Whitehorse, Yukon (via Vancouver)

Travel Day!

To be honest, I don’t like traveling as much as I used to. When I was 20 or 21, I loved it. I looked forward to it. Got excited about it. But over the years, I’ve grown to like it less and less.

I’ve spent over half of my adult life overseas—one year in El Salvador, five in Costa Rica, seven in Honduras, two years in Iraq, four in Pakistan, five in Kenya, over a year in Yemen. Five months in Thailand. A couple of months in Afghanistan. A few in India many years ago. Did I leave anything out?

The logistics are easier in many ways. Security? More difficult.

Packing up Lucy and her saddlebags is not as entertaining as you might imagine. Lugging her box down the hall. Going back for the saddlebags. Always keeping my backpack on.

After retaping Lucy’s box, I called a taxi, which arrived in a few minutes. I lugged everything down to the cab, and John—a Sri Lankan who has lived in Canada for 35 years—helped me stick the better part of the box in the trunk, leaving a couple of feet sticking out the back. He took me three blocks to the Highliner Hotel, where I deposited Lucy-in-a-box and her saddlebags. I had a couple hours to wait for the bus.

I walked up to OV Burger Bar and ordered a cheeseburger, while typing and overlooking the Prince Rupert Harbor.

The bus arrived around 12:45 p.m., and we loaded up. There were so many people that a second bus had to come for all the travelers heading to the airport. Meanwhile, a white box truck hauled all of our bags.

The buses and truck boarded a tiny ferry that took us across the harbor to Digby Island. The vehicles dropped us at the tiny airport which, best I can tell, has only one gate. I struggled in line with my gear but finally made it to security. They opened Lucy’s box and checked inside. I took the opportunity to promote goodwill, telling the security woman about R4P.

“It’s really scary, what’s happening in the U.S.,” she said.

I helped her tape Lucy’s box back together.

“Do you want me to do a little more?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, so she taped the lid down just a little better than it was when I arrived.

We arrived in Vancouver with plenty of time before my next flight. I ordered a seafood rice bowl, which was underwhelming—three tiny shrimp and a whole lot of calamari.

And I don’t like calamari.

There! I’ve said it. Please don’t hold it against me!