Crossing the border over to Canada was a simple, yet interesting affair. Our first experience with Greyhound buses gave us an insight into budget transport, with the bus itself being in as haggard of a state as the people riding it. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to sleep, in part due to the state of the bus and the air conditioning being a tad too high, but also in part due to my pre-bus reading consisting of news reports of an infamous "incident" that took part on a greyhound bus several years ago (Google it if you're daring). The blue collar journey was very helpful to our finances however, setting us back a mere $18.
Immigration interrogated us a bit more than we had predicted, but we had no issues getting across the border, before wandering up the highway for a good mile or so, away from the massive queues of traffic and waited for our lift. If three men carrying massive backpacks up a highway wasn't enough to attract weird looks from the masses of seniors heading along in their tour busses, three young men kicking an Australian Rules football in a carpark next to said backpacks probably would. Our impromptu game of kick to kick ended shortly thereafter though, as we were picked up by Mark, a family friend of Harry's, and taken to his home in Ladner.
Our stay in Ladner, an old fishing village and now smaller rural town about 40 minutes out of Vancouver, would be short but sweet. After a guided tour through the farming and fishing sites of the town, we settled in for a couple of drinks at Speed's pub. A very homely establishment, we easily spent a few hours there chatting up a storm with Mark and his friends, before heading back to his house to sample some Elk burgers. Yes, Elk. Mark is an avid hunter and was as eager to get us to sample his catch as we were try to try it. Tasting like a very lean beef, the burgers did not disappoint, even though we'd grown sick of anything resembling fast food. Appetite satisfied, we managed to fit in a premiere screening of Breaking Bad (it's not the same with ads) via one of the in excess of 900 channels on the cable system.
After resisting the temptation to watch copious amounts of trashy TV and instead sleep, we awoke and headed down to their Tsawwassen Port to catch a ferry to Vancouver Island, making it with minutes to spare. A bus ride from the port in Vancouver Island later, and we were riding our bikes along the shores of Victoria in Vancouver Island. The chilly Pacific Coast breeze was just as refreshing as our drinks on the wharf that accompanied our fish and chips in what was a relaxing end to a nice start to our exploration of Canada.
Ladner
Elk Burgers
Vancouver Island Foreshore
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