6 May - Nanaimo to Kamloops - Day 2 of TCE

Last evening my aunt had said that the weather forecast for the week was good. It turned out to be just that, bright and nice in the morning as I got ready to leave early for the Departure Bay ferry terminal to neutralise the Monday morning commuter rush. The lobby of the Motel wasn’t open. I left the key in the key box and drove the short distance to the ferry terminal. It was so close to the Motel that I could have done it on foot in five minutes. As before, I produced my booking evidence, paid the balance amount and was directed to lane 12 to await boarding that was more than an hour away.

The Nanaimo harbour is more than 200 years of history having been established by the Spaniards in the 1700s. The harbour is gentle and the swell is minimal as it is sheltered by the natural breakwaters of the Newcastle and Protection Islands, much like the Cochin Port. This is a great attraction for boating and marine enthusiasts. Many mooring locations and a thriving marina support this. Though the harbour is popular with visitors it supports plenty of commercial activity such as sightseeing tours, fishing, cruise vessels, kayak and marine tours. Swy-a-Lana lagoon is a man-made salt water lagoon within the harbor.

I had made a couple of sandwiches with spam the previous evening. While waiting for the boarding I had them while I watched others in the vehicle queue fetching food and drink from the restaurant near the boarding gate. Once again, I headed a queue while parking inside the ferry. I told myself that I would keep my ears tuned to every announcement so that I do not miss the announcement for passengers to get to the vehicles before the docking is completed at Horseshoe Bay. I settled for a cup of hot coffee on board and sat facing one of the large glass windows in the rear of the ferry. The receding contours of Victoria and what lay ahead occupied my mind till the coffee was done. Despite it being a sunny day I didn’t venture on the open decks and avoided the cold winds. I must have dozed for almost an hour when I heard the announcement to head back to the car. This time I made it on time and waited to be waved on to disembark.

I drove nearly 80 km to leave the precincts of Vancouver and set course for Hope on the TCH 1E. On the way there was a humongous traffic hold up. As there were sign boards all over announcing road construction works I presumed that the pile up was due to that. But, when I came to the point where traffic broke free I noticed that the 30 minute delay had been caused by a truck breakdown in one of the lanes and the delay was to move it to a safe and isolated place. During the delay not one vehicle cut lanes, formed impossible queues or even honked once. Such behaviour makes life easy on the road and less stressful.

I stopped at Hope for a bio-break after 175 km on the road since disembarking from the ferry. Used the saveonfood store toilet for the purpose. When I got out of the car in the parking lot I found a broach that looked valuable. I handed over the same to one of the salesgirls in the store and decided to explore the Liquor Store, a chain of outlets all over the country. I was looking for spiked fizzy beverages that my cousin, Praveen Tomy, had got me hooked on to in Australia. The helpful saleswoman located spiked Captain Morgan rum. I bought four cans each of the rum spiked with cola and root beer. When one buys cans and bottles a small deposit is charged. The saleswoman told me that the 10 cents deposit is to induce people to return the can and bottles for recycling. She was surprised that such a practice does not exist in India and told me that this eliminated wanton waste disposal. She suggested that I either return the empty cans to the Liquor Store when buying more stock or to a recycling facility to get the deposit back. Systems are everywhere and people follow them without demur or violation.

From Hope I took the Yellowhead Highway 5, also designated as part of the TCH since 1990. I decided to take the original TCH between Cache Creek and Hope on the return trip. The landscape was monotonous all the way except the snowy coniferous mountains near Hope. Huge coniferous tress comprised the mountainous forest through which a massive highway system had been heaved off. The trees were turning green all the way.

The speed on the Yellowhead highway, of which the Coquihallen Highway was part, is 120 kph. On the TCH it is 100 kph. It is awe inspiring to watch the huge freight trucks consistently moving at the permitted speeds. And, when they move beside you it can be a wee bit intimidating. However, vehicles observed speed restrictions even when unsupervised. What surprised me is that even on undulating and steep roads the speed is not restricted. This is because of three reasons. One, the infrastructure is excellent with high quality maintenance. Second, the vehicle condition is very good and they are certified each year. Third, and most important, driver discipline extremely high. This is because the licensing system is strict and violations are never condoned.

I reached the Best Budget Inn & Suites by 3.25 pm and checked in. to the facility run by Punjabis who had migrated to Canada 33 years ago, maybe the result of the pogrom in India in 1984. While the Inn was busy the upkeep was less than desired. The Singh at the counter told me that the Riverside Park could be a good place to walk around and watch the sunset. That is where I went to after a short snooze and a cup of coffee. The well laid out park at the confluence of the North and South Thomson Rivers was busy with elders and youngsters, the latter outnumbered the former. Four horses and their riders of the Nanaimo Mounted Patrol were in the park explaining to a few curious elders how the horses behaved and what their duties were. They allowed people to pet the horses, because they said that the horses loved that.

The park and the beach are used for a variety of activities such as basketball, lawn bowling, tennis, picnic, entertainment and swimming. During the leisurely stroll I found a group of elders enthusiastically playing lawn bowling after 7 pm, the light was still very good. I didn’t quite figure out the rules of the game but the passion of the participants indicated that they truly enjoyed it.

The park was also the place which housed the Chinese labour who worked on the Canadian Pacific railway construction. Their contribution was vital in the completion of the railway network from west to east. In 2005 a monument was erected to honour their contribution and an important interchange in Kamloops was named after Cheng Ging Butt, who supervised and coordinated the work of over 9000 Chinese labourers. Kamloops got popular in the mid-1850s following discovery of gold in the neighbourhood. Today it is well known for health care, tourism and education, which are the mainstays of the local economy. The city is also known as the Tournament Capital of Canada with over 100 tournaments conducted in a year in its world class sporting facilities. The community is passionate about bumble bee protection and is one of the first to have started the trend.

The Sun hid behind the clouds and refused me the pleasure of watching the sunset over the rivers, something I had gone there for. After savouring the peaceful and salubrious environs for almost two hours I got back to the room for Captain Morgan and the spiked cola. Once I got through it I conserved the can so that I could reclaim the 10 cent deposit!