So, with some trepidation, we presented ourselves at the breakfast table at 8am and it was epic. We started with fruitsalad with a sort of muesli, followed by the most solid banana muffin I think I've ever had (luckily small, contrary to Canadian and American custom) next up was a tortilla with backed egg, ham and salsa and finally, just in case we weren't quite ready to explode, a crepe with mixed berris and squirty cream (Yuck). This was the point at which Colleen, our hostess, started the entertainment. Now I shoudl mention that the seating arrangemetn at the table was such that I was lookign straight at her so I had to keep a straight face while everyone else gazed off into the distance and Becky (very annoyingly) kept trying not tolaugh out loud. To be fair she wasn't that bad and tried to hard to make it a special experience for us. Afterwards we spent quite a whiel talking while Becky showered and she was a very interesting lady with a great story about how she got into Edith Piaff etc. so good on her I say.
Had a look around the town, including cow bay, the visitor centre, various shops including a great coffee show all cow themed and finally the museum which had some f the best quality artifacts I have seen so far. Fish and chips by the seaside before we said our goodbyes to Colleeen and boarded the Ferry. Managed to bag some good seats and got chatting to a lovely couple from Perth, Jill and Ken, and we all managed to raise each others spirits a bit cos we were all so disappointed about having to go overnight rather than in the day.
At one point they said there were no blakets but I managed to get a couple and we settled down for a very uncomfortable night on the hard metal floor! In the morning a lady who had been sitting near by came over and gave us a copy of a drawing done by an up and coming native artist. She had overheard us talking the night before and thought we woudl like a special reminder, she was lovely and worked to promote frist nation culture etc.
The weather was still pretty rubbish this morning but we did have a couple of whales near by so saw a few tails and blow holes but not much more and then there were some porpoise as well but they moved off pretty quickly.
Finally made it to Port Hardy and were all pretty pleased to be getting off the boat and looking forward to the prospect of a more comfortable night. Until we discovered there was no shuttle bus into town (apparently BC Ferries had heard there were only a couple of foot passengers so the shuttle wouldn't be needed - what a shambles) Eventually got a taxi and to say our hotel for the night looked dodgy was an understatment - the guy on reception was one slice short of a sandwich and like something out of deliverance! But the room was clean and comfortabel and it was cheap so we stayed.
Went over to see Jill and Kena nd some of the others at the local hostel which was really nice (shame we weren't staying there) and had pizza, beer and a fun evening.
