Canada

What a crazy few days it's been. So, lets finish off last week, after finishing work the lovely HPO (they took me out for lunch on my last day - and gave me a sweet t-shirt - a temp never gets treated this good) we had a small bbq and beers down at Kitsilano beach, to say goodbye to many of our Canadian friends. It really was a fun night, less on the frisbee as planned, and more on the beers. Amber and Simon brought down their portable bbq, and we had 'smokies'. Which as we understand is as important to the Canadian childs birthday parties as...well, fairy bread. Except more so, as boys have smokies too. (btw they are tasty little smoky flavoured snags...brilliant!)

The next morning we had to move out of our house, so we went and imposed on the best australian themed b&b in Vancouver, also known as Amber and Simon. And then things went a little weird.

Chilling at Amber and Simons

Wreck Beach

So, one of the big things for touristas to do in the vancouver area, is to go and visit the funky wreck beach, out near the University of British Columbia. So Elsa drove Amber, Tom and myself out there...and gosh, was it a shock. This beach was PACKED. Full of naked people. We however, we considerably overdressed, but wow. I have never seen so much, and anywhere I tried to look, it was unavoidable. Now, we're not prudes, but there are just somethings that shouldn't get sunburnt. The amostphere was pretty cool though, a random drumming session to our left, with people dancing, beach volleyball, stalls with people selling Jewellery/clothes/food/anything. It was a really good experience, but I'm a very confident clothesist.

After drinking a bottle of wine down the beach, and having a snack, we headed back to Ambers place (with a very distressed looking Tom). For the evening, being our last in Vancouver, we collected Simon and headed out for all you can eat sushi and korean bbq. YUM. $20, and we stuffed ourselved silly. And I'm now a really big fan of Kimchee, a more avid fan of pork dumplings, and less of a fan of oysters and sqiud. Ugh.

And to think we couldn't leave Vancouver on even more of a high, Sunday, after Amber cooked us bacon and eggs (I love that girl), we headed back down to kits beach, and had a picnic and a game of boce, and coincidentally, a few beers. Unlike me, I know. However, come 5pm, it's time to leave, and we said our final goodbyes, and got on the greyhound.

That was a fairly uneventful night, the bus took 13 hours, from Vancouver to Lake Louise, but being an overnight bus, and having an ability to sleep most places, it wasn't too bad. But wow, when the sunrise came, we were travelling through the snow capped rocky mountains, and it was simply stunning. It actually make me glad we took the bus. No matter how shattered we were.
Before we got off the bus however, there was another tourist who was trying to get some help, she was spanish, and had some questions about one of the spots...and gosh, did I realise how shaky my spanish is. It's gone even more downhill (although it was hardly high on the slope), but we eventually got a 'level' of communication, and worked it all out. Such a mental workout for 7am though. WOW!

Lake Louise - look at the reflection!

After ditching our bags in the hostel, we headed for a little hike up to lake louise, taking the longer, more scenic Bow River trail. It was really awesome. Once there, we hiked halfway around the base of the lake, checked out the Chateau and were generally amazed by the lake. The water is just such an intense blue, it was great to see. Early in the day however, we were exhausted, so headed back to get an early dinner and early night. Or so it would seem.

Last night we managed to get some old people (youth hostel?) in our room, which would be fine, except for the fact they BOTH snored like tractors. There needs to be a rule, if you know you snore, you CAN'T STAY IN DORMS. I was ok, pretty wrecked from the trip so I only woke a few times, but I think Tom was about to go postal. Luckily, we fell asleep at 7pm, and didn't get up until 9am, so we managed to get a few hours in there, but we needed that sleep. It has been calculated, at walking over 15km, both that day AND today, make Sarah one hungry and tired little traveller.

Tom, the little snowbunny

So today, when we headed back up to lake louise (incidentally, we appear to be the only crazy people to walk up from the village to the lake) we hiked a higher trail, up to mirror lake. This is the trail to do, on a switchback, there's a clearing where you can look back on the lake, and that is honestly the best spot to see the lake. Photos can't do it justice. It was quite funny though, it's been a late spring, so the trail still has ice...and SNOW! Tom and I would not be so immature as to make snowballs to throw at one another. Maybe. It was great, but when we were walking on this three foot snow, I deviated only slightly...and totally dropped my foot in uncompacted snow and went sprawling in the snow..Tom, to his credit did not laugh at me, but it would have been understood. Incidentally, Tom is addicted to when he sees ice or snow, he has to walk on it. Even if it's only a foot wide stretch.

Tom and Oreo

After retrieving my leg from the snow, we headed down to Timberline Tours, to do our 2 hour horse ride! I really had my heart set on riding up to the 6 glaciers, and to lake agnes tea house, but due to the snow (and massive ice sheets which were due to come down on the trail any day), we had to do a combination of shorter rides, which were still fantastic. Not as fantastic as Tom on a horse! Brilliant. My favourite moment, was when the trail split in two, and one way headed back to the stables, and one was the way we were going. Steve (the guide) and myself start walking down the trail to the right...and hear a call "I think my horse wants to go this way"..with Toms and his horse Oreo turned left, and heading back to the stables. After stopping Oreo, he refused to turn around and come with us, until Steve talked Oreo into it...and he complied, but had a very unimpressed look for the rest of the ride.

It was a great ride, and Lake Louise has been good, but after two full days, it's time to move on, so we're off to Banff next. We have to be in Saskatoon by friday, so still aways to go!

Tom

Chat soon, love sarah

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