Sunday, July 7, 2013

Canada East Coast Trip – Research and Conclusion

The last 16 days just flew by and it all seems so far away now even though it just happened. I start already to think of the next trip, but first things first. The phase of the research for Canada drove me a bit mad. Traveling in Canada without a car is not impossible but very complex depending on where you want to go.
 
When it came to the decision on what to see and to do within such a short time frame I decided I stick with the East Coast and next time I will visit the West Coast. To manage both sites of Canada in just two weeks is impossible if you are not flying from one site to another and leave out a few places.

Why the East Coast first? To be honest I have no idea, maybe because I knew people in that area and because it probably doesn’t make a difference since I am planning to visit the West Coast as well.
 
 

Reaching far out places such as National Parks is nearly impossible by public transportation; please keep in mind we are talking here about the East Coast, not the West Coast. Shuttles to Parks are rare and if any, they only run in the peak season and only a couple of times during the week.

Now I have done a few mistakes in my plan, simply because I didn’t put enough effort in the planning phase and didn’t pay enough attention to the details. Usually it works out for me somehow as I still stay flexible within my plans and can make changes accordingly. I never really question my decisions once I made them, I learn from them and continue. So here is what I have learned from this trip:
  • Read tour details in regards to possible cost
  • Do research on the places and where exactly they are located
  • Check what exactly is included in the price I pay
Otherwise everything was fine, a bit different than expected but overall a pleasant experience.

Canada itself is not a very backpacker friendly country to travel if you don’t have a car and rely on public transportation to get outside the cities. Within the cities and from one city to another it is no problem at all. For the far out places like Digby I found it very difficult to gather all the information I needed in terms of transportation online, but managed via the forums available.
 
Here are the links I have gathered during my research:

General

Transportation

Beach near Toronto

National Park Quebec

Maritime
             
Algonquin Park from Toronto

As you can see most links are related to transportation which took most of my research time. The information online is widespread and even Wikitravel wasn’t very reliable in this regard as there were simply not enough information for a traveller without a car.

After a while I have given up on the idea to go to National Parks on the East Coast and I didn’t want to spend too much time on getting from one place to another. It is not impossible, but it depends on your time and schedule and of course the measures you are willing to take to get to these places. Tour Operators in general are a good idea, however my experiences with them were rather on the downside.
                                                                                                          
In total these are the costs for the trip in Pounds (£)
  • Accommodation:  251
  • Transportation (incl. 2 Flights): 1021.65
  • Food/Drinks:  450 (roughly)
  • Activities: 133.25
Total: 1855.95

And to make sure I comply to the German stereotype and its efficiency, below a quick picture of how I plan my trip and budget. I do this only for short term trips under 4 weeks, simply because of the time constraints. You can't really move freely because it would 1st be too costly and 2nd you might miss the final flight if you don't make it back on time.



Overall the plan doesn't differ too much from my original itinerary. Keep in mind that the last leg of this trip has been planned one day before depature. Also I would now remove the trip down to the 1000 Islands from Montreal and would do it straight after Toronto.

 
My conclusion about Canada
I have a mixed feeling about Canada, I am not sure where it comes from, but it appears to me that Canada is a complex country with the provinces and languages, the differences between these stick out and bring on certain confusion. Maybe this is different for the people living there and they are used to it, but for a visitor they seem to be pretty obvious.

Canadians in general are very friendly, but unfortunately some Canadians I met had been a bit arrogant when it comes to them being Canadian, like they were looking down on me because I am not one of them. In all fairness most people I met had been foreigners that moved to Canada in the last 10 years or so. The vibe is very different from city to city and there were people that were really pleasant company.
 
For some it seems they don’t know where their roots in Canada are. They mentioned usually their heritage when I asked them where they are from, even though they had been born in Canada. With the history of Canada it is somewhat understandable, but overall confusing. Besides Australia this is the second country on which I have experienced such cultural disorientation. The younger generation usually are more content with being Canadian and have more in common with the recent history. The unity as a country is not there yet. Having read recently the Hunger Games trilogy it does come to mind when you think of the separated districts and how they are connected. I can clearly see what the Author had in mind when she wrote about the districts, now that I have been to Canada. Of course I can only speak for the 4 Provinces I have been to.
 
This all of course didn’t let me enjoy my trip any less; it is just something I learned, experienced and take with me.
 
The cities and the nature I was able to see are beautiful, have a great history and the people I met on the way made the trip as usual an awesome trip. I am keen now to get to know the West Coast and soak in the differences.

Happy Travels!

Toronto City from the Airplane




Toronto Airport


Halifax

Halifax

Halifax

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Location: Canada East Coast

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