Anne of Green Gables!

The farm where Lucy Maud Montgomery based her book Anne of Green Gables is a National Historic Monument. It was fun to see the haunted woods come to life as I walked around the farm house. The farm house has been decorated to look like the place Anne grew up. It was enjoyable to see the book come to life, they have done a good job of keeping this piece of history alive.

It was a very pleasant drive to the town of Cavendish. Every town in P.E.I. is very accessible. It took only forty five minutes to get there from Charlottetown. I was in no hurry, so I drove slowly taking in the serene beauty of this island. Stopping every time I spotted a white church with a steeple. There's something about a white church with a long spire against the blue sky that has always appealed to me. Of course, I am always fascinated by the graveyards next to these tiny churches. As a Hindu where cremation is our way of paying final respect to the body, I find burial of a body interesting. On the one hand it gives the ones left behind a place to memorialize the final resting place of a loved one. On the other hand, a lot of land is devoted to dead people. As an environmentalist I find that to be wasteful, I can also see the comfort a final resting place brings to friends and family members. It is hard to go to the River Ganga in India, every time a Hindu misses the ones who are gone!

I had an extremely pleasant day, even though the day started off with rain and overcast sky. I was determined not to let that be a hinderance. I slept in and woke up when my body felt ready and then, after breakfast, I was off to explore. The day turned out quite well, every so often the clouds would part and allow the sun to peak out. The temps were in the upper seventies, which allowed me to have the top down for most of my sightseeing.

Tomorrow the driving begins again, this time the destination is Toronto, I am going to visit my childhood friend Farzana who lives in Toronto with her family. We have not seen each other in about twenty years. We speak with each other regularly and keep abreast of each other's lives. It will be wonderful to see her again.

Prince Edward Island.

Well, this entry is being made from Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province. I left North Sydney this morning and headed straight towards P.E.I. It seems all the cute, charming cottages and houses wanted to live here on this island! The entire island is green and so well manicured.

Getting here I went across Confederation Bridge. The bridge is a marvel of modern day engineering. The bridge is eight miles long and it goes over the Northumberland Strait, it took over five thousand local workers, four years to build at a cost of one billion dollars to complete the task! The bridge opened in 1997, linking Prince Edward Island to the mainland of Canada. I was very happy to travel over the bridge instead of having to take a ferry to the island. I think I am done with ferry rides for a while. I used to have a house on Salt Spring Island off the coast of Vancouver, just getting to my house would take four hours on the ferry!

Tomorrow I am going to visit the farm where the author of Anne of Green Gables used to visit. I am looking forward to driving over this island and taking my time discovering. I noticed there are a lot of white churches with steeples, I plan to stop and take pictures of as many churches as I can.

Back on the ferry!

I am making this entry from the ferry to Nova Scotia, I just learnt from Doug Johnston, a fellow passenger that the ferry route is an extension of the Trans-Canada Hi-way. He also pointed out that this is the only "road" you can have an alcohol beverage! The crossing has been a bit rough so I will not be partaking in anything that can add to my queasiness!

The drive to Port aux Basques took 91/2 hours I was on the road at 8:30 a.m. I am glad I got up early and drove out, I made it to the ferry terminal at 5:58 p.m. and loading began promptly at 6:00 p.m.

I stopped on the way at Mary's diner where Ramona my waitstaff provided me with a delicious grilled cheese sandwich. When I asked her how long she had lived on Newfoundland? "All my life". She answered, not only that, she had lived in the town of Eastland her entire life. She seemed very happy and content with her life. It's hard for me to imagine living in one place for an entire lifetime. At times I do envy people who have such deep roots, my roots are spread all over the world. I guess I call the entire planet my home not just one place.

Well, my next entry will be from Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest Province, we will be docking soon and tonight I will go straight to bed!

Cape Spear!

Today I wanted to see the easternmost part of the North American continent, it's located at Cape Spear, it houses one of Newfoundland and Labrador's oldest surviving lighthouse. The 1835 structure is on a rocky cliff 245 ft. above sea water. I was hoping to dip my toe into the Atlantic Ocean at this point, but it was not meant to be. The rocky cliffs are slippery and the ocean tide is very strong with rogue waves coming in with no warning. As much as I wanted to inch my way towards the water, I resisted and took many photos instead. Somethings are just not meant to be and this was one of them. I was treated instead to Humpback whales! I saw a baby just frolicking off the coast. Every few minutes it would come up for air and then disappear into the sea. The only hint the whale was about to surface would be when the water around the whale become a light hue of blue, and the glistening body of the whale came out of the water. Then, water spew out of the blow hole and under she would go again. I was delighted that this extra special treat was in store for me!

I also went to Signal Hill just a short drive from downtown St. John's this is the location where in 1901 the first transatlantic wireless message was received by Guglielmo Marconi. The morning was shrouded in fog at Signal Hill so I was not able to see the ocean, but the view of the harbour was visible. St John's looked very picturesque tucked away off the shore. With the brightly coloured houses, boats and ships docked and a perfect sky as the backdrop. I have enjoyed my stay here in St. John's and I am glad I made this trek to the eastern shore of Canada. Tomorrow begins the trek back to Port aux Basques, the long drive and then the ferry crossing back to Sydney, Nova Scotia.

This has been an incredible journey and even though it has been tiring at times, I am gratified I came. I will be sad to leave St. John's and Newfoundland.

Shopping St. John's style!

Today, I woke up late! What a joy it is to sleep in, I have been on the go so much my fatigue level was at an all time high. It was good to get the needed rest, after breakfast, I headed towards the historic downtown of St. John's it is the oldest city in Canada. The houses downtown are row houses all painted with bright colours. I am sure to keep the bleak days of winter and fog at bay.

I wanted to be able to pick out gifts for family members from the eastern most part of Canada. Being and artist myself, I prefer to purchase one of a kind handmade items by local artists. I was not disappointed, I found just the right thing for each member of my family! Then, I was off taking pictures of the charming painted houses and the port of St. John's. The downtown area is quite hilly, I wear a pedometer so that I can keep track of the steps I take daily and today I logged well over thirteen thousand steps which is 6.1 miles!

In the evening I went to India Gate on Duckworth street, a local Indian restaurant which has been in business for the past twenty years. I neglected to make a reservation, I simply couldn't remember what day of the week today is and of course on a Friday night in a bustling city such as St. John's reservations are required! The proprietor of the establishment whose name is Varinder could see the disappointment in my face, he very kindly made room for me and I enjoyed an amazing dinner!

At the end of my meal Varinder and I exchanged stories as to how we both ended up so far away from our native lands, during the conversation I find out he lived in Vancouver for a while. He knew who my sister is, he had watched her shows on television and listened to her on the radio! We both remarked on what a small world this truly is. I have come across so many people of Indian descent who know of my sister Shushma, I am heartwarmed by her popularity!

Tomorrow, I will head to Signal Hill and then to Cape Spear, the eastern most part of Canada; dip my toe in the Atlantic Ocean and consider my quest to get to the furthest point of Canada complete!

St. John's!

After a long ten hour drive I have arrived at the eastern most part of Canada! Leaving Port aux Basques this morning was eerie, the fog was dense and it was difficult to see the road but within about fifteen minutes I left the misty conditions behind and the clouds parted, the sun was shinning and all was well with the world!

Most of Newfoundland has gently rolling hills, I expected it to be much more rugged and rough looking, but it has a gentle, soft personality. Pools of clear water lakes dot the landscape, the hills dip into the lakes at a slow incline and the water seems as though it's a mirror. The people of Newfoundland also match the personality of it's surroundings, they are very kind and helpful. This evening the hostess at a local restaurant went out of her way to suggest where I might find local artists selling their handicrafts. Her name is Sarah and she kindly drew a map for me so I won't get lost. I think Newfoundland's greatest treasure is it's citizens, they are the gems that sparkle along with their crystal clear lakes.

Trans-Canada Hi-way through Newfoundland is a well planned road, even though it's a two lane hi-way; every so often a lane is provided so that people can overtake the slower vehicles. Everyone moves over if a faster car is approaching, which was usually my car! The road is in good shape and there was no trash on the road anywhere and very little roadkill!

Canada does take very good care of it's roads. The Canadians have us beat when it comes to healthcare, road conditions, recycling and overall trash management. In every hotel room I found a bin just for recyclables. At the ferry terminal there were large bins for composting as well as recycling. I like that mentality I wish we could implement more of that back home.

I am tired after the long drive and I am not looking forward to making the same drive back to Port aux Basques so that I can catch the ferry back to Nova Scotia and then drive across Canada-- what was I thinking?!

Port aux Basques, Newfoundland!

Finally, I am here! The apex of my journey. It seems like just getting here all the stars had to align just right and prayers to all the travel Gods in the pantheon of all Gods were sent out. The prayers were answered, even though I got on the wrong hi-way, I was still able to find the ferry terminal and get in line ahead of time. For those of you who have been following my blog-- you know that mornings are not my best time of the day. Though, when push comes to shove I can function in the mornings, which I did this morning. I got ready in record time and was on the road by 8:15 a.m.

Getting on the ferry is it's own travel drama, one has to report to the terminal two hours ahead of sailing time and then you wait in your designated lane until the ferry personnel motion you forward to board the gigantic vessel. Spitfire had to remain in the parking hold of the ferry in the bottom deck while I went upstairs to a very comfortable lounge.

I had ordered perfect weather, clear blue skies, minimal wind and a calm sea. All of the above were granted! The sailing was smooth as we bid au-revoir to the North Sydney coastline of Nova Scotia. I went to the dinning room for some lunch to find that no vegetarian choices were available for me, as I stood there pondering what I might do to satiate my hunger the chief chef came over and said "I will fix you a vegetarian platter with a salad and it's on the house!" I was indeed moved by his kind gesture. His name is Albert, he is the chef on the vessel named Blue Puttees, if you ever happen to be in this neck of the woods.

I met a charming family from Toronto who were on a family vacation, I enjoyed my conversation with Sue and her son. If I get the opportunity, Sue and I may meet each other for lunch while I am in Toronto. These are the joys of travel, meeting perfect strangers and finding out you have so much in common with each other. We exchanged e-mail addresses and will stay in touch.

Our ferry arrived in Port aux Basques the south western tip of Newfoundland on time at 4:30 p.m. As we were approaching Newfoundland, fog started to roll in and the harbor town was barely visible. Such a difference in less than an hour! We went from summer to late fall like temps in a matter of minutes! The landscape looks like Scotland, granite hills with fog hovering; you expect to see someone playing bagpipes emerging from behind the fog curtain!

The hotel I am staying at is close to the ferry terminal, tomorrow a long 7-10 hour drive awaits me as I journey eastwards to St John's. I may decide to break the journey in half depending on my fatigue level!