I think Rio has been bumped from the top spot of my favourite cities. I think the top spot is now filled by Western Canada's Vancouver. I know the latter doesn't have the nightlife of Rio, but you may have guessed from this blog that's not high on my list of priorities. What Vancouver has, is well everything. From beautiful snow capped mountains in the distance, to close by Grouse Mountain, beaches, parks, a wonderfully condensed downtown and residential neighbourhoods with great shopping and outdoor sports shops galore. It also feels like everything is well designed in Vancouver, everything feels close, people even seem to dress better. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating but it's great to visit a large city, with all the amenities of a large city and yet find friendly people and natural beauty. I can see why it was recently voted as the number one place to live in the world. Can you believe I developed these feelings for the city in a day and a half?
I stayed at the Hi Jericho Beach. I originally booked here to have a few relaxing days figuring out what to do next. But as I mentioned in the last post, I'm booked on a 5 day sea kayaking trip from tomorrow, so I've spent all of today making the trip across to Vancouver Island and then across to Quadra Island, where I am now. This meant leaving the hostel at 6am, walking 20 minutes to a bus stop, taking two buses, first to downtown and then to Horseshoe Bay for a ferry connection to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The crossing took about one and a half hours. I then waited two hours for a connecting bus service to Campbell River (another hour and a half journey) and from there a ten minute ferry ride across to Quadra Island. Thankfully I met some really nice people on the trip and have arrived with time to pack for my departure tomorrow. I've booked a taxi for the ride to Coastal Spirits tomorrow morning, I'm slightly concerned to see the taxi has been parked outside the pub next door for several hours. Oh well.
I realise I haven't posted about the Grand Canyon, but I've been particularly busy the last few days.
I did take some photo's of the ferry crossing, but for some reason deleted them while watching Spiderman. Well at least now I'll have plenty of room on my memory card for photographs.
Hopefully I'll be back online Friday or Saturday with some photo's and stories of my kayaking adventure.
Saturday 28 July 2007
Thursday 26 July 2007
Monday 23 July 2007
My Plans
Well I came to Vegas to see the Hoover Dam and to take a three day camping trip to the Grand Canyon. Unfortuantely the trip was cancelled: not enough people signed up. So instead I'm doing a day trip to the West Rim tomorrow. It's not ideal, as it's quite a distance, but I don't want to be this close and not visit the Grand Canyon at all.
On Thursday I fly to Vancouver, as a compensation I've signed up for a sea kayaking trip. Click here for the details. Yes it looks pretty cool and I'm sure it will be as good as camping in the Canyon, well I hope.
Las Vegas itself is everything you can imagine and a little more. On the Strip hotels are being demolished and new ones spring up constantly. There are many shopping malls, bars and restaurants all trying to out do each other.
Some of the free entertainment is quite spectacular, but some is plain depressing, ie the tigers in the glass cage at the Bellagio.
It takes all sorts, and Vegas certainly has all sorts. It's unusually humid at the moment (it's been trying to rain each morning), so the 100 degree heat feels even hotter. I spent an hour today by the pool but even that was too much. Although I've heard about the flooding in England, so I'll complain no more.
Ummm...deep fried you say?!
On Thursday I fly to Vancouver, as a compensation I've signed up for a sea kayaking trip. Click here for the details. Yes it looks pretty cool and I'm sure it will be as good as camping in the Canyon, well I hope.
Las Vegas itself is everything you can imagine and a little more. On the Strip hotels are being demolished and new ones spring up constantly. There are many shopping malls, bars and restaurants all trying to out do each other.
Some of the free entertainment is quite spectacular, but some is plain depressing, ie the tigers in the glass cage at the Bellagio.
It takes all sorts, and Vegas certainly has all sorts. It's unusually humid at the moment (it's been trying to rain each morning), so the 100 degree heat feels even hotter. I spent an hour today by the pool but even that was too much. Although I've heard about the flooding in England, so I'll complain no more.
Ummm...deep fried you say?!
Saturday 21 July 2007
Las Vegas
I'm staying at a really nice hostel on Fremont Street. The temperatures often reach over 100 degrees in the morning, so having a pool becomes very important. They also have a water pipe draped some 20ft in the air with tiny holes cut into it to create a fine mist.
I decided to venture out of the hostel (I flew in from Denver Friday afternoon) and head towards the "Fremont Street Experience" covered part of the street. I think the part of Fremont the hostel is on is probably know as the "crystal meth hell Fremont experience". I soon realised this isn't the best neighbourhood when I overheard a conversation between two men on the street. One was saying, "I don't want to go to jail for someone right now". It was obviously something he was willing to re-consider in the future.
I walked a little faster, expecting a fairly leisurely 15 minute walk. By the time I stumbled into an air conditioned Irish bar I felt like Lawrence of Arabia, only hotter and slightly delirious.
I ordered water and decided I needed food too. A bucket of shrimp and chips arrived a moment later. Yes I mean an actual bucket, the silver coloured type usually used to hold champagne. As is the norm in American restaurants, a kitchen towel was on hand, not a few squares, but a whole roll. I decided in a sunstroke sort of way, I'm meant to make a plate. I began folding the squares of towel and placing some shrimp and chips from the bucket onto my "plate". Dispensing of the salt was equally challenging. It was in a Corona bottle, yes the sort that normally holds Mexican beer. I tried to prize open the top, thinking this is going to be a very salty meal. As the waitress arrived at my table with a plate I realised the top of the Corona bottle was a regular salt shaker.
Tuesday 17 July 2007
Best Western Movie Manor
This morning I drove from Durango to Monte Vista. The latter is quite a small town about an hour from most of the surrounding National Parks. But what it does have is a drive in movie motel. Yes people this exists in America!
Originally opened as a one screen drive in cinema in the 1950's, the Kelloff family expanded the business to include a motel in 1964, so they would have a year round business.
The main drive in screen.
Since then the motel has been expanded and a second screen was added a few years ago. It's a typical drive in cinema, with listening posts (as well as the soundtrack broadcast on a radio frequency), a snack bar and a motel. Each room looks out onto the main screen and the sound is pumped into the room. Each room is named after a screen star, I'm in the Burt Reynolds room, well I suppose it's slightly more glamorous than the Sally Fields room.
Burt was very accommodating.
The view of the screen from my room.
The films start around 8.30 to 9 in the evening. I didn't expect many cars to pull up into the drive in, with the improvement in home entertainment systems. I think most of the 8 or so cars parked seemed to be here for novelty value, everyone was taking photographs. Although I assume some locals still use the cinema.
The main screen was showing Die Hard 4, while the second screen played 1408, a creepy Stephen King story about a reviewer of ghostly hotels who finally experiences something hellish in a hotel room. I think the latter would be pretty frightening to watch in a hotel room (with an over active imagination at least), but only the sound from the main screen is pumped into the motel rooms. However all guests are welcome to get into their cars and drive the 50ft to view the second screen. I declined. Instead I stayed in my room, it felt odd to be looking at a screen through a window. I also got to thinking, what happens when it rains? Do people watch the film with their window wipers going back and forth? I asked at reception if bad weather will stop a screening, but apparently not. I did notice before the end of Bruce Willis' latest battle with the bad guys, only one car remained, but maybe that had something to do with the plot?
The Line Up
Speakers for a car.
It's been a cool experience to stay in such a unique hotel, but I can see why Drive In cinemas are disappearing.
Originally opened as a one screen drive in cinema in the 1950's, the Kelloff family expanded the business to include a motel in 1964, so they would have a year round business.
The main drive in screen.
Since then the motel has been expanded and a second screen was added a few years ago. It's a typical drive in cinema, with listening posts (as well as the soundtrack broadcast on a radio frequency), a snack bar and a motel. Each room looks out onto the main screen and the sound is pumped into the room. Each room is named after a screen star, I'm in the Burt Reynolds room, well I suppose it's slightly more glamorous than the Sally Fields room.
Burt was very accommodating.
The view of the screen from my room.
The films start around 8.30 to 9 in the evening. I didn't expect many cars to pull up into the drive in, with the improvement in home entertainment systems. I think most of the 8 or so cars parked seemed to be here for novelty value, everyone was taking photographs. Although I assume some locals still use the cinema.
The main screen was showing Die Hard 4, while the second screen played 1408, a creepy Stephen King story about a reviewer of ghostly hotels who finally experiences something hellish in a hotel room. I think the latter would be pretty frightening to watch in a hotel room (with an over active imagination at least), but only the sound from the main screen is pumped into the motel rooms. However all guests are welcome to get into their cars and drive the 50ft to view the second screen. I declined. Instead I stayed in my room, it felt odd to be looking at a screen through a window. I also got to thinking, what happens when it rains? Do people watch the film with their window wipers going back and forth? I asked at reception if bad weather will stop a screening, but apparently not. I did notice before the end of Bruce Willis' latest battle with the bad guys, only one car remained, but maybe that had something to do with the plot?
The Line Up
Speakers for a car.
It's been a cool experience to stay in such a unique hotel, but I can see why Drive In cinemas are disappearing.
Sunday 15 July 2007
Photo's of Ouray
Here are some photographs of Ouray. It's a beautiful town nestled in the Rockies. It's know as the Switzerland of the US.
Ouray Hot Springs
Main Street, original buildings from the 1890's.
The town's library.
Ouray Hot Springs
Main Street, original buildings from the 1890's.
The town's library.
Friday 13 July 2007
The Perfect Day
I woke this morning to clear blue skies, in every direction there are amazing views. One of the regulars at the hostel had recommended a trip out to Turquoise Lake, so I drove the 4 or so miles out to the nearest point of the Lake. I parked alongside some RV's, that thankfully left my car in the shade.
Armed with my camera, water, insect spray and sun lotion I set off on trail that circles the lake. I knew I couldn't manage the whole trail, I'm still not used to the altitude. No serious trouble, just shortness of breath and incredibly thirsty all the time.
There were quite a few cyclists, horse riders, hikers and runners on the trail. The trail hugs the lake, I passed a number of fishermen and women. The lake is also used for wake boarding. Unfortunately this makes huge waves.
Flowers by the Lake
I saw a lot of wildlife too, they have a guidebook here in the hostel that's helped me identify some of what I saw. There are so many Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel, yes I had to look that one up.
They are friendly little things.
I stopped to chat to a friendly fisherman, he's been coming to Leadville since 1985, he spoke like Clint Eastwood. He told me all about his life as shoe store owner in Nebraska. Apparently I'd just missed another English person. I told him there's a lot of us travelling right now.
Clint with his catch, yes he put it back.
It was so peaceful out on the lake. I think I'll let the photo's do the talking.
Gnarly pieces of wood.
I snapped this from the car
I've been invited to join the guys at the hostel tonight to eat the catch of the day, a great end to a perfect day.
Thankfully I didn't see any of these.
Armed with my camera, water, insect spray and sun lotion I set off on trail that circles the lake. I knew I couldn't manage the whole trail, I'm still not used to the altitude. No serious trouble, just shortness of breath and incredibly thirsty all the time.
There were quite a few cyclists, horse riders, hikers and runners on the trail. The trail hugs the lake, I passed a number of fishermen and women. The lake is also used for wake boarding. Unfortunately this makes huge waves.
Flowers by the Lake
I saw a lot of wildlife too, they have a guidebook here in the hostel that's helped me identify some of what I saw. There are so many Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel, yes I had to look that one up.
They are friendly little things.
I stopped to chat to a friendly fisherman, he's been coming to Leadville since 1985, he spoke like Clint Eastwood. He told me all about his life as shoe store owner in Nebraska. Apparently I'd just missed another English person. I told him there's a lot of us travelling right now.
Clint with his catch, yes he put it back.
It was so peaceful out on the lake. I think I'll let the photo's do the talking.
Gnarly pieces of wood.
I snapped this from the car
I've been invited to join the guys at the hostel tonight to eat the catch of the day, a great end to a perfect day.
Thankfully I didn't see any of these.
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