4-10 August.

Going through customs at Prince Rupert felt a little like Africa. On entering Canada our apples were confiscated, but we were offered a receipt for them.
Canada has a completely different feel about it. Maybe it has something to do with its close ties to Britain or maybe the French influence, I am not sure. The people seem more refined, friendly in a quieter more reserved way. Suddenly we are using metrics again and they spell most words correctly, although I did see ‘tires’ for sale. A Canadian dollar is called a loonie and the 2, a tooey. People seem to know that there are other countries out there. We even managed to change some Euros, we tried in America and the reply was ‘why did you bring Euros to America’
Since we returned the car, we have been travelling like gypsies. Lugging not only our normal suitcases, but also 2 extremely heavy pieces of hand luggage (my harddrive which weighs 12kgs and my camera bag at 18kgs). To top it all we were too snoep to turf our camping gear as planned, so its on its way back home with us, in a massive canvas bag. This together with our fast paced itinerary has meant we cannot float around like tourists, camera dangling from my neck, as we have been doing for the last 2 & a half months. So I am afraid, no photos.
The ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy was brand new and very comfortable, unfortunately the weather was foul, so we did not get to see much of the scenery everyone raves about. The rain followed us throughout Vancouver Island making it difficult for us to really enjoy. As with all the other towns we passed through on the Inner Passage, the coast of British Columbia’s economy is based on logging, mining and fishing, all which have been drastically depleted, so most towns are in a state of decline. Some are trying to reinvent themselves as tourist destinations. Victoria has been very successful, or maybe it was the hour of sunshine that made the difference. We really enjoyed strolling around the harbour right in the centre of downtown. Beautiful old buildings of the parliament, museum and the grand Empress hotel line the streets. The gardens were a blaze of colour wherever you looked, which together made for a wonderful morning.
All to quickly we were on the bus, then the ferry, then the bus and then a taxi to Vancouver. Then the hotel where I had specifically requested ground floor ignored me so I had to lug everything up 3 flights of steps and I had made a $100 mistake with the booking………….and suddenly, for the first time on the trip, I felt like going home. Maybe it’s my brains way of preparing me for the inevitable, or maybe it has just been a long day!
A half hour later the rain let up and we went for a walk through Stanley Park, with its beautiful gardens, swans and raspberries ripe for the picking. Today we walked a section of the sea wall towards the magnificent convention centre. We walked passed immaculate gardens that line the cycle and walking paths and opulent yachts moored in the bay. We sat and watched as float planes took to the air and admired the geometric designs of the glass clad buildings, each reflecting its neighbour. Maybe I am not so ready after all………………..