7/26/06: I made it! I'm staying at the Dancing Bear hostel in Nelson, B.C. and it is sooo nice. The hostel staff have really made a strong effort to make this place a home away from home. There's a few families with young children staying here which is kinda strange, but it makes the place feel safe. Its quiet time at 10pm which is way early but with little children trying to sleep in a strange place I can understand.
Nelson town nestles down in the valley of a river running between two towering mountain ranges. Subsequently there is a huge outdoors/mountain scene here. Lotsa gear head shops mixed with hippy head shops. Its a lot like Madison before the Big Money Train rolled through. I was hoping the art scene would be bigger/better out this way but its all pretty chintzy craft shite. Not much of the fine art/sculpture that I'm interested in.
7/27/06: Where are all the good vibes? Last night the hostel was rockin'! People cookin' up grub in the kitchen, laughin', tellin' stories, the lot of it. The two britissh guys, Freddy and Alex, hasve left. Freddy the 60 yr old biker dude, all wirey, swarthy and tatooed. So full of stories and just fascinated with people, politics, foreign countries and languages. Totally taken by how awesome women are and how mistreated they've been. So full of energy. And Alex, the thirty something back packer with his dry wit and biting sarcasm. We had a lively discussion about british comedy which segued into television both british and american.
And the young couple from Calgary, Lauren and Riley. Lauren so sweet and generous offered me pie for dessert and cooked bacon and eggs breakfast. Riley who'd just been to Conference in Madison. All gone, off their seperate ways, most likely never to be seen again. I get the feeling that this is how the traveling life is, and what one can expect from hostelling as well. I think to continue this for much longer then I intend would get awefully lonely.
I'm leaving tomarrow. I can see the charm of Nelson wearing off and the dark underbelly rearing its ugly head. I can see it in the way I have no desire to leave Baker Street as though this is the only real Nelson and somehow evil monoculture is creeping in around the edges. I can see it in the way the misguided pseudo-hippies converse freely during the Reggae show, interfereing with the energy of the music. The days are hot and my money runs low. I must move on in order to save what little I have left. Tomarrow I will not head towards VanCouver as originally planned. Instead I will ride north to Nakusp and Revelstoke beyond. From there its east to Glacier Park and Rogers Pass on the way to Lake Louise. After a few days of exploring its north to Jasper for more. Then back west and south through Kamloops on to VanCouver beyond. I hasve inserted this detour into my itinery in an effort to buy more time so I don't end up spending all my money in VanCouver. I think I will also take a ferry to VanCouver Island to explore a bit.
One things for sure, I'm out tomarrow morn, bright and early. Geranimo!
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