Author: sage

Wednesday 3rd December 2014

We had to wake up early today at 5.30, to be ready for our pick up at 6.30, with the taxi arriving early to boot. Soon we were on our way to Heathrow, arriving at terminal 2 just gone 7.20. A quick check in into German Wings (with forgetting to print the baggage tag) and we went through security. There was not too much shopping that we wanted to do, so we sat in one of the restaurants and had some food. I had some eggs Florentine whilst Bhavni had a pastry.

Soon enough it was time to board and fly; it was quite a quick flight and soon enough we were landing in Tigel. After clearing customs, we had to work out way round this old style airport to go to the tourist office there, where we got the welcome pack, zone a,b&c with entrance to Museum Island also. We then went outside and had to wait around 10 minutes for the TXL bus, starting to feel the cold, which took us to Beussellstabe, after which we changed to the S-Bhan, catching the clockwise ring to Landsburger Allee, which was where our hotel – Hotel Andel – was located. We went out the long way as it took a 5 minute walk to get to the hotel.

Checking in, we were given a room on the second floor. Freshening up we then were out. We caught the M5 tram, from just outside the hotel to Hakinsher Markt, the terminus. We were quite hungry so we ducked into a pizzeria there and had a large vegetarian pizza, with Bhavni having a non-alcaholic beer also.

It was a short walk to museum island where the cathedral is also. We settled for going to the Old national gallery – 3 floors of artwork. The first 2 floors were mostly artwork associated with Germany and Prussia, but the third was a special exhibit, paintings of Mauri Leaders from New Zealand. By the time we finished it was just after 5pm, so we walked towards Alexanderplatz, looking at some of the shops on the way (kitchen and alcohol and shoes). Near Alexanderplatz there was a Christmas market, which we went into, wondering around and eating some of those suger coated nuts and having some warm mulled wine.

It was getting close to 7pm when we finished, so we started looking for a restaurant (for some reason my phone was playing up), but we could not really see anything that was nice where we were walking. So in the end we got back on a tram going to Hakinsher Markt (as we knew there were eateries around there), but we got of at the next stop as from the tram we spotted some restaurants, literally around the corner from where we were.

We had dinner at Vapiano (Rishuls favourite), having a pizza, pasta and a tirimisu. When leaving we had a crazy druggie type person start to follow us laughing his head off, so we ducked into a bar, so that he would not come near us. The bar man told him where to go. I had a coffee, whilst Bhavni had a hot chocolate, which she sent back as she was not happy with the milk in it. After, it was the tram back to the hotel. We fell asleep quickly.

Thursday 4th December

So I was up at 7am so that we could be downstairs for breakfast at 8am in the hotel restaurant, which was a continental buffet, simple, but filling enough. Getting our stuff from the room, we caught the tram to Hakinsher Markt pretty much straight away, and were there at 9.20. Well we were quite early so we went for a walk around. Unfortunately all the shops (apart from cafes) opened after 10am, so we had to brave the cold – Bhavni suffering the most. Completing the walk nearer 10, we bought our tickets for the walking tour, then get some coffee and hot chocolate as the tour started at 10.30.

There were 13 other people on the tour (English speaking), and the guide – Nickolai – was originally from Sofia in Bulgaria, but had lived in America most of his life. The tour started with the new Cathedral on Museum island then went down the royal boulevard. There was plenty to see (and dont forget the name Schinkel), with lots of history, including the memorial for the war victims (Neue Wache), followed by the square where the Nazi book burning of 20,000 books took place.

Then it was towards the French quarter, with the twin churches, followed by the wall and Checkpoint Charlie before lunch. Lunch was at a cafe, Bhavni and I had hot chocolate. From there we saw the site of Hitlers bunker – now a car park, and some buildings from the 3rd Riche era. After it was towards the Memorial to the murdered Jews, a strange place near the American Embassy, finally finishing up at the Brandenburg Gate. We also were told the window at the Hotel Adlon where MJ hung the baby out from.

After the tour we walked to the Reichstag, (the German government building). The entry is free but you have to book ahead so instead we had a look around the area, seeing the memorial to the Sinti and Roma people and then took the 100 bus to Hakinsher Markt, then walking to Alexander Platz where we went into C&A and bought Bhavni some shoes. With warm shoes we were able to proceed; we walked up a few streets to Momos – a vegetarian momo restaurant that Bhavni had found, but when we got there, even though the lights were on, the door was closed. Disappointed we started to head back towards a station so we could eat at one of the restaurants that we had walked pass before. It just to  happened that I looked back and saw someone approach the door, and not re-appear. Bhavni being sceptical did not believe me, but when we got there, the owner was there, so we sat for some momos, having a try of all the different ones (fried and steamed) – nice.

After the meal, we walked to Museum island and went to the Noyse museum, which was the museum with old artifacts, starting with mummies from Egypt, to Greek and other cultures and bronze and stone age. The museum building its self was interesting as it was heavily damaged in the war, but has been restored sometimes to the way it was with the Prussian empire.

Leaving the museum at 7, we made our way to the twin churches in the French quarter (with Bhavni not believing I knew the way), as this was where our guide earlier had said that the better market was. Well it even had a cover charge. It was a lot busier than the other market we had been to, but we still had our nuts, roasted chestnuts and mulled drinks, with Bhavni buying dried apple crisps also. There was a large section indoors, so we were out of the cold for a bit also.

By the time we finished it was getting late, so we caught the 200 bus from the main road, which took us to the other side of the Volkspark Friedrichshain, where we went to another find of Bhavnis – Taleh Thai, which turned out to be quite a nice restaurant, with good food. It was nearly 11 by the time we finished dinner; the owners suggested taking a bus on the main street and then catching the ring to the hotel. That was going to take a while, so we walked around the park (through would be quicker, but we did not fancy going in the dark), before catching a passing tram for one stop.

Friday 5th December

So as we were early the day before, we woke up a little more leisurely and were having breakfast at 8.15. Catching the tram to Hakinsher Markt, we met the tour people and got tickets for the tour to Oranianburg and the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. It was a bit annoying as they did not give us the extra discount that they should have because the guide yesterday did not sell us the tickets.

Getting some sandwiches for lunch, it was just after 10, when we left with our guide Maria, taking the train to the central station, where we met up with a couple of people from the western meeting point. There was a couple from NZ, who Bhavni got talking to. It was a 25 minute 40km ride out to Oranianburg, and as it was busy, we walked 20 minutes to the camp entrance. A perfect day for the tour – cold, very foggy and eerie.

Suffice it to say, the tour was not rosy, with the horrific things done here (although there was good things here and there), so much so that one of the couples with children completely disappeared, and Bhavni ended up waiting outside some of the areas. However, i think it was less horrific (as it had been sanitised over the years) then for example the killing fields.

We had lunch huddling around a radiator, at the kitchens complex before seeing the last couple of places.

We walked back to the station and got on the train to Berlin. However, instead of getting off with the group at the second stop, we went to the next station which was Potsdamer Platz. This was the new modern area, with the Sony center and other new buildings. Well we decided to book an IMAX showing of Penguins of Madagascar, and had a walk around the markets nearby in the mean time. After the show, we had another wonder, before having dinner at a Indian restaurant there. The food for me was ok, but not Bhavni’s favourite.

We got to the hotel and after a bit of rest (my wife was tired), we went up to the Sky Bar, it was busy, but we found 2 places and had a drink, looking out over the city.

Saturday 6th December

So this was the last day here, we had an even more later breakfast at 8.30, after which we collected our bags and checked out leaving our bags there. It was a nice sunny (and cold) day. We took the tram towards Alaxanderplatz, then the 100 bus which went to the Berlin pride monument (Victory Column). We met one of the people from the tour who said going in was definitely worth it, so we bought the tickets and after a brief look at the exhibits at the bottom, climbed to the top, up the many steps, for a really good lookout of the city from the park. We could see lots of the places we had been to in eastern Berlin, but so far this was the furthest west (except the airport). We could see Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag, the twin churches and bits on the museum island. It was getting quite busy so we went to the bottom level looking at the mosaics there, before leaving and catching the next 100 bus.

The bus took us past the Berlin aquarium and zoo. We got out near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, which is a reminder of the bombings in the war. We walked inside the main entrance, but did not want to go right in. We then saw the new beehive church, before having a walk around the obligatory Christmas market that was there.

We walked around a couple of the shopping centers there (one called the Bikini center), before we took the 200 bus towards the Sony center, as Bhavni was in a mood to shop, and had spotted the Desigual shop the day before, but it was even more expensive than the uk. In the end Bhavni got a nice scarf and we had Falafal in the food court at the Leipziger Platz.

After we made our way to the twin churches to go to a chocolate shop – Fassbender & Rausch. The shop had lots of cool models in chocolate (though some were cheats with being mostly wafer biscuits coated in chocolate). However here were lots of really cool items. Bhavni got a couple of chocolate desert pots.

We headed back to the hotel from here, picked up our bags and left for the airport (5pm). Asking about the entrance to the station, the receptionists must have thought we were strange, as the stairs were so obvious to the left from outside the hotel.

Funny enough the train came straight away and the connecting TXL bus was waiting when we came out the station. This meant that we were at the airport too early to check in, and had to wait 20 minutes till it opened. After checking in and going through security, there was not much to do. Bhavni found a stashed 10 euros, so she could buy some gifts, and I could have my hot tea.

The flight left early, so that we were at heathrow 30 minutes before schedule. Father picked us up.

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Monday 15th September 2014

With Shelina’s wedding over and our last morning in Radisson Blu Dubrovnik, we woke up nice and early as our car was being delivered at 10am. Calling Mitens and parentage’s apartment we said we would be going down for breakfast now at 8am. Miten was still getting up… There were a couple of the guests around so we said hello to a few and hello to my parents who were in their usual area for breakfast.

We wanted to eat out in the sun, so we took a table just outside on the balcony. All was going well, I went to get some more food, but when I got back, Bhavni was being shown to another table, with a bemused look. After settling down I found out the reason we moved was that Bhavni had a furry friend visit her enjoying her milk and cereal, and when telling the waiter they said it lives just there. Miten and parentage appeared a little while later as we were finishing, so we sat for a bit longer before going up to get our bags and check out.

Well the car was not going to come at 10am, it was going to come anytime from 10-11am, and indeed it came just before 11am. After signing the documents and loading up, we were on our way in the white estate. We stopped at the lookout point to get some good views of Dubrovnik, before driving past the airport and towards the border. The border crossing was easy and did not take that long, even with me being amused at the singing security guard. Now in Montenegro we drove for a bit before making a pit stop for some drinks and coffee, which was surprisingly good. After all of us had a wonder in a supermarket there, to get some supplies for dinner and the next few days, before heading on.

Soon enough we were at the optional ferry crossing, which we drove passed and instead started driving around the bay of Kotor – a big sheltered bay with lots of little villages around it and monasteries and other ruins on island dotted around. We stopped at a village on the way, parking just outside, which was 1euro. It was a nice village and Bhavni, Miten and I went for a little bit of a walk, letting the parentage walk casually at a slower pace. It was quite nice on the shore, with old buildings and restaurants. After getting to the main church, we made our way back, stopping for ice cream for most. We joined the parentage, looking at table cloths from street sellers, but luckily they did not have any big ones.

Back on the road, we only had a short scenic ride before arriving at Kotor, a world heritage site also. The parking was near, and we soon were entering one of the gates of the city. The city is a bit like Dubrovnik, but more older feeling, and we had a slow walk around a few of the streets, before stopping for some lunch at one of the numerous cafes. Chips, pasta and salad later we carried on our walk, up to the water gate.

I was eyeing up the walk to the walled positions up the mountain and luckily Miten took the parentage, whilst Bhavni and I made the walk up. We asked at the entrance how long it would take – 25 minutes to the church – we were there in 10. What a great view as we were going up and at the church, being able to see a lot of the sheltered bay and the yachts on it. A pity we could not go higher as we did not have the time. We spotted Miten and Co near the entrance to the city and took a couple of pictures of them.

Getting back down, we went by another way, which was not quite as nice as the way we ascended as the path was more broken. We met at the entrance where the rest were having a drink at a cafe. After a bit we were then back off. We drove to Budva, and just past to the hotel where we were staying. We checked in and soon found our selves unloaded and on floor 9, where we relaxed for a bit, using the balcony and having snacks. Just before it got dark we headed down to the boardwalk for a stroll along the beach front. Soon  enough we had started to break into groups, with the parentage first taking their time, then Miten slowly disappearing behind. Bhavni and I walked to the end of the beach front, found our selves a little grocery store and got some milk, before starting back. Eventually we met up with Miten, then found the parentage at the ramp up to the hotel. We managed to go in without inviting a stray dog in.

For dinner I made some pasta, which was ok as I went a bit past al dente. There was also some thepla and nasta. After a bit of tv it was then time to retire.

Tuesday 16th

After a decent night, we awoke and had breakfast, with the usual waiting around with there only being one bathroom, and Miten not being a morning person. Nevertheless we managed to get out by 9.30am. We were soon at the lookout overlooking Sweti Stefan, an amazing looking town, in that its on a small island connected to the mainland by a small causeway. We took plenty of photos and Bhavnis mother got lots of photos from tourists who had not seen a sari before. From here we drove to Vranjina, which is a small town in the Skadarsko national park. We stopped at the main stop and had some coffee.

Bhavni and I went for a bit of a walk along the road bridge, to look at some of the ruins. On the way back we got talking to one of the boat owners and after a bit of negotiation we had booked ourselves for a boat ride to see some of the island monasteries. We were soon enough on the small speed boat with our friendly but not English speaking driver. On the way we saw an old Turkish prison – a ruined building on an island as well as lots of other ruined buildings and bird life.

Our destination was a monastery 20 minutes away. On arrival we all eventually disembarked (after a bit of discussion) and made our way up to the walls of the monastery. We knocked for a while but there was no answer, so we went back to the boat (stopping to look at the terrapins). Just as we were getting in the Monk appeared and started talking to our guide, before welcoming us in (we joked the terrapin that I held called for backup).

The monk spoke good English and as he showed us around the place. He had help today, but normally he lives on his own and has been for the last 20 years. He used to be an electrical engineer from Serbia. We all sat down and he gave us some fresh home made pomegranate juice form the trees on the island, which was really nice and refreshing. We sat for a while on the benches taking in the view, before thanking him and going back to the boat. He gave us a parting gift of grapes.

On the boat ride back we got the obligatory shots of everyone steering the boat- (except me :). From here we carried on on the E80 to Podgorcia, the capital. Driving right into town, we found parking (Miten having to tell the attendant there is a space), then had a wonder. As usual there was a bit too much shopping going on, but we did see some cool robot statues made from recycled bits and pieces as well as some older buildings.

We had food at one of the cafes, outside on a walking street – the usual affair – chips and salad.

Our next agenda was the Ostrog Monastery, which is a serbian monastery, set high up on a cliff face. From the capital we had to go north north west. Unfortunately the marked road was under repair and impassable. So we went another way. Initially it was really good going, as the road was hardly used, and we could drive at a good speed. But then we came to a small village, and asking the directions we found we had to go up a really small high gradient track road, which wound up the mountain. More amusing we had to pass a broken down van, which involved getting out and moving boulders and branches and slowly squeezing past trying not to go too near the edge. Really interesting driving for me.

Eventually we got onto the more normal road and made our way up to the monastery. I lost count of how many switchbacks in the road there were. Eventually getting to the top we parked and went into the monastery. The base was a big plaza, which had some building and religious shrines on one side and a view on the other. But the actual monastery as at the end, completely carved from the rock face. Up 3 flight of stairs was the top, where there was another nice lookout at the cliff and the route up. We stayed a little while taking in the sight before heading back. Next we drove towards the lower monastery, which was a much more conventional place. There was a service going on, so we only briefly had a look around before leaving.

We were then on our way back. We had to drive back almost towards Podgarcia (an alternate route via cevo was a bit hilly and had too narrow roads for the fading light). We then drove onto Centine, the old capital. Parking we walked all the way down the main walking street, before giving up and having dinner at Obolisk Pizzeria, having – you guessed it – pizza and salad. We then had a quick driving tour of the town before heading back to Budva.

As we came back to the city we found our selves well above the city, with it shining down below – really nice. At the hotel, we settled in and called it a night after the obligatory tea.

Wednesday 17th

Our last day. We were a bit lazier getting out today, having a longer breakfast and getting out and checked out just before 10am. After a bit of debate about the time today, I (as it was me driving) decided to go into Budva historic town and have a look at the city. We found some parking and walked a bit near the waterfront into the walled city. We left the parentage sitting and relaxing, whilst we walked around, with us to meet in 20 mins. Miten and Bhavni were looking at shops whilst I walked around looking at the buildings. The town is similar to Kotor and nice to walk around.

At the 20 mins I went back to the meeting place, but no-one was there, and no-one was near the wall entrance either. I found Miten asking where the parentage are… This was followed by all three of us looking for them for the next 20 mins. Eventually Miten found them, in some shops. So a little late we headed off.

Retracing our steps from yesterday we headed towards Centine, and then to Lovcen National park. This was also with lots of switchbacks as we went ascending. There were a few stops on the way, but we continued going higher, until we got to the end. I drove right up to the end of the road as the parentage would not enjoy the steep climb up. There was not much space up the top, but one of the people there let me park. After enjoying the views at the bottom, Bhavni, Miten and I ascended the steps – up 100m to the top. Talk about amazing views, even with the large amount of clouds. At the top (Vidikovac) is a shrine to one of the founders of Montenegro, but we did not know at the time, so did not go in. Instead we enjoyed the view. You could see the Bay of Kotor and the Skadarsko national park as we recognised the hills we saw from the boat trip yesterday. Apparently on a clear day you can see all of Montenegro and even the coast of Italy. Bhavni and Miten went down first, but I stayed a while longer enjoying the view. I finally came down, but instead of the stairs, I took the outside path. The rest spotted me coming down.

At the base was a restaurant and we went and sat in an outside area, having drinks. Luckilly we just avoided a large group which would have meant that the drinks would have taken ages. I enjoyed the cold, but everyone else slowly stated buttoning up their clothes.

On the way back to the car Miten got talking to the owner of the souverneer shop, his name was Vladamir and he explained the history of the park and montenigro as well as giving Miten some free gifts. Saying bye I managed to turn the car around and start driving towards Kotor, slowly making our way down. There were some amazing view points, where we could clearly see the Bay of Kator and also Tivat and its air strip – though at one I had to go first as Miten was worried about the insects around, but he followed soon enough after seeing I was unharmed.

Soon we joined the road before Kotor, and drove past, then around the Bay itself. Retracing our route in, we got to the border crossing. It was a bit busier here and the lanes were not clearly marked (cutting in time), but soon enough we were through and entering Croatia again. You can see that the state of the roads are just a bit better in Croatia than Montenegro, so we made good time, such that we were driving past the Airport at 5pm. So the general consensus was to go to Dubrovnik, which by the time we drove to the old town, found parking (and got a ticket from a person who had got too many and approached Miten) was around 6pm.

We ate ate one of the restaurants near the harbour area – Chips and salad, before going to the airport, with the setting sun and Miten and Bhavni competing for pictures (and me getting told of for not stopping). We had a bit of fun returning the car as they took a while before inspecting it. Checking in, we were at the same time as Dilen and Hetal. We also had a few others around going back to the uk.

The flight back was ok, I even managed to sleep for a bit. At Gatwick, the bags took a while to come out, but the worst bit was that the taxi to pick us up did not show up, so we ended up getting one of the expensive cabs back and sending the parentage with Dilen and Hetal.

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30th June Monday

Today we were up nice and early at 7.30 so we could get ready, make lunch and be out of the apartment by 9.15.

We drove to Malign Canyon as our first stop, which is only a little way out of town, down the Malign road. The canyon is quite cool as it has been eroded by the underground rivers flowing from the lake systems.

We took a walk around the main trail, stopping for plenty of photo opportunities on the way. For the first half its all downhill, but then you have to return, but still easy compared to the walks we had done; the elderly were doing it.

From there we carried on, on the Malign lake road towards the lake, where on the way we had to stop for a photo – though far away it was a moose. We stopped at the Medicine Lake next which already had a few people stopped, taking photos. With the cloud cover the lake looked quite dull, but the mountain backdrops were still quite cool. The lake is not actually a lake, but part of the malign river backing up, so its level changes alot over the year.

Carrying on, with spotting a mouse in the distance as well as another black bear, we got to Malign Lake, driving past the main car parking area where the main facilities are to the part next to the fire road.

The start of the walk is up the old fire road which goes all the way up nearly to the top of the hills. The walking here was a bit so so as there were very large trees to the side of the road obscuring the view, but eventually we came to a side path, going much more vertically up, which we took.

It was much harder going as it was a trail and very steep, but we got to have some brilliant views of the lake and surrounding mountains. There was a lot of cloud drifting past, so often the peaks would be hidden. As we got to the top of the side path, we again joined people who had taken the main road instead.

We had a bit of a rest talking to some people before the final push. The bold hills are a series of peaks and we aimed for one of them, which was the marked finish. We ended up walking around the top of the hill, so that we could climb up without going across too much snow.

At the top we found a bolder (after photos) and had some food before it started drizzling. Another family had come up the top, and recommended going down the big snow drift as they had come up it. Not sure it was great advice; I was ok, but Bhavni bless her slid down (like me also), but stopped her self with her hands so she got cold and suffered most of the way down the trail.

Going down we just took the main road, which was going to be easier than the side road. At the bottom, we went to the Malign lake and had tea at the restaurant there. There was a great model of the area and mountains near the malign lake, so it was nice to put in perspective where we had been and the sights we saw.

Driving back to Jasper, the weather had really improved and we followed the sheer mountain that were really impressive. By the time we got to Medicine lake the sun was starting to come through so we stopped for some more photos. Getting back to town we had a bit of time to unwind and relax before we went for dinner, again to the pasta restaurant, but had to go for a walk as it was busy till 9pm.

1st July – Canada day

Today is Canada day – and as we had no major walks planed, we had a bit of a lie in, however we were still breakfasted and out by 10.30. After taking to the people in the information centre, we decided to abandon the flag raising ceremony and instead head to the Pyramid lake – just a short drive away. Here we had a walk around on the island and then Bhavni decided she wanted to go boating, so we ended up going for 30 minutes of canoing – quite relaxing in the middle of the lake, though Bhavni could not row a lot, so there was a bit of going around in circles.

We managed to get into town, park at the apartment and sit at the kerb for the start go the parade at 1pm. It was an amusing parade with lots of silly things going on, but we did get to see mounties, and gather some sweets.

After the parade, we headed back to the apparent and had some lunch, leaving soon after though. Our next destination was to the Edith Cavel mountain to see the angel falls – it would have been a nice walk to the meadows if they were open, but we were still to early in the season. The angel falls is actually a glacier, that is from the mountain. We were opposite it on an adjacent slope, and below there was a frozen lake with lots of warnings not to go near there because of falling ice – though plenty were down there.

From here we went and did a walk called the valley of 5 lakes, which as the name implies is a walk in a valley with 5 different lakes to go round, each a different hue due to the local conditions and depths. The only downside to this is there were mosquitos….

The walk itself had quite a few gradients and it took a bit before we got to see the first lake, but they were nice and tranquil, especially when we came to some red deck chairs that had been put out overlooking a perfect spot over the 3rd lake. We sat for a while enjoying the view and having an apple each, before continuing (Bhavni kept on getting scared by a chipmunk and a baby chipmunk).

Finishing the walk, we went back to town and freshened up, going to the pizza place again for dinner. After, there was a bit of packing to be had then I microwaved some popcorn and headed back into town for the firework display. It was amusing that we kept on being told to move to a safer location, but we finally settled on a place not far from the main park. It took a while for the display to start, but I was impressed with the fireworks which went on for a while. Nice end to the day.

2nd Wednesday

We were leaving Jasper today, so it was a bright and early start to be out of the Moose haven suite by 9am, after saying bye to our hosts. We tried to take the 93a road, but were blocked by a train going through, so I did a u turn and took the main 93, which becomes the Icefield Parkway highway.

There are plenty of stops on the way, along this spectacular route and our first was the Athabasca falls, which were quite nice, with a few different areas to view from. A really cool bit was descending the stairs to the lower lookout, which was like from a scifi movie in that the walls were water smoothed stone. It was a good place to take some photos and also we had some fun with photos with fake tight squeezes.

After we then drove to Sunwapta falls, which is again nice but its amazing how this one does not look that amazing after seeing some of the ones we had seen. There were plenty of views and stops along the way as we went through this impressive valley with mountains on both sides.

Eventually we got the the icefield parkway at around 11.40am, including Bhavni making me turn around as she thought the lookout bridge they had built was it; buses only. We found parking soon enough, but there was a massive queue when we got in, which took over 20 minutes to get through. Apparently  some of the buses were in for servicing and hence we got the next available tour – 1.15pm.

As we had about an hour wait, we headed to the seating and had some of out packed food with some tea, there we set next to an older couple. They turned out to be American and had come driving from home, Bhavni and the lady had a conversation as she turned out to be a nurse. They were on a tour 15mins earlier than us. Our tour consisted of getting on a normal bus, which went to the entrance way and dropped us off to board the special arctic buses. We were given an amusing commentary by the driver all the way to the glacier. It was definitely a tour for Grandparents, as we just walked on ice which had been compacted by the company, in a safe massive area, but we got much closer to the glaciers that were around here.

Getting back to the main area we got back on the road and drove the short distance to the Parker Ridge car park at around 3pm. This really was a brilliant short (but ok – 250m) walk. As you went up, you could see the road on valley we were driving on, but nearer the top the other side came into view after the trees disappearing. What a view of the Saskatchewan glacier. We took plenty of photos and helped another guy take photos (whos partner eventually made it).

Descending we were back on our way at around 5pm. The views were still amazing all the way. Our last proper stop on the way was to see Bow glacier and Bow lake, which was really nice from high up – though I got hit by a member of the public, trying to get the mosquitos. We got to Lake Louise at around 7pm, where we checked into the Mountaineer lodge. Not that great a place from first impressions. Well we left our stuff and had dinner at the Snow Wolf pizzeria. I had quite a nice Calzone and Bhavni had a pizza. Getting back to the accommodation, I was surprised to see people with doors open, but it became apparent that the reason was to cool the rooms which were way too hot, making sleep really hard.

3rd Thursday

We had breakfast included so after putting the bags in the car we found the food area. The food was continental with a waffle station. I put some bagels in for toasting and bhavni was looking after them, but a old man decided he wanted them, even with Bhavni saying they were hers – cheeky man, made us a bit pissed off. After breakfast we sorted out some food for ourselves for later and meant to check out – I dont think they were interested in my suggestion of opening the windows in the apartments before guests arrive to cool them.

Driving to the Lake Luise car park, we arrived around 10am. I had decieded that today we would do the plain of 6 glaciers walk – which was just over 6km. The first bit was from the Fairmont hotel right around the lake, so there were lots of casual walkers around. This ended when we had to cross some water, marking the start of the real walk. It again went up a valley and we had good views as we got higher and higher, with the trees quickly disappearing and rocky paths the norm.

You could actually do this by horse as there was a specific path for them also. Eventually we got to the Swiss tea house, marked by a sudden appearance of a nice path. We decided to forgo the break for now and continue on the last part of the walk, which got us to the area I had seen in photos – overlooking the the glaciers. The path stopped and became an unofficial scree covered trail, which we followed for a bit, just to get to a nicer lookout position. After a bit of time to take it in, we took the trail back to the tea house, going to the second floor where we got a seat. Ordering tea and coffee, I got tempted by tortilla chips with salsa, which was quite good. It was nice looking out over the forest having the food.

After we started the walk back along the trail, eventually we came across the path the Lake Anges, which we were looking out for. Taking it, we were soon climbing again, hugging the mountain. We could see the original path below now and again, then we were over the end of Lake Luise, with views of the Fairmont.

Wrongly following signs we descended a bit to see the mirror lake, before realising we had to go up again, quite a bit to the lake, including a set of stairs. The tea house there was really busy with no spaces. I had to order tea inside which took a while as they normally only do table service – infact they did not give milk. After being amused by the “Fresh” Indians who were quite noisy, we headed down, via the mirror lake, which definitely was not a mirror. By the time we got down it was 4.30pm, with ominous clouds appearing. We went to the Fairmont hotel and tried to enquire about reserving a place for dinner. I think they chose to play dumb a bit as we must have looked a mess, so we left.

Our next night was at the Paradise Lodge, where we checked in, getting chalet 8. We asked about the dinner, the owner was sceptical about getting a place, but found out that the lounge was turn up and see – plan. We unloaded the bags and Bhavni suggested we visit the Moraine lake. Driving there the heavens opened up, so we got parking close as many were leaving, but we saw the lake in driving blustery rain.

We headed back and getting caught in a bit of a queue to the town, we went to the shops to get our milk – expensive prices. By now the sun had come out again, so it was nice to get back to the chalet and get ready. We headed out at 7.40 and went to the Glacier lounge where we were put on the wait list and give an electronic buzzer. So we went down to the saloon bar and had a cocktail and beer. Our table was ready in 2 minutes, 2nd table in front of the main window with a great view of the lake. For dinner we had soup, quinoa roulade, a vegan burger and a nice desert. While we had dinner, we watched a storm form, the view disappear and torrential rain, then clear and the mountains and glaciers re-appear.

After dinner and a few pictures outside we headed back to the lodge and phoned kenya.

4th – Friday

Waking up in the chalet, it was nice to find the fire on, keeping the chill out. We had another busy day today, so we had breakfast by the window, got ready and checked out, leaving at 9.30am. Joining the main highway (SH1), we drove through Yoho national park. The first stop was just on the side of the road, which was a small area which displayed information about the loop tunnels that were created to allow trains to go through without going up massive gradients.

Next was Takakkaw Falls, another massive waterfall – the second highest in Canada and over 250m, which was a few km off the main highway. Getting there, we parked in the car park and walked the path to the falls, which we could see (at least partially) all the time. Crossing the bridge we went to the end of the path taking photos. Here we did every now and then get sprayed with the falls when the wind direction changed.

Getting back to the car, we were off again, stopping a little down the road to see the falls with the natural bridge. This was where the waterfall had cut under the rock leaving part of it straddling the flow. We saw the falls from a few different lookouts before getting back in the car and driving to the Emerald Lake (a few km off the highway). We had a walk around the area, taking in the view and taking a couple of snaps. The restaurant there seemed to be having a function later the day, so it looked closed. The sights were quite inciting as we read about some of the walks here, to far off glaciers and rugged ranges, especially as we saw a large group of backpackers heading out.

From Emerald lake we drove back to the highway and started our drive out of the park and back into BC, driving past Golden and into Glacier national park, showing our badges. We drove to the Glacier park visitor centre which was recommended in all the guides for the park. There was a museum type of display showing the animals that are around the area and the human influence such as building of the train line. We also got some hints at places to stop and have a lookout along the road (again there was lots of information about some amazing walks that were around to the glaciers). We stopped at a couple of viewpoints to get views of mountains and glaciers, although one im sure was not really a good view point as trees obscured the view.

Leaving the park, it was only 10km to Mt Revelstoke national Park, where we went for one of the walks that was recommended by the ranger. We parked and showed our badge to the ranger at the walk entrance. The walk was a along boardwalks around an old ceder forest, it was nice and cool, although we had to keep walking to avoid getting bitten. We walked the “wrong way” as recommended by the ranger. Some of the trees were quite big and impressive.

Finishing the walk we drove the little way to Revelstoke, parking the car at the I centre and walking to the center – just one block away. We ended up eating lunch in a little cafe. We both had some wraps. Bhavni got tempted and had a shake – bad idea as it was overly sweet. My coffee on the other hand was fine.

From Revelstoke we started the rest of he long drive to Kelowna, leaving the large mountains behind and getting back into rugged terrain. Leaving the SH1 at Mara lake, the road became single lane with quite a bit of slow moving traffic. As we were driving we spotted a strange store on the side of the road, so we had to ingestive, which required turning around. The store had mostly touristy stuff in it, but it was the dinosaurs, dragons and other creatures that were interesting. I had to get some chilly popcorn as I hate stopping without buying anything. Well that was awful

In Kelowna, Bhavni guided us to the B&B – the Apple Tree, where we were greeted by our hosts for the next 2 nights, who gave us lots of information on what to do. We freshened up, and chilled for a while before heading out to town. We parked not too far from the center and walked along the main street, going into the restaurant that the guys at the B&B had recommended – RauDz. Well it was very busy so we gave them our name for coming back about and hour later. So we walked to the river front. It had cooled down nicely as the cloud had come in, but it was pleasant. There was live music near the entrance to the city park, but it was not really our music, so we walked a bit taking photos and finally relaxing on a bench just enjoying the view. Soon enough we went back to the restaurant where we were shown to our table. We had some nice dishes – Risotto, holoumi and pasta with a special vegetarian option with quinoa.

After dinner we went back to the B&B and after a bit of tv we retired for the night.

5th – Saturday

Breakfast was ready for us at 9am, after we had got up and ready – continental starter course followed by a courgette pie. We were seated outside on the deck in the morning sun with the other couple who had stayed the night.

After breakfast whilst Bhavni got some packing done, I did some research into activities for the rest of the day and soon enough we were out of the door and in the car. We were off to the Myra Canyon, up about 1000m to get to the kettle train, which involved over 8km of unsealed road. We parked in the car park – here you could hire a bike to do the whole kettle train, but as we were going to do other stuff today we decided to go for a walk. The sun was really out in force, but as we walked our few km, we got a bit of cloud cover which was pleasant. The kettle train tracks, were disused and re-purposed recently for walking and cycling, with the route hugging the canyon, with trestles (bridges) and tunnels. We walked past the first tunnel before turning back and getting back to the car and down back into town.

We drove across the river to West Kelowna – actually a different city with a different mayor, and started on a bit of a wine trail, as this whole valley is very famous for its wines, and it was quite nice as the roads had flags showing the different coloured trails. Our first vineyard – Volcanic Hills – was a winery owned by an indian family, hence they were selling quite a bit of stuff inspired by indian culture also, and we had a talk with one of the sons, who was born in Canada. The problem is that we are spoilt by New Zealand wines so its hard to find anything that beats that for us. After we visited Quails Gate vineyard where we did some more tasting, it was busy but we had fun talking to the person serving us. Finally we went to Mission Hill, which is a lovely vineyard, but it was really really busy, and our idea of having lunch there could not happen. We instead had a try of wine and took some photos.

After which we drove back to our Kelowna and stopped on the way to get a Subway sandwich, which we took to out B&B and had. We then had about an hour to relax before heading back out,

Again we went to the Myra Canyon, but this time up the other side, to the Myra Canyon Ranch, where we were part of a group of 5 plus 2 instructors. I was given a draft horse to ride and after the signing of the usual disclaimers we went for a ride in the forest. My horse would usually open up the gap as he was a draft horse, but as we carried on I stated to get the hang of making him canter a bit to catch up. They took us around some tracks on the mountain, through dense woods, meadows and skeleton forests, with views now and then of Kelowna. We had a bit of rain, but nothing too bad, and it was uneventful apart from once when Bhavni nearly got hit by a horse.

After the 2 hours, we said bye to the horses and went back to the b&b, where we freshened up, said hello to our hosts, then headed back into town, where we went to the Thai restaurant that we had seen last night – which also had good reviews, where we had a nice meal. After we had a walk, which included getting a scoop of ice cream. Then it was off to the B&B for the night.

6th – Sunday

Waking up we had breakfast on the deck again which was continental with some fruit pancake. Some guests from Mexico were staying, who turned out to be doctors, so the conversation was steered in that direction. We finished gathering our stuff and left by 10.30am. We drove back over the bridge to West Kelowna and just near the end of town we stopped at an I centre. The guide suggested doing the more scenic route down the 97 nearer the border, but as it was going to take longer, we decided against it and took the 97c to Merit, which is the newer road, built high on some of the ranges. The weather was mostly nice on the way to Merrit, but from there it gradually got cloudier as we carried on (Bhavni had her usual rest). We drove past Hope, where it was raining with lots of clouds – a pity as we had been told there was a gliding club there. I stopped in Chiliwack, at a little restaurant (Younies) for lunch where I had a sandwich with plenty of cheese and Bhavni had spring rolls.

Rejoining the SH1 we got stuck in traffic for a while until past the Langley junction. Now just for avoiding the toll bridge we went the long way through Surrey and Richmond. However we drove past the VanDousen Botanical gardens. So we turned around and visited, spending a couple of hours there taking a few pictures.

After, we drove to the hotel and checked in – I parked the car across the road at a multistory car park for $6 as the street parking was expensive and I did not want to pay for the hotel parking. We then did a full unpack of all our bags and got ready. We took the car back out and drove to Acorn – the restaurant that Milans cousin recommended. It was not too far by car. When we got there it was totally packed, but we only had to wait 20mins for a table. I had beer battered holoumi, whilst Bhavni had raw courgette pasta. We followed this by a nice shared desert.

Driving back we filled up petrol and as we did not need the car, returned it to the Avis car park. The instructions to do this leave a bit to be desired – and even putting the keys in the deposit box was hard. It was not just us as others returning the car were confused.

Just 5 minutes walk back to the hotel and we were soon packing before retiring for our last night.

7th Monday

Our last few hours in Canada. We got up and had a few croissants with coffee and tea at a cafe just a few doors down from the hotel, Bhavni got an normal tea, but wanted a ice one – big mistake as it was too sweet. We then had a quick final walk before returning to the hotel and checking out. We took our bags to the central station and took the train to the airport.

We check in and then after spent a while looking at the shops for some decent Ice wine. Eventually we did buy some. Soon enough it was time to board the flight. Bhavni got some sleep, but as it was a day flight, I ended up watching quite a few movies.

Monday 23rd June

A early start today as we had to get ready for our taxi pickup at 5.45am. We manged to get out the house without much trouble, but we forgot our toasted bagels on the kitchen counter. The traffic was manageable and we arrived at Gatwick south terminal just after 7am, where we unloaded the bags and let the taxi go. We had to proceed to zone 2, which seemed to be in the “basement”. I had checked in online, but almost wished I had not as the queue was really slow, mostly people seeming to be complaining and staff taking their time. Eventually we got to a counter – we had to weigh our hand luggage – all under 5kg no probs, then we had to weigh the bags – 16.x and 18.x. Well I could have taken that extra pair…

After checking in we went through security and got some breakfast – Cinnamon Swirl for Bhavni and a Croissant for me with coffee and tea before a final boots shop and then boarded the plane. It was a 9.25am flight around 11 hours long. So we got to watch some movies and tried to sleep for a bit.

We arrived in Vancouver at 11.30am (Monday) . Going to security I was asked what we were intending to do for the next 2 weeks, and I excitedly started reciting our itinerary – quickly being ushered on. Out bags as usual took a while to get out. We made out way out and took the skytrain to downtown – central station, which took just under 20 mins. Funny enough we found ourselves sitting next to the person who was next to us on the plane.

Getting out we just went into the Pacific Center to see if we could get a Sim, but it turned out that it would be much more expensive then I thought, so we gave up and (after walking round the place), walked down Robson St, in the hot and humid day, around 10 mins to our hotel – The Listel. It was Bhavnis first experience for the way that road signs work in America, and total confusion ensued.

Checking in we went up to the top floor (6th) and freshened up before going out. We just went up the street and into a cafe/restraunt, where we ordered some Quinoa salad, a burger and yam fries. Bhavni ordered a sangria, amusing as it was quite alcoholic.

We then walked to Stanley park, which was quite a bit of a way, turning quite residential before the park. We had a walk around the pavilion and the rose gardens, before catching a tour bus, which took us around the park – though a bit quickly. In retrospect we should have just hired some bikes. We got dropped out of the park near the ferries to Granville Island, so after a look around we made our way back to the hotel and relaxed a bit as it was now after 6pm.

Bhavni soon enough got restless and we were out again at 7.30 towards the north of downtown, where we went to Vancouver harbour and saw the Olympic flame there, catching a bit of drizzle. Bhavni then was on the search for a 7-11 for some fruit, and after a long while we found one…. Anyway we got back to the hotel around 9.30 and retired for the night.

Tuesday 24th June

It was a sightly restless night, jetlag, but we properly woke up by 6.30am, getting out of the door at 8.15. The day looked like it was going to be a wet day so we  borrowed two umbrellas from the reception. We first walked to Canada Place to see the famous 5 sails of the port building (and taking plenty of pictures), before we walked to the Vancouver public library – famous for its Colosseum design. We were still early so it had not opened yet, so we went to one of the cafes there and ordered a masalla Chai for Bhavni and a London Fog (really over sweet earl grey with milk) for me, whilst connecting to the wifi.

After about 30 minutes we were on our way again, walking towards China Town. On the way we stopped at a kitchen shop and had a browse. We bought a couple of soup bowls for our travelling and a gift for Milan’s Cousin (who we were going to meet). It was only a small walk to the Dr San Yan Fat Garden, where we bought our entrance tickets. The next tour was due to start at 11am, so we had nearly 20 minutes, so we went to the big art room where there was lots of Tibetan art (for an exhibition) and I tried my hand at calligraphy. Bhavni also tried, but somehow managed to fall of the stool (breaking one of the bowls!). We joined the tour which went around the garden talking about all the different features and significance. We learnt that doing double sided silk panels will make you go blind, my eyes had trouble even seeing the stitching.

After finishing with the gardens we then walked to Gas Town, where we had a look around some of the shops – some quite posh, some tourist traps, before waiting for the going off of the famous steam powered clock. Walking back to downtown around 1pm, we connected with Burrard street and took it all the way to the bridge which went near Vernier Park, then we walked to Graville Island. It was nearly 2pm by now, so we made out way into the market and ordered a mexican wrap from one of the outlets there, before we started to systematically have a look around. I suppose if you really like brik a brak, then the island is good, but it did not have anything that would jeep us there for hours, so we eventually left around 4.40pm, walking over Graville St bridge, then Robson St and back to the hotel.

Bhavni phoned Milan’s cousin Sunjay, who phoned back with his address. We had a little time so we got ready and left at 7pm catching a taxi to his house, which was quite nice. There we met his wife and his son (who had just finished from Nottingham). We had a home made dinner, before it became a Dr, Dr, Dr and trainee Dr discussion with me slowly falling asleep (waking up just enough to spout things like the importance of the Cocraine review). Sunjay dropped us of at 10pm to our hotel.

I basically retired for the night, whilst Bhavni spent a bit longer phoning Kenya.

25th June

We managed to get a bit of a rest waking up by 8am and leaving the hotel by 9am on a much brighter and sunny day. Our first stop was to the downtown tourist center, where we firstly picked up one day travel cards for us and secondly we booked a show at Graville island in the evening.

We walked to the ferry terminal (waterfront) where we boarded a ferry to the north shore – a 15 minute journey. We went into Lonsdale Quay Market having a look around the shops there – Bhavni bought some clothes there. We took some photos from around the market, and tried looking around the next streets, but they were just normal high streets so we just went back to the market and got some coffee/tea and some bread as a snack and ate watching the waterfront.

Catching the ferry back (avoiding the usual crazy guy) we then caught the bus to vernier park (very busy with lots of children). We went into the MOV (museum of Vancouver), but that was a big disappointment for us and it was very small. The artwork outside was quite nice though. We then walked to Kits beach to have a look around, most of the children on the bus we caught earlier were here and the place was very busy. We leasurely walked through and then caught another bus to downtown.

Bhavni was in the mood for shopping, as the day was hot we centered around Pacific center. Bhavni got a new pair of trainers. We were getting a bit hungry so we went to the food court and got a pad-thai (okish), before we headed back to the hotel. We had a bit of time and I was still peckish, so whilst Bhavni lazed in the AC room, I just went down the road and got a subway sandwich.

Around 7pm we went out managing to catch a No 5 bus to the center and then the No 50 to Graville Island. We were e bit early or the show so we had a drink inside waiting for the doors to open. The Imvprov show was really funny, with two teams competing for funny acts. Bhavni tried to say “Made in Chelsea” for a name of a show but it got interpreted as “Maude and Chelsea. Well a few hours of laughter later we headed back to the hotel (catching the 50 and another) before retiring for the night.

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26th June

Today was an reasonable early start and we were awake and checked out by 7.45am. We walked to near the Hornby Street to the Avis check in desk. Not to busy, so we were seen to by the person behind the counter and we ended up with a Hyundi rather than an American car. Down to the 8th floor underground, only one unmarked scratch.

I took my time getting out, new car and left hand drive and drove to the hotel. Bhavni tried to direct… still confused about the street signs so I ended up directing my self. We picked up our bags and then made our way out onto Highway 1A, which went through Stanley park and over the lions gate bridge. Bhavni wanted to try the Marine drive, so after missing it, I managed to get back to it…. well it was not that great as the views were obscured by trees mostly, never mind. We soon enough joined the 99 going along the fiord to Squamish. Our next stop was to see Shannon Falls, the third largest in BC. Quite cool, we also went to the alternate viewpoint, where we tried to take a selfie on the SLR. Bhavni found she could not jump to sit onto the ledge.

We had to carry on to get to our destination, and as we got further the mountains got more rugged and snow covered. Amazing. Soon we arrived at Nita Lodge in Whistler and checked in. Lovely room. We freshened up and took the free minibus to Whistler village. We were meant to pick up out ticket for the peak to peak gondola from the Zip tours, but annoyingly they gave us a refund and asked us to get the ticket from the main Blackcomb desk. Luckily there was not too much of a queue and we we soon going up. It was amusing when the gondola up entered the Olympic station, I thought we must be there, but a sign showed that we were only a third of the way up. The view out kept on getting better. After a while we emerged onto the top of whistler mountain.

Having a look around the top, we took the time to take some photos of the scenery, before going about half way up the only open trail on the mountain (to the summit). It was nice walking past snow banks and seeing the frozen scenery. After returning to the lodge at the top, we then boarded the peak to peak gondola, which went over the valley to Blakcombe mountain (we did not wait for the glass bottom gondola as the queue was quite massive).

On the Blackcombe side was a smaller lodge, but it seemed to have more trails there (but closed as well). We got talking to one of the volunteer guides on the top, having a talk about when everything opens and our upcoming trip. After we had a look around we took the peak to peak back to Whistler, where we got our photo on the Olympic stand and had some fries, which were actually pretty good and crispy. We then took the peak to peak for the last time back to Blackcombe and then took the open lift down. Bhavni managed to get a massive head cold, whilst I enjoyed the fresh air. We saw 2 black bears just under us whilst on the lifts down.

It was a bit of a walk to the whistler village from where we came down. Making our way to the information centre we caught the minibus to Nita lodge (with our neighbours), where we had time to freshen up (Bhavni slept). For dinner we went to the Mongoli grill in town catching the bus, where we had a nice stir fry, before going back to the lodge and having a coffee before retiring.

27th June

Another early start, we had checked out and loaded the bags into the car (in the parking garage) by 7.45am, after which we asked the front desk for a minibus ride into town. We made our way to Zip Trek and checked in at the desk.  We were really early, so we had to wait at the meeting point for about 20 minutes. We were then met (along with the rest of the group) by the guides.  We were taken to a side and put on our zip line harnesses loosely before getting into a small minibus to go up Whistler mountain, a little higher than the Olympic station.

We were on the eagle trek which had 5 different zip lines, each quite different. The first one was a duel line, so two could zip at the same time. Bhavni and I (when our turn came) walked with trepidation and let go simultaneously.  I let go of the line, just supported by the cable – amazing, I even managed to not go backwards until nearly the end. Other zip lines went through trees and over rivers. The rain even managed to hold off for the whole of it. The last one was slightly different in that we all went upside down off the zip line, demonstrated by one of our guides (a girl who used to live in London).

After the zipping and returning the gear, we walked through the town (getting a coffee from starbucks, which I regret as it was very bland and Bhavni managed to get an unhappy worker, who was not happy about the mistake of cream on the coffee). We caught the bus to Nita lodge, and after a brief look at Nita lake, we got in the car and underway to out next destination – Kamloops.

We travelled north, slowly getting out of the really big mountains with lovely views all the way. There were lots of small towns that we passed and the area slowly became more arid until we joined highway 1, then it started getting slightly greener again. We saw some deer on the side of the road grazing and found some good places to take photos, before arriving in Kamloops and checking into Hampton Inn. The room was fine and we cooled down a bit before Bhavni wanted to go to the shops she could see from the windows. The shops actually required us walking a distance as the main highway ran in the middle. Most of the shops were big furniture shops or similar, but we went into a big bookshop. Apart from Bhavni buying books there, I read a little on the walks in the national parks, so we were there for over an hour.

After getting back to the hotel, we took the car to downtown, where we went to a Mexican restaurant. The veg choice was not that great but ok. I could not decide whether the waitress was not in a great mood or just distant. After we had a walk around the town before heading back to the hotel and calling it a night.

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28th June

We started the day with breakfast at hotel. The breakfast was continental style, I made a fresh waffle and we gorged ourselves. After I loaded up the car and Bhavni went to checkout at around 10.15. Soon we were on the road going north and east with the scenery slowly getting greener as we were following a valley north. Bhavni again enjoyed becoming a train spotter.

We got to a place called Clear Water, and after seeing the information centre as we went past, we decided to go back to it – could do with a break. It was a small information center, but Bhavni got talking to one of the staff members asking what there was to do on the journey – not that much apart from the views en-route. Then Bhavni noticed some pictures and asked where the waterfall portrayed in it was. Well it turned out that there were some waterfalls within relatively easy reach (the furthest being 48km away) in Wells Grey national park, but to do it all would take probably 2.30h.

Whilst leaving, we both thought that since the first waterfall is only 10km up the road, we could visit that, and then carry on – thats only an extra 30-40 minutes. So off we set into the state park. We could not really figure out where the actual park gate was, as at the 5km mark there was just a  golf club marked. But soon enough we turned into the parking. It was a short walk to the fall area – we could hear a roar but could not see it. Well it turned out we were above the impressive waterfall, which came out half way up the canyon walls (volcanic and glacier formed). We took some pictures and after looking at each other – decided we just had to do the rest of the waterfalls.

We drove to the furthest waterfall next – described at the information center as being one of the most beautiful in Canada. Well they were right, we were nearly at the top of this one and it looked like something out of a fantasy film – a fall in a nearly spherical hollow. After some impressive views, we headed back to the last waterfall – the Niagra of the park, which was quite nice, but not as good as the previous one.

Getting back on track (after the 2.15h detour and seeing some bears crossing) we carried on to Valemont, passing through some quite heavy showers. We stopped at a swiss bakery which was on the other side of town across the rail tracks. They were nearly closing, so did not have much, but we had some tea and split a muffin. We were in a clear spell so it was nice to admire the scenery.

From just north we joined highway 16, through Mt Robson park to the Alberta border. The rain and clouds were back so we could not see Mt Robson. At the border we entered Jasper national park and payed the park entry entry fee at the ranger stop

It was still a while to Jasper but with the scenery we enjoyed the drive. Getting into town (seeing the Rocky Mountaineer train as well), we found the Moose Haven Suite and let our selves in – we were left instructions on how. We unloaded the car. Noticing the time on the clocks and then on our phone we released it was 7pm (1 hour later than BC). So quickly freshening up and reading a little about food we headed out and went to dinner in Cassios. I had the Aglio oli and Bhavni had a Premavera. The waiter was quite talkative (though he did not give us our free bread – found out later).

Getting back to the suite, we met the owners briefly and planned some of our possible walks for the next few days before retiring for the night.

29th June

We were up early and had breakfast, before we ventured into town. We walked to the I-Site, but it was still closed, so we went to the supermarket and got a bit of food. Back at the I site, they just opened up after we arrived and we asked about some of the walks. The ranger told basically confirmed what we had thought about the walks and which ones to do. Just that he recommended the Sulpher Skyline today and the Bald Hills tomorrow.

We went to the Bear Claw bakery, which now  had a queue. Getting a olive and something loaf we went back to the apartment and made our selves some sandwiches and packed our lunch with our equipments (gloves for Bhavni) into our ruck sacks. Soon enough we got into our car and were on our way to the Mette hotprings area. On the way (before Japer lake) there were a lot of cars parking on the side of the road, so we also parked and investigated. They were photographing an elk (I think). Getting to the skyline parking, just at the hot springs we got our selves ready and looked at the sign – 700m climb. We started up on the walk up the path which wound through trees for a while, before they started thinning as we got higher. It was quite a cloudy day, but not raining luckily.

About 2 hours later we got to a plateau just before the peak we were trying to get to. We sat down and had a cereal bar before the final push to the top. The final bit was extra steep for the beginning, so plenty of breaks. Getting to the top, it was a bit exposed, but was a nice place to take some photos with amazing views. An old couple (who we had overtaken) came to the top and the guy got a picture of himself doing a hand stand at the top.

Getting back to the plateau we had our lunch on one of the benches overlooking a nice view, before going back down. It was not very long going back down, and soon we were in the car park.

Out plan was to go to the hot springs after the walk, annoyingly the queue was quite massive and out the door. I stood in the queue whilst Bhavni returned the items to the car – we had to go just to say we had done it.

It was a bit of a disappointment as the pools were really crowded, and children were splashing away as well as none of the pools were really really hot, so we left in half and hour and headed back to town. On the way back we saw some wild life; some mountaian goats near rocks, a familly of three deer of some type on the side of the road and back on the main road, with lots of people stopping to take photos a caribou or elk.

In town, back at the apartment we chilled for a while before going up the road to get the laundry done. Back for some tv before going to a pizza parlour.

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26th July

We were up pretty early as we had to check out and we were picked up by Sheilina at the airport hotel. We were driven to Albany where Sheilina and Grants new diving shop was located (as she had a meeting going on), where we then took our car to go to her house. Letting our selves in we dropped our bags in “our” room and sorted ourselves out before leaving again and dropping into into the dive shop at Silverdale to see Grant. After we drove back to Shelina and went back together to here house, chilled and started making dinner. I picked up Grant from the dive shop and went home for a chilled night.

27th

In the morning after a relaxed wakeup, Bhavni and I took Imani to the local park for a couple of hours, entertaining her on all the crazy slides and jungle gyms. She was quite brave and tried most of the different stuff there.

After we got back, Bhavni took the car and went into town to see here work friends at a restaurant for a last get to gather. Meanwhile I stayed at the house and looked after Imani – lots of reading and puzzle building ensued.

After Bhavni got back in the late afternoon we relaxed for a bit of time before going to Dunkerron Avene, to the Grants house for dinner. We took a nice bottle of red with us which got opened as a late birthday treat for Sue. Most of our neighbours were there apart from Peter from No 30 as he was already in the UK. It was a really nice night and its still amazing to hear the stories from our neighbours – who have led interesting lives and been close to lots of important people in NZ.

28th

Sheilina was off today, so we (after breakfast) headed to Piha (finally for us). We spent the morning walking first along the beach then along one of the paths through the trees where we got to see some waterfalls. On the beach Imani collected quite a few shells, which were slowly scattered about in the woods.

For lunch we found a small place and ordered a couple of chips for our selves.

The Lion was beckoning, so after some fun getting stopped by a stream only a meter across (because of out shoes), we got back in the car and went around. Imani was after some ice cream, so Bhavni and I headed to the Lion, but the next minute Sheilina was shouting behind us – Imani said she would like to climb up. It is a relatively good accent, but Imani manged it well and we got a good lookout at the top.

We got back and chilled at the house in the evening.

29th

I was awake early enough to watch the dawn, I ended up giving Imani breakfast as well. Whilst Sheilina was out working in the morning we spent the day with Imani, having fun with playdoh and creating lots of animals.

In the afternoon we spend a while packing for the next day.

30th

Again I got up in time for dawn, with Bhavni also joining to catch the view. Today we were off. Sheilina was dropping us to the airport, but as out flight was much later we decided to have a last meal in Newmarket. There was apparently a really nice Indian restraunt with lots of vegetarian choices, however we could not find it, so we had italian – pizza and pasta, cant go wrong normally.

From there we had our final trip to the airport, where we said out bye byes to Sheilina and Imani (who was being very shy as we were leaving).

We joined the queue and went to check in….. Out bags were a little overweight, and the attendant was not in a good mood so we had to go out of the line and reshift some of out stuff, (although we got past the queue) we were still slightly over on these scales even though the public scales had shown it was ok. Back to shifting again. This time we got to another attendant, so the bags got allowed into the flight – finally as we were a bit flustered at this point.

Now we had to get to security. Well stopped again for our hand luggage. Even with the approved label on the bag the attendant was not happy about the bag, as Bhavni had just put her coat in there for now. Bhavni offered to wear the coat, but the new attendant would not see reason, so Bhavni had to go down and actually got them to write on the bag it was approved. In the mean time I threw away a pair of shoes and some towels as they were not going to let me go otherwise…..

Eventually we got through and tried to relax, what a silly end to an amazing time!

On the plane, Air NZ, they apparently did not know we had ordered veg meals, so that was a bit rubbish. It was apparent it was there fault as when we landed in Vancouver and asked the Air Canada staff, our meal was sorted. Vancouver airport was quite nice and we got some Maple Syrup for people.

Soon enough we were crossing security in Heathrow. Welcome back to the UK.