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Published: October 18th 2008
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Can't believe its been one day away from a hundred that i've been doin this trip for - already?! Back in van city now and feelin the "greyhound thru the night"ness somewhat: its like half eight and i'm trying desperately to put off going to bed so i sleep thru... yeah, ok grandma!
Had a pretty eventful "wasted travel day" as, just for a change, i may have erred slightly on the estimated times of arrival and departure for the buses (i will truly be astounded if i manage to get right round the world without missing some major transport form or something...) and rather than it being i leave at midnight an get in at 8pm, it was i leave at 8pm and get in at 8am. Not much difference, then... Did manage to make the bus tho - thank god for claire, truly, i'd've been well stuck in banff otherwise (altho... not the worst thing in the world: to be stuck in yer favourite place in the world so far, i guess...!).
Am now back in van city, having spent 200 dollars within the space of 3 hrs being back, eaten a giant curry and drank a little wine,
i am officially done in! Did get some crackin new hikers - left mine in banff, altho I am so not bothered ; they SO hurt me! Nowt to do with the dependence on flipflop issues of the previous times - and they were only 80 dollars! The other stuff was half need, half want, which is fair enough, i reckon. AND the want bit (a well toasty cardigan) has proved invaluable tonight, what with the nice sunny day, but "ha ha the sun's gone its cold now" ness of the weather and the "i'm actually exhausted so i can't get warm"ness of the me, i have well appreciated this cardie! Had a yummy curry an good chat with barbara an eilish, they're so much fun! Just wish i was slightly more conscious! Headed back to the hostel an still donning my cardie, What with the crackin fashion choice of the free and rather large white jammie bottoms i got from the ranch an my dotty PJ top I do kinda resemble a cross between a yeti and a snowqueen right now, tho, most amusing to the other hostellers i'm sure...!
Really don't know how to conclude the whole banff
part! Its just magical, well and truly amazingly ideal... I didn't want to leave, but somehow i wrenched myself away and promised myself to return, fit to climb rundle the next time i get there, too...
Spent the week at the Y, SOOO love saying that, how boho chic am i?!? Its lovely there! So cheaper than the other hostels! the staff are lovely, the pace is clean, the bunks are big an comfy and the guests are totally ace!
Got to know Ems an Tracey really well, had a right laugh in the pubs, on the trails an just generally in the whole banfness of the place. Got semi-pissed on bacardi breezers in the CRAZY summeresque OCTOBER weather in central park with Claire an Shelly, this fab gal from Oz who was in the room for a few days; danced with real cowboys in Wild Bill's; hiked an walked pretty much everything hikeable and/or walkable around banff; chatted to the locals, even got a few "hello there"s by the time 2 weeks were up - oh, i am so a banffian! Maybe if they adopt me i can stay here forever...; got stopped an asked for directions - which
i gave CORRECTLY! TWICE! And just generally hung out an ran around with a crazy grin on my face, sun shining, birds singing, mountains,erm, just kind of being there and all amazing an humbling...
After another fab week, decided the most fitting thing would be to ignore the throbbing ankle i seem to have totally nakt in, the back that is halfway on the mend an the dull ache that tells me its nearly time for banff bye bye an redo the fun bits: so it was up tunnel mpuntain again with nikki and then up Sulphur again with the roomies on sunday, the last full day in banff. Figured it was fitting: did it first day back, an last day there... It was well fun both times, but as with most things in life, certainly for me, its much better when ya do it with people...
Its funny, I assumed that part of the banff buzz last time was the group i was with, and i think i was right... but this time the group i was with made it what it was this time, too... that sounds very odd, but what i mean is, banff is an amazing
place, but its always the people that form part of your experience in these places: whether its down to the fact that i am as high as a kite when i'm there (an let's face it i can chat when i'm unconscious, so ya can imagine the rate of the chat in the room this week!) an the excitement is contagious or what, but yet again the folk were just wonderful! The folk in the room, the folk they kew, the staff at he Y, the tourists asking for directions: everyone just see,s to be happy here: nt in a ruch, not pre-occupied with bills an kids an houses an cars, just enjoyin what is right here an taking it for what it is rocght now. That's the banff thing for me, and that's the thing i'll miss. I've never seen so many people smile in reaction to the same thing so much before in my life - an its all been here so so so much longer than we could ever try to be... I feckin love this place! Anyhoo, all this in mind i decided tio write my journal as the bus left the depot, then i realised
that the driver was either psychic an knew i was gonna miss the place or dumb as a stump - much more likely - an went the wrong way, but we ended up doin a wee detour right thru banff avenue one more time. I nearly cried when i had to watch rundle disappear, man, its the most amazing piece of earth i've ever seen, even in the failing light an rain...
And so i'm here, in HI downtown, just round the corner from gayville, SO not a bad thing - they sure know how to eat an have fun around here! - In my PJs at 9 0'clock on a tuesday night, wishing i could stay in canada forever an wander the mountains for all eternity, yet lookin forward to New Zealand an all theplaces iwill fall in love with there, too.
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