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).