Seriously big bumps! (Adventures in the Rocky Mountains).

June 24 to 29

Our next adventure was the drive up to the wondrous Rocky Mountains. Pretty straight forward actually as drives go but about 900 kilometers from Vancouver so we took a couple of days to reach the biggest bumps. 

Picture the scene. Big (average about 3,500 metres high) mountains, many still with snow on their tops and some glaciers that are testament to their volcanic origins, thousands of green and very tall pine trees and lots of water in the form of rivers, waterfalls and lakes. 

Unfortunately bad flooding in Alberta meant that we had to change our original plans and we couldn't get to Canmore or Calgary. However the drive up from Banff to Golden more than made up for this as you get to see the Rockies at their best.

 As well as pretty impressive mountains the Rockies have some gorgeous lakes. Lake Louise tends to get most press but nearby Lake Moraine and the Emerald Lake are also wonderful and the latter two are a particularly wonderful shade of turquoise blue. 

Emerald Lake

Mike at the Emerald Lake

Mags and Mike at a rather rainy Lake Moraine

Lake Louise

Mags at Lake Louise

Arty farty shot over Lake Louise!

The recent heavy rainfall in the area also meant that the waterfalls are pretty spectacular. 

Takakkaw Waterfall. The second largest in Canada

 Wild life is abundant around here with elk, grisly bears, white mountain goats and deer. Hiking beyond the immediate tourist trails has to be in groups of at least 4 people and the warning signs on the roads are frequent and varied! Sadly (possibly) we only saw deer and a variety of hawks, eagles and the like at close hand.

Watch out for the Elks!

As our accommodation plans had to be changed at the last minute because of the flooding around Canmore, we booked several bed and breakfasts on the hoof as we travelled. They were all very good quality and a far superior option to most hotels. The real difference between the b&b's and most hotels is the quality of welcome from the hosts and the personal service they offer. This was consistently warm and helpful. Our final night was particularly sociable as the hosts, Anne and Mike, put themselves out to spend time with us and their other two guests who happened to be from Essex in the UK and who live close to where Mike was born.

Sometimes called the "Nappa" of the North, the Okanagan region is full of good wineries. Our beautiful b & b was within walking distance of The Mission Winery so it would have been rude not to try some of their delicious wines. So good we went back for dinner!

Our self catering cottage at Solitude b&b, Sorrento

Solitude b&b. The main house

Le Beausoleil b&b in Golden

View from Lakeview Heights b&b Kelowna

Sunset at The Mission Winery Kelowna

 After all these fantastic views we came across The Log House. A crazy place with domestic animals such as horses and goats, dinosaurs in the garden and sales of everything from ginormous pastries to specialist sausages!

The goat turns the wheel so get food!

The Log House, a good place for a quick stop. It will make you smile!

Double Take Vancouver

June 19 to 23rd

And so on to our sixth and final country, Canada.  The lovely City of Vancouver was our first stop and whilst it lived up to it's rain forest reputation with a mixture of rain, cloud and sun it is a place that should be on everyone's bucket list. Mountains form an impressive backdrop with the sea in the foreground. Vancouver makes the most of its waterfront with a seawall walk around much of the frontage. We stayed downtown, close enough to walk into town and around the seawall.This is a City with lots going on. Jazz festival, dragon boat racing, lots of live music and drama to name a few. Also has a sense of humour with some interesting pieces of public art. 

Laughing statues (in midst of a building site)

Our first full day was very wet but was considerably brightened by a visit from Maggie's cousin (yes another relative) who name is Maggie Sherlock!! Is the world ready for two we ask ourselves? Luckily the coming together of two such great forces didn't cause an earthquake and we all had a good natter.

The "other" Maggie Sherlock!

The next day brought glorious sunshine and we were able to take the ferry to Granville Island. The ferry boats are really dinky, just like the ones you get for the bath tub! Very frequent and efficient though. 

The dinky Granville Island ferry

Granville Island is a lovely little place with a fabulous market full of tempting cheeses, sea food, meats, breads, cakes and fruit and vegetables. Don't visit when you're hungry! In the streets around the market are some interesting little specialist shops where you can buy everything from fine wines to handmade hats!

Met up with Maggie and her partner Nora and some of their friends in the evening. As it as the solstice we had to celebrate and enjoyed several bottles of bubbles! 

Derek, Beverley, Maggie and Nora

Spurred on by one favourable ferry experience, we boarded a rather larger boat to go to Vancouver Island. 
 

The BC Ferry from Vancouver City to Vancouver Island.

 

View from the ferry

This is quite a trek as the ferry port is about a 40 minute drive from central Vancouver and the ferry crossing takes an hour and a half. Well worth it though as the Island is beautiful with lots to see and do. We hadn't appreciated how large the island is. England would fit into it with space left over!










Our guides for the weekend were more Sherlock cousins, June and Ian and they were generous with both their hospitality and their time. Spookily we met them exactly a year ago when they came to the UK. 

Their lovely home overlooks a pretty marina so there is always lots of activity to watch. 

View from Ian and June's balcony by day

And by night

We visited the hundred plus year old Butchart gardens. These beautiful gardens are a must see. Full of fantastic trees, flowers and shrubs many of which we grow in England as the climates are quite similar. However Butchart must have special fertilizer as most of the plants are much larger than their English counterparts.

View over the gardens

A small water feature!

Mags, Ian and June

Lots of things are reminiscent of Britain on Vancouver Island. The BC Parliament building, red double decker buses and old style British red phone boxes to name a few. Mind you they do drive on the right!

Parliament Building with horse and carriage in front

But like the City, the island has a sense of humour. On Sunday mornings the little ferry boats (they look like the Granville Island boats) do a "dance" in the main harbour to music. Great fun and it brought a smile to everyone's lips. Apparently in warmer weather the boat drivers have been known to dress up in tutus!

Vancouver island has a nice shopping centre so although it's a hike to the mainland, you wouldn't need to do the trek very often. The following picture taken at Butchart gardens summed up the Island for us.

A glimpse of paradise. The boat moorings at Butchart gardens

Blink or miss the States!

June 16 to 19th 2013

Quick dash into the States or at least as quick as any visit to the USA can be. Understandably security is tight but the powers that be should really be able to organise the customs process better. We arrived in Los Angeles, admittedly a busy airport, to face a huge queue of increasingly disgruntled passengers. Took about an hour to get to a customs desk, have our finger prints taken and a shot of our eyes. And then we had a pleasant surprise - a customs official with a sense of humour. Having taken our finger prints she asked us to raise our left toes to the machine (some 5 feet in the air). "Well" she smiled, "you guys look so serious I had to make you laugh somehow!" Fabulous. 

That was enough of LA and we flew on to Portland the same day. No dramas there and we caught up with some sleep and tried to adjust to the fact that we were now some 8 hours behind the UK instead of 11 hours in front! 

In 1980 Maggie and her friend Sue went to the States and stayed with Maggie's relatives in Lake Oswego. 33 years on we went to visit the same relatives, Evlyn and Mickey. We're all older but their welcome was just as warm as all those years ago. Now in their 80's they still look good and have a huge family with 15 grandchildren and over 10 great grandchildren. Also found out that they eloped  over 60 years ago so that they could marry before Mickey's possible call up for the Vietnam war. So romantic!
Spent a lovely day with them in their home at Oceanside, a tiny little hamlet by the Oregon coast.Wasn't great weather and the walk on the beach was pretty blowy - very reminiscent of UK beaches!

Mickey and Evlyn, Maggie's American cousins

Oceanside beach with its three arches

Quick dash the next day back to Portland where we hooked up with another cousin, Sue and her husband Jon. They'd just returned from a trip to Europe so we were able to swop travel notes!

More American cousins. Sue & John with Mags and Mike

So a couple of interesting days renewing connections with family around the globe. It's lovely to hear what everyone's doing. 

So that was our visit to the States! Lots more to do on the next visit. 

A Farewell Tour of Rarotonga

June 13 -15th

The locals were celebrating, the tourists looking a little glum! Why? It's raining in Paradise and the Island is very short of water. Local prayers were at least partially answered last week as the rain came hammering down (or that's how it sounded on our tin roof) for a night and a day and then some. From a tourist perspective, we can fully understand the need for rain and would positively welcome it at night but this isn't a place where there's much to do when it's wet! However the rain does freshen the air and keeps the place looking lush and the flowers and foliage glorious.

The main attraction in Raro and its neighbouring islands are the many beautiful beaches and water based activities. You can swim, sail, snorkel, dive, kite and wind surf, paddle board and sunbathe. It's a fabulous place (in good weather) for beach and sea lovers.  

So as the beach was pretty soggy for a couple of days, between showers we did a farewell tour of Raro. It doesn't take long as it's not a big island but we've tried to capture the essence of life here away from the beach. 

The scene was set two weeks ago in the arrivals hall at the airport. At seven o'clock in the morning after a not very comfortable overnight flight, we were greeted by a guy singing with great gusto about the joys of the Cook Islands. Difficult not to smile at a welcome like that!

Our initial impression from the twenty minute taxi ride to our accommodation, was of an island that was similar to Goa in India and to some of the poorer Caribbean islands. The landscape is lush and tropical with lots of palm and fruit trees and colourful flowers. There's no obvious attempt at "town planning" here so houses, shops and other businesses appear where land allows, mostly around the main tourist centres often creating a down at heel style but with a charm all of its own.

Two weeks on and the similarities to other places are still true but the stand out characteristics are the sheer optimism and cheerfulness of people here. They clearly love their island and we can understand why.

Raro is a very fertile place and on an island where the majority of lifes essentials are imported, it's great to see that so much fruit and vegetables are grown locally and are therefore very affordable. A visit to the market on Saturday is a must, not least to see the selection of local produce on offer. Our quite modest fruit bowl has included local bananas (a bunch of about 20 for $3), paw paw, papaya, passion fruit, limes, mandarins, lemons and a pomello (see our Daintree Rain forest blog for that one). Coconuts are of course everywhere!

lots of fresh fruit grown locally

Fish is an important part of the local economy and although it was scarce in the first few days of our stay because of high winds at sea, there is normally a ready supply of tuna, mahi mahi, marlin and others. They are sold within hours of coming off the fishing boat and are mouth wateringly fresh. Such good value too. Two quite chunky tuna fish steaks for about £2!

Whilst there are clearly some residents who are better off than others, the general impression is of quite a low income economy with everyone working hard to make their buck but without any apparent cut throat competition with their neighbours. Several times we've been advised by the shop keeper to go to another stall or shop where they have a better selection or a cheaper price! 

Housing here is mostly simple, timber framed single storey buildings with corrugated iron roofs. 

Typical local home on a large plot

A larger two storey home on an enormous plot!

Gateway to a rather up market residence!

The Queen's presence is evident here as it is in Australia and New Zealand. Her portrait is on the back of both the NZ and the local currency* and she has an appointed representative on the Island. The post used to be filled by someone from the UK but apparently these days it is normally a local person. Shame really, we had thought of applying!

*yup, there's a local currency which is used only in the Cook Islands and very attractive it is too. The $2 coin for example is a very unusual triangular shape while the $3 note is a collector's item as it is so unusual!

The most common form of transport on the island is the humble scooter.Rumour has it that there are five scooters for every resident. They are very popular with local people and tourists alike as they're cheap to run. The roads here aren't too bad and the speed limit is 50kmh on the open road and 30kmh in built up areas so high speeds aren't a problem. By sticking to the 50kmh limit, you can also drive a scooter without wearing a helmet which may not promote personal safety but has to be a better option in temperatures that often exceed 30 degrees C!

As in all countries where scooters are commonplace, they also often carry large loads. Would love to think that the guy below is the local FEDEX delivery man but think he was actually just carrying his lunch home, carefully held up waiter style in one hand.

Lunch is coming!

There's no problem finding somewhere to eat or drink in Raro.  Most villages and the main town offer a variety of eateries. There are no major fast food chains on the island (hurray), but there are local equivalents serving up some delicious burgers and fish sarnies, a few good delis and a range of mid priced and more up market restaurants serving good food at reasonable prices, many sited right by the beach. Portions are large so make sure that you get plenty of exercise before or after you eat! Fruit smoothies and coconut drinks are plentiful here as are cocktails and local coconut liqueurs. 

Fabulous cakes, breads and salads at the bakery in Muri

A favourite amongst locals and tourists is a breakfast and lunch time cafe called "The Moorings" by Muri Lagoon. Famed for their fish sandwiches which are delicious if not dainty! Served on picnic tables overlooking the lagoon. The owners also have a great sense of humour. Flip flops decorate the bar and when you order, you're given a hand painted stone with a notable name on it. On our visit we were Gary Glitter which seemed like a mixed blessing!

The Moorings Cafe

View from the cafe and the inevitable chuks!

This is not a late night island by any stretch. Happy hours in the hotels and bars usually start around 3pm with dinner served from 6pm and last orders about 8pm so by 9.30pm most restaurants and shops are shut. Walking around the roads at night can be hazardous as street lights are quite few and far between. However this has the benefit of reducing light pollution and on a clear night, the stars here are magnificent so lots of opportunity for romantic star gazing!
 
The wild life here is therefore limited to animals! Chickens and roosters are everywhere on the island. At eateries they help to hoover up any leftovers and they are even to be found on the beach! They are tolerated however not just because they produce delicious free range eggs but also because they eat poisonous insects in the ground. Dogs also roam freely and although many don't appear to have a permanent home, they also seem to reflect island culture and are pretty laid back and non threatening.

As previously mentioned religion is a big part of life here. After death relatives continue to celebrate the dead person's birthdays, significant anniversaries etc Graveyards are a site to behold with ornate headstones and colourful flowers. Most flowers are artificial to avoid the goats eating them! It seems such a positive approach and a way to keep loved ones involved in the family after death. 

Typical graveyard with a wonderful display of flowers

Music and dance are important in Raro and are often used to tell the stories behind local traditions. The ukelele is made on the island and forms a major part of most compositions.(Thankfully they sound very different to George Formby). The Saturday market has live singers on stage and several stall selling and demonstrating ukeleles. 
 

Local ukeleles

For us though the stars of this show were the girls dance troop who accompany the singers. Dressed in traditional Polynesian costumes they ranged in age from 2 to about 13!  What they lacked in co-ordination they made up for in enthusiasm with magical grins. 

Dancers ranged from age 2 upwards!

Wonderful grins and twinkly eyes

"Dressing up" is a way of life here. Women and some men routinely wear bright flowers behind their ear (left means I'm taken and so on) and the women wear beautiful flower garlands in their hair. Clothing tends to be bright and flowery, all helping to create the sunny mood of the isalnd. 

Head garlands are often worn

and all without a drink!

Tourist accommodation here ranges from simple backpacker style shared rooms through to a few up market hotels but this is not a place to come for a five star resort where you need never venture outside the hotel. That would be a waste anyway as you'd miss the true spirit of the island. For those who, like us, prefer a bit more space there's a also quite a good selection of self catering villas. Ours was simple but spacious, about  a two minute walk from the beach and two doors down from a great bakery!

Maine Villa, Muri beach (part of the Muri Hideaway resort)

 For those who want more than the beach there's a golf course where visitors are welcome. It's basically a 9 hole course arranged so that you can play 18 holes although the layout of the course is pretty confusing and not greatly helped by a number of large radio masts and their concrete retaining pads that are dotted around the course!! There are also a number of walking tracks around the island.

But at the end of the day, our enduring memories of Rarotonga  will be centred around the beautiful beaches and warm and friendly people. We certainly hope to return one day! 

The classic view. Coconut palm, sea and boat at Muri beach

Looks relaxing and it is!