PORTLAND
SAN FRANCISCO
2.6.08
Is that a rock I see...
Having exhausted the sights of San Fran we were ready for our GREEN TORTISE trip through the canyons of the West. On paper the trip sounded great; Zion, Bryce, Arches, Lake Powell, and the Grand Canyon. The idea of sleeping, eating, travelling and socialising on a bus with 35 other total strangers who haven’t washed in 9 days….well its hardly the story that inspired Sleeping Beauty but I was really looking forward to everything to come.
There was a brilliant mix of people who lead to 9 days of laughing and good times…ohhh and a serious amount of facebook photos. The age range went from 20 to 82, yes you read correctly 82. (She was a total legend called Dolores who (now widowed) had done Green Tortoise trips with her husband for years. Yet I was rather petrified she was going to drop down dead on the precipice of a canyon.)
There was a brilliant mix of people who lead to 9 days of laughing and good times…ohhh and a serious amount of facebook photos. The age range went from 20 to 82, yes you read correctly 82. (She was a total legend called Dolores who (now widowed) had done Green Tortoise trips with her husband for years. Yet I was rather petrified she was going to drop down dead on the precipice of a canyon.)
LET ME WARN YOU NOW…..THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG ONE :-D I suggest you go and make a cup of tea, or even better, get yourself a mahusive glass of whisky.
The bus itself was amazing. Instead of normal seats there was just a giant bed where at night we all lay in a sardine style mission to ensure we all had space to sleep. There were also 8 bunk beds hanging from the ceiling. Some travelling was done at night so we would go to sleep in one canyon and wake up in another and obviously you slept marginally better than you would on a normal bus because of the fact you were horizontal. I say you would marginally sleep better however that statement is open to debate when you take into consideration the amount of snorer’s on the trip. I thought mum was bad (I can hear her one story up when I’m at home) however these dudes had nothing on her. There was the Darth Vader sound-a-like, a Lion, the occasional drunken snorer’s, and the infrequent snorter’s, in total about 10 of them. Most of the time I could only sleep after recovering from one of many giggling fits about the hilarity of the situation and the fact this unimaginable sound was being generated by people who were apparently peacefully sleep. However thankfully we didn’t sleep on the bus every night, camping outside under the stars when the weather permitted where the only animal threat being the rodents rather than the animal of snorers confined on the bus.
The bus itself was amazing. Instead of normal seats there was just a giant bed where at night we all lay in a sardine style mission to ensure we all had space to sleep. There were also 8 bunk beds hanging from the ceiling. Some travelling was done at night so we would go to sleep in one canyon and wake up in another and obviously you slept marginally better than you would on a normal bus because of the fact you were horizontal. I say you would marginally sleep better however that statement is open to debate when you take into consideration the amount of snorer’s on the trip. I thought mum was bad (I can hear her one story up when I’m at home) however these dudes had nothing on her. There was the Darth Vader sound-a-like, a Lion, the occasional drunken snorer’s, and the infrequent snorter’s, in total about 10 of them. Most of the time I could only sleep after recovering from one of many giggling fits about the hilarity of the situation and the fact this unimaginable sound was being generated by people who were apparently peacefully sleep. However thankfully we didn’t sleep on the bus every night, camping outside under the stars when the weather permitted where the only animal threat being the rodents rather than the animal of snorers confined on the bus.
Dinner was a communal effort and it was sooooo much better than what I imagined. We had popcorn and smores (marshmallow and chocolate sarnies) for our nightly campfires and amazing breakfasts of pancakes and bacon. There was no chance of me loosing any of my Montreal beer weight whilst I was still on that bus despite the fact we hiked all day long.
Every day was totally different no only in difficulty and weather but also landscape, I’d never realised rocks could be so varied, I kinda just thought they were big….and brown….
We started at Zion where we were tested with a challenging ridge hike called the Angel’s Landing; no barriers or safety rails, just a one metre wide ridge with a 600 foot fall either side. After a stressful and tiring day we showered in a waterfall we found on our trail which was sooo amazing. It also hit home that this was going to be the way I would be washing from then on; better get used to it and dig out a hat to hide the dodgy dodgy hair!
Every day was totally different no only in difficulty and weather but also landscape, I’d never realised rocks could be so varied, I kinda just thought they were big….and brown….
We started at Zion where we were tested with a challenging ridge hike called the Angel’s Landing; no barriers or safety rails, just a one metre wide ridge with a 600 foot fall either side. After a stressful and tiring day we showered in a waterfall we found on our trail which was sooo amazing. It also hit home that this was going to be the way I would be washing from then on; better get used to it and dig out a hat to hide the dodgy dodgy hair!
After Zion we travelled to Bryce which was possibly the bit I was most excited for. The landscape was amazing, I’d never seen anything quite like it. The rock formations were crazy and it had an almost spooky deserted Inca or Aztec world vibe. The photos don’t really do it any justice but they at least try to illustrate the craziness. After our day at Bryce we drove for a few hours and arrived at a hot spring for a midnight soak. It was crazy, I mean being sat in bathtubs on the side of a mountain at 1am is hardly my usual Wednesday night activity but so relaxing after a hard days hiking.
The next day we arrived really early at a National Park called Arches, which weirdly enough is famous for all the crazy natural rock arches you find all over it. We hiked something called the primitive trail which is basically an unmarked trail, the only way you know where to go is to look for the man made piles of rocks ahead and then try and find the easiest route to get there. Just like the last few days it was mentally hot, Jen and I had bough camel packs before we went on the trip and they turned out to be not only the most professional purchase either of us had ever made but also dam useful in the heat of the dessert. (It’s like carrying a water bag on your back with a massive straw to your mouth so you don’t have to open your bag every time you want a drink = LAZY.) That night we camped outside a town called Moab sleeping on the banks of the Colorado River and I don’t think it would have been possible to find a more beautiful place to camp.
After that amazing camp we had time to chill out in civilisation as we did some shopping in Moab (stocked up on Vodka and Mountain Dew). We drove to a reservoir for a much-needed afternoon swim and after our lazy day we arrived at another spectacular campsite above a canyon called Goose Neck (named after its likeness to, you guessed it, a goose neck). Sunset was beautiful as we all sat on the rim and ate out dinner watching the Colorado River snake its way through the Canyon below us. Unfortunately this was the day the weather changed and we got the tail end of the hurricane winds. Only the fearless (not me) decided to sleep outside in the fiercely strong winds and as the night went on more and more people came to shelter on the bus as they were scared their tents were going to blow off the cliff edge. However never mind the tents blowing off the cliff top; the bus was shaking as much as anything…. uh oh Mancora round two…. Fortunately we all survived the night ;-) and were ready and raring for our next day in Monument Valley.
Monument Valley has been eternalised in sooooo many films so as we all stood on the outskirts of the valley to pose for Forrest Gump style running photos I was really excited to go and see such an iconic piece of American landscape. The group had the choice of either a jeep tour or a John Wayne style horse ride and the majority chose the first option because of the lousy weather and the fact that you got to see a lot more of the valley. So we all trundled off like good little tourists with our Navajo guides (who were so knowledgeable) for a rock safari around the reserve. There are some parts of the Valley that you can only go with a guide because they are close to sacred burial grounds or ceremonial areas so it was really cool to venture in the “forbidden” areas. As I look through my photos I try it hard to work out what they all are because weirdly enough they all look like rocks however they all have some sort of meaning or likeness, I think I might just make them up, might be more interesting that way.
Monument Valley has been eternalised in sooooo many films so as we all stood on the outskirts of the valley to pose for Forrest Gump style running photos I was really excited to go and see such an iconic piece of American landscape. The group had the choice of either a jeep tour or a John Wayne style horse ride and the majority chose the first option because of the lousy weather and the fact that you got to see a lot more of the valley. So we all trundled off like good little tourists with our Navajo guides (who were so knowledgeable) for a rock safari around the reserve. There are some parts of the Valley that you can only go with a guide because they are close to sacred burial grounds or ceremonial areas so it was really cool to venture in the “forbidden” areas. As I look through my photos I try it hard to work out what they all are because weirdly enough they all look like rocks however they all have some sort of meaning or likeness, I think I might just make them up, might be more interesting that way.
Then after the dust fest of Monument Valley we went to wash in Lake Powel which was sooooo good despite the fact I think I might have caught hypothermia. All nice and “washed” we hit the town of Page for a wild night out and baby wild it was. Having been deprived of mirrors and soap for numerous days the world probably wasn’t ready for us however we were ready for it. We installed ourselves in this small town bar and grill where we basically got smashed and laughed for hours. God knows how (yes that’s how my drunken stories start) but I ended up cage dancing in a closed night club at 8pm next door to the bar with the owner.
The Grand Canyon was supposed to be the crème de la crème of the trip however the small issue of 2 inches of snow and below zero temperatures kinda got in the way. So instead of hiking to the bottom (I’m no snow masochist) we walked the rim trail for two days yet this was a rim trail with a difference because obviously we couldn’t wander past the many bars dotted along the trail without sampling their finest alcohol concoctions :-D As you can see from the below photo, the view of the canyon in the snow was "cough" amazing!!! I was happy to leave the Grand Canyon in search of the Las Vegas sun yet as we cruised down Route 66 it suddenly hit me that the trip was almost over. I wasn’t too disappointed about the not seeing the GC, the morale was high and we laughed for hours about pointless anecdotes and the irony of our situation. The trip to Las Vegas provided the most hilarious game of Ring of Fire ever as nudity, lap dances, removal of underwear were thrown about amongst us as dares. There was also the legendary (and disgusting) moment when Kim downed beer out of my four-year-old converse trainers.
The Grand Canyon was supposed to be the crème de la crème of the trip however the small issue of 2 inches of snow and below zero temperatures kinda got in the way. So instead of hiking to the bottom (I’m no snow masochist) we walked the rim trail for two days yet this was a rim trail with a difference because obviously we couldn’t wander past the many bars dotted along the trail without sampling their finest alcohol concoctions :-D As you can see from the below photo, the view of the canyon in the snow was "cough" amazing!!! I was happy to leave the Grand Canyon in search of the Las Vegas sun yet as we cruised down Route 66 it suddenly hit me that the trip was almost over. I wasn’t too disappointed about the not seeing the GC, the morale was high and we laughed for hours about pointless anecdotes and the irony of our situation. The trip to Las Vegas provided the most hilarious game of Ring of Fire ever as nudity, lap dances, removal of underwear were thrown about amongst us as dares. There was also the legendary (and disgusting) moment when Kim downed beer out of my four-year-old converse trainers.
Leaving the bus to continue back to San Fran we said goodbye to the bus and our fellow travellers. It was a wicked way (not to mention dirt cheap) too see the canyons with some really fun loving people. Although now the only problem I have is sorting through the 900 photos I took of rocks :-D
16.5.08
California
I like sunshine, it means I get to wear sun dresses and stupid sunglasses and smell like Haiwian Tropic sun lotion. Its probably a good thing that I happen to like sunshine as the bay of San Francisco is currently going through an immense heatwave which took temperatures to over 105f today (not sure on the celcius translation is but maybe about 40...). Therefore the usual mist that covers the bay is nowhere in sight meaning that San Fran couldn't be any more beautiful. Our days have been spent wandering round drinking Starbucks iced pink lemonade, sitting in parks and watching sunsets :-D (we had amazing meal at The Cheesecake Factory on the roof of Macy's where the sunset was just amazing). Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, the Golden Gate Bridge, Nob Hill, we've wandering through all of it taking far too many photos and cursing the geographical layout of this city (its on a massive hill).
The trip to Alcatraz was so interesting and its quite ironic that the prison was built in such a beautiful place, maybe they were silently trying to torture the prisoners re. the freedom they had been denied. Greg and I managed (somehow) to end up on a private tour which took us to bits of the prison that had been closed to the public for decades as they don't have sufficient volunteers to handle the numbers of tourists. Seeing the "forbidden" areas just made the trip even more special and our guide was so knowledgeable about the prison and its infamous inmates like Al Capone. We also managed to meet a former inmate, Darwin Coon, one of the last to leave when the prison closed in 1963. He was in for bank robbery and is one of only four surviving inmates still alive.
Then Thursday was spent doing what Jen and I do best, BEVERAGING!!! We booked a winery tour of the Napa and Sonoma valleys to sample their finest products ;-). This could have been a cheaper day had we done it ourselves, however then we are faced with the issue of two alcoholics who can't drink at a winery because they have to drive home....I DON'T THINK SO. We went on a bus packed full of grannies to visit three very different winery's all over northern California. We sampled four or five wines at every winery and I have just one word; LUSH!!! It was really cool getting to try wines that I wouldn't usually order because (I thought) I didn't like them and obv the fact that we started boozing at 10am was a massive plus. The countryside was beautiful and it didn't feel like we were in America, totally more like Tuscany. Needless to say the wine slipped down rather easily and led to an amazing end to our San Francisco experience.
Also I had some amazing news from school (HEC) today, one of my massive projects from this semester scored me a nigh on perfect grade which according to my prof is unheard of for a HECer never mind for an exchanger. She has subsequently offered me a place on their masters scheme/research program no matter what degree classification I get, SCORE. Just a shame that the last thing in the world I want to do now is go back to school for another few years!!!
The trip to Alcatraz was so interesting and its quite ironic that the prison was built in such a beautiful place, maybe they were silently trying to torture the prisoners re. the freedom they had been denied. Greg and I managed (somehow) to end up on a private tour which took us to bits of the prison that had been closed to the public for decades as they don't have sufficient volunteers to handle the numbers of tourists. Seeing the "forbidden" areas just made the trip even more special and our guide was so knowledgeable about the prison and its infamous inmates like Al Capone. We also managed to meet a former inmate, Darwin Coon, one of the last to leave when the prison closed in 1963. He was in for bank robbery and is one of only four surviving inmates still alive.
Then Thursday was spent doing what Jen and I do best, BEVERAGING!!! We booked a winery tour of the Napa and Sonoma valleys to sample their finest products ;-). This could have been a cheaper day had we done it ourselves, however then we are faced with the issue of two alcoholics who can't drink at a winery because they have to drive home....I DON'T THINK SO. We went on a bus packed full of grannies to visit three very different winery's all over northern California. We sampled four or five wines at every winery and I have just one word; LUSH!!! It was really cool getting to try wines that I wouldn't usually order because (I thought) I didn't like them and obv the fact that we started boozing at 10am was a massive plus. The countryside was beautiful and it didn't feel like we were in America, totally more like Tuscany. Needless to say the wine slipped down rather easily and led to an amazing end to our San Francisco experience.
Also I had some amazing news from school (HEC) today, one of my massive projects from this semester scored me a nigh on perfect grade which according to my prof is unheard of for a HECer never mind for an exchanger. She has subsequently offered me a place on their masters scheme/research program no matter what degree classification I get, SCORE. Just a shame that the last thing in the world I want to do now is go back to school for another few years!!!
14.5.08
13.5.08
Kate Kate Kate Kate
OHHHH MYYYYY GOOOOOD!!!! Serious amounts of catching up to do urmmmmm OK where do I start.....
When I left you last we were in Seattle, and having drank ourselves into a Mountain Dew and vodka stupor and visited numerous micro breweries we set off on a 4 hour bus to Portland. However not before we visited the first ever Starbucks (which is at Pike Place Market) and encountered massive amounts of freaks in and around the hostel. I had a bit of bad news from home; my Uncle Syd had passed away and I was a bit stuck in limbo with what I could say or do for my dad when 5000 miles away however he had a really amazing life and defiantly was someone who lived to the full.
Portland was one of those places that we didn't know anything about or know anyone who had ever been. In fact, the only reason we were stopping there was to tick off the state of Oregon and break up the huge drive down to San Fran. HOW WRONG WE WERE!!! Having settled into our "green" hostel (it has no environmental footprint and a living roof) which was amazingly homely we decided to go and get some food and more importantly a beer (or 5). Plus on the bus on the way to our hostel we met a wicked Alaskan called Autumn who had invited us for some drinks. After exactly 2 minutes we realized we were in one of the coolest places EVER (a suburb called Hawthorne) as the number of bars and restaurants was overwhelming. We settled in this amazing warehouse come brewery come venue and as we tried to pretend we were cool enough to be there but the local brew was flowing strong. Autumn was so nice and this made us think if we had finally left all the freaks behind in Seattle....
Having been armed with loads of tips for pubs, shops and sights we set off early Sunday morning on our adventure into Portland which should probably be renamed as the most pointless city on planet earth. Our tourist trail was fun as we had just highlighted things on the map the night before (when smashed) and we navigated to them blind having no idea what we were going to see. It turns out that Portland has no real sights, although it boasts some old tall trees and a massive copper statue (second largest after Lady Liberty herself). Having had our fill of tourism we decided to stop for coffee, this them seemed impossible as Portland (unlike Seattle) has NO coffee shops and only seems to be jam packed with amazing breweries and funky bars. In the avo we decided to check out all the shops that had been recommended to us.....yes I know DANGEROUS. We spend hours rummaging in amazing vintage stores picking up some amazing jewels and funky clothes for next to nothing. It was then that I realized I was totally in love with this pointless city and its quirky nature; everyone was too nice and so eager to talk and help us out, even the bus drivers seemed happy! Plus the beer was so good and the cheapest we had encountered on our year in North America.
Then, the fun really began as the Kate Nash extravaganza kicked off. Her gig in Portland (at none other than the Wonderballroom) was AMAZING, the best I've ever seen her and to top it off we have some amazing photos and Jenna's first real brush with stardom ;-). TALKING OF JENNA she decided to get utterly smashed at the gig and after the 4 pints and 3 double vodka mountain dew's pre gig she managed to carry on with more beer and double G&T's. Needless to say she wasn't feeling amazing for the last morning in Portland, however a massive Chinese and a morning in some Thai Chi gardens sorted her out in time for the 18 hour train to San Fran.
Portland has massively been the highlight so far, so I sit here, freshly showered, having just checked into our San Fran hostel with a nicely suntanned face, a very pretty 1960's puffball dress (thank you vintage Portland) ready for what the gay capital of America has to offer.
Plus Greg (a friend from Montreal) joins the Jenna and Lorna tour tonight which is probably a good thing as we need protecting, not in that sense but we just keep loosing things haha. Jenna has no lost 2 towels and (almost) her handbag and I have sacrificed a jumper to the cause. Oh well...probably a good thing for the weight count. xxx
Portland was one of those places that we didn't know anything about or know anyone who had ever been. In fact, the only reason we were stopping there was to tick off the state of Oregon and break up the huge drive down to San Fran. HOW WRONG WE WERE!!! Having settled into our "green" hostel (it has no environmental footprint and a living roof) which was amazingly homely we decided to go and get some food and more importantly a beer (or 5). Plus on the bus on the way to our hostel we met a wicked Alaskan called Autumn who had invited us for some drinks. After exactly 2 minutes we realized we were in one of the coolest places EVER (a suburb called Hawthorne) as the number of bars and restaurants was overwhelming. We settled in this amazing warehouse come brewery come venue and as we tried to pretend we were cool enough to be there but the local brew was flowing strong. Autumn was so nice and this made us think if we had finally left all the freaks behind in Seattle....
Having been armed with loads of tips for pubs, shops and sights we set off early Sunday morning on our adventure into Portland which should probably be renamed as the most pointless city on planet earth. Our tourist trail was fun as we had just highlighted things on the map the night before (when smashed) and we navigated to them blind having no idea what we were going to see. It turns out that Portland has no real sights, although it boasts some old tall trees and a massive copper statue (second largest after Lady Liberty herself). Having had our fill of tourism we decided to stop for coffee, this them seemed impossible as Portland (unlike Seattle) has NO coffee shops and only seems to be jam packed with amazing breweries and funky bars. In the avo we decided to check out all the shops that had been recommended to us.....yes I know DANGEROUS. We spend hours rummaging in amazing vintage stores picking up some amazing jewels and funky clothes for next to nothing. It was then that I realized I was totally in love with this pointless city and its quirky nature; everyone was too nice and so eager to talk and help us out, even the bus drivers seemed happy! Plus the beer was so good and the cheapest we had encountered on our year in North America.
Then, the fun really began as the Kate Nash extravaganza kicked off. Her gig in Portland (at none other than the Wonderballroom) was AMAZING, the best I've ever seen her and to top it off we have some amazing photos and Jenna's first real brush with stardom ;-). TALKING OF JENNA she decided to get utterly smashed at the gig and after the 4 pints and 3 double vodka mountain dew's pre gig she managed to carry on with more beer and double G&T's. Needless to say she wasn't feeling amazing for the last morning in Portland, however a massive Chinese and a morning in some Thai Chi gardens sorted her out in time for the 18 hour train to San Fran.
Portland has massively been the highlight so far, so I sit here, freshly showered, having just checked into our San Fran hostel with a nicely suntanned face, a very pretty 1960's puffball dress (thank you vintage Portland) ready for what the gay capital of America has to offer.
Plus Greg (a friend from Montreal) joins the Jenna and Lorna tour tonight which is probably a good thing as we need protecting, not in that sense but we just keep loosing things haha. Jenna has no lost 2 towels and (almost) her handbag and I have sacrificed a jumper to the cause. Oh well...probably a good thing for the weight count. xxx
10.5.08
9.5.08
Mountain Dew
I've never been good on boats (there was a very dodgy experience on a school trip to Spain in 6th form when I'd cleverly drunk half a bottle of vodka before we sailed and needless to say I was never really the same after the 13 hour roller coaster crossing) THUS I was a bit scared of the prospect of so many boats around Victoria and also the clipper ferry we would be taking to Seattle. Apparently (and I don't want to speak too soon) I am cured miraculously from my seasickness however I will never go to an IMAX ever again. The massive screen and the fact I thought I was flying into it totally made me want to vom (ewwwwwwwww) however the Tour de France film was actually quite good (yes Ollie you read correctly, I paid to go to the cinema to see a bike film however don't kid yourself that its frequently going to happen next year).
I can't remember where I left you but we're now in Seattle and have finally left Canada (the wonder land) behind. We have walked for literally days and days (Jenna reckons more in the last 24h than she has in her whole life) and virtually circled the whole city. The Space Needle was a tourist must see however then we "hiked" up Queen Anne Hill to look over the whole city and admire all the amazing million dollar houses. We went to the trendy Fremont area to spy on the massive troll carved out from beneath the mountain side, looked for Meg Ryan's houseboat a la "Sleepless in Seattle" and then ended up at Hooters (yes we are classy...and STRAIGHT) for some excessive afternoon happy hour drinking.
We met some amazing old people on the boat to Seattle who talked us through all the sites and gave us tips for some good restaurants (one of which, a Greek one, will be tried tonight). For those of you that don't know I TOTALLY LOVE OLD PEOPLE and was consequently engrossed in their conversation about roof fires, camera lenses and waterproof jackets. We decided that we want them to come to Las Vegas with us because they were pretty much living legends (one of them liked pina coladas at 11am when she was on the cruise boats) however sadly they have previous engagements.
The freak count is also on the rise. Our first real freak encounter was a guy in our Victoria Hostel; marine biologists are now on the list of people to avoid as he proceeded to tell us information even your closest friends needn't know. In addition apparently we shouldn't get any weed of men in Calgary hostels (looooooooser) yet there was no chance of him pouncing on either of us as basically his introductory sentence was "Hi I'm Colin, don't worry I'm not trying to chat you up, I'm gay." Way to make a lady feel special.
Ahhhhh and finally the best thing about having entered "the land of the free" (apart from the augmented risk of getting stabbed, raped or shot) is that we can now consume Mountain Dew to the max. Having discovered the Mountain Dew and Vodka combo on Spring Break we were most happy to return back to our drinking habits of former months and drink ourselves into giggle stupors. For those of you who haven't had the joy of sampling Mountain Dew, its like Red Bull on speed with about 10 times the amount of caffeine. You better watch out. xxx
I can't remember where I left you but we're now in Seattle and have finally left Canada (the wonder land) behind. We have walked for literally days and days (Jenna reckons more in the last 24h than she has in her whole life) and virtually circled the whole city. The Space Needle was a tourist must see however then we "hiked" up Queen Anne Hill to look over the whole city and admire all the amazing million dollar houses. We went to the trendy Fremont area to spy on the massive troll carved out from beneath the mountain side, looked for Meg Ryan's houseboat a la "Sleepless in Seattle" and then ended up at Hooters (yes we are classy...and STRAIGHT) for some excessive afternoon happy hour drinking.
We met some amazing old people on the boat to Seattle who talked us through all the sites and gave us tips for some good restaurants (one of which, a Greek one, will be tried tonight). For those of you that don't know I TOTALLY LOVE OLD PEOPLE and was consequently engrossed in their conversation about roof fires, camera lenses and waterproof jackets. We decided that we want them to come to Las Vegas with us because they were pretty much living legends (one of them liked pina coladas at 11am when she was on the cruise boats) however sadly they have previous engagements.
The freak count is also on the rise. Our first real freak encounter was a guy in our Victoria Hostel; marine biologists are now on the list of people to avoid as he proceeded to tell us information even your closest friends needn't know. In addition apparently we shouldn't get any weed of men in Calgary hostels (looooooooser) yet there was no chance of him pouncing on either of us as basically his introductory sentence was "Hi I'm Colin, don't worry I'm not trying to chat you up, I'm gay." Way to make a lady feel special.
Ahhhhh and finally the best thing about having entered "the land of the free" (apart from the augmented risk of getting stabbed, raped or shot) is that we can now consume Mountain Dew to the max. Having discovered the Mountain Dew and Vodka combo on Spring Break we were most happy to return back to our drinking habits of former months and drink ourselves into giggle stupors. For those of you who haven't had the joy of sampling Mountain Dew, its like Red Bull on speed with about 10 times the amount of caffeine. You better watch out. xxx
8.5.08
BC
There are certain things that I am just not supposed to do and over the last few days I have discovered something else that should be added to the list; KITE FLYING. On Sunday morning we headed down to the beach equipped with numerous dangerous pieces of flying equipment, I really don't understand how Mary Poppins made it look soooo easy because after precisely 30 seconds I had almost decapitated a 7 year old and reeked havoc over a village of sandcastles which had previously taken 1 hour to construct. Charlotte and I are now friends again however only as long as I promise never to go near her whilst wielding some strings and nylon.
The rest of Vancouver went by in a blur of Louise's home brewed beer and wine (massively lush)with the additional highlight of the FIRST YORKSHIRE PUDDING CONSUMPTION IN OVER 11 MONTHS during Sundays roast dinner. Monday was spend shopping Downtown and wandering round all the different neighborhoods of Vancouver. I met up with Jen and Graham (a friend from Montreal) for a cheeky beverages (or more precisely a few pitchers of cheeky beverages) before having an amazing last meal with the family on Granville Island.
The rest of Vancouver went by in a blur of Louise's home brewed beer and wine (massively lush)with the additional highlight of the FIRST YORKSHIRE PUDDING CONSUMPTION IN OVER 11 MONTHS during Sundays roast dinner. Monday was spend shopping Downtown and wandering round all the different neighborhoods of Vancouver. I met up with Jen and Graham (a friend from Montreal) for a cheeky beverages (or more precisely a few pitchers of cheeky beverages) before having an amazing last meal with the family on Granville Island.
Stanley Park, UBC (University of British Columbia), the beaches argggg all of it was amazing but it wasn't Montreal and with every day that goes by I realise that I miss "home" so much and do not want to go back to England. I have a sneaky suspicion that I might have been born on the wrong continent.
Having had a wicked time in Vancouver with the family I found myself on a boat to Vancouver Island on Tuesday afternoon. The 1.5 hour crossing from Twasawan to Horse Shoe Bay was beautiful as the boat weaved between all the different islands. Following a 1 hour bus down into the heart of Victoria we settled in at out hostel just time time for a bottle of wine, some clam chowder and a few pints of beer.
Our first day in Victoria was AMAZING as we went on a whale watching trip all around the southern and western coast of Vancouver Island. Having been suited up in the most hilarious bright yellow all-in-one fisherman's outfits (and posing for the usual facebook profile picture) we went off on our tiny tiny inflatable boat (just like the ones Blue Peter always made you raise money for). Four hours later we had seen Bald Headed eagles, Porpoises, Sea Lions, Seals and also we had tracked a family of orcas for over an hour. It was soaking and cold but I massively loved the fact I'd managed to see Killer Whales in the wild. They were beautiful and soooo close, I think I'm still smiling. After the boat ride we wandered all around the harbour and ate fish and chips next to the seagulls (Jen like usual was freaking out cos she hates big birds). Then we managed to squeeze in a hilarious (free) tour round the Parliament buildings before returning home for a few beverages in the evening sun.
I "heart" Canada!!!!
5.5.08
3.5.08
"Beautiful British Columbia"
I don't like flying at the best of times so you can imagine the joy I experienced when I was told that my flight (via every airport in America) to Vancouver was canceled because the plane had no oxygen. However all clouds do really have a silver linings as I was then rerouted onto a first class direct flight to Vancouver WHOOP WHOOP.
The number plates on the cars here say "Beautiful British Columbia" and dude, totally spot on!!! The view of the Rockies as my plane flew in was BEAUTIFUL and this place is massively green and (wait for it) there is not a snowdrift in sight. However I never thought I would have that much of a adjustment as it may be 3000 miles away from Montreal yet is it still the same country; however I am currently dealing with the head mash speaking English rather than the Franglais I had been so accustomed to "back home."
As my five month summer kicks off (jealous?) I'm adjusting to life as a human climbing frame for my "cousins" Henry, aged 6, and Charlotte, 7 and a half (I forgot how important half years were to kids and heaven forbid I actually say that she was 7). I also use the word cousin in the loosest of senses because they are more like 3rd cousins once removed however when you have a family the size of mine, 3rd cousins once removed are actually considered to be close relatives. Yet the sights have been amazing so far (despite the rain) and hopefully I wont kill Alan (dad) before the end of my trip as currently I have him doing 5km runs with me so I don't get lost in the Vancouver countryside and Louise (mum) wont kill me with the quantities of her home brew I am currently consuming.
Jen arrives in Vancouver later today so the trip can really start whoop whoop. Let the madness continue. xxxx
The number plates on the cars here say "Beautiful British Columbia" and dude, totally spot on!!! The view of the Rockies as my plane flew in was BEAUTIFUL and this place is massively green and (wait for it) there is not a snowdrift in sight. However I never thought I would have that much of a adjustment as it may be 3000 miles away from Montreal yet is it still the same country; however I am currently dealing with the head mash speaking English rather than the Franglais I had been so accustomed to "back home."
As my five month summer kicks off (jealous?) I'm adjusting to life as a human climbing frame for my "cousins" Henry, aged 6, and Charlotte, 7 and a half (I forgot how important half years were to kids and heaven forbid I actually say that she was 7). I also use the word cousin in the loosest of senses because they are more like 3rd cousins once removed however when you have a family the size of mine, 3rd cousins once removed are actually considered to be close relatives. Yet the sights have been amazing so far (despite the rain) and hopefully I wont kill Alan (dad) before the end of my trip as currently I have him doing 5km runs with me so I don't get lost in the Vancouver countryside and Louise (mum) wont kill me with the quantities of her home brew I am currently consuming.
Jen arrives in Vancouver later today so the trip can really start whoop whoop. Let the madness continue. xxxx
28.4.08
23.4.08
Exchange to Montreal 2007/2008
So I can now practically count the hours I have left in this fantastic city I'm getting stupidly emotional. Jenna nearly cried on the Metro the other day and Bianca doesn't want to talk about it because its too sad. Scarlett leaves for England tomorrow and before she goes we're having one last immigrant party at Jenna's, a BBQ in ode to the beautiful weather we're currently having.
I've kinda forgotten about the exams I'm supposed to be doing this week (oooopppps!!) and am spending my time packing my life away and sunbathing in my garden. I'm excited about the big trip however it is almost getting shrouded in a big black cloud of Montreal sadness. I massively love this city and can really see me spending a lot more time here. Also I think we have become fairly well adapted to life here over the past 9 months, I found a stupid list of things "You know you're a Montrealer when...." but it is seriously spot on:
Pictures speak a thousand words and this video (if I haven't communicated it already) illustrates how FREAKING AMAZING our Montreal exchange was. I pity the Bath student who chose to spend his year in France ;-) ENJOY and don't get too jealous:
"Go Habs Go"
Hockey fever has hit Montreal hard these past few weeks as we have reached the playoffs of the Stanley Cup (hockey equivalent of the FA Cup). England might be famous for its soccer/football hooligans but those bruits have nothing on the Habs fans who proceeded to burn 5 police cars Downtown last night. The interesting thing is that these were riots of celebration as Montreal beat Boston and has gone through to the next round. I'd hate to be in the city if (and when) we win the playoffs.....!!!
20.4.08
The dictionary states...
FAMILY
fam·i·ly [ fámməlee ]
noun (plural fam·i·lies)
Definition:
group of relatives: a group of people who are closely related by birth, marriage, or adoption (let me also add by exchange, by alcohol and by embarrassment)
fam·i·ly [ fámməlee ]
noun (plural fam·i·lies)
Definition:
group of relatives: a group of people who are closely related by birth, marriage, or adoption (let me also add by exchange, by alcohol and by embarrassment)
18.4.08
Spring time
I take everything back I ever said about how horrible or cold Canada is; this place rules. The past week has been a mental weather mash with temperatures reaching over 25 degrees however with most of the landscape still covered in snow you can imagine how wrong it feels to be wearing shorts when stood next to a snow drift. As the snow melts I begin to recognise the Montreal I first fell in love with however I was very scared that under all the snow we were going to find numerous dead tramps...luckily not.
After a wicked night out on Friday at Le Diable Vert with the exchange organisers (followed by the compulsory midnight poutine) the weekend flew by in a sunny haze. Genevieve has been staying all weekend and we managed to tick of a few of the tourist things I still wanted to do with a visit to Parc Jean Drapeau (an island in the St Laurence River) to see the famous Bioshpere and the Grand Prix track.
The countdown is now on and I'm scared that my heart is going to break into a million pieces when I have to leave this amazing city in exactly 10 days 4 hours.
13.4.08
Introducing Part 2...
After being stolen by Pirate Lorna from HEChange at the Gala, the spermophile (aka Spermo) has been going wild all over Montreal.
For those of you "not in the know" a spermophile is a kind of mouse that comes from the Canadian Rockies and we like the name because it makes you think about something else. (Quote Monsieur le President Alexandre Gendron 13th April 2008)
To be continued......
HEChange, on se melange
So Saturday night was the long awaited end of semester Gala for the exchange students and baby WHAT A NIGHT IT WAS. Having arrived all dignified in dresses and suits the night soon went rapidly downhill; each table had three bottles of wine, however as Bianca and I won competition after competition we kept amassing wine and then Scarlett went on the most amazing wine stealing mission EVER talking wine from unsuspecting tables (I am sorry unsuspecting tables if you are reading this but it seemed like a good idea at the time). So we ended up with 14 bottles of wine for our wee table of 9 and needless to say the product of those 14 bottles along with the vodka, cocktails and beer was not attractive as the photos on facebook will explain (thanks Alex). Bianca and I proceeded to dance like complete sluts whilst Jenna did Tyra Banks runway walks in the background. Its amazing how undignified you can behave when you are wearing a ball dress!
Apart from alcohol (which obviously played a massive part in the night, we're exchange students after all) it was a seriously emotional evening. The exchange students who had been here for the full 2 semesters (us) prepared a surprise video for the HEChange organisers to say thank you for all their efforts and amazing memories they have given us. (You can watch it here). I gave a rather drunken speech (oh no) and I think there were quite a lot of tears ;-) HEChange: Alex, Catherine, Jean-Francois, Joelle, Madani, Mourad, Priscilla, Stephane, Justin, Stephanie and Valerie you are amazing, thanks a million.
There was an after party at one of the exchange student houses where the alcohol abuse and dancing continued and I finally crawled back into bed at about 5.30am. However imagine my shock when I woke up with a giant hamster, a full 2 litre bottle of rum and a pirate hat. Needless to say I don't have a clue how or why they got there but I suppose there are worse things you could wake up with
Apart from alcohol (which obviously played a massive part in the night, we're exchange students after all) it was a seriously emotional evening. The exchange students who had been here for the full 2 semesters (us) prepared a surprise video for the HEChange organisers to say thank you for all their efforts and amazing memories they have given us. (You can watch it here). I gave a rather drunken speech (oh no) and I think there were quite a lot of tears ;-) HEChange: Alex, Catherine, Jean-Francois, Joelle, Madani, Mourad, Priscilla, Stephane, Justin, Stephanie and Valerie you are amazing, thanks a million.
There was an after party at one of the exchange student houses where the alcohol abuse and dancing continued and I finally crawled back into bed at about 5.30am. However imagine my shock when I woke up with a giant hamster, a full 2 litre bottle of rum and a pirate hat. Needless to say I don't have a clue how or why they got there but I suppose there are worse things you could wake up with
Montreal....JE ME SOUVIENS!!!
11.4.08
La Presse
It's been a pretty quiet week due to the onset of work. I gave a presentation to the board of directors of La Presse (the Canadian equivilent of The Times) on Thursday which was probably the scariest experience of my life. All semester we have been working on a consultancy project for them developping a high class male fashion supplement and then yesterday we had to present all our ideas and hope that they liked our pitch. Its been great fun but serious hard work and I never want to read a fashion supplement or a newspaper ever again!
I only have 19 days left in Montreal before I leave.....very very very sad!!!
I only have 19 days left in Montreal before I leave.....very very very sad!!!
7.4.08
Introducing...
My exchange to Montreal has been, without a doubt, one of the most amazing, funny, drunken and memorable experiences of my life however there were 3 very important ingredients behind all of this; Scarlett with her "foot in mouth" disease that never fails to make me wet myself with laughter, Jenna and her inability to not go out without being smashed and the way we have the same opinion on everything, and lastly Bianca (the last addition to our Bath posy over the pond), she is foul mouthed, a raving drunk and very "special." If I don't tell you enough ladies; love you lots like jelly tots!!!
Here is to the best last three weeks in Montreal any exchange student has ever had.
Here is to the best last three weeks in Montreal any exchange student has ever had.
6.4.08
Clam clam clam
If you put me on the spot and asked me to name the thing I like most in the world it would be quite easy; FOOD! Since Boston Jenna and I have talked non-stop about clam chowder (massive exaggeration about the non-stopness cos that would make us rather weird but you get the picture). Anyway this weekend we finally got around to making (or trying to make) our own clam chowder. I got really freaked out by the clams, they look like baby brains and clam juice is possibly the most disgusting thing in the world (it's bright green/blue and smelly). The result....no food poisoning (yes I know what you were thinking), it was massively filling and delicious despite the strange ingredients!!!
One thing ticked off the "must do before we leave Montreal" list, lots to go!
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