We are truly in wild bear country.Every campsite or roadside stop warns about how to deal with a bear you may have a chance encounter with (don't run !!) and not to leave any food out to attract bears. Rubbish bins (trash in Canada) have anti bear locks that require you to slip your fingers under a narrow latch to release a secret button. We had an absolutely beautiful campsite deep in the Banff National Park on the banks of the Saskatchewan River and there ...

Driving rain and a howling chilly wind was our welcome to Vancouver. Touted as a breathtakingly beautiful city and harbour, she did not show her best side to us in our two days.Disembarking our cruise ship at 9.00am Sunday, we felt a little disorientated as we moved back into backpacker mode. Hoisting our packs we arrived into Canada's immigration hall, traversed customs, found an ATM for some Canadian dollars, and then, on shaky land legs, endeavored to find...