Entering Canada

I now leave Glacier National Park and ride toward Canada, having a glimpse of a row of steep rocky mountains on my left. The border is within the distance of only 30 km. Probably most cars are entering Canada. The traffic has become much lighter. Straight ahead of me I see a building displaying an American flag and behind it another building with a Canadian flag. On the American side both the building and parking area are large, however, any trace of human existence cannot be detected. Wondering where to enter there, I have come to the gate of the American border. I happen to find a car entering the US from Canada. Looking after the car, a gate comes into sight and there is certainly someone in charge. It is not a good idea to leave a country without getting through paperwork. So, I follow the car and park my bike behind it. I tell the officer, "I am leaving the US and entering Canada." The officer is getting upset. I should have gone through the gate without reporting after all. The procedure at the Canadian border is also very easy. They don't check my possessions and immediately gave me three-months permission to stay in Canada. When crossing a border, I always become nervous to some extent. The place where I felt "border jitters" most in the previous trips was at the US - Mexico border in San Diego. Once crossing the border into Mexico, everything drastically changes - people, language, buildings, roads and even the smell of the town. However, nothing changes at this Canadian border. The same kind of scenery and roads can be seen also in the Canadian side.

Nevertheless, I soon notice that I am already in Canada. The traffic signs are written in both English and French and the unit of distance is changed from mile to kilometer. In the first town in Canada I draw my savings from a bank at an ATM. Finally I find something completely different from the US. The ATM display asks me to select either French or English. In the States I often saw the option of Spanish. But, French easily causes me to panic.

Soon in Montana, I saw the odometer reading and found that I had already traveled more than 5000 km. After this I continue on, looking for a BMW dealer to get the engine oil replaced. A motorcycle shop employee near the US border told me there is a dealer in Lethbridge, Canada, who has an oil filter for a BMW. Believing this, I didn't go straight to Calgary, but made a short detour to the east. The Rockies are fading away and appearing is vast farmland visible in 360 degrees. The land is well-maintained here. It is surely this is Canada, not the USA. I now arrive at Lethbridge. First of all, I somehow go into a liquor store to investigate the prices of alcohol, and as a result I buy a bottle of whiskey. I ask the probable owner of the store, a beautiful lady, about the location of a motorcycle shop. I decide a woman cannot know about this. So, I change the subject and say to her, "Alcohol is more expensive here than in the USA." I receive my change. The design of the coins is different, but the size and the color are exactly the same with those in the US. It is easy to remember. However, there is a certain difference. Two-dollar coins exist here. When I go outside, I see a man walking towards the store. I ask him if he knows the location of the motorcycle shop. He answers yes, but not sure if it is a BMW shop. Both of these people respond politely. It is my first visit to Canada, but I have come to like this country because of this. The motorcycle shop he told me about was Suzuki. They tell me that the BMW shop is closed, but that there is a shop in Calgary. I pay another visit to a Honda dealer in Lethbridge, expecting they might have an oil filter. No BMW filter. Even in Canada, it is hot and the sweat is flowing down my brow in this lowland town. I leave for Calgary in vain. On the way I find a good Chinese restaurant in a small town, so I decide to stay a night in the town. On the following morning I ran into the rain soon after leaving the motel. I put on my rain suit for the first time during 50 days in North America. Strong wind blows together with the heavy rain. The R1100R meanders. I never feel comfortable on the bike swaying in the speed of 100 km/h against my will. Calgary is indeed a city big enough to have held the winter Olympic Games. I ask about motorcycle shops once again. I also look in the phone book. No shop found. I ask at a automobile repair shop and I am told there is not a motorcycle, but automobile BMW dealer nearby.

The mountains seen in the distance gradually come closer now. I pay $5 just before Banff for a day visit to the national park. The fee in the US was $7.5 - 16 in Canadian money regardless of the length of stay. Is the US loose? Or, is Canada too tight? Banff, where it is also popular to Japanese tourists, is a tiny town in the valley surrounded by high mountains. Walking five minutes will take you out of town. The campground here charges the same US $21 as in the US, however it provides electricity to the campsite. Thanks to this, I can use my PC. In addition, a shower is free and doesn't have any time limit. In the campgrounds in the USA they charge $1 for five minutes. I have a really bad memory when I was still covered in soap and shampoo all over my body when the five minutes was over. I didn't know what to do then. So this free shower is great. And the rest rooms at this place are cleaner than in the US. Ridiculously all the toilet papers were locked up in the US, but those in this place are free to be stolen if you will. In spite of this situation, the toilet papers still remain here. I guess Canadian society is not as violent as in America.Now I remember that in Canada the gas pumps don't accept credit cards at the gas stations. I must pay in cash to the attendant of the station as I did in Japan. Is it still safe to carry cash in this country? Many years ago an American advised me never to carry cash and that otherwise, I could lose my life for as little as $100. However, it might be OK in Canada.

After entering Canada I drew $500 from the bank. Beside the payment method, most things are the same in the US, in the points that to be different from Japan filling the gas is self-service and that the price of a liter gasoline is around 50 yen ($4) in both countries, which is about a half of Japan.Credit cards are not available at the gas stations here, however, they definitely accept the cards at the motels. The least expensive motels charge around $40 as in the USA, I don't know about expensive ones though. What differs from the USA is the existence of a refrigerator in the motel room in Canada as in Japan. It is really ironic that there was no refrigerator in the motel room in the States where I badly needed one, and that there is surely one in Canada where it is almost cold at night. Besides these trifle differences, however, Canada is similar to the US. As a language, English is also spoken around this area. The roads are well-maintained on both sides with equally small traffic, and the traffic signs are written in the same color. The same size and color of coins are used. The expense is mostly the same for a campground, motel, gasoline, food and so on. Sometimes I even wonder if the Canadian government makes an effort to adjust their prices to the US. Nevertheless, there is one exception and it is unfortunately the big problem to me now. The price was doubled for both the beer I drink every night and cigarettes I smoke every day. I think I will have to leave this country as soon as possible.