2015-06-30: Cultural Sensitivity

We made it to Edmonton! I forgot to mention that I had screwed up the dates somehow. We arrived on the date I expected to arrive but I counted the days wrong in between. I thought we'd be on the train 2 and a bit days but it was 3 and a bit days. Plus some delays.

And More Mild Excitement! The other Trans Canada train passed us, we waved.

I also screwed up my geography. I figured the mountainy bit that runs up the centre of the US would be sort of in the middle of the Canada bit as well. It is not.
As a result we disembarked the train some 24 hrs later than expected and some 24 hours earlier than the train went through the Rocky Mountains.

Llamas are not native to Canada so I didn't have an identification checklist for them. Not sure they even count as having seen wildlife actually.

I don't like to make assumptions about what other people mean when they say and do things (actually I do, it is quite fun) but I think that when the people vote for the Trans Canada Train being one of the top 10 scenic rides in the world they mostly had the mountainy bit in mind.

Traveling Advice: Scenic Canada

Catch the train in Vancouver and take it to Edmonton. You will get the Rocky Mountains and then the expanses of trees and lakes from there to Edmonton. After Edmonton is simply more of the expanses of trees and lakes.

I doubt many people are instagramming their love of this strip club.

I suspect the most fervent Expanses of Trees and Lakes lover will find 12 hours is plenty and 90 odd hours might jade them.

Rating: 10/10 (this is good advice - really truly it is)

We are only in Edmonton for a day or two, we're hoping to train with the Naginata guys from here tomorrow but have nothing planned today. Time to get cultural.

Cultural Water!!!

Many countries have their own idea of what cultural means. Often it involved food which I approve of. Sometimes it includes architecture. This I am not so good at.
Edmonton has some architecture. We looked at it.

Cultural Pyramids!!!

In front of the pyramid / water feature there were a couple of American girls drawing "USA, USA" surrounded by stars in chalk.

Cultural Gehry!!!

My Cultural sensitivity means allowing the girls to think their country is the greatest in the world. My Resistance to Stereotypes of Geographic knowledge means she can forget she is in a different country. So I didn't point out the incongruity of drawing this in Canada the day before Canada Day. My Artistic Aesthetics almost made me point out how crap she was drawing it.

Charrusco Rule #1: Do Not Fill Up On Potatoes (This does not apply to Poles)

Then we ate meat and drank caipirinhas. Canadian charrusco might not be as good as Brazilian but it is still good and high protein.Canadian caipirinhas are pretty good. I had many.