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Published: February 11th 2007
the sunset
I have yet to establish why Tom is carrying a brush in this photo An 8 hour bus journey (in Ireland you can travel the length of the country in this time.. in Canada you barely manage to cross from Alberta to BC) in a van with no air conditioning in the height of a summer is an experience I will never forget. With backs sticking to the seat, legs cramped due to the minimal space available and literally drenched in sweat we were not a pretty sight. However, using the height of modern technology, we did manage to amuse ourselves by listening to Peter's ipod through the van's speakers and singing along to some classics such as "In the Navy, " "YMCA" and what would become an anthem for the trip "Hips don't lie" by Shakira.
We got our first glimpse of the Rockies from the windows of the bus and to say they are breathtaking is an understatement. Ireland is beautiful, but in a small scale way. The Rockies just blow anything I have seen out of proportion. Yet, the view from a bus window does not do them justice. That night, we stayed with some friends of the Youcan organisation and slept under the stars on their porch. The sound
of the creek running beside the porch, the birds and then, as darkness falls, that complete sense of silence made one of the most comfortable nights sleep I have ever had in my life. I am not an "outdoors" person.. but this was an experience I highly reccommend - sleeping outdoors on a porch with an airbed and a blanket in the height of summer is the way to do it.
The next morning we left the house in Sycamous to board our houseboat on the Schuswaps lake. Named "On the Farm".. which I never understood the relevance of, it featured a hottub of all commodities! I don't think you could ask for anything more... Sailing on a lake surrounded by the Rockies, swimming in the still, warm water, BBQing on the back of the boat and building a bonfire on a nearby beach, relaxing in the hottub...sleeping once more under the stars (ok, this last bit was definitely not as ideallic as the rest). We decided to sleep on the deck and woke up in the morning with stiff backs, shivering with cold and soaking wet from the hottub which had spilled due to the rocking of the
boat. Houseboats are a favourite summer past time of Canadians and it is impossible not to see why - they are like luxury self-catering apartments where you are surrounded by the most amazing scenery and have control of your own path. The only thing I would mention is the bell they all have installed .. some members of your houseboating party (not to mention names Kyle...!) might get carried away with their role as captain as decide to ring the bell at any opportune moment that mighten frighten the life out of anyone else.
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