Toronto & Vancouver

Toronto & Vancouver:

We arrived in Toronto from Niagara Falls and were invited to stay with Carlos and Martin who we met while visiting the Galapagos Islands. We became friends and they are great guys: Carlos with his cheeky grin and funny shoes and Martin with his calm and kind nature. Sharing their house were two bulldogs: a very crazy one called Tizol and a calm one called Star. Toronto is a very diverse city with at least 25% of people being foreign. That meant the boys could take us out for dinner at a proper Indian restaurant which we’d been craving for a very long time. We chose the buffet option which offered all our favorite Indian dishes. The thing about buffets is that you always end up eating your money’s worth and I left the restaurant with a seriously fat belly!

The next morning I mostly chilled out while Gillian started packing for her flight back to London. She had a lot of sorting, eliminating and repacking to do in order to get everything to fit. She desperately wanted to buy more Levi jeans so using me needing more T-shirts as an excuse, she dragged me to the shopping malls. Her jeans shopping was a failure but I at least found two T-shirts to replace my very worn travel ones. That night I had a reunion with my canoeing buddies who I met while paddling the Nahanni River. Peter and Mary hosted the party at their house which had a lovely deck outside in the sun. Soon the familiar faces started appearing: Dave, Harry and finally Eve. It was nice seeing them all again while chatting about the good times and snacking on breads, dips, olives, cheese and of course lots of wine.

The sad day finally arrived when I had to say good bye to Gillian. She spent her last morning in Toronto packing the last few bits and pieces after which I drove her to the airport. It was a sad moment as we’ve been travelling together for 10 months and I was going to miss her. We shared some amazing experiences which I will remember fondly. Even though I had a lump in my throat it was time to continue with the rest of my adventure. I had to say a 2^nd good bye that day to our trusty Jeep Cherokee which we had throughout most of America and Canada.

The next day was the 1 July which, to any Canadian, means a celebration of some sort as it was Canada Day. I joined the boys to see the fireworks down at the beach although we arrived there slightly earlier for a couple of beers and to see a band (Lighthouse) playing. The atmosphere was electric with lots of people, mostly very drunk at that point, dancing away and having a good time. In a way it didn’t feel like I was actually in Canada as there was such a mix of ethnicities.  I couldn’t help but be sucked into the celebrations and we were soon all having fun. The fireworks streaked the sky with many colorful patterns. A greasy dinner at an Irish bar on the way home made for a very enjoyable evening.

The next day I woke with a slightly sore head and didn’t intend to do very much. However, I couldn’t resist when Martin said he was going to the Bass Pro shop and joined him like a kid knowing he’s being taken to an icecream parlor. I was amazed by the sheer size of the shop and walked around in a slight trance, looking at all the gear – almost like Homer Simpson thinking about doughnuts. That shop could easily clear my bank account so I had to force myself not to buy anything. As we all felt a little rough we decided on a steak BBQ to recharge our batteries especially as the next day was the big Toronto Pride parade in which Carlos was going to march.

The next day was beautifully warm with not a cloud in the sky – great weather for the parade! I cycled from the house and met Martin in the main square (Yonge & Dundas). From there we braved the crowds after chaining up my bicycle. The atmosphere was electric and I was very amused by some of the costumes or shall I say the lack of! Most people were armed with water guns and anyone was a potential target. At one point I saw a guy with a very large pump-up water gun hit a “bulls eye” when he shot another guy wearing a jock-strap bang between the butt cheeks. Some of the uniforms were overly cheesy or erotic, to which some might have raised more than an eyebrow. I had a good time watching the parade and couldn’t help but laugh at the antics of the particularly camp marchers. We finally spotted Carlos in the crowd walking in his police uniform and it was nice to hear the crowds cheering every time a certain section of the public services came by. That didn’t mean that they didn’t get sprayed with water of course.

Even though I’m as straight as can be, I do believe that gay people should have the same rights as anyone else, and they should not be adversely impacted by either silly laws or religion. I watched the parade for just over an hour and from there met up with Eve (my paddling partner) for some cycling around the Toronto Islands. We left the crowds behind and boarded a ferry across to the island where I had a much needed beer. From there we cycled around the island and couldn’t resist taking a look at the “clothing optional” beach. The people there revealed even more than those in the parade with most letting it all hanging out, some of whom in my opinion definitely shouldn’t.  Having walked along the beach taking in the view, no not literally, I had seen enough human anatomy for one day. Our next stop was at the airport side of the island for a picture of the city as the view from that side showed most of the city. I really liked the island as there were many beaches with lots of people having a good time either sunning themselves or swimming in the cold water.     

My time in Toronto also came to an end and just like Gillian I also had to pack, eliminate, sponsor and repack my bags for my fishing adventure in the British Columbia wilderness. I volunteered working on a very remote floating fishing lodge for two months and couldn’t wait to get there. Carlos dropped me off at the airport and from there I flew out to Vancouver. I found Toronto to be a very big sprawling city with a large ethnic population which created a very diverse and maybe even slightly bizarre city. I wouldn’t class it as my favorite city although it was still a cool place with many things to see and do. Most memorable to me was staying with Carlos and Martin as they were generous and friendly hosts. If you guys are reading this, thank you very much for a great time!

Vancouver: I booked a hostel online conveniently located near the coach station only to discover that it was an absolute hole when I turned up. A shared a very dirty 6 bed dorm room with 3 other guys, in one of the seediest parts of the city. The guy sleeping on the bed below came in drunk each night after which he would then toss and turn causing our cheap bunk bed to rattle and squeak. Needless to say I didn’t sleep well. The lockers supplied to us were very small and had signs stating: “Do not store any valuable items in the lockers”. Apparently they were easy to break into and it seems like they’ve had problems in the past hence the signs. All valuables had to be taken to reception for safe keeping although they didn’t have enough space for all my stuff. That meant I was left with only one option which was to store my stuff in the “unsafe” lockers. Worrying about my stuff together with my bed squeaking alcoholic roommate didn’t make for a restful sleep. Being paranoid I even slept with my wallet AND passport in my trouser pockets!

I really had my mind set on catching a big halibut so I needed to buy a few halibut jigs at a tackle shop downtown. To get there I had to walk up Main Street to catch a bus all the way down East Hastings, which unknown to me is the roughest part of town with a large concentration of drug dealers, beggars, twitchies, itchies, scratchies, dribblies and many more! I was offered all kinds of drugs like meths, cocaine, weed, and crack, while pimps blatantly offered their girls to anyone walking past! I politely declined a “Ho for a blow” offer, kept my head down and got on the first available bus to avoid the chaos. I did, however, feel sorry for these people as I couldn’t help but wonder how they get themselves into such a mess? Is it just that they can’t mentally help themselves or is it more a question that they’ve chosen to give up?

On my bus back from the shop a woman climbed onboard with her crack pipe. Her skin was stained and pitted and she had a hacking cough which didn’t sound healthy at all. I just wanted to get out of that neck of the woods as soon as possible. That night I met up with Jason again in a very much nicer part of town. When I told him where I was staying he could only laugh and point out that it was the scummiest part of Vancouver. It seems that convenience came at a cost when I booked my hostel! We had a few beers and dinner at the pub where he works and it was nice catching up with him again. I almost dreaded going back to my hostel which was called C&N Backpackers. If you’re ever visiting Vancouver, STAY AWAY FROM IT!!!

Even though I experienced the bad part of town, my excitement levels were high. All I could think of was staying out in the wilderness on a floating fishing lodge and having the chance to see black and grizzly bears, orcas, eagles, deer and much more while having the chance to catch many fish. I was hoping for a halibut the size of a barn door, catching my first steelhead on the fly and adding a few notches in my carving stick of salmon species caught. Furthermore I was hoping to eat lots of freshly caught spotted prawns and Dungeness crabs while taking many pictures of the landscape on my newly bought digital SLR. I was definitely excited.