Tuesday, 29 June 2010
St John’s, Canada
Final few hours in St John’s is spent at St John’s top tourist attraction. A newish building, imaginatively called, ‘The Rooms’. A collection of rooms housing art, artefacts, local history. Etc. Etc. Etc. With an excellent photographic exhibition on the subject of oil. Focussing (excuse the pun) on different aspects of oil exploration, extraction and consumption. One stand out photograph is an aerial shot of the Alberta oil sands. Wow. Such destruction of the natural habitat. A mass of forest and land is stripped away to reveal the bitumen laced earth. An assortment of processes are used to extract the bitumen from the earth. Google it, dear reader. It’s a massive industry with obvious environmental impacts.
Having spent a couple of days in Newfoundland am encouraged to become an Honorary Newfoundlander. At the local liquor store. No less.
Local brew is called ‘screecher’. Rum. Basically.
The daily ceremony starts at 1400hrs.
So arrive at 1355hrs.
Five. Minutes. Early.
However.
They’ve already started the ceremony. And the tosser doing it, a young lad in his early twenties, makes reference to me as the ‘latecomer’. In a very derogatory manner.
Not once.
But twice.
Someone’s going to get a slap, dear reader.
Ceremony involves kissing the bottom of a seal (stuffed) and repeat a phrase before taking a shot of screecher rum. Other ceremonies are available kissing a cod’s lips.
Seal’s bottom kissed.
Rum drunk.
Recitation recited.
Am now an Honorary Newfoundlander.
Whoopee.
Can’t wait to get out of Newfoundland.
Another clapped out taxi to the airport. Just to reinforce St John’s clapped out grimness.
Already have a boarding pass but not the code to the Business Class lounge airside. Peer through the window and motion to a woman inside that I want to get in. Clearly obvious that I want to come in. Clearly oblivious to the obvious motions. Am ignored. And only gain access when some bloke exits. Woman sneers as I walk past.
Sun sets over the apron as boarding begins.
This is the only reason for coming to St John’s. To take advantage of the direct flight home. A seasonal flight to cater primarily for the oil & gas industry.
Only a four and a half hour flight to Heathrow.
Bugger all sleep, dear reader.
