Sounds

I am a person who is very reliant on my sense of sight. It's refreshing to describe a day in terms of what I heard. Throughout the day, I remember many cycles consisting of resigned "oh boy" or "ugh" then panting and deep breathing, then the loud roar of wind by my ears accentuated by the additional rush of passing cars. On the rare flat parts, I remember the grinding of gears on every pedal stroke with the clunking of chains being moved from one gear to another. These noises are already becoming familiar and comforting in their rhythm.

At camp, the characteristic shuffling of tent fabric and clinks of tent poles mixed in with lots of laughing. There was even a sudden loud bang from the inner tube that exploded after over-inflated the front tire. Now as I settle into bed, my two friends' snoring blend in with the massive choir of frogs nearby, and for a perfect ending to our first real cycling day, a nearby loon throws in one final call before I reach for my earplugs. :)

Janius Tsang

Ferries goodbye!

It doesn't seem like Day Two of the journey since time always slows down when you leave your life in the city. Things about life on a bike such as where to find

We have travelled about 70km by bike at this point, most of it divided among the Gulf Islands on the British Columbian coast. We missed our intended ferry but discovered instead unintended paths, which end up being some of the most memorable ones.

We spent the early afternoon on Vancouver island where we got off the ferry near Sidney, BC. We met up with Mariana, another inspired soul who thought the bike trip was a great idea. In fact she's one of the veterans since she and Misty cycled across Newfoundland together.

After joining her for lunch in a city park full of flowers, Leah, Misty and I went off to explore Salt Spring Island, another gulf island east of Victoria island. We were greatly impressed with the beauty and the laid-back atmosphere, but not so happy with the imposing hill and hills that were between us and the campsite. A side visit to a goat cheese maker's made us happier, and arriving at the gorgeous campsite was definitely the highlight of the day. I'm getting the sense that it's the balance between air, water, wood, sun and rock that makes the west coast so appealing. I imagine that living here one feels like you're being taken care of, that you have everything you need around you. It's really beautiful and I can see why the island attracts so many artists to live there.

We returned in the early morning to catch the ferry back to Vancouver island and them onwards to Washington state. More hills awaited us. In fact I think that the entire trip will be gorgeous but endless uphill and downhill. Fun fun fun!!!

Ok off to the beach then to bed.

Janius Tsang

It can only get better

After all the anticipation, we missed the ferry by 45 seconds. This may have been a tragedy except that 1) things like this constitute 'adventure' and 2) Misty left her wallet and important stuff on the floor of her brother's truck. We are now waiting for the ten o'clock ferry, hanging out with the seagulls and enjoying the salty Pacific air.

Janius Tsang

Early am thoughts

It's 7:24 am PST, time for breakfast and for me to have a little internal freak out. Je capote car le début de ma grande voyage est MAINTENANT. C'est génial comme moment, mais mes oeufs brouillées m'attendent donc j'y vais!!!  Onwards!

Flight buddies

My flight buddy to Vancouver was a friendly but somewhat bizarre man with ADHD in seat A from Brossard.  While very friendly, it was really strange to be next to an 8 year-old trapped in a grown-up body.  We  a bit and he learned that I was Canadian-Chinese with origins Hong Kong and Guangdong, at which point he asked to see my driver's license. Upon receiving it he started to examine it intently and compare it to his, so much so I wasn't sure what he was memorizing off my license. Satisfied, he handed it back to me and then
wordlessly patted the empty seat between us to invite me to sit there beside him. First, boarding hadn't finished and by this point I was starting to hope that someone would sit there. I politely declined.  He turned away, momentarily deterred, but then renewed his efforts.  Next thing I know he has grabbed my arm and literally starts to yank me into seat B from my aisle seat C.  I am a little shocked. I make a quick retreat and shield myself with my bike book.

The plane doors close, and my pre-flight presentation is enhanced by the insistent screaming of a 4-year-old boy two rows ahead. He had that he had enough of the flight and repeatedly asked his mom to LET ME OUT OF HERE for the entire safety demonstration. I was  to feel the same way, honestly. Maybe I will bike to instead. I peek sideways over my book as the flight takes off, and Monsieur in seat A decides that it's time to get comfy. He pulls off his shoes and socks, takes off his glasses and lies down across seats A and B for a
nap during the ascent, putting his head right next to my left butt cheek.  Thankfully he realizes that his chosen position is probably not the most comfortable on several levels, so he resumes a sitting position with a big SIGH, pulls his laptop out and settles in for a movie, bare feet resting in seat B and comfy as a clam. For the next five hours, he changes positions every fifteen minutes, alternating between squatting on the seat, sitting with both feet on the seat in front, sitting with one foot on the seat, both knees on the seat and various creative combinations of the above. I am starting to envy his flexibility.  When he gets bored he looks out the window
occasionally and marks the moment by slamming the window blinds down with a big "cLAK."  Other times I catch him clapping gleefully while watching a boxing match. Just now he taps my shoulder to ask me why
I'm focussed so intently on my iPhone and asks me to show him my passport. I look blankly at him for a few seconds, smile and tell him I don't have it with me right now.

One more hour left, so I'm going to learn about the conjoined twins from Vernon, BC who share a single brain.
Cheers!

--
Janius Tsang

Triple check

It dawned on me this morning that this epic journey is starting pretty soon: there's no more milk in the fridge for my coffee.  Actually, I even took a few extra moments to admire how empty the fridge was.  Then I wandered over to the spare room and admired my packed panniers.  Then I logged on to FB for the heck of it and realized I hadn't posted my blog address.  So here it is folks!

http://flyinjt.blogspot.com/

I am hoping that I'll be able to post my position at least a few times a day and have the map updated with photos, comments and stories.