I did it! I survived my 26-hour travel ordeal and arrived in Kingston, Canada!


Overnighting in O'Hare

From El Paso, I flew to Dallas, then Chicago, then stayed overnight for 8 hours, then flew to Buffalo, then took a taxi to the downtown bus terminal, then got on a long-distance bus, which headed to the Canadian border.


Pssh, Canadian border. Come on, I've been over the North Korean one, and illegally, at that.

I was then hassled by Canadian border authorities who asked me if (a) I had ever met the girlfriend I was visiting (b) how long I had known her (c) if I had a job (d) what my major in university was (e) why I didn't have a return bus ticket and (f) if I was carrying any firearms on my person. What gives? I've never been hassled that much crossing borders before, not even in China(where the guy just stamped my papers and let me through). In fact, the North Korean border crossing was probably the most hassle-free one I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

The Canadians let me through anyway, and from there it was a three-hour bus ride to Toronto, where I stopped for an hour and got colorful Canadian money and a hot dog. I also saw TONS of Asians, more than I've ever seen in any North American city. Everyone up in Canada seemed to be so...fashionable, with their black winter coats and elaborately tied scarves.


Niagara falls was cool, but not cool enough that I would want to spend more than like five minutes passing by on a bus there.


Would you let this scruffy looking guy enter your country without hassling him?


My first time in a major North American city!

Another three-hour bus ride, and we pulled into the Kingston bus terminal, where I was greeted by my darling Rebecca.

Canada in late November is really not as cold as I thought it would be(today it's 32 degrees outside). Wearing my jacket is usually quite enough, and I have plenty of sweaters to wear if it gets colder. I think New Mexico can feel colder at times because of the windchill, but I do need gloves here in Canada.


Yeah yeah, all the way in Kingston ,Canada, representin' LAS CRUCES!

Kingston is really quite a nice town, compared to Las Cruces anyway. The downtown area feels very lively, with lots of people walking around and lots of nice little shops. There's also lots of international cuisine here: we've already had Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese food, and we saw Cambodian, Greek, Arabic, and Indian restaurants around, all within walking distance.


Kingston downtown

It's North America all the same, but it's so different: the houses are multistory and made of brick, there are lots of trees around with their leaves fallen off...I even get to wear a scarf! it feels like I'm in one of those movies set in northern North America, you know?


Scarves are soooooo cool, and everyone up here wears them. I feel like I'm on the set of a Korean TV drama or something. BaeYongJoon, watch out!

Alright, that's all for now. Greetings from Rebecca and Pravit!