July 29, 2003

We've learnt a lesson today - that booking a car in advance on the Internet is MUCH cheaper than waiting until the last minute and trying to get a deal. We've rented a car from Discount Rent-A-Car, and in advance I'd checked out a price on the Internet - $159 Canadian dollars a week (about £80) - but thought I'd get a better deal if I waited. Not true - we're now paying $229 dollars (about £105), so it's cost us £25 a week by waiting. Oh well, its a lesson.

However, we did discover that the downloaded "free rental upgrade" voucher worked a treat - instead of the Suzuki Swift we'd paid for, we got an Impala, which is a typical North American big car


(Handy hint: If you want to get a good deal, book in advance, and use something like Breezenet or Orbitz)

Wow, we're in a celebrity town. Or at least, a town which thinks its a celebrity. All over the place are flags saying "Squamish - Heart of the Winter Olympics 2010", because the Olympics are coming to the region in 7 years time. However, "Heart of" is the kind of phrase I'd invent in my best marketing moments (not that there were many of those). Basically the Olympics will be in Vancouver and Whistler...and guess which town sits halfway between them - yes, Squamish.

So, in a way, the 3 grocery stores, 4 petrol stations and 5 fast-food restaurants that make up Squamish are at the centre of the Olympics, in the same way that the hole is at the centre of the doughnut.

Anyway, I'm putting Squamish down a bit too much. We're staying at a great hostel, the Squamish International Hostel, which is a brand new hostel beside the Sea to Sky Highway 99. It's really nice - we've got a motel style room (ie bathroom in the room) and a brand new kitchen and dining area. (Don't believe the web site, it is actually finished).

There's a huge waterfall nearby (Shannon Falls), a lake for the children (Alice Lake), with self-guided trails through the kind of woodland scenery you see here, and a McDonalds for a treat.