Page 18

A Bargain

Most things in Canada are expensive in comparison to the UK, eating out is 30% more expensive and accommodation double what we would pay in the UK (mind you it is the peak period of a very short season). So imagine my joy when I found something that was unexpectedly cheaper, in fact completely free. Car ferries seem to be regarded as part of the road so you just roll on, cross the lake in our case, and roll off the other side. It was a two mile crossing so not insignificant. I was so overwhelmed I nearly went back for another free ride.

Today we drove about 140 miles through some stunning scenery for a good part along dirt roads with very few other cars, it was great.

That's our hire car in the picture (a sensible car this time) with Mt Wilkie in the distance, it is 8,800ft high, the mountains in this area are a little smaller than where we were before but just as beautiful.

We are now two and a half weeks into our trip and are starting to get to grips with all things Canadian. There are some things which seem to be lost in translation, panini’s aren't paninis, they are just sandwiches made with toast. Frappes aren't frappes, we were excited the first two occasions we saw them on a menu but they are a nasty sugary chocolate concoction which would make Aristotle turn in his grave.
You can’t buy wine or beer in a supermarket, you have to go next door to the liquor store. At home we have problems with staff shortages and everyone blames Brexit, well they have the same problems here and they blame covid, there is a real shortage of staff in restaurants and hotels. On Mondays and Tuesdays over half the restaurants are closed to save staff.

You are expected to tip, that’s the way it works here but I get very annoyed when I am expected to tip when I order food. Most transactions are done with a credit card so today when I ordered my sandwich for lunch the credit card machine screen asked if I wanted to add 15%, 18% or 25% tip. At this point I don’t know what the quality of service will be so I decline to tip, the waitress then probably spat in my sandwich before I left a tip in cash.

We are now staying in a funky shed overlooking a lake (pictured), what you can't see in the picture are the clouds of flies although so far they have not been biting too much.