Wednesday, September 14, 2005
101 Things That Are Different in Canada: #2
This is the 169th post since we arrived, which makes an average of one blog per 2.4 days. I say this to make up a little for the slight gap in our blogging in the last few weeks. It's hard to say why exactly, although we have been a bit distracted lately, busy at work, away from home a bit and also trying to make a start at sorting out both of our future job plans. Anyway, we are now back on the case and there are several blogs linesd up already just waiting for a final edit before they get sent out to meet the world. We have had one reader contact us in distress to say that they want more blogging, or else they won't know what we are doing (you know who you are ManUFan), so I suppose we have to keep our end up!
Anyway, over the last few months we have been drawing up a list of things which we find odd, unusual or downright weird about day-to-day life in Canada, and things which are different from life in the UK in big, small or subtle ways. We had already published the first of these 101 Things That Are Different in Canada on Inukshuks, but we have a lot more coming up, so here is #2:
"Touchless car washes"
So you're driving home on Crowchild or 16, and you see all these signs for TOUCHLESS CAR WASHES. Or WAND WASHES. And you wonder what it's all about. I mean a car wash is a car wash, right? And what does Touchless mean? So you decide to give it a go, as the car hasn't been washed for ages and it's pigging. Our local touchless carwash is the Big Bucket over in Crowfoot, and it's a fully-automated affair, just pop your money in the slot for a Bronze, Silver or Gold wash. And then the big door goes up and in you go. And it turns out that it is entirely touchless i.e. your car is not touched at all by any of the car wash machinery, unlike at home where the big brushes go up, around and over your car. In the touchless wash, high pressure jets pummel your paint work and then they spray detergent on the outside as a 'pre-wash'. After a minute or two, they put on the real cleaning stuff, which looks a lot like Cremola Foam, as it's bubbly and multi-coloured:
After another minute or two, it's out with the high pressure jets again and then they spray the wax on and you have to drive out through a massive hair-dryer-type arrangement with a countdown clock telling you when the exit door will come down on the car.
One question arises from the whole 'Touchless' thing - do Canadian drivers have a problem with having their cars touched? You know: "OK, you can wash it, just as long as you don't touch it". Eh? Did they used to have brush-type car washes and then went touchless? Just another of those Canadian mysteries...
And another thing - we don't use the carwash at all between November and March, as the water they put on will freeze as soon as you drive out into the -20 temperatures, and will trap you in the car by forming solid ice around all the doors and in the door keyholes. Just another wee thing to watch out for...
Anyway, over the last few months we have been drawing up a list of things which we find odd, unusual or downright weird about day-to-day life in Canada, and things which are different from life in the UK in big, small or subtle ways. We had already published the first of these 101 Things That Are Different in Canada on Inukshuks, but we have a lot more coming up, so here is #2:
"Touchless car washes"
So you're driving home on Crowchild or 16, and you see all these signs for TOUCHLESS CAR WASHES. Or WAND WASHES. And you wonder what it's all about. I mean a car wash is a car wash, right? And what does Touchless mean? So you decide to give it a go, as the car hasn't been washed for ages and it's pigging. Our local touchless carwash is the Big Bucket over in Crowfoot, and it's a fully-automated affair, just pop your money in the slot for a Bronze, Silver or Gold wash. And then the big door goes up and in you go. And it turns out that it is entirely touchless i.e. your car is not touched at all by any of the car wash machinery, unlike at home where the big brushes go up, around and over your car. In the touchless wash, high pressure jets pummel your paint work and then they spray detergent on the outside as a 'pre-wash'. After a minute or two, they put on the real cleaning stuff, which looks a lot like Cremola Foam, as it's bubbly and multi-coloured:
After another minute or two, it's out with the high pressure jets again and then they spray the wax on and you have to drive out through a massive hair-dryer-type arrangement with a countdown clock telling you when the exit door will come down on the car.
One question arises from the whole 'Touchless' thing - do Canadian drivers have a problem with having their cars touched? You know: "OK, you can wash it, just as long as you don't touch it". Eh? Did they used to have brush-type car washes and then went touchless? Just another of those Canadian mysteries...
And another thing - we don't use the carwash at all between November and March, as the water they put on will freeze as soon as you drive out into the -20 temperatures, and will trap you in the car by forming solid ice around all the doors and in the door keyholes. Just another wee thing to watch out for...
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