Canada/USA - Down the West Coast
Door: Marielle
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Marielle
28 Oktober 2018 | Verenigde Staten, Portland
The days of sun on Vancouver Island were fantastic. After Tofino I move withTomek to the cheaper CNN hostel in Ucluelet of Andy, much more relaxt and quiet than the hostel in Tofino. The beaches are beautiful and not very crowded and it is nice to spend some quiet afternoons here. I also walk the Ancient Ceddars Loop trail and the Wild Pacific trail that cover the rocky coast with nice views.
On the way to Cumberland (Tomek is so kind to drop me off :-)), we stop at a hatchery and see a black bear up close. Incredible that we are allowed so close without real fences, what happened to all the bear warnings?!? In the Riding Fool Hostel in Cumberland I meet Kathy and Ann, they are from Vancouver Island and visiting Cumberland for the 75th birthday party of their friend. I am instantly invited and have a fantastic evening with all these nice ladies dancing on life Irish music. A good way to turn 75 ;-) After the birthday party I move accross the street to meet Andrea (whom I met earlier in the hostel), life music here as well. Cumberland does not look like it but has a bustling nightlife! The remaining days in Cumberland I spend outside in the sun hiking in the surrounding forests and drinking beer from the local brewery which is sold fresh for little money in reusable bottles (growlers). Delicious :-)
Before I return to the mainland I stay one night with Kathy and Gary in Nanaimo, Kathy was so kind to invite me to her B&B. Such a warm welcome! A nice dinner, breakfast, free laundry and an extremely luxurious bed! After all these months staying in dorms it feels like heaven :-) Kathy also is so kind to drop me off at the ferry, thank you so much for watching over me!
Returning to the big city is a harsch reality... everywhere in Vancouver you see homeless people living on the streets. Most are drug addicts. It is a sad sight. I also need to get used to the city again though Vancouver is beautiful with all the water surrounding it. In the Samesun hostel I meet some familiar faces (Sarah from Victoria, Arik from Tofino) and some new and spend quite some hours in the downstairs bar :-) ... which also may have caused me turning ill after leaving Vancouver.... I rent a bike to cover Stanley Park (which has spectacular views) and downtown Vancouver. My favourite spot for lunch is Gransville Island. The hostel organizes free trips and I join the visit to Lynn Canyon with its "alternative" suspension bridge. Although the group is way too big I do enjoy the hike and meet some friends to have beers with at night ;-)
With the bus I leave Vancouver and have a smooth (it does exists!) border crossing into the USA. Naomi and Isaac whom I met in the middle of the night when arriving with the ferry in Juneau (Alaska) were so kind to offer me to stay at their home in Seattle. After a ride on the metro in between people dressed in purple and a walk with my backpack I find their nice house and receive a warm welcome. After a delicious potato soup we watch Sleepless in Seattle to get me in the mood for my visit of the city the next day :-) After an all American breakfast with pancakes and 2 paracetamol I leave for exploring Seattle. A beautiful city for walking around. On advise of Naomi I visit Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, the glass museum (Chihuly Garden & Glass Exhibit) and take the ferry to Bainbridge Island to have a spectacular view of Seattle in the sun (and to have a little nap on the way back ;-)). When I return home I can only eat my take out food and am in bed at seven o'clock with a fever, sorry to miss Naomi and Isaac returning home... Thank you so much for opening your home to me and hope all goes well with the baby! Keep me posted!
The next day I travel to Portland by train. Unfortunately it is foggy so no nice views though the train ride is very comfortable (much better than the bus). At arrival in Portland I have some difficulty to find the bus to the hostel, when I eventually find it I do not have enough cash... however the busdriver allows me on the bus :-) At the hostel I crash and spend 2 full days in bed before finally the fever is gone and I start to feel better. Despite the rain Portland is a really nice city with very friendly and smiling people. It is nice to just walk around in the downtown area and I especially like the Saturday Market.
Tomorrow I will finally leave Portland after a full week. I have rented a mini van and will drive down highway 101 on the Oregon coast to San Francisco. I bought a sleeping bag and am planning to do some improvised camping, curious how that will be. In 2.5 weeks I will have to return the car in LA, so will see where I end up in the meanwhile. Full freedom :-)
Hope you are all well and thank you for all kind messages and texts! Stay in touch and hasta luego!
On the way to Cumberland (Tomek is so kind to drop me off :-)), we stop at a hatchery and see a black bear up close. Incredible that we are allowed so close without real fences, what happened to all the bear warnings?!? In the Riding Fool Hostel in Cumberland I meet Kathy and Ann, they are from Vancouver Island and visiting Cumberland for the 75th birthday party of their friend. I am instantly invited and have a fantastic evening with all these nice ladies dancing on life Irish music. A good way to turn 75 ;-) After the birthday party I move accross the street to meet Andrea (whom I met earlier in the hostel), life music here as well. Cumberland does not look like it but has a bustling nightlife! The remaining days in Cumberland I spend outside in the sun hiking in the surrounding forests and drinking beer from the local brewery which is sold fresh for little money in reusable bottles (growlers). Delicious :-)
Before I return to the mainland I stay one night with Kathy and Gary in Nanaimo, Kathy was so kind to invite me to her B&B. Such a warm welcome! A nice dinner, breakfast, free laundry and an extremely luxurious bed! After all these months staying in dorms it feels like heaven :-) Kathy also is so kind to drop me off at the ferry, thank you so much for watching over me!
Returning to the big city is a harsch reality... everywhere in Vancouver you see homeless people living on the streets. Most are drug addicts. It is a sad sight. I also need to get used to the city again though Vancouver is beautiful with all the water surrounding it. In the Samesun hostel I meet some familiar faces (Sarah from Victoria, Arik from Tofino) and some new and spend quite some hours in the downstairs bar :-) ... which also may have caused me turning ill after leaving Vancouver.... I rent a bike to cover Stanley Park (which has spectacular views) and downtown Vancouver. My favourite spot for lunch is Gransville Island. The hostel organizes free trips and I join the visit to Lynn Canyon with its "alternative" suspension bridge. Although the group is way too big I do enjoy the hike and meet some friends to have beers with at night ;-)
With the bus I leave Vancouver and have a smooth (it does exists!) border crossing into the USA. Naomi and Isaac whom I met in the middle of the night when arriving with the ferry in Juneau (Alaska) were so kind to offer me to stay at their home in Seattle. After a ride on the metro in between people dressed in purple and a walk with my backpack I find their nice house and receive a warm welcome. After a delicious potato soup we watch Sleepless in Seattle to get me in the mood for my visit of the city the next day :-) After an all American breakfast with pancakes and 2 paracetamol I leave for exploring Seattle. A beautiful city for walking around. On advise of Naomi I visit Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, the glass museum (Chihuly Garden & Glass Exhibit) and take the ferry to Bainbridge Island to have a spectacular view of Seattle in the sun (and to have a little nap on the way back ;-)). When I return home I can only eat my take out food and am in bed at seven o'clock with a fever, sorry to miss Naomi and Isaac returning home... Thank you so much for opening your home to me and hope all goes well with the baby! Keep me posted!
The next day I travel to Portland by train. Unfortunately it is foggy so no nice views though the train ride is very comfortable (much better than the bus). At arrival in Portland I have some difficulty to find the bus to the hostel, when I eventually find it I do not have enough cash... however the busdriver allows me on the bus :-) At the hostel I crash and spend 2 full days in bed before finally the fever is gone and I start to feel better. Despite the rain Portland is a really nice city with very friendly and smiling people. It is nice to just walk around in the downtown area and I especially like the Saturday Market.
Tomorrow I will finally leave Portland after a full week. I have rented a mini van and will drive down highway 101 on the Oregon coast to San Francisco. I bought a sleeping bag and am planning to do some improvised camping, curious how that will be. In 2.5 weeks I will have to return the car in LA, so will see where I end up in the meanwhile. Full freedom :-)
Hope you are all well and thank you for all kind messages and texts! Stay in touch and hasta luego!
