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March 14 I CAN DO IT!Here is living proof that I can be trained! Thanks to the help of my daughter, I'm posting some video she shot of the spinner dolphins on her digital camera. She posted it to YouTube and I'm picking it up from there.
Wow, now that is cool. Even cooler that I was able to figure out how to do this! I'm just so excited. Let's try that again!
I hope you enjoy the videos. March 08 Amazing ExperienceThe experience, as short as it was, left me in awe of the beauty, grace and majesty of one of God’s wonderful creations. It must have been incredible because the crew of the boat we were on were going nuts over what was happening.
Spinner Dolphins. So named for their high spinning leaps out of the water. Kyla and I were on a snorkel trip on a boat called Quicksilver to “turtle town” and Molokini Island. Unfortunately Kristyn had headed back to Canada the evening before and missed this trip.
We were preparing to leave Turtle Town and head across the straight to Molokini, when a group of dolphins travelled across our path heading north. The Captain of the boat took chase, is a slow methodical manner. Soon the dolphins could be seen on the surface. It looked like two or three groups of three or four dolphins. Then, as if drawn to a magnet, our boat was surrounded by a pod of dolphins doing what is called “bow riding”, where the dolphins ride the wake as it is created in the front of the boat.
Initially I counted four, then eight, but within minutes I lost count at over twenty five! And they put on an amazing show. Swimming effortlessly in front of us, cutting across our bow, underneath each other, on their backs and cresting the water in a graceful, beautiful rhythm.
I lost track of time as I watched the dolphins, but after a while the captain began to speed the boat up and the dolphins continued to play the games. They picked up speed, swam in a more frantic manner, but continued to pace the boat. Some even began doing their spinning moves in the water. Eventually the Captain had to keep a schedule and get us to Molokini and he veered off and increased speed.
The dolphins eventually fell behind and out of site, but they left each of us with an experience that was to behold, to be remembered and to be treasured.
Fortunately Kyla got some awesome pictures of them, and I have added a group in a separate photo album (in a few days I will add them to the Hawaii album). She also took some short video on her camera, but I don’t know how to load it on this blog to be able to share.
This will be one of those experiences that will stay me for ever. The only thing that would have made it better was if we could have been in the water with the dolphins. March 07 Sometimes it is the small thingsOne thing I really miss about Hawaii is the way my skin felt while I was there. Yeah I know, that sounds silly and for a guy to say it…well…….
But its true! Before I left Ontario my skin felt and looked reptilian – dry and scaly. On the day I drove to Toronto the backs my hands and fingers became so dry they were cracking and itchy. Boy were they itchy.
Within 24 hours of being in Hawaii my skin was soft, moist, not itchy. Maybe part of it was all the sunscreen that was applied on a regular basis, but I like to think it was the soft tropical climate and moist warm air. Not this dry cold crap we Canadians have to deal with!
Within 24 hours of returning to Canada I could feel my skin starting to dry out and now it is back to the reptilian look!
Ah yes, but for the small things! March 06 BS CentralAfter a hard day of laying on the beach, or gliding down a mountain, or shopping up a storm, what better way to end the day, but relaxing in the hot tub? Then again, if I had gotten any more relaxed while I was in Hawaii, I would have been comatose.
Kyla and I typically made it to the hot tub by 7:30 PM each night. By that time it is pitch black out side and the sky is full of stars.
“Where are you from?” was usually the first question asked of any new comer to the tub. The response was usually from some cold climate in either Canada or the US. The follow up question was often “So what’s the weather like where you’re from?” We loved to relish in the fact that we weren’t where the cold weather was.
The night I dubbed our hot tub “BS Central” was a night when Canadians outnumbered Americans in the tub 4 to 1.
Some of the Canadians took it upon themselves to educate our southern neighbours on the politics and cultural difference to be found in this great land. Whether it be the quirks of French Canadians, the red neck ways of Albertans (there were some from Calgary in the tub, but I didn’t hold that against them) or trying to explain Newfoundlanders, it didn’t take long before all the Canadians were into the political jokes & jabs and generally making fun of ourselves. All the time pointing out just how little the Americans knew about their next door neighbour (and trust me some of them know very little!).
It was all in good fun. And each night it was pretty much the same. Stay in the complex long enough and you see happy people who have just arrived and relaxed people who don’t really want to go home. Go to the hot tub and you can learn many things from some very interesting people, but you might also have to put up with some BS from some less than interesting people.
Yes, there were all kinds in the hot tub. They came from many areas, and did many things, but we all agreed on one thing. Maui was a beautiful place and the newest person in the tub had to get out and push the button when the jets stopped.
Kyla has just forwarded me the photos of our encounter with the spinner dolphins, so tomorrow I’ll share that experience with you.
Till then – stay warm (it got down to -30C here last night). March 04 Wonderful Pace of LifeIt would be easy to assume the slower pace on Maui is because the vast majority of the people on the island are on vacation. The locals have a pace of life that is truly laid back and easy going.
“Maui Time” is what they call it. It urges you not to be in a rush and to hang loose. I saw bumper stickers on several local cars that read “Slow down, this isn’t the mainland”. How true it was.
As soon as you get on the island you can feel Maui Time taking over. It makes for a wonderful pace of life. Even my daughters, who are notorious night owls, got into the swing. They will probably cringe at me writing this, but we were all in bed each night by around 9:00 PM!
Part of the reason was that we were up early. I would typically wake at 7:00 AM and turn the coffee on. Because the girls slept on the pull-out sofa bed in the common area that includes the kitchen, living and dining areas, they might have been woken by that. But I don’t think so – at least that is what I gathered from the snoring and deep breathing I could hear.
One of my simple pleasures was getting my coffee and slipping outside to sit on the lanai (patio) and watch the world come to life. It was so warm I could sit in just my shorts and enjoy the breaking morning. It was quiet and the sound of the birds were wonderful.
My daughters would typically stir around 8:00 AM (or whenever my parents came out of their bedroom). By getting up that early meant we could pack more into our day. Which meant we were tired by the end of the day, which contributed to our early evenings. A wonderful cycle.
Another ritual I got into was the “hot tub” (or what I affectionately refer to as BS Central) with Kyla. Kris was not much into going to the hot tub, so it became a Kyla and dad thing. We would typically go down at around 7:30 and spend about 45 minutes relaxing in the tub, sitting on the side of the tub, or cooling off in the pool. I’ll write more about BS Central. For now I’ll say it was a great way to close the day.
Whether we were shopping, at the beach, cruising down the volcano on bikes or site seeing, the pace was simply more relaxed than what we get here. It was a wonderful pace of life! March 03 Swimming with TurtlesI can’t speak for the other islands in Hawaii, but Maui is a little piece of paradise. I’ve posted some pictures from this trip and will add to it when my daughters forward their pictures to me.
The only down side to Maui comes from it being a “little piece of paradise”. It is very busy! Especially traffic. My parents have been going to the island for almost 30 years and have seen the growth and development first hand. Each year they report something new, whether that is a new condo, new shopping or new roads. Traffic at time is as busy as any major city I’ve been in, but as long as you accept the Maui “Hang Loose” attitude, you have nothing to worry about.
And since you are in a tropical garden, driving slowly doesn’t seem to matter all that much.
One of my favourite actives was snorkelling. Kyla is a big fan of turtles and Kristyn is good in the water, so I was especially excited to take them to Ahihi-Kina’u Underwater Preserve. David and I snorkelled there last year and it provides exceptional viewing for fish and turtles.
There is no beach. This is a little bay carved out of the lava beds, which are hundreds of years old. Getting into the water can be a challenge, especially for Northerners who have had shoes on for most of the year.
The pay-off for enduring the entrance is that as soon as you put your face in the water, you are greeted with beautiful coral growths and many many different varieties of fish. And just like last year, this area did not disappoint.
We snorkelled in this area twice during our stay and saw turtles both times. The first time out it took us a while, but we did see one turtle. It was cruising along and made one of those slow circle swims to the surface to get a breath of air. I was so pleased for Kyla that she got to see and swim with the creature she loves so dearly (a love that developed when we visited a turtle farm in Grand Cayman).
The second time out we saw two or three turtles. I say that since we saw turtles three times, but we think one time was one of the turtles we saw before. The turtles came really close to us and Kyla had to swim away to avoid contact with the animal – it was that close.
At one point both Kyla and Kristyn were squealing (hey their girls right) through their snorkels. I had dove down to take a picture of them on the surface and as I prepared to take the picture a turtle swam right up behind me. I was unaware of its presence and the girls got quite a charge out of that.
These sea turtles are so gentle and majestic in the water. It was pure delight to follow them as they gracefully flew through the water. Like I said – Maui is a little piece of paradise.
Until tomorrow – keep thinking about warm weather – it is coming – eventually! March 02 Air Travel SUCKS! – Part 2And I was a lucky one!
Kyla and I were suppose to leave Maui at 10PM Sunday night on a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles. In LA we had two hours to transfer to an Air Canada flight to Toronto, which would arrive at our destination at 2:15PM Monday afternoon.
We get to the United check in counters in Kahului 2 1/2 hours before the flight, because this very small airport is CRAZY busy and with all the extra security checks it could take you almost all that time to get through. I experienced the craziness of the airport on Saturday night when I dropped my youngest daughter off, who was returning on the same flight, but one day earlier.
First thing we are greeted with is a US Government Agriculture Department screening for all passengers going to the mainland USA. Not a big issue, but lugging my daughter’s suitcase is giving me a back ache.
Next stop the United Airlines check-in counter. As we approach the cue line we are accosted by a very young airport employee who is directing traffic. “Where are you headed?” was the first thing out of his mouth.
“LA”, I replied with confidence of a seasoned traveller and someone who had been through the ritual the night before.
“Go to that line over there”, he pointed to a small line of people away from the regular check in line. No explanation was given and as a dutiful Canadian I obeyed. It was beside the auto check in computers that were all taped off. At that point I’m thinking ‘this is not a good sign”.
The chap behind me replied “San Francisco”, when asked the same question and was ushered through the empty cue to the counters. I wondered if I gave the wrong pass word.
We took our place behind a family who had a bewildered look on their face. I then realized there was a line up of people leading to the check in counters just across from where we were standing. A conversation was struck with the family in front. They had no idea why we were standing in the line up away from the check-in counters. They got as much information as I did – zero!
Dang nab it I have to get my eyes checked! Unfortunately I could not read the small screen above the check in counters, but my experience from the night before taught me the LA flight was listed third on the screen and the third line on that screen had RED letters in it – again, not a good sign.
It was interesting to watch people approach the line, be questioned and then directed to our line. As they walked past our line they developed a look of confusion. Fortunate those of us at the front of this line, that was going no where, were very quick to point out where the end of the line was. We are a helpful bunch!
Finally someone approached the front of our quickly growing line (I was only one family from that position) and I overheard him say “The LA flight has been delayed to 11 AM tomorrow morning. The storm in the mid-west and plains is causing all kinds of problems”.
I’m not sure where he got his info from as he was not an airline or airport employee, but this news quickly began to spread down the line. The mood shifted from confusion to one of concern.
There were announcements being made over the PA system, but they were so garbled, there was so much ambient noise and the acoustics in that open air building are soooooooo bad that you couldn’t understand what the message was. So we continued to wait for some word from someone on what was going on.
Then a miracle happened – the line moved! The family in front of us were ushered into the line to the check in counter and I was now at the front of the line that hadn’t moved in 30 minutes. Oh joy for progress!
It was interesting to watch and talk to people as we exchanged what little information we had heard from various sources. At this point we knew that 1) Our flight was delayed until Monday morning at 11 AM; 2) The line up we were in was to get to the counter to talk to a United Agent and either a) get rerouted on a different flight, or with a different carrier or b) find a hotel room for you this evening.
This is not good news since a) all carriers were affected by the storms and there are very few available seats on the flights into or out of Maui to get us on and b) February is peak season in Maui and you would be hard pressed to find an available hotel room. I also begin to figure that even if we got to LA on the 11 AM flight, the chances of having a connecting flight to Toronto were slim.
Finally someone came over to our line with the following announcement “If you have someplace to go this evening go! Be back at the airport by 9:00AM to check in for the 11:00 AM flight to LA. There are no available flights to rebook and the chances of getting a hotel room are limited.” Great!
I was lucky though. I called my Mom who had dropped us off just over an hour before and asked her to come back to the airport to pick us up. She graciously did without any complaining.
When we got back to the condo I called Air Canada to check on the connecting flights out of LA for Monday and ended up sitting on hold, listening to crappy music and the same announcements over and over again for over an hour. I finally hung up and went to bed.
First thing in the morning I called and actually got through! But for some reason it was to an Air Canada agent in Tampa Florida?? To make a long story short, my assumption of no connecting flights was true, but the agent was able to rebook our tickets on a flight leaving Monday night to Vancouver, with connections to Toronto. That would put us into the centre of the universe by 2:25PM Tuesday afternoon.
GREAT – Kyla and I got a bonus day in Maui. A quick trip to an internet café to advise people back home of our predicament and we were off to the beach for boogie boarding!
But it was strange, for the entire day I felt like I was stealing something or that I didn’t belong. As Kyla so accurately pointed out, we had mentally checked out of the vacation and Maui when we left the condo for the airport the first time. It was jarring to not to have left. But we quickly put all that behind us and wouldn’t you know it, on the bonus day of our vacation we both got more sun than we should of and ended up a little red!
Tomorrow’s topic – Swimming with turtles! March 01 Air Travel SUCKS! - Part 1The downside to my Hawaiian vacation had to be the air travel. Whether it was the weather, the increased security measures, or getting taken to the cleaners for anything you buy at the airports – getting around or through airports is painful!
In my mind the terrorist have won. As much as I despise them and wonder why or how anyone could be so evil and filled with that much hatred, they have accomplished at least part of their objective. They have us so tied up and security paranoid that doing anything, or getting anywhere through an airport is a challenge and most frustrating. Although it hasn't lessened the numbers of travellers going through the airports.
Weather has to be another huge challenge for the airlines. There was a major winter storm the day I drove to Toronto. I left early on the Wednesday morning so I could get to the passport office in Mississauga and pick up my passport. The further south I travelled the worse the weather and roads became. It made that drive treacherous and the Toronto roads were a zoo (Torontonians neither own winter tires, nor would they know how to use them I’m sure!). I saw the remains of several traffic accidents through out my travels that day.
But after I got my passport and left the Mississauga office things began to clear up and by Thursday it was excellent weather for flying out of Toronto.
I picked my daughter up from Residence at 8:00 AM, we had a nice breakfast, dropped the car off at the offsite parking by 9:00 AM and were at the airport by 9:30 AM for a 12:00 Noon flight. Check-in and security went smooth and we had time to watch a couple of episodes of “Arrested Development” on her portable DVD player whilst I phoned my youngest to see if she was going to get her passport (she did – what a relief) and then we left, on time, for the first leg of our journey – Toronto to Vancouver.
HOWEVER, our flight from Vancouver to Maui was delayed four hours because they didn’t have a plane to fly us. All their equipment had been tied up by the Wednesday storm and then delayed as the airline scrambled to catch up. When you realize how complicated the airline business is, how little those jets are on the ground and how tight a schedule they have to keep I’m amazed at the logistical dance that must go on at the best of time.
And the airline knew the Maui flight was going to be delayed early on Thursday because when my youngest daughter did her on-line check in (after getting her passport at 8:30 AM on Thursday), they already showed the flight as two hours late.
I wondered why it was so quiet when my eldest and I rolled into the gate after getting off the Toronto flight!
We ened up getting into Maui at 1:00 AM, which meant our travel day had been 25 hours (from time I got up until I put my head on the pillow). But I was in paradise and I wasn't going to complain at all!
In fact, that delay paled in comparison to the one we had leaving Maui. But I’ll save that story for tomorrow. Otherwise this post will get far too long. Back From VacationFor anyone who really cares....
I made it back from Hawaii Tuesday night. I have been too lazy to post anything of importance so far, but I will get my system adusted and catch everyone up on what was a fabulous trip over the coming days.
For now, I've posted some beore and after weight loss pictures. I tried to recreate the pictures that were taken last year in February when I was in Hawaii. I am proud of the results of my weight loss and couldn't help but show it off.
A quick summary of the vacation goes like this:
So lots more to come and many more pictures, but it will take time to catch up and get my system back to this environment and time zone - so be patient with me please! Till later - Aloha.
2AM UPDATE My body clock is all messed up tonight - so I'm killing time surfing the net and hit on the Environment Canada Weather site for North Bay - They have a freakin' Winter Storm Watch in effect! Hello people - I'm back from Hawaii - winter is suppose to be over! We are not suppose to get up to 15 cm of snow and blowing snow on Thursday! Tell me again why I live where there is winter?! Dang nabbit - time to go bed and hibernate - at least for 5 hours anyways - hope I can sleep! February 13 Lord I Pray!A week ago I posted how my final challenge in this journey to get to Hawaii would be the drive to Toronto. I was most worried about the snow belt region from the Muskokas through Barrie. Usually once you are south of Barrie it is smooth sailing – not this year!
Tonight Southern Ontario is getting a major winter storm. The storm of the season they are calling it. Toronto is likely to only get a glancing blow from the storm, but that could still mean 10 – 20 cm of snow by tomorrow afternoon. That will make driving less than ideal tomorrow morning as I point my Civic south and head the Passport office in Mississauga to pick-up my passport – which I confirmed was there!
The weather forecast for Wednesday for my trip south goes like this:
North Bay – Morning will be cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries; -24C wind chill -34C
Bracebridge / Huntsville / Gravenhurst - Periods of snow beginning midnight Tuesday. Amount 4 cm by mid morning.
Orilla / Barrie – snow ending by Wednesday afternoon – upwards of 6cm by then.
Toronto / Mississauga - Snow and local blowing snow beginning Tuesday evening. Amount 10 cm. Wednesday Snow and local blowing snow ending in the afternoon then cloudy. Amount 5 to 10 cm
Global News was reporting delays at the airport – but mostly flights headed to the Northeast US which is getting hammered, again, with snow. Hopefully by Thursday, when I’m suppose to fly things will be calm.
Toronto’s forecast for Thursday AM - A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries. Windy. High minus 10.
Perfect flying weather and a great way to send off towards a warm vacation in Hawaii!
Take care and enjoy your winter where ever you are. I will not be posting until Feb 27 at the earliest!
ALOHA! February 08 One more hurdleI have one more challenge or hurdle to overcome before I can leave for Hawaii. I have to get through the snow belt region on my drive to Toronto!
In the last few days the area of Orillia and Barrie have been hammered with snow squalls. Accumulations are up well over 50 cm. Even today snow was falling at a rate of about 5cm per hour! This leaves the roads in white out conditions and very dangerous to drive.
Fortunately the long term forecast for Wednesday of next week is for partly cloudy and no precipitation. Amen!
Only seven sleeps to go! February 07 A wonderful differenceAs reported by the The Weather network, the weather conditions at 5PM local time for:
North Bay, Ontario was.....-13C (feels like -21C)
Kahului, Maui was..............+26C
And I'll be there in one week! Oh I am getting so excited. It is hard to contain myself! February 03 That's cutting it close!12 Sleeps to Hawaii!! Aloha!
 So Kris was successful at getting her passport application processed. She will be able to pick up her passport at 9:00 AM on Feb. 15. Her flight to Hawaii leave at 1PM on Feb 15. Nothing like cutting it close.
I didn’t get a chance to talk to her in a lot of detail, but sounds like the Edmonton Passport office is extremely busy. She said there were people camping out to have an early spot in line. One fellow had apparently been there since 4:30 AM. The office is even giving out numbers to people who don’t get through the line from the previous day and they get a spot up front. She said when she got to the office she couldn’t even see the end of the line.
Fortunately she didn’t have to wait in that line up. Because her application was transferred in, she was able to go to a separate line up. But it still took almost one hour to get through that line up.
I wonder how long it will take to clear up the back log and for things to settle down regarding this. I can’t believe so many people didn’t have a passport. The only reason I was caught in this mess was that my passport expired in Jan. 2007!
Getting to Hawaii can’t come soon enough. I’ve been shovelling snow on a regular basis and we’ve been getting hammered over the last week. Yesterday morning I had to shovel the entrance to my drive way so I could get the car out for work. This is thanks to the snowploughs that go by at 6:00 in the morning.
When I got home last night it was shovelling the rest of the driveway. At least the weight of the snow is light, so it is easy to move. Not like the stuff they get in Saint John, New Brunswick. I don’t think I have ever experienced such heavy snow in large quantities as I did out there! Unfortunately here, while the snow is light, there is lots of it. As a result my drive way is getting a little narrower with each snow fall.
I need to go now. I have a skiff of snow to shovel this morning and then it is off to the gym for a “fake n’ bake” session and then a 5 Km jog on the treadmill. Then I think I’ll start gathering and organizing the stuff I will be taking to Hawaii, although I can assure you it will be less than I took last year!
Take care and hang loose! February 01 "I love it when a plan comes together"
The above quote, as cheesy as it is, comes from the less than fabulous and very cheesy 80’s TV series the "A-Team". But after all the stress and worry it is nice to see the plan is coming together! And this was the first thing that came into my mind.
I’m so excited I’m busting out at the seams! I just got a call from Kris in Edmonton and the passport office has her passport application and she is going down there on Friday to get it processed. Things are coming together! There is hope and yes, I give thanks to God for answered prayer!
The passport call centre had told her it could take up to Feb. 5 to get the passport to Edmonton, so getting it to Edmonton five days early is a bonus. It just gives us that many more days to get the entire thing processed.
The processing time for Kyla’s was just over three weeks. They are going to be doing mine in two weeks. If they can do Kris’s in that time frame we’ll all be going to Hawaii together on the 15th! Now I just have to pray there is no problem with the application and she doesn’t have to start scrambling to correct anything – like pictures.
In other news – Hawaii can’t come soon enough! We are getting a major dumping of snow right now. We’ve had between 15 – 20 Cm in the last 24 hours, are expecting upwards of 30 cm in the next 24 hours. At least it is light snow, not hard to shovel and the temperatures have risen substantially (it is only -6C as I type this).
I’m just glad I wasn’t driving to Toronto in this mess today. There was a huge accident on the 401 east of Toronto, but it could of just as easily been on any of the 400 highways in and around Toronto. Now I can pray for better weather on the 14th when I do have to travel.
That is it for now. I just wanted to post the great news about Kris.
I am so happy I will have both of my girls with me in Hawaii! January 30 Can't Come Soon EnoughIt’s been a peculiar week. Ever since coming down from the stress of securing a passport I’ve been thinking there is so much to do to get ready for my Hawaii vacation. But then I look at things and see there really isn’t. But it has left me with a feeling of expectation, anticipation and “I’m missing something”.
I continue to pray that my youngest daughter will get her passport. She called the passport office last Thursday and they are working to send her application back to an office that she can go into personally. I am hopeful she will make it. In fact I have changed my mind set from one of “what if you don’t go” to “when you are there”.
This was evident when I spoke to her about a trip to Hana. My parents are renting a van to accommodate the eight of us who will be there, so we can make the trip to Hana. The eight include my sister and her two little ones (they will be in Hawaii from Feb 2 to 19), myself and my two big ones and my parents. That reminds me, I have to get the “Road To Hana” CD from my cousin!
I was pleased that both my daughters would want to make this trip. I figured a day in a van with relatives wouldn’t impress them. But Kris’s boyfriend has told her she has to do the road to Hana and Kyla was looking forward to also. WOW that’s good. We’ll do that trip on the Friday after we arrive. Good thing cause that will get us out, but keep us out of the sun until we set a base tan.
Speaking of base tans – I’m going to start to “Fake n’ Bake” today. I’ve never done that, but figured what the heck, I might as well get a base tan so I can go out for a longer period of time upon our arrival. AND I now have this new slender body to show off, so it might as well be bronze!
Some other things we are planning to do while in Hawaii. Kyla is excited about biking down Haleakala Volcano, so we’ll do that one day. My parents want to take us on a whale watch. And I want to take the girls to snorkel with the turtles. Kyla loves turtles, so she will get a blast out of that. We’ll also do the market on Saturday, at least one shopping trip to Lahaina and other than that it will be laze on the beach, frolic in the waves and relax. And that my friends, with temperatures hovering in the -20C range, can’t come soon enough!
Take care and stay warm – we’re having trouble with that. January 26 A Glimmer of HopeThere is still a glimmer of hope that my youngest daughter will get her passport in time to travel with us to Hawaii.
Being in Alberta, she has to get up at 5:30AM to be call in first thing. She did – which is a huge effort for an 18 year old! – but alas she was unsuccessful in getting through. Her first few calls ended up with the “Office is not open”, then “The cue is full” and finally a busy signal. That must have been disheartening to her.
But to her credit she continued to try later in the day and amazingly at 2PM Alberta time she got through! Mind you she was 24 in the cue and had to sit on hold for an hour and 15 minutes!
The agent was able to tell her that her passport was received in their mail room on Dec 27 and they were currently opening mail received on Dec 7. But they would find it and send it back to the Edmonton office. This could take up to 10 days and the Edmonton office will call her when it arrives. If she hasn’t heard from the Edmonton office by Feb 5 she is to call and check the status.
This is cutting things really tight, but there is hope!
As for me, it is amazing what stress will do to your body and ability to function. Prior to confirming that I would get my passport I was having trouble sleeping, couldn’t concentrate at work and was lethargic during my work-outs at the gym. Since getting that confirmation I have slept great, been able to complete a project that had been dogging me for weeks and increased all of the weights for the leg routine I did yesterday.
I also have a much greater appreciation for the power of prayer. On January 16, my frustration, stress and disappointment led me to write about questioning the power of prayer. Today I can tell you without a doubt I believe in the power of prayer and that God will answer those. It is not to say that you can pray and sit back. We need to pray and believe and take action. If it is God’s will then you will get results. I experienced that first hand and I will continue to pray for my youngest daughter and I believe we will be able to have a wonderful family vacation.
It’s COLD in North Bay today (-26C when I woke up this morning). Feels like Edmonton, which is all the more reason to be looking forward to Hawaii.
20 sleeps to lift off January 24 One Hurdle Down22 days to Hawaii!!
I am physically exhausted and emotionally drained, but my last ditch effort to secure a passport seems to have worked!
My drive to Toronto last evening was treacherous. Falling snow ranging from light flurries to all out squalls left sections of the divided highway with compact snow and slush. Road conditions ranged from poor to bad. It was also incredibly difficult to keep my windshield clean (good thing I keep my car well maintained, had just filled up my windshield washer tank, have a full bottle of fluid in my trunk and have new wiper blades). As darkness surrounded me the ability to see became increasingly difficult. But I made it and was able to enjoy a wonderful time in my cousin’s hot tub last night.
I thought for sure relaxing in the hot tub would help me sleep. I was very tired as I haven’t been sleeping very good of late. But a good night sleep was not in my cards. The last time I looked at the clock it was close to 1AM. I had a fitful and lousy sleep (too much coffee on trip down, too wound up and stressed about the passport, worried about using Blackberry as alarm clock). I did get some sleep, cause at 5:30AM I was woken by the Blackberry alarm going off.
My plan was to be at the passport office early so I could be one of the first in line. I wasn’t sure how far the Mississauga Passport Office was from my cousin’s place, but it turned out to be a lot closer than I thought. I left my cousin’s shortly after 6AM and after a quick stop for coffee and muffin to go and I was at the Passport office by 6:30 AM.
Bonus it made me first in line!
It didn’t take long before the line grew to several dozen. By 7AM, when they opened the mall doors and let us inside, the crowd was close to 50, by the time they moved to use to the cue in front of the passport office doors the line stretch for as far as I could see.
To make a long story short, I entered the passport office at 8:00 AM and was finished the application process by 8:10AM! That’s right, after stressing about my application sitting in Gatineau mail room since December 1 my application was evaluated, accepted and approved in under 10 minutes! There was no problem with any documents, signatures, pictures and the agent look at my airline flight confirmation and was able to tell me I could pick up the passport after Feb 7.
My plan is now to drive down to Toronto on Feb 14 (Originally I was going to drive down after work on that date, but I have no desire to do that drive in the dark again!) and go directly to the passport office to pick up my passport. Fortunately they have a different, shorter and much quicker line for picking up the passport. Then I will relax for the afternoon and evening and fly out on the 15th with my eldest daughter to Hawaii.
There is still an outside chance we can get a passport for Kris. Please say a pray for her that she will be able to get the Gatineau office to find her application, and send it back to the Edmonton office so she can go in person and apply.
I’ll have more on this misadventure in coming days, but for now, I need to get some sleep! January 22 One Last Ditch EffortSo after not getting through to the Passport office I decided to call my Member of Parliament’s office. While I appreciate the advise from someone in thick of things, it was not encouraging.
Their basic advice “DO NOT MAIL YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! They will probably not open the letter and if they do the chances of it getting to your application is remote”. She also told me they are getting lots of enquiries and haven’t heard on applications they sent in for other people in Late November. She can’t get through on the telephone number they have and the faxes they send – she’s not getting any response and has no idea if they are even getting through. Can you say REALLY SCREWED UP!
She did provide what advise she could. She said I have two choices: 1) let my application get rejected and have them send back my documents and then go to Toronto or 2) Fill out a new application and head for Toronto! I’m choosing option 2. This is since I have my birth certificate, am not sure my photos are any good and what the heck I look forward to a 3 1/2 hour drive in the winter!
I immediately went on the Passport Office website to download an application form - I couldn't do it. There must a huge volume of traffic to that website because it was crawling! I tried several times to get a copy but never had any luck. I couldn't even register to do it on line. Fortunately the Post Office in my community is open late on Monday's and I was able to get an application form from there.
Tuesday morning I will get new photos taken (at a professional photographer), convince one of the P.Engs in our office to act as guarantor and then right after work I will head to Toronto. I will crash at my cousin’s tomorrow night and then be at the passport office by 7AM. I think I’ll have to buy one Tim Horton’s in a paper mug and have them put a second in my travel mug
 . I’ll also pack some snacks and maybe even a book – yeah that’s a good idea. Once I get through the line I’ll head back to North Bay. WHAT A PAIN!The sad part is this doesn’t help my youngest daughter. In good faith she sent in her Birth Certificate with her application and can’t even make a desperate trip to the passport office in her community.
So I won’t be posting tomorrow, but maybe I’ll have good news to report on Wednesday. Passport Hell - Monday Edition24 Days To Flight Take-Off
AND I CAN'T EVEN GET THROUGH TO AN AGENT!
  7:29 AM I begin dialing, with hopes of getting through to a Passport Agent. Maybe with good news about my passport application.
The line rings - good sign. Enter the required numbers to get through the preliminary ramblings. CRAP! The cue is full and I get kicked out!
I call back several times and same thing - although my attempts alternate between a busy signal and the cue is full.
It would be really nice if they didn't insult me with the line "Your call is important to us....." If my call was truly important they would a) have an ACD system that allowed more calls to wait in the cue, &/or b) have more agents on duty to take the calls that are important to them!
I'll keep trying through out the day, but am not holding out much hope of getting through. After all this is the passport office and the last thing they seem to want is to work with the people of Canada.
Given the poor treatment I have received from all levels of government for normal daily dealings it is time the politicians reminded those civil servants that their role is to serve the public. I always get the impression that I'm an irritant to them. The other frusrtation I have is that every department seems to have the going in attitude that everyone dealing with us is a crook and will try to do something fraudulent and so everyone ends up being treated like a crimminal. And I don't know if the politicians are oblivious to this, in agreement with the actions or simply incapable of implementing change.
January 20 Passport HELL!26 Days to Take Off – No Passport!
I made my every second day call to Passport Canada on Friday AM and am on an emotional rollercoaster. At one moment thinking yeah there is a chance, then in the next breath all wind is taken out of me.
Last Wednesday I was told they were opening mail received on Dec 1. On Friday they were still only opening mail received Dec 1! But there was some good news! They could tell me that my application was received on Dec 1, it just hadn’t been opened, but the office is working all weekend, so it should get opened by Monday.
I mentioned again about the problem with my Birth Certificate and the agent told me "Oh, no they will simply reject your application". My heart sank!
At least she finally agree to send an email to the main office and flag my application, requesting they not reject the application, but wait until I call in on Monday AM (I hope I can get through). I can get the Passport Canada tracking number and express post my Birth Certificate to them (hoping it will find the person working on my application). I will have to call in again to give them the Express Post tracking number. BUT there is no guarantee they won't simply reject the application - cause that is the course of least resistance!
The ironic and frustrating thing with the Birth Certificate is that when my eldest daughter went to the passport office in Toronto they took a 5 second look at the Birth Certificate and handed it back to her! So just how important is that document! Also I had a Passport, which expires January 2007, so the Passport Office has already seen my birth certificate already. I also included my old passport with my application in hopes it would help them validate I'm not some terrorist trying to get false documents and expedite the process.
To add weight to my already sinking feeling, the agent then tells me the 20 day process guarantee doesn't start until they have opened the application and have all documents in good order. So the 50 calendar days (25 – 30 working days) that my application sat in their mail room doesn't count! And if there is a problem with my photo, signature, birth certificate, they reject the application and everything starts over. At least that is the impression I was left with from the call centre agent.
I'm thinking isn't that like a government agency to "spin the measuring scale" so they don't look bad! If I did that in my job I would drawn and quartered! And God forbid should they try to work with the public to get the proper documentation.
This entire application process is so whack and puts people who do not live in a major centre at a disadvantage. Let me explain.
I live in North Bay - the closest passport office is in Toronto (3 1/2 hours away) or Ottawa (4 hours away). So if I wanted to go personally to a passport office and be assured all of the documents are correct, then I would have to take at least one day’s vacation, probably stay in a hotel room, and spend a lot of extra on gas.
My eldest daughter went to the passport office in Toronto on Jan 10 and after standing in line for two hours was told they were rejecting her photo’s (Thank you Wal-Mart! – and mine were taken at the same time by the same person). She was able to go to a photo place just around the corner, get new photos and get them check, mercifully without waiting in the line up again. She was then told she would have her passport by Feb 5.
I mailed mine on Nov. 27, they received it Dec 1 and they are just opening the application now. So there is apparently a lower priority given to applications mailed in AND if all my documents are not perfect they apparently simply reject the application, without contacting the applicant so things can be corrected. Again, this is the impression I have been left with from talking to the Call Centre agents. I have no quick way to correct the situation.
So if you are from a remote area of the country (and trust me I do not consider North Bay remote - despite what people in the GTA might think) you are hooped from the get go!
I plan to call on Monday morning and see if I will be able to express post my birth certificate to them and hopefully they can tell me if there are any other problems with the application (i.e. photo or signature problem). This so they can look at it for 5 seconds and say “Yep that’s a birth certificate!”
CRAP I AM SO FRUSTRATED! I’ll keep this blog posted on my stay in passport hell!
Two last items of interest:
It is interesting that there is more publicity starting regarding this. Check out Garth Turner’s blog at http://www.garth.ca/weblog/2007/01/19/1338/. Now admittedly Turner has an axe to grind to with the Conservatives, but his comments are valid about the frustration people are facing. And the comments on the blog are interesting.
I’ve been corresponding via email with Ben O’hara-Byrne, a reporter with Global National about the frustration of dealing with the application process. I started out with the frustration of trying to get through to the office through the telephone (continual busy signal). He appears to be in Ottawa and in an email said he was able to get through on 4 out of 6 attempts. If I call any later than 7:29 AM all I get is a busy signal. Makes me wonder if the configuration of the toll free number accepts local calls before calls from remote areas. Yeah I know it is a weak conspiracy argument, but you would be surprised how the routing of calls to toll free numbers can be configured and manipulated. We’ll see if the TV news sees a story in all of this. |
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