So far...I absolutely love Victoria here on Vancouver Island. The journey over here was stunning too - i just cant wait for mum and dad to see all this. I do feel a bit frustrated with myself at the moment because i feel like i cant keep my diary up to date and there is so much that i want to write and i have so many unfinished entries; i dont want to forget anything about what i have done, thought or how i have felt. At the moment i am just so excited. Im here in a country which, for me, is just wonderful; meeting some great people, making new friends and learning lots of new things everyday; in just 9 days my mum & dad are coming to visit (looking forward to seeing them); after that i fly to Fiji for 10 lazy days (such hardship) and then after thast i fly to New Zealand to see my big brother - who i havent seen for nearly 4 years and meet his lovely girlfriend! and i miss him so much. So i find myself asking - how does life actually get any better than this???? I dont think it can!!!!

Victoria is beautiful - i like it much more than Vancouver. It is a city - but a much more laid back one! The harbour runs all the way round the edge of Victoria and many of its suburbs, and the mountains are still very much there in the distance. Vancouver Island is also surrounded by many smaller islands - which unfortunately this time around i dont think i will see. I arrived in Victoria on Friday (9th may). It was another sunny day. I got the coach from Vancouver bus station to the ferry port, ferry across to Swartz Bay (vancouver island) and then the bus journey continued into Victoria bus station (about 40 minutes). The ferry crossing was stunning - paassing by many of the island in between here and Vancouver. I just sat out on Deck reading and taking in the stunning view! From the bus staion in Victoria i had a short walk up to Pandora Ave (a walk that seemed so long when carrying baggage!) where the 'Ocean Island' backpackers inn hostel is. All i can say is what an absolutely fantastic hostel it is! It is a big hostel, at least 50 rooms - i reckon when full it sleeps about 150 maybe a few more. The hostel covers 4 floors. I literally liked it as soon as i walked through the door. So i think ....Planet traveller and Ocean Island are my top 2 hostels and will take some beating!! As they are so very different i dont thing i need to rate one above the other! I am working at Ocean Island - i have signed on to the WWOFER program. It is a global program and i wish i had known more about it before i came to Canada as i could have done it in some other places - although i think that would have shaped my trip very differently!! The best way for me to describe WWOOFing is to link up top the website i think!! www.wwoof.org oooo i didnt realise this diary would do that! So that means i should put this one in too - www.oceanisland.com Awesome!! haha! I was to start working the next day - Saturday. After i had checked in all that remained was to go and meet my new room mates! yey! I am staying in Room 23k. As i walked into the room the girls were all sitting and chatting and i soon picked up that they had all been working in the hostel that day - so i realised that i was sharing with other hostel workers - perfect! I introduced myself and asked the girls if they were all working - they said yes. There is...Ally (alexandra) from australia, Janine from germany (yet again her english is spot on!), Sue from ........Doncaster!! and Chantelle - i couldnt work out where she was from - turns out she has lived half of her life in Manchetser and half of her life in Australia so her accent is a bit mixed and hard to pick out! The night before i arrived they had all been out and had many drinks - they were pretty much ready for bed!! Chantelle had ended up being sick!! haha! I put my stuff in the corner of the room and within half an hour had unpacked and spread out all over!! i always seem to do it - i try to not take up a lot of space but hey!!.... i really like it here the hostel is great and the girls seem lovely - im so glad i decided to move to here sooner than i originally planned! I desperately need to do some laundry as i could just smell the other hostel in Vancouver on ALL of my clothes!! As i had no food though it was a trip to the supermarket first! I asked Sue where the cheapest supermarket was - she told me it was a 10 minute walk over Johnson Street Bridge - so i headed off and a 20 minute walk later i was there!!!! By the time i got back and cooked some tea there was no way the laundry was getting done tonight!! I got chatting to Ally later on and it turns out she also had stayed at thje American backpackers hostel in Vancouver!!! However she only lasted 1 night and checked out! I must be hardcore! we had a laugh anyway - i couldnt believe that i had met some else who had stayed!!!!!

Saturday (10th) was my first day to work. I went down to the lounge for 10.30 which is where everyone meets and the 'housekeeper' gives out the work for the day. There are also people in on the hostels 'work for stay' program - which means they do 3 and a hald hours work for there bed. On work for stay it is first come first served so if there isnt enough work for them all theyhave to pay for their beds. As a WWOOFer i am guarunteed work! Today Stefan was the housekeeper. Stefan is from Germany and the girls had been talking about hium the night before - they had made him sound a little intimidating! He seemed ok - but he didnt actually speak to me. He gave everyone their work and then i was left! He asked me my name and said had i worked before - i explained that i was a new WWOOFer and he had no idea - so i guess i felt a bit daft that he didnt know i would be starting. He just sent me to laundry and said that chantelle would show me what to do. So i headed down to laundry and got chatting and folding sheets and changing loads of washing with Chantelle! Chantelle is heading to Alaska on a cruise in a couple of months with her friend. That sounds like fun - i would love to go to Alaska! I was starting to get really hungry as it was almost 2pm! Chantelle is only on work for stay so she only has to workk until 2pm so she doesnt get a break - i was beginning to wonder if i did??!!! At about 1.55pm a girl named Anna came down and introduced herslef. Anna is the head of the 3 housekeepers, but they all work in rotation. The hostel also offers the next rate up of accommodation - it has 3 suites which are like mini apartments, they are located down by the harbour. Two of the suites needed cleaning; Anna asked if i would mind going down there with her and cleaning them out ready for 4pm check ins. That sounded like fun and i had wanted to see the suites because originally i woanted for mum and dad to stay in one of them when they arrived but they were all booked up that weekend! Anna took me down to the suites in the ocean island van - it looks just like the A-team van and it has loads of 'groovy' paintings all over the sides of it!! As we drove down to the suites Anna gave me a brief run down of what needed to be done - and when we got there she showed me which keys opened which doors and where i would find all the supplies i needed. She left me with a phone and went back to the hostel! She did apologise for dropping me in at the deep end - but i was happy enough to be left on my own to sort it out - she had just said make them look pretty - you have stayed in Hotels 'right?' just do what you think! Cool! I thought back to when i used to be a cleaner at westwood lodge in Ilkley and how we used to fold the bedding and towels and arrange the bathroom toiletries! I also thought about the things i didnt like when i worked there and i now had the opportunity to do my own thing!! There are 3 suites and they are all within the same house. The houses on the streets down here are huge!! One of the suites takes up the front downstairs of the house and the other 2 are slightly smaller and take up the next level at the back of the house. There is a beautiful garden with tables and chairs. Although deep down i know it doesnt matter too much where my mum and dad stay because they are coming to see me and we will be out doing stuff together most of the time but i did feel a bit sad that they couldnt stay in one of the suites - they were so lovely and they would have really liked them. 4pm came and went - i was only half way through the second suite - but no one form the hostel had called to see if i was ready and also noone had turned up to check in so all was well! I was enjoying myself anyway - sweeping and mopping with the radio on and having a chat with the couple staying in suite 3 (i was cleaning suite 1 and 2!). By 5.30pm i had finished both suites put everything away, sorted the laundry out and...still hadnet heard from the hostel! I called the front desk to seehow it normally works? The girl on the front desk asked for someone from the office to come down and pick me up. I sat outside in the front garden and waited. About 20 minutes later a 'normal' vehicle pulled up outside with an older looking gentleman in (he really did look like a gentleman too - and he was). The man got out of the car an immediately introduced himself - he was David - the owner of the hostel and the suites! He checked if i and everything else was ok, we loaded up the car with the laundry and headed back to the hostel. David is from South Africa originally, he is really softly spoken. He has been in Canada for 45 years! I was telling him about my trip; so it was great because he was able to tell me allsorts about South Africa. His favourite spot and the place he often goes back to is Cape town - it is also apparently a little safer than Johannesburg. Also if i go further up north i can go on a good safari!! Sounds good to me. But all that seems so far away. When we got back to thehostel David showed me where to put all the suite laundry etc so that it doesnt get mixed up with the hostel laundry. He also made a note at the front desk that i was owed 2 hours!! nice one! Sunday was a very similar day - i went to the suites again in the afternoon as one of them needed cleaning again! This time ist was suite 3 - definitely my favourite - it was so cute and in the best position for the sun too!! I so wish i had known earlier and could have booked one of these suites before they were all taken!!

Monday 12th May.....