24 May - St. John's to Grandfalls-Windor - The Return Leg - Day 20 of TCE

The Trans Canada Expedition (TCE) is unique in that it is a round trip between the West and East parts of Canada along the Trans Canada Highway, from Zero Mile Monument in Victoria, British Columbia to Mile One Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Having completed the first leg of the TCE and rested for a day it was time to start the return leg. This segment is expected to be completed in 19 days on 12 June. I would be visiting different towns and cities on this leg as compared to the previous one. While I will be taking some of the highways I have travelled on before, in some places it would be branches of the TCH and some detours. I was told by some people in the country that even the locals would find the round trip too tedious to cope in one outing! I have found the country fascinating, a time to learn many lessons and a treasure trove of memories to keep for a long, long time.

It was a clearer day in St. John's and I was grateful for that keeping in mind the kind of weather that had greeted me on the drive in to the city. Over a leisurely breakfast I met an elderly couple who were visiting St. John’s from Alberta. They were on a trip down memory lane. They had visited the lady’s great grandfather’s house and erstwhile farm in Halifax. They told me that the farmlands were no longer being farmed, but a portion of the house he had built nearly three quarters of a century ago was still in use! I spied a sense of pride in the lady’s eyes when she narrated it. They had plans to travel in Newfoundland for almost two weeks including Gros Morne Mountain, proving that it is never too old to travel. Listening to them I felt that one ages if one does not travel and experience new places and people.

Todd, the caretaker of the guest house, looks a disciplinarian and behaves, at times, like one. He was not happy when I left the door open at the first level on the first day and got locked out in the cold, having forgotten the key to punch at the door. He waved his finger and said, “No, not again”. I guess that demeanor is required to run a facility so well. However, I did find him helpful with whatever I asked him for. The other side I saw when I paid handsome praise for the selection of teas he had kept for breakfast. He took time to explain them and told me that I should get my hands on some teas in case I wished to experience some things different in a cup. He proceeded to give me a few sachets of the teas and asked me to look for them in Mall stores. He also mentioned that David's Tea produces boutique teas and could even mix and match according one’s tastes.  I will certainly pick a few, I promised myself, even though Todd had said that I would find them a wee bit expensive.

I took leave of Todd and got into the car. Then I realised that I had not taken his signature on the log sheet. I went back to Todd and he proceeded to do the honours without a demur. When I did the handshakes again and said, “See you”, he responded in his inimitable style with a wacky bend of this body, “Yes, see you soon, like in a couple of minutes”. It was his way of taking a dig at my forgetfulness!

The drive to the starting point, the Mile One Centre, lasted the whole of two minutes. It was just 800 metres away from the guest house. That’s how central the accommodation on Gower Street is. This time I found a way to park the car right in front of the Mile One Centre building, which is an arena and entertainment complex that opened in 2001. The name of the building comes from its location at the beginning, or the end depending on whether one is travelling from East to West or West to East, of the TCH. Early office-goers found my antics of trying to take photographs mirthful. One of them graciously helped take a few and I was on my way.

The drive towards Grandfalls-Windsor was in sharp contrast to the drive away from it on 22nd. It was absolutely clear and in some place the sky broke a lovely blue. Some of the lookouts I missed last time was worth a stopover this time. In search of an iceberg I took a deviation to Port Rexton. I did not see any there or in Trinity, where I was told that I could join an iceberg tour to see them up close. I didn't have the time for that though. I did spend sometime in the Port Rexton microbrewery, which Jerry told me is a popular one. The girl at the counter told me the brands available and I picked up a couple of them. While she was trying to get the payment formalities done with – delayed due to power outage, she explained – I took a look around the working brewery. A few customers were enjoying what was on tap in the facility, too.

By 6 pm I was in the Carriage House Inn in Grandfalls-Windsor and the day's drive was done. Michael gave me larger and more comfortable room to be lodged in for the night. After I had got some things done I drove to Rahul Aromal’s house, that was a few km away from the Inn. It was Rahul who had suggested a halt in Grandfalls instead of Corner Brook. Rahul had got through to me on social media after the start of the TCE. He had offered his place for stay during the overnight halts in that town. Not wanting to inconvenience the family I agreed to visit his home for a meal and I drove there after 7 pm. And what a lovely evening it turned out to be. One of the most satisfying experiences in my journeys is to find successful Indian families leading meaningful lives in foreign lands. Almost all of them keep alive their roots and culture. The families I met in Rahul’s home belong to that group.

Rahul and his wife work in a hospital nearby and so do the lovely couples Anupama and Jaffer and Nimmi and Anish. They told me that the town had just five families from Kerala and that they had frequent interaction with others in St. John’s. Mini and Jayan drove in late from St. John’s to take part in a birthday party the next day. I spent more than three hours amongst a lovely set of people, also interacting extensively with Rahul’s in-laws and Anupama’s mother. I got to learn so much about life in the country and its people.

Rahul is an avid hunter and angler. He detailed the process whereby one could officially hunt in Newfoundland with a permit and his many hunting trips. Rahul’s father-in-law told me that he almost had a heart attack from the sound of the gun when Rahul had recently brought down a moose! That game meat was part of the enormous spread on the table that I feasted on. Rahul took me to his garage and showed me the mounted antlers of the moose he had felled. His fondness for fishing is amazing. He has spent a fortune for the special gear he has for special type of angling.

Grandfalls-Windsor is famous for its Salmons. Every summer the fish swim upstream to lay eggs in this area. Unfortunately, the Salmanoid Interpretation centre was not yet open for the Season. Rahul told me that one can only fish six salmons each year. As soon as they are caught they have to be measured for its size and tagged if they are within the permissible size to take home. Fish below and above a certain have to be released back into the waters. It was interesting to know that hunting and angling permit violations attract extremely harsh outcomes such as C$ 10,000 fine, withdrawal of government facilities and permissions in future to hunt or fish. Thank you Rahul for a most unique experience and the supremely tasty meal that ticked off an item on the bucket list. Moose meat was that one item.