Arcticterntalk.org

Escape From Toronto

Another grey dull and now wet day in Toronto. The day of escape from this incarceration. I am sure Toronto and its people have their good points but its just that they are well hidden. Dinner was interesting for people watching last night. Firstly the couple who ordered the smallest bottle of wine that I have ever seen outside a childrens game. They sipped their wine ever so slowly that surely evaporation extracted a greater quantity. But there again the advertised house wine and that’s my description not theirs was 42$. Secondlt the family of four who took so long ordering that I had ordered and eaten 3 courses as they ordered. Was desperately trying to hear their conversations. But the adhd congress was interesting enough. A full day of learning that for me began at 3 am my time with waking for a teleconference taking place in UK time. The hotel continuess to underwhelm me. Its easiest to just say what does not work either at all or randomly. TV and Internet and Bath and Lights. The lights really are a strange thing. Surely all rooms need lights? There are none on the ceiling only lights at the edge of one side of the room and a single one opposite. Meaning that one peers like an elderly man who has lost his spectacles in a comedy film to see anything written. The people of Toronto continue to push and shove and generally behave in an impolite manner. The poor guy cooking the breakfast omelettes and that’s a bad job in my view was suddenly confronted with a man demanding not asking for fresh eggs? Now at 7 am in the dark it was a curious idea as to where the real life chickens would be hidden in this large hotel. Some interesting names of people here. Wonder about their derivation? Coffin, Pottie, Psychopath………. No reason to suspect that these are not real names of real people. Even project escape is not so easy. A fire alarm at the hotel results in total chaos. No employee actually was able to recognise the alarm as a fire alarm. Eventually after the obligatory 15 minutes outside all was sorted. The only smoke was from the dreadful woman who started smoking outside seemingly with a desire to asphyxiate me. Then off to the airport. That’s where I was when I heard Gaddafi was dead. In the taxi because the traffic was appalling. The taxi driver spent the journey lecturing me about Lebanon . I am fairly sure he had ADHD as well with no need for any rating scale.

There is obviuously something about maybe this country, Canada, or this city ,Toronto, that does not really agree with me, we are kind of incompatible. At the airport there are hardly any signs. Even a seasoned traveller suc as myself found it very complex to work out something quite simple, which aisle to use to check in, and the choice was only A-G. Just no signs. Then the security process will win the olympics for slowest procedure of the decade. Just not enough scanners, people and one suspects, processes. Luckily on a business class ticket I made an executive decision to go down the entrance entitled ” fast track” and no-one either hit me or threw me out. But the mere mortals in the ordinary queue may still be there tomorrow and saying ” I remember where I was when Gaddafi died, and when his successor took over and when they had children………..still in the queue”. Lastly finding the airport lounge, and I do realise that not many readers will have much or indeed any sympathy for me but I have, again guess what no signs. It is only when you are within maybe 5 metres of the door one can see a star alliance logo and that gives the clue. Sign saying lounge? No way. I am afraid that I cannot wait to leave this country and have no desire to return. Sad.