Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nineteen days later, I walked off the ship into the Vancouver port and was quickly re-
minded of another quote: “The most dangerous moment comes with victory in sight.”
Napoleon said that, and he knew about this sort of thing. As the frigid air of a Canadian
winter hit me in the face, I realized that while victory might have been in sight, it wasn't
yet mine. Because I quickly realized that Canada is not warm.
You see, I may have left Los Angeles during the summer months and followed the sun
around the world, but I had returned to North America in the winter.
All I had was my threadbare red jacket, which I had been wearing in the summer
months, and a raggedy old pullover. And to make matters worse, I had arrived during a
particularly chilly cold snap. Everyone I met was talking about it, including the crew, who
looked at me incredulously as I climbed on Kindness One and bid them farewell in the
freezing winds. By the time I arrived in the center of the city, I was convinced that I had
frostbite. I probably did have frostbite. I knew where frostbite could lead—death. And let's
face it, I hadn't made it around the world, through Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and
across three major oceans to die of frostbite in Vancouver.
I stumbled into a restaurant, and when the owners saw me they knew something was
wrong. After explaining my story, the first thing they did was place me next to a fire. The
second thing they did was feed me. The third thing they did was feed me some more.
Paul and Maureen had owned their restaurant for thirty years, but they seemed more in-
tent to tell me about the Canadian Rockies.
“You've never been?” Maureen asked me with a shocked tone as she served me another
bowl of soup. I could barely speak, so I just shook my head as my shaky spoon moved to
my mouth.
“Oh, Leon! You've got to go,” Maureen cried in response.
“Truly the most beautiful thing you've ever seen,” Paul added.
I nodded again, wondering how they could boast about cold mountain air while I was
still trying to defrost from it. But boast they did. They told me about the snow-covered
mountains, skiing, nature, and rogue bears.
I must admit that I wasn't really listening. I was eating and getting as close to the fire as
I could without jumping in it.
I explained that I would love to visit the Rockies, hoping my enthusiasm would quell
them. And then I added that I was looking for a place to stay for the night.
“Well, we have our in-laws in town,” Paul began.
