BC around 2011 AD

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After a lovely walk in temperate rainforest (amidst giant redwood trees), we carried on to chilly Revelstoke for lunch. An attractive town, like an American small town (a la Hollywood anyway) but unfortunately, as it was Sunday, the town was mostly closed. Then on to Craigellachie (nowhere near Elgin or the Glen Grant distillery!) where the two ends of the Canadian Pacific railroad met up. (I reckon the team from Vancouver were slacking. They should have blasted their way further through the mountains before they met up with the squad from the east. Perhaps they ran out of expendable Chinese labourers!)

Now it was downhill all the way, but mostly the gradient was subtle. When we stopped at a roadside garden centre, we stepped out of the bus into hot sun! (Why did Mary step down from the bus with her jumper over her arm?) On the nearby lake there was lots of activity. Summer again!

Finally, we drove into Kelowna on the edge of Lake Okanagan. Disappointingly, our hotel was some distance from the Lakeside but it was well-equipped. Kelowna reminded me a bit of the area round Lake Balaton in Hungary. Similar weather, similar vineyards etc. And low hills surrounding us, much the same. Everything was green, but a warm green, with the emphasis on deck chairs and relaxation. Just one ugly difference, I'm afraid. The highway outside the hotel was extremely busy, and the pedestrian crossings were timed for athletes, not for elderly pedestrians. Anyway, after sprinting across the road, I found that the bank on the other side didn't dispense cash to VISA customers, so it was a fruitless journey anyway. (Actually, I felt like a poor relation at the bank. It was a drive-in cash dispenser, so the regular 4*4 customers found me, a poor pedestrian, an inconvenient nuisance.)

Still, if our initial impression of Kelowna wasn't entirely favourable, things soon changed. The hotel facilities were excellent - in a pleasant setting with an attractive formal floral garden. I especially liked the waffle-making equipment at breakfast. Hot Waffle and Maple Syrup. Absolutely mouth-watering!

Our tour guide told us about a local restaurant where the waitresses looked like super models. I decided to investigate, though Mary wasn't so keen. (She reminded me Shiela said it was overpriced.) However, when we reached the presumed establishment, I found the waitresses friendly but decidedly ordinary. Only 24 hours later did I discover that we had gone to the wrong restaurant. Oh well, at least the food was inexpensive!

We spent the next day by Lake Okanagan after avoiding the early morning rain. To our delight, it wasn't vulgarly commercialised and the lakeside had a promenade, an attractive beach and a condominium complex. We saw several sculptures, lots of fishes, squadrons of Canada Geese, a couple of turtles and a nature reserve. And regular arrivals and departures by float planes. Near the shoreline, we found lots of grassy parkland and, in the town, we found a delightful Japanese garden. And we lunched at a health food bar where the proprietor refused to take a tip - the one and only refusal in the entire holiday!

In the afternoon, cloud twice marched over the mountains to the west, but when it tried to rain, the rainfall only got halfway to ground level before evaporating again. So the clouds then did likewise. Obviously, we need some very high mountains just west of Newbury!

Late in the day, I noticed a boat preparing for a sunset cruise (with music and booze) out on to the lake. A perfect way to end the day! However, when we boarded the vessel, we were informed that it was a private party. So our hopes were dashed and I thought we had no chance of getting a sunset over the water anytime on holiday. But that proved overly pessimistic as we discovered!

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