Oooooook! I finalised my Winnipeg post yesterday but I want to keep on top of things so everything I write is relevant. When possible I'll jot things down on the day so I don't forget something that might actually be useful or interesting as opposed to just boring day-to-day events.
I was pretty mopey yesterday as I knew I had to leave. I finished off the blog post and sat around watching trailer park boys. Nobody was really around and I still didn't feel well enough to go for a walk. I'm not sure if I mentioned I'd finally succumbed to the cold weather or not? Well I did. But I'm nearly better already. When Christa got home we played ticket to ride one last time and hung out; chatting and watching things on the net. She kept asking what was wrong and I'd say it was mainly having to leave. Which it was... mainly. Dale got in around 10. We exchanged gifts, took some selfies and packed my stuff into the car to head to the bus station. It was such a hard goodbye because they'd been so amazing to stay with. They kept me laughing right up to the point I was getting on the bus. And that was it. Winnipeg was over just like that. I really hope to stay in contact with those guys as well as Marilyn & co.
Boogedy boogedy boogedy amen!
On the coach I slept for a while and listened to a lot of music, whilst watching the world drift by. I had my two seats to myself and extra leg room in the cripple department. I read a little bit but wasn't in the right frame of mind. I just continued thinking about everything I'd done in Winnipeg and whether Calgary would be anywhere near as fun. When you have time to think, it is very rarely to appreciate the present. You are either making plans for the future or pondering past mistakes. Which is what I did for quite a while sat on that bus. But to be fair the landscape is pretty mundane. Then a big fat black lady ruined everything by parking her massive rear end next to me. Squashed up against the window, I endured what seemed like an eternity of elbows and farts. I'm fairly sure it was her anyway. Once I arrived I Calgary I struggled over to the train station and got a train to Peter's. I managed to balls it all up and spent about half an hour more than I needed to, but I got there eventually. So far Peter, his sister and the other couch surfer here seem nice. Can't fucking remember their names though. I'm such a dick.
This morning I've lay and convinced myself I'm recovering from being so tired after 20+ hours on the bus. That is partly true, but I'm also struggling to work out what it is I want to do. Both short term, medium term and long term. My problem is I'm constantly looking ahead. The possibility of going to Banff is knocking around my mind, as well as what to do with my time here in Calgary (short term). B.C is just on the horizon. Heading south to California and then home in the new year. Whether James and Caleb will be up for travelling in March (medium). Do I want to go back to teaching when I'm done? That's a conversation that has cropped up quite a bit in discussions with people. I think I'm set on supply work to get a feel for if I want to get back into it full time. So I guess my long term plan is fine.
Short term is what's pissing me off. I didn't come travelling to sit around doing nothing. However, what can I do with my time if there are no attractions that interest me? I will check out downtown tomorrow and Friday, but besides my aimless wandering there isn't much to do. That's why Banff is only a possibility. Do I really want to hike the trails? Yes. Will I be able to get there/stay there cheap? Doubt it.
Today Peter and I walked around the downtown area and he showed me some cool spots/new things. We went and got poutine which was delicious once again. He showed me the bakery he works at and nabbed us some free cupcakes. We walked along the river and through the downtown area to a huge second hand bookstore. The amount of books in there was staggering. I ended up buying one, even though I really should finish some of the books I already have before getting new ones. We got bubble tea in china town. It's a fruit flavoured beverage with tapioca balls at the bottom. I found it fairly disturbing but it seems to be quite popular here. We walked through more of downtown and around a mall. There was a tropical park... inside the mall. It was certainly different to see something like that in the middle of all the snow and freezing temperatures. We took the train back. I'm fairly sure, even with all the boring crap I've written, that is the dullest sentence I've written so far in the blog.
Friday - I went to the mall to see if there are any Black Friday shoppers around. I know the majority of them get in early but it's always fascinating to watch people and such an event can't be passed up. Sadly it was just like any other day. I got some trousers, as I managed to tear a giant crotch hole into my only non-skinny jeans. I also got myself a natty new haircut as I was sick and tired of having a giant bowl of crap on top of my head. Peter and I hung out for a bit before his friend came over and we played some board games together with his sister and another couch surfer who turned up a bit later. She was German.
Saturday was a nice day. Peter had work but Alida, Maria and I went to the mall. It was around -20 out, so we didn't want to journey too far. We checked out more of the shops for a while before meeting Peter and heading home. Two new couch surfers turned up today. They're Aussies and have been travelling for quite a while. They are here to snowboard. Lucky bastards. However, they've spurred me on to doing it myself. I'll buy gear second hand and talk to people in Vancouver. There must be someone I stay with or at the hostel who can come with me. I'll persevere.
Sunday - Maria left in the morning. The two Aussies left early to snowboard for the day. I went to the mall but it was too cold to explore further. Another couch surfer arrived that evening. She was a Chinese girl called Summer. She was here to study international business but missed the start of the course. She's travelling until the next semester starts in January.
Monday I awoke with a banging headache and full of snot. I spent the morning feeling sorry for myself and then went shopping with Peter in the afternoon. We all hung out for a few hours before Peter and I helped the Aussies to their new host with all their boarding gear.
Tuesday saw me waking up a early and buying 200 dollars worth of snowboarding gear. This is happening! I will snowboard to the ball! The guy I bought the stuff from seemed really cool and chatted to me about the basics of boarding. He gave me a good discount and I later found out a decent deal (Ollie looked over my board and said it was OK). An hour later Ollie showed up and we set off towards Vancouver. We had a good start and swapped over just outside Calgary. That's right. I drove. What a fucking trip. I experienced my first view of the Rocky Mountains whilst driving myself towards B.C. It wasn't even as weird as I thought it would be. I've driven on the right in France but never in a left hand drive. Nothing remarkable about the drive beyond the astounding view. We got to Banff and stopped off for something to eat. Further along the road we got to lake Louise and took some tourist selfies. The ride didn't seem too long as we took turns driving. Eventually we got to Revelstoke and stopped off for some dinner at a cafe called 'la baguette'. The girls serving in there were very nice and chatty. Ollie's friend Theresa joined us in the cafe she'd suggested and we hung out chatting for a while. Eventually it was decided we'd stay the night at hers and snowboard the following day. Fuck. Yeah. I'll pay for a lesson and hopefully start a long and happy journey on the way to being competent at snowboarding. I am so unbelievably psyched it is unreal. We went to the pub for a few drinks with Theresa and her friends. It was alright, I chatted to a few people and watched some insane snowboarding videos being shown.
So Wednesday morning rolled round and we woke up early around 8. We packed our stuff into the car and headed up to the resort. It was only 5 minutes away. Ollie lent me a coat and some padding so all I needed was boots. I forgot my wallet so he had to pay for me, luckily he's such a cool guy and sorted me out plus some money for lunch! We popped into the cafe for a spot of breakfast and coffee. One of the girls from the previous la baguette was there!! How strange.
There was only one other girl taking the lesson called Grace. We chatted whilst we learned some basics. It was incredibly fun. Our instructor, Singa? Singer?, was pretty hot... and lovely. It was a really enjoyable time and I've definitely found something I enjoy doing. Discussing plans etc with Grace she offered me a place of of stay for a little while as I mentioned I liked the town and wanted to take some more lessons. I thought it over for a while and then took decisive action. I phoned her up having taken her number, said I'd love to come by. Ollie took me there once we'd packed all out stuff up from Tree's. All the people living here seem really cool so far and there's a pretty Canadian girl who seems delightful. It's Thursday morning and I'm going snowboarding again. Booyah.
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