If it's Thursday, it must be Van

Well yesterday started good - with a horrified 'wtf? You're still *here*!' look from the cat LOL She'd obviously managed to convince herself overnight that I was some kind of self induced hallucination, despite the fact that she walked over me a couple of times during the night *g*. This morning, she seems to be coming to terms with the fact that I'm here for a while.

Progress then :-)

Yesterday was a glorious day so we took a run up to Vancouver. What a beautiful city! At least in the bits closest to the coast: like any other city, bits of downtown are a bit depressed looking. But overall, I'd say 9/10 for sheer prettiness, with the shore in front and the mountains behind. Took the obligatory swing round Bridge Studios for a picture to prove that I'd been there (and the fact that himself was apparently filming there yesterday had NO bearing on the plan - yeah, right *g*), asked the lady on the gate if a visit was possible and got a knock back (on the grounds that the studio was classed as a building site and was closed to anyone without hard hat and steel toecaps LOL: nice excuse, I thought), went for a lunch that kept me going until this morning and then looked around. Ended up walking the dog along the beach in the sunshine.

Yet more fun with immigration :-) On the back of the visa waiver, there's a paragraph that says you have to surrender the visa if you leave the States - and if you don't, you might not get back in without a struggle. What it *doesn't* make plain is that the visa is valid for 90 days, so you shouldn't be inclined to part with it before this period is up. What it should say is "Warning: do NOT surrender this visa if you go on a day trip to Canada". In big bold letters. BIG bold letters.

So, we get to the border (Canadian side) and explain to the very nice immigration lady there why we're going to Canada, that I'm from Scotland and that I have a visa waiver, and it says I should surrender it. And she says, 'don't bother, just hang on to it'.

Me: "But it says on the back right here that I have to surrender it if I leave the States at all and that if I don't do that, I might find it difficult to get back in.' Which, obviously, would be a disappointment with all my stuff on the *other* side of the border, including my tickets home.

Immigration Lady: "If you don't hang on to it, they'll charge you another $6 for a replaement when you cme back."

Me: "Okay, but it says on the back right here...etc."

Immigration Lady: "Okay, I'll take it if you want me to."

LOL! Welcome to Canada :-)

So, on the way back, we stop and explain on the US side that I'm a tourist visiting the States, that we've taken a day trip to Canada and that I've surrendered my visa at the border as instructed and that I have to get back into the States again. And we're directed to go queue at Immigration. Which doesn't take long, and we're dealt with by another totally charming immigration man who asks me why I want to enter the US, what the purpose of my visit is and so on, and I explain that I arrived yesterday in Seattle, went to Cananda for a day trip and surrendered my visa at the border as instructed.

Immigration Man: "Why did you surrender your visa?"

Me: "Because it says on the back right here that I should... etc."

Immigration Man: "Okay, fill in the form and that'll be $6 please."

Then he goes to stamp my passport. And sees yesterday's stamp. I think that was the moment that he decided that I was an idiot (although obviously, since I *am* in Seattle right now, not dangerously insane as per Question A on the form).

Immigration Man: "Wait a minute! You had your passport stamped yesterday!"

Me: "Uh huh. Yesterday was when I arrived in the States."

Immigration Man: "So why haven't you got your visa form with you?"

Me: "I surrendered it at the Canadian border."

Immigration Man: "You surrendered your visa? Why did you do that?"

Me: *headdesk* "It says on the back right here... etc"

Oh well, at least it gave him a laugh - and all his colleagues, with whom he shared the joke.

Finished the say with a bottle of wine and an unprovoked attack from one of the birds, so I now have a dink on the cheek which makes me look bold and dangerous and as if I can probably hold my own in a knife fight. So I won't be surrendering my visa to *anyone* without a fight before next Wednesday just in case I don't get back in this time.

Nest up, today: whale watching and a visit with riverfox YAY!