So I'm still in Medicine Hat. Brad and I cycled through some of the worst rain southern Alberta has had in a long time, and this has caused some pretty substantial flooding. Luckily we've been hosted by Bonnie and Doug Dirk from warmshowers.org and have waited for the floods to subside, and the highway to re-open. Being Canada, the roads system isn't really that intricate, so going around the flooded section means a 200km detour. What was intended to be a one night stop for just me turned into a 3 night stop for Brad, and 4 for me. Despite the last two days being brilliantly sunny and warm, the highway is still largely underwater. It's so flat here that there's nowhere for the water to really go except down into the ground, which unfortunatly for me is taking days.
Had it not been for Bonnie and Doug, we would have been stuck in a flooding area with nowhere dry to camp; had we been in the wrong place at the wrong time (i.e. anywhere in the next 60km of HWY1 for the last two days) the situation would have potentially been serious. I've just had my fourth night at their house, and I still feel more than welcome. I said Canadians tend to be more friendly and helpful than Brits, but this couple are taking that to a whole new level. Bonnie has just insistently offered to drive me to Swift Current, a 500km round trip! Her exact words were "well we haven't really done anything, all we've done is give you a bed, and I cook food anyway..." I don't really know how to be sufficiently grateful to them. I didn't mention that we took up space in their home, generally smelt like touring cyclists most of the time, and ate a LOT of their food (I'll add that it was unfailingly awesome food, quinoa is a new favourite). If every other warmshowers host is even half as accommodating, then this trip will be a breeze.
Thank you Bonnie and Doug :)
Bonnie & Doug - if you are following Ben & Brad's exploits after their enforced stay with you - thank you so much for looking after 'The Boy', we are most grateful to you. If you are ever in UK do look us up. Stuart & Debs (Grateful parents)
ReplyDeleteReally interesting- but I wouldn't make assumptions about the relative friendliness of people in different countries until you've actually tested it out!
ReplyDeleteI was cycling in France with a group of students (only Calais to Cherbourg) and we were basically camping on verges which we later found to be illegal- so we started asking farmers and people for places to stay- we didn't get one rejection.
We stayed in an orchard full of apple trees, a field previously used for grazing horses and the tiny back garden of an ex- tour de france engineer who fixed our bikes for us and fed us handsomely.
My point is that I think there are people all around the world who are welcoming and incredibly kind for no personal gain.
The milk of human kindness still flows in many people in all parts of the world. Unfortunently, in this media obsessed world we only get fed the bad bits, to the point where we wonder where all the good folk have gone. What Ben is doing is inspirational and should form part of everyone's life experience - to see foreign lands and people and understand their way of life. It might be very different to what we have known, but no less good or wholesome. This understanding is vital if we are to enjoy our lives and be able to live peacefully with other people whose views and circumstances may be at a tangent to our own.
ReplyDeleteAnd now Ben, get on your bike, before we all become philosophers - what's a little bit of dampness? Bikes and skin are water proof.....!
(Disclaimer:....but only if it is safe to do so, you have done a full risk assessment, are wearing a helmet and a life jacket...!)
The Abbot.
Thanks for the kind words Abbot, It's about to pi$$ it down in about ten minutes in a 'severe thunderstorm' so i'll bear your words in mind.
ReplyDeleteBen