LA-Vancouver and other things

Santa Barbara - a few hours north up the californian coast, a town full of university students. Very laid back and very young. Although shops were closing at 9pm on a saturday night - what was that all about? What sort of uncivilised backwater is this?!

San Diego - well, it has a naval base and a lot of nightclubs. It is the source of the worst coffee I have yet experienced this year. A strange place that just felt empty. A more republican tendency in south california apparently, close to the mexican border but still no real evidence of the mentality that elected GWB.

Sad farewells in LA and a flight to Canada (which cost me ukp50 to change my tickets which involves a small yellow sticker on the paper ticket, one of which is actually incorrect and that noone at Qantas can explain). The Air alaska flight was most notable for being sandwiched between two blokes of generous proportions shall we say. Glad to get off the plane.

Vancouver and within minutes of landing I'm being introduced to "real mounties". This all made some sense later on when I realised that my very generous hosts work for the RCMP. Met up with Al Clarke with whom I used to work in manchester.


Driving in Canada is more technical than in the US. Better lane holding as a rule, better maintained roads and an illusion at better signs, although still much work to go on that front. Traffic lights flashing red or amber or green all mean different things. Drivers (and canadians in general) are more polite but they still love funelling pedestrians in front of turning traffic. Petrol is dirt cheap (ninety something cents canadian per litre), although more expensive, even than in california.

Strange sights. Cardio striptease on a large sign. What on earth is that? Well, 2 drivers underneath obviously thought the same thing, as we drove past the aftermath of a car accident (police/ambulance/fire truck).

A strange evening hunting for another old colleague of Al's and turning up unnanounced (this is not done in Canada but he did say "call in if you are ever in the area). Anyway, aforementioned colleague wasn't in but the people he lodges with welcomed us with beer and food. Later on though we did have to be network engineers for the evening and work for our supper.

A road trip up to whistler (calling in at Shannon falls for a quick spot of impressive nature) for a spot of glacier skiing (in the middle of summer) saw a late start due to the odd drink or two. A very surreal trip up a variety of chair lifts without even a hint of snow and then into cloud. More lifts and it is getting rainy and cold. Then finally, a spot of snow and a bus. We get on the bus and then engage in a good verbal bit of combat with the driver, there are no other passengers. Then another lift and it starts to snow. Arriving at a small lodge on the top of the hill which is more like it. We ski down the "easiest route" which is about 5-10 yards wide with a fairly severe edge featuring a rocky plummet if you screw up and wind down at the bottom where the last 50 yards have turned into an icy mogul field. I somehow stop without wiping out either myself or anyone else and turn around to find Al holding a "dislocated" wrist and saying unpleasant things about snow boarders. Well, one trip to the clinic and one compound fracture and a cast later we can say we have been skiing in the middle of summer. I don't think I'm built for skiing, our 15 minutes of skiing made my knees hurt although I wasn't the one breaking myself, I should stick to safer things like paragliding in future.

After a minor tussle with a grumpy american border official, I'm now back in america heading through seattle (it has a pointless big tower like auckland and sydney but with a lovely sixties vibe) to portland. I'm not sure why we are going but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe it is a pretty place.