Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

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It was very cold, even in September

Travelled from Kansas to Washington DC then flew to Calgary. When I left Kansas, it was 90 degrees and then when I got to Canada it was right at 32 degrees F. I brought fleece socks and hats and gloves and even went and bought sweaters at the salvation army. I layered it on to go to work, only to find the native workers in shorts and t-shirts. They had a fit over my "southern" accent and my layered fleece. What can be said, it was cold. Not to mention my accent is not southern, but midwestern, which they informed me that the midwest IS southern to them. I suppose it is, but by this point, I was feeling a little out of place.

Now, the trip to the Rocky Mountains is different up there than travelling to Colorado. There are these HUGE rock slates that rise to the sky, and the treelines and the snow caps are more prominent against the dark backdrop of the slate. The rock climbing must be great. Unfortunately there was not time to earn the strength to scale the Rockies.

The US Dollar has fallen short compared to the rest of the worlds currency and needless to say, Canada was very expensive. It became my concern to negoatiate with the company to adjust my salary according to the exchange rate of that country I am sent to. It is tragic how employers don't offer this information freely, instead we are left to our own vices to scratch out the necessities that should be rightfully ours. More often than not, a lot of this gripe surrounds our limp dollar.

In free time, I visited Lake Louise. This lake has been acclaimed by fat tourists everywhere as the most visited lake in the rockies. It is a glacier lake and even more cold there than I expected. There are 2 tea houses that are only accessable by hiking 4 miles to and from the entrance to the lake. There are many trails to hike and canoes to rent. Overall, the lake makes my top ten list, though I would suggest staying in a cabin in the national park rather than the expensive resort hotels in the town of Lake Lousie.
The city of Banff is quaint and very shopper friendly, but they also have hot springs and gondola lifts. Leave the mainstreet and drive the scenic routes through the park to catch the Caribou and pocket sized squirrels.

Overall, the culture of our friendly neighbor to the north is similar to the US. I only felt minimal changes in the socia systems, local laws and nightly news. For example, right now they are making a deal about legalizing prostitution for the safety and care concerns for the hookers. There is also a huge problem of homelessness within the city of Calgary. I don't know how they can deal with living outside when it is below freezing 60% of the year.

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