Michey_b’s travelling around

After a short flight with American Airlines from Seattle we landed in the Windy City aka Chicago home of the Deep Pan pizza, ER, Jerry and Oprah studios and the city that invented the skyscraper.  And a lot of other things that i cant seem to remember at the moment.  It took a while to get out of the airport – Chicago O’Hare is one crazy huge airport – think Heathrow but less oragnised and more walking – it took me 10 mins to get to the baggage claim area and another 15 mins to get outside to the airport express stop for downtown.  I decided that as i wasnt sure about travelling on the ‘El’ (the train) in the evening i would get the shuttle which took an hour and a half in crazy busy rush hour traffic.  Eventually got to the hostel which is huge and checked in and found my room.

As my poor stomach was realising that it hadnt eaten since early this morning i wandered out of the hostel and guessed my way to the nearest place for food – not too bad picked the road that lead me to the exchequer bar and restaurant which was less than a 10 minute walk.  Ordered the deep dish pizza in smallest size which was like a huge pie – man i ate two slices before giving up – well at least i know dinner in sorted for next two nights now!!

On saturday i woke up to heavy snow and the ground was covered by few inches.  I decided to brave the weather, bundled up in as many layers as possible and wandered up State Street past Macys and their infamous christmas window displays and down Washington Street to the German market and walked around checking out the stalls which were arts and crafts from not only Germany but also Peru and Poland bizarrley. The rest of the day was spent warming back up in the hostel. A fun filled day i know but it was silly to be out in all that snow!

Sunday dawned bright and clear – the snow was on the ground but they are so efficient here in Chicago that the roads and most of the sidewalks had been cleared.  This would not be the same in England – the traffic cops were out in force helong out the traffic and clearing the roads i was impressed but i guess they are well used to it by now. I caught a bus from State Street to the museum of Science and Industry which was out of the downtown area.  The museum has an exhibition at the moment for christmas around the world with over 80 trees decorated by ethnice communities here in Chicago representing how the holidays are celebrated in a variety of countries.

Wandering around i stopped to check out a huge model railway depicting the journey from Seattle to Chicago which was kind of cool and also a Fairy Tale castle exhibit.  The museum is definately geared towards kids and families and i was impressed with the amount of interactive stuff they had that kids could take part in and learn.  One of the coolest parts of the museum was Earth revealed.  Among the topics explored through the sphere are Earth’s climate, weather, currents, and geophysics; land use patterns; the human impact on the planet; and Earth as a habitat for life. It was very informative and i think my favourite part of the museum along with the different xmas trees.

Having had my fill of a couple of hours in a museum i headed back onto a bus that would take me to the top of the Magnificent Mile – a mile of stores and shopping centres with everything from Niketown to Ralph Lauren to Saks 5th Ave.  I skipped all this and headed to the Hancock Tower – 2nd tallest building after the Sears Tower.  I decided to go up here and not the Sears Tower so that i could have a view of the Sears Tower as part of the skyline and plus it was cheaper.  We whizzed up 94 floors in 40 secs – an ear popping speed.  At the top i was greeted with an awesome view of Chicago and the lake and out past the suburbs.  It was a fairly clear day so you could see for miles – i definately picked the right day to come.  Its definately not for the faint hearted as you can lean on the glass windows and see the street below.  I walked around the floor for a while taking pictures from all different angles.  After about 45 mins i was bored and well you can only look at a view so many times right!!!  I headed back down in the elevator a little nauseated at the thought of going down 94 floors and then i was back on ground level and dodging the falling ice hurtling from the buildings.  I wandered back down the street and into the water tower plaza – one of the shopping malls on the street .  It was full of shops that in no way could i afford to shop in so headed back to the hostel.  My evening was spent reading and on the internet.

On monday i had a boring morning doing laundry and other mundane tasks and then in the evening i met up with a group of people from the hostel in order to go to the hockey game.  We were going to watch the Chicago Blackhawks v Florida Panthers.  According to our wonderful guide Metin, hockey was declining in popularity and a couple of years ago they had even moved to a smaller stadium because they werent filling the seats.  So for a bargain price of $15 i got to watch one of the original teams that started in the NHL. It was actually a pretty boring game not the best i have seen and no major fights to liven it up.  The Hawks were dominated and lost and i took the opportunity to chat to some of the guys.  We left the game and headed back to State Street where a couple of us wanted to grab something to eat and have a beer so headed on the metro to a bar.  The guys went their separate ways after and i caught the train back to the hostel and it wasnt as scary as i thought it would be.  I arrived safe and sound back to the hostel to my sauna of a room – they insist on having the heating on full blast which you cant turn down and the windows dont open so we were sweltering.  You would never have guessed we were in Chicago in winter thats for sure.

On tuesday it was blue skies again and i headed down to Michigan ave to the Art Institute and waited for half an hour for it to open.  I spent the time chatting to a guy from Philly who was in Chicago on a layover.  He was a Quaker and spent a lot of the time talking about politics and history and a little time talking about how much he liked England.  Although every American i have met says the same – they always love the english.  I wandered down to the Cultural Center and then up to Michigan Ave north and then walked back down State Street over the river and taking various photos.

My last day in chicago was spent over at Navy Pier a place full of amusements and bars and restuarants.  Most were closed down but i can imagine this place in the summer time.  At the end of the pier there are some great views of the skyline and the haze added to the mystique of it which was cool. 

In the evening i packed up my stuff knowing that i had to leave mega early and was going out to the pub quiz tonight.  We left at 6.30pm and again Metin was our guide and took us on to an Irish pub that seemed miles away.  I sat with a couple of guys from Ireland, England and Australia and we did pretty well – well we had the luck of the Irish on our side and Andy was pulling out some great guesses.  The first couple of rounds we did really well and then the questions became impossible to know – things that foreigners wouldnt know so we ended up doind really bad.  But it was fun and after we headed to a couple more pubs and it ended up just being Andy, Graham and myself staggering back to the hostel at 3am and i have to get up at 6am. Nice.  It was a cool way to spend my last evening and i have really enjoyed Chicago.  Its a cool place and not as scary as i thought it would be.

Arrived into Seattle late on saturday evening and headed to the Green Tortoise hotel which fellow Bootie Kathy is assistant manager of.  After i had check in to a great dorm room – the beds have curtains, a reading light and a fan – which is cool.  Kathy was heading out to a wine tasting party and invited me to go with her.  We met up with her friends and went to this house party full of people.  Slightly scary but everyone was really nice and welcoming no doubt wondering who on earth was this person!!

On sunday I wandered down to the infamous Pike Place Market.  Sometimes i wish i was on a short holiday as i could have bought many things on sale in there.  Some of the arts and crafts for sale were amazing.  Although thinking about it – its probably for the best as I would have spent a fortune on this trip so far.  The market is huge and on several levels with individual stalls and shops, cafes and restaurants.  At the main entrance is where the fish stalls are – where the men randomly toss a huge fish into the crowd!  Thankfully its a fake one that they through otherwise would be a lot of smelly people wandering around Seattle.  In the evening met up with Kathy and some of her friends and we headed to the cinema to watch the Golden Compass.  It was ok took a long time to get into but once it did was a fairly good movie.  The only issue was that the ending was blatantly set up for a sequel which i did not see coming.  Everyone seems to have jumped on the band wagon as far as bringing out movies based on kids books – all slightly sci/fi or fantasy – think various mixes and types of Harry Potter meets the Chronicles of Narnia.  I saw so many trailers of the same kind of movie it made my head spin.  On the plus side cinemas are pretty good over here – the seats are comfy and loads of leg room.

Ok enough about movies.  Spent next couple of days not really doing a lot – chilling out meeting people and visiting bars!!  Went to Fado’s Irish bar on monday – which was pretty good place although there are so many of them (irish bars) all over the place.  I even met an American who told me she was Irish!  What she met is that she has Irish descent but considers her nationality is Irish.  I find that bizarre although seems to be a common thing over here – many Americans consider themselves to be everything but American.

So i needed to do a bit more sightseeing and on tuesday walked down 2nd Ave through what was the home of grunge Belltown and past the legendary Crocodile Cafe which in its day had all the old grunge bands play there at one point or another.  Those days are past unfortunately but the Croc Cafe stills has live bands and the area is full of bars and clubs.  i would have loved to have come here 15 years ago to be a part of that scene.  if anyone has a time machine i would pay good money!!  I walked down to the Seattle Space Needle but decided as it was very foggy not to go up as really it would be a waste of money to see not a whole lot.  I did go into the the Experience Music Project set up by Paul Allen of Microsoft.  It is as the name suggests a museum dedicated to the history of Seattle’s music seen – from the jazz and blues of the 50’s through to the explosion of the grunge scene and on to present day.  it has some cool articfacts – like original Nirvana lyrics and Pearl Jam memorablia.  i was surprised to learn of bands that i didnt know were from here – like 80’s sensation Heart and 90’s band Presidents of the US.  The only bad thing was they have taken down the Jimi Hendrix exhibition for the winter to protect the memorablia.  In the entrance is a cool structure made out of guitars called “IF VI WAS IX: Roots and Branches”  and is made up of over 500 guitars and musical instruments and thirty computers. Some of the guitars have robotic parts and play chords which is pretty cool.  Opposite from this was the Gallery of Guitars and provided a history of the instrument and its continuing development.  While a really good museum i had expected more from it, i dunno why just expected more stuff on Nirvana and Pearl Jam – maybe i had built it up in my head to too much.

I walked to the sky train station and met Kathy and we went to the Westlake Center to meet up with another bootie Liz and headed to a pub called the Elephant and Castle.  Kathy went home after some food and Liz and I had a few drinks and waited for another bootie Daisy.  The girls, well Daisy drove us across the river so i could get a nighttime view of the Seattle skyline which was awesome and then we headed to the lively area of Broadway to go to another bar.  It was a cool night and we had a good laugh.  I introduced Liz to the Diet Coke man who she hadnt heard of and urged her to check out You tube!!  It was a great night so thanks guys!! So far its four out of four for meeting up with cool booties.  The only scary moment was a picture i took where something weiird happened with the flash and the candles on the table – you will have to see my photos on flickr to see what i mean.

Decided that my brain needed to do something useful so on wednesday headed back to Fado’s for a pub quiz – and to try their infamous black and tan desset – chocolate brownie with guinness ice cream!! We started out pretty well on the quiz but rapidly went down hill with rounds on Bill & Ted and Led Zeppelin!  After the quiz we headed back to the hostel and i introduced Shithead to a couple of the guys!!  Susan and I met up in the morning and headed across the city to the area of Fremont.  It was absolutely chucking it down – i give thanks for my wonderful jacket which is a godsend.  The quirky area of Fremont as random sculptures of Lenin and has a troll under the bridge! Also in Fremont is a Factory for Organic chocolate and you can sample differnt flavours for free like coconut curry, chai tea and bread and dark chocolate.  Yes they sound weird but actually they taste pretty good.  The chocolate though is very expensive so we only purchased a small truffle each to make up for the amount of chocolate we had eaten!!  We got onto another bus and headed over to the Ballard Locks which provide a link for boats between the saltwater of the Puget Sound and the fresh water of the Ship Canal connecting to Lake Union and Lake Washington. We walked over to check out the fish ladder, built to allow salmon to pass between fresh and salt water. Glass panels make it possible to view the fish as they navigate their way through the ladder, adjusting to different levels of salt each step of the way.  Unfortunately decemeber is not a good time to visit and we saw one lonely fish who looked like he was kind of lost.  We had a slighly crazy moment calling out to Nemo and speaking whale –  there is a child in all of us!!

We caught a bus, well two back to the downtown area – its quite a long journey so we had a bit of a scenic tour of Seattle also which was good.  The bus passed through the area of Capitol Hill a vibrant area and near to Volunteer Park where a nearby cementary hold the graves of Bruce and Brandon Lee.  Taking another tour through Pike Place Market we grabbed some food and some dessert for later and headed back to the hostel where we got in for the free dinner of spaghetti and meatballs and settled in for the evening to watch a movie – and when in Rome and all that… we decided to watch Sleepless in Seattle!!

Im heading out in the morning to catch a flight to Chicago so adios Seattle you were great.

After a short layover in Seattle – where it was also snowing and man these were HUGE snowflakes coming down – Pam and i were on our way to Portland, home to the wonderful Bootsnall, beer and micro breweries and the biggest bookstore ever!!

Just after 6pm we pulled into the station and it was raining heavily – welcome to the Pacific Northwest – where it rains more than in England!!  Jumped into a cab and headed to the HI hostel to meet up with the rest of the Boots members and get ready to party.  I have been wanting to come to the annual xmas party here in Portland ever since i joined boots over two years ago.  Thankfully the awesome London Xmas Parties helped somewhat in the waiting part.

The staff at the hostel had given us Booties the rooms downstairs and our own common room which was sweet. I have to admit i was a little nervous at the prospect of meeting a truckload of new people all in one evening – especially people that i kind of knew.  As it was i neednt have worried – everyone i met was super awesome and i had a great time.  After the party we went to the Silver Dollar bar where i could indulge in a jack and coke – and American freepour measures – woot!!

Slightly hungover on sunday morning the guys that hadnt taken insanely early flights met up with the local Portlanders and we headed out to breakfast.  The afternoon and evening were spent chilling out recovering.  Monday morning and its still raining – in fact it hasnt stopped since i got here.  We braved the rain to head out to Powells – the infamous bookstore that takes up a whole block and has several levels.  I could seriously live in here – in fact we wandered around perusing books.  They also sell second hand book from $2 which is a bargain especially couples with the fact that Oregon does not have sales tax. Needless to say i bought a few to keep me happy for a while.  Not really in the mood to do more sightseeing as its impossible in this weather so again we chilled out at the hostel. Monday evening the few of us that were left (Bill, Bill, Madhu and me) met up with Julie and Jillian and went out for something to eat and have a couple of drinks at Jillians bar.  You can still smoke in the bars in Portland which is weird to see – i have to say i now im used to being outside i dont like it in a bar anymore which i NEVER thought i would say. 

Madhu left on tuesday morning and we met up with Jessie for breakfast before she left.  Jessie and I went to the Boots HQ which is a lovely house in the suburbs – oops secrets out now.  I had the tour and chatted with the guys before leaving them to their very busy work in the bootsnall world!! Guys – thanks for showing me around and sparing the time to chat to me – it was awesome.  In the afternoon i headed down to Pioneer Square and its not raining woo hoo so managed to get in some walking around. 

Wedsnesday evening i met up with Roger and Tiff and went to the M bar – which is the tiniest bar i have ever seen.  We had a few beers and chatted about travel and i managed to shock Roger by telling him that i dont intend to ‘see’ LA when im there.  I plan to stay at the hotel and chill out before my flight to NZ and take full advantage of a fancy hotel’s facilities.

I had a slight panic attack on thursday when realised that beacuse of flooding and storms in the area – the trains and roads were closed (parts of the I5 were under 10foot of water.)  Managed to get a ticket for saturday afternoon and changed my reservations at both hostel here and in Seattle.  Kind of glad i ended up booking a flight from Seattle to Chicago as it gave me two extra days to play with.

I spent my last two days chilling out – went shopping with Tiff to buy some much needed trousers and managed to be good and not buy anything else – man that was a killer – there are some great shops here.  I also went to see a movie and saw Enchanted – which is a disney movie about a fairytale princess getting dropped into New York City by the wicked step mother.  Its a cheesy movie but actually a pretty good one.

And that rather boringly was the end of my trip to Portland and off to Seattle i go.

Met up with Pam at a very early hour in the morning of 1st dec and we headed over to the amtrak station for a bus to Seattle and then a train to Portland. As we pulled out of Vancouver the snow began to fall and we wondered how far it would follow us. It was cool having someone to talk to on the bus as i have been used to going alone so good to have conversation. We arrived at the border crossing into the US and headed inside with our bags to be checked and quizzed. Well the latter part was all just for me as rest of bus was full of North Americans and i was shock horror a ‘foreigner’ This was going to be interesting. I had to fill out the green waiver form which i get to pay $6 for the priviledge of coming overland. And then once filled out i the questioning began.

Where was i going, did i know anyone in the US, how did i know them, what was my job in the UK, how much did i earn, how long was i going to be in the US, how much money did i think 90 days in the US would cost, how much money did i have, did i have an itinerary sorted out, where had i been, where was i going after and did i have a flight out of the US booked. Having made up answers to these questions on the spot as they were fired rapidly at me – trying to get a reaction – i kept muttering to myself – no sarcasm Michelle – no sarcasm – in the end the ‘nice US man’ gave up trying to catch me out – especially when i showed him i would be leaving this wonderful country in 90 days. I put my bags through screening and paid my dollars and got my visa stapled in my passport and then i rejoined the bus. Have you ever been really late to the gate of your flight and everyone else is already seated and ready to go and you have held up the plane? If you have you know what i mean when i said that i had to get back on a bus loaded with people glaring at me!! Oops.

Anyhow drama over – my first border crossing and goodbye Canada and hello USA. Nothing appeared drastically different well except now there were stars and stripes flying everywhere.

A few sum ups on Canada before i completley leave my first country. I have absolutely loved the last 7 weeks. Canada is an awesome country with great people, fantastic scenery and great transport infrastructure. Some highs and some lows – although 99% highs i think.

Highlights. The people of Halifax – the friendliest city i have come across. The colours of autumn in Nova Scotia were beautiful and i definately picked the right time of year to go there. Niagara Falls – the wonderful staff at the HI Niagara and the people i met at the hostel – you guys made my week here the best time in Canada. The HI Niagara the best hostel i have stayed in without a doubt. Banff – for the scenery sharpened more by wintery ice and snow. This place was the wow factor of the trip. The 2 day train ride from Toronto to Edmonton was a great experience and Via Rail were fantastic on each trip i took no faults whatsoever with service and staff.

Lows. I dont think i have any serious lows – i was disappointed in Vancouver but that was due to a number of things and not the city as a whole because it has some great points for sure.

So goodbye Canada – thank you for your wonderful hospitality – in the words of Arnie – ‘I will be back’ For Sure!!

Got on to the bus at 9am in Banff and sat back to relax knowing i was on here until 9pm tonight and in my 5th timezone change. Now eight hours behind the UK. The ride was interesting actually and for greyhound and everything i had heard was pretty comfortable. I have to commend the driver here as it had started snowing and some of the roads looked really bad, as we got into the mountains we found roads covered with fresh snow and no grit so i was impressed – there was no way i could have driven a huge bus. We stopped a couple of times in Golden, Salmon Arm and at Kamloops for long stops and a couple of others too which i dont remember.

At Kamloops the bus became full and then wasnt so comfortable and still had several hours to go. The driver – the third one of the trip put on a movie which kept me entertained and i had pretty much read my book on and off through the journey. By 7pm i was itching to get off the bus and thankfully the last couple of hours passed quickly. I will never complain about a 2 hour journey on national express again – that will be a walk in the park after this except with crappy motorway scenery!

Caught a taxi to the hostel as the station is in a bit of a dodgy area and it was evening. The hostel is on Granville street in the heart of the very busy entertainment district. Chilled out for a bit and then went to sleep. Woke up to rain – joy! It pretty much rained the whole time i was here.

Headed out to the famous Stanley Park and wandered around and thankfully rain held off so was able to wander around this piece of tranquility set in the heart of a very busy and cosmopolitan city. Paid a very expensive amount of money to go into the Aquarium which was looking to not be worth it until i found the sea otters which are so cute.

My remaining days in Vancouver – i did a very touristy thing and got onto a hop on hop off tourist bus which i dont normally do but hey it was worth it as i toured round some cool parts of the city. I saw the devastation that storms last year had done to Stanley Park, went past the Hollow Tree (was 1100 years old), past English Bay, through the heart of Downtown, Chinatown, a very dodgy street between there and Gastown, and couple of other spots. Unfortunately Vancouver didnt hit me as a great place and while it is great city i had hit my first travellers block and wasnt really in the mood to sightsee. It also was signalling the end of my time in Canada which didnt help. The one thing that got me through was that i would be in Portland for the Bootsnall party and would get to meet some cool people.

The one saving grace here in Vancouver was meeting up with Anne who took me out to a very cool area and i got to try Ethiopian food which was good! we had a good catchup and strolled down Commercial Drive which was an eclectic mix of cultures. Thanks Anne!!!

On my last night here in Vancouver met up with Pam who was going to be my travel buddy down to Portland. We went out to the Cambie Hostel to meet one of her friends and actually it was a very cool little bar and packed out. However it was near to one very dodgy area and so although great to visit – there is no way i would have stayed here – maybe im a snob but safety and location is always the top thing on my list when i look at hostels. This is especially more so travelling as a single female.

Well I left Pam and Cardston today and caught the lovely Greyhound to Banff via Calgary. It was a fairly boring drive until i got closer to the mountains and the bus pulled into Canmore and then i could think of nothing except gaze in awe at the beauty of the surroundings. Canmore itself looked like a cute little town and I was hoping that Banff was going to be as picturesque. Well i wasnt disappointed in the slightest. The hostel is up Tunnel Mountain Road and is a pretty little place and well equiped with a bar which always helps.

Got sorted and headed to find my bed and then i was in love – i had a double bed – couldnt express anything else but joy, haing spent several weeks in beds that ranged from insanely narrow to this gorgeous thing i was fully prepared to sleep in and just sleep in the star fish position. Sorry maybe too much information but when you get the chance of luxury you grab it greedily.

Anyhow enough about that and more about my time in Banff. Its blue skies all around and snow and ice on the ground creating a lovely view and making me extra careful on my treading – i actually managed to not make an idiot of myself by going arse over tit which was good.

Spent my couple of days wandering around – its very touristy here and mostly caters to the skiers and snowboarders but i wandered around and appreciated the view. There are numerous tourist shops and restaurants and bars to amuse you and i even found an English pub here called the Pump and Tap which showed the England game. Wish i had never bothered but oh well should have expected it really – although did think at one point we were succeeding. Ok enough about soccer!!

Pam drove up to meet me on thurs and we drove up to Lake Louise which always attracts the tourists for its beautiful scenery and colour of the lake. Coming in winter is a whole other experience. Everything was white and glistening like a perfect postcard advertisement for a winter scene. The snow under foot was not like what i had experienced at home but was dry snow – light and fluffy and soft – cant make a snowball out of this stuff. Lake Louise itself was frozen solid and some of the more brave were out on the ice but that was one risk i wasnt gonna take – its -20 degress outside – i shudder to think about the temperature of the water. Took the picture and then wandered into the famous fairmont hotel here which is exquisite and everything i have come to expect from the chain. One day when i have lots of money and can afford to stay in one then here is a good place.

It is might cold here which i guess should be expected as its november although it hasnt yet snowed whilst i have been here which has been a problem for the more active but a blessing for me so i can walk around and attempt to try to feel the warmth of the sun.

Two major things to do here if you are a tourist are the gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain and a trip to the hot springs both of which i did on my second to last day here (thats friday!) Caught the bus up to the base of the gondola and paid a pretty expensive price for a ticket to the top ($25Can) but i have to say i had a little car to myself and it had heated seats – so good!! I sat looking down towards earth feeling a little queasy and everytime i looked behind me to see how far to go it just seemed endless like i was ascending to the clouds. I have no concept of how long it took me to get up there but i sat back in wonderment of the view.

At last i got to the top and out of my little carriage and then wow and double wow – the views from up here are – well i have no words just had a feeling of pure contentment. I have only had this feeling a couple of times – once was in Venice staring at the Basilica San Marco and the other at a campsite in Lautebrunnen in Switzerland. I wandered around and just drank it in – i took a lot of photos as well which i will add when i get to a computer that lets me. Just wow, having then froze my fingers off i went inside to mail a postcard home from the top of the world – well what felt like it and then headed back down the mountain in my trusty little vehicle.

Back on low ground i wandered down to the Banff hot springs which is actually a pool thats 38 degrees. Having got into my costume and locked my stuff away – slightly panicked at the amount of signs that said that lockers get broken into – i grabbed my towel wondering how i get into the pool from the changing room without getting pnuemonia. Not a small deal when the temp outside is -7!! My fears were alleviated when i headed down the corridor and saw that it sloped down at the doorway and was full of water. What a great idea you open the door and walk into the pool which is about the size of standard swimming pool. Man this water is hot too – it takes a minute or two to adjust and then its pure heaven. Seriously as all my tension and feelings just drifted away i sank into bliss. They reccomend apparantly you should only stay in there for 20 mins – but buger that i stayed an hour and a half – every once in a while sitting up on the side to cool off. The drastic difference between the temperatures only adds to the experience and with a view of snow capped mountains was like being in a dream.

Ok enough talk about that – got chatting to the girl sat next to me who was from Manchester and staying at the hostel. We chatted and grabbed a coffee and headed back to the hostel together and decided to check out the bar in the hostel which was having a karaoke night. Fairly reasonable drinks we sat and chatted and then the guys put on a video of Pearl Jam in concert in NY – seriously i think this was the perfect day!

Having consumed a few too many jack and cokes i wandered off to bed and spent my last day in Banff on saturday taking a wander around the town which was packed for a xmas parade. That night i packed up all my stuff and prepared myself for a 13 hour greyhound experience to Vancouver tomorrow.

Well here goes – my first experience with Greyhound. I am getting the bus from Edmonton to Calgary its only a short bus ride so how bad can it be right!! Having spoken to many wise people i am of the knowledge to get to the station early as its a first come first served basis. The bus pulled out of Edmonton city centre with me on board thankfully and it was a full bus too. Actually in hindsight it wasnt too bad really – the seats are fairly comfortable and they didnt lose my bags so my first greyhound experience was hitch free yay!!

Having arrived in Calgary some 4 hours later bored of my mp3 player i wandered around the station looking for my new friend and host to be. Having found each other eventually we headed to the car and drove out of Calgary which seems like a fairly uninteresting city – sorry if i offend anyone just doesnt look like my cup of tea. But first we stopped at a ice cream place called Marble Slab where you make your own concoction. Only in North America – so many choices and boy was it good. Having not had anything to eat it was delicious.

Pam and I drove down to Lethbridge – the biggest place near to her town. She took me on a tour of the place and we stopped in to see her parents. Her parents took us out for a meal and they were fab – wouldnt let me pay at all. They were really lovely and its always a joy to meet new people – especially Canadians who have been far and away the most friendly people i have met on this planet. As im not one for decisions – part of my British reserve i guess – can make them for myself when it only involves me but when its more than just me – i become very much – well i dont mind what do you want to do kinda girl. Having debated a few options we decided on a movie and went to see a new Dreamworks animation Bee Movie which was so good – go see it when it comes out in the UK its – wait for it – totally awesome!!

i then got my first view of the town i would be staying in for the next couple of days – Cardston is right near the border and close to the Rockies. It is a Morman town and there is a huge temple/church in the middle which imposes itself over the rest of the town especially at night when it takes on a glow of importancy(is that a word?). That being said – being a religious town meant that it was also a dry town – yep thats right folks no alcohol for sale here anywhere!! Oh well the old body could do with a bit of a detox.

One thing you do notice about this place is how windy it is – man i have not seen wind like this except in a hurricane. we are heading over to Waterton National Park tomorrow and Pam has warned me that it gets windier – great.

Mooched around for the morning having a lie in and then we drove to the Park which is pretty quiet at this time of year – i can see what draws the crowds in the summer though – its a beautiful place – cute little town with deer just wandering around showing no fear for the humans around them. Stopped in for a picture of the Prince of Wales hotel which looks expensive and reclusive – apparently it draws in the celebs wanting to get away from it all – however no celeb spotting for me as its closed for the winter – damn.

We decided to see how far we could get driving up one of the roads as they again are mostly closed this time of year due to the ice and snow. Managed to get a little way and literally lmost ran into the mountain sheep – of the big horned variety who were meandering down the middle of the road.

So i had seen sheep and deer – now all i needed was a moose or two and a bear. Pam said that the golf course here has the brown bears wandering over the course the rest of the year – wonder what happens when you are playing a calming game of golf and run into a bear!!! But alas winter is the time for hibernating and i didnt see a single one. Probably a good thing but still i had wanted a view of one behind the safety of the car mind you.

We had a chilled out evening eating munchies and i finally watched Transformers – oh yes i did – and i’ll even admit it was pretty good – there i said it. Who knows when im in Philly i might even bring myself to watch Rocky (hmm maybe not hey Bri!!)

On monday Pam went to work and i took the opportunity to have do some laundry – trust me it is a luxury to use a good machine and proper detergent and all my clothes smell lovely and fresh. Only those who travel will fully understand my obsession with this methinks.

And that was my first couchsurfing experience – thanks to Pam for giving up her weekend to entertain me – i had an awesome time and its nice to be away from a hostel once in a while and see a place off the tourist path.

Tomorrow im off to Banff and ice and snow and cold – real cold – brrghh makes me shiver thinking about it.

Having said goodbye to Kelly having indulged in Tim Hortons i headed back to the hostel to check in and go on the internet.  Two days with no internet access and i was having withdrawal symptoms having not been on Facebook – yes i know thats really quite sad but hey i dont care.

Having feed the symptoms i checked in and collapsed on a bed which felt like the greatest in the world.  I slept catching up on two days worth and then had a shower.  Now that may seem like a trivial and boring thing but when you are stuck on a train for that long – a shower and a bed are the most awesome things in the world.

That night i headed out in search of something to eat and wandered around what is just the craziest city i have ever seen.  There isnt a whole lot to see and do here but there is one thing i must do and thats go shopping!

Caught a bus to the West Edmonton Mall which really has to be seen to be believed.  With over 300 shops there is also a Hotel, ice rink, waterpark, cinema and a mini Bourbon Street and Chinatown.  Man seriously you could get lost in here.  Armed with a map and my trusty shoes i went walking and shopping.  This place is seriously so North American indulgence.  Everything you could possibly need is contained in these walls well maybe not your sanity but hey who needs that.  After something like 6 hours in there i had to escape back to normality and headed back to the hostel happy in the knowledge that i had escaped with my sanity.

Off to Calgary tomorrow to meet up with a fellow Bootie and see a small town – will keep ya posted.

Got myself to Toronto train station at a very early hour and waited to board what would be my home for the next 50 hours – oh man it seems as crazy to be on a train that long.

It was actually a very cool couple of days – managed to even get some sleep – which is a fairly difficult feat and by the second night i had sussed the optimum position for most comfortable and cramp free way to sleep.

The first part of the journey was fairly uneventful until the first smoking stop at Carpeol ( i think that was the name) and met my fellow smoker Kelly we went on a mission for Timmy H but alas could not find him so will have to make do with crappy Via coffee for longer.  Turns out Kelly was sat in front of me and became my new best friend whether she liked it or not.

Not much you can do on a train except get to know your fellow companions, read and listen to music.  Towards the end of the first day i had finished my first book – so glad i brought two of the thickest books i could find.

That evening was entertained by X Men 3 which isnt that great a movie but it passed an hour or two and then time to grab some sleep with one very thin blanket – lasted an hour before i had to ask for another man its so cold here.

Day 2 came around and met more people at the smoking stop in Sioux Lookout which was very very cold and the ground covered with snow and ice and snow and ice!!  Danny and Ali were sat in same carriage as Kelly and I and we spent most of the day again reading and chatting and heading up to the skyline car for some scenery.

We got into Winnipeg early afternoon and had an hour to kill.  Again Kelly and I went in search of Timmy H but again he was no where to be found.  Think the first thing we do in Edmonton is go on a hunt.  Winnipeg didnt seem that interesting and by all accounts isnt a great place so glad i didnt get off here.  We decided when we were back on the train to do some ‘fine dining’ and head to the carriage to eat dinner.

Its very posh in there and you need to reserve a seat as its mostly for the 1st Class not us lowly coach class.  Well dinner was $30 for a 4 course meal not too bad and actually had a pretty good meal – soup, pork tenderloin and the biggest chocolate torte slice i have ever seen.  But it was a nice meal and the most i have eaten in a day in a long long time.  Very full and content we headed back to the guys and the skyline carriage where a game of cards was being taught by three girls.  I ook one look and asked ‘is that shithead?’ and the answer were cries of yes wow someone knows we arent making this up.  turns out they were taught it back in the UK when they were over there and so the game that took up most of my time at College has made it across to Canada.

Feeling nostalgic  i entered into a few games – i have to admit it took a while for the rules to completely come back but once they did i was off and away.  As the guards were sick of people asking they made another smoking stop in some place called Melville which was mega mega cold.

After some laughs and giggles back in the sky line car we headed back to our seats the journey almost over.  It actually doesnt feel like its been a day and a half – you almost feel like you are in a time warp and that time has stood still whilst you speed across thousands and thousands of miles.

One last smoking stop was in order and Kelly woke us all up at 1am in Saskatoon which we were all very asleep for – i dont really remember getting off the train at this point but i have photos that say i did so well.

And finally after 2 days the train pulled into Edmonton and reality again.  We said goodbye to the guys who were on the train until Vancouver – another day! and Kelly and I headed into downtown to the hostel where we dumped our bags and found the elusive Timmy H two blocks down.

And that was the end of my great train journey – met some cool people read two books and fine dined and generally sat on my arse and checked out scenery.  If you ever get the chance to do this journey its totally worth it and much more fun in coach class.

Oops so havent updated here for a while so best get typing really – cant deprive anyone reading this blog!! hmmm

So my definite definite last night in Niagara Falls – no matter how drunk I get im not staying any longer – no really. Managed to convince Bin, Liam and JD to come get drunk on my last night – so naturally we headed to my new local Queens Bar and proceeded to get extremely drunk – man Jack was well behaved but may have had one – well 5 too many shots of jaegermeister!!

It was an awesome night full of laughs and giggles and random rambles. Mark made a late appearance and tried to catch up but think we were well gone by that point. spent a lot on the jukebox and staggered around the bar – oops!!

So big big thanks to Bin, Liam, JD and Mark for making my last night totally cool – it was great. You guys were awesome and remember to stay in contact.

So this post isnt really that exciting but oh well. We staggered from the bar around 4am and headed back to the hostel and managed to trip in the door and noisily make my way to bed – dont really remember that part just know that the world was spinning round and round – oh man i hope to not have a hangover in the morning.

Checked out with 5 mins to spare and bizarrely no hangover – there is a God! Said my goodbyes to the awesome folks of the HI wishing i could stay here longer but i must head back to Toronto.

Got back to the Canadiana Hostel and sorted out stuff for the morning as i will be on the train for 2 days so made sure i had anything i might need.

Goodbye East Canada you have been wonderful but i must make my way to the West.