TEZAS TRAVELS - VANCOUVER NOSUN EDITION

Tomorrow I depart Banff by bus and head back to Lake Louise’s small town.

From here I will be collected by the HR Manage from the lodge I am working at.
I will move into the lodge’s staff accommodation tomorrow and immediately go into a few days of training with other staff before the doors to the lodge officially open on the 17th May for the Spring Summer Season.

I am looking forward to it as the staff really seems so nice and the place just looks amazing.

As you saw and read on my previous blog entry the lake is completely under ice at the moment so it is a real winter wonderland I head back to.

As I am somewhat off the grid I will not have any mobile service out there and am not sure about the internet setup, so if I have literally gone off the radar that is why and I will try up date my blog, visit Facebook and call when I can.

To give you a little taste of where I am off to click on these 2 links below to have a peak of the location, the lodge and the surrounds.

Bow Lake
Bow Lake, Alberta
The Lodge
The Lodge

Just Spectacular.

TO NEW ADVENTURES …

I got up early, returned the rental car and had to be back at the hostel to be collected by Brewster tours at 8am. Today I was going to do a tour of the Glacier Fields Parkway which is along the Trans-Canada Highway. The tour takes you to a number of glaciers, 3 river valleys and mountain ranges towards the Jasper National Park which is on the far end of the Trans-Canada Highway heading north. The tour is around 9hrs round trip as Jasper National Park and the Athabasca Glacier are around 3 hours North. It was a rather pricy tour but one of those sites you have to see and given I would not be around for another winter the time was now. As I said you cannot see many sites without a car so it would be a great opportunity heading north and viewing more of the Banff National Park into the Jasper National Park.

The coach is a modern comfortable 56 seater coach and does hotel (and hostel) pickup. The bus only had 24 people on the trip which was nice. Along the way to the depot to transfer onto our coach we saw some Elk, which is the first sighting for me so far.

The tour is located on Canada’s most scenic mountain roadway which is the Icefields Parkway. A route to over 100 visible glaciers, turquoise lakes, rushing waterfalls and endless mountain and valley landscapes. The tour by Brewster Tours Canada was very informative along the way and allowed us numerous opportunities to stop off and take pictures to see a few sites not specifically on the tour, even if for a quick photo shot.

The endless rolling mountains of the Rockies with their interesting shapes, jagged peaks and contours are very unique. The mountains are more newly formed compared to those in BC which are more rounded, eroded and worn down over time.

We stop off again at Lake Louise. We decided to tour the lake the day before to as we could allow ourselves more time and do the hike to the top which unfortunately the tour does not have time for. This time I decided to step inside the Lake Louise Châteaux Hotel which like the sister hotel is equally impressive with spectacular views across the lake. An ideal place to spend Christmas if you can afford it.

Along the way we pass:
- Castle Mountain with its layered rock structure
- McDonald Glacier
- The Victoria Glacier on Mount Temple
- Snowbird Glacier
- Saskatchewan River Crossing
- Nigel Creek which has North America’s sharpest hairpin turn on a highway
- Parkers Ridge

The melting waters from the snow forms cascading waterfalls and streams over the cliffs.

We traveled along Highway 93 North onward to Jasper where you quickly informed about the difference between Glaciers and Icefields.
A glacier is moving ice whereas the ice field is a static bowl of ice.

Next we stopped off a site with a fairly familiar name – The Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Lake. I was very excited to see this as Bow Lake is the destination I was due to work near. I was eager to see whether it was all melted or still in the same frozen state as Lake Louise was.

As we turned the bend there it was Bow Lake which is massive and even larger than Lake Louise. Again the entire lake is a blanket of white and completely covered in ice. It is just out of this world and spectacular. So once again I will be heading straight back into another Winter Wonderland and have to get used to dealing with snow and ice again. In some of these pictures you can see the lodge located at the far end of the lake and this is where I will be based. I had a good laugh thinking about being so remote again and surrounded by ice. It will be amazing though either way.

We continued onward to the Athabasca Glacier.


When we arrived at the visitor centre we headed upstairs to have a buffet lunch which was included in the ticket price and not bad at all.

Thereafter you transfer into another bus which drives you up to the moraine which is massive mounds of gravel, sand and worn down rock and shards pushed down as the glacier moves each winter. When spring arrives it leaves these massive mounds of earth banks. Once here you board the massive ice explorers which were everyone’s most exciting part of the trip.

These ice explorers are giant buses designed for glacial travel and take you on an excursion directly onto the Athabasca Glacier. Once on the Glacier you stop to take photos and walk on the ice for around 15-20 minutes. It is rather chilly down there and areas of the ice have cracked. The park checks every day that the glacier is safe and that no sink holes or tunnels have opened up. It is quite something being able to stand on this glacier. It is one of the most popular attractions in North America and the Rockies. You are literally standing on glacial ice as thick as the Eiffel Tower is tall.

The Athabasca Mountain and Mt Andromeda has hanging glaciers with thick compacted ice which has collected over the years and glimmers in a bright blue ice white colour.

The snow dome has a huge cone of densely compacted snow on the top of it too, which when it melts feeds into three separate oceans – The Pacific, Atlantic and in Ontario.

The ice explore buses are just incredible and huge, able to ferry up to 60 passengers onto the glacier and have a huge incline to climb to get out of the glacier.

Being Bear Aware AGAIN.
The Bear Bells Parks Canada refer to as Dinner Bells LOL

After this we headed back on the coach to Banff. Everyone slept on the way back.

It was a fantastic end to my “touring” Banff before I start work North of Lake Louise on Monday.

So that is the end of my 1.5 months traveling after Mount Washington – 2.5 Weeks Hawaii, 1 Week Whistler, 1 Week Vancouver and Half a Week in Banff.

Time to swap my travel tourist status into work status, so I can make some more $$ and quickly head out and see more of this spectacular country I have fallen in love with.

OFF TO THE LODGE ON THE LAKE I GO ...

After a much needed sleep following a busy day yesterday I had a good nights sleep at the hostel. Woke up early, had breakfast and waited for Andrin. He is a Swiss traveler from Zurich who was on my bus from Vancouver. At the Banff bus station he and a few other travelers were heading to the HI Hostel which is a little ways out of town and not close like the one I was staying at. Later that afternoon I ran into him checking into my hostel saying it was closer and better. We got chatting (as so easily happens when traveling) about what sites we had both planned to do. In all honesty I didn’t even really know what there was to do, as I was just using Banff as a stop off point before being picked up to start my next job. I knew there were some good hikes and the hot springs and the lakes but that was about it.

We decided the previous night, rather than do expensive tours to both rent a car and split the costs and if we could get others to join in then even better. So this morning we quickly headed to Budget and got a good 1 day car deal for $35 ex insurance and tax which was not bad. Armed with a bunch of maps and sites that either the hostel or other travelers had mentioned we should see, we headed off to do some road tripping. Being over 25, I had to drive which was not too bad, as I have really gotten used to driving on the opposite side of the road and seldom see myself speeding against oncoming traffic or heading down one-way streets anymore. The no turning left on a red light but yielding to it when turning right still catches me out every so often. The license plates or number plates as we call them are only on the back of the vehicles in the province of Alberta and none on the front. When I asked the rental company why, the response was that there is so little traffic in Alberta and only a few main routes that it is usually not needed. We got a great black Honda, Civic to drive.

In this part of Canada you really do need a car to travel around in and properly get to places. Many areas are not serviced by public transit and the only option is private tour buses or the greyhound which is equally expensive. Some travelers opt for good old hitch hiking but our here in the boonies where the wildlife roams free it is not really something that appeals to me.

Our first stop off was Johnston Canyon where we did the trail to the lower and upper falls. A relatively easy and short hike which meanders around a gorge and canyon with clear alpine glacier water flowing fast down the river. The clarity is unbelievable and perfectly clear. The cliffs climb high and at the top is a massive waterfall plummeting down into a circular tidal pool. Snow still sits on the sides of the river embankments. The walkways are still frozen with ice and can be a death trap as we saw many a person fall. One local’s response was “Welcome to Alberta”, so I imagine this is only too common to have ice freeze absolutely everything.

We continued on the trail to the upper falls and out of nowhere I hear my name being called. It turns out it was a few colleagues and fellow people I lived and worked with at Mount Washington and who I had ironically also run into at Whistler a week and a half prior to heading back to Vancouver. It was Kez (UK), Amanda (New Zealand) and Ollie (Germany). They were rounding up their last weeks travel before heading home and to New Zealand for the next ski season. What a small world. Upon leaving this location we saw more wild deer feeding on the hillside.

The upper falls were rather spectacular; most of the falls were still frozen solid as if time had just stopped and the plummeting water frozen in time. One part was still flowing furiously with water and it was pretty impressive. Along the trails we spotted many chipmunks running about in a frenzied manner. Cute little buggers they are.

Stopped to say goodbye to my friends who also gave us some travel advice and then we were off to hit our next site, which was Lake Louise.

Along the way we stopped off at a few other roadside scenic view points to view more mountains, rivers and vistas over the expansive forests that are to be found out here. We stopped at the back swamp with Mount Bourgeau & Mount Howard Douglas in the background. The railway line travels alongside the flowing bow river. We also drove past Mount Rundell, Sulphur Mountain and Tunnel Mountain in Banff.

The Trans-Canada highway which is the longest highway in North America and runs almost 8000 km is mostly lined with fencing to prevent deer, moose, bears and other wildlife from causing highway havoc and they have even built these amazing bridges over the highways with trees and rocks as “natural passage ways” for wildlife to safely cross over sections of the highways without getting injured or causing vehicle fatalities. Pretty good environmental planning and nature conservation right there by Parks Canada. Apparently over 70 000 animals have crossed over in the last 10 years. The overpasses are usually used by larger wildlife that are afraid to travel through tunnels beneath the highway. There are cameras monitoring their movement over the passes which can be seen here: (

Now, Lake Louise has been the one site I have most wanted to visit. Even before I arrived in Canada. It is the most picturesque lake around and the one photo that adorns the covers of every travel book you have seen on Canada, postcards etc. It has the most magical water colour and is surrounded by an arch of Mountains lined with dense forests to the one end and on the other the Fairmont Châteaux Lake hotel.

So I was very excited to head out there to see it.
Lake Louise is 45 minutes away from Banff by car.

When we arrived and rounded the trail corner to see the lake we were greeted with a rather unexpected site. The magical blue lake we had expected to see was in fact not blue at all. In fact you couldn’t see any water whatsoever as the entire lake was completely frozen over in a blanket of white. I guess it is still too early in the spring to see it unfrozen and imagine it is only like that from as late as July only.

We certainly were not disappointed not being given the perfect postcard view we had imagined because in many ways this was even better. Not many people get to view it like we did. The lake is massive and extends far. It was like someone had just thrown a giant white sheet over it and although it was thinning in some parts you can only wonder how thick the ice must have been in winter. The Fairmont hotel puts on skating and sledding and a number of other activities on the lake during winter and you can still see the mini arenas and areas created on the ice for the different sports. It is quite something to see such a large lake completely under ice. In the few areas were it has thinned out you can see right to the bottom and the water is clear with so many shades of blue.

The Fairmont Châteaux Lake hotel on Lake Louise is the sister hotel of the Banff Hotel. This was envisaged as the hotel for outdoor adventure enthusiasts whereas the Banff Springs Hotel was created purely for luxury.

We walked out alongside the ice for a bit but kept sinking in and gave up trying to walk around the lake. Instead we took the Fairview 1.6km trail up the mountain to get to the scenic view point which overlooks the lake, the Fairmont hotel on the far side and the never ending mountains and forests behind. It is so nice to see a view not obstructed by traffic, roads, buildings and houses. The walk was a little tricky as the ice is thinning and you tend to sink in at times however there is still a good meter if not more of snow. In our one pic we are sitting on the top of a park bench at the top of the trail which is still under snow. There is nothing but endless forest and trees when viewed from the top. The trail was a little tricky as they ice and snow was getting slushy and many times we fell knee deep into the snow. It is such a strange feeling going from one area in Canada where you are on the beach all of a sudden back into snow and ice and then into forests and then out into remote lakes with hot temperatures again. It definitely plays tricks on your mind and you never 100% sure where you are sometimes. This time of year is also perfect as there are not as many tourists so t feels like you are the only one at many sites which is perfect because no one wants bus loads of tourists in your way.

From here we headed back in the direction of Banff to see Lake Minnewanka and Lake 2 Jack. These lakes are surrounded by the Palliser Range.

Again the waters on these lakes is out of this world and varies from bright blue to emerald green and shades of turquoise and the contrast between the bright green trees and the stark grey brown cliffs topped with bright white snow makes for a perfect photograph. It was like arriving at a secluded beach in the middle of nowhere and must be such an amazing spot to swim and relax in the summer. Unfortunately the water was now actually even colder than the waters of Lake Louise which was still frozen over. The wind was pretty harsh out here too. Most other areas are sheltered by the mountains and in valleys where you are protected.

Lake Minnewanka

Lake Two Jack

After leaving this area we encountered a few Wild mountain goats on the side of the road and hill just relaxing and enjoying the cooler afternoon temperatures. A few more deer were also spotted.

Be Bear Aware !!!

All we needed now was to encounter a few bears while traveling on the route home and our road trip day would be 100% perfect. Unfortunately we did not come across any but it was still a good days outing and we saw many of the key sites in the car, so were both happy.

Headed to the grocery store to stock up on some toiletries before I head off to more remote areas again for work and then it was back to the hostel to relax. The hostel has good $6 food specials every night and so it was Fish and Chips night. I am craving a fat juicy steak or lamb chops but alas meat is so expensive here. I think the only time I really eat meat is when it comes in the form of a patty, hot dog or ground beef in a taco shell. I always laugh when I hear all the other travelers go on about how meat is so expensive or them craving decent European bread or can’t eat cheese as it is too costly and a happy to know that it is not just me over exaggerating about the costs here. In earlier posts I had said it feels more expensive than Switzerland and was happy to hear Andrin confirm that.

While sitting outside after dinner a deer merely walked down the sidewalk and so we followed him to take some photos. It is so funny to have all this nature in your backyard. People always say but yeah, surely you have the same back home with lions and elephant too and they can’t seem to grasp the idea that NO we don’t ever have such things just walking into your yard in the city or suburbs.

The sun was only starting to set around 9H00 this evening and it is so nice to get so many more hours out of your day. The downside is I battle to get to bed in time.

My last day in Banff, I am going on a fantastic 9 hour tour to see some other must see sites and locations, so you will just have to wait to find out about those. I am now off to bed.

DAY 2 in BANFF ROCKED!!

ALBERTA MAP:

BANFF:

MY TRAVEL MAP:

I have arrived in the Wild Rose Province & The Town of Banff in the heart of The Rockies

I departed the Main Station in downtown Vancouver at 6h45 pm on Greyhound. The ticket was fairly pricy but with my student discount I got it for $107. I decided to just travel directly to Banff rather than doing a stop over midway. The bus is a really long trip and gives you an idea of just how big a country Canada is and how vast the distances are that one has to travel. It reminds me in many ways of Australia. When you look at a map you think, Yeah, that is pretty close and then when it comes to buying the ticket you become aware of the lengthy travel times. Many of the buses also leave at odd times like midnight or after or very early morning. As I was staying In Kitsilano outside of downtown Van I needed at least an hour to get into town on a bus so did not want the stress of an early departure or find myself sitting at a station at an ungodly hour. I decided to leave mid-day, travel overnight, save on a night’s accommodation and then arrive in Banff around 9am in the morning. Much better to start the day off in the light, especially when trying to track down your accommodation. The travel time on the bus from Van – Banff is around 15 hrs or so together with the change in time zones. I am no longer on Pacific Time and 9 hrs behind but on Mountain Time and 8 hrs behind now. Keep that in mind when calling.

The greyhound bus was good in that I had 2 seats and their was WIFI on this route. However I did not get much sleep and when I did it was more interrupted sleep than anything else. I prefer being on a plane for 12 hrs than a bus which has to stop to let people off, turn on the lights and is either too hot or too cold. When I did awake around 5:30 am we had pulled into a station in the mountain town of Golden, still in BC.

The view of these lengthy mountains stretching as far as you can see with snow on was a real site to wake up to. It was also a little chillier than BC. Next we continued into the province of Alberta and Lake Louise and then onto my get off point – the town on Banff in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. I am left in awe every time I see another mountain range or forest pop up and no picture or words can every really describe how beautiful it really is. We spotted Big Horn Sheep alongside the road – my first taste of wildlife in the Rockies.

The bus pulled into the Banff bus stop and I was just in time to see the famed Rocky Mountaineer Train getting ready to pull off with a crowd of train staff and RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) office in full regalia waving a flag as it departed. Somewhat of a tradition I think. I have heard many good things about this train but believe it is also super pricy. Definitely the way to meander through the Rockies if you can afford it.

Banff is a resort town located within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise. At an elevation of (4,800 ft), Banff is the community with the second highest elevation in Canada after Lake Louise. Sunshine Village, Ski Norquay and Lake Louise Mountain Resort are the three nearby ski resorts located within the national park.

Banff also houses the Banff World Media Festival once a year in June which sees the who’s who and top executives in the TV, Film, Broadcast (HBO, CBS, NBC etc) and Digital Media Industry convene in the heart of the Rockies to discuss new content, buy productions and network with the global media industry.

I had not booked accommodation again but knew I wanted to stay at the Samsun Hostel again. I stayed in the Vancouver one and it is fantastic, clean, has free breakfasts and good facilities. It was a good 15 min walk from the station. With all my gear now weighing around 35KG’s it is not easy to walk and lug stuff. I literally feel like a pack horse. The hostel had space and were able to accommodate me with an early check in instead of having to wait until 3pm. I was so tired; I showered and hit the sack for 2.5 hrs.

At 2pm I had signed up to do a free hike that the hostel was organizing on the Hoodoo Trail. It was a 3 hour round trip loop trail which would show you the mountains and Bow River. Even though I had traveled 16hours, slept 3 hrs and was about to do a 3 hr hike, I was most looking forward to seeing the area.

We walked through Banff town which again has a somewhat European Ski Village feel to it with lots of restaurants punting their Fondue Specials, others more local dishes like Bison and Caribou and then the usual US type food chains. There are loads of hotels, inn’s and lodges in the area too which have a Swiss log cabin feel to them. It is a very picturesque town and surrounded by mountains on all sides.

The Bow River which flows through the town has bright blue and turquoise water. The rivers here are not very deep but wide and flat and when the glacial water starts running and forming rivers it looks like the water is the same level as the roads you are on. On the trail we would see Rundle Mountain, Tunnel Mountain and the Hoodoo’s.

The trail we did took you all along the river which in some parts still has frozen ice on the banks and covering portions.

The pebbled streams and rivers are such a sight with never ending forests in between the hills.

The vegetation is different from BC and everything feels hotter and drier compared to the more rain forest type of vegetation you get in BC. There were about 16 of us from the hostel on the hike. I was advised never to do walks alone and always in groups with a min of 4 people. The area has loads of bear and cougar about and the signs for keeping alert are posted everywhere. Many people carry Bear Bell’s which ring as you walk and alert Bears to people being in the area. I have heard other stories that the bears start associating the bells with people and may have the opposite effect as a deterrent. You are also supposed to make lots of noise while on trails and talk audibly. Hence why in so many Films you see groups singing trail songs when out. Not just for fun but to alert wildlife you are in the area. That or the old “Hey Bear, Hey Bear” line when walking in the wilderness. We spotted some deer feeding on the side of a trail and they are not too perturbed about people being near.

On one part of the trail you pass the famous Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, which is one of the most expensive Fairmont resorts. It sits atop a hill like I giant medieval castle with tall spires and is surrounded by tall forest, a mountain backdrop and the crystal clear water of the Bow River flowing in front of the Springs and Fairmont Golf Course. It is rather impressive.

The Banff Springs Hotel is a luxury hotel that was built during the 19th century as one of Canada's grand railway hotels, being constructed in Scottish Baronial style and located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. The hotel is located within a spectacular setting in the Rocky Mountains, just above the Bow Falls, close to thermal springs.

The trail led us to some amazing scenic points looking out over the valley, forests and mountains. We eventually got to the Hoodoos which are large chimney shaped cones of rock which have been eroded over time by ice and water. These stand before a beautiful island formed by the Bow River splitting around a piece of land.

The walk and views well worth heading out. I can’t wait to see what the area looks like where I will be heading very shortly.

After the hike we returned to the hostel where I rested and then set off to walk to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel to have a looksie inside and out on the front deck to see the views of the river and mountains from the hotel side. It is a super fancy hotel with concierge and valet service and this is where the upper crust of the Banff Crowd holiday. The hotel is renowned for the hot springs and the Banff Spa.

I had an early night and returned to the hostel.

All in all my first day in Alberta and Banff was fantastic and look forward to seeing so much more …

It is currently 1am and I am sitting on a Greyhound Bus heading East trying to finish this blog off. Also, it is a way for me to keep myself distracted as I quickly run out of options on where to put my legs in this bus. Done 5 hours and have another 9 hours to go. Ok … time jump and back to where I have been. You can hear about this bus journey another time.

I arrived back in Vancouver without having booked a place to stay and thought I would wing it. As it turned out most places were full due to travelers returning from the mountains and because the Vancouver Ice Hockey Playoff’s were on, with Vancouver’s own Canucks team playing.

I shortly found another hostel to stay at for a night on Cambie Street before being able to check back into the usual hostel I stay in on Granville which is brilliant.

I decided to see if I could get tickets for the Ice Hockey game as every time I had been in town I missed the game. Since it was my last few days in Vancouver and BC, I thought it would be fitting to get to a game. Most places had sold out of tickets. The tickets are super pricy and range from $140 - $400 for box seats. I came across some people at the Rogers Arena selling tickets on the street and bargained someone down to $90 given the fact that the game was starting in 5 minutes and they could either loose out completely or make something at least. I always get what I want and with a little Thai style negotiating it worked out. I handed over only $20 until I got the person selling the ticket to check me through the security turnstile before handing over the rest. I did not want to be taken for a ride and loose money on a fake ticket. I was super excited to have got a ticket and at such a good bargain. I got into the Round 1, Game 2 of the Playoff’s which saw the Vancouver Canucks go up against the USA’s San Jose Sharks. The game was super exciting and very entertaining seeing how hostile the players can get on the ice. Slamming players into the Perspex walls and ramming each other all over the ice. The Canucks were set to win until the last minute of the 3rd round when they drew and then in the end the Sharks beat them 3-2.

Canadians are CRAZY about their ice hockey and the entire city was running around emblazoned in their Blue Canucks Team Jersey’s and the vibe was amazing. The seats I landed up getting were perfect too.

GO CANUCKS:

The next few days in town the weather was the best I had ever seen it in Vancouver. Usually I was covered up head to toe in jackets, rain gear and an umbrella facing the crazy winter weather and now here I was walking around in shorts and t-shirt.
Vancouverites certainly don’t waste time. The moment the sun is out they leave the indoors and take full advantage enjoying the weather, hit the beaches after work, go cycling, running, swimming, paddle boarding, jogging, have BBQ’s in the parks and basically take advantage of the extra hours of daylight after work, especially since the sun sets closer to 8pm or after. It is such a nice vibe in the city and around the beaches and certainly makes me envious of the lifestyle they have over here. Vancouver is definitely the city to live in for sure.

I took it very easy and spent a lot of time exploring the beaches outside of downtown Vancouver which is only a short bus ride away. Saw Kitsilano and walked the coast enjoying Jericho Beach, Locarno, Acadia beach all the way along the Spanish Banks and onward to the Pacific Spirit Regional Park and Trail. The beaches are littered with people sunbathing, people watching and playing Frisbee and volleyball. It really is a remarkable landscape seeing sandy beaches with giant logs on them, rolling into deep blue waters and bays with cargo ships and tankers passing by, green forested trees and then quickly rising into mountains covered in snow. The contrast between bikini and board shorts clad beach goers playing volleyball and snow covered mountains is an odd sight to take in. The view of the city skyline with its modern high rises on the small downtown island and the mountain backdrop and body of water surrounding it is also such a sight.

I also explored a lot of the other areas in town and streets. The city is really beautiful and unique. Funny to think I have seen more in these last few days than any other time I had been in town.

The one beach trail leads to Wreck Beach which is known as a nudist and hippy beach. We did a walk out there and after much meandering around the coast came across a beach that felt like in the middle of no where with a giant hippy tent in the centre selling food and others selling Tye-dyed clothing and blankets. It was so funny to see all these alternative hippies doing drumming sessions and enjoying their own little utopia. The beach falls down the back of the UBC (Uni of British Columbia). I wonder how many students land up bunking and heading down the hill to the beach instead of class??

I caught up with Sandra (the German Colleague and friend I traveled with) for Sushi on Robson Street the one day and then caught up with Kate from Belfast Ireland who was also at the Ranch with me. She had kept some of my summer clothes for me that I had no use for, so we met up to do lunch so I could collect them. We went to Kits beach for the afternoon. I then headed to English Bay as I was going to be meeting up with one of my former producers from back home – Louise. We did the TV game show together back in 2009. She has lived here now for 4 years and I was dying to meet up. She had been great in giving me information and insight into life in Vancouver and Canada before coming over. We spent the afternoon walking around the coastline and chatted for a good 3 hours. After I headed back to the hostel to work on travel plans and my blog.

The next day I actually changed my plans of leaving Van and opted to stay with Kate and her 2 Irish Housemates for 2 days to enjoy more time in Van and to save some accommodation money. She stays in a house in Kitsilano that they rent. It was so nice being close to the beach and not having to commute. Kitsilano is such a fantastic suburb and has the most beautiful organized streets and neat little gardens and houses you have ever seen. Everyone wants to live in this part of Van. It is however very expensive of course but the prime location for being close to the waters and has such a great strip for restaurants, food outlets and bars.

The temperatures rose to around 26 degrees and it was so hot, so spent 2 solid days on the beach. The water in most parts is super chilly although there are some beaches you can venture into for a brisk refreshing swim. Kate had left me her house keys and I came and went as I pleased. The 3 of them all work different shifts so there was always someone to hang out with. Spent more time on the beach and walking around.

The next day I had lots of admin to do before leaving Van – going to the bank, picking up additional contact lenses, replacing my hiking boots which were stolen from one of the hostels. A pain when you have limited money and have to replace them before going to the Rockies where you certainly need them. I also had to get some extra work clothes and cancel my mobile number which if used in Alberta would count as Long Distance Calls to BC. Every area you are in you technically need a new number to avoid this, unlike back home where 1 number works the same throughout the country. The city is so nice to walk in. It has its gritty areas with some homeless but on the whole is so viby and interesting with characters from all different walks of life.

It was Sandra’s birthday and she had arranged for a few of us from the ranch to get together for coffee and to do some beach time. Kate however was working but Sandra, Sara-Fey and I got together with her boyfriend and had a great time catching up again and then headed to English Bay where we spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach and drinking some “special Starbucks coffee” on the beach to celebrate. The police are always checking the beaches and if caught drinking you can get a fine of around $250, so we came up with a contingency plan and used out coffee cups. Many locals get even more creative and bury their stash in the cool sand and then merely dig out a beer when you need one and rinse off the can in the ocean. Canada has a weird attitude towards alcohol (probably given the issues Alcohol and the aboriginal communities have had) however seem so much more tolerant to people smoking weed which is a common occurrence throughout Canada. Bizarre.

After I headed back to Kits and completed my packing for the next day’s departure. Kate’s room mates Maeve and Mick (also from Belfast) were planning on heading to a Bonfire on a beach which some of their colleagues had organized. This Bonfire was on the hippy beach – Wreck Beach. It was the most bizarre night ever as we were joined by random hippies with long beards who played drums and sang for us the whole night. It was very entertaining and they were very good, although eccentric and a little loopy. Their over the top stories about the spirit world, Karma, Indian Religion and how modern society is doomed to fail was all just a little too over the top for us but nonetheless super entertaining and made for a different night out. It feels like I have made a real setup here with friends in and around the city and that is so nice to be able to just text some people when you out and about and see who you can meet up with.

IRISH & HIPPIES

The next morning I bid farewell to Kate before she headed to work and then Maeve (her room mate) took me out to the beach and we played Frisbee for a few hours before I had to head back to the apartment, grab my bags and sadly make my way to the Greyhound Bus Station where I would be bidding a final farewell to Vancouver and British Columbia after calling it home for 5 months.

I have absolutely had the time of my life in the province of British Columbia and my heart will forever have fond memories of both my time in Vancouver and Vancouver Island. I have seen so much, done so much and made so many new friends and am so happy I made the choices I made to get here. Yes, I may not have the designation, salary or work life I had before but in many ways I have been happier having the break, trying something new and having the time to do things that I never get to do back home. It has been incredible …

NEXT STOP - ALBERTA