Vancouver

so glad to leave New York - not sure whether it was the return bout of Giardia or the city itself, but I am completely exhausted and feel like I can almost breathe again after a week of walking all over the place and being so hot. I never thought i would say this, but i actually wouldn't mind it being even cooller in Vancouver. It is 19 today when i arrived this morning, and after New York i wouldn't mind it being peru-cold for a while. I've had no sleep in i don't know how long, maybe 30 or 40 hours, too tired to work it out. I thought it would be a good idea to get to the airport the night before my early morning flight and try and either check-in or get an earlier flight. As usual the person serving me was rude and snapped back that there is only one flight, and threw the paper back at me. I couldn't beleive it. Actually i totally could beleive it. I had heard about New Yorkers having a reputation for being rude and grumpy but i didn't expect it to prove so true and so obviuosly. I've never had so many rude encounters in one week ever. Almost every person is grumpy, and shops act like they don't want customers and the man at reception one day pointed at me and barked "pay your rent!!". It's funny how after a while you find yourself become grumpy just because everyone around you is - although i tried to remain happy and tried to make a joke about paying my rent and he was just like "yeh? you think that's gonna make me feel better?". pfff. go away.

Arriving in Vancouver seemed like i'd dropped into some heaven on earth where people smile and say thank you and have small-talk and don't look at you like your from another planet. aggh. The actual city, from what i can see so far, is quite pretty with the snowy-mountains surrounding it. Ususally i would have described these as "huge or spectacular" but compared to Peru mountains they are more like pretty mountains, but still pretty big as fas as mountains go.

i pretty much spent this afternoon sleeping as i am trying to recover and get some sleep but i think i am beyond not sleeping and for some reason can't sleep even though everything is blurry if i just sit and stare. I think i may regret this post if i read it later, sounds really wierd.

In future i will only sleep at the airport if it seems absolutley necessary. The time actually went quite fast, but i just on a cold stone bench and listened to music and read my book. I was sitting in a table area when this guy from Zambia just sits right opposite me and i look up from my book and look around at the acres of empty chairs (at 1.00am) and really strain my brain as to why he sat right there and not somewhere more away. Just as i am about to lie down on the bench to try and sleep he starts striking up conversation. He started doing 20 questions Nicky-style. He was firing random questions about if i have ever been to Africa. He even forgot my answers and asked the same questions twice. eg. Have you been to Africa? No. Then ten minutes later in the conversation. Where have you been in Africa? I haven't been to Africa. Ooh ooh and also he was perplexed that i would book my own travel and not use an agent. He couldn't beleive that i would arrive at an airport and not have someone waiting for me. He looked at my bag and asked "Is that not somewhat cumbersome?". i think i said something like hell yeh. oops.

well you can tell i am on my own again as i have resorted to writing about odd social encounters and insignificant things.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!! Love Nicky