Categories
canada general

night night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs…

bite. No, bites. All over my left side. And some on my back… and a couple on the right. The bed bugs got me, and I didn’t have a say in the matter.

The high rate of population turnover in Banff make it an ideal spot for bed bug infestations. A lot of people staying in hostels and B&Bs in the area have reported bed bugs. And a huge seasonal population mean that there’s a lot of turnover in rental houses, and a lot of chances for people to come in from other areas with infested clothes or bedding, and spread the pest. Ski bums with no money grab some furniture and a mattress of the street to furnish their new apartment, and bingo, instant bed bug infection.

Bed bugs used to be a lot more common, back when the above phrase was coined – but then man invented DDT, and went round smiting things with it. But in recent years, bed bugs have been making a comeback: they’re cool again! And they like to hide in your things, and in your house, and in your mattress, then come out at night and drink your blood (no really). Oh, and as they’re really good at hiding, and aren’t really tempted by insect traps, they’re also really hard to get rid of. I’m overjoyed.

Categories
canada general

bc roadtrip

1500 km later and I’m back in the magical land of Banff. Although if it was really magical it would feel warmer, and the squirrels would have fantastical powers, or perhaps wear tutus.

 

We saw two bears. Stayed one night in a Hobo Jungle. Stayed another in a picturesque lakeside shack (where we played a cheap ripoff of Jenga called ‘Jumbling Towers’). Found an excellent bike shop/junkyard in New Denver, where we bought one old bike, and got another plus a frame for free. And lazed around in hot springs.

Categories
canada general

banff

Banff is a little town in the Banff National Park.

The stats
Banff NP was Canada’s first National Park, and as one of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, it’s also a World Heritage Site. At an altitude of 1,463 m Banff is the highest town in Canada. Any further growth from its current population of seven or eight thousand (depending on the season) has been restricted due to environmental concerns – the National Park is one of the most visited in North America. The Canada Census of 2006 gave the median age in the town as 29.6, thanks in no small part to the huge number of 18-30 year old internationals over here on working holiday visas (apparently Banff can be quite popular with the 18 year old crowd, as being in the province of Alberta the legal drinking age is 18 – versus 19 for British Columbia).

The view

 
On my first day in Banff we hiked up the Sanson Peak of Sulphur Mountain, one of the scenic mountains that are conveniently scattered around the town. At 2256 metres it towers above Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko (2228 m). And the photo above shows the view from the peak. Looking down into the Bow Valley, you can see the township of Banff nestled next to Tunnel Mountain, and the Bow River winding along next to it.