There are three things I like about writing during my travels:
- It focuses your mind on the interesting little things that happen throughout the day as potential grist to be mentally ground up and written about.
- You get a record of everything you’ve done and all those small moments you would otherwise forget. Writing captures different moments to photos, those travel moments you can’t record any other way.
- If you have a shitty travel experience it ends up becoming a funny story (funny for other people at least).
It’s a pain every long distance travel and I don’t want to belittle the the victims of torture but modern air travel has all the hallmarks of todays favoured inhumane treatment. As I sat in the plane with eyemask on and earplugs in, my mind went to descriptions of rendition sufferers locked up in a plane and disoriented. Arriving at LA airport on very little sleep gives a glimpse of just how inhumane it can make you feel.
Of course when we got to Vancouver and had a 13-hour sleep we were disturbed by the hotel concierge asking whether we wanted a late checkout. “No, no, we replied. A midday checkout is still fine”. “Well it’s currently 12.30.” “Oh, I guess we’ll have a late checkout”. In record time we packed, dressed and got the free shuttle to the airport to pick up a rental car. The only hitch was not having enough credit or the right sort of card to give them a $730 deposit, despite pre-paying. So we hoofed it in a train, then a taxi, to catch the ferry to Vancouver Island.
Getting there took all the pain away (thank for the lift Mike!). Our friend Sarah’s parent’s house is in the most picturesque setting imaginable. This is the view from the deck, which is close enough to the view from the hot tub which is on the deck. Add some wine or local organic cider, and the trevails of travel start to look like they have a very big upside.
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