Q: I have some old friends who moved there (from the UK) but I don't hear from them, and would like to pay them a surprise visit... is it a huge place or could I track them down easily and stay somewhere in the town/ city whatever it is? I know nothing about the place and want some local knowledge preferably better than Google provides!
A: I have never heard of Abbotsford, Manitoba. There is a fairly large town in British Columbia called Abbotsford - if that's the one you're thinking of, its about 1 hour east of Vancouver, and has a population of around 160,000 people. A large percentage of the residents are in rural or semi-rural locations as farming is one of the big economic drivers. I wouldn't just show up and start asking at the local Tim Hortons, "Do you know where (John and Kathy, whatever) live?" Do your research first, they may not even live there anymore. If they do, there are a lot of options for hotels, bed & breakfasts, etc.