Day 9 - Kamloops to Vancouver

Woke up at 0630 which was really 0730 and these time changes are annoying. Checked out, put petrol in the car and set off for Vancouver. There were 2 routes, one direct and one scenic which added an hour onto the journey but we had plenty of time so chose the scenic.
Once again, it was beautiful. The sun was shining, the temperature about 20, and we followed the Fraser River. Sometimes it was just along side, other times we were high above it. We drove along the valley, snow capped mountains off in the distance, sheer rocky cliffs one side of the road, the river on the other and hills beside the river.
We stopped a few times to take photos, and sat by the river and had a drink, very tranquil.
Carried on, still through amazing scenery, green hills all around covered in pine trees. At one stage we saw the Rocky Mountaineer train, and still thought we'd made the right decision to drive - we could stop when we wanted, and went to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Kamloops and Vancouver - the train has 2 separate routes and doesn't visit these places in one trip.
Stopped at a place called Hope about 2 hours outside Vancouver for lunch. Song had a caesar salad and I had fish and chips. Mine was huge, but Song helped by stealing some chips.
After a while the scenery changed from the spectacular to the mundane - and as we approached Vancouver the traffic started to build and the industrial area appeared. The last hour and a half was spent in heavy traffic, and a bit of a let down after all the amazing views of the last few days.
Dropped the car off and were picked up by a friend of Song's who took us to her home, then we went for a walk along the beach, then for dinner - Chinese hot pot - and then on to the hotel where we collapsed after the long day.
Tomorrow we get on the cruise ship for 7 nights and sail around bits of Alaska. I'm not sure what the internet status is, so if the blog isn't updated it means we don't have the internet, or the boat has sunk.

Day 8 - Jasper to Kamloops

Woke up at 0630 for some reason, packed up and went for breakfast. Stopped off at a supermarket and bought some rolls, ham and cheese and hit the road at about 10:20.
The weather was still cloudy but looked brighter. The drive was going to take about 4.5 hours but with stops would probably be nearer 6.
We soon left Alberta and entered British Columbia, and the scenery changed - the mountains were higher and more rugged, covered in snow. We stopped at a few places along the way to take photos - Mount Robson was pretty good. We drove along a valley with huge, magnificent mountains either side, and followed a large river, crossing over it several times. The sky cleared a bit and it started to get warmer as the mountains gave way to pine tree covered hills. We had to turn on the ac as the temperature got to 20c.
We stopped for lunch in a park in a small town (population 260), a clear lake in front of us and the mountains all around. Back on the road and we passed a town surrounded by hills where the trees had been burnt - I looked it up and there was a fire there in 2003. The landscape looked a bit surreal.
We passed a few cyclists which I found incredible - there aren't many towns about so these guys had their work cut out, it was hours between some places. We also saw lots of camper vans and RVs - huge ones which were towing SUVs.
We continued to follow the river, and soon we started to see green fields, and finally arrived at the hotel. We'd got an email from hotels.com saying the hotel we booked was full so they booked us in somewhere else. It didn't look too flash, more like a motel. The receptionist couldn't find the booking, then called the sister hotel around the corner and it turned out we were booked in there. It was a much nicer, proper hotel. We explained what had happened to the receptionist there, and he upgraded us to a junior suite. Yay. The room was very spacious, had a separate room with a TV, chairs and a desk, plus a small kitchen.
We only stopped in Kamloops because it was the biggest place between Jasper and Vancouver - there was nothing to do there. Neither of us was particularly hungry, so we went walking looking for a light dinner.
Found a decent restaurant, I had almond crusted chicken breast with black rice and vegetables and Song had a vegetarian plate with chickpeas and other stuff. I also had a beer, a local stout. Both meals were nice but small portions which actually suited us this time.
We got chatting to the waitress who said she lived in Melbourne for 4 months a couple of years ago - in St Kilda. Small world.
Went back to the hotel, watched tv then sleep.
Tomorrow we drive to Vancouver and drop off the car.

Day 7 - Jasper

Woke up at 0830 and pottered around till about 1130, watching TV and browsing the web, happy for a bit of down time. The weather had finally turned and it was raining and cloudy, visibility was very poor. We were very lucky with the weather yesterday.
Had a look on Tripadvisor and most of the activities are hikes and views of the mountains, but since it would be hard to see anything decided to visit a waterfall because it didn't matter what the weather was like. The first stop was for brunch, although Song made herself some congee so didn't want anything. We found a cafe that was popular and I had a roast beef, bacon and cheese sandwich which was very nice although had mustard that was very hot.
Drove the 24 km to the waterfall, passing the 4 deer we saw yesterday, through rain and low cloud.
We arrived at the Athabasca Falls and didn't have to walk far from the car park.
The falls were very impressive - not too big, but very pretty. There were walk ways and viewing platforms all around, and we got very close to the falls. You could see where the water had carved out the channels over thousands of years, and there was also a walk through one of the old channels. Very interesting.
The next stop was back the way we came to the Malign Canyon, another gorge that had a river running through it that had carved a deep channel with multiple small waterfalls. Again there were paths and viewing places giving great views of the canyon that in some places was over 50 metres deep. The paths followed the river through the pine woods, and we only saw a few people, probably because of the weather. An old guy asked us if we saw the eagle's nest. I said no, then suddenly through the trees we saw the eagle flying away, I just got a glimpse.
Left to go back to the hotel, keeping an eye out for other wildlife - apparently there are moose and grizzly bears around - but we didn't spot anything.
Spent a few hours back at the hotel then went for dinner, walking 10 minutes into the town. As we walked the Rocky Mountaineer train pulled in - this is the train that travels through the mountains.  We had considered booking it but decided to drive instead. Driving gives more flexibility, but also the train was very expensive and didn't fit our time frame. Found a restaurant that looked decent, called Syrahs, and it turned out to be very good.
For starter I had roasted cauliflower puree cheese crust topped with baby tomatoes, walnut, and olives which was excellent. Song had bison sausage which she liked. For main I had bison steak on blue cheese mashed potato and spicy roasted vegetables. Again, excellent, although I wouldn't have known it was bison if not told, it tasted like a steak.
Song had boar, which she enjoyed and said it was tender, but also said she would have guessed it was pork. We shared a goats cheese and white chocolate cheese cake. I also had a Yukon stout, Song had a cider which I had most of. A very nice meal, the best of the trip so far.
Walked back to the hotel, the temperature had dropped noticeably.
Tomorrow we're driving to a place called Kamloops and another time change.

Day 6 - Banff to Jasper

We flew to Calgary through a time zone so were 2 hours behind Toronto. So we went to bed at 2100 (which was really 2300) and woke up at 0600 (which was really 0800) and pretty confusing and not good for the body clock.
Checked out and went into the town for a look around and breakfast, the temperature about -2 according to Google but the sun was out and it wasn't too cold. We then drove along the shore of Lake Minniewanka (snigger). The views were incredible. Imagine a postcard of Canada with pine trees around a perfectly still lake with mountains in the background, that's what we saw. We took photos of course. Carried on around the lake and stopped to take more photos and saw a small group of Canadian goats just lying around, then an eagle floated past. Stopped at another part of the lake and on the way back to the car saw a coyote. All this in the space of about 15 minutes. At another part of the lake we saw dozens of ground squirrels that would come out of their burrows, stand up to look at us and then pop back in if we got too close.
We left Lake Minniewanka (chortle) and headed along the scenic route to Lake Louise.
When we drove up to Banff we had to buy a pass to stick in the window, and Song said we shouldn't have bothered. I said they probably have checkpoints and she laughed and said that it was Canada, not Libya. So, guess what we came to - yes, a checkpoint. Ha.
The scenery was mostly tree lined avenues with the surrounding mountains. After a while I said I'd pull over to grab a drink and the next place turned out to have a full car park, a place called Johnston Canyon. It was a magnificent river canyon, sheer cliff faces with a fast running river. After about 20 minutes we arrived at the lower falls, a small but impressive waterfall. There was a path up to other falls but we decided to push on.
Arrived in Lake Louise town, which was really just a few shops, after about 15 minutes and found a pretty rubbish place to eat. I had a chicken burger and chips, Song had chicken wings with salad and both were as good as could be expected.
Drove around the corner, parked and walked to the actual lake. Wow. Absolutely breathtaking. If you wanted to design the perfect scenic spot you'd probably come up with this. Words can't describe it, certainly not mine, so look at the photos. Just amazing. We walked around the lake for a bit then I felt a bit cold so turned around but Song wanted to go a bit further. I sat down on a bench looking out over the lake to the snow covered mountains. What a hard life I have. There were plenty of people around but not so many that we couldn't take photos, and we found ourselves alone on the path a few times.
Drove a bit more, came across some more goats crossing the road, then discovered another lake surrounded by mountains, and the lake was partially frozen, ice covering most of the surface. Carried on a bit further and saw a load of parked coaches so thought something must be worth looking at, and found the Athabasca Glacier. Climbed a steep slope and stood at the toe of the glacier. Photos of course.
Carried on the only road to Jasper, amazing views of the surrounding mountains, and as we were driving I saw a small black blob in the distance at the side of the road that moved. I reckoned it was a bear, and yes, it was. A black bear. Stopped and took a couple of photos but a car came so drove off. A bit further up the road Song said we should go back, and I thought that was a good idea, because how many times do you see a bear at the side of the road? So we did, and I got more photos. Another car had stopped as well, and the guy got out of the car to get closer to get better photos. I switched the camera to video, because I thought I was about to capture a wicked youtube video. However, the bear didn't seem interested. Carried on towards Jasper, and 5 minutes later, there was another bear. Stopped again, because how many times do you see a bear by the side of the road? Several, it seems. Thinking we'd never get to Jasper at this rate, finally got to the town only to see 4 white tailed deer by the side of the road.
Unbelievable, an incredible day.
Tomorrow we spend in and around Jasper, just chilling out after the hectic travel.

Day 5 - Toronto to Banff

Woke up at 0630, jet lag seemed to have gone but still got a cold. Popped round the corner to a post office to send some cards and discovered that most shops are underground like in Montreal even though it doesn't get as cold in Toronto. Grabbed a croissant for breakfast then back to the hotel to check out, then over the road to the station to get the train to the airport. Stood in the queue while some woman argued with the staff about something - why does it require all the staff to get involved in an argument? So about 6 of us waited for this argument to finish before anyone else could get served. Eventually got to me and was told the train to the airport is in different building. Luckily it wasn't too far and managed to get it ok. Flight took 4 hours and was uneventful which is what you want really, then into the hire car - a Mazda CX 9 which was huge. Plugged the hotel into the gps and drove for about an hour and a half to Banff in the Rocky Mountains. The first hour or so of the drive was boring, but we could see the mountains in the distance. We eventually arrived into the mountains - surrounded by pine trees and huge rock faces with some snow on top. They were larger than the ones in Iceland, taller and steeper.
Pulled into the hotel which looked a bit tired from the outside but inside was nice.
Checked Tripadvisor and the best restaurant in Banff was the hotel bistro so decided to go there, saved me driving into town and I could have a beer as well. I had a vanilla porter and it was very nice. The food was actually pretty good. We shared a plate of cheeses and charcuterie, then Song had blueberry risotto, I had a wagyu beef burger which I couldn't finish. We were sat by the window with a spectacular view of the mountains. Suitably stuffed we went back to the room.
Tomorrow we'll have a look around Banff, then on to Lake Louise and through the Banff National Park to Jasper.

Day 4 - Niagara Falls

Woke up at 0430 - bloody jet lag, but went back to sleep after a while and eventually woke up around 0630. Popped around the corner for a coffee then watched tv until the bus came to take us to Niagara Falls. Stood outside the hotel waiting for the bus, then one of the staff told us that due to a marathon some roads were closed and the bus couldn't pick us up so we needed to get a cab to the bus station. Got in a cab and he said he couldn't take us to the bus station because there was a marathon on and some roads were closed. He dropped us as close as he could then we had to run there. Luckily the coach was waiting but it would have been nice if they had told us earlier. The coach drove through the old part of Toronto which was really nice, some beautiful buildings, including the university. Hit the highway and travelled through mostly industrial areas, I had hoped to watch some stuff I'd downloaded but the tour guide insisted on yammering on. Our first stop was at a winery where we had tasting and I was sure there would be 'an opportunity to buy'. They specialised in ice wine which is harvested in winter and is very expensive.
Stopped at Niagara on the Lake, a quaint town but very touristy. The weather was getting a bit gloomy - the day started sunny but now it was overcast and started to rain.
The bus drove along the Niagara Gorge but it was difficult to see much, just the odd glimpse of the river. We finally climbed up high enough to see the falls. To be honest I didn't think they were that impressive, but we were still a bit far away. We had a buffet lunch in the Sheraton Falls View restaurant which was pretty average but there was a good view of the falls (hence the name) with a small balcony that could fit about 3 people on it. Naturally there were about 50 wanting to take photos. We took a few then joined the group to get the boat into the falls. We could see them from the balcony and I predicted that we were going to get wet.
Grabbed a coffee from the starbucks in the lobby of the hotel and broke my record for the most expensive cup of coffee - $8.32 Canadian for a small latte.
Next stop was the cruise of the falls, wearing a ridiculous poncho but it was needed - I was amazed at how close we got to them. The boat went past the smaller of the falls, the American and bridal veil, then went up to the horseshoe falls and through the spray. My legs got soaked, but the poncho did it's job and kept the top of me dry. The noise was tremendous and the wind strong, but there wasn't much to see because of the spray and I didn't want to use the camera in case it got too wet. Song took plenty on the phone so I'll put those up.
Back on the coach and stopped off at another view of the Whirlpool which was basically a bend in the river with some swirling water, pretty decent but not spectacular. Song and I both thought that the Icelandic waterfalls were more impressive - Niagara Falls are much bigger, but for some reason we just felt the ones we saw in Iceland were a better setting.
The last stop was back to near where we had been, but at the top of the falls. Here we could see the rapids that lead to the horseshoe falls as well as the drop of the water - this was an amazing spectacle, the incredible amount of water pouring over the top, less than a few metres away from the path. Ok, it was probably more spectacular than the Icelandic ones when seen from this angle.
Back on the bus, then the trip back to the hotel - a fairly long day. We didn't bother with dinner.
Tomorrow we fly to Calgary, but it's not an early flight so we don't have to get up early.

Day 3 - Toronto

Slept reasonably well but woke up early with a blocked nose. Couldn't taste anything but that didn't stop me from filling up on breakfast. Walked to the bus stop to go to the train station but since it was Saturday wasn't sure when they ran so decided to walk - this turned out to be a bit of a bad idea as it took longer than we thought plus the roads in Canada aren't designed for walking and several times there was no pavement. We finally arrived at the station just in time to board. The train was comfortable, nice seats and power points for the gear. The trip took a couple of hours and the landscape was uninspiring so I watched some tv.
The trip took a couple of hours and the hotel was next to the train station, the Fairmont Royal York, a huge old hotel that is part of the Savoy group, so quite nice.
Dropped the bags in the room and headed out to look around Toronto - to be honest there wasn't a lot to see. We walked to a market which is one of the top attractions and it was about a quarter of the size of Victoria market in Melbourne. The centre of Toronto is made up of skyscrapers and glass office blocks, no character at all. We weren't hungry so skipped lunch and walked back to the hotel to chill out until dinner. Song felt like Chinese food so we walked about 20 minutes to Chinatown but most of the restaurants looked pretty awful so eventually found a Korean one instead. Food was ok, hopped on a tram back to the hotel but had to get off and walk because of construction - apparently now is construction season, they don't do any in winter because it's too cold.
We booked a trip to Niagara Falls for tomorrow, not too early at 09:30.

Day 2 - Kingston

Didn't sleep well having picked up a cold, sick yet again, probably from the flight. Up at 0500 to get the train to Kingston, a small town on Lake Ontario. Journey was pleasant but not great scenery, mainly flat with farms and fields. Got the bus from the station to the hotel but didn't have enough change, but the driver, a young guy, said not to worry and let us on and asked where we were going, where we were from and was very chatty. Compare this to Melbourne where the ticket inspectors are basically thugs who issue on the spot fines or threaten court if you don't have a ticket.
Dropped the bags at the hotel and took another bus into the main part of town where we bought tickets for a cruise of the 1000 islands, the reason for coming to Kingston. Pottered around the shops for a while, Song bought a pair of sandals then onto the boat. So far every one has been very friendly, all the hotel staff and shop assistants.
Opted for the buffet lunch on the boat, hopefully poutine wasn't on the menu, and I had my first Canadian beer, an Okanagan pale ale that was ok from what I could tell through my blocked nose.
The weather was fabulous, sunny and warm.
The cruise went up the St Lawrence River, past some large islands and after about an hour I thought it was a bit dull. However, we then entered the most spectacular part of the cruise and it was amazing - hundreds of tiny islands, most with a single house on, just barely enough land to fit them. It's difficult to describe, but I obviously took loads of photos. Song booked this and picked yet another amazing place.
The buffet was decent enough although I couldn't taste much, but still went back for seconds.
Enjoyed the scenery, then when we got back wandered around the town looking for fridge magnets but didn't find any nice ones so caught the bus back.
Both of us were pretty tired after the early start and not hungry so just stayed in the hotel and relaxed.
Tomorrow we're on the train again to Toronto.

Day 1 - Montreal

Hello jet lag my old friend, I've come to speak with you again. Despite sleeping for a few hours on the flight from LA, and dropping off as soon as my head hit the pillow, still woke up at 0530.
Had the included breakfast then headed out to look around Montreal, the sun was shining and it was a bit chilly but promised to get warmer so I left my jacket behind. Walked about 20 minutes to the old part of Montreal and down to the old port. There was a lot of construction going on all over the place, and we were dodging  trucks and noisy building sites. I was regretting leaving my jacket behind as the wind picked up and it got a bit cold, but once the sun came out it wasn't too bad.
The old town was quite pleasant, buildings dating back to the mid 1800s and one that purported to be from 1655. Walked around a bit then decided to stop for a coffee. Asked for a medium but the mugs she brought out were the size of buckets so changed to a small, and even these would be considered large in Australia.
By the way, if you were transported here without knowing, you'd think you were in France, because everyone speaks French and all the signs and shop names are French.
Walked around the corner to the cathedral, paid our $5 each to go inside, and it was very impressive - lots of ornate carving and Song said it looked like a theatre with the way it was lit.
Took some photos as usual, then carried on walking to the underground shopping mall at the train station - I think it's the largest underground mall in the world. It gets down to -30 in the winter so they put the shops underground which makes sense. We stopped at a restaurant in the food court which wasn't too flash, but they served poutine, which I had heard the name of but didn't know what it was until I looked it up - chips with cheese covered in gravy. Not exactly gourmet fare but when in Rome...
Song ordered a club sandwich.
I'd definitely eat poutine again - as long as I hadn't eaten in 5 days and the alternative was roadkill or a turd, and I'd seriously consider the others first. Song said it looked like vomit. Yeah, never again.
We needed a small travel kettle to make tea, the one we had is the wrong voltage for North America, so we trudged around the shopping mall looking for one. We must have visited every home wares shop but they only had big ones. I think it would have been easier to locate the holy grail. We left the mall after a couple of hours and walked back to the hotel via Chinatown because we figured we would find a shop that sold one - and we did. By the time we got to the hotel the jet lag was taking its toll and we were shattered. We decided to nap for about an hour.
Woke up, then I popped around the corner to the metro to find out the train times because we had to be at the main station early the next day to get a train to Kingston. Got back to the hotel and Song had decided we were going to Mount Royal - Montreal is named after it. We got the metro, then on a bus, then didn’t know where to get off and managed to miss it. Stayed on the bus because it just went back again and got off where there was a view over the city. There were lots of other people there as well as a few raccoons picking rubbish out of the bins. We'd not seen raccoons before - they're like giant possums.
Got back on the bus, then back to the hotel and bed. We skipped dinner, neither of us was hungry.
An early start tomorrow to get the 0645 train.

Arrived at LA

Not a great flight - part of the entertainment system wasn't working so new movies and TV shows were not available which meant I picked a few old classics - The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for example. I also loaded up a music play list of classics and spent most of the flight in the 1960s and 70s.
Screaming babies to my right and front, luckily not too near and thankfully the noise cancelling headphones did the job. Unfortunately they couldn't cancel out the 2 annoying 8 year old girls in front of me who argued with each other most of the flight or the other young girl behind me who seemed to want to alternately push and pull my seat. As usual I didn't sleep.
I was very grumpy then looked at the camera mounted on the tail of the plane and realised I was sitting in a seat in a metal tube 25000 feet up travelling at 600km an hour, so got a bit of perspective. Mind you, when someone advertises an airline that bans kids below the age of 16 I'll be the first in the queue.
Speaking of queues we arrived in LA on time and spent an hour in the immigration queue - they finger print each hand and take a photo. Got past that and then queued up for customs. Once through that one headed to the terminal to get the flight to Montreal so queued up for that security check. Finally got through, queued for the toilet and then for a coffee. So far my holiday has consisted of the views of the back of people's heads.
We've now been up for 22 hours, another 2 hours to the next flight which is another 5 hours. I hope someone is about to make a breakthrough in teleportation soon.
So I expect to get to the hotel in Montreal and collapse, will update again tomorrow.

Here we go again

Spent the last 11 days in Melbourne, waking up when we feel like it, pottering around and shopping without having to fight the weekend crowds and generally chilling out.

Back on the road again tomorrow, getting up at 05:00 to get Qantas flight # 93 to Los Angeles. Track it here: https://flightaware.com/live/flight/QFA93/history/20160503/2315Z/YMML/KLAX

We leave Melbourne at 09:15 and arrive in LA at 06:35 on the same day - WE GO BACK IN TIME!

So if we forget something I can phone myself in Melbourne and remind me to bring it. Or something, not sure exactly how it works.

We have a 5.5 hour lay over then onto Montreal. From there to Toronto, Niagara Falls, Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, drive through the Rocky Mountains, hop on a ship for a 7 day cruise of Alaska, couple of days in Vancouver, few days in Seattle then back to LA to fly home.

So stay tuned for more exciting adventures of Andy and Song.