Summer is Here!!
Trip Start
Mar 27, 2007
1
15
19
Trip End
Mar 24, 2008
Banff,
Alberta,
Canada
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
So what have I been up to the last few weeks? I can eliminate about 95% of the time with just saying "work". Work is fine, and in excess. Better are the people I work with. Had a few BBQ's some good nights out, an intimate pub crawl with 3 of us, lots of laughs at work, I am lucky I work with cool people all around. Makes it worth it in the end, because a crappy wage job is a crappy wage job no matter what it is.
Working my butt off, but what I refuse is to not have a social life because of it. So worked both jobs last night and then joined the posse from work at the first pub, our local Tommy's (not by my choice but that's the one we always seem to be at....the doorman knows us all!), everyone was just finishing up there so then it was off to the next. Elk & Oarsman, The Keg, The Paddock, Devil's Gap, Rose & Crown, back to Tommy's, then hit the sack for a few hours until I had to be up at 6 am. to get to work. Felt fine thankfully aside from being absolutely exhausted. Shared a cab to work with one of the guys, and just to prove mine and his states (overtired and hungover respectively) we both realized after 10 minutes of waiting outside for the taxi, that neither of us had actually called one!!) Yeah it was to be a long day. I survived as I always do and am just enjoying getting some errands done around town. Picked up mail, library, photo shop, and now the internet cafe. Next stop Starbucks, and then home. My next actual day off is Friday. That's it though. Another 70 hour week.
Also super exciting, and I had meant to write about it about a week and a half ago when it happened, but was too busy. Finally got our shit together and headed out to Canmore where I met up with 4 guys I met back at Globetrotters Hostel in Scotland. 3 of the guys were Canadians who live in Canmore (Niverville originally for two of them), and one guy from New Zealand that I haven't seen since Sept. 06 who is currently traveling in Canada. Two of them picked me up in Banff and then we went and found the 4th and woke the 5th out of bed to go on a hike outside of town. Went to a place called Grassi Lakes which was a nice relatively easy hike. Took some great shots that I will put up tomorrow or the next day. We hung out at the park in town later on, and had lunch of fish n' chips in a British pub. At one point that morning while we were all sitting in the one guys house before our hike, we all looked around at each other and agreed how wierd it was that we were all here together again in Canmore of all places. Reminisced about the hostel and how we ALL missed Scotland so much. The general concensus being that home was overrated and traveling was the way to go. We'd all been bitten by the bug and there is no cure. What struck me most at lunch was how for really the first time since being back from Europe, I was finally with people who completely understood. Understood the experiences that we'd all had in Europe and had together in Edinburgh. They missed it as much as me, felt as foreign in their own country as I do sometimes, they had been there just as I had, and no one since being home had. No one's fault, it's just something that you have to do to know. It was such a comfortable day in that sense and the guys were great fun to hang out with. We all went out seperate ways around dinner, and I headed her back to Banff on the bus. Awesome day, now I just need to see my gals on the other side of the world!
The weather here is finally getting nice as of last week. About 30C a few days ago. 20C today but will get nice over the week. 32C at some point I hear!! Jasper is even hotter, go figure. I have such an itch right now to rent a car for another day or two and get up to Jasper and Lake Louise while it's nice, but that will have to wait unfortunately. I just hope the weather stays as is for at least another month and a bit so I get a chance to see some of the sights again.
Going to a concert tomorrow night too which is exciting. It's at one of the local bars which hosts a ton of concerts. Bedouin Soundclash is the band. I honestly know only one song by them but love their sound so it should be awesome. Can't wait.
Other than that, Banff is fine. Being torn to shreds by construction, and not just regular construction season. This is the whole Banff Ave. The main street of town where all the shops and everything are located. The sidewalks are 7 feet wide at most compared to about 15 regularly, you get a hearty mouth full of dust when you walk across the bridge (at least 4 times a day thanks), every shop in Banff Ave vibrates indoors like a mini earthquake that never stops, tourists drive you double nuts because they have been condensed into half the space they usually take up (locals use the back lanes!), it's chaotic. They are about only one place where you can actually cross the street aside from the two crossroads on the mile long + road. I don't even bother going to my bank which is directly across the street from the liquor store I work at because I can't get to it without playing dodge the tourist and driving myself nuts. Banff Refreshing is what they are calling it. Ahh.....I guess it's all worth it though when you get to continuously hear from tourists " why do they have to do it at the busiest time of the year......in the summer.......when there are so many people around......now?" Etc, etc. Seriously? Are you that SMART!! Because from October to March Canada has this strange phenomenon called SNOW!! It's this white stuff that blankets, or rather buries the land and everything on it under feet of snow. And that's why they are doing this NOW, because it's much harder to dig through feet of snow and frozen ground. Ahh, Banff is never short of laugh with this many tourists around. Gotta love it.
Also might be switching roommates from the one I live with now, whom I won't go into details about. Let's just say OCD....AWKWARD and leave it at that. I'm crossing my fingers.
Anywways, I shall run. That's all I've got for now. More horse riding, pub crawls, canoeing, and hiking to come. Sulphur Mountain is beckoning me!! Hope everyone's summers are going good so far. Talk to you later. Cheers!
