UNDISPUTED FACT 1: It only takes two words to make a backpacker’s eyes sparkle: “free laundry.”

UNDISPUTED FACT: : It only takes five more words to make that backpacker your friend for life:”do you want some dinner?”

Becoming a backpacker really does make one think how little you really need. Apart from my cd, I haven’t missed much since I’ve been travelling. It’s a bit of a worry to think that all I need to survive can be carried on my back. I was especially amazed to discover that I hadn’t had Wendy’s for over a month and was OK. And with only two pairs of shorts  and limited clothing options, it’s liberating to not have to deliberate over what to wear each day.

The backpacker’s eternal struggle is this: You have to carry your life. Too many bags, and you won’t get anywhere. Too heavy a bag, and you’ll drop from exhaustion. Therefore, you give yourself a set amount of space and weight, and you adhere to it. It’s like physics – if you buy something, something else of equal or greater size and weight must be farewelled. It certainly makes you think twice about impulse purchases. Personally, I wish most things in life worked like this – I think I’ll make an experiment of it next time I make a purchase at home. One thing bought, one thing tossed. It would definately remove the clutter, don’t you think?

Some hazards of the travellers life:

My new trainers now look like I’ve worn them continuously for ten years. Australia’s red center with all the clingy red dust is mainly to blame.

I got myself so sunburnt scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef , that I had to cancel my Daintree Rainforest tour.

I’ve lost either my shampoo or my conditioner I think a total of nine hundred times by leaving it in the shower long enough for someone else to claim it. Doh. I’ve yet to experience bed bugs, thank christ, but just barely. My best friend was not so fortunate. I felt itchy the entire day just looking at her.

Constant company is good but can be dreary at times. I imagine long term travellers must daydream about just one night in a empty dorm.Towels never dry fully. Damp towels = mouldy. Smelly towels + dirty trainers = musty smelling backpack. I have learned quickly that backpacking is not a way to impress people with your high sense of fashion. The true (female) backpacker wears zero makeup, hair tied haphazardly into a ponytail-ish bun, wrinkled clothes…and a big grin on her face because she’s more thrilled about the cheap food at her hostel than the shopping center accross the road. And on to the primary joys of the backpacker life:

Flexibility! Halfway through my travels from Adelaide to Cairns, I decided I wanted to stay a week in Melbourne with a guy I met. So I did. Simple as that. I love it!

I’ve met people from everywhere! I’ve had meaningful conversations with people from Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Scotland, Wales, Japan, Canada, and the USA. (And those are just the ones I can recall in this drunken mess.)

While in Cairns, I made a new friend every night, even convincing a few of them to join me white water rafting.

While scuba diving in Cairns, I made friends with a Frenchman who invited me to visit him in Paris. I think I’ll give it a miss, but it was fun to be asked , all the same. I’ll always be able to brag about that now.

I’ve met friends in one part of the country, only to meet them again a few weeks later! Case in point, I met Kylie first in my Farmhand class in Tamworth, again two months later in Darwin, and again several weeks later in Sydne.Pretty much, I’d say that I rather enjoyed my try at backpacking Australia!

Cowichan Bay is a one of a kind, historic seaside village on the southern part of Vancouver Island which faces the Gulf islands just north of Washington’s San Juan Islands. An assemblage of motorboats & fishing ships, piers, wharves along with float houses, this town has a population of 2,575. If you take pleasure in oceanside countryside landscapes with good wine and cuisine, this area is a beautiful place to visit.

Arts and Culture:

The town of Cowichan Bay and the adjoining region is home to artists, craftspeople and nearby food producers, which includes a few very good nearby wineries and restaurants. Quite a few of the area’s vineyards and farms have tours, wine tasting and food preparation classes. Fresh seafood abounds in the region as well.

A pair of interesting historic activities the area offers are the Cowichan Lawn Tennis Club, that features one of the oldest lawn tennis surfaces in the entire world (second only to Wimbledon) and the Wooden Boat Society, which features hands on exhibits at the Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre.

If you’re traveling to} the region in the 1st week of August, you may see the Cowichan Bay Regatta, a sailing race that is the 2nd biggest regatta on Canada’s West Coast.

Outdoor Adventure:

Cowichan Bay offers the adventure opportunities of the sea; sea kayaking, sailing, saltwater fishing and whale watching – along with the options of river adventure. Recognized as a ‘recreational corridor’, the Cowichan River Provincial Park is the area for swimming, canoeing, whitewater kayaking, tubing, camping, fishing, horseback riding, bicycling, walking, picnicing or relaxing!

This recreation area protects substantial stretches of the Cowichan River, a Provincial Heritage River internationally well known for its wild salmon and steelhead fishery. You can walk along the river on the park’s historic 20km-long footpath and explore the restored 66-Mile and Holt Creek Trestles on the Trans-Canada Trail.

Cowichan Bay is also a great spot to observe the birds! Over two hundred kinds of birds feed at the mouth of the Koksilah and Cowichan Rivers. In spring and fall hundreds of wild birds journey over the area, known as the Pacific Flyway. You can try to spot them at Hecate Regional Park, located on Cowichan Bay Road. While you are at the park, stroll up Mount Tzouhalem for a wonderful view of the area. You can also launch a kayak from Hecate Park.

Getting to Cowichan Bay

The Cowichan Valley is a beautiful thirty-minute drive from both Victoria (south) and Nanaimo (north).
• By Motor vehicle: Drive on the Island Highway and watch for the well-marked signs. As soon as you depart the highway there is about a 10-minute drive through countryside and farmland before you will reach the town.
• By Train: VIA Rail travels between Victoria and Courtenay. Stops within fifteen minutes of Cowichan Bay include: Cowichan Station, Duncan or Cobble Hill.
• By Airplane: You can charter float planes to Cowichan Bay from Vancouver or Seattle but there are no scheduled flights.