Bicycle Mania (XIII):....Gulag-bound..... Nanaimo to North Vancouver

5:30

Yes, that is light outside..... even the pulp mill is already awake..

..I am hesitant to go for a cigarette outside because I'm willing to bet that the elevator is still out.

OMG, the elevator IS working again...


17 more sleeps until I'm back HOME... the numbers are tumbling and the length of time is getting more bearable!

8:00
I'm semi-drunk, am smoking illegally on the balcony, and am confident that I have LICKED this culture....

9:00


I clarify the check-out time with the new receptionist..... but when I ask "do I get a free bag of cookies for yesterday's broken elevator" I embarrass him.  He's not allowed!..... I like the Russian woman walking up and saying "Och, dochn't be a cheachp boych!"   At least someone still has a sense of humour !


I check the BC Ferries conditions....

....there ALREADY is a 2 ferry sailing wait (i.e. you won't get on this ferry and you will NOT get on the next one) !  They even tell pedestrians to be wary of a sailing waits.... Yeah, punishing car-driving climate-killers with sailing waits is perfectly acceptable.... but how DARE YOU making pedestrians & cyclists wait!

Fuck Third World Living!

11:20 check out

11:45
In the ferry terminal: Beautiful First Nations motives mugs .... Made in China.... the Departure Bay foot passenger lounge is just like YVR... everything is FAKE!

There are lots of food outlets here too.... I end up eating the healthiest food available.... a HOT DOG.... 

... FUCKING FAT Philistines !  No wonder almost everyone on this ferry sports a huge beer gut.

12:05
I've parked my laptop in the workstation area of the ferry..... the earlier we leave, the earlier I can get off this NO-SMOKING, NO-BOOZE commercial wonderland..... 



13:30
I am SO BORED..... the ferry is packed and the fat people stand in line for a whole hour to get more fattening BC Ferries Cafeteria food....

.....  Meanwhile, I am NOT allowed to smoke, I am NOT allowed to drink, the WiFi cuts out every 2 minutes and is almost impossible to re-engage,  what else...?  I'm sure there are more things I'm not allowed to do right now ....

I fall asleep for a moment.... but then my phone rings.... Granny's caretaker has called in sick..... WHAT possible good would do me this information if I was in Vietnam?

It's too bloody cold on the passenger deck of the ferry (they should turn down the a/c a bit!), so I hang out on the top deck for a bit.... but the view is too depressing (I realize that most tourists would LOVE this view ;-) .... I'm heading back to Vancouver....

Yes, that haze is man-made ....

Horseshoe Bay

the noise... the stench .... same old, same old.....

I have a tail-wind when riding back to North Vancouver.....

15:00
I'm in my hotel room.... and I can hear the people next door through the door between the possibly connecting rooms ;-(

 I'm back here (NOT a good thing) ...... but I rode a distance of 564 km by bicycle (YEAH!) ..... and I'm GLAD that I did ;-)

16:00
Time to buy more booze and to reserve a car for the next rainy day.....

They've finally completely razed my old hotel to the ground...

LOL, at my local car rental place, Joana's husband (why do I still not know his name after all this time?) mentions that I should have a blog...... I guess I will give him the URL when I pick up the car and HOPE that I've never written anything bad about them, LOL.

17:00
As for the cleanliness of this place:

Yes that is $2 'dirt' in the corner of the room .... 'nough said

18:00
I've picked up laundry powder at the gas station (much cheaper than buying it in the hotel) and laundry at this hotel is comparatively cheap at $2 per washer and $2 per dryer load..... and some of my clothes REALLY need a PROPER wash after 2 weeks of sink laundry ;-)

19:00
Time to get some food and speak tieng Viet..... it's the cute young guy at Pho Japolo, and I say "toi xin loi, toi se co gang noi tieng viet" ... and he actually understands me !... he even says "that's very good!".

Unfortunately they're out of chicken curry (for ever?) so I have to order the alternative ....


20:30

Tipsy & Tired.....