Something entirely NEW in Canada.... Living on the West Coast, one normally never sees a sunrise....
I've completed my Vietnamese lesson (I'm now in the 'Ruby League', LOL, waxed the chain, done sink laundry and hung it over the bike to dry, called my Pseudo-Aunt in Germany.... all by 6:30 ;-)
24 days until I get to go HOME.....
7:30
Breakfast is atrocious..... by European standards.... YES, they make you a fresh omelette but you have to wait for it for 15 minutes..... I just have some fried potatoes and a coffee and am out of there in 5 minutes.
9:00
Chapeau!
10:00
The bike is packed, although it is too early to leave... check-in time is not until 15:00..... but it is warm out there already (WTF? The FIRST day I am NOT complaining about Igloo Living!)....
.... so I am wearing SANDALS ;-)
10:30
On y va
This close to the city, I still have a choice of roads leading south.... so I cycle along Marine Road....
 |
| where is the rest of it ? |
 |
| that it ? |
But this short respite ends soon. I have to join the highway again:
 |
| that water ahead must be Union Bay |
 |
| WHAT KIND of BEACH is THIS ??? ... WHERE is the SAND ???? |
 |
| Despite the UGLY sand-replacement, I stick my feet into the water.... it's not actually that cold ! |
I reach Fanny Bay at noon.... is this where Fanny Bay Oysters come from ?.... my butt hurts and I'm hungry!
48 km to go...
 |
| Beautiful British Columbia: Riding in the shade (around 1pm) on a major highway ...YUK! |
The1st battery runs empty just before I reach ...
...Qualicum Bay
 |
| There is that annoying sign again... Nice title, unfortunately once rarely actually sees the OCEAN |
Qualicum Beach....
15:20
Oh, what a WELCOME SIGHT.... after almost 5 hours on the road ...
16:00
I'm still undecided whether I should do this again tomorrow... or even exceed today's distance... or should I chicken out and have a slow day ?
17:00
I spend an hour talking to the people (in their 70s) with the bright red car next door..... amazing cheery positive people, nice to see that they still exist in Canada! (But then these people live in Victoria, LOL).
18:00
I can't resist the temptation.... Mekong River Restaurant....
again my server is from around here, so I can't practice my Vietnamese.... the owner (MUCH TOO chubby for a Vietnamese) has adopted to Western manners (the menu is English-ONLY).... the owner is polite-ish, but nothing heart-felt about it..... I miss HOME ! The meal is more expensive than what I wanted to spend but I want to try this..... Mixed Seafood on rice (hai san voi com).....
 |
| YUK! |
The place is expensive and it's PACKED.... but the food has absolutely NOTHING in common with Vietnamese food ;-(
18:45
My neighbours are sitting outside again.... a 77 year old guy originally from Powell River who found his true love in a ~73 year old from Parksville only 5 years ago.... and we keep chatting and chatting until 21:00. I particularly like HER.... she sees it clearly... people in the West seem to have lost all sense of compassion and sincerity and civility.... "We don't pray for love, we just pray for cars!".
21:30
I've checked the ferry schedules and there is NO NEED to ride all the way to Crofton tomorrow... so instead I'll be staying in Ladysmith, in the same hotel I last stayed in with George in 2014, about 2 months before he died..... another one of those places where I will remember at every corner what we did together at that time.......
22:45
No comments:
Post a Comment