Fiji

We arrived at dawn in Fiji having lost a day of our lives and walked out of the plane to balmy heat at 5am in the morning. Our first stop in Fiji was in New Town, a beachside resort near the airport. We stayed at Aquarius, a budget hostel. Most people staying here were a good 15 years younger than we were and seemed intent on looking cool by the pool and ignoring everyone else – a stark contrast from the friendliness we had experienced in Canada. The beach was OK, but nothing to write home about. This area on Fiji is known for the odd mugging, but Chester was attacked by a group of five dogs on the beach one of which managed to bite him on the leg – no sign of rabies yet – but it’s difficult to tell with Chester.

United States Airport Security Non Existent

To get to Fiji we first had to fly to Los Angeles. You kind of enter America as soon as you get to border security at Vancouver Airport. The passport officer – a rotund middle aged American who struggled to communicate beyond grunting and pointing and a few well rehearsed sarcastic put downs was a wonderful introduction to US security. We flew to LA, landed then walked out of the domestic terminal and on to the street without any security or passport checks whatsoever – so much for increased security these days. We then had a very nice ten hour flight to Fiji in the upper deck next to emergency exit – loads of leg room.

Thanksgiving

On the weekend before we left Canada Scott’s parents invited us to their Thanksgiving meal – a bit like our Christmas Dinner. Scott’s extended family was there together with about 500 of their off spring. The following evening Scott’s parents, who are just brilliant hosts, invited around Paul and Debbie who we had met in Oliver some weeks ago – they just happened to live a few blocks away. This was a great end to our stay in Canada.

Vancouver Island

We kind of ran out of time to really explore Vancouver Island – it’s about the size of England, but we did manage to get to Victoria. Victoria is on the southern tip of the island - the ferry crossing in itself probably makes the trip worth while as it navigates between the many tiny islands on its way. Victoria is supposedly the closest thing to an English town in Canada. We kind of struggled to see the similarities, but did find a few English pubs that served Guinness which of course is Irish. The museum in Victoria was definitely worth the visit so was Craig Darroch castle but that was about it. As ever the Canadians here were super friendly and we hooked up with two couples sitting next to us at a Restaurant and went on to a bar, at which they paid for all the cocktails for the evening – thanks!!

Vancouver

Vancouver has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It has nearly everything – a thriving downtown area, a good arts scene, incredible mountain views, great parks, a beautiful harbour and lots of wildlife. First day we spent on Granville Island, an arty area just south of the harbour and then onto downtown and a couple of galleries, followed by an evening stroll along the harbour.

The following day we took a bike ride around Stanley park sea wall – probably the highlight of our stay in Vancouver and met up with some hungry Racoons that were hanging loose in the park. The aquarium at the park was also worth the visit – Beluga whales, sharks, sea otters, jellyfish, crocs, tarantulas and many humans (it was Thanks Giving).

The Jolly Trinity

On arriving in Vancouver we had a further two hour journey on Sky Train and bus to White Rock, which is well to do area south of Vancouver – here we were able to stay with Scott’s parents. Our first taste of a Vancouver resident was a poet who kindly recited his personal repertoire whilst we queued for the bus – he was actually brilliant. The second wasn’t really a Vancouver resident but an Australian dude who we repeatedly met on different trains and buses and can be quoted as saying “hey man its you again – how’s your 7th hour in Vancouver” – he hated Vancouver and it wasn’t our seventh hour in Vancouver. The third was a bus driver that actually spoke to his passengers. He was mildly obsessed with learning about London buses and gob-smacked when we told him that bus drivers in London don’t normally talk to passengers and wouldn’t let you on without paying your fair.

From Calgary to Vancouver

Next stop Vancouver! This required two days’ travel, the first of which was by car over the Rockies - the Rockies might as well have been East Anglia for all we knew: the entire journey was under the darkest wettest cloud mass we had even seen. We did attempt one stop off at the old cedars of Revelstoke Park: this required a very quick donning of waterproofs before venturing through the forest on board walks. The second day of travel was on a Greyhound bus, but before boarding we dropped our rental car off having completed 5000km since pick up. The Greyhound took us through some great snow covered landscapes and into the centre of Vancouver.

Firewater and Saskatoon Berry Pie in Calgary

We took a day driving the Icefield Parkway back to Banff before taking a detour the following day to Calgary to stay with our newly acquired friends, Dave and Heather Arthurs and their two little girls Ella and Nora. They fed us on huge cuts of angus steak with all the trimmings, a fabulous tasting crumble made with Saskatoon berries (or june berries if you come from the States) all washed down with our offering of chilli infused dessert wine bought from our mutually favourite vineyard in Oliver – Silver Sage. We even managed to cram in chocolates and a cup of tea before rolling ourselves down into their newly decorated basement/playroom for the night. Here Ella introduced us to her kitchen where we created even more culinary delights of brightly coloured salad, burgers and tomato soup, with never-melting ice cream and fruit. Fortunately my stomach couldn’t fit another morsel let alone a plastic one! Poor Dave had work the next day (how he managed after so much firewater and a teething baby is anyone’s guess) leaving the girls to show us around downtown Calgary. Met their friend Laurie and her cute daughter who joined us for supper. A big thank you to the Arthurs for putting up with us / putting us up! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and look forward to offering the same hospitality in return… somewhere…

Surprise Corner

This is Surprise Corner in Banff and as you can see, this is the affect it has! Kate is still recovering.

The (not so) Big Five of Canada

Friday 3rd October – Wildlife Day!

Waiting patiently for three days in Bear’s Den for its namesake to appear, in desperation we finally went on the hunt for the Big Five. Fully camouflaged with tomahawk and war paint and covered in the scent of a grizzly bear in season, we stumbled across a large group of rutting elk surrounded by a strange camera clicking people from the east. Bedlam ensued as vehicles were abandoned willy-nilly and the Japanese risked their very lives to get another photograph of themselves riding an elk.

Our next wildlife encounter was an air raid attack from a grey jay. We first spotted it as we left our car to visit the huge icebergs floating on the lake at Mount Edith Cavell. It waited to ambush us upon our return and leapt on the boot of our car. In a very loud voice it demanded our bag of trail mix. Prolonged negotiations ensued but we resisted this sustained attack as we believe ‘wildlife should be kept wild’.

At the bottom of Athabasca Falls, Kate stopped to take photos of the First Nations’ rock sculptures but jumped out of her skin when a ghostly white face with big black eyes popped its head out from under a rock right close by. This cute little ermine continued to pop up and disappear, flashing the black tip of its tail as it tried to pass, and finally like a ribbon of light, whizzed back along the shore into the woods.

Next, a black raven coolly posed for our camera. And finally on our way back, we ran over a sweet little red squirrel, who thoroughly lost his game of dare. Sob!

Jasper

Jasper feels less commercial than Banff – and less crowded. Though still a tourist town it doesn’t feel over-the-top. We stayed at Patricia Lake which is about three miles out and above the centre of town, surrounded by woodland and lakes - this accommodation was a good base for some off-road biking, canoeing and walking. We stayed in ‘Bear’s Den’ a teeny log cabin near the lake.

Places near Jasper we visited were Lake Beauvert, Maligne Lake, Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake (a lake that has no apparent water as it drains underneath the glacier silt). The Maligne Lake Road is a classic route for seeing bears and other beasts especially at dusk, but alas we saw nothing but squirrels. Blasted squirrels!!!

One of the highlights of our visit to Jasper was the Jasper SkyTram. Rising at 4 metres a second to a height of 7,500 ft, SkyTram drops you off at its base and then you are left to climb the remaining 800ft or so with your own pegs. The views, 360 were amazing. The mountain was called Whistlers because of the marmots that live up there and spend idle hours whistling. Sweet!

Icefields Parkway

National Geographic states that this the most beautiful highway in the world. About 230km long, it takes you through some pretty impressive scenery from Lake Louise to Jasper through the Canadian Rockies. At this time of year it was also spookily empty – at points we wondered if the world had ended and we were the only ones left on the planet.

Reached Lake Louise before dawn on an on a very chilly morning, surrounded by half the population of Japan taking photographs – lots of photographs! Before you get to the lake you see a huge hotel complex – still in development which is kind of off putting. The lake itself is a bit of a let down and not as interesting as the lesser hyped Moraine Lake which we quickly moved on to and spent a couple of hours walking around as the sun came over the mountain tops and slowly revealed the amazing turquoise colour of the water.

Warmed by an expensive coffee and pastry we moved on and stopped at Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon and then just before it got dark we got to the Columbia Icefield. Luckily the tourist machine had shut down by the time we got there - we managed to get right up to the glacier as there as was no one around. This huge glacier is receding at a frightening pace; once up to and beyond the highway, you now have to drive about half a km to the car park and then walk for about 20 minutes to its base. Along the way signs tell you it reached here in 1972 here in 1982 etc Once at the base you can hear rivers running under the ice and the odd creak and groan from within!

Dusk came and we still had some travelling to do before we got to Patricia Lake in Jasper.

We’re back!

Sorry for the gap in communication but there was not much electricity in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just about enough solar power to turn on the bulb in our little thatched bure! More about that later, first let’s wrap up Canada…

Everybody say, ‘Ahhhhhhhhh!’

There seems to be a theme emerging here. Answers on a postcard please…

Chief Running Butt, and White Witch meet Bob and Karin Bittner

“You should never meet up with strange men you meet on the Internet when they invite you over to a foreign country”. There is an exception to every rule and you may end up having a spiffingly good time. Chester’s photographer friend from the Digital Camera Magazine website, Bob Bittner and his comedian wife Karin met up with us in Banff. A weekend of photography ensued with a drive down to Windermere where we he had booked some amazing cabins surrounded by beautiful orchards and countryside.

Chester received First Nation name from Bob having led group through dangerous bear infested trail. Chester warn group about approaching grizzly’s when he make contact with “Spirit of Bear” who tell them run like hell. Chief Running Butt is now his official Canadian name.

Chester is offered a Job in Canada

Serendipity or fate, call what you will but Chester has been offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Whilst at Fort Steele a restored a town and fort dating from 1864 Chester met Norm a kind of weird looking character – you know the kind of look that you get when you emerge from the wilderness 3 mths later with nothing but a toilet roll - the long haired, fought with a bear and survived look.

Anyway Chester got chatting with Norm and they got on like a house on fire. Conversation got serious and before too long they started talking GOLD! Norm is a national gold panning champion and wanted Chester to try his hand – “we need guys like you up here, there’s gold in them mountains Chester. I got some grit, you find me some gold.” Chester was a natural and found 5 pieces of gold in his first pan. Norm was astounded – “took me years to move that pan like you do. You sure got a way with grit.”

Anyway to cut a long story short, Chester signed the contract and lease to pan for gold in “Long Forgotten Valley”, which apparently he has exclusively for the next 100 years – a good investment for the kids (?). $5000 dollars later he was last seen up in them valleys shaking his pan like a man possessed.

UPDATE: Chester’s poor navigational skills have landed him in a spot of bother. Instead of Long Forgotten Valley he ended up in the strangely named Argos Valley – the guys up there got wind and dealt with him swiftly. That’s the way out here – no muckin’.