A Hitch-hikers guide to ... Hitch-hiking
So I decided to try hitch-hiking. I made a sign saying where I was going, and how I wanted to get there, "401 to Kingston". It had three different fonts, and was on white cardboard, which I thought would greatly improve my odds of getting rides. Standing at the on-ramp to the Hwy. 8 South from Kitchener by Fairview Mall, I got picked up after probably two minutes of standing there. This guy gave me a ride to Mississauga Road. He gave me some advice as well, having been a hitch-hiker himself once upon a time. He said that I shouldn't be afraid to refuse rides. Things to watch for: Beer bottles, bongs, and weapons. Another guy gave me a ride another distance through the city and dropped me off, telling me to be careful and use my head. The next couple gave me a ride to Kennedy road in Scarborough. They reminisced about other hitch-hikers that they had picked up, and mentioned how the whole process could be a lot of fun. The man spoke with a bit of an accent, but was still comprehensible, while his wife, spoke with more of an accent and was quieter, so I didn't catch a word she said. Standing in Scarborough at 10:30am, after having started at 8:00, I felt I had made pretty good time. After standing by the on-ramp there for an hour, I was quite frustrated, and decided to walk to the next on-ramp and try my luck there. That on-ramp turned out to be at the Scarborough Town Centre where I stopped for lunch. I ate at London-style Fish & Chips. It was quite an authentic London, England experience. Very few white people working there, all speaking with bad English, and I walked away thinking I hadn't gotten enough for my money. Anyway, I picked up some cardboard along the way, and made another sign, because I had left my awesome sign in the first guy's car. Anyway, standing at the on-ramp for an hour and a half, and getting no rides, I eventually gave up, went to the bus terminal at Scarborough Town Centre and bought a bus ticket to Kingston. What was supposed to be a free trip to Kingston turned out to only be a slightly cheaper than normal trip to Kingston. Next time, I'll remember not to try to hitch-hike out of the city, only through it. Heck, if I was driving out of Scarborough, I might not pick up any hitch-hikers either, they'd probably be from Scarborough. The lesson I learned on the trip, was one that I knew all along, people from the city are less-trusting. I was surprised by the success of hitch-hiking up to that point though. I'll likely do it again.

   [ posted by William @ 4:26 PM ]