Train of Windsor

Canadian people sure are living up to their reputation for niceness.

Example no 124: a random person on the train from Toronto to Windsor just agreed to swap some smaller coins for a $2 coin, so that I had the exact change for the bus. I got lucky with someone who had cash ah all, and even more so that she was willing to dig around in her wallet. 

Couchsurfers really do get everywhere

So, let's pick this blog up again.

Landed in Toronto yesterday afternoon, more or less on schedule, and with all of my bags present and correct - a first for my international trips since covid lockdowns.

On the train into the city, I got chatting with the guy who had moved over so I could sit - S., a Dane. He turned out to be a fellow couchsurfer, and had a layover of a few hours before heading home. 

We walked around the city for a bit before settling on a craft beer place for a drink and a bite to eat (some of the taps and pipes are shown in the picture).

What are the chances? Ok, a random stranger who starts talking to you about travel likely has a higher probability of being a CSer than the probability across the general population, but still. 

And I have finally got an explanation of the game with sticks that I saw in Århus when I was travelling there nearly 20 years ago (wow, has it really been that long?). It's called the King's Game. I did not ask why, as I got distracted by an explanation about the rules.

Another reason to crochet

As a more or less direct result of my crochet, I have had a number of interesting conversations with people this trip.

This is not a big surprise - it's generally a good way to strike up a conversation. For example, at Woodford a couple of years ago, I had quite a few people come up and talk to me because of the crochet, including a few occasions when they'd seen me crocheting earlier ("you're that knitting lady, aren't you?").

The best conversation so far has been a long chat with a woman at a craft shop in Exeter who cards, spins, dyes and knits or weaves wool - that is, the whole process from fleece to garment. She had some lovely Jacob wool in black and white, plied together, that made me think of aniseed humbugs. She also had some great stories, including having to climb over a big bag of wool that her shearer mate dropped in front of her door once. And we discovered a shared delight in yak wool.

The most difficult conversation so far was the one in the British Museum, conducted in German, with two Dutch women (or maybe they just came through the Netherlands). That's why it was difficult. Apart from the obvious limitations given my very basic level of German, I had not been expecting to need to try to speak it, and have not heard it for a while. But I dredged up enough words to communicate a bit, including the shape I intend to make the scarf I'm working on at the moment. I could not remember, however, how to say that I had lived in England, but 10 years ago, although I think I got the point across eventually.

Of course, I remembered how to say it more directly (and clearly) as I was walking home.

Words have meaning

Today, I learnt the origins of three phrases. All come from the woolen cloth trade in Exeter.

"Piss poor": so poor that you have to sell your piss.

"Taking the piss": you go to sell your piss and the buyer gives you a low price.

"On tenterhooks": the cloth was dried under tension on tenting poles. Tenterhooks were used to create the tension.

Also, Exonians appear to have a more-British-than-British sense of humour. For example, these signs.

Some things are universal

Like stereotypes of lawyers. A couchsurfer, V., runs free city tours in Barcelona. This story is from her.

Late in the 19th century, the law society acquired a building and asked an architect to do some remodelling, including designing a letterbox. 

The symbols the architect included on the letterbox are:
- Seagulls, to represent the fact that law and justice can get everywhere
- Ivy, to represent the fact that you can be tripped up by the law, but lawyers will help you up
- A turtle, to represent the fact that law and justice is slow - and also that, when things get difficult, lawyers will hide inside their shells!

I told V. I was a lawyer. "I wondered why you were laughing so much," she said.

[published nine months late because blogger wouldn't play ball at the time and then I apparently forgot about it]

Off again!

It has been a long time since I have had a proper unplanned trip, and a long time since I have couchsurfed properly.

I am leaving the country on Sunday, bound for Spain in the first instance, and I will get a little bit of both. Well, the second half of my trip is now pretty planned, and two weeks is not really long enough to be completely unscripted - but it's more than I've done for some time.

Well, ok, even the first few days are now pretty locked in (but I do like to arrive on a new continent with my first night's accommodation secured so there is that). I have just found a host for my first two nights in Barcelona (or Barna, as my host reliably tells me locals call it), and I have another host outside the city for my third night. Plus a few additional CSers who would like to meet up while I am there.

I am looking forward to this so much.

A Sydney story

He looked in my direction as we both stopped at the pedestrian lights.

I looked at him and raised my eyebrow.

His look of desperation increased.

I got an inkling of what was to come and smiled a little.

"Would you be my best friend for 5 seconds and let me use that?" he said, gesturing towards the foot pump I was carrying.

"Sure!"

He wheeled his bike over while I unravelled the hose, and he hooked up and pumped away. He was finished in time for me to cross with the change of lights.

Another guy crossed with me. "Did you just happen to be carrying that just as he needed it?"

I nodded.

"What are the chances?"

"Well, there is a bike shop just around the corner."

He laughed. "Less than slim, then."

Conversation with a conductor

(of the train kind, not the musical kind)

So, I'm en route from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe via train and bus. This was not the plan - but neither was getting stuck at Dulles all day yesterday. And it is very nice to be going up during the day when I can see the very pleasant countryside.

I got chatting to the train conductor as we left Oakland station. He asked me if I was going up to Tahoe to ski or to gamble.

Me: "I didn't know gambling was even a thing up there."
Conductor: "You know Tahoe is in Nevada, right?"
Me: "Oh yeah, I get it. But I don't think I'll be gambling."
Conductor: "Oh I bet your friends will want to gamble. Anyway, you don't need to go looking for it. It will find you. You can hardly go to the bathroom without pulling a slot machine."
Me: "I'll look out for it jumping out around corners at me, then."

Anyway, he told me there is plenty of snow on the slopes so the skiing should be good. I asked whether the rain today would make it icy.

Conductor: "Well, you know what happens when you get rain on top of snow."
Me: "Not really. I mean, I can guess, but I don't know from experience."
Conductor: "From your accent, I'd guess Australia?"
Me: "That's right."
Conductors: "Well I can see why you wouldn't have experience with snow."

He still didn't tell me. So my practical understanding will just have to wait another couple of hours.

The day of the gifts

I just noticed I never did post anything about my trip to Myanmar.

Well, I'd better fix that!

While in Myanmar, I spent two days in the ruby mining area, Mogok.

The full day in the region was full in several senses of the word.

During the morning, I went for a walk through the countryside and a few villages with a local guide. As well as showing me the abandoned distillery that is now a chicken farm, a couple of eagles used for hunting and various natural beauty, my guide took me to chat to a few people who lived in the area.

They were all lovely and it was very interesting to talk with them - and they all me gifts: tea, roses, two eggs, a couple of songs (you will be amused to know I returned the favour by singing "Twinkle, Twinkle") and lunch.

I just had some Australian art cards and my sincere thanks (well, and "Twinkle, Twinkle"), but I did my best.

In the afternoon, my main guide took me to see some ruby mines. We were then joined for tea by a couple of local gem dealers.

They showed me some beautiful stones, including a wonderful sapphire and two star rubies (more on which below) and taught me some basic facts about gems.

The conversation about the star rubies went something like this:

GD: [handing me a stone] Here, have a look at this one.
Me: Wow, that's beautiful.
[I looked at it in detail, listened to explanation of its features]
Me: Out of curiosity, what would a stone like that be worth?
GD: [he already knew I was not in the market] It varies. Around $4,000.
Me: If only...
GD: Now look at this one [we exchanged stones]
Me: You know, I know this is smaller and it's probably worth less, but there's something about it - I like it more.
GD: [laughing uproariously] You're very smart!

He then explained it was actually worth significantly more.

We chatted further (and looked at more stones) and then my guide indicated it was time to leave.

The gem dealer then shook a couple of spinels he'd shown me earlier into his hand and wrapped them up. He gestured for me to hold out my hand and pressed the package into my palm. "From my country to you!"

I protested, he insisted.

I thanked him and gave him and his partner each one of my cards. "From my country to you," I said.

They actually seemed fairly satisfied with the exchange, once I'd also inscribed the cards at their request.

While the spinels have lasted the longest of all the gifts I received that day in terms of materiality, I'm not sure that the greatest generosity I met was not the gift of the eggs. And while I did not have another day quite so extreme in terms of actual gifts, many of the people I met in Myanmar exhibited similar generosity of spirit.

I still have misgivings about the ethics of visiting developing countries, but I'm very glad I went.

Obvious Lawyer

You will be pleased to know some things do not change.

On Saturday, my first full day in DC, I visited a gin distillery (New Columbia Distillery, makers of Green Hat Gin) with one of my friends here and a big group of his friends. We bottled an entire batch of gin. And had a tour of the distillery. So much fun!

Anyway, at one point I was waiting in line for the restroom. Others were there for tastings and tours, so there were some total strangers (as opposed to people I'd only just met). A couple of those total strangers were in the queue in front of me.

As the queue moved, I made a suggestion for a slight rearrangement.

And the woman at the front of the queue said: "Are you a lawyer?"

I hid my face in mock shame and asked if it was that obvious.

She said no, only another lawyer - such as herself - would have picked it.

We had enough time to exchange basic but important details, namely, what kind of law each of us did and where, before her friend came out. Woman #1 made each of us aware that we were all lawyers, and disappeared behind the locked door.

So then I had a similar exchange with Woman #2, and that in turn led to:

W#2: Oh, Australia! I've always wanted to go to New Zealand!
Me (jokingly): You know they're different countries right?
W#2: Yes - but have you been to New Zealand? And which would you recommend?
Me: It depends. Why do you want to go to New Zealand?
W#2: Wine, beaches, views?
Me: Hmm, what kind of wine do you like?
W#2: Spicy red wine...

Of course you know what I advised. (And I gave reasons, of course. I was, after all, speaking to another lawyer. Lawyers appreciate reasons for advice.)

And you probably also know what came next.

My turn in the queue came up as Woman #2 returned to her partner just through the other doorway, saying "Babe, we're going to Australia!" He looked a bit bemused. As she started to tell him about our exchange, I waved and called out "Hi! I'm B.!"

So we'll see. I may have some completely chance-met houseguests from DC some time in the future.