Last Friday, myself, Q, my colleague and fab friend Annie, and her best friend Sarah, hired a car and drove the short three-hour trip from one sodden city to another, to see Gossip play in Seattle. It rained the whole way there - the forecasters' prediction of 100% rain looked likely.
Getting across into the Land Of The Free was, as ever, exasperating. As first-timers to the States, Annie and Sarah didn't have I-94 forms so we all had to line up and get them. Clearly two Brits and two Aussies travelling in a Canadian car was suspicious so we were subjected to extensive questioning as to how we all knew each other, what we were doing in a) Canada and b) the US of A and c) how again, exactly, did we know each other? It was all very serious and prolongued but we eventually were let through after Annie assured the customs official that it was okay that she still looked like her passport photo.
All this only for Quentin, literally ten minutes into the country, to realise that he'd left our tickets at home. Convinced that I'd seen him put them in the bag, I made him hunt through about five times, until he remembered that they were in his wallet the whole time. Turns out, when we finally arrived in Seattle, they weren't even the correct tickets (being only the receipt stubs) and we had to do a lot of schmoozing to let us in with our proof of purchase, ID and Q's talent for talking himself into, or out of, any given situation.**
The gig itself was fantastic. The support acts were a hip-hop group called Champagne Champagne and a very bizarre outfit called Men..? It took a good few songs to establish the gender of the lead singer, but we eventually located an Adam's apple, so unanimously voted male, and carried on enjoying the set - which was a bit of a surprise given the middling review it got from A and S (who had seen Gossip play the night before in Vancouver). When Gossip finally came one, it was an awesome start, a simple, driving beat from the drummer building up parts of the band to Beth Ditto's entrance. Fab voice, great stage presence, sparky, charming, smaller in real life, and, contrary to what London Lite would have you believe, didn't strip to her underwear at any given moment (although she did the night before, the Annie/Sarah info source informed us). The vibe in the venue was awesome- a small place meant people were right up close to the stage - we were about 3 lines of people from the front and the beat you could feel from the floor was electric, catchy, hypnotic almost. We tried to continue to do the evening justice, but trying to get into bars armed with only a driver's license in the state of Washington proved tricky. It was passports only, and seeing as we were all tired and had an early start the next day, we called in quits and headed back to Annie's friend's place to hang out and crash.
Saturday 8am saw us all up and about to drop Q off at the Space Needle to play a Magic tournament. Us girls then headed in search of brunch in a funky place. And did we find it. Bedlam is one of the funkiest, coolest cafes I've been to in a long while. Great service, drinks and the best doorstop toast all in a vintagey, chilled, eclectic setting, complete with comfy sofas and newspapers. It's a wonder we even saw any of Seattle. But we tore ourselves away and headed for the public markets and the Mecca spot for all modern-day, professional North Americans. I'm talking of course, of Pike Place Starbucks, the original Starbucks, the seemingly innocent location that spawned the branding and coffee behemoth it currently is today. Too lazy to queue for the same drink I could get a block from work, I stole a paper napkin and we left. Next stop, trying to find the underground original city that stood before natural disasters destroyed it and new Seattle was built on top. What exactly caused the original city to disappear, we didn't find out as we were ever so politely (and promptly!) chucked off the tour we sneakily tagged on to. So we settled for exploration on our own, shopping and generally admiring the cool architecture around. Seattle had lots of brickworks, hence why many of their buildings are brick, as opposed to here were they have lots of wood - so everything is clapboard and wood.
Meanwhile, Quentin was having fun destroying all his opponents in the tournament. Great for him, but it meant that we had to stay a lot later than planned before driving home. We left, at last, with Annie and Sarah under sleeping bags on the back seat, trying to fall asleep and myself tanking up with several cups of coffee. The drive back was easy - no rain, no traffic, no Americans at the border: where have you been/where do you live/how are you doing today is the customary line of questioning to get back into Canada.... ah Canada :-)
**Currently packing up our lives ready to go to Chicago on Friday, what did Q find on the floor by the bin? The actual Gossip tickets. Of course.
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
Places full of thanks
The clock is ticking down on my time in beautiful British Colombia, but there has still been time for some proper Canadian fun. That's right people, I'm talking NHL hockey and Thanksgiving! A good friend and avid Canucks (that's Vancouver's NHL team) fan, Jeff, kindly organised tickets to a home game versus the Dallas Stars this weekend, which was also Thanksgiving weekend.
First off, a bit of hockey background for y'all. The NHL has 30 teams, six of which are Canadian. These are: Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Out of these, the Canucks were generally rated the best, or at least they were up until the season proper started on Oct 1 - Calgary are admittedly looking pretty strong...but seeing as there are 82 games in the season, there's plenty of time for them to get their act back together. Anywho!
Some key Canucks players. First and foremost, Roberto Luongo. The captain and goalie is widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the league and enjoys almost god-like status in this country. Then we have Ryan Kesler, the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, the latter is currently injured for around 4-6 weeks with a broken foot, Alexandre Burrows, Willie Mitchell, Steve Bernier and Darcy Hordichuk amongst others.
So back to the action. We got into the hockey mood with tickets to an open practice session on Saturday morning. Rink-side seats meant that we could see all the action up close. And subsequently got smothered by excited, autograph-hunting children when all the players left through the nearby tunnel. Penless, and feeling that it would be churlish to sweep aside eight-year-olds, we battled the opposite way through the throng and chants of "Roberto, Roberto!"
Sunday was the real deal. Bedecked in newly purchased (discounted! cos that makes it better...) shirts, we headed not quite up to the rafters to find our seats. The good thing about a hockey stadium, and GM place in particular, is that there are no bad seats, so we had a clear, birds-eye view of all the action.
After the slow, scrappy start from Vancouver it turned into a more exciting game. Goals were alternated for both teams, but the Canucks managed to keep the lead. Until the third period when the Stars equalised. Twice. Extra time. A tense Jeff reminded us that although this was not the way it was meant to comfortably go, we were seeing more hockey than usual. A goalless five minutes took us to a shoot-out. I was confident, given our aforementioned weapon in the shape of Luongo but Jeff was pessimistic about our goal-scoring capabilities. He needn't have worried. Both Kesler and...hmm...someone else sent the puck home whilst at the other end, Luongo did his duty and kept the goal empty. Result! A tense one, but the desired winners in the end and we got to see all elements of a match.
From one Canadian celebration to another. The next day, Monday, was Thanksgiving Day, which, unlike our southerly neighbours, is celebrated here on the second Monday of October (unless you're in PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador or Nova Scotai where it's not marked as a stat holiday).
Whilst many north American tribes held feasts and celebrations to mark the end of harvest, Canadian Thanksgiving stems from the explorer James Frobischer, who held a service of thanksgiving to mark his safe return from a search for the Northwest Passage. The French settlers also held a feast of thanks in 1604 to celebrate their safe landing in Canada. Over the years, the occasion has served to give thanks for many things, harvests and special occasions but there was no regular fixed day. In 1879, an official Thanksgiving Day was observed although it continues to change from year to year.
A few weeks ago, Annie, Sarah and I decided to do dinner but nothing much was done to organise it further until a few days before when we got to inviting other stray people who didn't have families to go to. What started as dinner for five or six turned into a potluck feast for nine. We didn't manage a turkey, but chicken, roast potatoes, veggies, vegetarian chilli stew, meatloaf, bread, onion soup, corn chowder, caramel tart and pumpkin pie and plenty of wine was more than enough to satisfy. Throughout preparations in our bustling, smoke-filled kitchen (dilapidated oven, people, not burnt food) and then eating and talking it was clear that we all had much to be thankful for and celebrate.
And so I am inspired to enjoy every last minute of life in Vancouver, whether it's out with friends, cycling, playing Settlers with housemates, hiking, or squeezing in one last trip to the ocean. Clearly I will miss a country where I can write for several paragraphs on the national sport (sorry, Premier League, you just don't stand a chance). But, as a friend from work said on Sunday, it's not about missing the country you've come from, but seeing the opportunities in the place you've arrived. So, a belated thanksgiving toast: to experiences, wherever they lead, and to looking for them in all places, even those where you might not necessarily want to be just yet :-)
First off, a bit of hockey background for y'all. The NHL has 30 teams, six of which are Canadian. These are: Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Out of these, the Canucks were generally rated the best, or at least they were up until the season proper started on Oct 1 - Calgary are admittedly looking pretty strong...but seeing as there are 82 games in the season, there's plenty of time for them to get their act back together. Anywho!
Some key Canucks players. First and foremost, Roberto Luongo. The captain and goalie is widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the league and enjoys almost god-like status in this country. Then we have Ryan Kesler, the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, the latter is currently injured for around 4-6 weeks with a broken foot, Alexandre Burrows, Willie Mitchell, Steve Bernier and Darcy Hordichuk amongst others.
So back to the action. We got into the hockey mood with tickets to an open practice session on Saturday morning. Rink-side seats meant that we could see all the action up close. And subsequently got smothered by excited, autograph-hunting children when all the players left through the nearby tunnel. Penless, and feeling that it would be churlish to sweep aside eight-year-olds, we battled the opposite way through the throng and chants of "Roberto, Roberto!"
Sunday was the real deal. Bedecked in newly purchased (discounted! cos that makes it better...) shirts, we headed not quite up to the rafters to find our seats. The good thing about a hockey stadium, and GM place in particular, is that there are no bad seats, so we had a clear, birds-eye view of all the action.
After the slow, scrappy start from Vancouver it turned into a more exciting game. Goals were alternated for both teams, but the Canucks managed to keep the lead. Until the third period when the Stars equalised. Twice. Extra time. A tense Jeff reminded us that although this was not the way it was meant to comfortably go, we were seeing more hockey than usual. A goalless five minutes took us to a shoot-out. I was confident, given our aforementioned weapon in the shape of Luongo but Jeff was pessimistic about our goal-scoring capabilities. He needn't have worried. Both Kesler and...hmm...someone else sent the puck home whilst at the other end, Luongo did his duty and kept the goal empty. Result! A tense one, but the desired winners in the end and we got to see all elements of a match.
From one Canadian celebration to another. The next day, Monday, was Thanksgiving Day, which, unlike our southerly neighbours, is celebrated here on the second Monday of October (unless you're in PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador or Nova Scotai where it's not marked as a stat holiday).
Whilst many north American tribes held feasts and celebrations to mark the end of harvest, Canadian Thanksgiving stems from the explorer James Frobischer, who held a service of thanksgiving to mark his safe return from a search for the Northwest Passage. The French settlers also held a feast of thanks in 1604 to celebrate their safe landing in Canada. Over the years, the occasion has served to give thanks for many things, harvests and special occasions but there was no regular fixed day. In 1879, an official Thanksgiving Day was observed although it continues to change from year to year.
A few weeks ago, Annie, Sarah and I decided to do dinner but nothing much was done to organise it further until a few days before when we got to inviting other stray people who didn't have families to go to. What started as dinner for five or six turned into a potluck feast for nine. We didn't manage a turkey, but chicken, roast potatoes, veggies, vegetarian chilli stew, meatloaf, bread, onion soup, corn chowder, caramel tart and pumpkin pie and plenty of wine was more than enough to satisfy. Throughout preparations in our bustling, smoke-filled kitchen (dilapidated oven, people, not burnt food) and then eating and talking it was clear that we all had much to be thankful for and celebrate.
And so I am inspired to enjoy every last minute of life in Vancouver, whether it's out with friends, cycling, playing Settlers with housemates, hiking, or squeezing in one last trip to the ocean. Clearly I will miss a country where I can write for several paragraphs on the national sport (sorry, Premier League, you just don't stand a chance). But, as a friend from work said on Sunday, it's not about missing the country you've come from, but seeing the opportunities in the place you've arrived. So, a belated thanksgiving toast: to experiences, wherever they lead, and to looking for them in all places, even those where you might not necessarily want to be just yet :-)
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Loopy Landlord, in the kitchen, with the dagger.
Nope not a new version of the famous board game, but a (not so) normal Thursday morning at home. Let me set the scene:
Our water system blocked so for a few days we, and the couple who share our duplex upstairs, could not use any water. No washing up, no flushing the loo, no washing machine. We were resorting to Tim Hortons and other restaurants and cafes just to use their facilities. The landlords came round after a couple of days of this. Well, the landlord and his loopy girlfriend Charlotte with whom we deal, and whose schizophrenic tendencies have probably been detailed somewhere earlier on this blog. Whilst showing them the problem areas and flooding, she sent evil stares and threats of our footing the bill my way, until he started telling her to stop talking. That's when the shouting started, and they proceeded to argue and shout and swear at each other. Upstairs in the kitchen, the domestic continued. Then, after one insult too many, the landlord grabbed a kitchen knife and made for Charlotte, who scampered into my room. Q and I calmed them down, although this was only a momentary relief as five minutes later, the knife was in his hands again and heading for her.
After that we decided that they were better off sorting whatever trivial matter it was outside and we ushered them out, to sit down and stare bemusedly at each other. Until I remembered that I had laundry to do, at which point I left for the local laundromat. And, of course, the obligatory cafe....
So, a happy conclusion to the story. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it) no one was really hurt, our water system is now working and we no longer have to use the cold community centre showers. Life can go on as normal until the end of October when our house is sadly parting ways...and I head to Chicago with Q, and then over to NYC and back up to Canada with some friends from home.
Which brings us into the last few weeks of Vancouver life. I have notified work that I'll be leaving and now am weighing up whether to use my discounts to stock up on gear now instead of crying over prices in Snow & Rock when I get back to London, or keep the money for travel. Travel money would be good, but my ski jacket is tearing and the downside of working at an outdoor store means I'm less inclined than ever to check out M&S's ski section...
Our water system blocked so for a few days we, and the couple who share our duplex upstairs, could not use any water. No washing up, no flushing the loo, no washing machine. We were resorting to Tim Hortons and other restaurants and cafes just to use their facilities. The landlords came round after a couple of days of this. Well, the landlord and his loopy girlfriend Charlotte with whom we deal, and whose schizophrenic tendencies have probably been detailed somewhere earlier on this blog. Whilst showing them the problem areas and flooding, she sent evil stares and threats of our footing the bill my way, until he started telling her to stop talking. That's when the shouting started, and they proceeded to argue and shout and swear at each other. Upstairs in the kitchen, the domestic continued. Then, after one insult too many, the landlord grabbed a kitchen knife and made for Charlotte, who scampered into my room. Q and I calmed them down, although this was only a momentary relief as five minutes later, the knife was in his hands again and heading for her.
After that we decided that they were better off sorting whatever trivial matter it was outside and we ushered them out, to sit down and stare bemusedly at each other. Until I remembered that I had laundry to do, at which point I left for the local laundromat. And, of course, the obligatory cafe....
So, a happy conclusion to the story. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it) no one was really hurt, our water system is now working and we no longer have to use the cold community centre showers. Life can go on as normal until the end of October when our house is sadly parting ways...and I head to Chicago with Q, and then over to NYC and back up to Canada with some friends from home.
Which brings us into the last few weeks of Vancouver life. I have notified work that I'll be leaving and now am weighing up whether to use my discounts to stock up on gear now instead of crying over prices in Snow & Rock when I get back to London, or keep the money for travel. Travel money would be good, but my ski jacket is tearing and the downside of working at an outdoor store means I'm less inclined than ever to check out M&S's ski section...
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Things return to normal....for now...
Just under a week ago I waved farewell to the last member of my family and headed back on the new skytrain route to reality. As of Saturday I have been back at work, something that I've enjoyed greatly, catching up with friends there, having more structure to my days and earning back the money shelled out in August. Straight back into the deep end as Meika is off next week so I'll be doing tons of overtime (and a good thing too says my bank account). Although, I have just discovered the joys of delayed pay schedules and vacation pay meaning that I had two cheques waiting for me on my return so wasn't quite as broke as I thought I was.
It's good to be back to normal. The room is tidy, a routine is gradually coming back. The inches lost all that time ago shivering on a beach in Tofino are hinting of a return, although budgeting on food might send them dropping off again. I'm running with workmates in a charity 5km race in a few weeks so am training for that - and will head out in a few minutes for a rainy jog.
Times, they are a changing. The sun is appearing less and less and the rain has taken it's place. The housemates are going their separate ways in November. Off to travel, move to different parts of Canada, return home to Germany, or find new housemates. Chris has already moved in with his girlfriend, Christine. Q and I are planning a trip to Chicago to see his friends Kurt and Jenny and then I'm heading to Toronto, Montreal and New York with some friends from home. The future's up in the air a bit, but no more so than it has been for the rest of the year at different points. So watch this space for news - with a bit more happenening, hopefully I will be more active in relaying it here!
A bientot, mes amis!
It's good to be back to normal. The room is tidy, a routine is gradually coming back. The inches lost all that time ago shivering on a beach in Tofino are hinting of a return, although budgeting on food might send them dropping off again. I'm running with workmates in a charity 5km race in a few weeks so am training for that - and will head out in a few minutes for a rainy jog.
Times, they are a changing. The sun is appearing less and less and the rain has taken it's place. The housemates are going their separate ways in November. Off to travel, move to different parts of Canada, return home to Germany, or find new housemates. Chris has already moved in with his girlfriend, Christine. Q and I are planning a trip to Chicago to see his friends Kurt and Jenny and then I'm heading to Toronto, Montreal and New York with some friends from home. The future's up in the air a bit, but no more so than it has been for the rest of the year at different points. So watch this space for news - with a bit more happenening, hopefully I will be more active in relaying it here!
A bientot, mes amis!
Taking the Rocky Road
Nathen, sitting on our veranda, waved hello to someone walking up our steps. I turned round in time to see a familiar hat rising up followed by my Dad's head and the rest of him. My dad who should have been on a bus at Cambie Street. Hello!! And so began the parents' visit. Dad, Q and I headed back to the cafe where Mum was guarding the bags for a very cheerful and chatty brunch. There followed a day of exploring Vancouver and dinner at ours - although by the time this came around, jet lag had set in so we entertained a couple of very dazed parents in our somewhat madcap house. The word you're looking for is: interesting. I think the model breasts someone found on a night out were not the living room ornaments/art work they had anticipated.
The next few days were better. Tofino, at a lovely BnB for whale watching (saw humpbacks very close up), hiking - although the steep Indiana Jones trail we took them down didn't prove quite so much fun when wet and slippy (Q saw all his built up brownie points rapidly sliding away down the hill), exploring remote beaches and sea kayaking. Then it was back to Vancouver to meet Dave at the airport and head up to Jasper.
First stop: Hope. Set in stunning surroundings, this is pretty much all Hope has going for it. Trying to find any food for the evening was hopeless (pun intended as example of the many Q and Dave had fun inventing). The drive to Jasper was, as you would expect, stunning. And Jasper itself was beautiful. Busy and lively, but not unbearably touristy, with plenty to do, and constant views of skyscraping peaks. First on the agenda was white water rafting, early in the morning before the sun had had time to vaguely warm the glacial river we'd be rafting down. I remembered what it was like in Toronto to not be able to feel my fingers. But constant beauty, fresh clean air, incredible light more than made up for the cold. The rest of the day was spent at a nearby lake, walking and swimming, where I saw a near bear (cough..dog - in my defense it was shaggy and a long way off).
The next day, we went to Maligne Lake, another incredibly beautiful drive away. It's not really possible to do justice to the rockies' beauty, except to say that everywhere you looked, the mountains were immense - tall, wide, just immense. With forests at the bottom, filtered sun, flowers, clear water, bright blue mineral lakes, the lot. Wildlife tally started with Q seeing a moose at the side of the road, and from that point, our eyes were peeled. From Maligne Lake, we did a few hikes, the best one being a steep climb up to a mountain-top meadow, possibly one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever found myself in. Wide, open, green, rolling with many different scents of pine mingling around, snow peaks to the top, mountain ranges across and the lake below. Stunning! But possibly the most exciting bit of the day happened on the drive home. Up ahead were several cars parked and people out looking at something down the side of the road. We pulled up and went over, and sure enough: BEAR!! A black bear was quite contentedly eating and snuffling around in the grasses not 10 meters from us! We stood and watched until it went away. Q, ever the adventurous, jumped over the fence (after checking there was no mummy bear around) to get a better photo. He came away with cuts and scrapes - not bear inflicted, but as the result of a quite spectacular trip over the road barrier that flipped him neatly upside down landing at Dave's feet.
After that, Jasper was complete. And so we moved on. We travelled down the Icefields Parkway towards the Columbia Icefield. Again, too much indescribable beauty on all sides of us. But then came the glaciers, and our mouths dropped open just a few milimetres more. Stopping at the icefield centre, we had spectacular views of the Athabasca glacier and walked up to the edge of it. It was huge. And cold. And windy. But amazing. However, we decided to press on southwards and not do another hike. So we drank it in, and headed back to the car.
And so to Lake Louise. Now, forgive me, but I'm going to go out on a limb and commit Rockies heresy here and say that I was a little underwhelmed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I anticipated, and wanted, that big expanse of shocking opaque blue stretching out ahead of me (photoshop I'm sure has a lot of let-downs to answer for) but the reality was quite different. The lake that day was a pale jade, which of course, in the sun shows all the reflections and shadows. Surrounded by cliffs and forests, it was smaller than expected and full to the brim with tourists. I think that was it. I don't want to detract from the beauty of the place. Walking round the lake (we declined the most expensive canoe in history at $40 for 30mins), it's clear that actually, it really is quite stunning. The green really hits you at different places, especially if the sun goes behind a cloud, and the reflections and colours of the rocks and trees combine to make it really lovely, and worthy of the name, Emerald Lake that it was given on discovery.
We carried on to our hostel in Yoho National Park. This was awesome. A small wooden building in the middle of the forest, across the road from the Takakkaw Falls - one of the most impressive waterfall's I've ever seen. The hostel had no electricity, ran completely off gas and was closed during the day so you had no choice to get out and explore. Which we did - a 17km hike up the mountain we were at the foot of, walking along the glacier line - more spectacular views of other glaciers and icefields before descending, once again into the pine trees. After the rocky, brown/beige wilderness of the iceline, it was beautiful to be down in the trees. Butterflies and scents combined on the warm air - several different types of pine, all contributing something different; citrus, honey, floral. We followed the glacier stream down the mountain to the valley bottom and walked back to the falls and our hostel for a very welcome dinner and card games and scrabble.
And all of a sudden we were homeward bound. First, a couple of days in Kelowna, one of Canada's top wine-producing regions. Kelowna itself I didn't think much of. Maybe because we didn't get to all of the good stuff, but after Jasper and Yoho, well, anything was going to have a hard time living up to it. Except our BnB. Set in the orchard grounds of a house, our apartment was beautifully furnished, complete with outdoor hot tub. Not to mention fresh apples and cherries straight off the tree. Our last stop was the desert region of Osoyoos before driving back through Hope and in to Vancouver. The parents deposited myself, Q and Dave at home before scuttling off to their posh waterfront hotel. The next day, we had lunch and then Mum and Dad set off for the airport before the three of us collapsed in front of the US Open on TV where we stayed put for approximately 48 hrs, moving only to go see Inglourious Basterds and get food.
The rest of the week was spend doing chill things around Vancouver - pitch n putt, the aquarium, eating proper pancakes with syrup and bacon, doing the Grouse Grind - and discovering the Grizzlies up there - massive bears, you do not want to meet one of those in the wild! All in all had a very relaxed week, hanging out with Dave and coming back down to earth from the adventures of the previous month.
The next few days were better. Tofino, at a lovely BnB for whale watching (saw humpbacks very close up), hiking - although the steep Indiana Jones trail we took them down didn't prove quite so much fun when wet and slippy (Q saw all his built up brownie points rapidly sliding away down the hill), exploring remote beaches and sea kayaking. Then it was back to Vancouver to meet Dave at the airport and head up to Jasper.
First stop: Hope. Set in stunning surroundings, this is pretty much all Hope has going for it. Trying to find any food for the evening was hopeless (pun intended as example of the many Q and Dave had fun inventing). The drive to Jasper was, as you would expect, stunning. And Jasper itself was beautiful. Busy and lively, but not unbearably touristy, with plenty to do, and constant views of skyscraping peaks. First on the agenda was white water rafting, early in the morning before the sun had had time to vaguely warm the glacial river we'd be rafting down. I remembered what it was like in Toronto to not be able to feel my fingers. But constant beauty, fresh clean air, incredible light more than made up for the cold. The rest of the day was spent at a nearby lake, walking and swimming, where I saw a near bear (cough..dog - in my defense it was shaggy and a long way off).
The next day, we went to Maligne Lake, another incredibly beautiful drive away. It's not really possible to do justice to the rockies' beauty, except to say that everywhere you looked, the mountains were immense - tall, wide, just immense. With forests at the bottom, filtered sun, flowers, clear water, bright blue mineral lakes, the lot. Wildlife tally started with Q seeing a moose at the side of the road, and from that point, our eyes were peeled. From Maligne Lake, we did a few hikes, the best one being a steep climb up to a mountain-top meadow, possibly one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever found myself in. Wide, open, green, rolling with many different scents of pine mingling around, snow peaks to the top, mountain ranges across and the lake below. Stunning! But possibly the most exciting bit of the day happened on the drive home. Up ahead were several cars parked and people out looking at something down the side of the road. We pulled up and went over, and sure enough: BEAR!! A black bear was quite contentedly eating and snuffling around in the grasses not 10 meters from us! We stood and watched until it went away. Q, ever the adventurous, jumped over the fence (after checking there was no mummy bear around) to get a better photo. He came away with cuts and scrapes - not bear inflicted, but as the result of a quite spectacular trip over the road barrier that flipped him neatly upside down landing at Dave's feet.
After that, Jasper was complete. And so we moved on. We travelled down the Icefields Parkway towards the Columbia Icefield. Again, too much indescribable beauty on all sides of us. But then came the glaciers, and our mouths dropped open just a few milimetres more. Stopping at the icefield centre, we had spectacular views of the Athabasca glacier and walked up to the edge of it. It was huge. And cold. And windy. But amazing. However, we decided to press on southwards and not do another hike. So we drank it in, and headed back to the car.
And so to Lake Louise. Now, forgive me, but I'm going to go out on a limb and commit Rockies heresy here and say that I was a little underwhelmed. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I anticipated, and wanted, that big expanse of shocking opaque blue stretching out ahead of me (photoshop I'm sure has a lot of let-downs to answer for) but the reality was quite different. The lake that day was a pale jade, which of course, in the sun shows all the reflections and shadows. Surrounded by cliffs and forests, it was smaller than expected and full to the brim with tourists. I think that was it. I don't want to detract from the beauty of the place. Walking round the lake (we declined the most expensive canoe in history at $40 for 30mins), it's clear that actually, it really is quite stunning. The green really hits you at different places, especially if the sun goes behind a cloud, and the reflections and colours of the rocks and trees combine to make it really lovely, and worthy of the name, Emerald Lake that it was given on discovery.
We carried on to our hostel in Yoho National Park. This was awesome. A small wooden building in the middle of the forest, across the road from the Takakkaw Falls - one of the most impressive waterfall's I've ever seen. The hostel had no electricity, ran completely off gas and was closed during the day so you had no choice to get out and explore. Which we did - a 17km hike up the mountain we were at the foot of, walking along the glacier line - more spectacular views of other glaciers and icefields before descending, once again into the pine trees. After the rocky, brown/beige wilderness of the iceline, it was beautiful to be down in the trees. Butterflies and scents combined on the warm air - several different types of pine, all contributing something different; citrus, honey, floral. We followed the glacier stream down the mountain to the valley bottom and walked back to the falls and our hostel for a very welcome dinner and card games and scrabble.
And all of a sudden we were homeward bound. First, a couple of days in Kelowna, one of Canada's top wine-producing regions. Kelowna itself I didn't think much of. Maybe because we didn't get to all of the good stuff, but after Jasper and Yoho, well, anything was going to have a hard time living up to it. Except our BnB. Set in the orchard grounds of a house, our apartment was beautifully furnished, complete with outdoor hot tub. Not to mention fresh apples and cherries straight off the tree. Our last stop was the desert region of Osoyoos before driving back through Hope and in to Vancouver. The parents deposited myself, Q and Dave at home before scuttling off to their posh waterfront hotel. The next day, we had lunch and then Mum and Dad set off for the airport before the three of us collapsed in front of the US Open on TV where we stayed put for approximately 48 hrs, moving only to go see Inglourious Basterds and get food.
The rest of the week was spend doing chill things around Vancouver - pitch n putt, the aquarium, eating proper pancakes with syrup and bacon, doing the Grouse Grind - and discovering the Grizzlies up there - massive bears, you do not want to meet one of those in the wild! All in all had a very relaxed week, hanging out with Dave and coming back down to earth from the adventures of the previous month.
Heaven is a place called Hawaii
The Hawaii decision proved to be a good one. After an interminable journey through the more remote areas of BC, a long wait in Seattle and an even longer flight (thank goodness for Shogun, last minute purchase in terminal book store) we landed in a warm, pleasingly humid Honolulu evening. Our hostel was in the middle of Waikiki, minutes from the beach, and contained some friendly travelers with which we had a few drinks and went out to explore the local night life.
Despite being weary travelers subjecting ourselves to an unneeded late night, we woke up early - well before 8am. Downed breakfast and headed to Waikiki beach. As did the rest of America. The sea was a beautiful, beautiful sight - all clear turquoise water that was a welcome respite from the heat. We found our square foot of sand space and got down to the very important job of swimming, boarding and then reading. Unfortunately sun cream SPF30 application only made its way onto the list a couple of hours later - too late! SPF 15 may as well be SPF -15. Later that day, we climbed up Diamond Head, the volcanic crater just east of Honolulu for spectacular views over the east and south sides of the island.
Our second day in Honolulu, we escaped Waikiki and headed over to Hanauma Bay, a protected wildlife beach with a huge coral reef, which makes for excellent snorkelling. I saw so many fish, although it was mighty hard to not touch the reef, as we'd been instructed as at some points it came up to only a foot underneath the surface. I had a few cuts and scrapes trying dutifully to avoid it. Q also did a little snorkelling, confronting what appears to be his only fear - that of unknown deeps and spaces and creatures underwater. I managed to get him so far out, only just about keeping the circulation in my hand (never has it been held so tight!) before a swirl of sand clouded the way in front of us and that was it, a splash of limbs and I was left to my own devices to explore. Which I did so for quite some time, before the mask's tightness became too unbearable and I remembered that my back could do with more suncream or being covered up, and preferably both.
As lively as Waikiki was, I was keen to get away from the hordes of Americans on holiday, so we headed up to the north shore. Hurray for Oahu buses that let you travel the island on one $2 ticket! Our hostel on the other side was truly idyllic. A series of small cabins in lush greenery - mango/papaya trees, flowering bushes - set across a small road from the most beautiful beaches. We swam, read, hired bikes and cycled up and down the coast. I was eager to see some more of the green side of the island, as well as the beach, so we snuck into Waimea Falls park to see some lovely botanical gardens - huges trees everywhere, more Lei flower bushes and the waterfalls at the end. The slightly dodgy route in was more than made up for by the gorgeous swim pool of the falls and the falls themselves which were much more impressive than their reports. After more beach time and chilling out in the cabin with other travelers, books and the sound of crickets chirping away we dragged ourselves back to Waikiki, and more importantly the waves.
Because if you don't surf when you're there, what else are you going to do? Now, I've surfed once before down in South Africa but not since then. Q attempted giving me a lesson but that was so categorically unsuccessful that we gave in for the afternoon and I sought out an actual lesson the next day. Which was the polar opposite. If you were stranded at sea, you could survive for days floating on the monster of a board I was given. It was truly Titanic. And, bien sur, my first wave, I was up and riding it all the way to the beach. And again. And again! Suddenly I was liking this, rather than getting bored of all the waiting for failed waves. I got adventurous. I tried turning(I can snowboard, how different can it be). BIG mistake. These boards are not designed for manouvering. In fact, it was about as effective as the Titanic at changing course. Instantly I was off the board. But straight back up again for the next one :-)
Waikiki grew on me, the more time I stayed there. It's aesthetically pleasing, and lively at night, with torches and lights all over the place. We splashed out on our last night and had dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of one of the taller buildings, and then walked on the beach. My one cocktail had its predicted effect and I found a very comfortable boat to snooze in before a beach guard moved me on. At this point, Q decided it was bed time for me, with an early start the next day to fly back to Seattle, so home to my dorm it was. And a good thing too, because it would be a very long time before we were back home in Vancouver. A long flight, a long wait for a Greyhound and a long journey back meant we finally collapsed on the sofa at about 2am, a mere 9 hours to get all sprightly ready to meet my parents....
Despite being weary travelers subjecting ourselves to an unneeded late night, we woke up early - well before 8am. Downed breakfast and headed to Waikiki beach. As did the rest of America. The sea was a beautiful, beautiful sight - all clear turquoise water that was a welcome respite from the heat. We found our square foot of sand space and got down to the very important job of swimming, boarding and then reading. Unfortunately sun cream SPF30 application only made its way onto the list a couple of hours later - too late! SPF 15 may as well be SPF -15. Later that day, we climbed up Diamond Head, the volcanic crater just east of Honolulu for spectacular views over the east and south sides of the island.
Our second day in Honolulu, we escaped Waikiki and headed over to Hanauma Bay, a protected wildlife beach with a huge coral reef, which makes for excellent snorkelling. I saw so many fish, although it was mighty hard to not touch the reef, as we'd been instructed as at some points it came up to only a foot underneath the surface. I had a few cuts and scrapes trying dutifully to avoid it. Q also did a little snorkelling, confronting what appears to be his only fear - that of unknown deeps and spaces and creatures underwater. I managed to get him so far out, only just about keeping the circulation in my hand (never has it been held so tight!) before a swirl of sand clouded the way in front of us and that was it, a splash of limbs and I was left to my own devices to explore. Which I did so for quite some time, before the mask's tightness became too unbearable and I remembered that my back could do with more suncream or being covered up, and preferably both.
As lively as Waikiki was, I was keen to get away from the hordes of Americans on holiday, so we headed up to the north shore. Hurray for Oahu buses that let you travel the island on one $2 ticket! Our hostel on the other side was truly idyllic. A series of small cabins in lush greenery - mango/papaya trees, flowering bushes - set across a small road from the most beautiful beaches. We swam, read, hired bikes and cycled up and down the coast. I was eager to see some more of the green side of the island, as well as the beach, so we snuck into Waimea Falls park to see some lovely botanical gardens - huges trees everywhere, more Lei flower bushes and the waterfalls at the end. The slightly dodgy route in was more than made up for by the gorgeous swim pool of the falls and the falls themselves which were much more impressive than their reports. After more beach time and chilling out in the cabin with other travelers, books and the sound of crickets chirping away we dragged ourselves back to Waikiki, and more importantly the waves.
Because if you don't surf when you're there, what else are you going to do? Now, I've surfed once before down in South Africa but not since then. Q attempted giving me a lesson but that was so categorically unsuccessful that we gave in for the afternoon and I sought out an actual lesson the next day. Which was the polar opposite. If you were stranded at sea, you could survive for days floating on the monster of a board I was given. It was truly Titanic. And, bien sur, my first wave, I was up and riding it all the way to the beach. And again. And again! Suddenly I was liking this, rather than getting bored of all the waiting for failed waves. I got adventurous. I tried turning(I can snowboard, how different can it be). BIG mistake. These boards are not designed for manouvering. In fact, it was about as effective as the Titanic at changing course. Instantly I was off the board. But straight back up again for the next one :-)
Waikiki grew on me, the more time I stayed there. It's aesthetically pleasing, and lively at night, with torches and lights all over the place. We splashed out on our last night and had dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of one of the taller buildings, and then walked on the beach. My one cocktail had its predicted effect and I found a very comfortable boat to snooze in before a beach guard moved me on. At this point, Q decided it was bed time for me, with an early start the next day to fly back to Seattle, so home to my dorm it was. And a good thing too, because it would be a very long time before we were back home in Vancouver. A long flight, a long wait for a Greyhound and a long journey back meant we finally collapsed on the sofa at about 2am, a mere 9 hours to get all sprightly ready to meet my parents....
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Waves and whales
Last blog entry came from Montreal, and this one comes from Prince Rupert, northern BC. Quentin and I are 10 days into a trip that has taken in Tofino and Port Hardy on Vancouver Island, a 15-hr ferry ride to Prince Rupert, where we are now, to a mammoth coach journey that leads to Seattle, then Hawaii for eight days.
Hawaii might seem an unusual direction on such a journey, and indeed we were planning on Alaska but time and cost factored in (as they so often do) and Hawaii was the better option. Turns out getting around in the remote areas up here is fairly difficult if you don't have transportation (take the coach that runs every 3 days, to intercept with the coach that departs the day before you arrive at the junction). Altogether glad we're heading to the sun though - the weather up here is remarkably British-like. Temperate is the exotic word - damp, misty and fairly cold is what it translates to!
Wildlife spotting keeps us busy though...from a small pod of orca whales near hot springs cove on an island near Tofino, to bald eagles, puffins, a sea otter splashing around merrily and several humpback whales leaping and flipping only 50-100m or so from our ferry! Oh, and stepping on a bed of snakes whilst rock climbing round the coast of the Pacific Rim park.
On Vancouver Island we hitch-hiked around (our record for waiting was 7 mins) and met a variety of folks, from Ryan, who picked us up before we'd even finished writing our sign, to Dave who promptly turned the radio up moments after we got in, to Steve who agreed to take us half way to our destination, but ended up taking us to the hostel door instead! Camping on the beach in Tofino was wild, beautiful and cheap!
The small town of Port Hardy was an unexpected gem of a find. From the smallest main street I have ever seen (three buildings) to the friendliest, most helpful people I have ever encountered, this was one scenic random middle-of-nowhere outpost we were very happy to find ourselves in. We headed over to Alert Bay, a tiny (tiny!!) island rich in First Nations heritage and discovered a plethora of totem poles, First Nations dancing and intriguing swamps.
And now, after a 15hr ferry ride up the coast, during which we saw several humpback whales flipping and breaching, in Prince Rupert. A few numerical stats:
Hours here 72; hours of rain 66; movies watched 5; puzzles completed 1; puzzle pieces put together 550; tourist sites visited 1; tourist sites available to go see 1; cups of tea drank infinite (me) none (Q). And despite all that, we have thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a long time since we had a few days to potter about and do not a lot - even at home in Vancouver, there is always hustle in the house. So we've done laundry, had lovely chats with fellow travellers (mainly older couples heading to Alaska) and wandered around the town, avoiding rain and catching the odd whiff of fish mixed with diesel oil (not pleasant) of the large cannery industry around these parts.
So now to Seattle. And then back from Hawaii to welcome la familia to Canada for a couple of weeks of more exploring - Victoria, Jasper, Lake Louise, the Kootenays.
Random fact I learnt today: there are five types of salmon. The largest of these, the king salmon, when heading to spawn in fresh water from the sea, turns from silver-steel-blue to bright scarlet and develops a hook snout. Talk about getting your flirt on.
Hawaii might seem an unusual direction on such a journey, and indeed we were planning on Alaska but time and cost factored in (as they so often do) and Hawaii was the better option. Turns out getting around in the remote areas up here is fairly difficult if you don't have transportation (take the coach that runs every 3 days, to intercept with the coach that departs the day before you arrive at the junction). Altogether glad we're heading to the sun though - the weather up here is remarkably British-like. Temperate is the exotic word - damp, misty and fairly cold is what it translates to!
Wildlife spotting keeps us busy though...from a small pod of orca whales near hot springs cove on an island near Tofino, to bald eagles, puffins, a sea otter splashing around merrily and several humpback whales leaping and flipping only 50-100m or so from our ferry! Oh, and stepping on a bed of snakes whilst rock climbing round the coast of the Pacific Rim park.
On Vancouver Island we hitch-hiked around (our record for waiting was 7 mins) and met a variety of folks, from Ryan, who picked us up before we'd even finished writing our sign, to Dave who promptly turned the radio up moments after we got in, to Steve who agreed to take us half way to our destination, but ended up taking us to the hostel door instead! Camping on the beach in Tofino was wild, beautiful and cheap!
The small town of Port Hardy was an unexpected gem of a find. From the smallest main street I have ever seen (three buildings) to the friendliest, most helpful people I have ever encountered, this was one scenic random middle-of-nowhere outpost we were very happy to find ourselves in. We headed over to Alert Bay, a tiny (tiny!!) island rich in First Nations heritage and discovered a plethora of totem poles, First Nations dancing and intriguing swamps.
And now, after a 15hr ferry ride up the coast, during which we saw several humpback whales flipping and breaching, in Prince Rupert. A few numerical stats:
Hours here 72; hours of rain 66; movies watched 5; puzzles completed 1; puzzle pieces put together 550; tourist sites visited 1; tourist sites available to go see 1; cups of tea drank infinite (me) none (Q). And despite all that, we have thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a long time since we had a few days to potter about and do not a lot - even at home in Vancouver, there is always hustle in the house. So we've done laundry, had lovely chats with fellow travellers (mainly older couples heading to Alaska) and wandered around the town, avoiding rain and catching the odd whiff of fish mixed with diesel oil (not pleasant) of the large cannery industry around these parts.
So now to Seattle. And then back from Hawaii to welcome la familia to Canada for a couple of weeks of more exploring - Victoria, Jasper, Lake Louise, the Kootenays.
Random fact I learnt today: there are five types of salmon. The largest of these, the king salmon, when heading to spawn in fresh water from the sea, turns from silver-steel-blue to bright scarlet and develops a hook snout. Talk about getting your flirt on.
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