I started my journey across Canada in St John’s in Newfoundland. I stayed in the university campus as it seems to be the more economical way to travel around Canada. This is very true due to the tax added on as well as being post Brexit which tanked the pound and made everything in Canada 20% more expensive than it already was.
I liked St John’s and its small harbour with lots of steep roads and the most wonderful and colourful fronts of houses. I spent many hours looking at the houses and taking photos. I loved the accent the locals had. The further south of Newfoundland you travelled the stronger the Irish accent. It doesn’t feel like you are in Canada at all. I felt like I was in Ireland. I joined O’Brien’s whale watching tour and saw the most amazing whale. He followed alongside our boat for 20 minutes. It was magical and very cold.
I wanted to see the most easterly point of Canada so off I went heading for Cape Spear. I wasn’t sure of the route out of town so I took a taxi. Unfortunately it took a while to find a taxi as it was the day of the marathon and all roads were closed. When I finally found a taxi he was happy to take me to the starting point of the walk to Cape Spear. As I only had $20 on me he stopped a little short of a mile from the start. I walked leisurely towards Cape Spear. It drizzled on and off and I was happy to arrive. The lighthouse was beautiful and the coast and views were amazing. The walk was worth it. On the way back I hoped to hitch a ride back into town or at least as close to it. Not one car stopped. So I walked all the way back. It wasn’t the best walk I have ever done but one of the longest. 4 hours later and I was back in my room with my feet on fire.
The next morning I took the only bus to Corner Brook to explore more of Newfoundland. The bus ticket was just over $100 and 12 hours later I arrived at a gas station just outside of Corner Brook. I didn’t realise the long distance buses never stopped in town. So I had to get a taxi and luckily I shared one with a lady I met on the bus. Again I stayed in the university campus as it was cheap. It was approx. 30 minute’s walk into town from the campus but it was manageable. The campus is surrounded by woodland and has many walking paths. I took a couple of trail walks and explored.
The next day I had to catch the elusive delivery van which should take me to St Barbe and it only comes into town once a week. There are no official public transportation in this part of Newfoundland which is why I am hitching a ride with other locals on this delivery van for $45 and a 6 hour journey. The journey is so long because he has to stop along the way delivering items. When he finally arrived I was relived and by midnight I got into the smallest town I would be visiting on this trip. Unfortunately the driver would only be coming back to St Barbe 3 days later. This means I would be staying here until then. So the population of 180 became 181 for 3 nights. This very small town had a gas station and convenience store with the most expensive bread and milk in all of Canada. The great is the ferry terminal attached to the only motel in town. I was able to get a ferry to Labrador and hopefully get to Lanse Armour Lighthouse. My tour of Labrador was cancelled as I was the only booked on it. So this was the next best option. I really wanted to get to this lighthouse so fingers crossed as I boarded the ferry.
I arrived into Blanc Sablon exactly the same time as I left because of the time difference. Having no way of knowing how to get into town as there is no public transportation at all here. Technically I was in the province of Quebec. So I would at least walk past the border into Labrador. Luckily for me things were going to go my way. I met John on the ferry who offered me a ride into the town of Blanc Sablon. Not only did he offer me a ride but he took me out of town to Brador Falls and a ride along the coast. I didn't know that at the time obviously. It did seem strange when he drove right through town and after alarm bells rang he said we were going to the waterfall. I should know by now not to think the worse. Everybody in Canada is friendly and kind, not crazy serial killers. He even took me to the top of Lourdes sanctuary. After my mini sightseeing trip John left me to my own devices. I took a walk through town and headed for the ferry terminal hoping to waste the time there until the ferry back to St Barbe. I was annoyed that after all the effort and money it took to get here I was still in Quebec. I popped into the visitor centre and met two lovely people who were very happy to see me. After failing to get me a taxi to the lighthouse they offered the services of their boss. They said he would happily drive 60kms to the lighthouse and back for a perfect stranger. I was dubious but secretly hoped he would. He did just take 2 strangers an hour ago to the border so maybe. I was hanging around when Eldon turned up. After much persuasion from his minions he said he would take me. I offered to pay for the gas as I was so happy to be getting to my destination. He gave me a guided tour to the lighthouse and even a present from the gift shop. Eldon made my short trip to Labrador memorable with stories of his family and amiable personality. I was so happy to have visited the Point Armour Lighthouse. I got the ferry back to St Barbe content with myself as I set out what I wanted to do and did it with the help of those 4 people. I even saw dolphins on the ride back.
The next couple of days were spent chilling and relaxing the hours away until the delivery man turned up. Luckily my room had amazing views of the coast and I would see the ferry come and go. The delivery man turned up at 7am 3 nights later as promised and I was so relieved. We got to Deer Lake 4 hours later. I found the nearest fast food place and pigged out on poutine. This is the best food to come out of Canada. I love poutine. People come to Deer Lake for the mountains. The views during the drives were great but I was just passing through. I checked out the beach and flew to Halifax in Nova Scotia.
I met Ken and Jane at the airport bus stop. We got to talking and they offered me a ride to the university campus when they picked up their rental. This was great news as I didn’t have to spend time looking for a bus to get there. The campus was an hour’s walk away out of town so the offer of the ride was greatly appreciated. My room was allocated in the old tower block which meant my room was a hot box. The kitchen also smelled rotten and there was someone sleeping on the sofa too so the smell could have been him. I didn’t spend any time apart from sleeping in my room. I stayed out till late and explored Halifax. I love Halifax. The harbour is beautiful and there are so many things to do and see. Point Pleasant Park and the spring gardens in particular. I booked a tour for the following day to Peggy’s Cove as I have heard so much about it. Plus it has an amazing lighthouse. I also booked a night time cruise to see fireworks as it was Naval Day and didn’t fancy going back to my hot box room. It was fine not spectacular but ok display. I met a family on this cruise who generously offered to drive me back to campus so I didn’t have to wait for the bus at night. Canadians are friendly and kind people.
My trip to Peggy’s Cove was awesome. The views from the drive there have to be one of the most beautiful coastlines I have ever seen. Peggy’s Cove is tiny but beautiful and so picturesque. Every corner was a postcard view. I bought smoked salmon from a guy selling it out of his truck for $5 and I had an amazing picnic with the most spectacular views. Beats sitting in a restaurant. This has to be my favourite place of this trip.
The next day I spent a lazy morning in Halifax before getting my bus to Sydney. It was a very long journey and I had to get a taxi to the university campus as it was nearly midnight and I doubt any buses were running. There were no kitchen facilities at this campus which was a pain. The best thing about Sydney is the free buses running all summer. This made it easy to travel from the campus to town. I wanted to go on the Cabot trail tour but it was fully booked by the cruise ships. I tried to blag my way on to one of their tours and tried to pay but got busted when they asked if I was on the cruise. So in the end I just explored Sydney and used the free buses to get to Glace Bay home of Marconi.
It took 3 coaches to reach Charlottetown the capital of Prince Edward Island. My room was strange as it had an adjoining bathroom. The campus was close to town and I was able to walk to the harbour and enjoy the sunset. I really liked Prince Edward Island. I took 3 buses to get to Summerside, an old sleepy coastal town full of old people. I had the best lobsters of my life here. I bought 5 and had the best picnic ever with the most amazing views of the ocean. The next day I joined an island tour and had famous blue mussels for lunch. Then we visited the home of Anne of green Gables.
My next stop was Fredericton in Quebec. This town is a university town full of youngsters with many bars and clubs. I explored the town and even managed to catch one of the amateur drama groups who re-enacted historical stories for tourists. I stayed in a very cheap Airbnb room for 2 days only.
The next day I flew to Regina and stayed on campus again. The campus was a long way out of town. The journey there was actually lovely and the trail to town cut across a beautiful park with wonderful lakes. The best thing about staying at this campus is all the furry animals. During my stay I saw several bunnies and/or hares, gophers and very loud squirrels. I loved them all. During my stay in Regina, I managed to catch up with a travel buddy I met on a trip to Tanzania many years ago. She and her friend picked me up from campus coming all the way from Kyle. She drove us to Moose Jaw, supposedly the cultural capital of Saskatchewan. While there we took the tunnel tours learning about the Chinese Immigration and the times during Al Capone. I tried my first Bison burger and had Bloody Marys in a very fancy bar. The next day I took the Depot Tour where all the trainees come to train to become a Royal Canadian Mountie. I have always wanted to see this place and watching the parade was awesome. I didn’t realise that Regina was a city with the highest crime rate. I must admit some places I walked through did look rough.
I headed North West to Yellowknife. My Airbnb host, Tania picked me up from the airport in her big truck. Her home was the loveliest Airbnb place I have stayed at. Free breakfast and Netflix. She also had a huge husky dog which was so friendly. The only reason for staying in Yellowknife was to see the Northern Lights. I booked a trip out the following night. Pick up was at 10pm and drop off was at 5am. A long time to be outside in the cold but it was worth it. The guide was so kind to take photos of me in front of the lights and he even posted them on Facebook for me. I could never take those amazing photos of the lights with my silly camera. I had an amazing time. The photos looked much nicer and more colourful than what I saw with my own eyes. After a lay in the following day I took a walk to the peninsula up to the Great Slave Lake and had a picnic by one of the piers. I could see many sea planes take off and land. I also walked the frame lake trail which hugged the lake all the way into town. I had a whole day in bed after staying up all night watching the lights. It was just the rest I needed before I flew to my last destination in Vancouver.
My final 2 nights in Canada was at another Airbnb. I took the very expensive sky train to the house and met Chanelle the gorgeous shitsu dog. Her owners were nice too. As I had been to Vancouver before the only place I wanted to see was Victoria Island. It seemed a lot of hassle to get to the island and a tour was way too expensive. Even by doing it myself, the cost was still pretty steep but I saved $70. I took a coach from the city to the ferry port and then ferry to the island. I spent approximately 4 hours on the island but only stayed in town. This was just a little mini Vancouver. At least I got to see it in the end. I got back to my room pretty late but I figured I had an easy morning before my cruise to Alaska. I can’t believe my epic travel across Canada was over.
