Monday, June 24, 2019

21 May - Channel-Port aux Basques to Grandfalls-Windsor - Day 17 of TCE


I had been apprehensive, when I booked the crossing, about the seating facility in the ferry. I wondered if I had blundered in not booking a cabin for overnight rest. I need not have worried. The ferry had comfortable seats. Many passengers carried sleeping bags, pillows, bed sheets and the like to spread themselves out on the floor of the passenger deck. I made myself comfortable in one of the reclining seats and slept nearly four hours before using the restroom to freshen up and change. I viewed one of the most glorious sun rises in my life on board the ferry. It was windy and cold, yet the sight before me kept me transfixed. When I was enjoying the sight on the open deck I met Zaheer Khan from Islamabad, Pakistan who is now settled in Montreal. He drives his truck between Montreal and St John's in less than 40 hours, mostly with white goods. He told me that he rakes in double the fare to transport goods during the winter. He offered me a lift to St John's in his truck!

The MV Highlander took the Cabot Strait crossing in 7 hours. As it docked at Channel-Port aux Basques the time went forward by a half hour. It is -2.30 GMT in Newfoundland. Within 15  minutes of docking I was driving on the TCH 1E. The drive from Channel-Port aux Basques to Corner Brook was indeed very scenic. The Table Mountains with some vestige of snow still on them, the Atlantic Ocean curving by the side and a serene environment made for an idyllic journey. I had originally made a reservation in Corner Brook to stay overnight. A well-wisher who lives in Grandfalls-Windsor suggested that that town, being almost midpoint between Channel-Port aux Basques and St. John’s, would be a better place to halt overnight.  I made the switch almost in the nick of time and was happy to reserve accommodation in Maple Tourist Home. I made a similar change for the return trip from St. John’s too. Thus, I was booked to stay in Maple Tourist Home on 21st and 25th May.

While disembarking from the ferry I had set Google Maps for the accommodation. After driving nearly five hours and 500 km Google Maps landed me at an address in Grandfalls-Windsor that bore no resemblance to the one I had reserved. Nevertheless, it was a B&B, Carriage House Inn. Michael, who I met there, soon confirmed that there wasn’t any Maple Tourist Home in Grandfalls-Windsor. He got information on the internet that one such accommodation was available in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. I was 1500 km away from where I had made the reservation! Fortunately, Michael told me that he had a couple of rooms free for the night. I took one on the ground floor and thanked God that I did not have make any drastic last minute changes.  Once that matter was settled I had to deal with the cancellation of the reserved accommodation. The booking vouchers showed that I was late for the free cancellations. Despite that I made a pitch with booking.com for free cancellation. In a couple of hours the site confirmed that, since I was a frequent user of the site, the reservations had been cancelled for free, without any charge. Otherwise, I stood to lose nearly C$ 230. But, what flabbergasted me the most was the fact that Google Maps had led me to Carriage House Inn, when I had set my destination as Maple Tourist Home in Grandfalls-Windsor. Certainly, I regarded it as the work of the ‘unseen hand’.

Grandfalls-Windsor is literally a one-horse town. After lunch and a short nap I went to the Gorge Park, where Michael told me I would enjoy a quiet walk. The birch and fir forest has walking trails to view the river, gorge and the falls. It was indeed an invigorating walk but the gorge and falls were, by themselves, nothing much of a sight. Almost accidentally I discovered the legend of the Beathuk chief, Nonosabasut, on a plaque near one of the lookouts. It is said that the Chief lost his life trying to save his wife and new born child. One of the large rocks in the gorge is named after Nonosabasut and one of the profiles of the rock is said to show his sad face. Indeed, a profile of the rock showed the sad face.

After a brief stop to look at the Town Hall, I gravitated to what seemed the only active restaurant in town, the Tai-Wan. The personable lady, who kept calling me sweetheart, suggested a meal of fried rice, spareribs and Foo young with sauce. I chose to have a shot of Baccardi rum and coke before the dinner. The large portion of the meal took some effort and time to get over. A day that could well have been a disaster went off well, in the end. It was just a day to go for the completion of the first leg of the Trans Canada Highway expedition.

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