October has arrived, finally! In the company that I worked I've advanced all the tasks and give all the possible tips to the person that will stay in my place. I knew that will be hard, because be a Graphic Designer for a video game retailer can have your stressful moments, sometimes more than I would like to admit. But I know I do my best as I stay in a position that I liked and, if I don't I've always play clear and said what bothers me.
In the last eleven years the job was always inviting and new. Zero monotony, on the contrary. For it I expected that my replacement could, at least, feel a little of the pleasure that I have making what I do.
The baggage had been packed the day before, I'm not the type to plan bags weeks in advance; I've tried it once! Just to realize that I needed some clothes that were in the most inaccessible part of the bag some days before the trip! Therefore I've decided avoid this unnecessary stress by doing the bags always on time ;) It works for me and even it seems not healthy for the others, well… I don't care for the others :p
I said goodbye to my dad and brother, filling a little stretch in my heart by leaving then during a month! But for sure I will call then in my first weekend by Skype! The technology it's a wonderful thing!
The eleven hour flight by Air Canada, Brazil - Toronto was smooth. I have no complaints and even the turbulences were faint, the special food with fruits was good and in the Saturday morning there I was, setting foot on Canadian soil for the second time in my life. My brother was waiting for me there to taking me to Brantford were my sister in law and my nephew were waiting for me.
I was already reported my trip to the Canadian Rocks but they doesn't take it so seriously and trying to dissuade me at the last minute, using the good strategy "your nephew almost don't see you…" Of course he makes me very well! Witty, communicative, everything a 3 year old nephew needs to be, but I was coming back! My last week will be with then, right?
Seems like I didn't even close my eyes and the first week was over! Everything was so fast: we went twice to Toronto, in the Korean and Portuguese guetos. I was to check the ROM one more time, hoping to see the exhibition about bats one more time as I saw in 2012… But wasn't there anymore…
I have to ask my brother if he could take me to Toronto again, already packed, or I'll take a cab or a bus… From Toronto's train station I'd go until Alberta and then take a rental car where Nature and technology would collide.
By phone I've contacted the innkeeper and was everything arranged; he even included a guide to the Rocky during the day, your name was John and he was the owner's son. I wasn't sure about it. I'm very visual and have to see this guy and talk to him first to decide if he will be my guide.
Half annoyed, my brother drove me to the train station. My sister in law preferred stay in home and we said goodbye saying that in one week would be back, "if a bear doesn't attack you at the Mountains"... That was his way to say that she cares about me. I laughed and hopped not to arrive so close from a bear like that.
I smelled my cute nephew and said that I'll see soon, he smiled and send me a kiss. At least someone there was sharing my happiness.
The road to Toronto was a bit quiet. I told my brother that all the contacts of the places I would pass and I would be were written in a notebook in my room, if he needed to contact me, I also promised to go to Skype the next day, around 17h SP, because I wanted to call our father. Monosyllabic answers, considerations about the danger of what I was doing, how unnecessary it was. But at the end of each rather harsh sentence I could see the concern in his voice and, unfortunately, could say nothing to make him feel calm, for not even I knew what to expect.
My only defense was how many people make the same trip each year and how many come home. I think the number was 99.99% or so. He did not answer, because if he did, it would be to comment on 0.01%.
We said goodbye and I was waiting for the train, it would be almost eight hour trip and I was very excited, although afraid. Over the years, I have realized that we must always face our imaginary fears, or else they will limit us; and something unthinkable to me was be limited by imaginary fears.
You can't describe how beautiful the landscapes were, how much every shade of leaves enchanted. It was early October, so it was almost late summer there, and some trees were beginning to lose the green color of their leaves, turning to a brown that vaguely resembled the red color they would reach in a few months. I took lots of pictures, saw the silhouette of various animals and birds and stayed there, enjoying the train ride until I fell asleep. I woke up with a light touch on my shoulder of the train clerk saying we had arrived at the destination and removed my backpack and bag from the top of the train, thanking her and getting off.
That was it, it had arrived! Now I had to find a car rental company and I activated the GPS on my cell phone, because I already had the address of it. It wasn't far from there, I took other pictures, enjoyed the twilight weather, and the temperature was quite nice.
I negotiated the rental of a trailer and commented to the attendant who would go to the Crow inn, he smiled and wished a good stay; but something about that smile had not passed safely ... I could only find out when I got there and that's what I did, I cleared any less happy thoughts and took the opportunity to inform my brother and father that I had arrived safely before taking the road.
The path was superb, between conifers and plants of the region, for about an hour and a half. Some small animal always crossed the path, and with that the emotions wouldn't stop. As I parked the car in front of Crow inn I saw the reason for the smile. The place was more for the joint than the hostel! There was a carved wooden crow in front of the place, stained with wood and black paint, one eye painted and the other worn, as if it had long ago had its glory.
I thought to myself that it wouldn't spoil my vacation, the comments about the place were not the worst. Everyone agreed that if you were looking for some technology in the midst of nature, that was the place! So I would try for that night and the next day and if it was impossible, I would come back. I always had the safe harbor of my brother's house, only nine hours from that place.
I grabbed my little backpack, put it on my back. I went to the bed inside the trailer and grabbed the small suitcase with my clothes and headed for the inn reception. There was no one in sight. It took a few taps on the wood of the counter to make a man in his mid-fifties, without most of his teeth and with scary dark circles, scratching his ass as he asked, in an accent I didn't know yet, but it must have been true canadian, what I wanted.
I explained who I was, informed of my reservation over the phone, and was measured up and down by those same scary eyes; of course I did not like it, but there was no turning back at that time ... The sun had already set in those stops and pitch black appeared from time to time, when the moon was covered by clouds.
The construction of the site itself was not bad; extremely wide wood with high ceilings and a staircase leading to the bedrooms at the top of the house. From the outside, it seemed to have a gigantic ceiling height, but inside it was only half of it, the other half being occupied by about 28 rooms, 12 on each side and 4 just in front of the stairs. I signed the papers, cleared my doubts, and took my key, refusing any help from him with my luggage, as polite as possible.
Before I left, I asked about the guide he had commented on the phone and his departure time to the rocks the next day. Mr. Crow reassured me that his son would leave when I really woke up, no appointment. He said his son was not at the inn now, but would introduce us the next morning.
I nodded and climbed the stairs, still half ground from the hours on the train and the tension of driving in an unfamiliar place. I walked slowly up the stairs, seeing details of the building, and was surprised to see that the door was solid wood, as well as the simple furniture inside the room: a large tall cabinet on the right, a double bed in the center, a small table with a tub and a jar of water on the left side and a screen until delicate, forming together with the double bed in very white linen and all with a soft smell of pine and lavender.
Really, I was amazed at the cleanliness and organization! The lousy first impression of the owner of the place had suddenly been filled with something positive.
I grabbed my notebook and opened it, asking to connect to WiFi and found that there was no signal up there! They could only be kidding, right? ... Unfortunately, tiredness had beaten me and I decided to leave the complaints for the next day, when I could - if I wanted to - drive away with my own car.
