A wacky day on the road

Every bus today was late. Nothing out of the ordinary in these parts, as Greyhound Canada is much more reliable than its southern parent company that rolls along most Interstate routes.

Some highlights from today, a monstrously long day that started in D.C. and ended in Columbus:

• In D.C.'s waiting room, I talked to a gentleman named Mel. He likes Barack Obama and prefers him to John McCain, but is rooting for McCain, anyway. Why? If Obama wins, Mel says, he will be assassinated. The civil-rights movement will thus be set back a generation.

• Mel also believes that the Monica Lewinsky affair was a set up; that Bill Clinton plotted to kill former commerce secretary Rob Brown; and that the Pentagon strike on 9/11 was not carried out by Islamic terrorists, but "someone else" who actually received training in landing.

• The gentleman in front of me leaving D.C., a clean-cut chap on the way to Richmond, Virginia, proceeded to shield his eyes from light by, I kid you not, wearing underwear on his head.

• Someone behind me sort of mumbled his way through the trip, doubting the existence of New Jersey and requesting corroboration from his seatmate.

• From rural West Virginia until Columbus, I sat across from a drunk Texan who was drunk presumably because he attended two funerals this week in different parts of the country, and is on his way to see his sister who is (hopefully) recovering from triple-bypass surgery.

• A crying baby ruined the trip by crying, in my estimation, 60 per cent of the time. Moral of the story: Always bring some form of nourishment for an infant.

Goodbye, paradise

Maya (left) and Ryan, meet the world.
Thank you so very much.

And...

Meta.

VIDEO: Exclusive broadcast from D.C.

I said in the last post that there wouldn't be a picture of me. But I'm debuting a video series. It's sort of inspired by Warren Kinsella. Anyways, the first one was a bit of an experiment.

Go to Washington, take pictures

It's what you do, right? What's a trip to the National Mall without snapshot like these?

Rest assured, this might be the last picture of me on this blog. I'm not a fan of this kind of thing normally, but this is pretty much to let my parents know that I'm alive and in (fairly) good
shape.


I stumbled upon the Iraqi embassy on Massachusetts Avenue (they sound the whole thing out here, unlike in Boston). Behind me is a water-bottle delivery service. International trade right in front of me!


This is the self-proclaimed Greatest Block in D.C. -- according to the Canadian embassy, anyway. I must agree. That a museum (or Newseum!) about the development of the free press is located right beside the Canadian HQ in Washington is ... well, I can't tell you how at home I felt as I walked past.


Lots of flags, sun bursting through the clouds. Snap.

Holocaust Museum: worth the visit

There isn't too much I want to write about this museum. Suffice to say, I felt sick when I left. I guess that's part of the point. No pictures, of course.

D.C.'s National Cathedral

Ryan and Maya live in Cleveland Park, a fine neighbourhood about a 15-minute walk away from Washington's National Cathedral. West Wing devotees will remember the church from a pretty dramatic scene towards the end of the second season. Melodramatic, say some.

In that episode, the President claimed that the Washington Monument could, on its side, fit into the cathedral. I believe him. That is one monstrous church. And it's just as beautiful as the show suggests.

Map update: 23 October

This is my progress so far. Next stop is Charleston, West Virginia. The bus leaves tonight at 1 a.m. Then it's on to Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi (briefly) and Louisiana.

UPDATE: Part of the itinerary for the next few days looks like this:

D.C. to Charleston, WV
02h15 to 14h45
Overnight

Charleston to Lexington, KY
01h30 to 13h25
Overnight

Lexington to Nashville, TN
22h30 to 05h20
Overnight

Then a hostel/motel!

Nashville to Birmingham, AL
11h20 to 15h50
And then a motel, for sure!

Three nights on a bus in a row. I don't know if that makes sense or not. I think not. I guess we'll see.

In D.C., updates coming soon...

Sorry for the lack of posting. I am currently in Washington, D.C. and will update later this morning, photos and all. Last night, after a 12-hour trip from Boston (a long 12, not a short 12), I was too tired to want to do anything.

But I should mention that the two people currently housing me are without a doubt the coolest Canadian (temporary) expats I've ever met. Their names are Ryan and Maya, and they are studying here in the nation's capital.

They get to witness the ignorance of Americans every day and, as a result, feel more comfortable and secure about Canada's cultural superiority. They can also say they live in D.C., which counts for points right off the bat.

Travis, thank you for introducing us.