Apologies

I was planning to update this blog over the past 2 weekends, but things have been rather busy... apologies to those who are waiting...
No promises, but I will try again this coming weekend. I have already selected some pictures for posting, but need to get them in order.

T minus 60 days (or thereabouts)

"The airline is going to increase it's fuel surcharge tomorrow" said the travel agent over the phone.
"Do you have your VISA's approved yet?"

That was the beginning of the pain for Uncle Alec - not only were the air tickets from KL to Vancouver expensive, they were made insulting by the addition of a fuel surcharge. Without our visas, the travel agent did not want to take our money (we would loose a lot if our visas were not granted), but that meant the insulting fuel surcharge was about to become an obscene fuel surcharge.

Mummy found the website of the Canadian High Commission, and we downloaded the forms for our VISA applications. You can get Individual, or family visas. After a few emails back and forth, Uncle found out that for the 4 of us, it would be cheaper to apply for 4 individual visas rather than the family one. Also, we could submit all 4 applications on 1 form (the form caters for 4 applicants at once) and would be processed together - so we paid as individuals, but would be considered as a group. This was really great, and is something we noticed even in Canada later - the packages are created to help people save on co$t, and if you are honest with the Canadians, they will try to help you get the cheapest combination.

Somehow, I can't see this happening at home - people would get fixated on 'family' or 'non family' categories, and either force us to pay the higher fee as a family application, or process the applications individually making baby an unaccompanied child - which requires lots more documentation. Malaysians are sometimes good at "the letter of the law" without coming close to seeing "the spirit of the law".

Anyhow, we took a morning off, and took our documentation to the Canadian High Commission at Menara Tan & Tan (here is a map) and prepared to sit and wait. Mummy said they might want to interview us, so it would be faster to wait rather than go home, then find we have to go again for an interview.
We got there after 830am, and waited till they opened (I think it was 9am). The nice lady behind the counter asked if we would wait for the visas, or if we'd be back another day. Uncle said we'd wait. Then we all sat down and pulled out books to read. Around noon, they called Uncle's name, and gave him our passports, all with single-entry visas. We were good to go.

Mummy said not everyone was so lucky - a couple who applied the same time as us were called in for long interviews. Probably because they were both of employable age, said mummy - just the kind who could dissappear into the country and work illegally.

Mummy called the travel agent that very afternoon to get our air tickets. In the end, by the time we got our visas, the fuel surcharge had become absolutely offensive. Poor Uncle Alec.

A Holiday

I remember a poem that goes;

We broke out of school with a terrible roar,

We couldn't have stood it for one minute more;

We dashed to the station after gobbling down tea,

For the train that would take us all down to the sea;

Did Grandma and Grandpa, Aunty Marvis and Bea,

Uncle Alec and baby and mommy and me.

It was more or less in that spirit that I packed my bags for the family holiday of the decade. Yes, the decade. To date we had not, as a family, ventured more than (don't laugh again Benjy !) 200km from home base - to Port Dickson, and to Genting Highlands. And here we are planning to go to Canada? It boggles the mind.

To be sure, its not the whole clan that is going. Grandma and Grandpa made the trip when they were younger, and just smile and make cryptic comments about airplanes when we ask. Aunty Marvis and Bea refuse to enter any vehicle that is destined to loose contact with Terra Firma, no matter in how controlled a fashion. That left Uncle Alec, who would bring the VISA and MASTER cards, baby, who isn't one (he's a strapping kid, for crying out loud), mommy, who is really driving the whole effort because she wants to visit Aunty-E over there (her sis), and me (baggage handler and pack mule).

This blog will be my record of my impressions. Names will be changed to protect the innocent. I am still leery of identity theft, so expect my specifics to be general, and my generalities to be obfuscations.
As I make more entries, I will upload the pictures related to the entries.