Regina to Winnipeg

Day 6: Regina to Winnipeg

Just a short drive today – 6h to Winnipeg. It’s only the 3rd time I’ve been; for some reason, the family was more likely to drive the 8h west to Calgary (over what was undivided highway back then, no less) than the 6h east to Winnipeg (which was mostly divided at least since the 80s) whenever we needed a big city fix (eg Asian groceries). I guess since we lived in Calgary for a while (my parents’ first home after immigrating) it still has some feeling of “home”; then again, Winnipeg has more Filipinos than anywhere else in Canada (including the first Filipino to be Member of Parliament) so it should’ve had at least a little draw, I’d've thought.

Even with a short drive, I’m not taking any chances: still going in double-barrelled with the Grande Veronas

Between the cupholders there’s a third circular space cut out: apparently it’s sized for one of those Red Bull energy drink cans! I’ll have to try it out sometime. JP swore by the stuff on a jet-lagged drive to Kelowna, so I thought about it on the way out, but I just couldn’t bring myself to. It’s like there’s a line you cross when you go from regular coffee, to something hard core like Red Bull. I don’t think I can do that. Partly out of fear of that post-taurine crash (is it from the taurine?), and I guess it’s the same way how people who’ve gotten through med school without coffee look at me, withdrawing after my 3rd cup of the day – at lunch. If I went on to Red Bull, that would be admitting coffee really is a gateway drug – and of course I won’t let that happen.

Along the way there’s more town gateway signs, some with taglines. Indian Head – “A Progressive Prairie Town”

Grenfell – after the Wheat Pool closures and re-management, the only grain elevator left in town is the one on the sign

Broadview – “A neat and blooming community”

Portage la Prairie – “Proud of Our Past… Building Our Future”. Bonus line – “Visit our island in the city!”

I think I lucked on the weather, and caught up to the tail end of a storm receding away from me – first, the rainbow ahead over the highway

and by the time I got into my hotel room, the edge had just passed the Downtown core, leaving the streets only slightly damp and the clouds filtering a brilliant Prairie sunset

Manitoba and Saskatchewan are about even in size (a million each), but whereas Saskatchewan splits its political, educational and business centres between two cities of 200 thousand, Winnipeg centralises it all in a metropolis of 650 thousand. It once was as big as Chicago as a transport hub for the western US and Canada; now, not so much. But it’s still got bright lights

and a healthy mix of new and old

and – of course – public transit amenities

and that essential part of the big city urban fabric: cops walking – yes, walking – a Downtown beat

The Delta in Winnipeg didn’t have the personalised welcome greeting card and in-room fireplace that the Banff one had, but it’s still pretty nice, and there’s two super-bright bedside lamps to light up the space. I think only in hotels do people ever have two bedside lamps – I can’t say for sure, since I’ve haven’t really been in too many other people’s bedrooms, but two is kind of overkill, no? Even if you’ve got a massive king-size (or bigger; what do you call bigger than king? Emperor maybe?) bed.

The room service menu looked good and reasonably-priced, but it was closed by the time I was ready for supper – shame, it’s the first time I ever thought of ordering. Across the street there’s a pasta place that looks much too clubby and pretentious to actually eat in, but for takeaway it’s delish: a fettucini (or is it linguini?) with a Thai peanut sauce. A very coarse peanut sauce (look at those peanuts! They’re pretty much whole) which made it more filling than the usual piddling sauces you get sometimes.

I really wish I remembered the names of the places I eat at, other than McDonald’s… There’s some yummy places along the way, and it’s nice to give credit where credit’s due.