A Safari So Far: No Rest till the West

Things are getting pretty smellful.

It has been four days since we left Montreal and we have played in Kingston, Hamilton and have entered the US on our way to Brandon, Manitoba. We left our pal Kate's place on Tuesday morning and officially began the return voyage to Vancouver, which will take us 6 days. The drive to Kingston in the scorching hot Ontario sun (37 degrees) reminded our lackadaisical Montreal minds that van life is sticky and smelly. We also have amazing farmer's tans. Upon Kingston arrival we negotiated some vehicle maintenance and passed time drinking tall boys on a private company's lawn. The Safari is apparently in great shape for a '97 with 210000 kms on it, so that was brilliant news.

We made our way to a haunted mansion like venue (with volleyball court in the back) and sampled the $2 tacos. They were greasy. This City Defects was late in arriving as they fell on bad luck on their last day in Montreal (although it was tinged with some awesomeness - LCD Soundsystem and french babes). The show was a bit drunk and raging, but the set was crazy fun, we saw some friends, and we continued to party into the small hours back at a fellow named Jack's place. He had been kind enough to offer us some horizontal carpet space. I slept in the van.

Around noon in the morning we drove through bumper to bumper traffic on the 8 lane 401 in 37 degree weather again. Without air conditioning or a functioning passenger window. Plenty of honky sauce to rub on our whiteness (Julian excluded!). We got to Hamilton, ate some tasties, and played at the Casbah (yes) with a band called the Famines from Edmonton. Rockers! Our friends Sheena and Sara (on a cross Canada adventure all their own) came to the show from Toronto. Super coolness of them. After the show we went to a local speakeasy and found a place to crash with the DJ, a hilarious dude named Kevin. Here are some choice quotes:

"I like music a lot, but I like kitties even more"

"You guys are cool, but it would be cooler if you were all cats"

and, as he headed to bed "don't pet my cat or I will kill you"

The next day (I think it was Thursday) we crossed into the US - through a very strict border, were searched once again and intimidation was attempted. They found it hard to believe that none of us had ever been arrested. They were disappointed when we were free to go. We stopped in Lansing, Michigan, and ate Jerk Chicken. Good. We are now in Minneapolis and continue our adventure north to the (apparently) 20 cm snowfall warning in Calgary.

Tally ho!