A new adventure begins...

I began my trip before dark and was enjoying some fresh air and an apple outside the airport when I saw a bat headed straight for me. I was delighted. What more auspicious omen could I have for my journey than the overpassing of a bat? Of course it turned out to just be a seagull, but I shall remember it as
a bat.

Despite a deathly attack of oxygen deprivation on my first flight (delirium, cold sweats, nausea… super fun) all went smoothly and it only took three whole days to get over my jetlag. Apparently I just missed a heat wave, for which I am insanely grateful. Much like a moss, I prefer cool, damp and shady conditions. There is little to be said about my week in Los Angeles except that I had a wonderful time with my dear friend and muse, Alexandra. However, I did cause a mild disturbance at the Farmer's Market in the Grove when I was waiting outside the toilets for my friend to come out. Men started lining up behind me and it took me a while to realise that I had inadvertently started a queue. They were super impressed when I announced that I was just standing there and that they did not need to wait to go in. To be fair, I didn't tell anyone to stand behind me and if they choose to behave like sheep, it is not my fault.

Sufficiently relaxed and still relatively overwhelmed by the heat, I flew to Buffalo, the city by Niagara Falls. At the airport I opted for a pat-down instead of a 'naked scan'. I would rather be groped than scanned. I was treated to warm hospitality by a couchsurfing host and the next day set off for Toronto.

In Toronto I walked until my feet were blistered and saved my friend from a mouse that had journeyed far around the Circle of Life. I do love this city. Squirrels that dash over the power lines and trees, more classic, old houses than you could shake a stick at, and where else would I ever see a bookish Korean girl zooming along the street on a skateboard?
I promise this will all become more entertaining (and visually picturesque) once I start back-packing around Europe. (Begins tomorrow). Stay tuned, and don't forget to floss.