Andrew Aigner-MuehlerLIVING OVERSEAS from my eyes.. MY RETURN TO THE AMERICAN CONTINENT
January 26th 2008 05:40
My return to the American Continent
I left Australia on the 31st of March 2007 headed to Vienna via Sydney, Taiwan and Abu Dhabi. I was going to Vienna to spend a week in London, England before heading back to Austria to spend a couple weeks with the family on my fathers side, as well as celebrating my fathers 60th birthday, even so he didn’t know I was coming.
I flew China Airlines, they’re not the best airline, but they’re better than many non-asian airlines. Since the last time I traveled on a international flight I noticed one extra addition, and that was you can now view the airplane taking off and landing. There are cameras fitted to the bottom of the airplane. The views are wonderful when you’re taking off especially if you have a day flight, but it is not that crash hot when you are landing, you notice quickly if the pilot does not keep a straight line, or you wonder when they’re going to touch down etc.
Also the 31st of March signaled the beginning of the new air safety regulations when you can not take any liquids on board the plane if the container shows more than 100ml or 100g. Also I noticed customs increased their checks especially in Stansted London where they now also weigh your hand luggage, as well as putting it through the x-ray machine, also there is a separate x-ray machine for your shoes. Some airlines advise you to check in three to four hours before your scheduled departure, so it allows you plenty of time to go through customs as it now can take you almost an hour to clear. Also in Salzburg Austria you need to take off your belt, any jewellery, shoes and then the x-ray machine is so sensitive your bad is emptied completely by customs if you have any wires for your computer or walkman. Manchester airport is another story, the security their can be picked up, compared to Stansted and Salzburg airports it is very poor. I think I could off even got through with normal sized shampoo, deodorants etc if I bothered to try.
Any way after spending 26 days on the continent of Europe, I landed in Toronto, on the afternoon of the 27th April, one hour late but at least I made it. I flew with Air Transat a French Canadian Airline which to me is in between a no-frills airline and a standard airline. The service is good, they always attend to you quite frequently, but the only thing I don’t like, or I should say most people don’t like is their transitting, when you book, you think you have a direct flight from Manchester to Toronto, but it is not until you are on the plane you find out it is via Glasgow which was is my case, apparently the flight that left Toronto was told they had a direct flight to Glasgow, until when they boarded they were told they were first going to Manchester and then they had a stopover in Manchester which they had to get off the plane and walk 20 or so minutes to the departure lounge. As I was heading off the plane walking through the terminal to clear customs in Toronto, it is always fairly quick to clear immigration unless you get sent to the room on the side which you may have to wait for a while, luckily on this occasion, there weren’t too many people in that room today. It was much easier to go through as I had paperwork saying I was heading to Halifax for a interview with the U.S consulate for my visa. I cleared so quickly because usually if you have to go to this room and when you leave your bags are usually to the side of the baggage carrasels, on this occasion I think I had to wait around 10 minutes for my luggage. After receiving my luggage I headed to clear customs, and for the first time I can remember they would not let me through I headed out another door where they search my luggage. No joke and not being racist, but I was the only white person in the room maybe possibly the only westerner who needed to have his or her bags checked. When I got called up, he asked me for my passport, noticed I was Australian and said “I think every think is okay here, pop your bags through” a minute later I was on my out of the terminal to catch the TTC (local transport) into the city. I spent one night in Toronto, tried to get back money from Andrew Steele of World Talent Management who owed me $107 for registration fees, if I was not used for any parts on set, but he nicked off without giving a forwarding address. Apparently the security on reception have received many complaints about him. Obviously he was out to scam the public and nick off to sit back and enjoy his life somewhere in the Carribean. I caught up with a ex-housemates and friends Steve and Mallory for a few pints down at Mitzi’s Sister in Parkdale, good little joint this with a little live band playing in the background.
The following day I boarded a Coach Canada bus to Halifax via a change in Montreal, Quebec and Moncton, New Brunswick. The bus ride took 27 hours, not a slow 27 hours sought off a quick one but the bus was full which made it awful, you could not lounge out. Made a possible good friend out of it EJ from Birmingham in England. I arrived at the hostel (Halifax Backpackers) I had booked in around 1930pm in the evening, which was situated on Gottingham street, apparently a bad part of town for crime but I noticed nothing. The next day I checked out where the U.S consulate was, before sightseeing the city. Well, I didn’t realize how small Halifax was, only things to see is about maritime. It is a beautiful old city, but it is not for me, and can not see tourist staying more than 3 days. The next morning at 1030am I had my interview, I decide to leave early, I was down there at 0930am. There was a queue outside the door, which were the 0930am and 1000am interviews. The security guy was checking our DS156’s and photograph’s as they were the important bit of the paperwork as well as checking our bags. I finally made it just inside the room around 1045am where I waited a quarter of an hour until another security guard checked that I had all that I needed for the interviewers over the counter. At that time all my paperwork was correct besides I was missing $US100 cash. I was told by Kellee Burris of I.R.E.S that everything was taken care off besides having the interview. The thing was I had no cash on me, my debit card which had a pin number only had $3 in it, but I had my Visa credit card which didn’t have a pin number attach to it. Okay, all I could do was go to the bank and hope they could give me cash from my credit card from over the counter by swiping my card and showing I.D along with signing for it. Thankfully for me it was okay. I quickly headed back to the consulate, handed over $US100 note, went into the other room and waited maybe 15 minutes until I got caught up. I knew straight away by the way she was shuffling my paperwork there was something wrong, and there was. The lady started asking me questions like when did I leave Australia? Where was I before entering Canada? Why am I applying in Canada? Why I didn’t apply in Australia? Before going onto say “you have no ties to Canada, you can not apply for your visa here” she gave me back all of my documents with a explanation letter why I was refused, and also said “this wont take affect on future applications”. But, it does say on the letter I cannot apply for a visa for 6 months. At this time I was mad, not mad but pissed off. I tried to ring Kellee Burris, there was no answer. I later emailed her as soon as I got back to the hostel. Leaving her a telephone number to contact me ASAP. I had no reply. I needed to cool off. The only thing that could sought off cool me off is going down the pub for a pint. What better, but to see Liverpool and Chelsea play in the Champions League Semi Final re-match. It helped me a bit, but still, I could not get it out of my mine. I knew I was going back to Australia, either to apply for my visa after 6 months and knowing I still might have to pay out more funds, or to count my losses, I may get some money back, and not live my dream of working in New York.
I let a little steam out when Liverpool finally sunk Chelsea in the penalty shoot out 4-1.
I headed straight back to the hostel after the match to view my email messages. I had a lengthy email message from Kellee. To me, even so, she sounded sorry I didn’t get my visa, but she was saying it was all my fault. She accused me of defamatory comments, that I thought was not defamatory. I can only go by what she sends me in e-mail. Kellee was a employment agent basically to help me in getting jobs in America. She offers a lot of advice, not necessarily the correct advice, as I know now, but later says “we can’t expect for her know everything from all the countries”. To me, you don’t put something in a email saying “by my research, you can apply for your J1 visa on a visitors visa”. Me like anyone on this planet, would trust what he/she says, as that person is employed in the industry and you hope they know what they’re talking about. I tried to tell her, if she thought I had chance of getting the visa outside of Australia, she should have told me so, and I would not have gone ahead with the internship or position, but at the end of the day, I think she was just after my money, and had no interest in me. I think five plus months was long enough for her to find me a position and get a visa organized before leaving Australia, even she said the same thing at the first contact when I enquired about the position. Every week or so I either emailed or telephoned her about what is going on, touching base and everything. Had no signs from her about a interview coming up. One week or so before leaving Brisbane, I telephoned her and said whats going on? I’m leaving Brisbane and heading to Adelaide before I leave Australia and yet there is nothing organized. Suddenly in the next few days she found me a interview and just days before leaving Brisbane, I had a interview and the day I left Brisbane, I was told they liked me, and I had a internship. She then had two weeks to organize and send out my paperwork and for me to attend an interview. I just managed to get the contract just days before leaving Australia. She tried to get me to change my airline departure dates. But I couldn’t. As I told her I five months before hand at the initial first contact, I needed to be in Austria for my dad’s 60th birthday. It wasn’t until the 19th of April when I finally received my visa details to go to the interview with. If I would have waited in Australia I would have missed my fathers birthday. The contract said for me to start on the 14th of May. I had three weeks and then minus all the weekends, I had basically no time to organize a visa interview, any one who has booked a interview with the US consulate, knows the times book up weeks and sometimes months in advance. I tried Toronto, then Montreal, then Ottawa, then Quebec City, and then I tried Halifax, and I managed to get a time. Then I had to book a airfare from Europe to Canada. Luckily I had already paid for the biggest expense from Australia to Europe. Can you imagine trying to find a cheap airfare a week before departure as well as free seat. Everyone know it is not easy. Everyone knows it not cheap. Tickets then are quite expensive. What does she expect from people. Obviously she hasn’t traveled overseas much especially gone to live overseas. Then you know what happened when I left Europe and arrived in Canada. The worst nightmare of my life. To this day it is hard for me to watch a American show, and think, ‘what could have been’. Working in New York was my dream, a dream now I can’t fulfill. Kellee says just go back to Australia and reapply for your visa. Yes, I can. But where does the money come from. I need to find another $2000 for a airfare to America. Time to go to the US consulate to apply. Another $US100 for the visa interview fee. It will be another 4 to 6 months before I have that money put aside again. I still have to somehow live in Australia to work and save up that money. It was so easy for her to say, just go back to Australia and reapply, but she didn’t think at all for one minute. To tell the truth, I don’t think she knows much at all about her job, she was trying to tell me, you can apply just days after being refused, but it clearly says down the bottom of the refusal letter you can not reapply for 6 moths.
When I left Halifax on the Wednesday afternoon on Orleans coachlines headed for Moncton to catch a Air Canada Jazz flight to Toronto early Thursday morning, I tried to put this all behind me, and move on with my life, and to enjoy the last 7 to 12 days before going back to Australia. This flight from Moncton to Toronto, I just managed to book an hour before I left on the coach to Moncton from Halifax. I had no plans to leave Halifax until the next day. It cost me less than the return trip back on the bus to Toronto, as well it gave me a extra day in Toronto and not on the bus. I just didn’t want to do that 27 hours on the bus again. Hence why I searched everywhere for this flight.
I left Halifax at lunchtime, thinking, yep, I will get to Moncton put my luggage into storage at the airport, and head off into town and watch the football. How wrong was I? Moncton airport is small. They had no storage. This means I stayed from 5pm Wednesday evening until 6 am Thursday morning in the airport. I made 2 minute noodle for dinner using foam coffee cups and the hot water from the hot drink machine. I slept on the carousals, which wasn’t bad, it gave me the rest necessarily for my flight, had no distractions, but I boarded the plane without having a wash. Suppose it didn’t worry me, as I have slept in many airports before.
Anyway I got back to Lester Pearsons airport in greater Toronto at around 8:30am. Didn’t take long to get my bags at all, just another time to go to the toilet, and then get on the TTC bus to the subway station. I organized the night before with Steve, I will be at the old house around 9am. It was good of my old ladlord Tim to let me stay for $10 a night, I paid him $50 for 6 days. He has a bad memory. To tell the truth, I would not have paid any more, not to live in that mess. I didn’t want to go out a buy blankets and that for a week so I slept on a mattress which I stuck a table cloth too and slept with two jackets over me. It was okay, but wont do it again. It was good to stay at the old house Steve and I had three barbecues over the six days. It was a time to catch up with people and the old city I used to live in. the last night in Toronto was for me at the Rogers Center to watch the Jays take on the Redsox in the American league east baseball group. the Jays were out of the match from the opening pitch. I tried to catch up with the old crew I worked with, but security was too tight. After the match we headed to the Horseshoe Tavern for a few pints. We listened to the band in the background, chatted up a few chicks, but we think they were chatting us up, and then we walked home. The next morning I was up early, did my washing, packed my bag, and I left for the airport just after lunch bound for Manchester on Thomas Cook.
On arrival in Manchester, I caught the local bus to the city, I sat around the coach terminal all of the morning just waiting to board my bus which wasn’t until later that night, just before midnight actually. I got sick of waiting around, so I walked to a backpackers and checked myself into a hostel for the day. I caught up on some sleep. Had a wash. Cooked a meal and left. Yeh, it may have been a waste of money just for 8 hours, but atleast I had a cheap cooked meal and a wash and a sleep. Later that night I boarded National Express to London which sought of connected to the Eurolines coach to Vienna. Again I thought it may have been a long trip, but it didn’t seem that long at all. I managed to keep two seats to myself. Seated across for me were a Slovakian Mother and daughter. If the daughter didn’t like me, I must be stupid. You couldn’t stop looking at me. I passed her my details when I got to Vienna at least I know her mother gives me a pass mark. Lets see what happens now.
On the Eurolines coach I am so surprised you don’t go through customs before you board the ferry or the train that goes through the tunnel. They check your passport. But don’t scan your luggage or yourself. In times like today, where there are so many terrorist attacks, it will be a major castrophy if that gets targeted. On the way to Vienna we drove through France, Belguim, Germany and then Austria. I checked into my hostel late morning in Vienna, I did a one day sightseeing tour, just enough to get a feel of Vienna, I mainly just wanted to see the Prata, to tell the truth, I was disappointed. The Prata is not as big as I thought it was. The views are okay but not that spectacular. What disappointed me, is that they don’t take Visa credit or debit to go on the Prata, but then they receive any cards if you purchase a photo just before you go on the ride, and they also receive any cards if you want to buy a souvenir after the ride. I just didn’t understand why they just don’t accept cards to go on the ride too.
One thing about Vienna, they have a good transit system, even so, it is bit on the old side. I just don’t like their gates to board the underground train system. There is no gates and anyone can ride the train for nothing.
I had a early night in Vienna that night, as I had to be at the airport early the next morning to catch a flight to Taiwan via Abu Dhabi.
I left Australia on the 31st of March 2007 headed to Vienna via Sydney, Taiwan and Abu Dhabi. I was going to Vienna to spend a week in London, England before heading back to Austria to spend a couple weeks with the family on my fathers side, as well as celebrating my fathers 60th birthday, even so he didn’t know I was coming.
I flew China Airlines, they’re not the best airline, but they’re better than many non-asian airlines. Since the last time I traveled on a international flight I noticed one extra addition, and that was you can now view the airplane taking off and landing. There are cameras fitted to the bottom of the airplane. The views are wonderful when you’re taking off especially if you have a day flight, but it is not that crash hot when you are landing, you notice quickly if the pilot does not keep a straight line, or you wonder when they’re going to touch down etc.
Also the 31st of March signaled the beginning of the new air safety regulations when you can not take any liquids on board the plane if the container shows more than 100ml or 100g. Also I noticed customs increased their checks especially in Stansted London where they now also weigh your hand luggage, as well as putting it through the x-ray machine, also there is a separate x-ray machine for your shoes. Some airlines advise you to check in three to four hours before your scheduled departure, so it allows you plenty of time to go through customs as it now can take you almost an hour to clear. Also in Salzburg Austria you need to take off your belt, any jewellery, shoes and then the x-ray machine is so sensitive your bad is emptied completely by customs if you have any wires for your computer or walkman. Manchester airport is another story, the security their can be picked up, compared to Stansted and Salzburg airports it is very poor. I think I could off even got through with normal sized shampoo, deodorants etc if I bothered to try.
Any way after spending 26 days on the continent of Europe, I landed in Toronto, on the afternoon of the 27th April, one hour late but at least I made it. I flew with Air Transat a French Canadian Airline which to me is in between a no-frills airline and a standard airline. The service is good, they always attend to you quite frequently, but the only thing I don’t like, or I should say most people don’t like is their transitting, when you book, you think you have a direct flight from Manchester to Toronto, but it is not until you are on the plane you find out it is via Glasgow which was is my case, apparently the flight that left Toronto was told they had a direct flight to Glasgow, until when they boarded they were told they were first going to Manchester and then they had a stopover in Manchester which they had to get off the plane and walk 20 or so minutes to the departure lounge. As I was heading off the plane walking through the terminal to clear customs in Toronto, it is always fairly quick to clear immigration unless you get sent to the room on the side which you may have to wait for a while, luckily on this occasion, there weren’t too many people in that room today. It was much easier to go through as I had paperwork saying I was heading to Halifax for a interview with the U.S consulate for my visa. I cleared so quickly because usually if you have to go to this room and when you leave your bags are usually to the side of the baggage carrasels, on this occasion I think I had to wait around 10 minutes for my luggage. After receiving my luggage I headed to clear customs, and for the first time I can remember they would not let me through I headed out another door where they search my luggage. No joke and not being racist, but I was the only white person in the room maybe possibly the only westerner who needed to have his or her bags checked. When I got called up, he asked me for my passport, noticed I was Australian and said “I think every think is okay here, pop your bags through” a minute later I was on my out of the terminal to catch the TTC (local transport) into the city. I spent one night in Toronto, tried to get back money from Andrew Steele of World Talent Management who owed me $107 for registration fees, if I was not used for any parts on set, but he nicked off without giving a forwarding address. Apparently the security on reception have received many complaints about him. Obviously he was out to scam the public and nick off to sit back and enjoy his life somewhere in the Carribean. I caught up with a ex-housemates and friends Steve and Mallory for a few pints down at Mitzi’s Sister in Parkdale, good little joint this with a little live band playing in the background.
The following day I boarded a Coach Canada bus to Halifax via a change in Montreal, Quebec and Moncton, New Brunswick. The bus ride took 27 hours, not a slow 27 hours sought off a quick one but the bus was full which made it awful, you could not lounge out. Made a possible good friend out of it EJ from Birmingham in England. I arrived at the hostel (Halifax Backpackers) I had booked in around 1930pm in the evening, which was situated on Gottingham street, apparently a bad part of town for crime but I noticed nothing. The next day I checked out where the U.S consulate was, before sightseeing the city. Well, I didn’t realize how small Halifax was, only things to see is about maritime. It is a beautiful old city, but it is not for me, and can not see tourist staying more than 3 days. The next morning at 1030am I had my interview, I decide to leave early, I was down there at 0930am. There was a queue outside the door, which were the 0930am and 1000am interviews. The security guy was checking our DS156’s and photograph’s as they were the important bit of the paperwork as well as checking our bags. I finally made it just inside the room around 1045am where I waited a quarter of an hour until another security guard checked that I had all that I needed for the interviewers over the counter. At that time all my paperwork was correct besides I was missing $US100 cash. I was told by Kellee Burris of I.R.E.S that everything was taken care off besides having the interview. The thing was I had no cash on me, my debit card which had a pin number only had $3 in it, but I had my Visa credit card which didn’t have a pin number attach to it. Okay, all I could do was go to the bank and hope they could give me cash from my credit card from over the counter by swiping my card and showing I.D along with signing for it. Thankfully for me it was okay. I quickly headed back to the consulate, handed over $US100 note, went into the other room and waited maybe 15 minutes until I got caught up. I knew straight away by the way she was shuffling my paperwork there was something wrong, and there was. The lady started asking me questions like when did I leave Australia? Where was I before entering Canada? Why am I applying in Canada? Why I didn’t apply in Australia? Before going onto say “you have no ties to Canada, you can not apply for your visa here” she gave me back all of my documents with a explanation letter why I was refused, and also said “this wont take affect on future applications”. But, it does say on the letter I cannot apply for a visa for 6 months. At this time I was mad, not mad but pissed off. I tried to ring Kellee Burris, there was no answer. I later emailed her as soon as I got back to the hostel. Leaving her a telephone number to contact me ASAP. I had no reply. I needed to cool off. The only thing that could sought off cool me off is going down the pub for a pint. What better, but to see Liverpool and Chelsea play in the Champions League Semi Final re-match. It helped me a bit, but still, I could not get it out of my mine. I knew I was going back to Australia, either to apply for my visa after 6 months and knowing I still might have to pay out more funds, or to count my losses, I may get some money back, and not live my dream of working in New York.
I let a little steam out when Liverpool finally sunk Chelsea in the penalty shoot out 4-1.
I headed straight back to the hostel after the match to view my email messages. I had a lengthy email message from Kellee. To me, even so, she sounded sorry I didn’t get my visa, but she was saying it was all my fault. She accused me of defamatory comments, that I thought was not defamatory. I can only go by what she sends me in e-mail. Kellee was a employment agent basically to help me in getting jobs in America. She offers a lot of advice, not necessarily the correct advice, as I know now, but later says “we can’t expect for her know everything from all the countries”. To me, you don’t put something in a email saying “by my research, you can apply for your J1 visa on a visitors visa”. Me like anyone on this planet, would trust what he/she says, as that person is employed in the industry and you hope they know what they’re talking about. I tried to tell her, if she thought I had chance of getting the visa outside of Australia, she should have told me so, and I would not have gone ahead with the internship or position, but at the end of the day, I think she was just after my money, and had no interest in me. I think five plus months was long enough for her to find me a position and get a visa organized before leaving Australia, even she said the same thing at the first contact when I enquired about the position. Every week or so I either emailed or telephoned her about what is going on, touching base and everything. Had no signs from her about a interview coming up. One week or so before leaving Brisbane, I telephoned her and said whats going on? I’m leaving Brisbane and heading to Adelaide before I leave Australia and yet there is nothing organized. Suddenly in the next few days she found me a interview and just days before leaving Brisbane, I had a interview and the day I left Brisbane, I was told they liked me, and I had a internship. She then had two weeks to organize and send out my paperwork and for me to attend an interview. I just managed to get the contract just days before leaving Australia. She tried to get me to change my airline departure dates. But I couldn’t. As I told her I five months before hand at the initial first contact, I needed to be in Austria for my dad’s 60th birthday. It wasn’t until the 19th of April when I finally received my visa details to go to the interview with. If I would have waited in Australia I would have missed my fathers birthday. The contract said for me to start on the 14th of May. I had three weeks and then minus all the weekends, I had basically no time to organize a visa interview, any one who has booked a interview with the US consulate, knows the times book up weeks and sometimes months in advance. I tried Toronto, then Montreal, then Ottawa, then Quebec City, and then I tried Halifax, and I managed to get a time. Then I had to book a airfare from Europe to Canada. Luckily I had already paid for the biggest expense from Australia to Europe. Can you imagine trying to find a cheap airfare a week before departure as well as free seat. Everyone know it is not easy. Everyone knows it not cheap. Tickets then are quite expensive. What does she expect from people. Obviously she hasn’t traveled overseas much especially gone to live overseas. Then you know what happened when I left Europe and arrived in Canada. The worst nightmare of my life. To this day it is hard for me to watch a American show, and think, ‘what could have been’. Working in New York was my dream, a dream now I can’t fulfill. Kellee says just go back to Australia and reapply for your visa. Yes, I can. But where does the money come from. I need to find another $2000 for a airfare to America. Time to go to the US consulate to apply. Another $US100 for the visa interview fee. It will be another 4 to 6 months before I have that money put aside again. I still have to somehow live in Australia to work and save up that money. It was so easy for her to say, just go back to Australia and reapply, but she didn’t think at all for one minute. To tell the truth, I don’t think she knows much at all about her job, she was trying to tell me, you can apply just days after being refused, but it clearly says down the bottom of the refusal letter you can not reapply for 6 moths.
When I left Halifax on the Wednesday afternoon on Orleans coachlines headed for Moncton to catch a Air Canada Jazz flight to Toronto early Thursday morning, I tried to put this all behind me, and move on with my life, and to enjoy the last 7 to 12 days before going back to Australia. This flight from Moncton to Toronto, I just managed to book an hour before I left on the coach to Moncton from Halifax. I had no plans to leave Halifax until the next day. It cost me less than the return trip back on the bus to Toronto, as well it gave me a extra day in Toronto and not on the bus. I just didn’t want to do that 27 hours on the bus again. Hence why I searched everywhere for this flight.
I left Halifax at lunchtime, thinking, yep, I will get to Moncton put my luggage into storage at the airport, and head off into town and watch the football. How wrong was I? Moncton airport is small. They had no storage. This means I stayed from 5pm Wednesday evening until 6 am Thursday morning in the airport. I made 2 minute noodle for dinner using foam coffee cups and the hot water from the hot drink machine. I slept on the carousals, which wasn’t bad, it gave me the rest necessarily for my flight, had no distractions, but I boarded the plane without having a wash. Suppose it didn’t worry me, as I have slept in many airports before.
Anyway I got back to Lester Pearsons airport in greater Toronto at around 8:30am. Didn’t take long to get my bags at all, just another time to go to the toilet, and then get on the TTC bus to the subway station. I organized the night before with Steve, I will be at the old house around 9am. It was good of my old ladlord Tim to let me stay for $10 a night, I paid him $50 for 6 days. He has a bad memory. To tell the truth, I would not have paid any more, not to live in that mess. I didn’t want to go out a buy blankets and that for a week so I slept on a mattress which I stuck a table cloth too and slept with two jackets over me. It was okay, but wont do it again. It was good to stay at the old house Steve and I had three barbecues over the six days. It was a time to catch up with people and the old city I used to live in. the last night in Toronto was for me at the Rogers Center to watch the Jays take on the Redsox in the American league east baseball group. the Jays were out of the match from the opening pitch. I tried to catch up with the old crew I worked with, but security was too tight. After the match we headed to the Horseshoe Tavern for a few pints. We listened to the band in the background, chatted up a few chicks, but we think they were chatting us up, and then we walked home. The next morning I was up early, did my washing, packed my bag, and I left for the airport just after lunch bound for Manchester on Thomas Cook.
On arrival in Manchester, I caught the local bus to the city, I sat around the coach terminal all of the morning just waiting to board my bus which wasn’t until later that night, just before midnight actually. I got sick of waiting around, so I walked to a backpackers and checked myself into a hostel for the day. I caught up on some sleep. Had a wash. Cooked a meal and left. Yeh, it may have been a waste of money just for 8 hours, but atleast I had a cheap cooked meal and a wash and a sleep. Later that night I boarded National Express to London which sought of connected to the Eurolines coach to Vienna. Again I thought it may have been a long trip, but it didn’t seem that long at all. I managed to keep two seats to myself. Seated across for me were a Slovakian Mother and daughter. If the daughter didn’t like me, I must be stupid. You couldn’t stop looking at me. I passed her my details when I got to Vienna at least I know her mother gives me a pass mark. Lets see what happens now.
On the Eurolines coach I am so surprised you don’t go through customs before you board the ferry or the train that goes through the tunnel. They check your passport. But don’t scan your luggage or yourself. In times like today, where there are so many terrorist attacks, it will be a major castrophy if that gets targeted. On the way to Vienna we drove through France, Belguim, Germany and then Austria. I checked into my hostel late morning in Vienna, I did a one day sightseeing tour, just enough to get a feel of Vienna, I mainly just wanted to see the Prata, to tell the truth, I was disappointed. The Prata is not as big as I thought it was. The views are okay but not that spectacular. What disappointed me, is that they don’t take Visa credit or debit to go on the Prata, but then they receive any cards if you purchase a photo just before you go on the ride, and they also receive any cards if you want to buy a souvenir after the ride. I just didn’t understand why they just don’t accept cards to go on the ride too.
One thing about Vienna, they have a good transit system, even so, it is bit on the old side. I just don’t like their gates to board the underground train system. There is no gates and anyone can ride the train for nothing.
I had a early night in Vienna that night, as I had to be at the airport early the next morning to catch a flight to Taiwan via Abu Dhabi.
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