VANCOUVER ISLAND

26th - 28th Sept 2019

I was last on Vancouver Island in April 2011 and only here this time for a short time to visit my cousin and her husband in Duncan. Nothing much has changed except the railway from Victoria (the capital city at the southern end) has closed (bah!), plus there has been much development and lots of new housing around Duncan. The ferry I took (there are two terminals) went from Tsawwassen, about 40 miles south of Vancouver City to Namaimo, 40 miles north of Duncan. It is a two hour crossing on a comfortable boat. No problem there except that I paid C$17.20 for the fare and was subsequently told that I am old enough to have got a free concession if I had asked. They carefully don't tell you. I also discovered that I could have got concession fares on the Skytrain/Underground system! You live and learn.

Left: These were my generous hosts in Duncan.

Vancouver Island is, as I always forget, rather a large island and intensely forested. It is about 400 miles long and 150 miles wide. Much of the north of the island is mountainous and sparsely populated. Magnificent scenery with hundreds of island off the west coast. There are numerous lakes, rivers and sea inlets all famous for excellent fishing, especially that of sockeye salmon.

The main industry here is logging. The timber market is, at the moment, in recession and many of the mills are closed or on strike which is causing much consternation amongst all who depend on it. Not a happy situation.

No pics of any interest due to the fact that it pissed with rain, plus hail storms, for the full day I was here. In any event I wrote a more comprehensive report on this blogsite in 2011. The weather here on the Pacific side of the Rockies is remarkably similar to that in the UK.

One mission I was on was to track down the sister of the elderly mother of a friend of mine at home. I was told she lived in Duncan and had been given the address. I was duly chauffeured there, rang the doorbell and was greeted by a polite young chap who told me that she had moved to Victoria a year and a half ago! She obviously doesn't communicate very well with her sister.

After a conducted tour of the town, which would have provided some scenic photos overlooking it and surrounding lakes if the visibility had been more than 500yds, and several good meals, I bid my farewell the next morning and took the ferry, the Alberni, back to the mainland. Thence to spend the night in a Travelodge which was, thankfully, free of fleas, bed bugs or nerve agents. A meal in the nearby 'Moxies' restaurant cost an arm and a leg (of course).
I have yet to get used to the North American tradition of adding taxes and 'tips' to most bills. Any restaurant will, if you use a credit card, offer a (ie. compulsory) 15%, 20% or 22% added tip. What you see on a price tag is rarely what you actually pay. As a minor example, I bought a packet of nuts at a shop with a price tag of $3.99 (most items childishly have a .99 on the end). At the till I was charged $4.17 due to 'tax'. I find it bloody irritating. Why the f**k can't they just put a price tag on which tells you how much you have to pay!

On back to The Waterfront and Canada Place in the city to catch my ship, the MS Westerdam which I have redesignated the 'West Ham'.

Left: Before that I called in at a little boutique to buy some post-cards and was greeted by Sgt Moose of the RCMP.













Right: A float-plane landing in the harbour.














Left: This is not the Westerdam, but a sister ship, the Eurodam, leaving the port before us. They are run by HollandAmerica Lines and accommodate over 2000 passengers.

This is the first time I have travelled on one of these monsters (and there are many much bigger ones) so am filled with some trepidation.
My usual preferred choice of container ships is no longer viable for two reasons; they have tripled their prices and are now totally 'dry', even for passengers. Two weeks without even a glass of beer is beyond anything the (my) human body can withstand. I suspect the owners of container ships are no longer that keen on passengers due to being not being worth the hassle for the small income and possibly litigious passengers whinging about lack of 'facilities' or suing the company for some misfortune or other.

The boarding procedure, considering the 2000 odd (and some looked very odd) pax involved, including a sizeable contingent of wheelchair users, was efficient with many staff to facilitate the flow through baggage check in, ticketing check in, security (as per an airport) and the US Customs. I handed my suitcase in at 12.15pm and came out the other end to board at 1.30pm. Despite all the queues it was done with patience and good grace by the massed horde and staff. I expect they get a lot of practice. We were instructed previously that we could only take on board one bottle of wine (or equivalent). Realising the undoubted exorbitant drink prices on the ship I was tempted to fill various 'non-drink' containers with added supplies. In fact I didn't (too much effort). I was told they do x-ray the large baggage to check for extra bottles and, if found, they don't kick up a fuss but merely confiscate them and give them back to you at the end of the journey.

So, with everybody on board and lots of announcements telling us what to expect we waited to set sail at 5.00pm. Initially to Juneau, Alaska, and then on across the North Pacific to Yokohama, Japan.

The Captain gave us a decent welcome aboard speech. He is a Yorkshireman called Mark Rowden. Eee baa gum; we should be in safe hands.

Details of life on board to follow..........Whippet racing perhaps?