Travelogue: Day 1, 10/18 – Astoria (OR) to Nanaimo, British Columbia

Astoria – Vancouver: 314 miles, 5 hours 34 mins by car.
Vancouver – Nanaimo: 2 hour ferry

Canada shooed me away

I was denied entry into Canada. Why? I had too much in my car making them think I came there to live. Nobody believed that I would come for only a day. Did I look like a refugee? After all I did have the American passport. Do Americans start flooding the Canadian border now?

 They ask me a bunch of question How long you meet him?

• Where did you meet your friend?
• How long did you meet your friend?
• What did you do there (meaning the country I met him)?
• Was he also working there?
• Why all the way from California for just one night?
• Why you need all that stuff with you for just one night? (I’m moving out of a house for god sake!)

One particular  officer tried to act intimidating, making me wonder if it was part of the job at the custom check or he was just exceptionally mean. I was trying to reason when he raised his voice. "Don’t argue with me. Listen!"  Yeah, I listen my ass.

I had two choices: either forfeited the trip and headed back to Seattle. But my friend wouldn’t fly in until tomorrow evening. What was I supposed to do in Seattle? Angry, I drove back to the closest US town after the border looking around for overnight storage.  I entered a bakery called "Seaside Bakery Cafe" and asked the lady there.  She seemed very nice, turned out she really was. She suggested Pantec and a Mail Service next door.

Fishy people near the border

The lady who worked there kept telling me  she said she will accept just to "help me" because we are the post office we don’t do this thing. She told the man to the back and whispered something to him and when she came out, She wanted $50 dollars. I balked at the ideas, then she said she will take $35, 15 is deposit will return to me if i take it tomorrow. She did not trust that I came back the next day as I could be a runaway from my parents; my parents were frantically looking for me at the moment. It was ridiculous as she held my driver license and passport. Yeah, and she wanted cash because she could not be sure if my credit card had money.

Red flag #1:  If she’s honest, why didn’t she talk to the guy in front of me? Why did she have to whisper with him in the back?

Red flag #2: Why cash only in a credit card country? I don’t buy the the reason not being able to check for the money. Yeah, that’s why people swipe the card to see whether they can make the transaction.

This shady woman’s action can be simply interpreted as:

1. The post office does not accept random luggage deposit.  So this woman was trying to a business on the side therefore she had to consult the guy first so they can split the money.

2. She wanted cash because even if the post office accepted luggage, she could keep the money to herself. She said something about writing me a receipt. But this kind of receipt can be torn up the minute I leave the door.

Genuine people and cheap storage

I returned to the Bakery to seek help from the owner. She jumped at the price quote for my luggage and called Pantec from her phone before writing a good direction, only 10 minute away. The 5×5 storage cost only 20 dollars for a few days.  You can fit a mini truck load in there, bicycle, big TV, etc.  Credit cards were accepted.  The only setback was there wasn’t any security. Once people have access to the storage rooms which are left open, they can cut the lock. At this point, I simply did not care. If anybody wanted to steal my clothes, magazine, food, cooking stuffs, be my guest.

Now, I’ll show you a trick to catch an insincere person. Observe his smiles.

A sincere smile can last up to 5 second (or close that).  When you see a smile on a person for an extended time, it’s likely you’re staring at a fake smile.  When a person smile sincerely, both the tips of his mouth and eyes moved.  A fake smile is when only the mouth’s tips change and the eyes’ tips remain where they are. [Link]

Canada finally

Sweet Canada neighbor granted me entry into her country. Drove to Tsawwasen ferry to catch the 5:45 ferry to Nanaimo island where Matt lived. Acted like a complete idiot as I gave my luggage to a baggage guy and 10 minutes later begged for help from a boy to run with me to see where my luggage was? Yup yup, I’ve been to many places people were afraid of traveling to. I’ve been to place I didn’t understand a single word spoken there and I was okay. Ironically, in sweet maple Canada, I kinda lost my composure.

I learned a hard lesson:

1. Don’t estimate any situation ever.
2. Research research and research.

Typical Canadian

• A Canadian will suggest going to an ice skating ring. This was the first choice Matt brought up when he asked me what I would like to do.
• He will take you to Tim Horton to try out doughnuts especially the Tim’s bits.
• Uhh, I only notice that.

I’m in Canada for less than a day, so I can’t write much about this country and the people. However it’s safe to say that Canada is very similar to the US. The people look, dress, and almost behave the same; I barely notice anything different.

Chit chat

Matt and I discovered we shared the same interests and were working on similar projects, using similar resources and technology, aiming for similar goals. Can’t say more.

I had a nice sleep in a decorative room full of porcelain dolls, some of which were handmade by his mom. [Pix]

RESOURCES

Pantec Mini Storage
943 Boblett St., Blaine, WA 98230 * 360 322 6111 (phone)
How to get there (very easy):

1. From the Canadian border, you drive on freeway 5 for five minutes
2. Get to the first city after the border
3. Drive on main street. You’ll see "Seaside Bakery Cafe"
4. Go straight to first stop sign. Turn left on H St.
5. Turn right on Mitchell, 2nd street after overpass
6. Pass a school and turn left on Boblet.
7. Pentax is on your right

Ferry
Schedule: http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/mainland/
From Tsawwassen to Nanaimo (Duke Point): http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/calendar/sch09050602.html
Prices: http://www.bcferries.com/fares/nanvanoffpeak.html

Driving instructions from Seattle:

1. I-5 North to the Canadian border
2. In British Columbia, I-5 becomes Highway 99
3. Highway 99 to Highway 17 (Exit 28)  
4. Southwest on Highway 17 to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal
5. Total estimated driving time: about 2 hrs 30 minutes depending on traffic conditions

(Thanks Matt for the information)