Well we arrived safely on Saturday & after picking up the car headed to the cargo depot just to find out where it was, the office is very small and we soon found out that the bikes were there but not yet in the warehouse, if they had been we could have got them the same day.
The Air Canada guy's confirmed the Customs office that normally handles cargo was closed until Tuesday due to the 'Victoria Day' Holiday but said that the office in the Airport may be able to help us, he also warned us there my be a dangerous goods storage charge to pay based on weight!!
On Sunday we returned to the Airport to check Customs but no joy, it would have to be Tuesday, c'est la vie!!
We spend the rest of the day looking around down-town Calagary and the recommended 'MEC' camping and outdoor shop, we managed to restrain ourselves and kept our wallets firmly closed.
As previously mentioned I had been in contact with Jordan & Sandra who we met on Stahlratte during my South American trip with a BBQ organised for Monday along with Daan & Mirjam plus a larger collection of bike travellers living in & around Calgary.
The BBQ turned out to be a great evening & once again proved that on these trips the people you meet are just as important as the places you have the pleasure to visit, thanks again to Jordan, Sandra, Daan & Mirjam.
Tuesday is here at last & after about 45 minutes at Air Canad Cargo, we have the bikes at last!! Initially they were charging us C$600 for the storage but we managed to negotiate a discount with total fees reduced to C$50 for each bike.
Note: if anyone else is thinking of shipping a bike the same way, check for public holidays, travel midweek the same day as your bike & you can get it the following day without the possibility of the storage charge, the actual process in Canada is very easy.
The Air Canada guy's confirmed the Customs office that normally handles cargo was closed until Tuesday due to the 'Victoria Day' Holiday but said that the office in the Airport may be able to help us, he also warned us there my be a dangerous goods storage charge to pay based on weight!!
On Sunday we returned to the Airport to check Customs but no joy, it would have to be Tuesday, c'est la vie!!
We spend the rest of the day looking around down-town Calagary and the recommended 'MEC' camping and outdoor shop, we managed to restrain ourselves and kept our wallets firmly closed.
The viewing platform of Calgary Tower
As previously mentioned I had been in contact with Jordan & Sandra who we met on Stahlratte during my South American trip with a BBQ organised for Monday along with Daan & Mirjam plus a larger collection of bike travellers living in & around Calgary.
Before this get together we visited 'Head-Smashed In' Buffalo Jump http://history.alberta.ca/headsmashedin/, those Blackfoot sure said it like it is, this is a world heritage site where Buffalo were herded over a cliff for several thousand years until the settlers brought in guns & virtually wiped out the species within 20 years.
The BBQ turned out to be a great evening & once again proved that on these trips the people you meet are just as important as the places you have the pleasure to visit, thanks again to Jordan, Sandra, Daan & Mirjam.
Tuesday is here at last & after about 45 minutes at Air Canad Cargo, we have the bikes at last!! Initially they were charging us C$600 for the storage but we managed to negotiate a discount with total fees reduced to C$50 for each bike.
Note: if anyone else is thinking of shipping a bike the same way, check for public holidays, travel midweek the same day as your bike & you can get it the following day without the possibility of the storage charge, the actual process in Canada is very easy.
I Can't believe you went to MEC and didn't buy anything.
ReplyDelete