Closer to Canada than California!
- navakallc
- Apr 6, 2024
- 3 min read
That morning sunshine that hits the windows of your car as you glide on the roads, the mountainous scenery changing besides you will always be one of my favorite parts of the trip. I’m talking about my trips to British Columbia, Canada. They always make me feel free, like I have no responsibility on my shoulder, like a bird who can fully spread their wings.
It felt exhilarating the first time I went, because it was so surreal that there was a border to another country only about 2 to 3 hours away from my house. It felt even more exhilarating that I was able to cross it. You can easily go from the United States to some countries without the need of a visa once you have a green card, which is permanent residency in the United States, or a citizenship. I didn’t know the significance of this trip the first time we went, for me, it was just another road trip that my parents and I were taking.
The scenery was mesmerizing, the way the mountain peaks sparkled as the sun rays hit them, the sun rise happening in front of us during the winter months. I like travelling early in the morning because it feels like the whole world is waking up, the roads are pretty empty and you reach the border at the most perfect time. Listening to songs in the car, singing along, looking outside, crossing the bridge over the water are my favorite parts of the journey, which are just as appealing as the destination itself.
Peeling into the border lanes, we are all ready to show our passport and green card, which will enable us to enter the country. The officers there usually ask a series of questions related to your name, how long you’re staying etc. and then finally, we enter. For the first time we entered, Canada felt like a different world, one with so many different things. Though now, we mainly go there for food.
Canada, Surrey especially, has a lot of good Indian food as a lot of Sikh community settled there some time ago. Surrey is also referred to as Little Punjab, and they have some of the best Indian restaurants in the area. Now, whenever we crave tandoori Indian appetizers or various dishes, it’s more feasible for us to go over to Canada instead of having the same food in Redmond, because it’s tastier and also convenient. It’s a small slice of India.
Since we are now frequent travelers to Canada, we got a pass called Nexus, which you are eligible for after you have gotten your green card, and which will enable you to skip the lines and go through a special lane, as it’s faster. This is because the Nexus pass owning people have already been pre-scrutinized before they received the pass, and the interrogation process of crossing the border is smoother and shorter. There’s also no need to get out of the car, as you can flash your pass from the window, answers questions and drive on.
Once we’ve entered, the big Welcome to Surrey always puts a smile on my face, and I look out, noticing the uncanny resemblance some parts of this country have with India. The people walking around, the houses, the shops, to the language spoken is like different parts of India, which put together form one cozy puzzle.
There is a wide range of Indian clothes and sweets stores along with the various restaurants in the area, which are also fun to visit when we go there. Whenever we go, we have a specific restaurant we go to, and we always take take-out for later after our meal, so we can cherish it for longer. We also make sure to always get Indian sweets, because they’re freshly made there, and have a wider variety of options to choose from.
On the way back from our one-day trip just for food, with our stomachs full and our hearts warm and cozy, we set off towards home, looking at our takeout bags and knowing we’re taking a little piece home with us to cherish for one more day.