Cricket in Canada? You betcha ...

"In my opinion, the Brockton Point ground is the prettiest upon which it has been my pleasure to play. It is a really magnificent setting, and I wish that some of our more important games, such as Test matches, could be played under these ideal circumstances." Those weren't my words but apparently came from the mouth of the late and great Don Bradman, speaking about a ground nestled within Stanley Park in Vancouver. I was surprised to see cricket being played at this picturesque field over the weekend and I was one of the handful watching the game between a group of unknowns. And even in Canada, the talk has been of the Aussies' awful Ashes tour.

Sporting one of the biggest hangovers in recent memory, I embarked on a very long and sobering walk around Vancouver's waterfront on Sunday, not to watch cricket, but to see the renowned totem poles at Stanley Park. The whole area is a fine tribute to a great city. I also saw raccoons and it was alleged that one bit a little girl.

Monday was pretty lazy. More coffee was consumed and my wallet is lamenting the price of a nice latte. I went to North Vancouver to see Grouse Mountain. The view might have been grouse if not for the low-level cloud and gross $C29.99 price tag. The welcome sign was all I witnessed as I headed back to get the free sights on the north side.

I've just returned to Portland this evening after an amazing week in Seattle and Van City to see petrol prices climb above $US3 per gallon. Still cheap by Australian standards and people here still keep driving their gas-guzzling SUVs.

I will miss seeing a random moose in the street and the genial nature of most Canadians but I won't miss wearing the same clothes for days on end or late Amtrak trains. Nor will I miss the position I was put in today. Waiting more than 30 minutes for a cab outside my hostel, I was approached by a man claiming to be HIV-positive. Indeed, he looked pretty ill, needed help and said he had four weeks to live. Sad story really, but I wasn't able to assist, given my last $C10 was needed for the cab to get to the train station. I left Canada with 17 cents in local currency. Whether his story was true, he certainly looked like being on death's door.