While we're out here, we had to hit a Maple Festival. It seems to be a staple for Ontario and Quebec this time of year, just not in the areas we've been in up to this point. So I had to make a point of getting to Perth's Festival of the Maples, the last festival I could find. And sandwiched between Toronto and Ottawa, Perth seemed like a good place to stop and try to find some small-town life off what one might think is the busiest route in Canada.
We ended up out here last night, and found a motel. There are a few bed and breakfasts, but anything affordable on our budget is booked or closed this weekend. This morning we headed down to the festival, the bulk of which runs along the main street. Besides the various maple producers, they've got booths for Green Party and some local social causes. We ended up talking to Jackie Seaton, a potter who creates and donates stoneware bowls to the Empty Bowls program to promote awareness of hunger and child poverty in the community. www.emptybowls.ca You can buy a bowl of gourmet soup and take the bowl home, and money goes towards the Perth Food Bank. It's a nice example of people putting their talents to good use.
So after getting some footage of Ukrainian dancers, Scottish pipers, crowds of people, and a quick lesson in tapping maple trees, we're going to try to make our way back to Toronto, where we've left our packs with Lyle, Neil's second cousin, and then on to Hamilton. There is no bus running today though, so wish us luck . . .
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Ottawa to Toronto
Ottawa was over too quick. It was great to see Heather again, and here's hoping she comes back out west sometime before the fall, or we end up out east again by some miracle. But we had to keep moving on as the song goes. On to the centre of the world.
Toronto has always been something of an enigma for me. As a Vancouverite, I'm caught up in the anti-Toronto debate (hell, as a Canadian from somewhere other than TO I'm caught up in that debate . . .) I'd been there once as a kid, so it didn't really count, and I couldn't form any opinion on personal experience. And now having spent a few days, I wish I could stay longer. It's actually a cool city.
Yes, I'll give you that it's crawling with businessmen and women, and it's loud and busy and a lot like any other big city when you're standing on some street corner staring up at a maze of skyscrapers, taxis flying around, and people rushing by. But it's not dirty like New York, not really insane like London. I guess it's not yet so big as to overcome itself. It's just big for Canada. And you can take a wander down to the waterfront and suddenly it's all nice and peaceful. There's even an island with regular ferry service if you really want to get away from it all. Not that we made it that far. We took a quick break, checked out the view, and headed back into the fray.
Three days in any city or town is really not enough to do it justice. So attempting to do TO in that time felt ludicrous. Or worse, pointless. But we ended up exploring a sub-culture with wide-reaching influences. A sub-culture that touches celebrities, bikers, carnies, students, grandparents - even the endless businesspeople. We ended up in a tatoo parlor, where one of Neil's relatives works. We even got to film one lucky guy getting tattooed. I've never been one for tattoos or piercing - I had my ears done as a kid, and that was as much pain as I needed to inflict on myself. But after a day in there, I might have been convinced if I coulda figured out what design to get done. And the interviews were awesome. We even got a former mermaid who'd travelled with a carnival one summer.
And we also made a quick stop at the CBC to interview one of the executive producers. Arnold Amber has won three Geminis, is president of the CBC branch of the Canadian Media Guild, and Director of The Newspaper Guild Canada. Not only cause I'm hoping to try to sell the documentary to the CBC at some point, but mainly because I'm interested in media in a wider scope. This guy is part of the backbone of all media in Canada, and I wanted to know his opinion on how people are getting their news, what news they're getting, where it's coming from. It wasn't the usual interview, so I'm not too sure yet how it's going to fit in, but hopefully we'll find time to be self-reflective at some point.
Toronto has always been something of an enigma for me. As a Vancouverite, I'm caught up in the anti-Toronto debate (hell, as a Canadian from somewhere other than TO I'm caught up in that debate . . .) I'd been there once as a kid, so it didn't really count, and I couldn't form any opinion on personal experience. And now having spent a few days, I wish I could stay longer. It's actually a cool city.
Yes, I'll give you that it's crawling with businessmen and women, and it's loud and busy and a lot like any other big city when you're standing on some street corner staring up at a maze of skyscrapers, taxis flying around, and people rushing by. But it's not dirty like New York, not really insane like London. I guess it's not yet so big as to overcome itself. It's just big for Canada. And you can take a wander down to the waterfront and suddenly it's all nice and peaceful. There's even an island with regular ferry service if you really want to get away from it all. Not that we made it that far. We took a quick break, checked out the view, and headed back into the fray.
Three days in any city or town is really not enough to do it justice. So attempting to do TO in that time felt ludicrous. Or worse, pointless. But we ended up exploring a sub-culture with wide-reaching influences. A sub-culture that touches celebrities, bikers, carnies, students, grandparents - even the endless businesspeople. We ended up in a tatoo parlor, where one of Neil's relatives works. We even got to film one lucky guy getting tattooed. I've never been one for tattoos or piercing - I had my ears done as a kid, and that was as much pain as I needed to inflict on myself. But after a day in there, I might have been convinced if I coulda figured out what design to get done. And the interviews were awesome. We even got a former mermaid who'd travelled with a carnival one summer.
And we also made a quick stop at the CBC to interview one of the executive producers. Arnold Amber has won three Geminis, is president of the CBC branch of the Canadian Media Guild, and Director of The Newspaper Guild Canada. Not only cause I'm hoping to try to sell the documentary to the CBC at some point, but mainly because I'm interested in media in a wider scope. This guy is part of the backbone of all media in Canada, and I wanted to know his opinion on how people are getting their news, what news they're getting, where it's coming from. It wasn't the usual interview, so I'm not too sure yet how it's going to fit in, but hopefully we'll find time to be self-reflective at some point.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Montreal to Ottawa
Well, we're back hanging out with Heather in Ottawa. Montreal was a bit of a bust, but with the rest of the footage we've got in Quebec, I can't feel too bad. Besides, Montreal always shows up in Canadian documentaries, I want more off the beaten path. So, yeah, that's why I'm in Ottawa again. Right . . .
Well, we didn't really do too much last time, so this time we popped in to the parliament buildings and did some filming. Got some nice shots of the city from the clock tower. And got to sit in and watch a bit of halfhearted debating. No cameras allowed there, and I can kinda understand why. They might be afraid that Canadians would see how unimportant these meetings/debates appear to be to our elected officials. We came while a Conservative was going on about things we'd heard a million times during their campaign. Nothing new. The Speaker (who wasn't even the usual Speaker, he was just sitting in) was texting someone on his cell phone. Or playing Snake. And not really listening. Then a Liberal got up and launched into a long, winding speech that tried really heard to make some good points, except it was really badly written, and the woman was not a speechmaker. While she was trying to get her points across, someone went up to the Speaker and they had their own little conversation. No one was listening. To anyone. The speeches had next to nothing to do with what other speeches were about. It seemed completely and totally pointless. Oh, yeah, there was maybe 20 people there all together. Granted we couldn't see the NDP from where we were. But still. It was sad. These people make too much money.
Anyway, after being completely disillusioned by the government, we went to the pub. There I got into a really cool conversation with some students about this film, and Canada and how everything fits together.
Well, we didn't really do too much last time, so this time we popped in to the parliament buildings and did some filming. Got some nice shots of the city from the clock tower. And got to sit in and watch a bit of halfhearted debating. No cameras allowed there, and I can kinda understand why. They might be afraid that Canadians would see how unimportant these meetings/debates appear to be to our elected officials. We came while a Conservative was going on about things we'd heard a million times during their campaign. Nothing new. The Speaker (who wasn't even the usual Speaker, he was just sitting in) was texting someone on his cell phone. Or playing Snake. And not really listening. Then a Liberal got up and launched into a long, winding speech that tried really heard to make some good points, except it was really badly written, and the woman was not a speechmaker. While she was trying to get her points across, someone went up to the Speaker and they had their own little conversation. No one was listening. To anyone. The speeches had next to nothing to do with what other speeches were about. It seemed completely and totally pointless. Oh, yeah, there was maybe 20 people there all together. Granted we couldn't see the NDP from where we were. But still. It was sad. These people make too much money.
Anyway, after being completely disillusioned by the government, we went to the pub. There I got into a really cool conversation with some students about this film, and Canada and how everything fits together.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Chicoutimi to Montreal
I could have stayed longer in Chicoutimi, but time is pushing us onwards. We interviewed such a range of people - the director of ELFCQ, the French Language and Quebec Culture School at the university, several independent filmmakers at the local film co-op, some hippies smoking joints in the park . . . it was really cool. I would defiantly recommend heading away from the obvious tourist spots of Quebec and heading into lesser travelled areas. Not just Chicoutimi, that was as far as we were able to make it this trip, but farther north, or farther up the river. It is awesome.
We headed for Montreal next, and after a long bus ride, I was not feeling well at all. I'm not too sure what got me, but it probably just boiled down to the nonstop travelling. We got into Montreal, and couldn't get a hold of the guy we were hoping to stay with, and then found a hostel, and then got a hold of the guy. But by that time, I didn't want to do anything but lay down and find a nice state of unconsciousness, and the hostel was only a block or so from the bus station, so we went there. It was kinda scary back there, not the best hostel we've stayed in, but then, most places near the bus station or train station are usually not in the best area and aren't the nicest, cleanest or safest. This did not stop me from falling into that nice state of unconsciousness as soon as my head hit the pillow. So thanks again to Neil, who did guard duty and slept with one eye open, watching the gear.
Montreal has not been the best place to get interviews, either. We had some success at McGill, but it's exam time, so most people are tucked away studying. We didn't get much from the shops we went in, though we did get a couple of people in a sex shop. And really, isn't that quintessentially what Montreal seems to be known for throughout Canada? Sex shops and parties. Maybe if I'd have been in more of a partying mood, we'd have been more successful, but I'm not sure how good the sound would have been anyway . . .
We headed for Montreal next, and after a long bus ride, I was not feeling well at all. I'm not too sure what got me, but it probably just boiled down to the nonstop travelling. We got into Montreal, and couldn't get a hold of the guy we were hoping to stay with, and then found a hostel, and then got a hold of the guy. But by that time, I didn't want to do anything but lay down and find a nice state of unconsciousness, and the hostel was only a block or so from the bus station, so we went there. It was kinda scary back there, not the best hostel we've stayed in, but then, most places near the bus station or train station are usually not in the best area and aren't the nicest, cleanest or safest. This did not stop me from falling into that nice state of unconsciousness as soon as my head hit the pillow. So thanks again to Neil, who did guard duty and slept with one eye open, watching the gear.
Montreal has not been the best place to get interviews, either. We had some success at McGill, but it's exam time, so most people are tucked away studying. We didn't get much from the shops we went in, though we did get a couple of people in a sex shop. And really, isn't that quintessentially what Montreal seems to be known for throughout Canada? Sex shops and parties. Maybe if I'd have been in more of a partying mood, we'd have been more successful, but I'm not sure how good the sound would have been anyway . . .
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Rivière-du-Loup to Chicoutimi
So I feel kinda dumb today. I'm gonna blame it all on sleep deprivation.
We got up before dawn, got all packed, showered, even ate breakfast, then got outside and waited for the taxi. And waited. And waited. And started freaking out cause the ferry was gonna leave in like 20 minutes, and the taxi we'd ordered the night before still hadn't shown. So I ran inside and called and freaked out in French (thankfully the guy understood English or we'd probably still be in Rivière-du-Loup) and the guy said the taxi would be there soon. Actually, it was pulling up as I stepped out the door. And we made it to the boat with 5 minutes to spare. Except there wasn't anyone around.
We sat inside this little booth for a few minutes, and I was again getting antsy. Then some people walked past towards the boat, and one of them noticed us and motioned towards the boat. So we got our packs back on and headed on board. Still no one around, and the people we'd seen were gone. But at least the boat wasn't gonna leave without us. We settled in and waited. And waited.
It took me half an hour to realize the clock behind the desk was an hour behind the clock on my cell phone. We'd changed time zones between New Brunswick and Quebec, which I'd completely forgotten about. The worst thing was that we'd missed out on an extra hour worth of sleep - something we really could have used. But it was all worth it in the end. While I was staring out at the St. Lawrence bemoaning the fact we were awake, I noticed this white thing that looked kinda like a seal. Again, I blame it on sleep deprivation. It turned out to be a beluga whale, and there were a whole bunch of them. So we ended up with about 20 minutes of whales on tape. Totally awesome.
We ended up in Saint-Siméon before noon, and had hours to kill before the bus showed up. So we decided to walk up to the restaurant. Let me reiterate how much I need to start hiking again. I was hot and sweaty and exhausted to start with. Then we walked an hour uphill with 50+ lb packs. All I wanted to do was sleep by this point. Instead we had a few hours still to kill, so we ate a long leisurely brunch.
The bus took us to Chicoutimi by way of Tadoussac. It is absolutely gorgeous in that area. We had the opportunity to get out and explore a bit when we changed buses. There's a park that overlooks the town and the river and the mountains across. It's a view to die for. I'll have to figure out how to post the video online at some point. Absolutely amazing.
The journey through the mountains to Chicoutimi was beautiful as well. It actually reminded me of travelling through BC with the trees and mountains. It's amazing how parts of Canada can look so similar to each other and be so far apart.
Upon arriving in Chicoutimi, we hadn't exercised enough, it seems, cause we decided to walk to the university where Jonathan's place is. We're crashing at his place tonight - another guy we've met on couchsurfing.com. Again, it's all uphill to get to the university. I must admit though: I love Chicoutimi - beautiful scenery, beautiful river, beautiful people. We were trudging uphill and a guy pulled over on the other side of the road in the middle of traffic and called to us in English to see if we wanted a ride. Man, I don't know who you are, but you restored my energy that day. I would have gladly taken him up on the offer, but we were a block from the campus by that point. And I'd just spotted a karaoke bar. And we still had about 4 hours to kill before Jonathon got out of his class. Yeah, today was all about killing time. So we thanked the guy but declined his wonderful offer, and instead opted for cheap drinks and cheaper poutine. Tomorrow we'll do some work - today's all about getting where we need to go without completely killing ourselves.
We got up before dawn, got all packed, showered, even ate breakfast, then got outside and waited for the taxi. And waited. And waited. And started freaking out cause the ferry was gonna leave in like 20 minutes, and the taxi we'd ordered the night before still hadn't shown. So I ran inside and called and freaked out in French (thankfully the guy understood English or we'd probably still be in Rivière-du-Loup) and the guy said the taxi would be there soon. Actually, it was pulling up as I stepped out the door. And we made it to the boat with 5 minutes to spare. Except there wasn't anyone around.
We sat inside this little booth for a few minutes, and I was again getting antsy. Then some people walked past towards the boat, and one of them noticed us and motioned towards the boat. So we got our packs back on and headed on board. Still no one around, and the people we'd seen were gone. But at least the boat wasn't gonna leave without us. We settled in and waited. And waited.
It took me half an hour to realize the clock behind the desk was an hour behind the clock on my cell phone. We'd changed time zones between New Brunswick and Quebec, which I'd completely forgotten about. The worst thing was that we'd missed out on an extra hour worth of sleep - something we really could have used. But it was all worth it in the end. While I was staring out at the St. Lawrence bemoaning the fact we were awake, I noticed this white thing that looked kinda like a seal. Again, I blame it on sleep deprivation. It turned out to be a beluga whale, and there were a whole bunch of them. So we ended up with about 20 minutes of whales on tape. Totally awesome.
We ended up in Saint-Siméon before noon, and had hours to kill before the bus showed up. So we decided to walk up to the restaurant. Let me reiterate how much I need to start hiking again. I was hot and sweaty and exhausted to start with. Then we walked an hour uphill with 50+ lb packs. All I wanted to do was sleep by this point. Instead we had a few hours still to kill, so we ate a long leisurely brunch.
The bus took us to Chicoutimi by way of Tadoussac. It is absolutely gorgeous in that area. We had the opportunity to get out and explore a bit when we changed buses. There's a park that overlooks the town and the river and the mountains across. It's a view to die for. I'll have to figure out how to post the video online at some point. Absolutely amazing.
The journey through the mountains to Chicoutimi was beautiful as well. It actually reminded me of travelling through BC with the trees and mountains. It's amazing how parts of Canada can look so similar to each other and be so far apart.
Upon arriving in Chicoutimi, we hadn't exercised enough, it seems, cause we decided to walk to the university where Jonathan's place is. We're crashing at his place tonight - another guy we've met on couchsurfing.com. Again, it's all uphill to get to the university. I must admit though: I love Chicoutimi - beautiful scenery, beautiful river, beautiful people. We were trudging uphill and a guy pulled over on the other side of the road in the middle of traffic and called to us in English to see if we wanted a ride. Man, I don't know who you are, but you restored my energy that day. I would have gladly taken him up on the offer, but we were a block from the campus by that point. And I'd just spotted a karaoke bar. And we still had about 4 hours to kill before Jonathon got out of his class. Yeah, today was all about killing time. So we thanked the guy but declined his wonderful offer, and instead opted for cheap drinks and cheaper poutine. Tomorrow we'll do some work - today's all about getting where we need to go without completely killing ourselves.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Fredericton to Rivière-du-Loup
We left the Maritimes today and made it back into Quebec. In some ways, the trip didn’t feel quite complete - we didn't see the Bay of Fundy, missed Magnetic Hill, didn't see the little fishing villages or the rocky shores. However, the people we met were amazing, and the interviews were awesome. So really my problem is that sometimes I start thinking like a tourist and not like a filmmaker. In the end, our main reason for doing all this wasn't to see the highlights, but get some kind of understanding of what the place is all about. And I think we got close to that.
And the good sign is that I'm not stressed right now (which is surprising for me). It could be because I'm still slightly hung-over and crashing off sugar and cake from last night's party at Ewan's, but I'd like to think it's cause I'm excited about the footage we've gotten. I can start to see how it fits together. Here's hoping it looks the same when we get to the editing . . .
I have one last observation - there was a huge amount of public works going on in New Brunswick. Maybe it's just that time of year starting up, but we seemed to pass a lot today. Two bridges being built, a team repairing or rewiring or re-something some telephone poles, a crew putting up a whole bunch of reflective fencing along the road. For whatever reason, that comes to mind.
We got in to Rivière-du-Loup and decided to walk up to the hostel. Up being the operative word. I don't mind all the time spent on the bus, but I am really gonna have to do some hiking when I get back home. We lugged our packs up a big hill, then kinda wandered in what we hoped was the right direction as the sun vanished. We met a couple people along the way, and through our broken French, managed to find out we were heading the right way. And finally made it here, where we discovered we have to take the 8 am ferry if we're gonna catch the bus to Chicoutimi. As we're only going to get about 5 hours sleep, I'm gonna crash.
And the good sign is that I'm not stressed right now (which is surprising for me). It could be because I'm still slightly hung-over and crashing off sugar and cake from last night's party at Ewan's, but I'd like to think it's cause I'm excited about the footage we've gotten. I can start to see how it fits together. Here's hoping it looks the same when we get to the editing . . .
I have one last observation - there was a huge amount of public works going on in New Brunswick. Maybe it's just that time of year starting up, but we seemed to pass a lot today. Two bridges being built, a team repairing or rewiring or re-something some telephone poles, a crew putting up a whole bunch of reflective fencing along the road. For whatever reason, that comes to mind.
We got in to Rivière-du-Loup and decided to walk up to the hostel. Up being the operative word. I don't mind all the time spent on the bus, but I am really gonna have to do some hiking when I get back home. We lugged our packs up a big hill, then kinda wandered in what we hoped was the right direction as the sun vanished. We met a couple people along the way, and through our broken French, managed to find out we were heading the right way. And finally made it here, where we discovered we have to take the 8 am ferry if we're gonna catch the bus to Chicoutimi. As we're only going to get about 5 hours sleep, I'm gonna crash.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Halifax to Fredericton
Well, we said goodbye to Nova Scotia. But we got to see Ewan again. He's awesome, and he arranged to get us two games to film. In our eternal struggle to find unique people across the country, we are now going to film and interview gamers. And not just any gamers, these guys are into LARP (live action role playing). This will be new for me, I've only been around the table-top type.
But first a day to regroup and repack (our extra stuff was sitting right where we'd left it - I think I was kinda hoping it would vanish. Well, maybe not the tapes, but really, I don't think we're gonna need snow pants anymore. I hope.)
I also got the chance to finally update a bunch of these posts, though it will probably be a bit before this one makes it on the blog. It'll be nice when it's finally all up to date.
Friday night we got to hang out with some Werewolf gamers and film them playing. We left the mic adapter behind, so interviews were out of the question, but people were fairly busy playing anyway. I still have a hard time interrupting people if they're doing something to bug them for an interview.
And Saturday we got all we could hope for. NERO runs a fantasy LARP game over the Easter long weekend at an acreage. They were having tournament type jousting when we arrived, and we filmed a bit of that, and interviews with some of the players. We also got an interview with the reverend who put the game on and owns the land. Then Neil decided he's gone through enough withdrawals, and headed over to the NPC (non-player character) shed to get a costume and weapon. If people show up and want to play just for a session, they can be NPCs, usually minions of a villain or other lesser enemies that get killed off in a fight. Which is what happened to Neil, he played a mummy and got killed off in the battle. But it was fun, and when 25 people step out of the forest like it's the 15th century where they came from is awesome. Actually, I think I'd like to see something like this set up back home. And we also got a group interview with a couple of paladins, a few dark elves, and a bunch of assorted fighters.
And Ewan got some more awesome interviews for us. We spoke to two women who'd been living on the streets in Vancouver, and their perceptions of the cops and the situation. And we got to interview another friend, Sarah, who was really cool. She also makes a mean cheesecake. She came over for dinner, and then we had desert, and then we got drunk and made a huge giraffe/pig creature out of pink balloons. It was a lot of fun, really great night. And there were a bunch of other people who ended up coming over, but I totally can't remember their names now. Ewan, help me out :)
But first a day to regroup and repack (our extra stuff was sitting right where we'd left it - I think I was kinda hoping it would vanish. Well, maybe not the tapes, but really, I don't think we're gonna need snow pants anymore. I hope.)
I also got the chance to finally update a bunch of these posts, though it will probably be a bit before this one makes it on the blog. It'll be nice when it's finally all up to date.
Friday night we got to hang out with some Werewolf gamers and film them playing. We left the mic adapter behind, so interviews were out of the question, but people were fairly busy playing anyway. I still have a hard time interrupting people if they're doing something to bug them for an interview.
And Saturday we got all we could hope for. NERO runs a fantasy LARP game over the Easter long weekend at an acreage. They were having tournament type jousting when we arrived, and we filmed a bit of that, and interviews with some of the players. We also got an interview with the reverend who put the game on and owns the land. Then Neil decided he's gone through enough withdrawals, and headed over to the NPC (non-player character) shed to get a costume and weapon. If people show up and want to play just for a session, they can be NPCs, usually minions of a villain or other lesser enemies that get killed off in a fight. Which is what happened to Neil, he played a mummy and got killed off in the battle. But it was fun, and when 25 people step out of the forest like it's the 15th century where they came from is awesome. Actually, I think I'd like to see something like this set up back home. And we also got a group interview with a couple of paladins, a few dark elves, and a bunch of assorted fighters.
And Ewan got some more awesome interviews for us. We spoke to two women who'd been living on the streets in Vancouver, and their perceptions of the cops and the situation. And we got to interview another friend, Sarah, who was really cool. She also makes a mean cheesecake. She came over for dinner, and then we had desert, and then we got drunk and made a huge giraffe/pig creature out of pink balloons. It was a lot of fun, really great night. And there were a bunch of other people who ended up coming over, but I totally can't remember their names now. Ewan, help me out :)
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Ferries and buses to Halifax
After a night of attempting to sleep on the ferry and a 7 hour bus ride, we are in Halifax. The extra days in Newfoundland have bitten into our time in Nova Scotia unfortunately. We'd been hoping to stop again on Cape Breton Island to see Werner, but we ran out of time. And we won't be able to make it to Peggy's Cove. But we've seen a lot of stuff off the beaten path, which I think is more important.
And we've gotten some cool interviews in Halifax. We started with the mayor, who spent much of the time poking fun at Neil. I'm no more of a morning person than Neil is, but apparently Neil showed it more that day. But the mayor quite impressed me, he seems pretty cool, has a bunch of editorial cartoons about him spread out under glass on a table in his office. He also picked up some litter while we were outside doing his interview. He was more formal than the mayor of Bonavista, though.
And we also got to interview the guy who started the Propeller brewery, and got to tour the place. Neil's been going on about Propeller since we got to Nova Scotia, and I must admit their London Porter is really, really good. So in a land of Alexander Keith's, we stuck with the better tasting truly Canadian. (Alexander Keith's is actually owned by Labatt, which is owned by Interbrew, a Blegian brewer. Yeah, you try and list as many national Canadian-owned companies as you can.)
Anyway, we stayed with couchsurfers Breagh and Nathan, who let us take over their living room for a couple of nights. They were really cool, but pretty busy at the time. But they pointed us toward a great breakfast place run by an interesting Greek family. Cool place, good food. And a coffee shop we kept meaning to check out, but didn't get the chance.
And we met another couchsurfer, Robert, who gave us a great interview about life, the world and everything. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we had to catch the bus, and in the end we were waiting at the wrong bus stop anyway. Finally after watching buses go by in every direction but ours, we wandered over to another bus, and got enlightened. So we were really late getting back.
And we've gotten some cool interviews in Halifax. We started with the mayor, who spent much of the time poking fun at Neil. I'm no more of a morning person than Neil is, but apparently Neil showed it more that day. But the mayor quite impressed me, he seems pretty cool, has a bunch of editorial cartoons about him spread out under glass on a table in his office. He also picked up some litter while we were outside doing his interview. He was more formal than the mayor of Bonavista, though.
And we also got to interview the guy who started the Propeller brewery, and got to tour the place. Neil's been going on about Propeller since we got to Nova Scotia, and I must admit their London Porter is really, really good. So in a land of Alexander Keith's, we stuck with the better tasting truly Canadian. (Alexander Keith's is actually owned by Labatt, which is owned by Interbrew, a Blegian brewer. Yeah, you try and list as many national Canadian-owned companies as you can.)
Anyway, we stayed with couchsurfers Breagh and Nathan, who let us take over their living room for a couple of nights. They were really cool, but pretty busy at the time. But they pointed us toward a great breakfast place run by an interesting Greek family. Cool place, good food. And a coffee shop we kept meaning to check out, but didn't get the chance.
And we met another couchsurfer, Robert, who gave us a great interview about life, the world and everything. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we had to catch the bus, and in the end we were waiting at the wrong bus stop anyway. Finally after watching buses go by in every direction but ours, we wandered over to another bus, and got enlightened. So we were really late getting back.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Bonavista and heading for Nova Scotia
Well, we came to Bonavista thinking we'd stay a night, and take the taxi back the next day, and be on the ferry for Nova Scotia that night. Yeah, right. We ended up three nights, cause this place is just too beautiful. I'm consoling myself that I'll be back here again someday.
The bed and breakfast we're in is a five minute walk to the ocean, and a 15 minute walk to the lighthouse. We first figured we couldn't leave til we saw that, hence the first extra night. So we headed out there in the morning. It was like the backdrop to my fantasy script. Huge waves crashing against black slabs of rock, little windswept islands. At one point we could see huge needles of rock jutting up from the ocean further down the coast, almost lost in the spray and fog. I'll have to post pictures here when I finally get home. It was spectacular. It's the first thing to remind me of the northern coast of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.
Anyway, as we were heading back to town, a couple asked us if we wanted a lift. They took us on a tour to the waterfall and cave, some nearby villages, and the town. Then Ray mentioned he could take us all along the peninsula to Trinity the next day if we'd still be around. We couldn't pass that up, hence another extra night.
That night we met up with the guys we'd met on the taxi. Did some interviews with their friends, and drank, and hung out, and had a lot of fun. And I actually won a game of pool, which does not happen often.
So the next day we ended up with Ray and his wife again, and got to see the villages along the coast. Trinity was beautiful. I'd heard about a theatrical troupe run by Donna Butt, who was awarded the Order of Canada for keeping the culture alive. She wasn't around unfortunately, but again, I gotta come back.
And that night we ended up interviewing one of the most successful people in the town, who's about to open an elderly home. We also got to interview the mayor, which was awesome. She had a lot to say about everything from tourism to sealhunting.
And today we've left Bonavista, heading for Halifax. We have an hour taxi ride to the highway, then about a 12 hour bus ride to the ferry. But they have movies! We've watched Miss Congeniality 2 twice and the Wedding Planner twice. No, not the one with Adam Sandler, the one with JLo. No, she can't act, and she really doesn't help a 12 hour bus ride . . .
The bed and breakfast we're in is a five minute walk to the ocean, and a 15 minute walk to the lighthouse. We first figured we couldn't leave til we saw that, hence the first extra night. So we headed out there in the morning. It was like the backdrop to my fantasy script. Huge waves crashing against black slabs of rock, little windswept islands. At one point we could see huge needles of rock jutting up from the ocean further down the coast, almost lost in the spray and fog. I'll have to post pictures here when I finally get home. It was spectacular. It's the first thing to remind me of the northern coast of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.
Anyway, as we were heading back to town, a couple asked us if we wanted a lift. They took us on a tour to the waterfall and cave, some nearby villages, and the town. Then Ray mentioned he could take us all along the peninsula to Trinity the next day if we'd still be around. We couldn't pass that up, hence another extra night.
That night we met up with the guys we'd met on the taxi. Did some interviews with their friends, and drank, and hung out, and had a lot of fun. And I actually won a game of pool, which does not happen often.
So the next day we ended up with Ray and his wife again, and got to see the villages along the coast. Trinity was beautiful. I'd heard about a theatrical troupe run by Donna Butt, who was awarded the Order of Canada for keeping the culture alive. She wasn't around unfortunately, but again, I gotta come back.
And that night we ended up interviewing one of the most successful people in the town, who's about to open an elderly home. We also got to interview the mayor, which was awesome. She had a lot to say about everything from tourism to sealhunting.
And today we've left Bonavista, heading for Halifax. We have an hour taxi ride to the highway, then about a 12 hour bus ride to the ferry. But they have movies! We've watched Miss Congeniality 2 twice and the Wedding Planner twice. No, not the one with Adam Sandler, the one with JLo. No, she can't act, and she really doesn't help a 12 hour bus ride . . .
Thursday, April 06, 2006
St. John's and the taxi ride to Bonavista
We kinda picked the wrong time to be in St. John's to get the fisherman's perspective on camera. About a month ago Paul and Heather did their thing about the seal hunt on Larry King Live, and now the sealing season is about to go onto high gear. Most of the boats have already left - it apparently takes over 24 hrs to get out to the areas where they actually hunt. Anyway, of the boats that were still around, we got lots of cold stares when we went too close with the camera. Which I can't blame them for, there's a big protest planned for this Saturday, and protesters have already been getting in the way of the fishing boats, and it's a dangerous job without the excess people in the way. Though we did manage to get an interview with one guy on the boat he was working on. We told him what we tell everyone - he could talk about whatever he wanted to, if he wanted to mention the seals, cool, if not, cool. So when he talked about fishing, he mentioned seals as just part of the industry. Very down to earth, very reasonable. Not some mad, wild-eyed, crazed basher of fluffy things. Just a guy who actually has a job in his own province. Which is more than can be said for most people in Newfoundland.
We took a taxi to Bonavista yesterday and when it broke down on the way, we met a couple of guys from the area. Actually, the breaking down part was kinda funny. I figured in four months of travelling, something like that would have to happen sooner or later. First the guy was late picking everyone up (it's a regular taxi service that leaves St. John's everyday at about 1, or in this case, 2). About an hour out of St. John's, the driver mentioned he'd been having some problems with the alternator, but he was sure it would be fine. About an hour after that, the van died while attempting to chug vainly up a small hill. So while we waited for the other van to come give us a boost, I interviewed one of the guys by the side of the road. He was really cool. Had a rather cynical outlook, but then he has to go to the other side of the country in order to find work that will pay enough so he can come back home and spend time here. He's one of many heading out to the boomtown of Fort McMurray. And yet, Newfoundland is sitting on its own deposits of black gold and natural energy, but it's not able to reap the same rewards because of bad business and politics. It seems a premier made the bizarre decision to sell off the natural gas (or some other natural resource - I must watch the interview again) to Quebec, who in turn is apparently selling it to the States. Quebec is making a crapload, Newfoundland made a lump sum back in the 70s or whenever this happened, which probably seemed good at the time, but now looks like the cat’s breakfast. And the deal still holds today, they have another decade or something before the allotted time finally passes and Newfoundland gets back their own resource. This post is probably gonna change when I finally get around to watching the interview again. I've probably got the details wrong, but the gist of it is there.
On the upside - tourism should absolutely boom out here. Everyone in Canada should just get up and jump on a bus or a plane or get in their car and come to Newfoundland. It is so gorgeous, I can't believe it. The rocky beaches, the black cliffs, and the waves crashing against them, and the gusting winds . . . I can't do it justice. It feels like you're standing on the edge of the world looking out at infinity. It's like the most rugged tips of the Western Isles of Scotland. I love it, I want to move here. We were only supposed to stay one night, but we didn't catch the taxi back this morning, so we're here another night. Just can't leave. I can see why people keep coming back.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention - before we left St. John's we headed over to the curling rink, cause the 2006 Olympic Gold Medalist team calls it home. We were talking to the manager, trying to get an interview and see if there was any slim chance the team was in town, when Jamie Korab, the team's lead, walked in the door. So we rushed him, and pinned him down and he agreed to do a quick interview :) That was really cool. Almost makes me want to start curling actually. That seems like another way we're the oddball of the Canadian family, Vancouver has curling rinks, but they seem to be hidden, and no one acknowledges them, or the fact that the sport exists. Yet I went to Saskatoon and got stuck watching the Scott Tournament of Hearts, and then the BC team wipes the ice with everyone else. Why aren't we aware of this stuff? Sigh.
We took a taxi to Bonavista yesterday and when it broke down on the way, we met a couple of guys from the area. Actually, the breaking down part was kinda funny. I figured in four months of travelling, something like that would have to happen sooner or later. First the guy was late picking everyone up (it's a regular taxi service that leaves St. John's everyday at about 1, or in this case, 2). About an hour out of St. John's, the driver mentioned he'd been having some problems with the alternator, but he was sure it would be fine. About an hour after that, the van died while attempting to chug vainly up a small hill. So while we waited for the other van to come give us a boost, I interviewed one of the guys by the side of the road. He was really cool. Had a rather cynical outlook, but then he has to go to the other side of the country in order to find work that will pay enough so he can come back home and spend time here. He's one of many heading out to the boomtown of Fort McMurray. And yet, Newfoundland is sitting on its own deposits of black gold and natural energy, but it's not able to reap the same rewards because of bad business and politics. It seems a premier made the bizarre decision to sell off the natural gas (or some other natural resource - I must watch the interview again) to Quebec, who in turn is apparently selling it to the States. Quebec is making a crapload, Newfoundland made a lump sum back in the 70s or whenever this happened, which probably seemed good at the time, but now looks like the cat’s breakfast. And the deal still holds today, they have another decade or something before the allotted time finally passes and Newfoundland gets back their own resource. This post is probably gonna change when I finally get around to watching the interview again. I've probably got the details wrong, but the gist of it is there.
On the upside - tourism should absolutely boom out here. Everyone in Canada should just get up and jump on a bus or a plane or get in their car and come to Newfoundland. It is so gorgeous, I can't believe it. The rocky beaches, the black cliffs, and the waves crashing against them, and the gusting winds . . . I can't do it justice. It feels like you're standing on the edge of the world looking out at infinity. It's like the most rugged tips of the Western Isles of Scotland. I love it, I want to move here. We were only supposed to stay one night, but we didn't catch the taxi back this morning, so we're here another night. Just can't leave. I can see why people keep coming back.
Oh yeah, forgot to mention - before we left St. John's we headed over to the curling rink, cause the 2006 Olympic Gold Medalist team calls it home. We were talking to the manager, trying to get an interview and see if there was any slim chance the team was in town, when Jamie Korab, the team's lead, walked in the door. So we rushed him, and pinned him down and he agreed to do a quick interview :) That was really cool. Almost makes me want to start curling actually. That seems like another way we're the oddball of the Canadian family, Vancouver has curling rinks, but they seem to be hidden, and no one acknowledges them, or the fact that the sport exists. Yet I went to Saskatoon and got stuck watching the Scott Tournament of Hearts, and then the BC team wipes the ice with everyone else. Why aren't we aware of this stuff? Sigh.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Stephenville to St. John's
We'd left Werner in the pub Friday night, and assumed he was still sleeping when we got up Saturday morning. Considering we were up at 8 and had to be at the bus stop at 10, I'd hope most people on vacation would still be asleep. We'd decided to try our luck hitchhiking from Deer Lake. (Actually I think I'd finally driven Neil crazy, and he'd reluctantly agreed. It must be hard being the sherpa - he's there keeping me sane, but no one's keeping him sane . . .)
So about noon the bus pulled in to Deer Lake for the lunch stop. Deer Lake appeared to consist of two buildings - a bas station/restaurant on one side of the highway, and a motel on the other. Oh yeah, and a big statue of a moose. Where the "Deer" and "Lake" parts fit in, I'm not too sure. But, it did appear to be the transport hub James said it was. Most of the traffic seemed to pull in there.
So while the rest of the bus went in for burgers and fries, we sauntered up to a couple of truckers (the only truckers) who were standing next to their rigs. When we asked about getting a ride towards St. John's, they told us they weren't heading in that direction. Not seeing any other option - besides pestering people in the restaurant (which really isn't an option when you're really faced with it) we headed out to the road.
I should mention that we had huge packs. Not as huge as they'd been before we dropped stuff off in Fredericton, but we were still carrying hobbits on our backs. So as cars flew past, if the drivers did acknowledge us, it was usually with a shrug or motion to show they had no room for us. Or with a wave. Thanks. That helped. And then the bus pulled out, the lunch break over, and the driver laughed at us. That was a bad sign. We'd been out there a half hour, not long, but long enough to start to think about how long we were actually gonna stand out there before we went over to the motel and booked a room for the night. And then we started joking that maybe Werner would get tired of Stephenville and head to St. John's, and suddenly a familiar looking car drove by, slowed down and stopped. As we floundered over there with our packs, Werner got out and popped open the trunk. And we continued our trip.
We'd been hoping to make it to Gander cause a guy had offered us a place to crash through couchsurfing.com (check out this website!!). We thought we'd make it there around 5 or so. Werner got us there over an hour earlier, passing the bus, most of the people who's driven past us, and the two truckers who's said they weren't going our way. Grrr. Hitchhiking in Newfoundland is not as easy and accommodating as we'd been told. Anyway, we grabbed a bite to eat in Gander, but Werner was ready to press on to St. John's, so we figured we'd take the ride and hit Gander on the way back.
The landscape of Newfoundland is amazing. It blew my mind coming in to Port-aux-Basques. The route past Stephenville was nice, though not spectacular, but Corner Brook looked beautiful. This little city hugging the mountains and the bay - I wish we could have gotten out and checked it out, but we were on the bus at that point. The long road from Deer Lake to Gander and beyond was pretty, but then we hit Terra Nova National Park, which was beautiful, and I think it was there, with the sun going down, that we saw our first Newfoundland moose. Werner slowed down, and I scrambled to get my camera going, and then we noticed it wasn't moving, and then we noticed it was one of those big provincial signs that look like moose and say "watch for moose." Anyway, we felt like idiots, but it was pretty funny at the time.
Anyway, the highway started climbing around there, or had been climbing, and then we came onto the Avalon Peninsula. The mountains weren't huge, even compared to those on the north side of Newfoundland, but the landscape was awesome. It was really dark by this point, which might have had something to do with it. There weren't any trees, just open spaces with rocky patches and dark lakes, and it looked like the backdrop to a fantasy film come to life. I have got to go back there and go hiking.
Anyway, we came into St. John's and found a B&B and then found the pubs. George Street rocked. You could stand in the middle of the street and hear rock music from one pub, a fiddler in another, country down the way, dance music from the second floor on the corner. And people spilling onto the street, which is ok, cause it's all closed to traffic. It was really like a huge party. We ended up in Trapper John's - home of the St. John's Screech-In which we didn't try last night, but watched. Something we'll have to get into before we go. Anyway, we listened to Gregg Bolger all night. He's part of the band Fuse (fuseonline.ca) but was doing a solo show that night. So far, we haven't heard any "traditional" music here, but the rock is awesome.
Anyway, today we are taking a much needed break. Part of that includes AFI’s 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award to George Lucas. I got sucked in by William Shatner's intro and the dancing stormtroopers. You have to watch it to believe it.
So about noon the bus pulled in to Deer Lake for the lunch stop. Deer Lake appeared to consist of two buildings - a bas station/restaurant on one side of the highway, and a motel on the other. Oh yeah, and a big statue of a moose. Where the "Deer" and "Lake" parts fit in, I'm not too sure. But, it did appear to be the transport hub James said it was. Most of the traffic seemed to pull in there.
So while the rest of the bus went in for burgers and fries, we sauntered up to a couple of truckers (the only truckers) who were standing next to their rigs. When we asked about getting a ride towards St. John's, they told us they weren't heading in that direction. Not seeing any other option - besides pestering people in the restaurant (which really isn't an option when you're really faced with it) we headed out to the road.
I should mention that we had huge packs. Not as huge as they'd been before we dropped stuff off in Fredericton, but we were still carrying hobbits on our backs. So as cars flew past, if the drivers did acknowledge us, it was usually with a shrug or motion to show they had no room for us. Or with a wave. Thanks. That helped. And then the bus pulled out, the lunch break over, and the driver laughed at us. That was a bad sign. We'd been out there a half hour, not long, but long enough to start to think about how long we were actually gonna stand out there before we went over to the motel and booked a room for the night. And then we started joking that maybe Werner would get tired of Stephenville and head to St. John's, and suddenly a familiar looking car drove by, slowed down and stopped. As we floundered over there with our packs, Werner got out and popped open the trunk. And we continued our trip.
We'd been hoping to make it to Gander cause a guy had offered us a place to crash through couchsurfing.com (check out this website!!). We thought we'd make it there around 5 or so. Werner got us there over an hour earlier, passing the bus, most of the people who's driven past us, and the two truckers who's said they weren't going our way. Grrr. Hitchhiking in Newfoundland is not as easy and accommodating as we'd been told. Anyway, we grabbed a bite to eat in Gander, but Werner was ready to press on to St. John's, so we figured we'd take the ride and hit Gander on the way back.
The landscape of Newfoundland is amazing. It blew my mind coming in to Port-aux-Basques. The route past Stephenville was nice, though not spectacular, but Corner Brook looked beautiful. This little city hugging the mountains and the bay - I wish we could have gotten out and checked it out, but we were on the bus at that point. The long road from Deer Lake to Gander and beyond was pretty, but then we hit Terra Nova National Park, which was beautiful, and I think it was there, with the sun going down, that we saw our first Newfoundland moose. Werner slowed down, and I scrambled to get my camera going, and then we noticed it wasn't moving, and then we noticed it was one of those big provincial signs that look like moose and say "watch for moose." Anyway, we felt like idiots, but it was pretty funny at the time.
Anyway, the highway started climbing around there, or had been climbing, and then we came onto the Avalon Peninsula. The mountains weren't huge, even compared to those on the north side of Newfoundland, but the landscape was awesome. It was really dark by this point, which might have had something to do with it. There weren't any trees, just open spaces with rocky patches and dark lakes, and it looked like the backdrop to a fantasy film come to life. I have got to go back there and go hiking.
Anyway, we came into St. John's and found a B&B and then found the pubs. George Street rocked. You could stand in the middle of the street and hear rock music from one pub, a fiddler in another, country down the way, dance music from the second floor on the corner. And people spilling onto the street, which is ok, cause it's all closed to traffic. It was really like a huge party. We ended up in Trapper John's - home of the St. John's Screech-In which we didn't try last night, but watched. Something we'll have to get into before we go. Anyway, we listened to Gregg Bolger all night. He's part of the band Fuse (fuseonline.ca) but was doing a solo show that night. So far, we haven't heard any "traditional" music here, but the rock is awesome.
Anyway, today we are taking a much needed break. Part of that includes AFI’s 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award to George Lucas. I got sucked in by William Shatner's intro and the dancing stormtroopers. You have to watch it to believe it.
Friday, March 31, 2006
North Sydney to Stephenville
Well, we're finally in Newfoundland. We had a bit of a start when we got to the ferry - apparently we were supposed to reserve spots, even as walk-on passengers. However, while the guy behind the desk was putting us on the waiting list (and making us sweat), more places became available or something, and we got our tickets. I'm not too sure what the deal was - considering there were maybe 20 other walk-ons and not much traffic - but I guess I'd have to suggest booking tickets to anyone taking the ferry to Newfoundland. Just to save yourself a scare if nothing else.
But all that was forgotten once we were on the ferry. First thing that surprised me, it was really, really empty. I had thought there wasn't much traffic, but this was crazy. I'd been hoping to run around and get interviews - and maybe find a ride to St. John's or somewhere along the way to St. John's - but the truckers had vanished - sleeping I was told, and most of the other passengers were getting wrapped up in the crappy movie.
We met James on the ferry and hung out with him for a bit. He was also looking to hitchhike out towards St. John's - only he lives out that way, so he probably has about 1000x better chance of getting a ride. He told us that Deer Lake, about 4 hrs east of the ferry terminal in Port-aux-Basques, is a good place to hitch though, cause it's a crossroads for the east and the north and a lot of truckers stop there.
I wanted to catch him for an interview, but we ended up on deck instead as the ferry was pulling out. Good thing, there was a thin layer of ice burgs out in the distance. It was kind of surreal, this line of white cutting through the ocean. And even more surreal as we plowed toward it, and then through the ice. And Neil even spotted a seal out on the ice which I missed. Grrr. Next time.
The ride was about 7 hours long. We ended up meeting up with Werner, who owns a lodge in Margaree Forks in Nova Scotia. He'd never been to Newfoundland, and didn't really know where he was gonna end up for the night. But he offered to take us along, and we happily agreed. So, against the odds, we managed a ride, and got to interview him. Things were looking up.
And when Newfoundland came into view, I decided that no matter what happened or where we ended up, it would be worth it. I can't describe the feeling seeing Newfoundland for the first time, it was just too gorgeous. I'll post some of the footage on here someday, but that won't do it justice. The cliffs, and the snow, and the little craggy islands. I thought we'd crossed over into another land. I guess we kinda did.
Werner took a look at the map, and Stephenville seemed close enough and big enough to check out for the evening. So we headed that way. It wasn't exactly what any of us expected, though I probably couldn't have told you what I did expect. Though it did have karaoke, so it can't be that bad a place. After dumping our stuff at a motel, we went to check out the nightlife. Too late to work tonight. And there are a few pubs. And a live performance that we caught a bit of. It was one of the last pubs by this point, and Neil and I were exhausted. We must sound like the height of wussiness, but this next-to-nonstop travelling is about as far from a vacation as we could get I think. Anyway, we ended up back at the motel. And I'm gonna crash. But if you would like to enjoy more of the live performance, you can check out Alex's stuff online: http://spaces.msn.com/alexstolethesun/ Personally, I like "My Mess" and "My Way Back"
But all that was forgotten once we were on the ferry. First thing that surprised me, it was really, really empty. I had thought there wasn't much traffic, but this was crazy. I'd been hoping to run around and get interviews - and maybe find a ride to St. John's or somewhere along the way to St. John's - but the truckers had vanished - sleeping I was told, and most of the other passengers were getting wrapped up in the crappy movie.
We met James on the ferry and hung out with him for a bit. He was also looking to hitchhike out towards St. John's - only he lives out that way, so he probably has about 1000x better chance of getting a ride. He told us that Deer Lake, about 4 hrs east of the ferry terminal in Port-aux-Basques, is a good place to hitch though, cause it's a crossroads for the east and the north and a lot of truckers stop there.
I wanted to catch him for an interview, but we ended up on deck instead as the ferry was pulling out. Good thing, there was a thin layer of ice burgs out in the distance. It was kind of surreal, this line of white cutting through the ocean. And even more surreal as we plowed toward it, and then through the ice. And Neil even spotted a seal out on the ice which I missed. Grrr. Next time.
The ride was about 7 hours long. We ended up meeting up with Werner, who owns a lodge in Margaree Forks in Nova Scotia. He'd never been to Newfoundland, and didn't really know where he was gonna end up for the night. But he offered to take us along, and we happily agreed. So, against the odds, we managed a ride, and got to interview him. Things were looking up.
And when Newfoundland came into view, I decided that no matter what happened or where we ended up, it would be worth it. I can't describe the feeling seeing Newfoundland for the first time, it was just too gorgeous. I'll post some of the footage on here someday, but that won't do it justice. The cliffs, and the snow, and the little craggy islands. I thought we'd crossed over into another land. I guess we kinda did.
Werner took a look at the map, and Stephenville seemed close enough and big enough to check out for the evening. So we headed that way. It wasn't exactly what any of us expected, though I probably couldn't have told you what I did expect. Though it did have karaoke, so it can't be that bad a place. After dumping our stuff at a motel, we went to check out the nightlife. Too late to work tonight. And there are a few pubs. And a live performance that we caught a bit of. It was one of the last pubs by this point, and Neil and I were exhausted. We must sound like the height of wussiness, but this next-to-nonstop travelling is about as far from a vacation as we could get I think. Anyway, we ended up back at the motel. And I'm gonna crash. But if you would like to enjoy more of the live performance, you can check out Alex's stuff online: http://spaces.msn.com/alexstolethesun/ Personally, I like "My Mess" and "My Way Back"
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Charlottetown to North Sydney
Well, the schedule has been sorta up in the air. The only thing really concrete is that we have to get back to Fredericton for April 14 or so. And as I think we're gonna attempt to hitchhike across Newfoundland and back, we should give ourselves as much time as possible. So we're heading there first, and then we can hit Nova Scotia on the way back.
I was a bit torn over whether or not to take the overnight ferry to Port-aux-Basques, but I really want to get some footage of the trip, so we've found a bed and breakfast in North Sydney. The bus dropped us off outside a hotel overlooking the ferry terminal and the downtown, and it was quite pretty with the sun going down. Yeah, another long day on the bus. I had thought that once we got to the Maritimes the rides would get shorter, cause the cities are closer together. It's not working out that way so far, there's just not enough time to stop everywhere I'd hoped.
The b&b was only a 20 minute walk - if that - but I had hardly eaten all day, so it seemed a lot farther. I gotta remember to eat when I get the chance, cause when I wait, I never seem to get another chance til I feel like I'm on my last legs. And even though we dumped stuff off in Fredericton, these packs are still too heavy. We've got summer clothes, and winter clothes, cause St. John's just had a huge dump of snow. Very strange weather in this country.
We'd planned to take the ferry out this morning - we'd even packed before heading down for breakfast, but exhaustion was setting in again, and it wasn't too hard for us to convince ourselves to stay an extra night, let Newfoundland warm up a bit, enjoy the ocean view from the Heritage Home B&B, wander the docks, maybe get a few interviews. We mentioned the project to Juana, the woman who runs the b&b. She made a few phone calls and half an hour later she gave us a list of about 10 people we should go speak to. One guy was already waiting for us. So we grabbed the gear and were running out the door and it was another day of filming.
It turned out to be awesome, we were interviewing people until the sun was setting, and a couple were especially outstanding. Thanks again, Juana! One thing I learned about Cape Breton Island is that cancer is really, really prevalent. It seemed everyone we asked could name family and friends who had suffered from it, or recount their own stories, and most people blamed the tar ponds. These are basically pools of leftover toxic waste from the steel mill. I'd never heard of these - probably cause I don't read the papers like I should, but check out these links for a bit of a background: http://www.agrnews.org/issues/124/environment.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tarponds/
http://www.safecleanup.com/jag/timeline.htm
We were in Sydney (about 30 min from North Sydney) to change buses, but didn't see the tar ponds. We'll have to try to get there on the way back. I wouldn't have thought something like this could exist in Canada.
I was a bit torn over whether or not to take the overnight ferry to Port-aux-Basques, but I really want to get some footage of the trip, so we've found a bed and breakfast in North Sydney. The bus dropped us off outside a hotel overlooking the ferry terminal and the downtown, and it was quite pretty with the sun going down. Yeah, another long day on the bus. I had thought that once we got to the Maritimes the rides would get shorter, cause the cities are closer together. It's not working out that way so far, there's just not enough time to stop everywhere I'd hoped.
The b&b was only a 20 minute walk - if that - but I had hardly eaten all day, so it seemed a lot farther. I gotta remember to eat when I get the chance, cause when I wait, I never seem to get another chance til I feel like I'm on my last legs. And even though we dumped stuff off in Fredericton, these packs are still too heavy. We've got summer clothes, and winter clothes, cause St. John's just had a huge dump of snow. Very strange weather in this country.
We'd planned to take the ferry out this morning - we'd even packed before heading down for breakfast, but exhaustion was setting in again, and it wasn't too hard for us to convince ourselves to stay an extra night, let Newfoundland warm up a bit, enjoy the ocean view from the Heritage Home B&B, wander the docks, maybe get a few interviews. We mentioned the project to Juana, the woman who runs the b&b. She made a few phone calls and half an hour later she gave us a list of about 10 people we should go speak to. One guy was already waiting for us. So we grabbed the gear and were running out the door and it was another day of filming.
It turned out to be awesome, we were interviewing people until the sun was setting, and a couple were especially outstanding. Thanks again, Juana! One thing I learned about Cape Breton Island is that cancer is really, really prevalent. It seemed everyone we asked could name family and friends who had suffered from it, or recount their own stories, and most people blamed the tar ponds. These are basically pools of leftover toxic waste from the steel mill. I'd never heard of these - probably cause I don't read the papers like I should, but check out these links for a bit of a background: http://www.agrnews.org/issues/124/environment.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tarponds/
http://www.safecleanup.com/jag/timeline.htm
We were in Sydney (about 30 min from North Sydney) to change buses, but didn't see the tar ponds. We'll have to try to get there on the way back. I wouldn't have thought something like this could exist in Canada.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Canoe Cove and Charlottetown
We spent our time in PEI staying in Canoe Cove with Karyn and her son Rory. Karyn has an absolutely gorgeous house on a hill with a view over Canoe Cove, the Northumberland Strait, the Confederation Bridge in the distance, and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia on the horizon. I could just stand there and stare for hours.
Canoe Cove doesn't really seem to have a centre, but we wandered the 15 minutes down to a park next to the water, past one of many churches in the area and an old, one-room school house that is now used as a community centre. We actually got to interview a woman who was the schoolteacher there in the 60s, which was really cool. Her husband was a potato farmer (very prevalent on the island) before he got into landscaping.
Rory took us for a ride up to Cavendish to see the Green Gables house and the beautiful beach. I'd never seen ice in the ocean before coming across the bridge to PEI, but here I could get up close. And the sand dunes juxtaposed against the red dirt was beautiful. I could have spent the whole day filming there. Probably was a lucky thing we had to keep moving.
We also spent a day wandering around Charlottetown. My Canadian history is pretty pitiful, but I did remember Charlottetown as the Birthplace of Confederation. At least that much got drilled into my head in school. However, as I took another look at the history, nothing was actually ever signed until London, three years later, with the BNA Act in 1867 (our first constitution) and PEI wasn't even a part of it at that point. And apparently, Ontario and Quebec weren't even supposed to be a part of the Charlottetown conference, originally Britain had convinced the maritime provinces to get together and try to find strength in unity. Ah, whatever, the whole thing is a can of worms I don't want to get into right now. But this is something I'll be coming back to, the constitution should be the basis of Canada.
Anyway, PEI was great, the Islanders were extremely friendly, and we even managed a local hockey game in Kensington. I'd never been to a hockey game, and though I'm not exactly hooked, I'd hit another game if I had the chance. And I really want to go back to PEI and see the other parts of the island. I think what struck me the most was that the entire province is only about 140,000 people. The entire province. After taking 19 hours to drive across Ontario, and not even touching what I would consider the northern parts, to have a province that is 4 hours across the length and 45 min top to bottom kinda blew my mind.
Canoe Cove doesn't really seem to have a centre, but we wandered the 15 minutes down to a park next to the water, past one of many churches in the area and an old, one-room school house that is now used as a community centre. We actually got to interview a woman who was the schoolteacher there in the 60s, which was really cool. Her husband was a potato farmer (very prevalent on the island) before he got into landscaping.
Rory took us for a ride up to Cavendish to see the Green Gables house and the beautiful beach. I'd never seen ice in the ocean before coming across the bridge to PEI, but here I could get up close. And the sand dunes juxtaposed against the red dirt was beautiful. I could have spent the whole day filming there. Probably was a lucky thing we had to keep moving.
We also spent a day wandering around Charlottetown. My Canadian history is pretty pitiful, but I did remember Charlottetown as the Birthplace of Confederation. At least that much got drilled into my head in school. However, as I took another look at the history, nothing was actually ever signed until London, three years later, with the BNA Act in 1867 (our first constitution) and PEI wasn't even a part of it at that point. And apparently, Ontario and Quebec weren't even supposed to be a part of the Charlottetown conference, originally Britain had convinced the maritime provinces to get together and try to find strength in unity. Ah, whatever, the whole thing is a can of worms I don't want to get into right now. But this is something I'll be coming back to, the constitution should be the basis of Canada.
Anyway, PEI was great, the Islanders were extremely friendly, and we even managed a local hockey game in Kensington. I'd never been to a hockey game, and though I'm not exactly hooked, I'd hit another game if I had the chance. And I really want to go back to PEI and see the other parts of the island. I think what struck me the most was that the entire province is only about 140,000 people. The entire province. After taking 19 hours to drive across Ontario, and not even touching what I would consider the northern parts, to have a province that is 4 hours across the length and 45 min top to bottom kinda blew my mind.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Fredericton, and the trip to Charlottetown
Neil came to the rescue with New Brunswick and got us hooked up with a place to stay in Fredericton, and I must admit he outdid himself. We're crashing at Ewan's place, and Ewan is awesome. We managed to take it easy and get a variety of interviews over a couple of days at the same time. I'm not sure how we managed that.
I got introduced to a katimavik alumni here, who did an interview. Katimavik is a national youth program that places kids age 17-21 in groups that represent the demographics of Canada, and they all live together in three different provinces for three months each. For a better description see: http://www.katimavik.org/
I love the idea of this program, and only wish I'd heard about it earlier. There are rumblings that the current government may not keep up the funding, which would be a shame. We keep hearing about national unity and we need to keep Canada together and blah blah, but do they ever do anything concrete about it? And when something concrete is done, like Katimavik, why isn't there better advertising or media for it? And why do they now have to fear for its future?
I also got to interview the Secretary to the Chief and Council of the St. Mary's First Nations community. He was really interesting, and very open to speaking about his life and experiences and culture. Fantastic interview.
And we even got to take a much needed day off. Neil spent the day watching season 2 of Battlestar Galactica, and I finally got to watch the first season of Dr. Who, which I'd started before leaving the UK. I find it kinda odd that we're both hooked on remake series. There's really nothing new anymore.
And now we're off to PEI. We're staying with another couchsurfing host, and are getting picked up at the bus station in Charlottetown. It still amazes me that people are so willing to go out of their way to pick us up and put us up. If everyone could be this way, the world would be a better place.
I got introduced to a katimavik alumni here, who did an interview. Katimavik is a national youth program that places kids age 17-21 in groups that represent the demographics of Canada, and they all live together in three different provinces for three months each. For a better description see: http://www.katimavik.org/
I love the idea of this program, and only wish I'd heard about it earlier. There are rumblings that the current government may not keep up the funding, which would be a shame. We keep hearing about national unity and we need to keep Canada together and blah blah, but do they ever do anything concrete about it? And when something concrete is done, like Katimavik, why isn't there better advertising or media for it? And why do they now have to fear for its future?
I also got to interview the Secretary to the Chief and Council of the St. Mary's First Nations community. He was really interesting, and very open to speaking about his life and experiences and culture. Fantastic interview.
And we even got to take a much needed day off. Neil spent the day watching season 2 of Battlestar Galactica, and I finally got to watch the first season of Dr. Who, which I'd started before leaving the UK. I find it kinda odd that we're both hooked on remake series. There's really nothing new anymore.
And now we're off to PEI. We're staying with another couchsurfing host, and are getting picked up at the bus station in Charlottetown. It still amazes me that people are so willing to go out of their way to pick us up and put us up. If everyone could be this way, the world would be a better place.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Québec, and the trip to Fredericton
I spent most of the trip to Québec in a total fog. The toboggan ride really took everything out of me. At least that's what I'll blame it on :) But I spent the bulk of the bus ride unconscious. I was still really out of it when we arrived, and happily Sandria, another person we met off couchsurfing, was at the station already. She took us back to her place, and after dropping our packs, Neil insisted we go look for dinner. It was about 9 pm and we hadn't eaten since breakfast, which was maybe a couple of bagels, so on top of the exhaustion, my head was swimming from lack of food as well. So my first impression of Québec was a bit foggy.
We were able to sleep in a bit the next day though, which helped. And then wandered the old city. It was like being transported to some European city, and the weird fog of travelling of the previous day resembled jetlag, so maybe that's why I spent that first day in a daze of not really knowing where I was. Row houses, tiny streets, old gateways and towering walls. And suddenly stepping out to a view of the St. Lawrence and realizing that it's THE St. Lawrence, the same river I had to draw on all those maps back in social studies class.
And we had to get some tire d'érable (maple taffy served fresh and steaming on a bed of snow, and rolled around a stick as it hardens). I'd had it at the Festival du Bois in Coquitlam, and then at the Rendezvous Festival in Whitehorse, but it was a bit surreal slurping it up while watching the St. Lawrence river go by.
We ran into our first problems here trying to get interviews. I can't speak French unfortunately, but I really want the documentary to be multilingual. So I've approached people and said I would ask questions in English, and they could answer in French (or whatever their first language is), and though I wouldn't really know what they were talking about, I could get it translated later. It's worked a few times, and people are usually more than happy to find out they can answer in their own language. However, we got a lot of people who just weren't interested at all. I was sorta expecting that, I guess what I wasn't expecting was that it would all be concentrated in one area.
Don't get me wrong, we got our quota of interviews for the city, and they were really good, and the people we spoke to were really insightful. I'm just starting to worry that we're approaching the same types of people, or maybe attracting the same types of people, and not reaching the diversity that I'd hoped for. Though really, the diversity I originally wanted would require at least a month in each province. We can only do what we can. Maybe this is Canada through rose-colored glasses, and is that so bad? It's a beginning.
We're heading to the Maritimes now. Now the schedule starts to get sketchy. Fredericton is the first stop. I'm still beat from Mont Tremblant . . . I'm gonna sleep.
We were able to sleep in a bit the next day though, which helped. And then wandered the old city. It was like being transported to some European city, and the weird fog of travelling of the previous day resembled jetlag, so maybe that's why I spent that first day in a daze of not really knowing where I was. Row houses, tiny streets, old gateways and towering walls. And suddenly stepping out to a view of the St. Lawrence and realizing that it's THE St. Lawrence, the same river I had to draw on all those maps back in social studies class.
And we had to get some tire d'érable (maple taffy served fresh and steaming on a bed of snow, and rolled around a stick as it hardens). I'd had it at the Festival du Bois in Coquitlam, and then at the Rendezvous Festival in Whitehorse, but it was a bit surreal slurping it up while watching the St. Lawrence river go by.
We ran into our first problems here trying to get interviews. I can't speak French unfortunately, but I really want the documentary to be multilingual. So I've approached people and said I would ask questions in English, and they could answer in French (or whatever their first language is), and though I wouldn't really know what they were talking about, I could get it translated later. It's worked a few times, and people are usually more than happy to find out they can answer in their own language. However, we got a lot of people who just weren't interested at all. I was sorta expecting that, I guess what I wasn't expecting was that it would all be concentrated in one area.
Don't get me wrong, we got our quota of interviews for the city, and they were really good, and the people we spoke to were really insightful. I'm just starting to worry that we're approaching the same types of people, or maybe attracting the same types of people, and not reaching the diversity that I'd hoped for. Though really, the diversity I originally wanted would require at least a month in each province. We can only do what we can. Maybe this is Canada through rose-colored glasses, and is that so bad? It's a beginning.
We're heading to the Maritimes now. Now the schedule starts to get sketchy. Fredericton is the first stop. I'm still beat from Mont Tremblant . . . I'm gonna sleep.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Mont Tremblant to Québec
I am so glad we stopped in Mont Tremblant. When I first got onto couchsurfing.com I started a thread on the messageboard about the documentary and asked for people who were interested in participating. Karen got in touch with me, and I figured we could pop by between Montreal and Québec, and so it ended up on the schedule. I had no idea what to expect, and I'm finding that's the best way to travel. No expectations, and no preconceptions.
The village of Mont Tremblant has the feel of a Swiss town nestled in the Alps. There are some fundamental differences, but the feel is the same. With creperies and cafés and specialty resort shoppes. Dylan, Frank's son, was our guide for the day. He took us around the village, and up the lift. We hooked up with the ski patrol and hung out with them for some time, interviewing patrollers including Victoria Fletcher, a World Cup Telemark Skier. We also got to meet Luc Bombardier, who's devised a sort of steadycam to be skied with, and he went down the hill with Victoria to film her skiing. Awesome footage, can't wait to play with that.
To top off the day, they agreed to take us down the run on a patrol toboggan - Dylan, Neil and myself all on one. It was like going down the hill headfirst at top speed. They had a patroller at the front and one behind to keep us steady and upright, but it was still a close call a couple of times. Snow flew everywhere, and little ice nuggets pelted our faces. I was sitting in the middle and had my head buried against Dylan's back, and my fingers digging into his shoulders. Neil was stuck at the back and was leaning back, so he didn't have the same cover I did. But I could hear him howling and laughing all the way down the hill. It was such a rush.
That pretty much wiped us out for the rest of the day. I went out with Karen after she got off work, and I was just exhausted. Though I did try the sampler of the locally brewed beers - the wheat beer was awesome.
And now off to Québec. (The first thing I learned about the province Québec, the capital is also referred to as Québec, not Quebec City. Hence the confusion, which will probably continue.) We have to go back through Montreal, but we won't be stopping to do interviews here until the route back. What with stopping in Ottawa instead of Montreal, and then staying an extra night in Mont Tremblant, we gotta get moving before the whole schedule goes completely out the window.
The village of Mont Tremblant has the feel of a Swiss town nestled in the Alps. There are some fundamental differences, but the feel is the same. With creperies and cafés and specialty resort shoppes. Dylan, Frank's son, was our guide for the day. He took us around the village, and up the lift. We hooked up with the ski patrol and hung out with them for some time, interviewing patrollers including Victoria Fletcher, a World Cup Telemark Skier. We also got to meet Luc Bombardier, who's devised a sort of steadycam to be skied with, and he went down the hill with Victoria to film her skiing. Awesome footage, can't wait to play with that.
To top off the day, they agreed to take us down the run on a patrol toboggan - Dylan, Neil and myself all on one. It was like going down the hill headfirst at top speed. They had a patroller at the front and one behind to keep us steady and upright, but it was still a close call a couple of times. Snow flew everywhere, and little ice nuggets pelted our faces. I was sitting in the middle and had my head buried against Dylan's back, and my fingers digging into his shoulders. Neil was stuck at the back and was leaning back, so he didn't have the same cover I did. But I could hear him howling and laughing all the way down the hill. It was such a rush.
That pretty much wiped us out for the rest of the day. I went out with Karen after she got off work, and I was just exhausted. Though I did try the sampler of the locally brewed beers - the wheat beer was awesome.
And now off to Québec. (The first thing I learned about the province Québec, the capital is also referred to as Québec, not Quebec City. Hence the confusion, which will probably continue.) We have to go back through Montreal, but we won't be stopping to do interviews here until the route back. What with stopping in Ottawa instead of Montreal, and then staying an extra night in Mont Tremblant, we gotta get moving before the whole schedule goes completely out the window.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Ottawa to Mont Tremblant
Ottawa was really cold. It's kind of horrible and sad that that's the first thing I can find to describe my first visit to the nation's capital, but it really was bloody cold. The wind made it colder than Whitehorse. Or maybe I was just being a wuss, cause I know that back home the daffodils are probably out by now. And the dump of snow we got has probably melted. Yeah, yeah, it's also probably into its fifth consecutive day of rain, too.
We were a bit late getting to Heather's the other night. We had no idea what Ottawa looked like, or where we would be getting in, or where we would be in relation to the university. It turns out they have an awesome transit system there though - we picked up the free phone that connects directly to the bus line, and the friendly person (who answers in both French and English) tells you exactly what buses to take, where to transfer, approximately how long it will take, and how much it will cost. Of course, we didn't bother following the directions.
We didn't really want to show up at Heather's starving, and she had a night class, so we also didn't want to show up too early, so we decided to wander. That, and we needed to set up accommodation for the next night, cause Heather couldn't bail us out every time we realized we were heading for some strange city we didn't have a map for. So after wandering around in the dark, we finally found a friendly police station that was still open and had people in it, and they performed their tireless task of giving the dumb tourists directions. So we retraced our path back to the bus station, and discovered that a block away was the main drag. So we found an internet place and Neil foraged for food while I got online, and half an hour later, Heather was out of her class, and we were officially late. So we finally got on a bus, and discovered we were a long way from the university. We took it to pretty much the end of the line, and then took another one to pretty much the end of that line - and got a tour of Carlton U in the process - before arriving at Ottawa U where I called Heather, cause we got lost about a stone's through from her residence, and she asked me if we were actually in Ottawa.
And it turns out if wasn't as late as we'd thought - Heather took us on a tour of the university, and around the outside of the parliament buildings, and over the canal, and on the way back to her place we discovered that the pub across the street had karaoke the next night. So it was a bit of luck that we hadn't secured a couch to crash on, cause we decided to stay a couple nights in Ottawa. Who can resist karaoke?
We spent the next day wandering around the university, interviewing idealistic students. I am an idealist at heart, and I think that if more people stuck to their university beliefs 10 years after graduating, the world might be a better place. I've heard the saying - if you're not a socialist at 20 you have no heart, if you're not a capitalist at 30, you have no brain. Well, I'm not 30 (quite yet), so I still see lots of nasty things about capitalism that should make it difficult to sleep at night. But I've seen a lot of things along this trip so far that make me realize capitalism is not the only force out there. Even being able to do this sort of film such a small budget, and having people who are willing to open their homes and offer their couches or beds in the name of sharing culture and information and lives and stories, it's a force all its own. Maybe there's more idealists out there than we're lead to believe.
Anyway, I got my karaoke fix that night. It was a bit of a shock that it didn't start til 10. I'm used to London, where it started at 7 and finished at 10:30. But I could get used to it.
And today we headed to Mont Tremblant. We discovered last minute that the hop-on, hop-off Canada Pass we're on doesn't cover the trip past Montreal, but $50 return for each of us is reasonable enough. And it was a fun trip. We're staying with a couple we met through couchsurfing.com - Karen and Frank. They are really cool, and Karen's going to get us passes to get up the ski hill so we can do some interviews and talk with the ski patrol. And get some great shots of the village.
We were a bit late getting to Heather's the other night. We had no idea what Ottawa looked like, or where we would be getting in, or where we would be in relation to the university. It turns out they have an awesome transit system there though - we picked up the free phone that connects directly to the bus line, and the friendly person (who answers in both French and English) tells you exactly what buses to take, where to transfer, approximately how long it will take, and how much it will cost. Of course, we didn't bother following the directions.
We didn't really want to show up at Heather's starving, and she had a night class, so we also didn't want to show up too early, so we decided to wander. That, and we needed to set up accommodation for the next night, cause Heather couldn't bail us out every time we realized we were heading for some strange city we didn't have a map for. So after wandering around in the dark, we finally found a friendly police station that was still open and had people in it, and they performed their tireless task of giving the dumb tourists directions. So we retraced our path back to the bus station, and discovered that a block away was the main drag. So we found an internet place and Neil foraged for food while I got online, and half an hour later, Heather was out of her class, and we were officially late. So we finally got on a bus, and discovered we were a long way from the university. We took it to pretty much the end of the line, and then took another one to pretty much the end of that line - and got a tour of Carlton U in the process - before arriving at Ottawa U where I called Heather, cause we got lost about a stone's through from her residence, and she asked me if we were actually in Ottawa.
And it turns out if wasn't as late as we'd thought - Heather took us on a tour of the university, and around the outside of the parliament buildings, and over the canal, and on the way back to her place we discovered that the pub across the street had karaoke the next night. So it was a bit of luck that we hadn't secured a couch to crash on, cause we decided to stay a couple nights in Ottawa. Who can resist karaoke?
We spent the next day wandering around the university, interviewing idealistic students. I am an idealist at heart, and I think that if more people stuck to their university beliefs 10 years after graduating, the world might be a better place. I've heard the saying - if you're not a socialist at 20 you have no heart, if you're not a capitalist at 30, you have no brain. Well, I'm not 30 (quite yet), so I still see lots of nasty things about capitalism that should make it difficult to sleep at night. But I've seen a lot of things along this trip so far that make me realize capitalism is not the only force out there. Even being able to do this sort of film such a small budget, and having people who are willing to open their homes and offer their couches or beds in the name of sharing culture and information and lives and stories, it's a force all its own. Maybe there's more idealists out there than we're lead to believe.
Anyway, I got my karaoke fix that night. It was a bit of a shock that it didn't start til 10. I'm used to London, where it started at 7 and finished at 10:30. But I could get used to it.
And today we headed to Mont Tremblant. We discovered last minute that the hop-on, hop-off Canada Pass we're on doesn't cover the trip past Montreal, but $50 return for each of us is reasonable enough. And it was a fun trip. We're staying with a couple we met through couchsurfing.com - Karen and Frank. They are really cool, and Karen's going to get us passes to get up the ski hill so we can do some interviews and talk with the ski patrol. And get some great shots of the village.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Hamilton to Ottawa
I now have a sherpa. Neil has quit his job in Hamilton to join me on this crazy journey and carry equipment and shoot interviews and make sure the sound is reasonable and generally keep me sane. Which is rather a tall order, we'll see how well he does.
I got a bit of a break, and a day to completely reorganize the packs. We've got a smaller backpack that I can now use as our portable studio - the lights, the clamps and fixtures, the extensions cords, 2 mics with cables, a couple of gels, tissues, lens cleaner, chargers, and other assorted crap that I crammed into a fanny pack and stuck at the bottom of the pack. I also got to dump some more useless stuff off to pick up on the way back through, and another 10 hrs of footage that I won't need til the summer. I'm still carting around a full box of 50 tapes though, it will be nice to break that open. I'm hoping for somewhere between 100 and 125 hours of footage when we get back to Vancouver in July.
The weather has been a bit bizarre. It was so warm yesterday, I was running around in a t-shirt - in fact the only t-shirt I brought on the trip, and I was starting to rethink that choice. But Canada didn't let me down, it was snowing again this morning as we left Hamilton. A very dry snow, it didn't feel wet to the touch, but furry. Weird.
We headed to Toronto for a few hours this morning to check out the city and meet with one of Neil's 2nd cousins, Lyle, whom he'd met for the first time a couple of weeks before. Really cool guy. We'll have to hook with him again in April and interview him.
We were on the bus to Montreal this afternoon, when I took a look at the times and realized we'd be getting in after 10 at night with no map of the city, no place to stay, no idea where a hostel might be, and if it might have room. The last time that happened, we were in Turino last summer, and we got stuck with a really expensive hotel. This time, it's Heather to the rescue - she's a friend I met in London, and she's going to Ottawa University, and it's on the way. And thankfully she doesn't mind last minute couchcrashers. Maybe we can even find some karaoke . . .
I got a bit of a break, and a day to completely reorganize the packs. We've got a smaller backpack that I can now use as our portable studio - the lights, the clamps and fixtures, the extensions cords, 2 mics with cables, a couple of gels, tissues, lens cleaner, chargers, and other assorted crap that I crammed into a fanny pack and stuck at the bottom of the pack. I also got to dump some more useless stuff off to pick up on the way back through, and another 10 hrs of footage that I won't need til the summer. I'm still carting around a full box of 50 tapes though, it will be nice to break that open. I'm hoping for somewhere between 100 and 125 hours of footage when we get back to Vancouver in July.
The weather has been a bit bizarre. It was so warm yesterday, I was running around in a t-shirt - in fact the only t-shirt I brought on the trip, and I was starting to rethink that choice. But Canada didn't let me down, it was snowing again this morning as we left Hamilton. A very dry snow, it didn't feel wet to the touch, but furry. Weird.
We headed to Toronto for a few hours this morning to check out the city and meet with one of Neil's 2nd cousins, Lyle, whom he'd met for the first time a couple of weeks before. Really cool guy. We'll have to hook with him again in April and interview him.
We were on the bus to Montreal this afternoon, when I took a look at the times and realized we'd be getting in after 10 at night with no map of the city, no place to stay, no idea where a hostel might be, and if it might have room. The last time that happened, we were in Turino last summer, and we got stuck with a really expensive hotel. This time, it's Heather to the rescue - she's a friend I met in London, and she's going to Ottawa University, and it's on the way. And thankfully she doesn't mind last minute couchcrashers. Maybe we can even find some karaoke . . .
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Winnipeg to Hamilton
After travelling this much of Canada, I was starting to think that Vancouver is the oddball in the Canadian family. There's snow everywhere - it's really the Canadian constant so far - except when leaving Vancouver. And then I remembered that the wet coast just got about 10 cm dumped on it in the last week or so, so maybe we're not as odd as we'd like to think.
Though the snowmobile tracks that have paralleled the highway throughout northern BC, up to Whitehorse, and now points east are companions I'd never travelled with before.
So far I really like "northern" Ontario. I still find it a bit difficult thinking of Kenora as northern after checking out Thompson and Whitehorse. But it is quite beautiful, and the falling snow is covering the highway and reminds me of the Alaska highway, so I guess it's north enough.
At the last rest stop I heard a distressing story from a woman from Calgary. It seems they have a large homeless population there, and a lot of untreated mental illness as well. Sounds familiar - from the days when they emptied out Riverview after government cuts. I heard the story of a woman who had been under care for a week, and the day she was released, she committed suicide. And her war veteran son, who ended up homeless, and his legs froze in the prairie winter and had to be amputated, and then he was back on the streets, where his legs became infected before they found him housing.
Just another Canadian story?
Though the snowmobile tracks that have paralleled the highway throughout northern BC, up to Whitehorse, and now points east are companions I'd never travelled with before.
So far I really like "northern" Ontario. I still find it a bit difficult thinking of Kenora as northern after checking out Thompson and Whitehorse. But it is quite beautiful, and the falling snow is covering the highway and reminds me of the Alaska highway, so I guess it's north enough.
At the last rest stop I heard a distressing story from a woman from Calgary. It seems they have a large homeless population there, and a lot of untreated mental illness as well. Sounds familiar - from the days when they emptied out Riverview after government cuts. I heard the story of a woman who had been under care for a week, and the day she was released, she committed suicide. And her war veteran son, who ended up homeless, and his legs froze in the prairie winter and had to be amputated, and then he was back on the streets, where his legs became infected before they found him housing.
Just another Canadian story?
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