Location: Go Backpackers Hostel, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Time of Writing: 17:00
Ok so it's been 3 days since I updated this - but what a busy 3 days (and nights!) it was!!
Sasktoon was a difficult city to find backpacker accomadation in as there is no hostel in the city. Our search was not made any easier by the fact that the tourist office did not open on Saturdays! I guess tourism is only welcome Monday to Friday! After some online searching I came up the Collegedrive Inn on the southern banks of the Seskatchawan river - an excellent spot to stay in.
Accomadation sorted I went to check out Saskatoon, I don't think I've seen a cleaner city in Canada and it's lowrise buildings and very wide streets make it very western like and I half expected to see cowboys walking around and horses tied up outside saloons! Saskatoon is however a very modern city and the banks of the Seskatchawan river which flows through it's center are have some of the best walking and mountain biking trails I have seen in Canada.
For all it's beauty the first thing I did in Saskatoon was go to the cinema! I had wanted to see the facebook film "The Social Newtwork"
ever since I had seen the trailers for it about a month ago. Having read the book "the accendental millionaires" which the film is based upon I was very interested to see how it transfered to screen and it certainly doesn't disapoint. The facebook story is pretty well known at this stage so the film doesent deliver anything we didn't already know but the scritp is excellent! Go see it!
Sat night myself and the German went out drinking to a bar called "Buds" which I can best describe as a mondern day "Double Douce" from the film "Roadbouse"! This was a real biker rock bar with a real biker attitude ESP when you start beating them at pool! And when the shooter girl who it seems had taken a special interest in my safty suggested that I start loosing or leave then I knew it was time to find a different water hole! It's not that I am a good pool player but I did have the measure of these guys and while I really didn't want to leave at all when I was on a winning streak but loosing is not something I do deliberitly! Across the road to the "Yard" bar I went, minus the German who had long since lost interest in pool and was now off "practiceing his English" with the locals!
I decided that I needed to change activity myself so when I saw a group of people standing outside the bar smoking dressed in Santa Clause outfits I had just had to check out what tis was all about! Turns out that they had been to a "red &white" party - a dj event on the banks of the river. Now I must explain that the only thing I am better at in this world than talking myself into "situations" is talking myself out of situations! But as the usual foot in mouth event happened yet I joined my new friends for a good hours drinking inside in the bar. One of them in particular an Aisan girl by the name of Kira took my interest up until the point she made a stab at guessing my age and suggested i must be in my mid 30s!!! Note to self - it was time to get a hair cut!!
When i finally made it back to the hotel i found myself locked out! The German hadnt arrived home yet as as he had the only key I had to wait around until someone else needed to get into the hotel. Two long freezing hours later my prayers were answered when someone did finally come and let me in!! The German was no longer top of my popularity list but he did redeem himself when he returned the next morning and announced that he made a few new friends and that they had invited us to stay with them Sun night! Any admiration of his new found friend making skills was short lived however as after packing up and leaving the hotel his hungover Crout head couldnt remember where it was he had walked from just an hour previous!!! I could only laugh at him!! but not even a McDonalds breakfast could jog his memory! He though he could remember the building but not the number so we spent a funny half an hour knocking on dorrs being greeted by and apologizing to strangers! Eventually I had to give up the search as I had a date! well a date with a hairdresser! As it was Sunday the only place i could get a haircut was in the Mall and even that needed an appointment! Jesus such hassle to get a haircut! Anyways my appointment time of 4pm came around and in I went. Its alway funny getting my haircut esp by people who haven't cut it before as I have a scar that crosses my head from ear to ear from some surgery years ago and as its not something i warn hairdressers about i always find it funny when they come across it as i can always see the "did i do that" look of panic on their faces in the mirror!
Hair cut it was time to check back in with Marco to see how his search for elusive apartment was going! At 5pm he still hadnt found it! It didnt bother me to be honest as i had other plans to go meet two guys from back home Jonathan Lawlor & Daithi Nolan who live in Saskatoon for a few pints. Meeting the two lads was great as not only was it excellent to hear a couple of back home accents for awhile but i think there is also a bond among the Irish abroad and especially one with whom you know from back home and so Sun night was like drinking back in Gorsebridge if even for only a few hours! and that was sweet, it really made my trip to Saskatoon.
By Monday it was time to say goodbye to Saskatoon and make our way towards Edmonton. Having drove for a few hours we found a place to camp in Loydminister right on the border between Saskatchewan and Alberta. The actual division line between the two is the main st that runs the length of the town and i couldn't resist the temptation to stop traffic by moonwalking across the middle of it....backwards!
Finally made it to Edmonton today and have checked into the Go Backpackers Hostel, time to go check the place out now....
On the IPod Today: Various - Everything from Neil Young to Muse
Todays Weather: Beautiful Sunshine