Canadian Club

[Montreal Wanderer]

I’ve always been a little jealous of TW members who meet to go to the Reebok, or to have a beer, or both, or to play golf, etc. It is harder for we foreigners to meet. The only TW member from Montreal, to the best of my knowledge, is still in school and supports the Philadelphia Flyers . Still, while Canadians may step on the line in a relay or belly flop from the 10 metre board, we don’t let little things like distance deter us. So I drove 5000 kms to Victoria, B.C. (on Vancouver Island) where I arranged to meet seanworth in a bar. Sean lived a couple of humdred kilometers “up Island” and decided to bicycle down (he cheated a bit by taking a ferry round a large mountain). So I got to meet my first TWer in real life. I had thought of Sean as someone who ran a bar in Bangkok and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It transpired that bar management was a fairly recent departure for him, and he had spent over a quarter of a century in the Far East doing a number of interest things involving government consulting. He was home on family business and thinking of pursuing his further career in Africa. I imagine he found having a beer with a retired librarian somewhat tame. He stated the intention to cycle up the BC Sunshine Coast while he was home. I have only driven the first part of this up Howe Sound and it is a beautiful area. I imagine Sean wants to go the whole way to Desolation Sound and will probably get eaten by a Grizzly. Still it was great to meet him after a long virtual relationship.

[seanworth]

Cheers Monty. Must say the pleasure was all mine. Feel no guilt whatsoever opting for a ferry ride to avoid that mountain, since it was the only chance in hell I had to avoid a night in hospital and make it for drinks that evening with yourself and your better half. Always had a soft spot for Victoria dating back to my University days. Really had a good time, and in fact my entire trip was a blast, and after 600kms of riding and 100 nautical miles of ferry trips (5 in total), I managed to make it back home safe and sound while carefully avoiding any encounters with grizzly bears. Must admit once I hit the mainland the only wildlife I encountered was roadkill, which included a skunk. The next day I decided to hug the coast from downtown Victoria right out to the ferry, which is a stunning trip to say the least but by the time I reached my destination in Vancouver I was well in need of a day off. Noticed that Victoria is as deer infested as the rest of the Island as I came across around 30 deer that morning including a couple in Oak Bay as I passed through. Rode all around Vancouver, then headed off to the Sunshine coast making my circular trip back home. Gorgeous part of the country it is, and can't believe I'd never done it before. Enjoyed my day in Victoria and especially the stimulating conversation with yourself in the quaint confines of Oak Bay. Cheers for the beers and hopefully someday I can return the graciousness in Montreal. Sorry about the picture below.

[Il Pirate]

Lovely story guys. Sean; I am so jealous of your ride!!! My lad used to live & work in Montreal ( & Monkton also); but is now back at Southampton uni. Completely ruined my holiday plans! Glad you could meet up, I had the same trepidation when meeting someone from t'internet for the first time the other week, initial fears completely unfounded. Bish & GG couldn't have been sweeter.

[Bruce Rioja]

Sean - I had you down as being a long-haired hippy type. I've no idea why though

Great story, guys.

[thebish]

Lovely story guys. Sean; I am so jealous of your ride!!! My lad used to live & work in Montreal ( & Monkton also); but is now back at Southampton uni. Completely ruined my holiday plans! Glad you could meet up, I had the same trepidation when meeting someone from t'internet for the first time the other week, initial fears completely unfounded. Bish & GG couldn't have been sweeter.

i've been described as many things - rarely "sweet"!

[Bruce Rioja]

Lovely story guys. Sean; I am so jealous of your ride!!! My lad used to live & work in Montreal ( & Monkton also); but is now back at Southampton uni. Completely ruined my holiday plans! Glad you could meet up, I had the same trepidation when meeting someone from t'internet for the first time the other week, initial fears completely unfounded. Bish & GG couldn't have been sweeter.

i've been described as many things - rarely "sweet"!

You probably are now after all your crumble and custard indulgence.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Cheers Monty. Must say the pleasure was all mine. Feel no guilt whatsoever opting for a ferry ride to avoid that mountain, since it was the only chance in hell I had to avoid a night in hospital and make it for drinks that evening with yourself and your better half. Always had a soft spot for Victoria dating back to my University days. Really had a good time, and in fact my entire trip was a blast, and after 600kms of riding and 100 nautical miles of ferry trips (5 in total), I managed to make it back home safe and sound while carefully avoiding any encounters with grizzly bears. Must admit once I hit the mainland the only wildlife I encountered was roadkill, which included a skunk. The next day I decided to hug the coast from downtown Victoria right out to the ferry, which is a stunning trip to say the least but by the time I reached my destination in Vancouver I was well in need of a day off. Noticed that Victoria is as deer infested as the rest of the Island as I came across around 30 deer that morning including a couple in Oak Bay as I passed through. Rode all around Vancouver, then headed off to the Sunshine coast making my circular trip back home. Gorgeous part of the country it is, and can't believe I'd never done it before. Enjoyed my day in Victoria and especially the stimulating conversation with yourself in the quaint confines of Oak Bay. Cheers for the beers and hopefully someday I can return the graciousness in Montreal. Sorry about the picture below.

There's a girl called Melanie looking for a famous foreign face like yours, Sean. Actually you look in total shock - doubtless at having met us.

It was a bit controversial at my sister's house when I announced I was going to meet an acquaintance at a local pub and they were welcome to accompany me. My sister went into interrogation mode - Who is it? What does he do? How did you meet,? Etc. I explained that we had never met but he was, to the best of my knowledge, someone who ran a bar in Thailand and we had met over the internet. My sister, who has turned a bit awkward as she ages, said I wasn't to invite him to her house and went off muttering about the rising crime rate in Victoria, what she had heard about Bangkok barmen and the perils of meeting internet predators. My son, the engineer, who has never been known to turn down a free beer in the history of drinking, decided to pass. My wife was reluctant because she worried we would talk about Bolton Wanderers, a subject on which her knowledge verges on the absolute. I assured her that subject had already been dealt with online and was unlikely to come up in the summer anyway,

I agree, Bruce, that Sean wasn't how I had envisioned him, but that was on the basis of the Bangkok bar. When I heard (in general) what he had been doing for most of his professional life he looked far more the part. I could see him somewhere east of Suez handling tough assignments with only mad dogs and Englishmen for company.

I'm glad the Sunshine Coast trip went well, Sean, especially given the weather. You've talked me into trying it one day. By car, if the ferries take them! I took the great Northern route home, through Squamish and Jasper, staying at Wildwood, AB and Prince Albert, Sask. Couldn't avoid Winnipeg, but then took highway 11 out of Thunder Bay stopping at Hearst and Val d'Or, eventually making it home through La Verendrie park and Mont Tremblant. All very interesting, but I think BC and western Alberta are the places to go for scenery.

In the unlikely event you, or any TWer, comes to Montreal give me a call. Il Pirate's son passed on the opportunity and who can blame him?! There is too much to do without wasting time with old Dad's even older virtual acquaintances. But the more sedate generation are more than welcome...

[General Mannerheim]

cant believe i read all that and its fkall to do with bourbon?

[Montreal Wanderer]

cant believe i read all that and its fkall to do with bourbon?

I realize, General, that the Winter War may have slowed your synapses but I have to inform you that Canadian Club is rye whiskey not bourbon, which is made from corn by our neighbours to the south.

[boltonboris]

That's you told General, you thick c*nt

[General Mannerheim]

i know! tastes like shit anyway...

not really, its tremendous!

[americantrotter]

It might be good for us to get a map going. For all the ex pats and such. We do have a bigger international compliment than we used to.

[seanworth]

Monty: I hear that Alberta which has been a self proclaimed rat free province for 50 years now discovered rats in Medicine Hat last week. I'm sure I read somewhere on this site that you recently stayed there. Coincidence?

[Dujon]

I've put the Rattenfänger von Hameln on red alert, seanworth. You might keep me up to date on things, if you please.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Monty: I hear that Alberta which has been a self proclaimed rat free province for 50 years now discovered rats in Medicine Hat last week. I'm sure I read somewhere on this site that you recently stayed there. Coincidence?

I was indeed in Medicine Hat getting the last motel room in town because it was their Stampede - who knew they had one? Anyway, with all those cowpokes coming from all over with their chuckwagons I'm not surprised a few rats came with them. I am surprised that any province could claim to be rat free for fifty years.

[seanworth]

Monty: I hear that Alberta which has been a self proclaimed rat free province for 50 years now discovered rats in Medicine Hat last week. I'm sure I read somewhere on this site that you recently stayed there. Coincidence?

I was indeed in Medicine Hat getting the last motel room in town because it was their Stampede - who knew they had one? Anyway, with all those cowpokes coming from all over with their chuckwagons I'm not surprised a few rats came with them. I am surprised that any province could claim to be rat free for fifty years.

O.k. I'll let you off the hook. Surprised myself about the bold claim but then if any province in this country was going to make an absurd claim which one would you have guessed?