Moving Forward!

So we are in Banff, in the Rocky Mountains!

I had heard that Banff is the S.T.D capital of Canada and that it's full of Aussies. For this reason, I have had no urgent desire to visit, besides the fact I don't fancy snowboarding and its not the season yet.

There are a million Aussies here, that's true. And yes they are all the young, ignorant, obnoxious ones that give all of us a terrible terrible rep. I wont tell all the examples I've seen already, but if you can imagine the 'Aussie Aussie Aussie' flag wearing bogans then you have a pretty good idea of the hostels here.

Apart from the Aussies and the busyness of the place, it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

So last time I was here, we were in Whitehorse. We had a great time there, and the people were amazing and friendly, but it was time to move on! Liam and I bought our Greyhound 'Discovery Passes' which is valid for 30 days. Its actually the last month Greyhound are offering these passes so we are quite lucky.

I was really really against getting this pass at first, but I soon realised that I have a small window of time before it gets way too cold to move around. The weather is changing fast here. The last few days it has been mid 20's and sunny. On tuesday it will be minus 11. What the fuck weather indeed.

So anyway, the job driving trucks down south fell through, as the chick decided that we should pay for fuel to drive HER trucks to Vancouver. So after politely declining, we bought our bus tickets.

We decided to head to Alberta, first stop being Edmonton, which is 28 hours away on the bus (yes this place is ridiculously big)

We had organized some couch surfing with this cool chick in an awesome apartment in a good area of town, and got shown around by another couch surfer the next day.

Edmonton is spread out like Adelaide, but the downtown is dirty, drug riddled, and not much fun to look at or be in. Cross the river though and things change. For a small population (1 million abouts) it has a great university and therefore attracts lots of intelligent young people. Also because of the oil sands, these guys are only paying around 110 a litre for petrol! Lucky ducks!

We only stayed two nights, then got on the bus again (only 6 hours this time) to Jasper, which is in the Rocky Mountains. WOW. I knew I would enjoy the Rockies, but this blew me away. The only problem is that unlike Banff, which is a lot bigger and busier and therefore has public transport to a lot of the hikes and trails here, Jasper is more remote and can be very difficult to explore without a car.

Lucky for us, on our first morning, we decided to save some money and walk the 7km to town. On the way down the hill, an Argentinian bloke and two Germans pulled over next to us and offered us a ride. Hitch hiking is pretty common here, so of course we said yes.

Rod, the Argentinian, dropped us all off in town and we said our good byes and headed to the post office to send postcards. Rod went in as well and we started talking again and he offered to take us around with him to Maligne Canyon, as he was already heading there. Well the canyon turned into a few more lakes, and before long we were making plans for the next day too. In total, he drove us around with him for 2 days. If it wasn't for Rod, we would not have been able to see half the things we did, and barely any of the trails and hikes we walked. He really made our trip. We made his too he said so it worked out well and it's so refreshing to meet people as funny and nice as him.

Although we only knew Rod for a few days, we spent a lot of time together and I could probably write a small book on his funny quotes and quirks. While walking a trail, we began talking about bears and cougars and other dangerous Canadian animals. Two minutes later, Rod (who was walking in front) started running at full pace past us screaming in his Argentinian accent "There is..........something!"
I looked up and saw something black running at full pace towards us and started running myself. I looked back and what did I see??? A black dog and a cyclist owner coming around the corner! We felt like right dicks, but our apprehension was warranted as 15 minutes later, we walked right towards a black bear and her two cubs! We waited a while and went around, slowly so the mamma didn't see us as a threat. Interestingly, as soon as the bears saw us, the two cubs ran straight up the nearest tree as fast as they could. It was amazing to watch...

So after some more hikes and mountain climbing, Liam and I headed for the bus to Banff and here we are!
Banff is only around four hours from Jasper. (Un) fortunately, there is a world heritage listed ice field between the two towns, and because of this, the greyhound doesn't go directly. So instead of a  hour ride, we had a 15 hour bus trip back to Edmonton, south to Calgary, then west to Banff.

We are planning to hire a car on monday and head towards the ice fields and check out Lake Louise on the way. Can't wait!

That's as far as I can tell the story for now. I'll try and pop back when we get the chance!

Adios!

Did You Miss Me??

So bit of an absence I must say. Apologies all 'round.

Well the last few months has been steady.  I have been basically just working and trying to avoid massive benders in town.  On my days off I have been enjoying summer by going down to some local lakes in the area and chilling out with some beers, tunes and some good mates.

But the time came when it was time to leave and I haven't looked back. Sure I miss Victoria a lot, especially my friends, but the city was getting me down in the end. Drunks, crack heads, police sieges outside our apartment and ambulances and cop sirens blaring multiple times a day got the better of me and now it's time for something a bit smaller and slower.

So now we're in Whitehorse in the Yukon!!

After lots of farewell drinks in Vic, followed by The Great Canadian Beer Festival the next day, we headed to Van on the ferry on wednesday.
We stayed at he Samesun in down town Van and tried to keep our heads down a bit to save money. We met the couple that we ride shared with on the wednesday and organized to leave on friday at midday. Not having done this before, part of us feared that they wouldn't rock up and we would be boned. Luckily for us the did and we started on our 31 hour road trip up the west coast of this massive massive country.

The ride was great, we stopped once in a while so we didn't stiffen up, and the drive went pretty quickly. We were very lucky on the way up as when we headed closer and closer to the border, we saw more and more wildlife. By the end we had seen a few Caribou, a few different herds of massive buffalo, a black bear and her two cubs, and the Northern Lights!

Words can't really describe how excited I was with all this. I felt like a kid who just let off his first firecracker.
Seeing all those things easily made being stuck in the back seat of a compact car totally worth it!

About 6 hours from Whitehorse we stopped at some hot springs and relaxed our muscles for an hour or so before heading off again. The hot springs have a lot of sulphur, and as a result, the whole place stinks of eggs. Now I understand what Rotorua in NZ smells like. Also I have discovered that hot springs attracts lots and lots of old fat people in bathing suits meant for people half their age.  Luckily the springs were stinky, otherwise everyone would have smelled my vomit coming up every now and then......

So upon arrival in Whitehorse we headed to a camp site as all the accommodation in town was booked out. Apparently once a fortnight there is a plane full of Germans who fly from Frankfurt and come directly to Whitehorse. As a result we had to sleep in the cold. Luckily Liam and I bought cheap 15 dollar Walmart tents in Van.

The only issue we had with the campsite was that we had to leave our bags and valuables in the tent if we wanted to go for a venture. We decided to stay at the campsite with the fire for most of the time until we could get a hostel booked for monday.

When we finally moved into the hostel, we decided to catch up with a girl at a local bar, who Liam met on couch surfing. It was quiet at first, but eventually we were introduced to some of her mates and we ended up having a wicked night! One of her friends Matt, drove me out to some look outs of town where we saw a wicked Northern Lights display! This one was 3 times as intense as when we saw them while driving up, so Liam was quite jealous when I told him. Matt is First nations as well, so he was telling me about his ancestry and the connection his people have with the lights and the area. Tres cool.

We are meeting up with everyone again on thursday and getting our drink on at a local pub that is selling $2.50 pints, and $11 jugs. We are planning on doing some hiking at Hidden Lake in the morning, followed by a brewery tour for pre drinks, then heading to the pub after that. Should be an epic farewell for us as we have to get our tickets and leave on the bus friday morning.

We were actually offered a small job from a chick at the bar the other night. She owns a small company and needs to get 15 vans driven down to Vancouver, then some from Van to Edmonton. She would have us drive the cars down, fuel paid for, and no time limit to get them there, effectively giving us free travel!! It would mean A LOT of driving, but it will allow us to take our time and see some of the sights we missed on the way up, plus save us $230 for the bus from Whitehorse to Edmonton.

I'm really keen to do it as I think it would be an amazing opportunity, but Liam is being very stubborn about it and refuses to do it as he thinks we're wasting our time back tracking where we have already driven. I'm trying to be more positive than that, but he is dead set on buying a monthly bus ticket and heading to Alberta.

Liam and I have been disagreeing a lot recently. I guess its natural when you travel with someone but I didn't expect it this early into our trip. I think I made some serious miss judgements about Liam when we planned this trip. Being a massive stoner, I presumed he would be really relaxed and laid back about things and take it easy like I try to do. Turns out, just like a few of my other stoner friends, they are actually stress heads who use weed to calm down.

As a result, we're always at loggerheads. He tends to stress about everything and needs everything booked and organised in advance and gets shitty that I don't have the same urgency as he does. I like to go slow and keep my options open all the time.  Everything he does is done in a rush. Eating, drinking, walking, hiking, its all about being finished and having it done and ticked off. I am the exact opposite so its been frustrating for both of us I think.

Also, I was under the assumption that he had no time limit and was keen to take his time across the country. As it tuns out, he has organized to be in Kansas by End of October. So his plan for us is to buy a monthly bus pass, stay in cities for 1 or 2 days tops, then cross it off the list and move on. I want to take my time, spend as long as I need in a city or town till its time to move on, even do some wwoofing for a week or two somewhere to keep the funds strong and ease our way over to the east coast in due time.
It's a shame because these are very different ways to travel around and we can't do both. I really like the guy, but I don't see us travelling together well. I can see us going our separate ways sooner rather than later.

Apart from that though, everything is going great! It feels so good to be on the road again. I'm loving meeting people again, sharing stories and experiences and giving and getting advice. I'm loving the randomness and adventure. I have seen some amazing things already, and it can only get better.

Compared to NZ, my mind is in a much better place to appreciate and enjoy everything that's going on. I'm in a good place now, and I'm not going to let anything change that....

Anyway, it's been a very long catch up post. I know I can harp on a lot about how great life is and all this weird hippy stuff, but well, that's my mental state right now. I'm happy and positive and thinking about the present and looking forward to the experiences ahead.

Also my plans have changed quite a lot since my last post and now, if things go well, I will probably be home in February to travel Oz  for a good chunk of time

Its all good!

Amit

Ok I've had this entry on the back burners for quite a while now, but it's time for show and tell!

Amit is a bloke from New Zealand, with Indian heritage, that I met while in London when I first arrived there for my overseas trip.

We hit it off straight away. He was at the end of his trip and about to head to Germany to continue working and travelling. I was at the start of my trip and still unsure where to head, where to live, what to do or where to work.

It was around this time that I was starting from scratch again. I had 2 jobs lined up to start the next week, but after meeting some Aussie boys at the hostel pub, I was invited to Amsterdam for a flight very early that morning. Not one to shy away from a bit of randomness, I agreed, went along for 5 days and needless to say, didn't have the 2 jobs to come back to when I returned to London.

Queue Amit.

After a few days of partying and generally mucking about, Amit starts to show me pictures and tell me about Edinburgh and the awesome time he had while living up there. Well after not too much convincing I was sold and bought a bus ticket leaving for Edinburgh the next morning.

Upon arriving things just clicked. I stayed at the best hostel Ive ever been in, and lived in it for 6 months. I met a good group of mates all in the same boat and have stayed friends with them ever since and still consider them close friends. I met a girl and shared some good times together. Things got better and better.

After a while the hostel closed and everyone went their separate ways. I broke up with the girl and in my down time went to Cardiff for a holiday to get away. After some travel with friends through continental Europe, I decided to move to Cardiff for work. After more good months, and hooking up with my flat mate which eventually became a relationship,

Arriving home I set out for a trip to Canada which eventually changed to a trip to New Zealand.

Long story short, if it wasn't for Amit, I would be in a completely different position, possibly in another country with other people. Every choice I've made since then and the people Ive become close with and fallen for is indirectly because of that split second choice to head to Edinburgh.

Right now I'm happy to be overseas in Canada, meeting the people I'm meeting and seeing the things I'm seeing. Ive always wished I could thank Amit for changing my course and getting me to where I am now and who I have in my life (or did) now. Unfortunately we met before the days of facebook, and we never traded emails, but whenever I'm feeling nostalgic or happy, I think of Amit and hope he's doing just as well as I am.

In some religions they consider these chance encounters with people changing your lives forever as a meeting with God. I'm not going to go that far, but all the good times, bad times, heart ache and strength has led me to this point in my life, feeling these feelings for people, and experiencing all the things I've experienced I can trace back to that time in London. For me, that's when life really started.

I guess the moral of the story is to enjoy yourself and those around you when you're happy and try to understand the lesson as quickly as you can when you're not. Every choice we've made has led us to where we are now, and all those experiences new and old are leading us to places we don't even know of yet.

I am so very very thankful for whatever forces are out there that led me to where Ive been and who Ive met and the people I shared time with. I am one of the luckiest blokes on the planet.

:)

Couples Everywhere!!

Wow, what hasn't happened in the last month???

Ok, so Mandy came back for a few weeks. We went up to Tofino, which is a surfing, beach area of the island. It was shitty weather the first day but the second day was amazing so we hired some bikes and rode towards the bomber trail. The Bomber Trail is a non-council track which basically leads to where a world war 2 bomber crash landed back in the day. We rode for a few hours to get there and then realised that after a week of heavy rain, the track was too muddy to walk. So we headed back and hiked a trail to another beach.

Back in Victoria it was all about the Dutchies. We played Edward Scrumpy Hands and I managed to lose so had to shave my legs. GAY. Basically, Scrumpy Hands is a Kiwi uni game where you strap two bottles of high percentage cider to your hands and you're not allowed to take them off untill both bottles are drunk.

It's a ridiculous game.

For one, in NZ the bottles are 1.5 litre. Over here they only have 2L bottles and they're pretty feral. So it was a hard slog to begin with, but both Dutch boys finished strong and won the game. We had to hire a private room to drink in because I was warned I would get kicked out of the hostel if I got caught drinking in my room again. Luckily everyone chipped in and it only cost us about 6 bucks each for the night.

A few nights later it was Queens Day, which is a national holiday in The Netherlands. The group went shopping and bought a whole heap of Orange gear and charged up for a big night at the club. Many shots were had and after a pretty intense walk home, we all survived with only massive hangovers.

A few days after that I moved out of the hostel! I loved my time there, but it was getting expensive and I think it was time to move on for a bit. So now I have a pretty schmick flat with a few cool dudes I met in the hostel and things are pretty good. Mandy moved in with us too until she left a bit later.

So now that we are all settled in, everyone has left! Basically my massive group of friends that I had in the hostel have all left Victoria. Some have gone home, some have gone East, others have left the country to travel elsewhere. So now it's getting a bit lonelier and boring here, but we're making the most of it. The plan now I think is to settle down on the drinking a bit after 5 months of non stop partying and spending all my savings (pretty much everything) and concentrate on finding another job and enjoying the summer. The job I have at the moment is easy, but quite boring and the hours are shit. It was always going to be temporary anyway, so it's time for a change.

I'm sort of locked into this flat for a while so I can't leave for the time being, but I am getting itchy to move again. Now that everyone has gone and the party is over for a bit, it's getting a bit boring. Plus it's quite depressing working night shift for 11 bucks an hour and dealing with crack heads and wankers all the time.

I'm undecided at the moment, but I think I will work and save a bit for a few months, then when my tax comes back from home, I might move around a bit more, do some wwoofing and see the sights, then maybe come home early next year. The plan was Canada for 1 1/2 years then Asia, but I can't travel Asia any more thanks to my drinking habits. I won't leave Canada until I'm ready, but the thought of working poor on minimum wage for the next two years when I could be earning double or triple back home is a hard thought to hold. Play it by ear and see what happens in the next few months I reckon!

So that's about it! Things are slowing down a bit, but it's not a bad thing at the moment. The time will come again when it will be all systems go, but for now summer is a few days away, and I'm looking forward to it!

Laters!

View from Mount Douglas

The Edward Scrumpy Hands champion

Damn Touch

Damn song has been in my head for days.....

Sand In My Shoes......

Rightooooo!

This one will be pretty short sharp and shiny!

So I went to the states for a few days! I never in my life thought I would go there. Obviously a few days over Easter doesn't do it justice, so I will have to go back again properly, but I couldn't believe how much of a giant stereotype it was. Seriously, poor black people standing on corners, booty dancing in clubs, over the top insincere customer service, fat people, everything.

Not to say it was bad though, Seattle was quite cool, plus I got to see RADIOHEAD!
On the way back though I sort of got boned over. 90% of the time things always work out for me when travelling. This time not so much. After copping shit from people at the hostel for only booking my buses and ferries the night before I left (and 1 hour before going out) I got to America with no dramas. On the way back though, I mistakenly presumed that America would be like every other country in the world and the transport system would link up with each other. This is not the case in the states....

So after catching the very first bus from Seattle to Port Angeles (tiny ferry town on the peninsula) I had missed the very last ferry to Victoria by 2 hours. So I had to stay in hicksville on Easter weekend. Exciting times were had.... :/

Ok so after that I came home and worked a few arvo shifts and tried to spend time with Mandy for her last few days in BC before she headed off on Friday.

People tend to think that if you're travelling, you're either in a long term relationship travelling together, or you're screwing around whenever you can.
As most people that know me would know, I'm not one for one nighters, I enjoy things a lot more when I get to know girls a bit more and make a connection.

Either way, it's a nice feeling to share time with someone you like, even if you know it's not going to go anywhere or get serious. When you do finally go your separate way's, it can still feel like a break up, even if you never went out officially in the first place. It's a weird feeling, but an awesome one.

Looking back in years to come, hopefully both people will only have fond memories, and even if you never speak to or see them again, you can think back and enjoy what you had for what it was and nothing more :)

Soppy shit but it's true.

Anyways, time for bed, night shift on a saturday night has this little duck tired!!