Arriving at the airport an hour before another friend of mine I sat down at perhaps what may be considered a front-running contender to Disney as the happiest place on earth. For anyone who is having a bad day or wants a bit of cheering up, all you have to do is go to your nearest airport and wait at the arrivals area when long distance international flights are coming in. It was 9 pm Sunday August 7^th at the Calgary Airport and at least 3 large international flights were just arriving from Europe. The arrivals area was as packed as a sardine can near the doors that greeted the new arrivals. Mulling around were families, friends and strangers who were there to welcome people from around the world as well as to welcome people home.

Looking at the faces of those waiting, they were full of smiles, laughter and anticipation as they anxiously paced around waiting for a glimpse of those they were waiting for. As the first of the arrivals cleared Canadian Customs and walked through the frosted glass doors, faces lit up and greeters ran up to hug the anxious arrivals.

Within minutes I glanced around to see joy filled faces and an atmosphere of excitement, smiles and laughter. I could not help but smile myself to see the fun that everyone was having as they met long lost friends and family. I saw one Hispanic father wiping tears from his eyes as he along with a 3 other family members greeted a young lady and a child. I could only imagine the stories that could be behind the tears as a long time family member finally received a visa to be reunited with the rest of their family.

Moments later an elderly German couple greeted a young German speaking couple in their 20's as they conversed, hugged and snapped a few photos. Arms flew into the air as they embraced each other with beaming faces.

One young girl proud of her Canadian heritage was passing out small Canada flags to the visiting family that included parents with a 12 year old boy and 14 year old girl. The Scandinavian recipients were only too happy to wave their flags and stick them in the sides of their suitcases as the flags flapped out the door, following the hosts to their car.

Another lady in her mid 20's reserved yet friendly and warm, greeted an old couple. They chatted for a few moments and as they walked away I heard the young girl point out, “It must be 10 years since I last saw you.”

One young man was handing out his duty free cigarettes to his guests as a welcome gift. They were quickly unwrapped and prepared for use.

A comical moment came as I witnessed a Middle Eastern man with his wife and teenage daughter. They greeted four new visitors from the father's home country. The visitor warmly welcomed the hosts with a traditional four kisses on alternating cheeks. He first greeted the father, then the mother. The teenage girl however was a little unsure as to her parents traditions and stopped after one kiss on each cheek.

Another group where a family was greeting another foreign speaking family were all huddled together for a photo. The photographer went back and forth three times to figure out how to get the camera to work before the flash finally went off to the cheers of the families being photographed.

I spotted two young teenagers who were calling on the pay phones to the side of the lobby. They were trying to reach the person that was supposed to pick them up. Although they looked a little lost and bewildered, they soon found their mother who came over to them while talking to them on her cell phone. She was explaining how she was waiting for them on the other side of the lobby.

Looking around I saw a bouquet of two dozen fresh white roses greeting one young lady, a happy birthday helium balloon to greet a young child and another fresh bouquet of summer flowers. It was interesting to be a spectator to such warm welcomes and happy faces.

I could only imaging the stories behind the tears, hugs, smiles and stiff handshakes (that some of the men exchanged). I could hear German, English, Spanish, French, Scandinavian and Middle Eastern languages in this melting pot of cultures. Backgrounds and culture were obvious in the manner of dress among those arriving for the first time. What truly made it a delightful experience was the energy and excitement that radiated from the room and from all of the people that slowly filtered out the doors. 45 minutes after the excitement of the bustling evening, the room was quiet and still. There was hardly a person in sight.

I looked up onto the arrivals board and the only two flights left were from Las Vegas and Los Angeles. There were only one or two people left including myself, to greet these more local arrivals. I guess you have to go a long ways away for a long period of time to warrant a jubilant welcome. Something I think all of us can use every once in a while. If anyone needs a really good pick-me-up experience I would have to say that the international arrivals area of the airport did it for me. I highly recommend it!

Post your story of a long lost friend or family member that you recently saw again.

Spending a couple of days in London with my two oldest boys has been a fun experience. I myself have not spent some time in this historical city since I was a teenager. Arriving at the Heathrow Airport was a simple process and from there we were able to easily connect to the London Tube (Underground Subway).


It took about 40 minutes to get to the centre of London from the airport. Our hotel (Best Western Burns Hotel) was located conveniently about a 2 minute walk from the Earl's Court Station which is also on the same Piccadilly line from the airport. Following the directions provided we were relaxing in our hotel room in no time.


Although a bit exhausted from our flight and early morning wakeup, we were too anxious to enjoy the city of London. We headed straight towards the London underground station closest to Trafalgar Square. Upon arriving we discovered that the entire square was filled with people celebrating Chinese New Year. As a result we didn't see much of the square that was standing room only so we slipped into the “National Gallery” art museum. Admission is free and perhaps due to the nearby festivities, was very busy inside. We had a chance to see some incredible works of art over the past couple hundred years.


Following our visit to the Gallery we headed for “The Mall” which is an impressive boulevard that leads to the Queen's residence of Buckingham Palace. The street is flanked by the beautiful green space of St. James's Park. For some reason on this particular Sunday, the Boulevard was completely shut down to traffic and so we were able to take a leisurely stroll without any vehicles around. Following a few photos at the palace gates we walked along the opposite side of St. James's Park to Westminster Abbey with a quick stop for photos at one of the many iconic Red London Telephone booths along the way. Westminster Abbey is next to the House of Parliament and Big Ben so we finished off our first day listening to the clock strike 6 before looking at the London eye. We finally heading back to our hotel with a good idea on what we would spend our time doing in London over the next few days... lots of walking.

I spent a full day with “Mountain Guides” of Iceland exploring the outback of this amazing country. As it was February we also enjoyed an unusual day after a fresh dumping of snow which only added to the adventure (as well as about 1.5 hour to the 9 hour tour). We had been told that Iceland had not received much snow again this winter. Many point the finger at global warming. But the day before we arrived (Feb 2nd) it started to snow and continued for the 4 days I spent on this memorable Northern island. It was my 3^rd and final day and I was ready to go exploring.


We were picked up by our guide from our hotel at around 9am with a fresh 1 foot of snow on the ground. As we drove out on our circular route we quickly discovered that the fresh snow was going to make for an exciting day. The visibility in the morning was a bit limited until the skies opened up and then cleared in the afternoon.

Our first stop was at a site which is one of very few places on land where one can witness the shifting of the European and American continental plates. The shifting of these plates has exposed a small canyon between 20 to 40 foot rock faces. It was interesting to see the results of the earth's continental plates as they shift apart by a centimetre each year.

We then headed out along a long road that wound around the barren snow-covered lava terrain. Not much other than shrubs and snow covered hills and mountains could be seen. We made a stop in the cold snow for a short lunch break before continuing on to see a blue cracks coming from a mountain in front of us that was revealing a glacier covered by a fresh dusting of snow.

One of the most interesting stops was in a parking area that looked like nothing but a flat plain that was 10 kilometres wide between two mountains. We were told that this flat plain was where lava had flowed a long time ago. We got out of our jeep and put on some hard hats outfitted with flashlights. Only a 5 minute walk away we were directed to a huge hold in the ground. This one section had caved in exposing a massive lava tube that is the largest in Europe. Fortunately a set of iron steps were mounted to the first wall cliff so that we could safely descend to a trail that led down to the tunnel below. As we continued on, another circle hole in the roof of the lava tube brought light into the smaller entrance of the cave. It was rather slippery with the drips of water that froze onto the rocks of our path. At first it wasn't too bad as the fresh snow gave us some grip but where the snow had not reached, it was a bit icy. Soon enough however we were in the dry section of the cave that led to a smaller and smaller tunnel that had me crouching down to fit in. A gate had been placed in the tunnel however to ensure that only local experienced guides bring people in further. This has been done to protect the caves.

Our next stop was to see a waterfall that was gushing out from the side of a rock face. The springs in the ground were seeping through the porous volcanic rock and coming out from the middle of the rock and pouring down into a river. There were at least 20 waterfalls all coming out along a long stretch of rock making for a spectacular viewpoint.

Our final stop of the day was to visit some Hot Springs. These hot springs smelled like sulphur and were spread out in a long 50 foot crack in the ground. These hot-springs however are not the swimming kind, they are the boiling kind. At 200 degrees Celsius and pumping out 200 litres per second steam was rising into the air while a hot creek of water came from the bubbling springs. It was a great place to stop before the final hour long drive back to our Hotel.

Travelling by Super Jeep was quite an adventure but it was a long day. There were enough breaks to get out and stretch but it was tiring nonetheless.

Iceland – February 1, 2011

Flying into Iceland at 7am from Seattle has been a great stop on the way to Europe! I looked out the window to see a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. I was advised that there had not been any snow until now. That for the past 10 years Iceland's winters have been very mild. But I was happy to see the snow, after all that's how I had envisioned Iceland this Northern island.

Exiting the small airport was a rather simple process that did not take much time at all. Upon exiting I took my bus transfer ticket that I had purchased in advance and provided it to lady manning the early morning “FlyBus” ticket desk just by the last exit door of the airport. She provided me with my return transfer tickets that I would need to get to and from the airport. Upon boarding the bus we had to wait at least 20 minutes before the driver was satisfied that all of the people wanting a ride had exited customs and had collected their bags. I was rather anxious as I had booked a 9:30am Volcano Jeep tour with “Iceland Rovers” to pick me up from my downtown hotel. I had researched out that it takes on average 40 minutes to get from the Keflavik Airport to the capital city of Reykjavik. What I did not take into account is that the average 40 minute drive takes 40 minutes at most time except for the one morning bus that we took. This is because traffic for people going to work in Iceland is almost at a standstill.

Iceland only has about 320,000 inhabitants but most of them all live in or around the capital city. This turned our 40 minute bus ride into 1.5 hours. We pulled into the bus station at 9:25am and we still had to continue on to stop at various hotels before I would be where my tour was going to pick me up. I rushed into the bus station to call the tour company only to have them tell me to call back in 5 minutes as they were in a meeting.

I rushed back outside as the bus was pulling away and barely made it back onboard. I finally arrived at our hotel 15 minutes late and saw no sign of my “Super Jeep” driver that was going to pick me up. After checking in I went to the tour desk of the hotel who managed to get hold of the tour company and said that they would come back to my hotel to pick me up! I was relieved as I didn't want to spend my first day in Iceland just hanging out at my hotel. I only had four days and I wanted to make the most of every one of them.

I had selected a Jeep Tour that was to take me through volcano landscape trails before ending up at the ever so popular geothermal waters of the “Blue Lagoon”. The jeep tour started out easy enough on some nicely plowed back-roads. We pulled off the road to see some fish hanging to dry. They use this technique to dry the fish for 3 to 6 months and then turn it into powder. As it was slightly below freezing you could catch a whiff of the fish but it wasn't as strong as it could have otherwise been.

We continued on down the road before turning off to what looked like regular snow on the side of the road. It was however an old trail that had been freshly covered by a dusting of snow. This was the beginning of what turned out to be a crazy ride. Our 4x4 jeep that was raised at least 3 feet off of the ground, plowed through deep snow. As I watched the one other jeep in front of us I saw cracked ice appear between his tracks and was wondering if I was going to have to get out and push us out. “Not to worry” I was assured, “we'll be just fine.” And we were. This jeep driver plowed through every type of terrain imaginable and kept us passengers all having a great time as we bumped along the rocky lava stone trail.

We stopped for a photo break at the crest of a steep snow covered hill that I couldn't believe we made it up. It was a vista of an old volcano crater that was covered in a magical white dusting. It was at this point that our driver started to deflate his tires so that they were only about 8 psi. He advised us that to get the traction he needed for the rest of the trip we would need to have softer tires to get through the snow.

I thought we had already taken a rough trail but it only got better. We rocked from side to side and at times I was wondering if we were going to flip as we drove up a steep bank to the one side. Then came what looked like a cliff. We came to the crest of a hill and then our jeep pitched forward to descend the steepest snow-covered hill I had ever gone down. Near the bottom our driver tried bashing his way through a snowbank that had a pool of water below it. The snow however was much deeper than the clearance under our jeep. After taking 4 runs at the snowbank and not making it much further each time, we realized that too much snow had fallen and we were not going to make it. I thought we would be stuck but our driver just reversed back up the hill and turned onto the easier trail to the side.

We continued our drive along some more trails to the south-western coastline. We made another stop at some hot-spring geysers that bubbled up into mud pits and steamed boiling water as it ran into a creek. It reminded me of something I had seen at Yellowstone National park. We then drove all the way to the ocean before following the coastline to look at small farm villages and shipwrecks along the coast. After 3 hours we arrived at one of Iceland's most popular attractions, the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon is scraped out of the lava rock that covers this entire region. It contains 4 million gallons of water that is flushed out every 40 hours. The water comes from holes drilled deep in the earth and is mixed with surface water to bring it to the right temperature. Without a mixture of seawater and freshwater it would be much too hot to swim in. With the water comes silica which is a white sandy substance that is ankle deep in places. This creates a milky blue color in the water that makes it impossible to see below the surface. The baby blue colour however is so striking that it makes you wonder what is in the water. A mist of steam continually blew across the surface of the water as first a cold rain and then snow blew down on us. It was too cold to stay outside but the temperature of the water was perfect.

After having been awake for 1.5 days I started dozing off as we drove the 40 minutes back to our hotel. It was a fun day full of an adventurous trip that had me anxious for even more.

Crystal Cruises


After spending a week on Crystal Cruises I have to say I was impressed. The service was by far superior to that of any cruise I have been on before. From the time we boarded the ship to the day we left I was astounded at the relaxing atmosphere and attention to detail. When boarding the ship I was quickly checked in and in less than 5 minutes had my key card and was ready for my week on the sea. It was obvious that the cruise staff to ship guest ratio is high as there were people everywhere ready to assist and serve the passengers. The ship was spotless and there was never a time when anything seemed to be out of place.


Our itinerary started in Athens and ended in Rome with stops in the Greek islands, Turkey and Italy. Each of the ports had great excursion opportunities and they were very well organized. It was an exceptional cruise.

Cinque Terre

The 5 lands of Italy are five remote villages perched along the Mediterranean Coast. The four towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola and Riomaggiore hug the shoreline while Corniglia rests high on a cliff face overlooking the sea with its clock-tower church. While staying in this hilltop village of Corniglia for a few days I had the opportunity to look back into old Italy with its friendly villagers and cobblestone streets.

We arrived after a 4 hour rickety train ride from Rome. While access to this village in the past was exclusively by boat, a local commuter train now slices through the mountain in a series of long tunnels that mole through the cliffs surrounding each village. A windy road also skirts the hills that have been terraced by its ancient villagers from years past. Over hundreds of years this region has been cultivated by dedicated farmers who built up stone walls that form ribbons of stone along the hilltops. Along these hills locals grow olives, grapes and bright yellow lemons. They follow farming traditions that have been kept for hundreds of years.
Arriving in Corniglia we were greeted at the train station by an environmentally friendly Green bus that brought us up to the cliff-top village. We fortunately were able to bypass the 368 steps in the heat of the day that was the only other way to the town. Among the many other travellers was a school group of 30+ kids who ascended the mountain to the village where we could catch a glimpse of what makes this region of Italy so popular.
Exiting the bus we were a bit bewildered on which direction to go... that was until we discovered that there really was only one street into this pedestrian only village. We walked the cobblestone street in search of a cafe where we were to pick up the keys to our apartment that would be our home for the next 3 days.
As we entered the village it was as if we were stepping back in time. The street was no wider than 8 feet in parts with tall three storey concrete buildings on either side. The occasional steep staircase ascended into alleyways to the side as white sheets and underwear fluttered on the clotheslines that were outside the shuttered windows above us. Along this main street, we passed restaurants, a pizzeria, bar, ice cream shop and the modern addition of the all too necessary Internet cafe.

Within a minute we rolled our luggage up to the steps of the cafe where we were to pick up our apartment keys. We were warmly greeted by the restaurant owner who welcomed us with a few caio's (pronounced chow, hello in Italian) a smile and a warm welcome. She called a friend to escort us to our apartment as she continued to sell food to the tourists looking for a bite to eat.
We continued up the bumpy street for one minute before passing the small main square of the town filled with tables, umbrellas and dozens of hungry visitors. As we mounted the first few steps that we saw in this town we were directed to an apartment on the second story of a building that was perched 10 feet above the main street. As I lugged my 55 pound bags up to the front door of the apartment building, I cringed upon peering into the door. Our escort was mounting a staircase that looked more like a ladder than a staircase. Our bags were so heavy and I was already sweating in the heat of the 28 degree Celsius weather outside that I didn't know if I would have the strength to attempt such a feat. The 4 or 5 inch wide steps looked like they had been built long before any building codes were invented.
In the heat of the day I decided I wanted to get the backbreaking work over with as I ascended the steps with the first of two large bags. After a short rest I descended the steps to retrieve our second bag.
Exhausted, I took off my shirt to cool down and sprawled out onto the bed with no desire to do anything els but rest. It did not take long however for me to regain enough energy to explore our tiny apartment. I quickly discovered room space was at a premium. While we had a bedroom, living-room and kitchen, there was hardly room for little else than a bed, couch and mini kitchen table that must have been hoisted up through the window.
The bathroom itself was a funny experience as there was no more than 8 inches of space with which to put ones legs while seated on it.

Within an hour we were rested enough to explore our surroundings. After climbing up to a viewpoint tower in the village, I discovered that elderly Italians must either have really short or really long lives. Up at the top of a steep staircase that left me out of breath, I saw an amazing scene before my eyes. Two 80 year old seniors were sitting on a park bench talking to each other as they looked out at the ocean from this cliff-top viewpoint. With all of the exercise involved in getting to such a viewpoint over the sea, these seniors definitely had to get their heart rate pounding a little faster. I know they definitely put me to shame with my poor fitness level.
Looking out from this Belvedere (viewpoint) we could see the next coastal village in the distance along the Mediterranean shore. This village in the distance was to be the first of 4 coastal hikes we had planned to take in the next two days as we set out to visit all 4 villages known as the Cinque Terre.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Staying at a Universal Studios hotel definitely has its advantages. Not only is it connected by a water taxi to the Universal attraction, but it also includes unlimited Front of the Line passes to most Universal Rides and 1 hour earlier admission.

When we arrived an hour early to the park, we simply showed our room keys and were directed to the popular Harry Potter attraction ahead of the crowds. While others were starting to line up already for the most popular ride (which is one of two Universal Rides that are not part of the Front of the Line program) we were able to go right in to tour Hogwart's castle before arriving at an incredible ride that twisted and turned through the castle following Harry Potter and his friends on broomsticks.

Following the ride, the bumps, jerks and drops had me feeling a little queezy but it was definitely worth the experience. For those planning on visiting this attraction during busy times, it is best to get in the much shorter single line-up. It may cut a 90 minute wait down to 10 minutes.

There are two other rides in the Hogwart village. Universal's Duelling Dragons have been re-branded as the Dragon Challenge while the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster is suitable for younger children and includes a great climb that overlooks the castle and entire Hogsmeade village before the initial drop.

Inside the village don't be deterred by the lineups for Collander's Wand Shop. Even if you are not planning on buying an overpriced stick (wand) for $35 - $200, it is a great performance as one youth from the audience is selected to let a wand select them as their wizard. The bad spells, lightening and other surprises only add to the wizard selection process.

The best photo stop is on the bridge which connects Jurassic Park to Hogsmeade. The pine trees below the castle are the perfect backdrop for a snapshot of Hogwart's Castle. For those needing a family friendly cold drink, stop for a cup of Butter-beer (Root-beer with a butterscotch twist).

I didn't realize the excitement I was getting myself into when I decided I was going to drive a thirty-one foot long motor-home into Boston. I had been to other busy cities so this should be no problem. The size and height of my RV however proved to give me a hair raising experience than I had least expected. One that not only stressed me and my entire family out, but one that left us with no desire to see the historical sights of Boston. Within half an hour I squeezed through enough of Boston to last me a lifetime.

I got lost after entering an underground tunnel that was taking me into the centre of Boston. This tunnel went on forever and had 6 exits with unfamiliar names. Being underground my GPS did not work well as it simply saw the road above me. I tried following its directions as best I could, but every few seconds it would say, “recalculating, recalculating, recalculating” until my already tense fingers were ready to yank it off of the windshield and throw it out the window. That wasn't going to make my predicament any better, I resisted, ignoring the Australian accented navigator that was telling me where to go. As far as I was concerned she had no idea of the stress I was going through driving such a large vehicle in a crowded city. She would just have to be patient with me until I was above ground again.

I soon realized that I was getting further and further away from my destination. I slid in between the traffic to my right as the other motorists blared their horns. I tried desperately to ignore them too. My family and I were only trying to visit a historical site in Boston, not participate in the NASCAR race that seemed to be zipping around us.

To my relief I made the exit and found myself above ground where my GPS could recognize the road I was actually on. It directed me to what seemed like the centre of Boston. I had been through many large city centres but this one was much different than the rest. The one way streets themselves were not a problem. It was the other motorists that zipped around us like flies in a window on a hot day. They acted like they knew where they were going and they didn't care who or what was in the way.

I looked at my watch and noticed that it was only 2 pm... fortunately far enough away from what would definitely be worse rush hour traffic. I let my fate be determined as I followed my calmly voiced GPS through the city. The only problem was that my GPS did not know I was an RV. Some of the streets did not seem to be made for my size of vehicle. I had to carefully manoeuvre around corners so that I would not rip the bumper off of the cars parked on the side of the road.

Finally I arrived at an intersection as the light turned red. The cars behind me were not very pleased at how slow I was going but I was just trying to buy time. The road was a bit confusing. I quickly surveyed my surroundings to discover that there were about 5 possible exits. It was unclear as to the direction my sweet talking GPS was wanting me to go in. As the light turned green I hesitated. Even with my GPS I was lost for the moment. The directions didn't seem to make sense to me. The drivers behind me did not like the delay and they forced me forward as they leaned on their horns. Flustered I crossed the road and moved on in the general direction I thought I was to go. Within seconds my GPS started saying “recalculating, recalculating, recalculating” and I knew I was in trouble. My Australian friend did not sound as calm as she once did and I didn't feel so calm anymore either. I was on a freeway heading out of Boston. I would need to take the next possible exit to double back, but that did not happen until 3 miles later. To my surprise, the closest exit was a toll station and so I had the privilege of spending $2 for the wrong turn I had just taken. My GPS, calm once again directed me back to where I came from which is when I noticed the “Cars Only” sign.

It didn't matter that the sign said “cars only”, my GPS was directing me to my destination and I was tired of driving around in circles. Did it really matter? I had been in Boston for only 30 minutes with my Motor-home but already I was having difficulty navigating around. There wasn't really a place to turn around anyways, except for a hotel parking lot. I continued on in the right direction.

Things seemed to be going smoothly as I continued down this four lane split highway that was leading me back into the city. It was like a freeway with two lanes in either direction, except the lanes were a bit narrower. I felt corralled in as the iron dividers parallelled our two lanes of traffic on both sides.

About 2 miles into town I noticed something that made my heart stop. It was another sign. This time however the sign was hanging from an overpass that crossed over the road I was driving on. The sign said “12 feet”. Normally such a sign would not cause me any concern but this time I was driving a very tall RV. I had no idea how tall it was... except for the fact that I had made it under a 3.7 metre overpass while in Canada two weeks earlier. I quickly did my math according to approximate data and determined that this was fairly close to the same height but I was not entirely sure.

As I approached the overpass it seemed a bit lower than what I was comfortable going under. With cars zooming past me in the second lane of traffic I started to slow down. The cars behind me were not impressed and leaned on their horns as they pulled over and sped past me. I came to the point were I was within a few feet of the overpass and uncertain as to whether or not I would be able to make it without taking the top off of our RV. My wife who was at this point panicking, stepped out as I stopped in the middle of the road in heavy traffic. She wanted to see with her own eyes exactly how close we were to decapitating our RV. After taking a quick look she opened her door and said, “There is no way you are going to make it!”

Drivers continued to blare their horns at me as they drove by. One driver however drove by silently only because he wanted me to hear the choice words that he had for me. Obviously my predicament was getting in the way of his quick drive into the city. Knowing that there was no place to turn around my mind raced through the limited options. The only way back was to drive backwards through heavy traffic for 2 miles. Being that I was driving an RV, there was no rear window to look through. I would have to do it using my two side mirrors. This was not a relishing thought.

I asked my wife, “Are you sure?” She walked back a few feet from the RV and climbed up on an embankment that was to the side of the road to try to get a better perspective. She shook her head, unsure as to whether or not I would be able to even attempt such a feat. I inched forward slowly paying close attention to the anguished looks on her face. I heard the antennae on the RV bounce off of the overpass above us as the front half of our RV cleared. Then as we continued through ever so slowly my wife could see as about one quarter of an inch remained between the air conditioning unit on our motor-home and the overpass above us. Within seconds she was back in the RV totally embarrassed by the honks and choice words that were being directed at us. She was only too happy to hide inside.

We all breathed a sigh of relief as we continued on our way into Boston. I was tired of driving in the city and wanted to just park the RV somewhere safe. Finally we came to the first exit in 3 miles and were anxious to take it and get off of this road. That is when we noticed the sign on the overpass. This one said “11 feet”. We all looked in horror at this sign not knowing if this was some kind of practical joke or if it was real. We had barely made it under a twelve foot overpass. There was no way we would make it under an eleven foot overpass.

We were so close to the end of this highway and could see the exit just 100 feet in the distance. We pulled out into the exit lane as it approached the overpass. How on earth was I going to be able to back up this big beast of a vehicle for three miles I thought to myself. I was in the most impossible of situations.

I quickly thought about the other alternatives. Could I somehow disconnect the air conditioning unit from the top of the RV? Would I have to make myself smaller by deflating my tires in order to get out of Boston? That is when I noticed a slight dip in the road to the right hand side of the road. I slowly inched forward as my wife got out once again to survey the situation. This time however she was not able to get a level view of the top of our motor-home. 11 feet on the other hand seemed absolutely impossible. Fortunately there was enough room here for the cars taking the exit to go around me without any problem and so I took my time.

We all held our breath thinking of our monstrous vehicle as a tiny Austin-Mini. We envisioned ourselves as the smallest little vehicle and held our breaths as we inched forward. Once again we heard our antennae smack the overpass above us which seemed to break our concentration. A silent prayer went out as I continued to inch forward hoping not to hear the air conditioning unit as it was ripped off of the top of our beastly vehicle.

To my absolute astonishment we went under the overpass and nothing fell on the ground behind me. It was indeed a miracle and our silent prayers were answered. We knew that this was indeed a sign that Boston was no place for an RV and no place for us. I promised myself at that moment that if I ever return to Boston in the future, I would fly there and have someone else do the driving. As I redirected my female GPS to a place far from this city, I only hoped that this time she would find me a route with no overpasses. Thanks to this incident I had nightmares about overpasses. For weeks later I had to recoil my head into my shoulders like a scared tortoise as I passed under each and every overpass.

Filing a Police Report in Guatemala

We decided that in order to save time and the cost of a hotel room we would travel through the night from Flores to Guatemala City and then connect on to Antigua. We had spent enough time already on the bus during the days and didn't want to use up another day on the bus for the 9 hour trip. I wanted to file a police report however for my lost video camera and so the owner of our hotel offered to take me on the way to the bus station while my kids went directly in a truck with another couple at our hotel.

We walked to the front of the hotel and he slipped his leg over his motorcycle and started it up. A bit bewildered I asked if that was how we were getting to the police station. He nodded his head. Fortunately there was lots of room on the seat and so I jumped on looking around for the non-existent helmets. I guess they are optional here. Before I knew it we jolted forward as I nervously grasped onto the rack behind my seat. We zipped and bumped along the uneven pavement zigzaging down the road. Our first obstacle was a bus that was going way too slow. He simply passed the bus as a small oncoming Tuktuk bumped along towards us. Fortunately my driver slowed down for the speed bumps that were located in random places along our route. I thought from time to time that I really needed to hold on in order to ensure that I stayed on the motorcycle. Then I felt the jarring bumps of the cobblestone streets of Santa Clara. I held on for dear life. I breathed a sigh of relief as we stopped in front of a run down police station hiding amongst a row of unmarked crumbling buildings.

My translator got out and informed the uniformed officer why we were here. Back and forth the conversation went babbling as I stood there a bit bewildered. I waited patiently wondering when I would have a chance to explain my story and file the police report I had come to make. The police officer then pointed in another direction which was out the door as he sat down and resumed his work. My friend came to me and said that we would have to go to another police station to file the report as the camera did not go missing in the vicinity of this office. There was another one closer to the bus station.

Tired I crawled back onto the motorcycle. As I did so I felt a searing pain on the inside of my right leg. Argh, the tailpipe. "That Hurts" I yelled to my driver. He laughed at me with no sympathy in his voice and said, "I'm sure you won't do that again." Frustrated with pain I thought to myself, "I hope I won't have to ride on the back of the bumpy bike much longer."

We rode to the front of the next police station which was only 3 minutes away. This office was as plain as the one we had just come from. The room consisted of a cement floor and four plain gray cement walls. One doorway opened to the back of the room and was the only other entrance other than the door we had come through. It was dark outside. The two dim bulbs inside made me feel like I was in an interrogation room as the light bounced off of the dull gray walls.

After a brief conversation in Spanish I was invited to have a seat in the plastic garden chair that was located in front of the lone desk of this barren office. It was interesting to tell what had happened to my video camera to this officer through a translator. It was a simple story of leaving the camera on the seat of the bus and returning a short while later to find it missing. The types of questions however that were asked of me were my Name, Father's name, passport number and the type of video camera.

The translated conversation only took about five minutes before the police officer swiveled his computer screen around so that I could see it and asked me to verify the spelling of names that were smattered in between the Spanish words of the police report. After making a few corrections to my father's hard to spell name and verifying the passport number on the screen, I gave my nod of approval. Without delay the report was printed, stamped and signed by the officer and handed over to me. I looked over the piece of paper with the faded gray ink that looked like it was the last of the ink jet printer cartridge. All of the information was there even if barely legible.

I was told we were done and my translator friend told me we could continue on to the bus station. As I cautiously got up I asked if I should provide my address or any other information to the officer in case the camera was found. He smiled to himself and said, “Don't worry they won't find it. They don't need any more information than what you provided.”

At that moment I had the feeling that if by some miraculous event the camera was found, the police officers would claim it for themselves. Perhaps a benefit of this line of work.

I carefully crawled onto the back of the motorcycle making sure to keep my leg clear of the burning hot tailpipe as we spun off to the bus station only a minute away. My kids were waiting there for me with our bus ticket. We had 30 minutes to relax before our bus was to leave... or so we thought.

As we gathered our things together we noticed that our guidebook was missing. This guidebook was a critical help to guiding us to the hotels, restaurants and tours we had been taking. It also explained how to get from place to place. Without it we were a bit lost and dependant upon the few English speaking people we ran into. After some reflection, my son realized that he had left the book on the bumper of the truck they had come to the bus station in. He ran around the bus station parking lot to see if he could locate it. After a few frantic minutes we realized that it was nowhere to be found. Could it have stayed on the bumper? Did it fall off after the truck bumped along one of the streets or over a speed bump?

I ran into the bus station and tried explaining to the ticket agent at the small desk inside that I needed to make a phone call. I needed to call my friend who had sold us the bus ticket and find out if he could get our taxi driver to retrieve our book. Inside the book was the voucher we needed to transfer to another bus that would take us from Guatemala City to Antigua. I did not want to have to pay for that bus trip a second time.

The ticket agent did not understand a word of what I had said. My gestures and finger pointing to the phone number on my ticket to Guatemala city met with a blank stare. I was getting nowhere fast. And our bus was going to be leaving in just a few minutes.

I left the desk and rushed around the bus station in search of someone who could help. This is when I spotted a pale looking Mormon missionary among a few Spanish speaking indigenous looking missionaries as they waited for others to arrive at the station. I went up to the pale American missionary and introduced myself before asking him if he could translate something for me. After explaining my plight he was only too happy to help me out.

He escorted me back to the ticket agent's desk, translating my story into Spanish. I asked him to request if I could make a phone call using the ticket agent's phone so that I could retrieve the missing book and travel voucher located inside of it. The ticket agent nodded his head and asked me for the phone number. I showed the cell phone number on the voucher and within seconds was speaking to my English speaking friend.

As I explained for a third time the story of the missing Lonely Planet guidebook he gave a frustrated laugh. He probably thought after dropping me off that he was finished with me, yet I just kept coming back. “So how come you keep loosing things?” he asked.

That was a bit of a sore point and I ignored his stinging comment. “Can you ask the driver to check if the book is on his back bumper and return it to us?”

My friend from our hotel said he would see what he could do but would make no promises.

It soon came time for us to load our belongings onto the bus. My kids and I kept looking around to see if anyone would show up with our book. Five minutes before our departure time a vehicle drove up and tooted its horn waving me to come. It was the taxi driver and in his hand he held our missing book. He got out of the car and placed the book on the back of his car explaining to me where he found the book, on the back edge.

Relieved I flipped through the book looking for our travel voucher. It was not there. Dissappointed I asked the driver if I owed him anything for the trip back. $2.50 later I boarded the bus only to discover the missing voucher in my pocket. We were ready for our ride and I was just greatful that we were on our way with everything we had come with. Everything including our guidebook was accounted for.

Day 5 - Dec 7, 2009 - Visit the Bank before going to Tikal


Banking In Guatemala
Monday morning is not a good day to go to the Bank in Guatemala. I hear Fridays are just as bad. People line up outside for hours waiting for the bank to open so that they can do whatever they couldn't do over the weekend. I was desperately low on cash. I needed to get some money and complete 3 other errands all before my 9 am bus to Tikal's Mayan ruins.

In the end I was able to buy my replacement digital camera, an overpriced ripoff memory stick for the same camera and some snacks for the day's excursion. The first bank I tried however would not exchange my travelers checks. I ran down the street in desperation and passed at least 4 other banks or bank machines without any luck getting my bank card to work or finding a bank open before 9am.

My kids and I zipped from place to place in half a dozen little TukTuk cabs. These convenient 3 wheeled cabs cost about 50 cents per person per ride. We could not go more than 30 seconds without seeing an empty red jalopy zipping along each bumpy little street. It did not matter how far we went. The price was always the same whether 1 mile or 3.

After a frustrating run from place to place I finally headed back to where we were catching our shuttle to postpone our departure by an hour. This I thought would give me the time I needed to exchange some travelers checks, enough to pay our admission costs into the UNESCO historic site of Tikal.

I rushed into the bank at 9:15am and found about 10 customers there. I already knew the drill. I was going to have to visit the receptionist at the greeting desk before going to the tellers to exchange my money. There were however two customers with the two receptionists and I would have to wait for them to finish. I watched impatiently as the receptionists took their time filling out paper after paper. It was as if they had nothing urgent to do. Looking at my watch every 30 seconds did not seem to give them the hint they needed to speed things up a bit. 20 minutes passed before they finally finished and had time to look over my ID and documents. My main problem however was that they had to fill out a dozen forms and enter a bunch of information in their computer before they could give me my stamped document that indicated the day's exchange rate. After signing the paperwork I rushed into the teller lineup to find 2 others in front of me. I only had 10 minutes to spare.

The problem was that the three tellers spent the next 10 minutes with the same people or in the back room on what seemed like a coffee break. They were in no hurry and seemed to be on a different time schedule than the rest of the world around them. In the end, the person in front of me spoke English and was kind enough to allow me ahead. It was already 10am, the time that the last shuttle to Tikal was to leave. My only hope was that the shuttle would be late as usual.

It only took a moment before I had the cash I needed in my hand. 45 minutes after entering, I ran from the bank as if I was being chased by a nest of hornets. I waved down the first TukTuk I saw so that they could take me to where my shuttle was leaving from. Within seconds I was bouncing down the cobblestone side streets of Santa Elena and over the bridge to the island of Flores. I was only 7 minutes late and to my relief, others were still waiting for that last Tikal shuttle of the day.

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Exploring Tikal
Our shuttle to Tikal from Flores took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I was just happy that I now had a camera to document the experience. I did however make the mistake of suggesting to our shuttle escort that we may want a guide. Before I knew it he was picking up a “friend” on the way that was going to be the best person to tour us around Tikal for three hours. The worst was that this guide was going to charge us $60 for the tour... probably a weeks wage for most people in this part of Guatemala.

Our guide did give us some interesting information on this historic site and showed us the shortcut paths, but his tour was rather boring and dry. I would highly recommend skipping the guide and bringing along the Lonely Planet guidebook that includes a description, map and summary of the Tikal site. The main spots to go to are the photographic hot spots which include Complex Q, Temple 4, the Lost World, Temple 5 and the Grand Plaza. My favorite view was from the top of the ladder-like stairs that went to the top of Temple 5. From here we could see the tops of the nearby temples and the jungle that surrounded the massive acres and acres of historic land. The Grand Plaza was fun to explore and photograph as we were able to climb around the passages and stone walls that were built thousands of years ago.

As we left Tikal we waited with about 25 other people for our shuttle. It was a mad rush as we all swarmed our 12 passenger shuttle van. My kids and I were among the last on the shuttle before another one was requested for the others that could not fit on.

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We pulled into Santa Elena just as it was getting dark we needed to find a hotel before it got too late. The taxi driver we selected to take us to our hotel was the one that spoke English to us, the one we could easily communicate with. As we drove to the island of Flores where most of the hotels are located, he took us to a shop where we could look at cameras to replace the one that was stolen. He even helped us select a hotel based on the fact that the hotel owner spoke fluent English. This proved to be a great help but the hotel itself turned out to be a bit of a cheap disaster.

The hotel was such a bargain at $3.50 per person per night. He even offered us two rooms that connected by a balcony so that we each could have a double bed. In my haste I looked over the rooms and accepted to stay the night without having a really good look at the details of each room. I had a decent bed to sleep in but Jaeden was relegated to the special spring bed. This bed had such good springs that you could feel each of the springs poking into your back as you lay down on them. I don't think there was any foam between the sheet and the springs. We gave him all of the extra pillows to make up for his bed but one of the three pillows felt like a sandbag while the others were of varying effectiveness.

The bathrooms were also void of towels, the shower curtain was garbage bag thin and had been tied back onto the shower rod a few times, our toilet seat was missing and when we first arrived there was no water in the sink or shower. After asking the owner of the building for water he turned it on for us but unfortunately the rooms did not include any hot water. It was so hot in the rooms that we were relieved when the broken fan was replaced for us. I had it blowing on me for the first half of the evening.

I was so exhausted that evening that I had no desire to switch hotels. If we were staying longer than one night I definitely would have moved somewhere else. As it was we headed downstairs for a bite to eat and waited 45 minutes for a meal while a rush of diners came in and all ordered at the same time as us. Our hotel host prepared our meals while checking 2 more people in with the help of his daughter. He definitely illustrated the meaning of multi-tasking.

It was time to head to our next destination. After jamming our backpacks into a taxi we zipped off for the bus station. Our plan was to take a 1:30 pm bus from Riu Dulce to Santa Elena (Flores) which is the base city for explorers such as ourselves wanting to visit the ancient ruins of Tikal. As we approached the bus stop in Riu Dulce the bus was parked directly in front of us in the middle of the main highway, loading passengers ready for the trip. This "Fuente del Norte" bus was 15 minutes early as it just passed through one city after another from Guatemala City to its destination. It's arrival time I did not realize was based on traffic, not a particular schedule. As I paid the taxi driver I had the kids rush to get our packs into the storage compartment under the bus. They lined up and I arrived in time to hand over 60 quetzels for each of our 3 tickets. After having experienced a comfortable air conditioned coach from Guatemala City to Riu Dulce we were a bit surprised as we mounted the steps to our new bus environment. Being the last to get on the bus we were among the 7 people who were relegated to standing up on the bus since there were more passengers than there were seats. This isn't a big deal on a short bus ride but on a 4 hour trip I wasn't looking forward to this Guatemalan experience.
The drivers assistant however had compassion on us Gringos and moved some kids around to share seats and invited Alyssa and I to sit at the front of the bus on his bench seat. It was a nice cool place to sit in the hot sticky bus. It also had a great view of the crazy bus driver driving. The bus however looked like it came from a school bus bone yard. It wasn't anything special as it was just to get people from point A to point B.

Being at the front of the bus under normal circumstances is a fine experience. Being able to see the road and scenery in front of you is great in a new country. This front row seat however was the perfect opportunity to see Guatemalan driving in action. The driver speeds up behind slower vehicles in front of him and pass anything he approaches. I learned from first hand experience that double yellow lines mean nothing if someone in front of you is slow. I also found that Guatemalan bus drivers can see around bends in the road as they have no problem passing vehicles in these unlikely places. Perhaps the most nerve racking experience was when the oncoming driver of a semi truck had to swerve back into his lane after narrowly overtaking another semi to avoid colliding with us.

As we swerved along my ears began to ring. The driver's assistant that was there to collect the money from all passengers kept pulling a string that connected to the loud horn of the bus. The horn sounded like it was mounted directly behind my ears. The money collector would toot the horn to wave at people, to cars he was overtaking and to vehicles in his way. He loved having control of this loud noisemaker.

The seats were a bit tattered and when I finally found a proper seat 45 minutes later after a few people got off, there was no firm bottom to my seat, just a saggy cushion. I began to wonder what would happen if something broke down on the bus. Would we ever get to our destination.

I didn't have to wonder for long because only 1 hour into our trip we heard a huge bang near the rear of the bus. The driver slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road. We had blown one of the balding rear tires. Well back at home a backup bus would have been called but in Guatemala they simple pull out the spare tire and get to work at winching the Bus up and pulling the 10 bolts off the tire. The flat tire however was the inside tire of two on the rear drivers side. The bolts were on so tight that a 6 foot long pipe was placed over the bolt wrench to pry the bolts off the tire.

About half of the passengers got off the bus to hang out the shade to watch the changing of a bus tire. A few of them got in and started helping the driver and his assistant as they got to work to remove the wheels and replace them with their bald spare. Within 45 minutes we were back on the bus and on our way again.

Day 4 - Dec 6, 2009 - Backpacker Hotel & Orphanage Day 2

The Backpacker Hotel was a unique and inexpensive hotel for us to stay in. At $10 per night for a private room for the three of us there was no reason to complain about the simple and basic accommodation we found there. The Backpacker Hostel/Hotel is located along Riu Dulce and hangs over the water of the river. I felt like I was in Venice. Our rooms perched over the water and boardwalks connected it to the hotel lobby and waterfront restaurant.
The Backpacker Hotel employs older children from the Orphanage so they can gain work and hospitality experience. It is an amazing operation as they are able to help support themselves and the rest of the kids in the orphanage. On top of all this the prices at the restaurant where we ate all of our meals were so reasonable. Finally after our second night it was time to check out early in the morning and put our bags in storage.

We spent the first half of our day again at the Casa Guatemala Orphanage. To start the day off we helped the volunteers who were on kitchen duty. While Alyssa washed the dishes and sifted through the black beans to pull out rocks, Jaeden and I were given 25 pounds of black dirt covered potatoes to scrub clean. I didn't expect potatoes to take so long to scrub but they were dirty, fresh from the garden. By the time we were done they were going to need a bit of peeling and chopping but given our limited scrubbing utinsils we polished up the potatoes as best we could so they could be turned into fries.
After Alyssa and Jaeden went to the play area and passed out a bunch of tennis balls that they had brought for the kids. The young 4 to 7 year olds that were lucky enough to get a ball spent the next hour playing games and tossing the balls around. They were intrigued by Jaeden's ball juggling abilities and watched in awe.
Eventually the older 8 to 18 year olds started a game of Soccar that Jaeden was only too happy to play along with. Sports are great games that don't require the use of language comprehension. He fit right in and played along in his flip flop footwear. Perhaps not the most practical of footwear.
We were sad to leave Casa Guatemala. The kids expressed how they had wished we could stay longer and get to know each of the orphans that live here a little bit better. The orphanage and Backpacker hotel which employs and supports this facility are great places to visit on a trip to Guatemala.

URGENT HELP NEEDED - Click Here to Support Casa Guatemala's Children

Day 3 - Dec 5, 2009 - Casa Guatemala Orphanage
We had an inspiring day at the Casa Guatemala Orphanage. Following a rushed breakfast we boarded the boat that would take us to the orphanage at 7:30am. It was a leisurly 20 minute boat ride that hugged the shoreline eastwards along the inlet. Our boat driver was taking his time and did not pick up the pace until 10 minutes into the trip when one of his friends tried zipping past us. This gave him the incentive to show his friend what his motor could do and shortened our trip to Casa Guatemala by at least ten minutes.

The orphanage wraps around the shoreline and has a number of overwater docks and buildings that allow supplies to be brought by boat. The medical center, administrative office, library and boys dorms are located over the water and are connected to the rest of the orphanage by long narrow boardwalks. There are many other buildings that we toured around the orphange which included classrooms, the girls dorms, nursery for kids ages 3 to 5, volunteer houses, covered concrete play area with staircase style concrete seating to one side, a kitchen and eating area. The buildings were simple, plain and some are desperately in need of repair. With operating expenses around $11,000 per month it is obvious that some repair jobs are sacrificed for other more urgent needs.

What is unique about Casa Guatemala is that it is located in a rural area with acres of forest around them. Because of the amount of land that the orphanage has, they have built a farm on the edge of the orphanage. While the original intent was to help build a self sustaining environment for the children, this lofty goal has deteriorated somewhat due to the time and work required. While we saw 200 chicks being raised to become meat chickens in the loft of the animal barn, most of this gigantic building is now falling apart and empty. At one point in time laying hens were located here but perhaps due to the cost of chicken feed and work involved it has become a bit run down and largely empty.
Scattered throughout the property are pigs and cows that are also butchered and used for food. At one point in time there was a bio-fuel composter that would turn the animal waste into fuel. This however is no longer operating. Also in the same vicinity there is a massive empty concrete fish farm tank. Many years ago the Rotary club built this facitily to help the children become self sufficient. Perhaps due to decreased funding in recent years this is not currently being used.

What is used however are the acres of farmland to grow some of the food that is consumed by the children. Papayas, bananas, corn, noni, leafy greens and other foods are grown in the gardens and greenhouses that border the land around the farm. The children are educated twice weekly for two hours on how to grow and cultivate food. Agriculture is an important part of their curriculum from an early age.

Volunteers are welcome to apply to work at Casa Guatemala and is one of the most affordable working opportunities I have seen. For under $250 per week a person can have a place to sleep, 3 meals a day and transportation to and from the orphanage by boat. If a volunteer is willing to work for 3 or more months, a one-time $300 contribution is requested. It is hard however to come to this orphanage and not feel that there must be more that a person can do. The children do genuinely seem happy as they interact with the volunteers that act and take responsibility for them as if they were their own parents. Although we arrived on a Saturday when little activity was happening, sports and handicraft activities were planned on a set schedule to occupy the kid's time and give them some constructive things to do.

It was interesting to see how a number of boys were also constructing a fish trap to put into the shallow waters by their dorm room. They apparently enjoy fishing and had created a trap that would be placed into the water and help them gather fish to eat. While these boys were figuring out a solution to catching fish, other kids were busy making wreaths and decorating gift bags that Santa was going to use to give gifts to 600 other children in the community.

During the months of November and December most of the children have returned to their homes for their summer holidays. As a result only 45 of the children who don't have a home to go to, stay at the orphanage. This creates a more intimate setting for the 35 volunteers that are currently running the orphanage.

By the time we finished our Saturday at the orphanage we had gained fond memories of the children and volunteers who put their heart into their work. It was obvious that this organization does need a great deal more help in order to complete important repairs and fill the needs of these children. My children were touched by the simplicity of life that these children enjoy. It was an experience that we will not forget.

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Rio Dulce is a shabby town that tightly grips the edge of a main highway. Open air shops with their awnings greet passers-by as they fight for walking space between the shops and the road. There are in fact no sidewalks and the shops are litteraly on the road. The only way to walk from shop to shop is to share the main road with cars. My kids enjoyed shopping for goods in this little town of outdoor markets. For them it was like one giant dollar store village that sold items such as baseball caps $3, wallets $2, switch blade knives $4 and other items. Many people with sailboats and yachts live in this area for extended periods of time due to the low cost of living. One can eat all of their meals in restaurants for under $15 per day. It is a lively little town and a great deal of fun to walk around during daylight hours.

Day 2 - Dec 4, 2009
Our second day in Guatemala has been full of memorable moments and great learning experiences... but sometimes the learning experiences are not the ones I want.
Our clean rooms with its baby blue trim woke us up early in the morning thanks to its bright skylights. We needed to get ready because our ride to the bus station was picking us up at 8am. Our driver who had brought us the night before to our hostel was already waiting outside before we had zipped up the last of our backpacks. He patiently waited.

We decided that since we had an hour before the bus was to leave to Rio Dulce, we would make some stops along the way to exchange some money at the bank, eat a $3 breakfast at a McDonald's drive-thru and stock up on drinking water for our 6 hour bus trip. We arrived at the bus station with only 5 minutes to spare... or so we thought. I rushed to the ticket counter with my backpacks in hand and blurted out my destination with a horrible Spanish accent, "Rio Dulce por favor".

My statement was not received with the reaction I had anticipated. I was in a hurry and did not want to miss the bus. The girl at the ticket counter tryed telling me something in Spanish that my limited knowledge of greetings and the numbers one to ten could not comprehend. She was shaking her head. I understood what that means and this was not a good sign. She motioned one of the security guards over to translate. In his broken English he explained to me that the bus was full and the next one would not be until 11:30 am. We were going to have to wait for two and a half hours! This bus station was not situated in the best of places. A congested parking lot barely big enough for three busses in the heart of a crowded city. Peddlers were shining shoes, selling watches and all sorts of other trinkets. (Read Jaeden's Blog on his $1.50 designer sunglasses).[/URL]

As I exited the bus station with disappointment all over my face to break the news to my two kids who were waiting outside, I saw another lady with my kids holding a cooler packed full of food and ice. She wanted us to bring this cooler to the orphanage we were going to and was disappointed to hear we would have to wait a bit longer. The ice was not going to last and she too would have to bring it back later. Fortunately this lady had a cell phone and so she called our driver and had him come back for us. We were not going to have to wait after all!

Within a few minutes our trusty driver was back and ready to give us a tour of the city. Unfortunately he didn't speak more than a few words of English so it was a rather simple tour. It mainly consisted of "Spanish Plaza", "Palace" and "Liberty Street". He parked near Central Park which was a large empty fountain in the center of a square full of a tent city of shops. This square faced the grandoise National Palace which was built in the early 1900's as government offices. Our driver escourted us to the front entrance where we were told tours are no longer free but require a 40 quetzal ($4.80) ticket. With nothing else to do, we went in and waited a few minutes until an English speaking guide was found.

The National Palace was intricately carved with woodwork, an imported 2 ton Polish chandelier and naturally green stone columns. It was a beautiful palace that is being well preserved. The two large courtyards are covered with large canopy's to keep them dry. Large paintings wrap around the walls of the large staircases. Our guide spoke great English and was able to give us a great history lesson on the Mayan people and Spanish Conquerors. As we were leaving the Palace we noticed a ceremony in one of the courtyards. Upon questioning our guide she explained that at 11am every day there is a changing of the rose ceremony where different groups or people gather, have speeches and watch someone replace a rose that is cupped in some stone hands. The person given the honor of replacing the rose is selected because of their community work and involvement. Apparently this ceremony is repeated every day. Behind this bronze sculpture we saw the flame of peace that was lit by the Dhali Llama less than 10 years ago.

Following our tour we walked around Central Park. I asked permission from a few ladys selling clothing in their outdoor booth if I could take their photo and they agreed. In Guatemala it is impolite and rude to take photos of people without asking. I took a few more photos as I headed back to where our car was parked.

Our next stop was at Parque Minerva. Apparently it is a Park that has a relief map of the country of Guatemala. We could see from a distance the mountains and volcanos that made up part of the three dimensional map. The admission price however was 25 quetzal's for tourists and 5 quetzal's for locals. The kids were not so keen on looking at an oversized outdoor map and so we decided to head back to the bus station.

We returned to the bus station with 30 minutes to spare and sat down to wait... big mistake. We were once again given the red ice and food filled cooler to take to the orphanage along with our 4 backpacks. By the time we went to the bus ten minutes prior to leaving, the storage space under the bus was already full! After turning us away we returned more insistant than ever that some space be found. They looked at the jigsaw puzzle of items under the bus again before humming and hawing and moving some other items out. They then placed our cooler and large pack in this newly empty place. That meant we only had our 3 packs left to place at our feet for the 6 hour bus ride.

Before we mounted the bus, we first had to pass the token security personnel. They searched our bags and checked us over with a metal detector to ensure the bus would be safe for the journey. Apparently in the past there have been problems with highway robberies. These busses are a bit unique. First of all sitting next to the driver in the front is an armed security guard that joined us for the entire trip. Periodically he would make his way through the bus to make sure everything was ok before returning to his seat. Between us passengers and the driver at the front was a locked glass door. In order to get out, the bus driver or security guard would have to open this locked door to let us through. Long distance bus security in Guatemala is taken just as serious as Airplane security.

As we were about to leave Jaeden decided that he needed to go to the washroom. He was out of luck though as the security guard would not open the door and the driver pulled out. He would just have to wait. We didn't stop for about an hour and when we did, he dashed out. The driver was showing no signs however of wanting to wait at all. As soon as a few people boarded the bus he started to edge the bus forward. He moved forward and stopped about 4 times before Jaeden rushed out and saw him trying to leave. He darted in front of the bus and was onboard in a flash.

Throughout the entire 6 hour trip we had a number of 2 minute stops and one twenty minute stop about half way through the trip. The longer stop was at a restaurant where it was obvious the drivers received a kickback for taking us there. They sat on an elevated platform in a private seating area and enjoyed a meal at the same time as the rest of us. Meals in Guatemala are very inexpensive however at only $3 per person.

As we approached our destination in the town of Rio Dulce we asked the driver to drop us off before the long bridge which went to the city. This was done with the intent that we would shorten our walk to our hostel from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. We frantically grabbed our bags as they stopped in the middle of the road, jumped out of the bus and scrambled to get our things from under the bus.
We didn't realize until about 20 minutes later that something was missing! Our video camera!

Upon realizing that we had no camera to take photos or videos we frantically asked the front desk of the hostel for help. We had them call the bus station to ask for the camera. When we received no response we asked that someone take us to the bus station as quickly as possible. The hostel security guard grabbed a flashlight and told us to get into the Backpacker Hostel's boat. Since this hostel is located over the water of a lake we darted across the narrow channel to the other side. We scrambled out of the boat and headed directly to the bus station only 2 minutes away (at the speed we were going). Upon arriving at the bus station we saw the cleaners going through the bus. When we explained what had happened they invited us to board the bus and have a look around. The camera was gone! Our brand new camera was gone!

Sulking and depressed I returned to the boat. The breeze cooled my temper as I sat in silence on the boat ride back to our hostel. How depressing. We had come all the way to Guatemala to highlight a few orphanages with photos and videos and would be unable to document the experience. I had no appetite to eat dinner and ran through the events that had just transpired over and over in my head. I asked the front desk if there were any places that sold cameras. They arranged for a taxi to take me to a shop that they said sold cameras. When I arrived there, only one camera was in the outdoor market display case. A basic camera for $200. I passed on the opportunity to be gouged and moped back to the Hostel once again.

That evening we spoke to a few people at the hostel who were volunteers at Casa Guatemala, the orphanage up the channel from where we were staying. The Backpackers hostel is run by the orphanage and helps support the work that goes on there. The volunteers made a few calls for us and arranged for us to borrow a camera during our tour of the orphanage on the following day. We had the use of their camera at least for the next two days...
If the first 24 hours in Guatemala are any indication as to the adventures we are going to have, it is going to be an exciting trip!
　

I really wanted a different type of vacation. One where I could still get away from the cooler weather of Canada but where I could have an unforgettable experience. In particular I have wanted to do something that allowed me to give of my time to kids in need. After 2 months of extensive research I have found a short itinerary where I hope to accomplish all of this.

I am bringing my two young teenagers with me and we are going to visit two orphanages in Guatemala. One in the East and another 20 minutes from Antigua in the West. We hope to share and learn from our experiences with these young Guatemalans. We also plan on posting stories and photos as they occur depending on our access to internet connections.

Day 1 - Dec. 3, 2009 Guatemala City
Our first day really was a simple, long travel day. We stayed at the conveniently located Fairmont Vancouver Airport hotel so wea were able to sleep in until 5:30 am before dragging ourselves out of bed. We had wisely checked in for our flight the night before since we were at the airport. All we had to do is drop off our one checked bag and make our way through the rats maze of security at US customs. I was a bit frustrated however as they wouldn't let me eat my oranges at the customs desk... they said it was too late, I think they wanted lunch.

Our flight to Houston was about 4.5 hours followed by a 5 hour layover in Houston before continuing on our 2.5 hour flight to Guatemala City.

In Guatemala City we had made some prior arrangements to be picked up at the airport by an Orphanage staff member. Since or flight arrived at 10pm it was a hassle free and convenient way to start our visit in Guatemala. We are not spending our time in Guatemala City but our first night is being spent in the city orphanage office where two small rooms, some beds and a private washroom are located for volunteers stopping for the night. It is a simple and clean place to stay complete with a wireless internet connection. In the morning we will be taken to the bus station where we will take a 4 hour bus to our first orphanage in Eastern Guatemala.

Day 1 - Dec 1, 2005 - Getting there from Quito Ecuador

Today was a big travel day. After having breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, we took off for the airport at 6:45 am. The drive was only about 20 minutes but our GAP representative had to direct us to have our bags x-rayed, tagged and then checked in. We were told we could only check in 7kg of baggage but I think everyone went a little bit over. Kirsten and my baggage alone was 40kg plus our day packs.

I think the main reason for the limit was not the airline but rather how we were to get to our boat and the storage capacity on the boat touring us around the Galapagos Islands. We waited over an hour at the airport before our flight boarded. Our AeroGal flight then left for Guayaquil (1 hour) on the West Coast of Ecuador where we deplaned and waited another half hour before boarding and flying 2.5 hours to the Galapagos island of Baltra. Baltra is separated from the main island of Santa Cruz by a narrow strip of water. After waiting an hour (and visiting the airport shops) we finally caught a 5 minute bus ride to a straight of water between the two islands. Here the water was the most amazing turquoise blue colour that reminded me of the ultimate postcard ocean picture.

We motored across with our luggage for the 5 minute boat ride and then caught another bus which took us through the south arrow straight road to the centre of the island. At first the island was barren and dry, but as we approached the higher altitude in the centre of the island, it became lush and green. This continued as we headed East the rest of the 45 minute bus ride until just before we reached the main city of Puerto Ayora. 5 minutes from town we transfered to some pickup trucks that took us the final bit to the boat dock where we boarded a Palapa boat which took us and our luggage to our main boat for the next 5 days.

We were a bit exhausted by the time we completed this day long trip around 2 pm so we enjoyed a lunch on board before our first Galapagos excursion.

The Pte. Ayora harbour was filled with dozens of boats of varying sizes. The most amazing part of it was once again the turquoise blue water throughout the entire harbour. Overhead were dozens of blue foot boobies that would fly around and then from 50+ feet in the air they would dive straight down into the water like a torpedo. Within seconds they were again at the surface of the water gulping down their prized fish. It was an amazing site to see these kamikaze like birds diving straight down from such a height.

Around 3 pm we boarded a small boat for the Charles Darwin research centre. Here we had our first look at the local wildlife. On the dock where our boat dropped us off, we were greeted by seals and a few enormous and ugly looking iguanas. They just sat there ignoring us as we snapped a few photos of them laying lazily in the hot sun.

We then walked about 5 more minutes to the Darwin Research Center looking at lizards and cacti along the way. Once at the centre we had a look at the variety of displays which talked about the Galapagos Islands and noted the degrees to which a number of the species were endangered or extinct. It also described the types of introduced species such as goats, dogs, cats, pigs and rats that have negatively impacted some of the islands and how they have been able to eradicate some of these introduced species from some of the islands.

The rest of the research centre seemed to be dedicated mostly to turtles and a few iguanas. We were able to get up close to a number of gigantic turtles that were over 150 years old. It was explained that turtles always keep growing. There is one turtle called George who is the last of his kind. They have tried mating him with other breeds of turtles for over 30 years without any luck. We also saw where they are raising turtles to the age of 3 to 5 years old before releasing them into the wild with a strong shell (before that the shells are too soft and open to predators). They had a variety of turtles in varying sizes with numbers painted on their shells so that the island they came from could be identified.

Following the tour of the centre we had an opportunity to walk slowly back through the town to where we would catch a panga back to our boat. We had 1.5 hours to look at the shops, collect souvenirs, and experience the flavour of the Galapagos people in the city of Pte Ayora.
In the evening we had a delicious dinner before retiring to bed early.


Day 2 - Dec 2, 2005 – Travel to a New Island

Our second day and first full day on the Galapagos Islands was filled with what these islands are all about. Birds, Animals and Geological wonders. Up at 6, breakfast at 7, out on the Pangas (small boats) by 8am. Our day started with a visit to North Seymour Island. It was a dry landing as we motored out to a natural rock outcropping and each of us hopped off of the boat directly onto the rock wall. Waiting for us were some seals who were sunning themselves on the rocks. The seals were everywhere along the coastline. The main reason however for visiting the island was t get a closer look at the different types of frigate birds that nest on this island. We wandered around making sure to stay along the designated path marked by the frequent double white posts that indicated the left and right sides to the trail. This is done so that people do not step on nests or wander aimlessly through the islands.

Along our hour and a half walk, we had many chances to see the baby frigates in their nests (for two years until they loose their white baby fluff they are fed and cared for by their mother). We also saw a few male frigates inflate the red pouch under their necks to attract their female counterparts. This was not as common this time of year as it was not the traditional mating season. Many of the nests where these birds were congregating were within four feet of the trail we were walking on. It was amazing to come so close to these animals. After passing through the centre of the island, we skirted the edge of the water where we saw more seals surfing in the water, lizards and an iguana strangely in a bush next to a baby frigate bird.

Our first full island visit was complete and so we returned to our boat to get changed for our snorkeling or scuba diving experience. Along the coastline of this island. I chose to do the scuba diving and so I slid into my wet suit and booties, snapped on a weight belt and selected a mask, snorkel, fins and tank for the upcoming dive. We motored out on a panga to a site close to where two other dive boats had gone, put on our tanks and fins before flopping over backwards off of the little boat.

The sea-life was more varied than I had ever seen before. On this dive, the current carried us halfway around the island so we had very little paddling to do. Among the sea-life we saw were plenty of colourful yellow fish, sharks, giant starfish and a swimming sea turtle. It was eerie to be under the water to see the life of these islands from such a different perspective. It was quite fun as well to coast along the shoreline in the steady currents to enjoy the sea-life below.

After 35 minutes underwater I popped up to the surface with one of the other divers to see the panga only a few feet away. He had been following us. The panga driver helped us take off our gear before we flopped into the boat like one of the seals we had watched earlier in the day. We met up with the main boat on the other side of the island as we had coasted so far and the others had finished snorkeling. We were then on our way to Sombrero Chino (3 hours away) while we had lunch and caught a bit of an afternoon siesta.

The nap was a special treat and the second one I remember taking since I started my 2 week trip. It was much needed after being on the GO nonstop. I woke up in the afternoon to see the most picture perfect white sand beach outside my bedroom porthole. The beach was surrounded by lava rock and had a small white sand patch of beach where dozens of seals would congregate. This was our first wet landing and so we all put on our sandals and swim gear before heading off for the beach. There was at least half a dozen cute little seal pups on tis beach and we had to ensure that they did not come up to us (mothers will abandon them if they get a human scent on them).

From this beach we had an hour to do some snorkeling. I brought an underwater camera along and was able to get pictures of seals and tropical fish. The colour of the turquoise water and white sand made for postcard perfect pictures. It truly was a breathtaking beach in the middle of nowhere as I could not see white sand along the coastline anywhere else. I would say this was my favorite beach and relax location on the entire trip.

From this point we took a short 15 minute walk along the coastline to get a different view of the volcanic geography of this island that had a cone in the middle and was tapered down on the sides (like a Chinaman's hat). Also we were able to see the remains of a hollow lava tube that came along the mountain down to our trail. It was a curious site and in a few places had been broken so we could see how hollow it was along its length. We were also able to see a few seal colonies with baby seal pups along the coastline. One of the seals were only a week old as our guide had mentioned they came by last week within an hour of it being born.

Following this short walk we headed back to the boat and cruised the waters to the island of Bartolomé. This is the island we were to visit the following day but rather than wake up everyone on board to travel through the night, they decided to do it in the evening. Along the way we stopped by Baimbridge, a hollow mountain crater with flamingos along the centre water shore of brine (mixed sea and freshwater).

We arrived around 7 pm when we had our briefing about the following day, ate our dinner and got an early night sleep. Its wonderful to get plenty of rest!


Day 3 - Dec 3, 2005 – Relaxing Exploration

RELAXING is the best word to describe today. We woke up after a good full 8 hours sleep at 6am, had a bit of free time before a 6:30am Buffet Pancake and fruit breakfast. By 7am we were off to go exploring Bartolomé Island. Again we had a dry landing on the rock face to the left of the famous and unforgettable Pinnacle Rock and followed the trail/boardwalk's 375 wooden steps almost to the summit of the highest volcanic cone. This island was covered on the side we explored with moon like splatter cones that were formed.

As we reached the top we saw a beautiful panoramic view of the islands below, the straight and harbour beaches that separated it from Santiago Island. It was the same view used in the movie “Master and Commander” as they spotted the enemy French ship on the other side of the island. A bit exhausted from the climb, we followed the same path down the mountain. As we were about to get into our panga boat we saw a great variety of endemic animals of the area. Within very close proximity we saw crabs, marine iguanas, pelicans and seals. As we hopped into the boat and were heading to the snorkeling beach, we spotted a pack of penguins directly in front of our boat. They were just swimming along less than 10 feet in front of our boat. It was fun to watch as they splashed around and passed on by.

We continued on to the beach where we were dropped off to go snorkeling around pinnacle rock. It was a beautiful view of the sea life and fish as I came around the bend to the rock. As I looked a bit closer I saw a stingray laying down under a rock overhang. It was at least 3 to 4 feet across.

As I continued on I was caught by surprise as three penguins swam by me. They were within 3 feet of me and were just playing in the water as they scooted along. I swam in the same direction they went in hopes of catching another look at them with my underwater camera. To my surprise either the same group returned or some different penguins came to pay me a visit right in front of pinnacle rock. They were swimming and splashing around me in all directions. This definitely was my most interesting snorkeling experience ever.

As they left, a few seals came swimming around to top off my snorkeling trip. They circled around me in enough time for me to take some underwater photographs of them and become a little nervous in regards to their strength and size. They just swirled and spun in the water and seemed to just be playing around. They too came within about a foot or two of me. It definitely was an amazing snorkeling experience.

Following snorkeling at the beach, we headed for our boat and bee-lined for a rock 20 minutes away near the harbour. This was my second scuba dive of the trip. After checking our gear we dropped down backwards off of the panga and descended slowly into the water below. This time we did not follow the rock but rather an underground shelf of terraced rock. On the terraces it was covered in a green plant that was growing everywhere. On this dive we did not see as much sea life. It was also quite cold in many spots as the cold water oozed into my wet suit a bit and cooled off my bare hands and head. I don't know if it was the temperature that scared away some of the sea life but we still saw a sea turtle, a school of barracuda as well as lots of fish swimming down vertically along the cliff wall. This was probably my deepest dive at 102 feet. Although not as interesting as other dives I was able to stay down for 38 minutes and enjoy a proper safety stop at 18 feet before surfacing.

After lunch I was able to catch another short siesta before our last excursion of the day. First we motored past Daphne Minor and circled Daphne Major island where we were able to do some bird watching. In addition to the usual frigate birds we were able to view some less common masked blue footed boobies. We then continued on for the North side of Santa Cruz to look at a Mangrove forest growing along the water.

To get to the Mangroves that formed little channels and an empty harbour, we took a Panga Boat ride along the perimeter of these trees. It was interesting to see how these trees would send off roots from their branches, through the salt water into the ground below. These trees seemed to thrive on the salt water and formed a natural haven for all types of wildlife. We saw dozens of varieties of birds including a closeup look at a blue footed boobie. Our boat must have been within four feet of him as he sat perched on the rock.

We continued around the bend even deeper into the maze of mangroves and as we did, we saw some splashing in the distance. We approached the area and then cut the motor off and paddled to see some giant sea turtles. There were at least 6 in a group, some mating. They rolled around in the water and splashed around for at least 5 minutes. We got some great pictures before moving on to see some birds. It was a magical place to see all the animals, pelicans and other birds perched in the trees. Behind the greenery of the mangroves were the parched moon-like desert lands of the coastal parts of the island. It was almost like an oasis in the desert when looking at those mangrove trees.

In many cases we could see the pelicans perched on the fairly thin branches of the mangroves. It was amazing to see their big bulky bodies balancing precariously on the limbs and sometimes walk awkwardly on the branches. In a few cases I thought they would fall down but they just fluttered their wings a bit as the re-grasped their footing.
That was the end of our excursions for the day. We had a great three course meal with spinach soup, rice, fish and chocolate cake with sliced peach for desert. Once again we were ready for an early night as we motored most of the evening to the cove between Baltra and Santa Cruz on the East side.


Day 4 - Dec 4, 2005 – Final Day of Lizards, Iguanas and Sea Lions

This morning we were awakened around 5am as our boat pulled anchor and headed for the waters between North and South Plaza Islands on the East Coast of Santa Cruz. By breakfast at 7am we were already anchored in the calm waters between the two islands. At breakfast Kirsten was a bit surprised to get a little something extra in her bowl of cereal. After a bite of granola she discovered some thick spider cobwebs in her bowl and could not stomach much of the rest of her breakfast.
Others in the group were also feeling a bit disgusted as they had already finished their meal.
Following breakfast we took the boat out to South Plaza Island where we took a walk along the cliffs on the South Side of the island. As soon as we landed however we were surrounded by a number of sea lions and their newborn babies. One of the sea lions were estimated to be only one week old by our guide as he pointed out the umbilical cord. Right behind the shoreline of the sea-lions we could see dozens of marine and land iguanas of different sizes and colours. Behind in the bushes where we could not go were their nesting areas.

As we mounted the slight slope of the island down the narrow section we approached the 60 foot cliffs that ran the far length of the island. Here we saw lizards, iguanas and hundreds of birds flying and nesting on the steep rock face along the far side. They would fly around together in groups. Also it was amazing to see sea lions at thee tops of these cliffs laying down on the edge. Our guide explained that these sea lions would scale the cliff walls as this was their area. Perhaps a little less desirable but more of a bachelors area if they were unable to claim a commune of heiroms as their own. Following our trip back to our boat (Cruz del Sur) the scuba divers of our group had a chance to go to Gordon Rocks (only 20 minutes away). They did their dive but did not see the hammerhead sharks they were looking for.

Next it was down south to Santa Fé island. We pulled into the lagoon just after a late lunch on a rocky boat. I was surprised a few of the pale people on the boat were able to stomach the meal on the rocky seas but they did.

We then had a wet landing on the beach where we were greeted by about 50+ sea lions and a few little babies. The walk was a short one but we took our time roaming the trails where we saw a large number of gigantic cactus and a few colourful land iguanas. It was a great place to take pictures of the turquoise blue lagoon with a white sand beach. In the distance it looked like palm trees on the far side of the lagoon but they were actually the same cactus that have no needles on the trunk, only on the upper branches that come out. They are a peculiar type of cactus. Many of them must be at least 70 to 100 years old as they do grow very slowly.

After heading back to the beach we boarded our panga's (boats) and were about to leave when we noticed about 8 shadows in the shallow water. They were identified to us a s reef sharks and they were just hanging around the shoreline around the territory of the sea lions. They were splashing around in the water under and around our boats. After a close look we headed back to the boat to get changed for a bit of snorkeling.

The snorkeling was not as good as the first day but there was plenty to see. Lots of colourful yellow tailed fish and a few rainbow coloured bottom feeders. There were also a few orange coloured ones mixed in. At one point I had someone take a picture of me with my underwater camera because there were thousands of small silver minnow-like fish all around me. They came very close and were so numerous that it was overwhelming.

A few of the other snorkelers saw a shark go by while others who had opted for a boat ride saw stingrays close to where we were snorkeling. After swimming out a fair distance I opted to accept the offer of the Panga driver for a ride back to our main boat where we had started snorkeling from.
The remaining 3.5 hours of the evening was laid back with everyone just sitting back to talk about our various travel and Galapagos experiences. Most sat down to relax with a drink before the evenings farewell Bar-B-Q dinner. Only 4 of our 16 people were planning on staying on longer.

Kirsten and I started feeling a bit sick from the bouncing motion of the boat. Our bedroom was in the front side of the boat and for 4 hours, the boat bounced up and down over the choppy waters as we motored from Santa Fé to San Cristobal. We decided after packing up our gear in our room that in order to make it we had better go to higher ground where there was some fresh air. So we headed up to the third deck in front of the captain's helm and laid down on the lounge chairs. Off in the distance we could see the lights of the city Puerto Baquerizo Moreno glowing over the horizon. Our captain was steering the boat in that direction. As we lounged around it was relaxing to lay under the stars. Although the area we were laying down on was covered, we could see a clear view of the stars, water and lights in the distance. Even with the bouncing motion of the boat, it was relaxing. To get to sleep we both had to take a gravol as the boat was not scheduled to arrive until 11:30pm and by 9:30pm we were already exhausted.


Day 5 - Dec 5, 2005 – Goodbye Galapagos

This morning we woke up in the harbour of San Cristobal to say goodbye to the intriguing and unique Galapagos Islands.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 – Day 44

We had a lot to squeeze into our last day on our Cross Canada Adventure. It all started with a stop at the Nk'Mip Native Cultural Centre. An amazing centre in the middle of the desert lands of Osoyoos. Our visit started with an interpretive hike along a desert trail in the blazing sun. Right from the beginning we knew it would be interesting as the kids were warned to stay off of the rocks that lined the path. It was a possible location for the many rattlers and other snakes that can become part of the tour. Although a hot day it was not unbearable and we learned a great deal of the First Nation's history of the region. We learned about the topography, geography and plants of the region before being brought into a pit style home for the remainder of the presentation. The kids enjoyed seeing samples of artifacts such as bone fishing hooks and snake skins.

Although we did not see any snakes on our tour we did have the chance to watch their daily snake demonstration which included the opportunity to pet a snake at the end. Our guide doubled as the presenter at the snake demonstration that followed our desert tour. She handled the snakes like she was baking bread, calm and relaxed as she pulled the slithering , slick creatures from the buckets that cradled them. In her hands these snakes were so comfortable that they slid around like a bunch of kids on a park slide. The snakes seemed to be enjoying the hour long presentation as much as the kids as we were shown different types of snakes and how to identify them. It also taught the kids what to do and what not to do when they encounter a snake. Many of the mothers in the audience however rested in their seats as if they needed to go to the washroom, sitting still as jack-in-the-boxes.

We decided around noon that we were going to have to start making our way back home if we were going to conclude our trip at a reasonable hour. Our GPS gave us our estimated arrival time at the ferry terminal and with all of the on-the-road delays that always come up we didn't have as much spare time as we had wanted.

We did however stock up on 200 pounds of peaches, pears and cherries in Osoyoos and then in the orchard stands on the road home. We couldn't resist driving through all of the orchards without stocking up on some fresh fruit to can for the winter.

We drove along highway number 6 that winds North along the Canada USA border. There were plenty of signs on front lawns urging residents to “Say No to a National Park” in the region. It is such a beautiful area that officials would obviously like to turn the area into a national park... but with a national park come the busyness that many of the locals obviously were not in favor of. No matter what happens, this region of BC is definitely a treasure to visit.

On the next stretch of highway we saw 5 provincial park camping areas (EC Manning Provincial Park) and a tourist attraction I wished we had left ourselves enough time to visit. The tours of the Mascot Gold Mine in Hedley, BC seemed like a unique place to visit. But with an estimated tour length of 4 hours we would need to add a day or more to our itinerary. It will have to be on our list of places to come back to.

As we neared the outskirts of the town of Hope we could see the massive rock slide that carved off the side of a mountain on January 9, 1965. It was worth a short stop to see the power of what mother nature is capable of doing when forces work on it. The entire side of the mountain still looks like it was only scraped clean yesterday as one looks at the massive boulders that litter the foot of the mountainside.

As we entered the Fraser Valley I looked at the estimated arrival time for us to reach the Ferry Terminal that would take us home to Victoria. I noticed that we had very little spare time to catch the 7pm ferry and could tell that it was going to be a tight squeeze. We may need to wait another 2 hours for the last ferry of the day if things didn't work perfectly.

Having a GPS is a great thing but as I watched the clock update our arrival time, first one or two minutes faster as I made some headway and then one, two, ten minutes slower as I reach heavy traffic, I wondered if I would make it. I seemed to be racing the clock, keeping my eyes glued to the arrival time on the GPS. I think I would have been better off turning off the GPS but instead I raced time the entire way.

We pulled into the ferry terminal with 5 minutes to spare and were the last vehicle on the ferry. We were so anxious to finally be going home and were grateful as we boarded the ferry to be heading on the final 1.5 hour stretch of our journey. Our cross Canada adventure was amazing. Going on a voyage is a great experience but so is coming home. After 2.5 months with 8 people traveling in close quarters we were ready to be home. The feeling I had as I closed my private bedroom door and fall asleep in a cozy bed that night can best be described by the old adage, “Home Sweet Home”.

Monday, August 24, 2009 – Day 43

I woke up at 6 am to two short toots of an idling logging truck only a few feet away from where we had been sleeping. It was then that the signs around us started to make sense. The signs had indicated that logging was only permitted from 6 to 9am in the morning. That meant that we were at the beginning of the day's logging on this old road. No wonder the pullout was larger than any other I had seen. It was large enough for the big trucks to make a right hand turn from the dirt road which was parallel to the main highway. With us in the way however, the driver was only able to make a left hand turn.

I quickly got out of bed and was in the drivers seat pulling out to relocate our RV when the logging truck driver drove by in the other direction as he added to short toots of his deep horn. He obviously wanted to remind me in a friendly way that I was in his way. We continued down the road and parked in the Ainsworth Hot Springs Hotel parking lot as we waited for it to open. It was still way too early.

By this time however, Teyauna our 1 year old was awake and not going to let anyone else sleep. There was no way I was going to get back to bed and so I pulled out the stroller in search of a morning stroll. After getting directions from the Hotel front desk, we mounted the dirt road behind the Hot Springs. To the side of the road was a uneven trail that ascended up the steep mountainside. It was peaceful and quiet as we wandered between trees and up to the sounds of a small waterfall. A creek was cascading down the side of a cliff and the soothing sounds of the water added to the tranquil atmosphere of our morning hike.

When the Hot Springs opened, the kids were bursting with energy, ready and waiting in their bathing suits. They wanted to jump into the water and splash around. Ainsworth Hot Springs are very unique. The water we were told is not heated by volcanic activity but rather from pressurized water. In the early 1900's the hot springs were used by the miners who worked in the area. In the past 50 years a swimming pool has been built just outside the circular cave that is the main attraction for these unique hot springs. The large warm pool, small ice tub and steam hot caves are all part of the Ainsworth Hot Springs. The kids were anxious to descend into the two foot deep water that seemed to sizzle our legs as we wandered to the back of the natural cave. As you meander to the back of the steamy cave you can feel the hot water dripping from the ceiling before arriving at a hot waterfall stream. It is a great place to sit down in the water but it is too hot to stay for long. I tried bringing my camera into the cave but the lens of the camera would steam up too fast to get a photo of anything other than fog.

The kids had a great time wandering through the cave and then would jump into the ice cold hot tub sized pool of fresh mountain water adjacent to the cave. The extreme temperature change is enough to shock any heart into pounding a thousand miles an hour. Fortunately there was the more moderately warm pool that we could hang out in for the rest of the morning. It was obvious that in the main pool area the water was a mixture of the hot-spring water and the cool mountain water, creating a relaxing environment.

We had to move on just before lunch to make it to our next destination. I could spend weeks exploring this area but we didn't have the time. We drove through Nelson where we stocked our RV up with groceries before spending the afternoon driving to Osoyoos.

The highway that descends into Osoyoos will make anyone's hair stand on end. Especially if you are in a motorhome. You slowly descend the side of a mountain winding around boulders and switchbacks as you look over the gorgeous valley and lake below. While the grade of the road is a bit nerve-racking the view is breathtaking... as long as you don't take your eyes off the road.

We had driven through Osoyoos last year and had liked it so much that we made a mental note to stop there when the opportunity came. This was it. Although we didn't arrive until about 6pm we were glad to find space at the Nk'Mip Campground on the lake. The Provincial Park on the lake was small and already filled up and so we went to the larger lakefront campground with over 200 sites. Although our RV site was not one of the ones on Osoyoos Lake, we were only a one minute walk away. The kids were quick to barrel down the hill in the direction of the lake for a swim. They wanted to spend the rest of the evening splashing around in BC's warmest lake.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 – Day 42

As we headed Northwest from Waterton National Park we drove through the small town of Pincher Creek. Along the horizon this town is dotted with dozens and dozens of strategically placed modern windmills. It is obvious that these windmills are taking over agriculture as the regions' bread and butter. I have been told that the windmills are having a direct impact on the farming and ranching as a rancher can earn $5000 per month by having a windmill on their property without having to do any work at all. Farming and ranching however require a great deal of work and don't include a guaranteed income.

The windmills however are mesmorizing and certainly did attract my attention. I had to make a conscious effort to keep my eyes on the road and avoid staring at them too long as they were a definite distraction. Its great to see windmills being used to create clean energy where there is plenty of wind to spare.

We said goodbye to Alberta for the second time on our Cross Canada Adventure as we passed into British Columbia. We crossed over the lowest pass of the Rocky Mountain Range at Crowsnest pass on the number 6 highway. Here we also had a look at the Frank Rock Slide where on April 29, 1903 a rock slide chopped off the side of Turtle mountain and buried a mining village at the base of the mountain. It left us in awe to see the massive boulders that had slid down the mountain and still stand tall to the sides of the highway as monuments to nature's strength and power. It would have been an awful sight to see this mountainside crumbling into the base of the valley. Boulders the size of large houses still remain, scattered across the valley.

Due to having little sleep the night before I was a bit exhausted. We looked around for a school playground close to the main highway but settled for a Nature Sanctuary that bordered a Tourist Information Centre in Cranbrook. The signs posted at the edge of the parking lot talked about BC's only turtles which inhabited the bordering lake. This was enough to get the attention of the kids who wanted to see if they could spot the Western Painted Turtles. They explored the lake shore while I enjoyed a short afternoon siesta.

By the time my siesta was over and the kids had finished exploring it was dinner time. We were perfectly situated next to a picnic table and the weather was beautiful so we decided that we would enjoy our meal outdoors. After being cooped up in an RV for too long it is nice to get outside to eat. Although it sometimes seems like a chore to pull everything out and drag it back inside again, the bees and the fresh air are always welcome... most of the time. Mosquitoes on the other hand we can always do without.

Rather than head directly west we decided that we were going to take a slight detour to Ainsworth Hot Springs. This meant that we needed to head North along the East side of Kootenay Lake. It did not look like a long drive on the map but with the windy road that hugged along the edge of the lake it did take a bit longer than I had expected. It was a beautiful drive however but my family passengers had to make a conscious effort to keep their eyes on the road to avoid the carsick effects that a windy road can produce. Along the road we saw an old 1800's store that I was surprised to see still was in operation. Apart from a few beach resorts and a glass castle there was not much else that I noticed along this shore to see. We were too late in the day however to enjoy any more stops. We pulled into the lakeside ferry terminal at dusk.

To get to Ainsworth Hot-springs we needed to traverse the lake. Fortunately the world's longest free ferry is located right here. Yes, envision that, a free vehicle ferry. While lingering an hour for the next crossing, I enjoyed exploring the neighboring beach with my wife and kids. We clamored over logs, tossed rocks into the lake and hopped between stones on the lakeside. I had to employ the low light settings on my camera as nightfall descended on us while the ferry slid into its boarding position.

We descended the ferry ramp which was tipping at an angle that made me cringe. I descended onto the ferry deck cautiously but as I peered into my rear-view mirror, I witnessed my septic pipe dragging on the ground. The lid popped off as I surveyed three gallons of effluent spilling out behind me. Humiliated, I slammed my RV into park and clamored out to replace the cap on the flowing septic pipe just in time to hear one of the ferry workers holler for a fire-hose. Embarrassed, I screwed the cap back on my pipe and ran back into the RV to hide from the dozens of eyes that by now were turned to examine where the smell was coming from. The lake crossing only took about 20 minutes and we were relieved to exit the ferry and be on our way again.

Ten minutes down the road we looked for a place to park our RV near Ainsworth Hot Springs. Without any luck we parked at a turnoff which had a dirt logging road leading to some caves that are part of the provincial park system. The road however said no RV's were allowed up the 7 km logging road to the caves. Too bad, we really did want to go cave exploring the next morning. We decided to just park here on the side of the road for the night as it was late, I didn't figure out why it said “No Parking” until the next morning.

Saturday, August 22, 2009 – Day 41

After travelling towards home through the USA for a few weeks it was time to get a closer look at Southern Alberta and British Columbia. One person commenting online on our Cross Canada Adventure route suggested that we visit Waterton National Park in Southwestern Alberta. It was a wonderful idea.

We headed directly for Red Rock Canyon which is in the North Eastern part of the park. Not knowing what to expect on this hot sunny afternoon we drove along the narrow road with some relatives from the area. The kids enjoyed being with other kids their own ages for a change and enjoyed the drive as much as anything else.

After parking our vehicle in the parking lot we took our picnic lunch to the edge of the creek that flowed through the canyon. It was an amazing sight as we saw the red rock cliffs up the riverbed. The red cliffs were separated by thin horizontal stripes of gray rock that sliced the cliff walls into layers. The gray colours added to the walls of the rock which called for us to explore more upstream. It was too hard to resist and so after a short lunch at the edge of the stream we all hiked upriver. We had been told that there were some natural water slides carved into the rock and the kids were anxious to go upstream to slide in the frigid water. We walked through the shallow water hopping from stone to stone while occasionally trudging through the water. Because of how cold the glacier feeling water was, I could not walk for too long in the water without my feet starting to tingle and feeling a bit numb.

It was not a long walk to the first water slide, only about 5 minutes. This slide however was less than 10 feet long and not exciting at all for our older kids. Our youngest 6 year old was content to slide around in the freezing waters a few times before shivering to shore for a dry towel. He had fun but with the shade around us, it didn't last long.

The older kids wanted a bit more excitement and so they headed on upriver another 10 to 15 minutes to check out the longer 100 foot rock slide. They spent at least an hour at the big slide before the cold got the better of them. They just repeated their slide down the river over and over again. Our 8 year old even braved the long slide in the frigid temperature of the water. When the older kids returned where the younger ones were they were full of stories involving their hike past a tangled mess of trees to the much anticipated and worthwhile sliding spot.

While it was not our first time to Waterton Park, it was our first time to Red Rock Canyon and definitely worth spending an afternoon at. The canyon had something to offer kids of all ages and was a beautiful sight to boot. We'll definitely have to come back to explore more of the corners of this large National Park.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 – Day 40

Bay of Fundy Tidal Bores – the River's Reversing Tides
As we had parked at the exact spot where the Truro tidal bores occur (across the street from a motel) we only had to wake up around 5:10 in the morning and walk out of our RV. Tidal Bores are when rivers which empty into the Bay of Fundy (where tides can reach 45 feet from low to high tide) change direction.

Rivers which empty into the Bay of Fundy will change direction at one moment in time when the tides change. We were told that this tide reversal for the particular day we were here would be around 5:27 am but that we should be prepared as it can vary by 10 minutes. These tidal bores occur 2 times per day and will vary depending on the tide times. While our 6 and 1 year old slept in the RV next to us, our four older children, my wife and I all prepared ourselves for this interesting phenomena. It happened fairly quickly. As we looked up the river we saw a ripple traveling upstream. It moved steadily up the river like a small wave. Within a minute this wave traveled up the river and around the bend beyond where we could see. That was about it. We headed back to our RV and just before driving off 30 minutes later the water level on the banks of the river had risen over 10 feet.
We were at a loss to find a place to look at the tides of the Bay of Fundy. We had thought to go to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick partly because of its name but after doing a little bit of research online, we found the place we wanted to go to. Only a few hours away was Hopewell Rocks. We did not realize this but we were only 10 minutes away from this location on day 28 of our trip when we went cave exploring with Baymount Outdoor Adventures. Had I known, I definitely would have visited then.

Hopewell Rocks
We arrived at Hopewell Rocks as the tide was going out. The best thing about this location was that we could not only see the drastic change in the tides, but we could also see the way these 45 foot tides carve into the sandstone cliffs of this coastline. The cliffs along this shore have been carved by these strong tides over thousands of years. As a result the cliffs are carved so that pillars stand alone on the beach in contorted shapes. The top halves are larger than the bottom half which is carved by the tides creating diamond shaped pillars that stand on the beach. Trees top many of these pillars giving them a rather hairy look. We spent hours roaming along the beach at low tide before it rose up and covered the beach we were walking along. We also searched out the pillars that looked like ET, a dinosaur, anteater and baby elephant. It added to the fun for the kids and got them to explore more of the coastline than I thought they would have otherwise seen. At high tide Baymount Outdoor Adventures conducts kayaking trips which circle around these rocky pillars. If we had the time I would have loved to kayak along this beautiful coastline.

Alma, New Brunswick
We drove through Fundy National Park and continued on to where we could have a lobster lunch in the fishing village of Alma, New Brunswick. It was a quaint little town where we could see the fishing boats at the bottom seabed along the docks of the bay. If you cannot stay for 6 hours to see both the low and high tide, visit during low tide. It is amazing to see how far out the tides actually go in this shallow harbour. There were plenty of choices for lobster lunches. At the wharf one could buy just lobsters or one could buy a meal at one of the many restaurants that lined the short streets of this town. We decided to have a sit down meal of fish, chips and lobster and were pleasantly surprised by the delicious feast we enjoyed. It was a simple little restaurant attached to a grocery store but the food was great.

St. Stephen's Chocolate Museum
We had a limited amount of time to get to St. Stephen which was a few hours away and so we had to move on before the Chocolate Museum we wanted to visit closed at 7pm. It was a few hours away at the edge of New Brunswick, our last stop before crossing the river into the United States. We arrived with about 30 minutes to spare. The museum gave us a look at the over 100 year history of a family business that has helped develop the chocolate business in Canada. There were a number of interactive displays that kept the kids busy. They were able to time themselves on what it is like to package a box of chocolates and watch a video on the history of the rare hand dippers who train for 2 years on the art of hand dipping chocolate. Perhaps the kids' favorite part was the chocolates that were located on trays throughout the exhibit. It was an all you can each chocolate extravaganza... and we ate probably more than we should have.

Goodbye Canada
It finally came time to say goodbye to Canada for a time. We spent 40 days exploring this wonderful country from Coast to Coast and it was a special treat for our family to see the various peoples and places that make this country the great place it is. The most common question we have receive is “What was your favorite place.” As you can see we have had many highlights and favorites. Perhaps the most unique part to our trip was the people we encountered along the way. While the landscapes, accents and landmarks changed from place to place we found a common friendship and friendliness wherever we went. It was a dream come true for us to visit our country and an opportunity for us to see places that we would like to visit again and explore a bit more in depth one place at a time.


The next 25 days will be devoted to places many Canadians can easily visit. Our return trip through the Northern and Central United States will bring us back home to Victoria, BC.

Monday, July 13, 2009 – Day 39

Due to our last experience having to scramble for some $30 bunks, we changed our night trip on the ferry back to Nova Scotia to a day crossing with Marine Atlantic. While this did provide for a scenic day trip, it did cut into the precious sightseeing time that was very limited.

When traveling on a tight time line the night crossings are best but one must plan ahead to reserve a cabin or bunk to sleep for the night on the ship as all access to vehicles is cut off after the ship departs.
On the ship there was live entertainment in the bar, plenty of food options (although the cafeteria periodically closes), sporadic and slow internet access (much better if you sit in the paid lounge at the top of the ship where the wireless router is located), quiet dark lounges, bunks and cabins. We checked in at 9:30 am, left at 10:30 am and arrived in North Sydney, Nova Scotia around 3:30 pm (including the 30 minute time change that we gained).

We had planned on driving the Cabot Trail but due to arriving so late into Nova Scotia had to put it on our list of things yet to do. We drove through Cape Breton late in the night to Truro where we planned on watching the Tidal Bore's at 5:27 am the next morning. We parked at the exact spot where we were going to get up early in the morning.

Sunday, July 12, 2009 – Day 38

A Lighthouse and Slate Covered Beach
It was Sunday and our only day to explore Gros Morne National Park. We had been warned that to properly explore this park one needs to spend 3 to 7 days. We quickly could see why. The area that this park covered was enormous and the types of things to see were so varied. We did not have time to take the boat trip in the park which would have involved a 1 to 2 km hike before a boat trip that would take us into the Fjords of the parks largest lake. Instead we went to a National Historic site that was located inside of a Lighthouse.

The lighthouse itself did not interest the kids much as it was mostly a visual description on the early settlers of the area with photos and description panels. What did interest them however was exploring the trails around the lighthouse. After walking around the lighthouse itself, they walked down to the shoreline which was filled with slate. They were so excited to see so much slate for them to pick through. After seeing the Halifax Citadel's Schoolhouse demonstration on writing on slate, they were anxious to have some slate boards of their own. They each came back from the beach with picture frame sized pieces of slate and slate pens to write with. To erase their work from the board they just had to wet the board down. As with all other discoveries that the kids found and collected, we had the kids store their collections in a compartment under our RV. Too many feathers, slates and other rocks tend to clutter up the limited space we have inside our motorhome.

Art Lessons
Our next stop was to take in some free outdoor art lessons with plenty of natural beauty to draw. Many free activities are provided throughout the park and this was the Sunday activity. At a boat dock next to the Aquarium in the park, a group of University Students were providing art supplies and giving tips on drawing the scenery in the park. The kids went to work right away and created their own artwork to remember the park by. Where do we put it all?
With our ferry leaving first thing in the morning we drove the 2.5 hours to Port-aux-Basques. It was hard to leave this park as there was so much more we wanted to explore but as with any holiday across Canada, there comes a time when you must move on. The drive in parts was extremely windy and it was hard at times to keep the RV in our lane of traffic. The wind swept over us as we drove along the coastline. As we reached Port-aux-Basques the sun was setting creating a picture perfect sunset. As there were few service stations on our route we also drove into this town on fumes... but we made it. We quickly found a quiet spot behind a high school to park for the night and went soundly off to sleep.

Saturday, July 11, 2009 – Day 37

In Twilingate, Newfoundland we parked in the parking lot of a small hardware store in the outskirts of town. At 1am there were not many options and we were very tired so we quickly went to sleep in the most convenient spot. With an RV it is easy enough to park wherever there is space.

We were not there long anyways as we woke up early for our 10:30 am iceberg watching cruise. We had enough time in the morning to check in for our cruise, dump and fill our RV with water at the free municipal RV station and have a yummy breakfast. As we walked around the town and information centre we noticed that this small town was an extremely friendly fishing village and the people went above and beyond our expectations. With problems to our RV propane line one local person called all of the mechanics he knew in town to see if he could get someone to help us. When that did not work, he called a city 2.5 hours away until he found a repair shop that would be able to help us later in the day. With that taken care of, we were able to enjoy the highlight of the day which came next.

Icebergs up close in Twillingate
We boarded the comfortable boat with Twillingate Iceberg Adventures to explore the distant harbour where we could watch icebergs. We were extremely fortunate because only 2 weeks earlier a ½ mile long iceberg floated into Twillingate's harbour from Greenland and it had broken up substantially at this point. The icebergs were still enormous and towered high above our boat. They were in all shapes and sizes. One looked like the tail on an airplane, others looked like gigantic ice slides while others looked like floating swimming pools with tall ice on two sides.
The kids especially enjoyed sitting on the prow of the top deck looking out at all of the different bergs. Their favorite part however came near the end of our tour when our guide scooped up a chunk of ice from the water with a fishing net. She rinsed it off before breaking it up into bite sized pieces. This 10,000 year old chunk of ice tasted absolutely amazing. It was water frozen before air pollution and other contaminants could freeze into the water. After tasting some ice we made the mistake of drinking some bottled water... it did not even taste nearly as good and gave our taste buds a stark contrast of truly pure water to compare.
At the end of our boat tour we noticed a number of kayaks approaching the icebergs themselves. That too would have been an amazing way to experience this harbour. We continued our cruise by going outside the harbour to see if we could catch site of any whales which commonly frequent the area. Although we did not spot any whales on this trip, we did see what we had come to catch a glimpse of. Some up close icebergs. Although we could have seen the icebergs from shore, it would never have been the same as circling the frozen water up close by boat.

Extinct First Nations Centre
We headed off from Twillingate towards a centre that had been set up to talk about a Native First Nations group called the Beothuk. This group although now extinct had its last known descendant in the mid 1800's. This final descendant helped document some of the words, sketches and information about her tribe. In this particular interpretive centre we were able to watch a video on the researchers who excavated a nearby area. We also were able to see some of the arrowheads that were dug up as well as the items these people fashioned out of the nails and other metallic items they obtained from early settlers.

Urgent RV Repair. Just in Time!
We had to hurry on our way because we had an appointment to fix the broken propane line on our RV in the Newfoundland city of Grand Falls. There were no repair locations that could handle an RV in or near Twillingate. The clock ticked on our GPS as we rushed to our destination. It was Saturday and if we could not repair our propane fridge soon, we would be left with thawed out food and no way to keep things cold for a few days. Monday was our day to take a ferry back to Nova Scotia and so we were very desperate to fix our propane line.
We arrived at the RV repair shop at 3:40... an hour later than planned but with plenty of time we thought. To our surprise they told us that they were closing in 20 minutes and probably would not have time to help us. When we explained our desperate situation, they looked at our problem and backed us into their shop. Within 30 minutes they had our major problem repaired but would not have time to fix our broken steps or other 2 problems that had been bothering us for some time. We were just happy that the most critical item was fixed and that they were kind enough to help us out so close to their closing time.

Driving to Gros Morne
With so much distance to cover in Newfoundland with so little time to do it, we had to press on to Gros Morne National Park. After stopping for our first fast food bite to eat on our cross Canada trip, loading up on groceries and buying a few necessities, we drove until we reached a Campground in Gros Morne National Park. Fortunately they did have space for us because it would have been a long drive back out of the park to find an alternative. Although we had been warned to avoid traveling the roads in the dark, we did catch the evening sunset around 9:30 in the evening as it set over the ocean. It was a beautiful way to enter this amazing National Park.

Friday, July 10, 2009 – Day 36


We had lots of driving ahead of us and so we wanted to get an early start to the driving ahead of us. We wanted to visit Cape Spear and a fishing village on the East coast but our plans were quickly changed as we started to drive away. As we were pulling out for the day, the rear tire of the RV went over a curb.

I looked back and as we went over the curb I saw a burst of air blasting out from the area around the rear tire. I slowly got out expecting to see a completely flat tire but was surprised as it only looked slightly flat. This was definitely not how we wanted to start out the day.

Day Long Tire Repairs
In the rear of the motorhome there are two sets of tires side by side so I slowly drove over to a gas station across the street from us in St. John's. As I paid my 50 cents to activate the air compressor filled the tire to the pressure level I thought was acceptable. This however did not seem to make a visual difference in how much air appeared to be in the outside back tire. A kind trucker stopped by to help so I pugged the compressor with another 50 cents. This is when we discovered that only one of the two tire valves for this side of the vehicle were visible. There was supposed to be a valve for the inside rear tire and another for the outside rear tire. As a result I was only able to fill the inside back tire with air, not the outside tire that had hit the curb. I was not even able to check the tire pressure. He suggested that we go and get the tire checked out at a tire shop... we drove one kilometer to the closest shop our GPS could find but they advised us that they were unable to assist with such a large vehicle. We continued on to another tire store that this shop owner suggested to us but after waiting 30 minutes for them, they advised us that they were also unable to work on such a large RV.
Finally at the 3^rd specialty Tire shop they popped off the hubcaps to reveal the missing tire valve... what they did not mention to me was that the tire pressure was OK. They did however inspect all of my tires and informed me that they were all suffering from dry rot with the front tires heavily worn from being out of alignment. I was told that all 6 tires would need to be replaced if we wanted to make it back to the West coast of Canada. Yikes, all 6 tires. As I contemplated risking it and taking the RV to a US city or a larger city for some better tire prices... I gave in to the safety recommendation. We would spend the $1500 to have the tires replaced and an alignment done. As the tire shop had no time to do an alignment for us I called around other places to see if they could do it on the same day. After about half a dozen calls the service person said they could squeeze us in but that we would have to leave our vehicle in the shop for the day. Considering the 6 to 7 hour drive we had planned for the day it was not in our plans but necessary nonetheless.

Waiting
We took a cab to a nearby mall where I was able to make an appointment to have a chiropractor adjust my back that was still in pain from a couple of days earlier in Halifax. As there were no cabs that could accommodate our entire family we had to take two taxis. After arriving at the mall we soon discovered that we would not be able to spend the day here. This was a ghost mall with most of the shops closed and the ones that were open were mostly professional services like gas companies and doctors offices.

After my much needed adjustment that only relieved the pain in my back and gave me some ideas on stretches I could do, we all had a quick bite to eat before taking another two taxis to a larger mall 8 minutes away. This however was a much more successful place for a family of 8 to spend the afternoon. We were able to get a few things at a dollar store, buy some groceries, get some needed supplies at a department store and line up to get everyone's hair cut. Perhaps it was not a bad thing to have a day off to just catch up on some much needed tasks. A couple of hours later I received the phone call telling me that my vehicle was repaired and ready to go. I took a taxi to the repair shop and went over the repairs with the technician... it was then that I noticed the smell of propane. It didn't seem too bad but it was there. After picking up my family from the mall and driving two hours down the highway we noticed the smell of propane outside when we stopped. I looked at the propane gauge and noticed that in the past day, we had used up as much propane as we had used up in the previous month. I turned the propane off and had it filled up at a service station. It was then that the technician noticed that we had a propane leak... it was not my tires that blew when we went over the curb in the morning, it was the propane line that snapped and was blowing propane by the rear drivers tire. Argh! We were in the middle of nowhere and would be until late the following day.
As a result we had to turn our propane off (which deactivated our fridge and freezer) for the next day.
Well behind schedule we drove on to Twilingate before arriving there at 1am. We had an appointment to take an iceberg tour in the morning and didn't want to miss it.

Thursday, July 9, 2009 – Day 35


I slept great in my lower bunk on the ferry to Newfoundland. I don't know if it was because I was soooo tired or if it was because the ferry rocked me to sleep but I had a nice deep sleep.

We had plenty of time to sleep in as we were not scheduled to arrive in Newfoundland until 1pm. We took our time in the morning and I was happy to see that I was able to use the internet on my laptop to catch up on posting blogs and photos to our online adventure. Although the internet connection is touch and go (disconnects frequently) I had plenty of time so my hour of work took about 3 hours to complete.
We arrived in Newfoundland about 1 hour late due to a late departure. As soon as we exited, we were sure to stop at the billboard welcoming our family to Newfoundland for a photograph before stopping off at the tourist information centre. It must have taken us 1 hour with all the stops we made in the first 10 km, I was beginning to think we would never make it to St. John's. Then we hit the road construction area. In the end we reached St. John's just before 5pm as the attractions were starting to close down. Fortunately however, the National Historic Site interpretation centre at Signal Hill was open until 6pm and so we were able to tour around and watch the short movie before they closed.
Signal Hill is an old strategic hilltop overlooking St. John's and its harbour. From there one can see all around the city, harbour and countryside. Since the 18^th century it has been used to defend and protect the city of St. John's. We climbed the small three story tower build in 1900 at the top of the hill for some breathtaking photos of the surrounding area. From here we could see North America's most Easterly point, Cape Spear. As we were leaving we had the kids photos taken by “Tourist Shot-on-the-Spot”. Here they took our photos and printed them on postcards in their solar powered minivan, ready for us to send off in the mail.