The Anxiety before the Trip

The last time I was in Europe was 2014, 12 freaking years ago and the world was a different place back then. I spent more than a week in the State of Bavaria in Germany and had a great time. Look at all the horrific things that have happened in these 12b years so so:

1) Syrian Civil War. That poured nearly 1,000,000 refuges to Germany, alone. It started in 2011 and got worse by the year until it ended in Dec. 2024, less than two years ago. Watching A Private War could shed some light on the details of this devastating war but you need to dig deeper to understand it thoroughly. 

2) Covid-19 Pandemic. (Started in early 2020).

3) Taliban taking over Afghanistan after the US forces left in Aug.2021. That has created an unstoppable wave of Afghan refugees to all over the world. Many of them flee to the neighbouring countries, more specifically Pakistan and Iran but both the countries have started expelling them. Some left for Tajikistan and Russia, the wealthy ones, I would say, and many aimed for Europe through Iran and Turkey. 

4) Russia's war with Ukraine or as the Russian Government names it the Special Military Operation! It started in Feb. 2022. Many Ukrainian villagers and low-life pathetic losers were let in Canada now they feel like they're the kings of heaven and earth, enjoying all the benefits that the Government of Canada provides them simply because they are against Russians, the imaginary enemy that the Westerners have created for themselves just to keep their citizens on their toes and then rub them blind! The funny thing is I'm not a bar or a shopping mall guy but there hasn't been once that I have been to a public place without seeing a young Ukrainian couple hand in hand walking, laughing, drinking and eating! If Ukraine, which has been the most corrupt government in Europe by the way, is so important to you that you clown president wonders around Europe and North America to beg for money and equipment, why the hell are you here? Why the hell don't you pick up a rifle and fight the Russians?!

5) Iran's economic collapse and repression of the public. The situation in Iran has gone out of control for the past 10 years or so and declining rapidly. That has forced many people out. It has reached the point that people now struggle for their daily meal and the infrastructure system is falling apart.

6) The US-Canada Trade war. This has created a sense of instability in the country because no one really knows what that mentally unstable, pathologic liar might do next! 

With all that said and with the unstable position I have been holding for the past one year and five months, and only 1 week to my trip, I don't have such a good feeling! First of all I will not get my rental vehicle that I've booked and it is not solely because of the price of gasoline in the country that I'm travelling to, which is €1.84 per liter (CAN $2.86, about CAN $1.36 higher than the price here!), it also because of the unfamiliarity with the area and the fact that crossing into the second country might be difficult and the rental agreement might be complicated! The second thing is high cost of the services in those countries. I booked my ticket in Mar. when the situation was not like this! Besides the Group Lead has not been kicked out of the place yet! So there was not much uncertainty around. Also in the recent evaluation that I got from my manager I was told that I need to move on! I was told by him that I should go back to the Management position! So how do I go on to my vacation and enjoy that while they are so many things negatively affecting me! I'm trying to forget about all the trouble, focus on the plan and have as much fun as I can. I think the circumstances where not similar when I left the continent two years ago but what can I do rather than being relaxed?!

(Photo: This, might have been uploaded at the time the trip was made but in case no one has seen it, this is the Bavarian Government building in Munich)

Gasoline Price Spike

I had not expected this recent jump in the price of gasoline which took place late last week to take this long. After the Houthis of Yemen (They call themselves the Assistants of God, as well!) got the control over Bab Al-Mandeb (the Strait of Anguish! literally in Arabic) and stopped the export of oil from Hejaz (which has been changed to Filthy, Nasty, Disgusting Saudi Arabia by the family who runs it; they renamed the country to their own surname!) the price of gasoline went up to CAN $1.80 per liter, an almost CAN ¢15 increase per litter in less than 2 weeks. I'm glad that I bought the PHEV but I'm not driving it much because of the asshole, jealous, hacks at work! Still worth driving it twice a day or more. I drive it to work and charge the battery there without having to pay! Yes. It's not being cheap. It's a small battery which runs only up to 75 km, my exact daily commute and it takes 8 hours to be fully charged! I usually go to 80 per cent and take it off or plug it in late. There hasn't been any outcry but one of the assholes who has been fossilized in the company for 14 years said something about that once (I will write about this guy later in a separate post) but I haven't seen any official complaint yet. If someone from HR asks me anything I can simply say that I haven't done anything against the company's policies which is true and if they ask me to stop charging, I simply will.

The notorious picture showing Houthis fighters celebrating shooting down a $90 million F-15 using an allegedly domestically made ground to air missiles! 

I don't know what will happen because it all depends on the negotiations between the different parties and mediators but It also have impacted my next month's trip. I'm scheduled to rent a vehicle in a European airport and drive it for a few days! With the price of gasoline nearly €2.17 per liter (CAN $3.39! and US $8.9 per Gallon!! Did I miscalculate?) it will be a little costlier than what I had planned! The thing is I planned for this trip last Dec. when there was no conflict in Iran and Yemen. 

Strait of Bab El-Mandeb or Strait of Anguish and major shipping routes in the area. The area is now under 100% control by the Houthis

Now I'm hesitant but I've got no choice but either cancel my driving (the rental car). This will add another 3 hours to my trip and a number of uncomfortable and tiring train exchanges! I have to make a decision as there's not much time left.

(Photo, top: A gas station in Calgary, Alberta showing CAN $1.85 per liter in 17.Sep., 10 days prior to this post. The prices have come down a little and reached CAN $1.80)

Flashback (39): The Evening Cowboy

I have written about Cargill Meat Solutions before but I repeat here that I worked for the company for over 4.5 years! I'm looking back now at year 2006 and see what monster I used to be! That was the year I quit and it was August, 20 year ago! Four freaking years and a half is not a short time working a hard physical job and for a 6 days a week! I don't know how I did that but it proves how strong both physically and mentally I was or perhaps that is a source contributed to my Gout problem today!
Cargill Meat Solutions, in case you don't know, has a plant outside the town of High River in southern Alberta which when I started my job there back in Jan. of 2002, was 63 km away from where I lived! The company had established a sort of subsidized bus service to facilitate the commute of the labourers who came from far away distances, mostly Calgary. I would like to go to the plant one of these days and see how it operates and see if any of the guys I knew still are there. If I do, I will have a post. 
I remember I walked every cold morning form the place I had rented to where the bus would pick me and a few other ones up at the corner of 64 Ave. and Falconridge Boulevard. I don't remember how early it was but my assumption is that was probably 05:00 or 05:30. I can't recall. I then moved to Downtown Calgary which made the commute a little bit easier but not the job.
What I remember clearly and the scene is tattooed in my brain is the tall Caucasian guy who would wear a big Cowboy hat and walked down the street every Fri. nigh, probably just to go to a nearby bar, the closest being Cowboy Taphouse. I knew this guy worked in the slaughter house.  The plant is consisted of a few departments or sections:
1) Yard. Where the animals were kept and sorted before being slaughtered.

2) Slaughter House. Where the animals got processed initially meaning their heads, their guts and other non-edible parts would be separated.

3) Production. Where the animals were cut to little pieces and went for packaging

4) Packaging section. This was the easiest part which had most of the Caucasians employed. 

The Evening Cowboy, whose nickname resembles The Midnight Cowboy, the main character in the famous old Western starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman (which I haven't watched!) was such a nice and soft-hearted fella, always wearing a smile in comparison with some Caucasian Canadians who just hated your guts simply because you were a non-Chinese, non-(East) Indian, non-African, Non-Latino foreigner! 
I don't remember whether he quit or what but I never saw him after, perhaps, a few years but his image still is in my mind. I hope he's doing fine and is happy wherever he is because it's not easy to stay nice, kind and smiling toward others after a very hard physical work day but he managed to do that. A kind of Caucasian Canadian who can be found here in many communities in Canada while you may encounter the biggest jerks and assholes at the same time. I simply ignore the second group. 

(Photo: Voight and Hoffman in a scene of the movie Midnight Cowboy. Drop me a line about the film if you have watched it)

Stegosaurus (Dolomite) Peak Second Attemp

I really don't like it when places are named after similar places. For example I don't like it when they say the Venice of this country. Venice is a city in Italy. If this place has some resemblance, find a good name for it. I guess it's not easy but still possible. I wanted to know who has called this mountain, in the beginning of the Icefield Highway in Alberta, Dolomite Peak! First of all it is not a peak! It is a series of peaks! Secondary if this mountain has some resemblance to the Italy's Dolomite, that doesn't mean it should be named the same. That is why I like to call it Stegosaurus Mountain! 

I'm not Trump who orders left and right and renames place around the world but we all can agree that it is a legitimate and valid name change. I'm a little surprised that Google has accepted Trump's order because Google is not a government agency but perhaps I can start a petition and contact Google to make this change happen! 

I was determined this time and being a very nice and sunny September day with no rain and no wind and very mild temperature made me sure that I could reach the summit this time. I started at 09:00 while unlike the last time there were two cars parked there. When a path is not crowded but there are one or two guys it gives you the sense of security and competition but I didn't see anyone until I reached the same spot that I had reached the last time, after 3 hours! 

I'm thinking going up from the right side of these trees and reaching the center of the mountain next time I'm attempting this mountain. I know it will be hard but third time is the charm!

I tried to go up a tall rocky wall as I wanted to avoid narrow and exposed path near the big standing rock but I couldn't! I went back and took a few pictures next to the rock and was ready to go back because deep down I know I wouldn't go from the exposed area but decided to give it another try. Same result! That was when I thought that I had wasted enough time and decided to go back down while I was cursing myself! It was only a few meters down when I saw a young fells. He was coming back down from the top and told me he was the driver of one of the vehicles but there was no sign of the other driver. He took off after a short talk and disappeared in the valley! It gave me a lesson of bringing a pair of damn hiking poles. They're helpful. The main reason I dislike them is they break so quick. I remember this hike we went with Alphonse a few years ago and I used a pair. I had to threw them out after the hike/scramble but I'm going to definitely use that in my next hike this weekend, wherever it will be. I found a pair within my hiking gear a few weeks ago! I don't know if I have purchased them or someone gave them to me but I will certainly use them. 

Coming down was very painful and tiring and I don't know if it was because of my age(!) or I was tired because going up was fun and enjoyable. I perhaps wasted too much time up there deciding and trying to go beyond that dan rock and reach one of the towers. I think it was almost 17:20 that I reached the vehicle. One of the vehicles was still parked there so I'm hoping they were all right. With all these recent deaths in Alberta, you never know what might happen. Perhaps that's why I didn't want to rick that narrow path. I simply didn't want to become another statistic but know I think perhaps I shall approach the top from the middle of the mountain, next time, instead of going to the most western edge. 

The drive back was good until Canmore. I wanted to stop for a beverage but the McDonald's in the west side of the town was closed. I think they're building a new restaurant amongst a few more in the area. I then decided to try Tim Horton's which was a few meters away. What a bad mistake!

I'm going to share what happened in that Tim's as this was my first experience with this franchise after a very long time. While the staff was great and the store was organized, they charged me $3.50 for a damn medium Iced Coffee(!) and that is not all. I don't know if it was the ice, the cup or the coffee itself that it tasted like burnt cooking oil. It must be that they store one of these items next to a used oil container or something. It was awful. I have communicated this issue through their website. I'm hoping that they can fix the issue but for someone like me who doesn't eat out, it's not a major issue. It's just a horrible experience after a day out in the nature.

There was some jam on Highway #1 on the way to Calgary which I think was because of an incident. I only saw an SUV with with a deployed front air bag at the left side of the road and after nearly half an hour waste of time, the traffic flew but I didn't reach home until 20:40!  

(Photo, top: The same drainage that I followed more than two years ago in Jul. and led me to the same damn dead end/exposed area! This is the path that everyone takes. Perhaps it's the time to open a new one!)

Mr. Chretien's Great Response to Americans

Jean Chretien was the Prime Minister of Canada when I first moved to this country and he faced a real challenge in 2003 when the the US decided to cross into Iraqi border from Kuwait and give Saddam Hussein, his final lesson. He decided not to join the so-called " Collision ". Many said that would affect the US-Canada relationship in a very negative way but then Canada agreed to send its troops to Afghanistan and did. That helped to heal the wounds! 

Mr. Chretien was in Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador this past Fri., the 25th anniversary of the Sep.11 attacks at age 92 and gave a wonderful and powerful speech. That was the moment I really wanted to be a Canadian. I always admired Mr. Chretien. The Liberal Party destroyed itself using a self destruction device called Justin " The Silly Joke " Trudeau " after that but that's not the point here. The point is he really gave it to Americans but professionally and amicably. His speech could be easily on either CBC website (CBC.ca) or YouTube. His one sentence is pierced in my mind: Don't consider our generosity for our weakness.

(Photo: Jean Chretien, the former Prime Minister of Canada is seen here in this undated photo with his wife Aline. She passed away in 2020 at the age of 84)

Big Spring Hill Provincial Park: What a Waste!

I decided to go and see this park at the north west side of Calgary, outside the city limits, of course and close to the town of Cochrane, this past long weekend. What a mistake! I'm not too far so I got myself on Highway #567 and turned left at a sign, toward the south before reaching that town. I find myself in a quite large parking lot after a few minutes of driving. A few vehicles were parked there despite the weather being cloudy and rainy. I parked and looked around. Not many signs. I took a green path more towards the south side of the park. O-O! I didn't go into the castle as I was not playing chess(!) it was the end of the path. Barbed wire and sign saying it was a protected area. Okay. I understand. That's how it should be or it will be ruined like Banff National Park has been. 

I then went to the other end of the park, the north side and a sign over there says you can go up a short trail to a lookout. I took that. It passes by a nice waterfall and a few small bridges and then in 5 minutes you're there! You not only have reached the lookout but also the end of the damn park! Isn't this brilliant?! A park where you can go from one end to another in less than 15 minutes!! What a waste of money and of course resource: A paved road, parking lot, bathroom facilities, signs, stairs and small foot bridges all for people to be able to walk for 15 freaking minutes! 

I don't know what these guys of the Provincial Government were thinking! I don't think they were thinking at all! My guess is they either had some budget to blow or there was a dispute between the ranchers and lot owners in the area and in order to permanently settle that they said: Hey! This land, this little piece of sh*t land belongs to none of you. We're going to blow thousands of dollars and make it a park that people are only expected to spend 15 minutes of their visiting time in it! 

There are many parks in and outside The City of Calgary, beautiful and lovely parks which I never tired of going to. This, however, is a silly joke and a stupid mistake. I will never burn fuel to get there again. What a stupid waste. 

(Photo: This entire area to those hills are a protected area and separated from the park boundary using barbed wire and signs which is the right thing to do but the government of Alberta did not have to spend thousands of dollars on the facilities of the 15-minute long park!)