

home

Well, despite suffering from jet lag, lack of sleep and a cold I picked up on the plane, I'm home.
And it feels good.
Sunrise over Cape Town airport

It's taking me longer to unpack my suitcase than it did to pack it. There's something bittersweet about the process. Emptying pockets (and finding notes and coins worth $25- anyone going to Canada?), finding stones and a clipping from a spruce tree, looking through all the pamphlets and till slips I don't have the heart to throw away...yet.  It's all part of holiday closure.
Some things I'll miss:
*Tim Horton's coffee
*The friendly 'You're welcome' from shop assistants- it sounds like they actually mean it!
* The smells and sights of spruce and firs
*Lakes
*Not having to make my bed...or do housework
*The mournful sound of train sirens
*Log cabin-style buildings
*Gloriously nostalgic eighties music played in just about every restaurant and shop we walked into. I later found out most are tuned into Sirius satellite radio. I'm thinking of subscribing. Siriusly. ; )

Some things I'm happy to see the back of:
*The suitcase (Max peed in it as a homecoming gift)
*Elevator disorientation- I NEVER knew straight away where our hotel room was!!
*Public loo doors with huge gaps- wtf?
*Waking up and not knowing where the hell I am (I'm still experiencing this)
*Making tour bus small talk
*Maps

Funny thing happened on our way to the airport. Our shuttle driver decided we needed to try 'the best ice-cream in Canada'. He actually detoured right into some dodgy, behind-the-airport suburb to buy each of us a tub of the stuff. I had a brief but intense moment of true South African paranoia.. .. he was abducting us so that he could rob us of all our expensive computer gear!!! But my fears soon vanished in the swoon fest that followed.
That ice-cream was damn good. See? Canadians are incredibly sweet.

Thank you to all the Canadians who made it such an unforgettable holiday : )

'Home'- Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

2 comments:

Val said...

Yes it is bitter sweet being back. But such a lot of awesome memories we will have.:) Thank you Canada!! Just love the shot of the kids and mountain backdrop.

Sam said...

I've already spoken to you, but welcome back nevertheless! It sounds like it was pretty fabulous experience all round. Love the ice-cream trip story - but don't worry about your paranoia, I would've had the exact same response! Actually, it's also kinda sad that we've developed that sort of belief in human nature...

But lets not be maudlin 'cause you had a fantastic trip to a place I'm dying to go to! :D