Victoria BC (UK)

My trip to Victoria was the traditional go-it-alone travel (aside from the lift Jen gave me the bus terminal). I purchased an all-inclusive bus/ferry/bus ticket (C$40) and headed off. The journey took just under 4 hours and the bus dropped me off a brief walk from the HI Victoria where I was staying. This hostel had an enormous dorm of over 20 beds, only 4 of which were occupied making it feel a little weird and unfriendly. The weather and atmosphere of Victoria reminded me the most of home than any other place I'd visited: overcast, drizzling and cobbled streets.

That night I wandered around the streets of downtown Victoria and treated myself to a rather pleasant Italian meal and glass of wine in the restaurant opposite the hostel. The following day it was still raining (the rain featured throughout the remainder of my time in Victoria) so I did what all good Brits do and tracked down a cup of tea. I found my salvage from the rain in Murchie's Tea and Coffee shop which quite simply rocked (their tiramasu was amazing) and pretty much spent my morning(s) in this shop. I walked the length and breadth of Victoria, saw the oldest China town in Canada, explored the market place and walked the harbour. In the evenings, I did what all Brits do and went in search of a pub; I got myself a local ale and I was happy.

All in all I found Victoria to be very quaint and easy to navigate, but probably best enjoyed in the summer as the drizzle and cold were a little limiting. My next destination was Seattle. I had considered going to the San Juan islands to do a spot of whale watching, but I was informed that this was not the best time of year for it, so off I went to Seattle. My first boarder crossing on the open seas. I had to get the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles on the West Coast of America in the Olympic National Park. This cost me the princely sum of US$13. The ferry took around 2 hours and I even saw a seal bobbing around in the ocean, so worth every cent.

I'd booked a place on the Dungeness (namesake of the local crabs) line bus service to get to downtown Seattle (US35) and this took 4 hours through some really picturesque countryside. I arrived in a slightly less picturesque Greyhound station and waited for Calyn (my travelling buddy from Panama) in a cave of a Thai restaurant attached to the station. Naturally it was raining in Seattle. Upon being picked up we headed to a local bar called The Comet which was a very fine introduction to the City, despite the continued rain.

And then the dog peed on my leg

The Overnight Greyhound Experience was...well, all other Greyhound buses I'd taken were half-empty so I had the seat next to me for luggage, feet and for general relaxing/stretching purposes. Not only was the bus half an hour late, it being dusk in Banff the temperature had dropped considerably, but it was packed. So, the only option I had was an incredibly cramped space next to a complete stranger. Suffice to say, not much sleeping happened and all the reading lights got turned out at 9:30pm meaning reading wasn't an option either. So all I could so was stare into dark space, occasionally getting kicked accidentally by people on the way to the toilet, for about 6 hours until finally someone got off the bus and the very back seat was free.

I was utterly ecstatic about this as I could now lie horizontally and I no longer had to stick my legs into the aisle to be vaguely comfortable. What I discovered about the back seat was the lack of a reclining chair feature, this meant every time the driver applied the breaks I was flung forward into the chair in front. The driver (who had chastised me previously for apparently "waking up the entire bus" at a stop because the previous driver hadn't asked me for my ticket - I'd been on the bus for 7 hours by that point and, I hasten to add, he'd just turned on all the lights and announced the stop so I fail to see how it was my fault that people were awake) was driving like a loon so the flinging was a frequent feature of my so-called sleep. I arrived at Vancouver dazed but simply happy to be off that bus.

I was to meet a gent named Neale on Granville and Robson, and so the Vancouver adventure began. I spent a few hours wandering around the sea wall, then Neale drove me to Commercial Drive for lunch and introduced me to the dog, Q, who later showed his appreciation for my company by relieving himself on my leg in park. Finally Neale dropped me off at Jen's. That evening Jen and I ate veggie Chinese and drank Cools Light into the smaller hours, then she was off to do her 12 hour Paramedic shift!

The rest of my time in Vancouver was a blur of Juno awards parties, Vancouver fashion week, Juno gigs (most notably a Canadian band named Scatterheart), the aquarium, Stanley Park, chats with homeless guys ("I love rock and roll, prettiest girl I ever saw, see her on the movie screen...") sushi and drinking. I met some great people in Vancouver and I was shown a jolly fine time by all concerned.

Next stop: Victoria, Vancouver Island.

The Greyhound Experience

Due to a slight mishap with my driving license - it potentially ending up at the dump - the only other option was to Greyhound it over Canada (trains being very expensive and often slow). The Greyhound's not horrendously expensive, then it's not cheap either. The Greyhound from Saskatoon to Edmonton was about $50 per person, six hours of snowy landscapes and one stop for a bran muffin. The Greyhounds also seem to stop off to deliver mail along the way, this is when all the smokers dash off to suck down a fag to keep them going for the next hour or so.

Arrival at the Greyhound station in Edmonton, we went to get a taxi and lo and behold the hotel - The Sutton Place - could be seen at a slight distance. Therefore, the taxi drivers suggested we walk it...right across an icy car park with my lungs already stretched to capacity. We made it in the end, cursing the taxi drivers as we stepped through the doors.

The hotel was in a shopping centre, but you wouldn't notice it unless you knew. It did alright and was $100 for a double room which isn't bad. That evening was spent eating sushi at mikado (which was amazing) and heading around my friend Paula's place for late-night (Canadian) wine and chats.

The next morning, nursing a hangover with a $25 brunch from the hotel (which was lavish but utterly worth it - buck's fizz and the most amazing pastry selection I'd clapped eyes on in a while). We checked out of the hotel and I headed round to begin my stay with Paula.

Five days doing Canada the Canadian way once more: I hung out at the Junque Cellar where Paula worked; ate in an authentic Canadian diner; pounded the streets scrutinising all the vintage second-hand stores on Whyte Avenue; the West Edmonton Mall experience; made the Cargo and James teashop my temporary home for a couple of days; and made a delightful day trip to Elk Island National park to search for bison (though there was more s*** than actual animal).

Next Greyhound up - 6am trip to Jasper Alberta. I only had a matter of twelve hours here, staying at the Maligne Lodge due to all the hostels being seeming locked up and without power and water at this time of year. The hotel was ok, though the door didn't shut properly so it was somewhat cold and the promised 'hot tub' was a little manky looking, so I avoided it like the plague. Jasper was a really sweet little place, and it was all blue skies and views of the rocky mountains around me, being a national park and all it was quite something to behold.

I'd booked a trip with Sun Dog Tours (CD$69), to go from Jasper through the Columbia icefields, past Lake Louise to Banff. The bus picked me up right outside the hotel and off I went with Boards of Canada for company, admiring the view every inch of the way. It took 4 hours to get to Banff, and one lady on the bus, Ali, was staying at the same hostel as me: HI Alpine Centre Banff. This turned out to be one of the best hostels I've stayed in so far, aided by the great group of ladies in my dorm.

Banff was a lovely place. I went to the local museum. Up Sulphur Mountain (expensive at CD$29 but worth it for the incredible views) where I made friends with an older British couple who brought me tea and told me stories of the world. On an icewalk to see frozen waterfalls. And to the Banff hot springs with Ali where we kicked back in hired swimsuits and took in the views of the Rockies surrounding us.

There was only one problem with Banff, and that was the loss of all my photos - of Edmonton and everything else also. The second time I've lost my travelling photos, I feel I am photo doomed!

I was a little sad to leave Banff, I would've loved to do a day of snowboarding but budget and needs must. I was off to Vancouver, to stay with another of Ty's friend's (Jen) and to experience: The Overnight Greyhound Journey (play scary, ominous violin music here).