The bus nearly left on time! One of the Greyhound staff members rounded up all those who had been on the bus since Toronto so they could board first; not an easy task considering some of them seemed a bit vague as to where they had come from & where they were going. One young fella had to raised from a deep sleep by prodding as he wasn’t responding to shouts right in his ear; he then spent almost the entire time to TB asleep across two seats.
It took a while to get beyond Greater Sudbury and even then the scattering of small towns & villages along the wooded highway seemed to go on for some hours…… little dots of light amongst the trees. We settled ourselves into the leather seats, checked whether we could get the wifi (Hmmm – kind of!), read a bit then slept intermittently for the rest of the journey. Generally woken by the driver announcements about the places we were about to stop at, how long a stop would be for & whether washrooms were available. We made sure to use toilets at stops wherever we could as not keen on bus toilets! Not much happening in these little wayside towns in the middle of the night, often lots of big rigs pulled in so the drivers could have a sleep next to a 24/7 café doing moderate trade.
A great deal of new highway being built along the way which slowed the journey in places. Where the highway is just two way the buses don’t travel beyond 90kmph so it feels like a more sedate journey than bus travel in NZ usually does.
As morning dawned (around 7.30am) our hope of looking out at nature was somewhat thwarted by the heavy fog & then rain; it all looked a bit grey with just a dash of Fall colour in paces. We changed drivers at Sault Saint Marie, let off some passengers & took on a equal number. Came into Thunder Bay a little before 10.30 but the day still looked as grey as at 7.30am – rain was threatening most of the morning. We ate the sandwiches, biscuits & fruit Isobel had packed for us – yummy – but our thermos hadn’t held enough of its heat to make a good cuppa!
We checked our bags in at the bus depot overnight & walked to our hostel accommodation carrying just overnight necessities. Stopped in at Robbin’s donut cafe for cuppa & a donut before continuing along to The Sleeping Giant Backpacker Lodge where we were greeted by the owner, Gail, shown around & told to make ourselves comfortable. Gail is a fountain of knowledge about TB, suggesting places to visit for the afternoon – if we’d had a car we could have gone further afield to see stunning falls & the Terry Fox statue but as we’re on foot we just explored Little Finland, Little Italy & docks area. It was muggy & warm and the threatening rain came to nothing.
We sat a while in a cake café enjoying the baking but hot chocolate drinks a bit insipid. Visited a local art & craft centre as well as some tourist shops but didn’t see anything that ‘called’ to me or that we needed – light on the pocket and in the bag.
Back at the hostel we chatted a while with Gail about the state of the world but more particularly about what may come of the elections in NZ and Germany. Went to bed hopeful.
Day 2: Thunder Bay to Winnipeg
I slept the sleep of the dead – the bed was very comfortable & we had no one else sharing the bunkroom – so I missed hearing/seeing the thunderstorm overnight. Caroline told me that there were two lots of lightning & a very heavy downpour – she had to get up to close the window. Never heard a thing!
A free pancake breakfast was on offer but it was up to us to make our own using the mix provided. Thankfully there was some Nutella in the cupboard as didn’t fancy the corn syrup ……. In the land of Maple syrup it just didn’t seem right to pour corn syrup on our pancakes! Chatted with Gail some more, mainly about how TB could improve things for tourists travelling by bus or train …. So much potential for small tourist venures offering day experiences out of TB. Then it was time to clean up our dishes & head off to the Greyhound station. The walk to the station was along a busy road next to the rail line – gosh those Canadian freight trains are LONG!.
The bus not so full so easy getting seats together. Different mix of people with one woman travelling with a baby, a toddler and a 4 year old. Another family’s older children were delightful in entertaining the toddler and 4y-o but poor Mum never could really get a moments rest.
For the rest of the journey through Ontario the view was lots of lakes [Land of 100,000 lakes not all named], swamp lands, conifer and birch trees forest. Activities seemed to include lumbering, granite & gravel mining, rural service centres, numerous wayside motels, closed-for-season camp grounds (some RV parks still open) with a bit of farming noticeable here & there. Once further into Manitoba we hit the Prairie land – flat fields neatly cropped & grain silos standing tall.
Not many stops along the way, longest one was at Dryden where we bought hot chips at A&W – an organic, free-range fast food joint found across Canada.
Passed through Kenora and it looked lovely - did ring a bell with me so wondering whether Dad & I stayed there when we crossed Canada in 1989.
Overall though the weather painted the day grey so not much cop for getting decent photos on the move.
We arrived in to Winnipeg around 7.45pm and as we wanted to get to our accommodation at Hansen Inn at a reasonable time for the landlord to open it up, we opted to take a taxi into town rather than the local bus. Bad move as we were ripped off the fare by at least $10 by the driver. BUT we had agreed to $18 which he quoted when we asked him how much it would cost to get from station to 150 Sherbrook. We kind of expected he would then put the meter on but he didn't & being gumptionless Kiwis we didn't demand that he did NOR did we follow up on not paying after reading the bylaws posted in the vehicle 'that if the flag hasn't fallen then a passenger does not have to pay the fare demanded' ....... kept thinking that here was an immigrrant trying to make hsi way in a new country etc, etc.!!
Anyway, once at 150 Sherbrook we had to wait for Paul, the landlord, to arrive with key etc. While we waited we talked with chap who lives in the basement (supposedly the caretaker) who had locked himself out. He helped carry our bags up the stairs to our apartment (a lounge & bedroom plus access to kitchen & a shared bathroom) which proved to be clean & comfortable. We had hoped to be able to do our laundry (advertised as available for guests) but it was locked & Paul didn’t respond when I emailed asking for access.
We ate our late evening meal at a restaurant just down the street called Stella's - I had the ratatouille while Caroline had soup & salad; all very tasty. Back at the apartment we fell into bed - just two other guests staying in the suites so we didn't need to share the bathroom. A sound sleep followed.
Fun facts about Manitoba-that-will-blow-your-mind/
Day 3: Winnipeg
We opted to east breakfast @Stellas as well - a very filling start to what proved to be a very full day. It was a damp morning with drizzle or mist hanging around; being a Sunday it was also very quiet out as we walked to Museum of Human Rights.
The walk took us through mixed neighbourhoods, which gradually became more gentrified the nearer we got to the Legislature building. These neighbourhoods run near Assiniboine river one of the two rivers that define Winnipeg, both the Assiniboine & Red River were major transport links in the early days parrticularly for the fur trade.
We stopped to admire the sculptures or Memorial wall at the site of Upper Fort Garry and were impressed by the sound & light show incorporated into the steel wall.[Watch video Patterninteractive] The rain was becoming a little more persistent so we hightailed it over the road to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights where we spent the next 5 or so hours .... and not nearly enough time to take it all in!!
Greeters at the door informed us as to what we could see and directed us to start with the photographic exhibtion.
We loved the fact that it was accessible to blind people as each section had one photo realised in 3D on which there were areas that when touched explained how the photos was constructed and what it was showing. The photos featured in the exhibition had been chosen by a panel of judges & were divided into 4 sections, each demonstrating an aspect of human rights. Some stunning photos - only showing the polar bear one here & the 3D of a house.
One has to be prepared to experience a range of emotions when visiting this museum. I found the Genocide section particularly gruelling as the depravity of, and lack of respect, that human beings can have for other human beings never fails to astound me. The museum does not back away from reminding Canadian authorities of their role in &/or responsibility (both positive & negative) for aspects of these genocides.
- Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turks history.com - the fact that Canada recognises this happened & took in Armenian orphans.
- Holodomor Stalin's killing of Ukrainians by starvation,
- Holocaust - a boat load of Jews was turned-away from the US, Cuba and Canada in 1939 so they returned to Europe where most perished in the Nazi pogroms. And the pictures of German staff at the concentration camps having a great time while outside their office doors people were being gassed .... chilling!
- Srebrenica Institute for Genocide - here the Canadian commander of the peace corp warned the UN of the possibility for a genocidal act & that he didn't have the numbers to stop it, but he was kind of ignored by those who could have given more troops on the ground to stop it happening.
- Rwanda, particularly the role of Romeo Dallaire of Canadian Armed Forces
The First Nations - Indigenous rights section was very moving. The Canadian government has apologised to First Nation people for the residential school system which ripped indigenous children from their parents & home territory to put them into schools & foster homes with the aim of educating the native out of them & eventually breeding them out. The testimony of survivors of these schools to the Truth & Reconciliation Committee was harrowing to watch & listen to; to see men in their 70s crying as they remember the things done to them made my tears well up. How many stories similar to these have we had in our NZ history!?
Métis - those Canadians of mixed European & First Nations people and the impact colonisation had on their society from the early 19th C.
The video of an interview with a 13 year old Syrian boy, rescued from a boats in the Mediterraean, who wishes to return home to his toys & friends. Said that he never expected war to come to them and then it did so they fled in a boat to Greece. And the 15 year old Spanish boy who made a life raft house of the life jackets left behind to tell something of the horror the refugees face.
I rarely think of HR in regard to draft dodgers & those already in army who no longer want to fight an unjust war, so the section on how Canada gave refuge to US draft dodgers during Vietnam War days & recently have debated supporting US soilders refusing to fight in unjust wars was really thought provoking.
The last three I was taken with were activities started by young people.
- Pink Shirt Day and anti-bullying cause started by three young men standing upo for a younger kid at their school that has gone global.
- Peace camp - where young people from different faiths come together to learn about each others' faiths & to address the questions or misapprehensions they may hold.
- Mixed race prom finally in 2013 in Wilcox, Georgia www.cnn.com
WELL WORTH SPENDING TIME AT THIS MUSEUM IF YOU EVER COME TO WINNIPEG.
The architecture alone is stunning even if you don't have time to go inside.
It was still raining as we left so we walked quickly back to our apartment, dried out a little then went & had dinner at anotehr restuarnt near us - Khao House (amazing noodle soup for me & a vege bowl for C) followed by dessert at Stella's!
Day 4: Winnipeg then onto Swift Current
Breakfasted again at Stella's - this time a granola with melon & yoghurt mix (a bit too much melon!), and toast with jam. Back to the apartment to finish packing up then took our bags out to the bus station on the #20 transit. Luckily it proved relatively easy to get our bags into one of the big lockers so we were able to catch the same bus back into the city again at no extra cost.
Once back in the city we walked through Union Station and directly across the Esplanade Riel bridge to the Saint Boniface side of the city. Feeling a bit parched, and as it was close to lunch time, we stopped in at a cafe just across from the bridge where we partook of a delicious tomato soup .... pity about the two slices of soggy toast on the side!
Re-energised we continued onto the Musée de St Boniface as we'd heard that they had an exccellent exhibtion on Louis Riel, the Métis and on the Grey nuns in Winnipeg. On our way we stopped at the cemetry in the grounds of the Cathedrale (the new is built inside the remains of the old) to read the various plaques and visit Louis Riel's grave. The museum itself is housed in the building that was once the Grey Nun convent, built of rough hewn wood with hardly a metal nail holding it together. The history they present of the First Nations people of Manitoba, the Metis and, particularly, of Riel is easy to follow and personalised. They have a great collection of artefacts from the time such as pistols, clothing, books, pipes etc as well as letters from Riel pleading his innocence or outlining he rights Manitoba should have within the Union with Canada. His Will, dictated just days before he was hanged, make poignant reading. The museum certainly helped me understand why Manitoba has a unique flavour about it, and why the English colonisers were so desperate to incorporate the province within the fold of Canada in their terms NOT those of the Metis or French.
Walked back through The Forks market - some great food stalls there as well as crafts & souvenirs. Went to have a look at the confluence of the two rivers and noted the art work on the steps down to the muddy banks.
Contemplated attending an event at the Readers' and Writers' Festival but worried we'd miss the bus to get out to the Greyhound Station on time so instead wandered round the older part of Winnipeg taking photos of the charming older buildings & the street art. Walked past the stream of people heading to the Winnipeg Jets ice hockey game all in their team colours. The stadium is all under cover & right in the heart of downtown.
As night was coming in we checked out the Winnipeg library & used their wifi, read a New Yorker article about the 'Dear Leader' of North Korea & Trump's 'handling' of him .... very interesting & scary! Then it was on the bus & out to airport terminal where we had dinner at Stella’s airport restaurant - a yummy salad with extra marinated tofu.
Walked around to the Greyhound station which was busy but clean and efficiently run. At 1045pm we had to go through a security check before boarding - seemed a bit pointless as those getting on a smaller stops are not checked! Anyway, the bus was not full so we had double seats ourselves which meant we could kind of lie down overnight. While we both did get some sleep it was intermittent as we traveled over fairly terrible roads - bump, bump, bump all night - they take a hammering due to the severe winters & hot summers so need a great deal of maintenance.
Day 5: Arrived Swift Current
At dawn were were just approaching Regina, it was misty and much colder. We put our clocks back an hour & waited nearly an hour in Regina's huge, clean station & caught a cuppa in the Robbin's cafe attached. Just outside Regina we were amazed by the massive earthworks as they develop transport connections from the Trans-Canada highway to a major 'Global Transport Hub'. I take my hat off to the drivers doing this route regularly as they drive dead straight roads for hours - must be boring! Highway #1 is mostly divided by huge greenway with two lanes running either side & sometimes connected by a narrow dirt track. We saw lots of big double rigs along the route - none seemed to be speeding beyond the 90 or 110kmph as designated.
Stopped in Moose Jaw for 10 min smoke stop then at Chaplin, Morse & Herbert to drop off & collect parcels. The last three were small rural communities associated with the mining of sodium sulphate. The one interesting thing about Chaplin was that none of its streets were paved but they were tree lined. The town's by-line is 'Salt of the earth'. In between bouts of sleeping I watched the prairies pass by. Most of the grains are harvested leaving golden stalks withn patches of green around the water holes. The country became a little more rolling for a while with huge grain silos dominating the horizon. A few beef cattle grazed between the wheat fields. I watched the long, long freight trains moving slowly across the plains.
We got into Swift Current around 9.50am. The sun was shining & the temperature was decidely warm. We chose to walk to the hotel dragging our bags - silly! It was further than expected over dodgy footpaths. We were rather sweaty when we finally reached the Best Western hotel so we were pleased the friendly receptionist enabled us to check in early to have shower & change before going to museum.
The town's by-line is Where life makes sense, which made us chuckle as it's bloody hard to make sense of life no matter where one is!! Anyway, the small museum Swift Current Museum was well worth the hour we spent there as we learnt something of the geology (once was part of huge sea), the wild life of the plains (bison) & interaction indigenous peoples had with them. A greater part was dedicated to European development of the land for farming & mining. Was good to see that there was acknowledgment of the need to reduce impacts of pesticides etc in farming & to move to more sustainble practices in rural and urabn environments.
Sustenance was needed after the visit so we walked into town to find a cafe. Found Urban Ground Coffee with comfy seats so ordered a cuppa & cake. Re-energised we walked on to the Art Gallery and library to see a painting exhibition entitled Plantscapes of the Prairies by Geoff Phillips - loved his work. As the gallery was next to the library Caroline popped in - it was busy with people reading & a large group of seniors playing cribbage & scrabble. Caroline had quite a chat to the librarian on the front desk about the value of public libraries. On the way back to the hotel we stopped in at the Dutch bakery for a cuppa & pastry - checked out a book on the influence Dutch people have had in the district; good steady workers & entrepreneurs.
Once back at the hotel we decided a swim was in order seeing it was so warm out. We enjoyed a relaxing swim & sit in hot pool before just chilling in our room. Popped over the road for dinner at Miso House, a Japanese Korean restaurant. Very tasty food but the Agadashi tofu not as good as Tekapo!
Fell into bed - anoter great night's sleep.
Day 6: Swift Current to Banff
Breakfast was included in the hotel cost so we duly went down to see what was offered; make-your-own waffles, cooked eggs, sausages, bacon, cereals, yoghurt, toast & spreads BUT all served on paper plates with plastic cutlery that was dispensed from a machine. Hot drinks in polystyrene cups & juices in plastic cups. I went to get our own cups as can't drink out of poly! All the spreads, condiments, milks etc in small throw-away containers. Everything just goes straight in a big bin when people have finished! Too much waste - felt guilty partaking of the food. Can't think it's necessary but I guess it cuts costs in some way i.e. paying staff. It was an expensive hotel for us so expected better - I guess it's a step up from plastic plates, polystyrene & sugar cereals we had in the Montreal airport hotel. Hostels easier on our conscience as we can use our own food & bowls.
Anyway, enough guilty rave. We took a taxi to the Greyhound station as our bags couldn't stand another long drag. As we waited for bus to arrive more passengers arrived. It was a full bus so we didn't get a seat together but at least across the aisle so we could share food & exchange thoughts on the countryside. Caroline had a very talkative & friendly chap beside her whilst I had a woman who slept much of the time or played games on her tablet or talked on her phone.
Even though the countryside seems flat & never changing we found it interesting. This was the longest time on the bus during daylight hours so although we occasionally fell asleep or read, we mainly looked out the window. In a number of areas it was haymaking season, the big golden fields being transformed into stubble. Saw three large harvesters working one large field - dusty work. I guess it is the harvest season for most things - pumpkins being big right now! A few fields had large pivot irrigators in them - not operating at that time - so there were patches of green. Alberta was the first area we saw with a number of irrigators - Albertawater gave us a bit more insight into the use of water for farming. Also saw a large area of grassland along the road edge that had been burnt; as it has been so dry grass fires have been a problem.
Also saw a number of small oil rigs dotted within the fields connected by pipelines - Alberta is a big oil and gas producing province. The farmsteads were usually surrounded by trees but across much of the rest of the plains there were hardly any except when we got to an area where trees were being grown commercially. We saw a few more herds of beef cattle. There were a number of old wooden farm buildings abandoned & collapsing; the grey/red colours against the gold of the fields would have made for great photographs had we been able to stop. The newer farmsteads looked quite flash with large silver grain silos and big machinery barns - we wondered whether the farms are growing bigger and this 2016 census report gave use some insight into changes in agriculture across Canada.
The long trains and wagons moving across the prairies never fails to attract our attention - they can be anywhere between 2-4km in length. This article was interesting in reference to train length. [Note: having wifi on the buses means that as we talk & wonder we look things up and find a wealth of information which you get pointed to, dear reader!]
I must say that the Trans-Canada_Highway is an amazing route to follow. It is a 4-lane divided highway for much of its length except through the less populated wilderness areas when it reverts to two lanes where the speed is reduced to 80kmph. And drivers seem to stick to the designated speed limits - mind you there are plenty of warning signs reminding them of the penalties for speeding. Except for the rugged nature of the surface in places I felt safe being bussed across this vast land on this highway.
Only one significant stop enroute to Banff this day, and that was in Medicine Hat where we bought a hot chocolate drink from CocoLoco, a healthy oils shop next to the terminal - almost all of the other passengers went to the Tim Hortons or stood smoking on the footpath. Felt so virtuous! At Calgary we had a lay-over for an hour where our bags were transfered to the bus that was to take passengers to Vancouver. We sat in the cafe - had a soup & vege burger: the Greyhound station is in a dismal part of town so few options for food. Had to go through security check before getting on this bus, too. Calgary was a BIG city full of high rises but on the way out saw the venue for the 1988 Winter Olympics.
The sun was setting as we neared the Rockies so it made for great viewing & photographs. The Rockies are impressive mountains, yes, similar in formation to NZ's Southern Alps but the Rockies are definitely continental mountains standing cracked & twisted above the vast plains. The towns of Canmore and Banff are truly dwarfed by the crags that surround them but joined by a sweeping divided highway that gives humans a sense of control and mastery. Banff was bustling when we arrived - tourists everywhere and felt much like a bigger Queenstown. As the bus pulled into the station we could see Mara waiting to welcome us.
Big hugs & exclamations of reunion over, she whisked us to the YWCA where we were to stay for the next 5 nights. Our Banff adventure had begun.
Banff Lake Louise
[More ictures to come when next have powerful wifi - a bit limited here at YWCA]
Big hugs & exclamations of reunion over, she whisked us to the YWCA where we were to stay for the next 5 nights. Our Banff adventure had begun.
Banff Lake Louise
[More ictures to come when next have powerful wifi - a bit limited here at YWCA]
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