So this next part of the story includes some questionable experiences to the feint hearted, it includes sleeping in my car, lots of strangers and being stranded in the middle of nowhere. So for all you worrying friends and family, before you judge too early in my adventures, just remember, I'm travelling and I have to be trusting of people due to my lack of options, people are different from in the UK, they are less cynical of trust and at the end of the day, I'm still alive, unscathed and intact writing this blog for you. So don't worry, if you know me, you know I have wreckless but sensible at the same time and it always provides a good story. If you wish to keep the images of my travels as all exoctic and carefree, stop reading now, if not, enjoy my traumas and good times with me in this next part.

So I left Cawston on the 31st August, the Saturday of the Canadian's long weekend, so I knew the roads were going to be busy with everyone getting away and also I was reluctant to leave the Mutch family as I'd had an awesome time with them, but I had a long drive ahead of me. I left at 2:30pm and drove to Revelstoke which took me about 5 hours as I stopped along the way and took some photos of the sights, it was a lovely drive through the country but was tiring as it was my first day of driving on the wrong side of the road and where a red light means go if you want to turn right and the signs are a little bit vague!

I stopped at Mara along the way and dipped my feet in the Shuswap river and got bitten by a mosquito on my butt when peeing in the grass!!! The drive was a total of 320 km that day and I slept in the car at a rest stop just outside Revelstoke with the snow covered mountains in view.

The next morning after a surprisingly good sleep, with only a couple of times in the night I had to shift positions as my legs or neck had gone numb, I set off with a tea in hand from the local Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons is the Canadian version of Starbucks but better and cheaper, it's been my saviour over the last week or so!

So I decided that I was going to wash in the river to freshen up, so I drove down a little back road to a secluded spot, donned my bikini, grabbed my shower gel and jumped in the river! Big mistake, it was bloody freezing and suddenly so deep, I went straight under and the current was so strong that I started to get pulled down stream, I emerged a little way down like a drowned rat and a beating heart!! I managed to wash and dried myself in the sun while calming down before setting off again. I made another stop in a national park and took a little walk along a board walk and saw a snake! I had to stop in a place called Golden as a light came on in my car that it needed coolant, this was the first sign of trouble, but when I looked under the hood, it was a bit low, but no signs of anything else. So I top it up and head off.

About an hour later and 50km from Banff, there is steam coming out of my car!!!!!!! I pull over on the highway but I'm in the middle of nowhere, cars are rushing past me and I have no idea what to do or where I am!! So I grab the manual, open the hood, wait for it to cool and realise that a hose from to the engine has snapped off, the intake has just sheared right off! f***!!!

So I'm on the side of the road and its 4pm and I'm clueless, this is the first time since I left home that I really start to cry, like a proper girl with a broken down car. Luckily a guy stops behind and asks if I'm alright, by this point I'm not capable of speaking much and blurt something semi comprehensable about my car being broken down!! So he gives me a lift into Banff, leaving poor Reg (the name I have given my car) behind. Howard, my saviour takes me to Banff, gets me a number for a tow company who say they can collect the car in a couple of hours with me. Howard then gives me a little tour of Banff to pass the time.

Finally the tow truck comes about 6:30 and we head back to my car, the tow guy hardly speaks English and it's a silent and uncomfortable trip. He gets my car and says he will take it to a mechanic for me but they wont be open till Tuesday due to the long weekend, it's only Sunday night!! The total cost for the tow was over $400, that really stung as that was nearly as much as I paid for the car and I didn't know if the car could even be fixed and for how much, was very depressed after this.

We finally get back to Banff at about 10pm and I go in search of a hotel, but I dont know Banff well and all the hotels are full due to the tourists being there for the weekend so I end up sleeping in my car in the mechanics parking lot!

The next day I decide to take advantage of being in Banff, it's a lovely place with mountains all around and its a really cool town. I head to the tourist information where they tell me where there are hostels and little hikes I can do on my own without too much danger. So I manage to find my self a room for the night and I hike a bit along the rivers and go and see the sights and try to not worry about the car. I have a proper shower tand treat myself to dinner and drinks, not a bad day.

The next day I head to the mechanic and he says that he can fix it and change the cam belt as well which looked worn for under $300, not too bad and I'm happy especially as he said he could fix it that day once the part arrives.

So I again enjoy the sights of Banff, waiting for the mechanics phone call. So I am sitting by the river reading my book on a bench when an older guy on a bike sits next to me and starts talking to me. He is an American Univeristy Lecturer just taking a break from things and we chat for a couple of hours and I tell him what I've been up to and that I'm waiting to leave once my car is ready. So the mechanic calls and says that the part didnt arrive so they wont be able to fix my car today but will be ready the following afternoon. Balls!!! I again have no where to stay, so this guy, I think, takes pity on me and asks if I would like to camp with him tonight as he has a tent already there, food and drink, so I think, why not, it's a free night and the campsites are busy so if I have any trouble I'll call for help.

The camp site was beutiful, right in the woods and his plot was right by the lake, it was such a nice setting, we made a fire and cooked pasta over the camp fire and consumed a hell of a lot of wine! However this man was weird, the more he drank, the weirder he got, I was so happy the campsite was full, I made sure my sleeping bag was done up really tight and rolled to the opposite side of the tent and went straight to sleep, however instead of giving me space in the tent this guy slept as close to me as possible, so I practically had the tent stuck to my face at one point!!

So after an odd nights sleep of breathing in tent lining, I was greated with a lovely day and a phone call from the mechanic to say my car would be ready about lunch time, hooray!! I couldnt get away fast enough from the guy, I was grateful for him letting me stay but he had creeped me out a bit over the night!

So I had Reg back and decided to travel through the National park from Banff to Jasper through the Columbia Icefields! They were amazing, some breathtaking views and an awesome drive, was really worth going the long way to Edmonton as this was so beautiful. I arrived in Jasper in the evening and parked up and went for a walk in search of food. I was wandering around, Jasper is not too big but beautiful as it's in the middle of the National park when again some young man stops me, asks if I'm lost and if I would like to go for dinner with him! Hmmmmmm, after my last nights experience I apologise and say that I am not sticking around! I think I would of prefered a night to myself. So I have dinner at a little diner and go back to the car and sleep again in Reg for the night with the mountains as my view.

The next morning after grabbing a Tim Horton's tea, I head to Edmonton, I leave at 9 through the mountains and soon Alberta gets very flat and there are a lot of oil refineries and factories. This is a rich province due to the oil but it's not as beautiful as BC, well the parts I drove through anyway. Edmonton is a massive city, very business orientated, not beautiful like Vancouver but still impressive. I head to the farm which is about 50km south of Edmonton, its extremely remote with the nearest town being about 15km away, I'm so glad I have the car. I arrive at 2pm and it's all go at the farm and I start working straight away, but this part of the story can wait till my time here is done.

So I've broken down and survived in Canada and I'm so glad I have Reg back!!!!