Crossing the Border... I am not entirely sure what we were thinking,
something along the lines of, "lets pop up into Canada for a week" we
spent a total of six hours in the border patrol lines and offices, two
on the way up and four coming back. The short of it; pepper spray,
readily available at counters in the US, is baned in Canada, and
crossing the border with feathers concerns the American Department of
Fish and Wildlife. In Vancouver we walked down, and up, the 542 wooden
steps leading to Wreck Beach, and spent an awesome night watching
Point Break in a park, gorilla drive-in style.
Then there was the exchange of USD$ to CAD$ Spent the last half hour
arguing with the manager of a Washington BofA about the exchange rate
of Canadian Dollars to U.S. There no exchange fee for customers, I was
told. Here is a recap...we exchanged $598.44 US for $580.00 CAD at
1.0236800$ per CAD a week later back in the states We exchanged
$390.00CAD for $357.59UUS at 0.916900$ per CAD when I said that's
quite a fee, they replied "there is no fee, that is the rate."
Argument ensued. They kept saying that that is just the exchange rate
and that they don't charge a fee. I stated if there is no fee the rate
should be the same, they said it changes every day. I said I
understand that the dollar to CAD changes based on the international
currency exchange rate. But if you advertise no fee, then the currency
should be exchanged at whatever the exchange rate is, the bank manager
said again, "that is what we do." she then pulled up the BofA exchange
computer screen and showed me, the rates had changed since my first
exchange. The US$ to CAD$ was now at 1.0257900$ she seemed happy that
the computer had proven her point, so I made mine. "So if I was to
exchange $600 right now?" I asked, as if I didn't understand. She
punched in the numbers and hit enter, "you would get $584.92" OK then
if I exchanged that back to US at your exchange rate, see typed that
in, a little annoyed but thinking it would solve the issue, and hit
enter, "you would get, $536.31" she paused a little confused. I smiled
and said, "the missing $63.69? not a fee, the international exchange
rate must have changed by 10c/ a dollar in the last 5 seconds?" the
rest of the conversation was about computers and ignorance, and
although I didn't get my fee back, I felt as though I had won.
something along the lines of, "lets pop up into Canada for a week" we
spent a total of six hours in the border patrol lines and offices, two
on the way up and four coming back. The short of it; pepper spray,
readily available at counters in the US, is baned in Canada, and
crossing the border with feathers concerns the American Department of
Fish and Wildlife. In Vancouver we walked down, and up, the 542 wooden
steps leading to Wreck Beach, and spent an awesome night watching
Point Break in a park, gorilla drive-in style.
Then there was the exchange of USD$ to CAD$ Spent the last half hour
arguing with the manager of a Washington BofA about the exchange rate
of Canadian Dollars to U.S. There no exchange fee for customers, I was
told. Here is a recap...we exchanged $598.44 US for $580.00 CAD at
1.0236800$ per CAD a week later back in the states We exchanged
$390.00CAD for $357.59UUS at 0.916900$ per CAD when I said that's
quite a fee, they replied "there is no fee, that is the rate."
Argument ensued. They kept saying that that is just the exchange rate
and that they don't charge a fee. I stated if there is no fee the rate
should be the same, they said it changes every day. I said I
understand that the dollar to CAD changes based on the international
currency exchange rate. But if you advertise no fee, then the currency
should be exchanged at whatever the exchange rate is, the bank manager
said again, "that is what we do." she then pulled up the BofA exchange
computer screen and showed me, the rates had changed since my first
exchange. The US$ to CAD$ was now at 1.0257900$ she seemed happy that
the computer had proven her point, so I made mine. "So if I was to
exchange $600 right now?" I asked, as if I didn't understand. She
punched in the numbers and hit enter, "you would get $584.92" OK then
if I exchanged that back to US at your exchange rate, see typed that
in, a little annoyed but thinking it would solve the issue, and hit
enter, "you would get, $536.31" she paused a little confused. I smiled
and said, "the missing $63.69? not a fee, the international exchange
rate must have changed by 10c/ a dollar in the last 5 seconds?" the
rest of the conversation was about computers and ignorance, and
although I didn't get my fee back, I felt as though I had won.
