From Victoria I caught a bus up to Swartz Bay and took the ferry across to Salt Spring Island to visit Claire, who I'd first met with her friend Joy way back in Australia when we'd all shared many a laugh together while in Broome. I'd not managed to see Joy when I was in Melbourne but it was good to be able to catch up with Claire on her home turf. Salt Spring is a nice wee island and on a Saturday there's a great market in the town of Ganges which we went down to. Picking up another friend, Andrew, on the way it was just about 15 minutes drive from the house (a wooden place nestled amongst the trees and with great views out over the sea and some of the other neighbouring gulf islands, and with deer regularly visiting it was, for me, an idyllic setting) into town. We arrived just as the market was opening and stalls were being set up around the park. We sat on a bench overlooking the grassy square and enjoyed a lovely locally roasted cup of coffee and big sticky cinnamon bun - the perfect breakfast! I then enjoyed wandering the market and round the little town. The market was quite busy even early as it was and there was a good mix of produce and crafts. All stallholders must live on the island and all goods sold must be produced on it too, which I think are excellent conditions to impose. I enjoyed several samples of local cheeses, mustards and jams aswell as some baking, and admired some of the handicrafts on offer. There must be many talented people on the island and its great that there is an outlet such as the weekly market to sell their wares. It certainly seems to have a good reputation and people regularly travel from both Vancouver Island and even the mainland to visit. From the market I drank in the tranquil view out over the bay where there were a few little yachts and dinghies moored before continuing my exploration of the town. It has attractive shops, wide streets and plenty of open space. There seemed to be a good mix of cafes bakeries, grocery stores, galleries, book and gift shops and all the people I met were friendly whether it was shop workers, stallholders or just other people in the street. Its certainly an easy place to like.
Meeting up with Claire again she took me for a spin round the north of the island. It really appealed to me. There is lots of forestation, little market farms, sheltered bays and greenery and it was quiet, homely and familiar feeling. Back at the house I admired the Arbutus trees we'd seen earlier and which surround her property. The only native boadleaf evergreen in British Columbia, the tree has a red flaky bark which peels to leave a fantastic smooth copper like trunk which glistens in the sunlight. This in turn then peels to leave a smooth silky soft pale green trunk which will turn red again after the rains. There are also delicate yellow flowers making it a continuously attractive tree, and not unlike some of the Australian eucalyptus trees in many ways. Later, out meandering along a creekside trail amongst the super trees and hilly banks, the sunlight picked out the numerous shades of green while the creek burbled and the birds sang overhead and I made my way down to Beddis Beach to enjoy the scenery some more. Neighbouring ex-pat Scots, Rosalind and Fraser, came for dinner and we had some fantastic succulent and meaty crabs which we'd got from one of the boats at the dock earlier in the day. Our evening of chat, teasing, laughs and story telling was rounded off with ice-cream, Rosalind's homemade cookies, local rhubarb and some excellent home produced Maple syrup from Claire's family's farm in Ontario. I can savour the flavours yet!
Up early next morning for an overnight jaunt to the west of Vancouver Island, we had only reached the bottom of the hill when we found a large box sitting in the middle of the road. Going to tidy it away we discovered 9 unopened cans of beer in it so they were duly rescued and put in the boot for later! It was to prove the first of a succession of free food and drink we were to obtain over the weekend. On our way again we caught the ferry from Vesuvius to Crofton. I was interested to see that the little ro-ro has no bow or stern doors, just some orange hi-viz mesh tape to pull across the deck entrances. I doubted Calmac would get away with that! Anyway, safely across to Crofton which is adorned with lots of murals depicting life in the area over the years, making a good social history lesson, we carried on taking the highway past Nanaimo towards the west. We paused at Cathedral Grove which is a reserve of giant tall and straight Douglas Firs, Western Hemlock, Cedars and a whole variety of ground level plants. A whole range of shades of green, there were also many windblown trees left to act as host nurseries for saplings and other plants, living stumps, huge root balls, and on some the cut-outs on the tree stumps where lumberjacks had wedged their platforms above the hardened area where roots join into the main trunk were clearly evident. It was a great place to stretch the legs. Then, with the road becoming more twisting and undulating as we crossed the island we finally reached the western coast and stopped at Long Beach. Living up to its name it stretches the 40km or so from Tofino to Ucluelet. A mess of huge bleached trunks and logs are washed into a mass by the tides and winds and create a barrier between beach and forrest. The water crashed gentlyish onto the sandy foreshore and dozens of crabshells and strings of seaweed and kelp littered the beach. Needless to say I had great fun reverting to childhood and jumping on the weed's air sacks and scuffling about on the huge planks and logs. The sun was out and the air was soft making for a great walk along the coast - though most certainly not the whole way! On reaching Tofino (by car!) we'd a stroll round the town and admired the lovely views over the bay to the hills before checking into the hostel. A rummage through the free food bin there produced a couple of tatties some carrots and lettuce, so after baking the tatties and making up a good salad with our lunchtime leftovers and the other ingredients we went back to the beach and had a great picnic tea washed down with our free beer from the morning - no bad at all for nothing!
Raking the free food box again in the morning we got enough bread for our toast before going to visit the plush Wikaninish Inn just out of town. Its a high class hotel nestled into the woods directly overlooking Long beach so has some fantastic views over the ocean and, although the building itself is a dull grey weatherboard type construction, the interior is amazingly tastefully decorated with magnificent wood carvings, solid wood doors, marble tables,figurines and the like all paying homage to local wildlife and first nations people. Its a work of art in itself and thankfully the staff are quite happy to accommodate backpackers just in for a nosey! We even managed to cadge a free cup of coffee there to add to our ever growing tally of free food and drink. Moving on again we had a quick jaunt down to the pretty but functional little town of Ucluelet before starting to make our way back to Salt Spring. En route we called in to visit friends only to find Dorcy having just finished hot-smoking a salmon and Joan having baked a rhubarb pie so we enjoyed more free food! By the time we got back to the island at night (after a visit to the butcher's and some tasting samples) we reckoned we must definitely qualify as acomplished Freegans (and, no, Freegan is not just a modern PC name for greedy beggars, just those who appreciate good food which may otherwise go to waste!) and were certainly not hungry in the slightest!!
Leaving Salt Spring Island I travelled back down to Victoria for a short visit and enjoyed meeting up with Isobel and Allan Oliver again. We had a nice time blethering in the evening, and once again I was captivated by the lovely view across the bay to the distant Olympus Mountains from their front windows. I had a stroll round the town the next day before I had to catch the ferry across to Vancouver.
I was staying with Janet's brother Hugh and he was a great tour guide for my short stay. His knowledge of plants, birds and wildlife was a real bonus on our wanders round the wonderful Stanley Park. We took the seawall path which provided attractive views across the harbour and bays as the morning haar lifted but the smell drifting across from the bright yellow piles of sulphur was less appealing. We took a small detour up a creekside path and the sunlight coming through the trees was beautiful. There were lots of berry bushes and we managed to pick some salmon berries to taste. They looked like a cross between pale raspberries and brambles but the taste was a bit blander than that. Further on on our walk we visited the rhododendron garden and although most were just past their best there was one particularly spectacular bush with bright red flowers. After a pause at one of the beaches we took a little boat across to Granville Island. It has a great produce and crafts market and lots of little speciality shops so made for a very pleasant afternoon of browsing and admiring. An evening visit up Burrard mountain to the campus of the Simon Fraser University allowed brilliant views out over the city and surroundings, nice landscaped grounds and some wooden sculptures presented by a Japanese sister city to Vancouver. The carved totem-like poles depicted gods and peoples of the Japanese indigenous culture and I was interested that the creatures of bears, whales, owls and eagles seem to come up time and time again as key features of indigenous culture all across the world whether that be fist nation Canadians, Japanese, New Zealand Maoris, Russian buryats or many others. Just as in modern life and customs, there may be many differences on the surface but at the core there is a common thread running across the world. If only more people could appreciate the similarities between us all perhaps there'd be fewer tensions across the globe.
My last port of call before leaving Vancouver was at the small but interesting Museum of Anthropology. Alongside a collection of intricately carved totem poles were a number of amazing and huge feast dishes used at first nation potlaches. A potlach is a kind of fiesta and feast for social gatherings and celebrations where hundreds of people may arrive to visit, eat and buy items for sale: a kind of cross between a party and a boot sale I think! The potlach dishes were enormous and were carved and painted to resemble animals. Also of interest to me were bentwood boxes. Carved from one piece of timber, gouges would be channelled out to make seams. The red cedar wood was then steamed until it was plyable enough to be folded up and stitched closed with sinew. Once complete they could be used as sturdy containers for storing food, liquids or possesions. The craftsmanship involved was really impressive. There were also a couple of temporary exhibitions which I found slightly less interesting but overall I thouroughly enjoyed my visit and it was a great place to round off my visit to western Canada.
I may have been sorry to have to leave Vancouver so soon, but I was also excited to be heading to Winnipeg and the bus ride across the country passed quickly considering the distance between the two cities. It certainly didn't feel like thirty odd hours before we were crossing our last section of the praries and pulling into town. John was at the bus station to meet me and we were soon rolling up to Renfrew Street. It was funny seeing mum and dad again - to me it only seemed like 5 minutes since I'd waved goodbye but they seemed to think it was longer ago than that! Marj and Hank looked well too and it was brilliant for us all to be together again. In no time the blethers and catching up of everyone's news started and that kind of set the tone for the next few days. We had excellent weather, wonderful company, good food, nice sightseeing jaunts, and just an all round funtastic few days. Thanks Marj and Hank for your super hospitality and thanks John for your excellent tour guiding and chaufeur services. I'll look forward to a spin in the Model A next time I visit but hope to see you across here again before then!
Winnipeg is an attractive city and it was great to spend time there again. There are many nice monuments and statues but I particularly enjoyed seeing the collection of decorated polar bears which roam the city. Some were very cleverly designed and one with a cub poking out its bright jacket was a favourite for me. I was a nice link to, and reminder of, my last visit and John and I's trip up to Churchill to see the real McCoy.
Adding to my list of parliament and legislative buildings I've visited on my wanderings we visited the Manitoba Legislative Building too. Its the largest outside Ottawa and although its relatively modern it is an impressive piece of architecture with columns, grand staircase, polished marble, ornate domed ceiling, carvings on the sandy coloured stone and all topped off by a towering 17 foot high 'Golden Boy' casting a bright light over the place. My favourite visitor attraction though was definitely our visit to Lower Fort Garry. Constructed in the 1840's the fort was not a military post but a vital trading centre for the Hudson's Bay Company. Agricultural and industrial areas provided goods and supplies for the northern fur traders, receiving pelts and other goods in return. Today the limestone walls have, where necessary, been restored to provide and outer boundary to the complex of buildings within. Even before reaching the main fort buildings we passed an old York boat of the type used so frequently for transporting goods across the country. Also present were the farm managers house and guest cottage both decorated in the style of the times complete with furniture fittings and crockery. A teepee and smithy stood nearby and in all these places guides were dressed in authentic period costume and explained about their work, craft and lifestyle as if still in that era. An old general store and fur loft, retail store, warehouse, doctor's office, mens quarters and 'big' house completed the ensemble. It was fascinating to learn so much about the lifestyles of the company's employees and to be able to imagine the hive of activity the fort would have been. Back in the teepee it was interesting to learn that about 15 people could sleep in it yet it would be erected by just two women in around one hour: 3 poles (about 30 feet long) would be bound together on the ground then hoisted upright, 10 other poles were slowly spiked into the frame and bound in by the rope connected to the original tripod. Finally the last pole, to which the sailcloth was attached, was slotted in and the fabric unwrapped over the frame and tied with bone or sticks to seal the edge. The clever design meant the whole thing required the women to reach no higher than head height yet was stable, sturdy and warm. Trees have been known to fall on such a teepee without crushing it. The engineering and design awareness of previous generations with far less technology than in present day never fails to impress me.
Having enjoyed my visit to Lower Fort garry I was interested to compare it with Fort Gibraltar which was a reconstruction of a wooden North-West Trading Company fort dating from 1815. My visit to it was just as memorable. Although much smaller than Fort Garry there were guides in period costume and character here too, so once again the place came to life. We got into conversation with one guy who explained a great deal of the history of the fort, the North West company, the competition with the Hudson's Bay Company, the relationships between the native peoples and the settlers, the feuding between Lord Selkirk (an HBC bigwig) and Mackenzie (a NWTC man) and the merger of the two companies just a year after their deaths, aswell as associated stories and anecdotes regarding various TV series about the era. It really brought history to life for me and left me wanting to read far more about the period and the major players, so that's another thing now added to my 'must do' list!
Rounding off my visit to Winnipeg the six of us went out on my last evening for a meal at a buffet style restaurant. Surprising no-one, I'm sure, we all managed to make excellent use of the delicious eat as much as you can/want feast. The range of salads and soups for starters seemed never ending, then, for mains there were two types of spare ribs, roast pork, chilli, pasta and numerous vegetable and potato dishes alongside for you to visit as often as you wanted. If you still had space after all that there were several cup-cakes, cheese cake, gateaux, trifle, fresh fruits and ice-creams!! While we all managed extremely generous helpings and there was much leg-pulling about our repeated visits to the buffet, none of us had to stretch out on the bench seats clutching our stomach between visits like the woman at the table behind us did!! Definitley a case of her eyes being bigger than her belly!
With very mixed emotions I left Winnipeg: it's always exciting moving on to a new place, and going to Ottawa was no exception, but I'd been enjoying myself so much over the past year and I new that the capital would be the last stop on my wanderings (well, these ones anyway) before returning to Scotland. The bus journey there was uneventful and like so many others before it passed quicker than you might imagine. When I arrived I went to catch the city bus into the centre but promptly jumped on the bus going in the opposite direction to where I wanted to go! I think that was the first time I'd done that but just goes to prove you shouldn't get blase about arriving in new places! Fortunately the bus driver was on the ball and directed me round the corner to the bus stop I should have used and I was soon safely esconsed in my hostel!
The next couple of days were spent touring round the beautiful and very likeable city. We managed a fair bit of walking, a boat trip on the river, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour round the city highlights, and a visit to the houses of parliament. There are many attractive buildings, parks and pleasant walking paths along the canal, locks and riverside in the lovely city, and so coupled with the warm sunny weather we enjoyed you would have been hard pushed not to have had a great time. The undoubted highlight for me however was a visit to the wonderful Museum of Civilisation. It's the type of place where you could go back again and again and probably still not see it all or remember half of what you learn. Our visit also happened to coincide with Aboriginal day and so there were some additional displays and shows being staged over the weekend. We stopped at a demonstration of traditional dancing and were enthralled by the performers. First on stage were three dancers performing some Metis Jigs and they were excellent: the footwork was so fast, and as they pointed out there were elements of Scottish, Irish and French dance incorporated into their steps resultant from the historic influence of the culture brought by the settlers from these countries. The stage floor was well polished and they did well to keep their feet - especially considering the speed they were going. They performed a 'standard' jig a friendship come 'pick-up' dance, a belt dance (it was very similar to a Scottish sword dance) and a very impressive broom dance. Next on stage were a far more sedate couple of dancers acting out a narrated story but following them was a woman doing a hoop dance. She was amazing. Like the first group her movements were non-stop and incorporated at least a dozen hoops which although now plastic would traditionally have been willow. her agility to pick them up with her feet, twirl them round and over her body and arms, individually or in a bunch, was incredible. She could form them into spheres, twist, spin, juggle and so on. It was just mesmerising. Next on stage was a guy fully bedecked in traditional shin and feather decorations who danced to some traditional drum based tunes then invited the audience up to join him in a Friendship dance. It was a kind of cross between a circle dance, the conga and Auld Lang Syne! The final performance was far more modern and contemporary but not so much to my taste. It was almost Innuit hip-hop and although the lyrics of his first piece were ok the backing track diminished the power of the poetry in its own right. (Though what credibility I have as an arts critic is highly debatable!!) Leaving our hip-hop wannabe performing to those prepared to give him more of a chance, we moved along the hall and stopped to speak to a guy demonstrating birchbark carving. He had examples of some of his work and boxes and model canoe on display. Speaking to him he showed us how strong the bark can be and how to recognise a good piece for working with. Then, as he explained about the spruce resin used to waterseal the canoes' seams and needle holes he mentioned how he had previously helped Ray Mears to build a canoe and was going to be meeting up again soon for a future programme. I mentioned I'd seen the programme and enjoyed it so he then etched a little picture onto a piece of bark for me as a souvenir. Moving on once more the rest of my time at the museum was largely spent in the halls of First nation history, tools, clothes, carvings and culture. Even the lighting to the displays was atmospheric and subtle background noise appropriate to the theme of each display added to the effects and kept me hooked to try to see and learn more, but as I alluded to earlier there was far more info than I could possibly hope to take in at one visit. Trying not to overload my wee brain with too much on one topic I moved to the section on post-confederated Canada. It was well done too, taking you from east to west across the country moving from one province or territory to the next. The sets were again outstanding with shops, homes, railway stations, timber processors, airport and streets being recreated. Particularly impressive was the French quarter where the illusion of twilight sky was so realistic I did a double and triple take to reassure me that it was a replica and not that I'd spent too long in the museum! Finally, however, I knew that I'd seen more than I could do justice to so left and headed back into downtown Ottawa.
Before I knew it my visit to Ottawa, Canada and the Wider World was at an end and somewhat reluctantly I had to make my way out to the airport and catch a plane back to the UK. In no time at all I was checked in for my flight, through security, and boarding the 757 for Gatwick. I'd been hoping to sleep on board but thanks to turbulence over the maritimes, then drinks being sold before our evening meal was served, there was only about three hours before I was being woken for breakfast just prior to our descent into London. Safely landed it felt decidedly odd to be back in Britain - a bit like it was another foreign country really. Waiting at baggage reclaim it took ages for my bag to appear on the conveyor belt. I was just thinking how ironic it was that I could make it safely round the globe without losing anything only to be stumped in London when it trundled through at last - I'm sure it must have been the last item of luggage unloaded!
My bus back to Scotland wasn't until nighttime but I had a very pleasant wander round Covent Garden Markets and then St James Park. London as a city is not my favourite in the world but I have to hand it to them they do have some beautiful parks. It was lovely to enjoy the plants, pond, birdlife and people watching as I reaclimatised to being back in the UK. It was then out for a catch up with the 'London branch' of the Cormacks and a lovely evening with Randy, Janet and Aistair. It was great to see you again guys and I hope its not so long until I see you again. From their's it didn't take long to get to the bus station and once aboard I slept all the way North until we were approaching Edinburgh. I have had an absolute ball over the last year and have seen some wonderful places and met some great people along the way. Scotland will always be home for me though and I had a wee smile to myself as I headed to the airport to meet mum and dad (they were arriving back in Edinburgh that morning too). Ian was there to collect us (thank you) and we were all soon back in Glenrothes.
My wings may have been clipped for the time being but the last year has certainly given me the bug for further travelling - its so easy and enjoyable to wander aimlessly and carefree and anyone who even half fancies the idea should just bite the bullet and do it - its great fun. Far from shortening the list of places and things I'd like to see it has increased it! I've learnt of new places to go, there are the places I'd hoped to reach but never got to this time round and there are all the places I want to revisit (almost all of them!). I may have to make do with shorter trips in the future but I'm sure my itchy feet will take me there eventually. . . watch this space!!
