Saturday, March 18, 2006

S.B.06 - The VIA Rail


coming into toronto

i’m sitting on the train right now on my way to toronto.  the scenery outside is so beautful!  i’ve taken some photos, but none do it justice.  it looks just like a scene from some movie.  if you’ve seen smallville, then you’ll understand what i mean.  it looks like a scene from clark kent’s farm.  i’m so glad that i’m taking the train back!  there are so many shots i’ve missed.  i’ll be sure to get those shots on the way back.

my trip so far has been a little bit of an adventure.  we were driving towards london, but in detroit we got a little bit lost.  so we lost some valuable time, and when we were in st. thomas (30 min outside london), i realized that i wouldn’t be able to make my train.  so i called the train station and rescheduled my ticket.  VIA Rail is quite nice, there is no charge for rescheduling or refunding tickets.  the people i was traveling with lived in st. thomas, so they invited me to stay at their home for the evening.  at their home, i met their parents, some foster kids, a cat, and two wonderful dogs.  their home was so charming, and rebecca (a guest at the home) remarked that it was enchanted.  i agree, it was lovely!

i slept through to night and woke up the next morning to catch the 7:50 am train.  as i got out of bed, i was greeted by the cat who was pawing at the trunk which i kept my watch and glasses on.  after greeting the cat, i was greeted by the dog, who followed me up the stairs as i went to brush my teeth in the bathroom.  after washing my face and brushing my teeth, i had some cereal before heading out.

nothing eventful happened on my trip to the train station.  the 20-30 minute ride between st. thomas and london was lovely though.  all around me, i could see fields and trees dotted by occasional farms.  there were very few cars on the road, and it was a quiet trip there.  it had started snowing again during the night, so everything was covered by a thin layer of powder.

it all looked so magical.  my thoughts drifted back to my childhood days in the small town of medicine hat, alberta.  medicine hat is a prairie town, and i spent two years there between the ages of 10 and 12.  i loved the small town atmosphere; it was so peaceful and quiet.  every morning i would wake up to the sun shining through my blinds as it crept over the horizon.  in the prairies, the land is as flat as a table, and i could see all the way to the horizon outside my window.  the fiery red sunsets and golden sunrises played through my window every day.  st. thomas brought all those memories back.

i miss living in a town.  eight years in hong kong has transformed me into a city person, but once in a while, i still longed to live in a town again.  a town is so homey, so simple.    it’s such a relaxing life, free of the hustle and bustle found in every big city.  even though i would prefer to live in a city, i think i’d still need to visit a town once in a while.

Posted by Nehe555 on 03/18 at 06:07 PM
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