Day 3 – White water rafting on horseback
Had a nice relaxed morning this morning – got up around 9.30am and headed down to the gym to do my stint on the treadmill. Got back up to the room, showered and treated myself to a room service breakfast of hot oatmeal, fruit and banana bread – yummy!! Then it was time to get my cowgirl on, so on came the boots, jeans and check shirt (alas, I had to leave my cowboy hat at home as I didn’t have enough room in my luggage!) and head on over to the Warner Stables for my 5hr back country trail ride. The weather had been looking fairly murky and threatening all morning and, by the time I got to the stables, was a full-on rain!! Ugh!! Got there by 12.30pm as instructed, ahead of a 1pm start – however, it was just me on the trail ride so needless to say the checking in process didn’t take very long!! One of the wranglers took pity on me (or maybe was trying to chat me up?!) and offered to lend me his slicker (no rude jokes, thanks very much) – which I absolutely accepted (all I would have needed would have been my cowboy hat to really have looked the part!). Then it was time to meet Vince, my guide for the ride and Flash, my trusty steed. I soon learnt that Flash was a complete misnomer as there was nothing speedy about my horse – he would lumber along at the slowest walk imaginable, then break into a short trot to catch up with the Vince’s horse in front! After five hours of that, certain parts of my anatomy were feeling a little saddle-sore!!!
So the route we were taking was around the base of Mt.Rundle, through the Spray Valley along the banks of the Spray River. It was fun to be on horseback again (its been a while) but everytime I do these walking treks, I re-realize that I actually like to go quite fast and, after a bit, just walking can be a bit dull! But the scenery was absolutely stunning (although, if truth be told, after a couple of hours of just walking through pine forest, it did get a teeny-weeny bit boring!). Fortunately, to spice things up a little, we embarked on a little equine river rafting as we dropped down from the forest trail right to the side of the river and proceeded to cross and re-cross at seemingly random intervals. All good fun, though, as you sat perched on the top of your horse wondering how good his footing was or if he was one of the clumsy ones!! Fortunately, both for my uninsured arse and also my camera kit, my horse had his wits about him and didn’t dump me off into the river – I’m not sure how happy they were about this turn of events, though, as the water looked pretty bloody chilly!!
After about 2.5hrs of trekking and wading, we stopped for a rest break and a cereal bar in a meadowy bit, before turning round and basically heading back the way we came. This was the first tour that Vince had done for a while so I don’t think he quite got his times worked out cos I think the last hour of the ride definitely felt like “let’s just wander around for a bit so I don’t get back to the stables too early!”. It was fun, though, as we rode past some cool waterfalls and also in the grounds of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (so now I can say I’ve been there and can tick it off the 1000 Places to see before I Die list!) – all the little kids we passed were very excited to see horses, so I did feel a bit of a rock star as I waved and said hello to my adoring public!
So, got back to the stables at quarter to six and decided to head straight into town for dinner as the evening was lovely and sunny, so I thought I’d find a terrace or rooftop bar where I could enjoy the sunshine in a well-ventilated area (ie that wouldn’t mind me reeking of horses!). At the recommendation of the taxi driver, I went back to the Elk and Oarsman, but unfortunately their roofbar wasn’t open, so I eventually ended up in a place called Saltlik instead. Had to try the Alberta beef, so I had a steak and baked potato and it was yummy! Started off outside but moved in cos it got pretty cold pretty quickly (and also started raining too!). Got back to the hotel around half eight and just chilled out in my room, reading and watching a bit of telly before turning in around 10pm. Tomorrow’s adventure is a hike around Lake Louise – need to be up reasonably early to pack ready for my transfer at 8.45am.

Day 2, Part Bleugggh: The Revenge of the Chocolate Turtle
Oh dear. I think the post-prandial chocolate almond bark and caramel square put me over the top and sent me spinning into a calorie coma. I got the bus back to the hotel, got up to my room and promptly crashed out for 2hrs! My poor little tummy was not very happy with me, so I thought sleeping it off was probably the best strategy. I did feel better when I woke up and – true to my word – I headed down to the gym and got my lardy arse onto the treadmill, stat! Plugged in my “You on A Walk” and started to undo some of the astronomic gastronomic damage from earlier! After a good half hour’s fast walk, I felt much better and sufficiently invigorated to do an hour’s weights. Did enough to make both my arms and legs shake, so thought that was probably good enough (I am on holiday after all!), then went for a quick wander outside – it was so quiet (especially after Bat Out of Hell blasting full volume on my earphones!) but again, quite chilly, so I only stayed out for a few minutes before scuttling back in for warmth. Back to the room, to shower and get Malandrino-ed up for dinner. Had the Weather Channel on in the room whilst I got dressed – they have very entertaining weather reports here in Canada! I loved the weather advisory about the hail “the size of nickels” as well as all the crazy names of arse-end of nowhere places that make you wonder just how they came to be named as such (Pickle Lake, anyone?!). I had to say I felt a little sorry for poor old Saskatchewan with its 100mm of rain. That sounds like a shed load of wet to me!!!
Anyway, am now back down in the Larkspur lounge, listening to a different pianist tinkling the ivories this evening (I’m still one of the youngest people here!). It is a bit weird sitting here in the bar on my own writing my travel blog on my PC (I’m pretending I’m a journalist working for a Sunday newspaper lifestyle column), but nobody gives a shit and its better than a pack of Marlboro Light to keep me company. Tonight’s tipple of choice is a Raspberry martini concoction, made with frangelico, raspberry vodka and white Godiva liqueur – it’s a bit weird, but the barman was really keen for me to try it, so I don’t want to hurt his feelings and tell him I didn’t really like it!! After chatting with the barman, I can now confirm that the Aussies are, in fact, in total control of Banff and that they are in cahoots with the Scots. I think I’ve met about 3 Canadians in total since I’ve been here! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow as I’m going riding for 5hrs – should see some stunning scenery and hopefully get some good pics. Hopefully won’t fall off!! (especially as I forgot to buy travel insurance - oops!)

Day 2: Bumming around Banff
Ah, luxury. For the first time in ages, I was not woken by the sound of my Blackberry alarm shrieking at me but instead took my own sweet time to come to. Bliss!! Had a pretty decent night’s sleep – no dreams about franchise optimization or forecast models so hopefully that’s a good sign that I’m leaving behind the stresses of my work life! Getting up, I pulled back the curtains and was greeted by that most glorious of sights – sunshine and clear skies!!!! Obviously my call in to the God of Spontaneous Wildlife Spotting last night also managed to connect with the God of Clear Blue Skies for Decent Photography as it was a beautiful morning! I hadn’t made any definite plans for how to spend the day but the weather made my decision for me, as it was too good an opportunity to waste and almost demanded that I take the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, stat!! So, I took a quick shower, got dressed in some reasonably sensible walking gear, packed the camera and lenses, slung my tripod over my shoulder and headed out for my first morning at large in the Rockies!! By sheer happy happenstance, my hotel The Rimrock Resort, was a 5min walk from the base of the Gondala, so it was perfect!!! Not even I could get lost!! Walking the short walk along the road up to the base, I got my first real taste of being outside and the full spectacle of the mountains and the amazing scenery. I stopped to take some pics (the first use of the rented wide-angle – huzzah!) but even the best picture is a poor facsimile of just how deeply impressive the views are here.
So I got to the gondola place and went inside to get my ticket. Now, its not often – even in New York – that you see a Starbucks staffed by a stuffed grizzly bear. But that’s the joy of being in the Rockies! So I had to stop and pay homage first to the Bear and buy a beary coffee before getting on the gondola. Got my ticket with a minimal wait, then 5mins later I was up, up and away in my own little private gondola, trundling up the mountains with the full panorama unfolding beneath me. I first got a brilliant view of my hotel then, as I climbed higher, the full Bow Valley with the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs visible in the distance. Simply breathtaking.
After about 7-8mims, I got to the top and hopped off (weirdly, the whole Gondala set-up seems to be staffed by Australians) and walked out onto the wraparound viewing balcony. Holy shit. It was bloody FREEZING!!!! It might appear sunny but bugger me if it wasn’t as cold as hell!! The main bits that suffered were my poor hands which instantly froze cos I’d forgotten my gloves – matters really weren’t helped by my lugging around my photo tripod – the carbon fibre legs instantly sucked all warmth out of my fingers! So, I wandered around for about 20mins, taking pics whilst watching for frostbite, before deciding that enough was enough and heading inside, to the sanctuary of the restaurant and a very welcome cup of black coffee. Here’s where the first Sarah Clumsiness Index seemed to make a triumphant return after a long absence, as I managed to walk into the door, drop my coffee cup and twat myself in the mouth with my tripod all in one easy, fluid motion. I blame a complete lack of co-ordination brought on by partial deep freezing of my prefrontal motor cortex – my body was just an innocent by-stander. I think the Japanese tourist behind me was probably just as shocked as me – I dazedly scuttled off to the café to recover both sensation and dignity. 30mins, a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll later, I was feeling much better – also credited to the restorative effect of gazing out at the mountains and thinking mildly esoteric existential thoughts for probably longer than is healthy. So, enough of that bollocks and time to head back down the mountain. As the gondola car pulled into the base station, I realized just how fortuitous my decision to come early had been – where just a hour and a half earlier, I’d waltzed in to the station, bought my ticket and hopped on within 10mins, now there was an ENORMOUS queue that snaked out of the station and wound all the way round the back, so WOOHOO-HOOOO for avoiding that one!! I reckon it was probably at least a 40min wait – and it still really wasn’t all that warm, so it would have been a right pain in the arse! The car park was also stuffed full so I felt suitably smug as I walked the short walk back to the hotel, thinking “YEAH! Been there, done THAT already!!”.
So, back in the hotel, I made a couple of calls to confirm my trips over the next couple of days (tomorrow’s adventure is a horse ride through the Valley), dump my digitally-challenging tripod and catch the complimentary bus into town. I had a good wander round town, with the obligatory stops in the gift shops, before settling in to the Elk and Oarsman pub for lunch, which consisted of a pint (or two) of perfectly chilled cider and a plate of beer battered haddock and chips. Only felt a mild twinge of guilt (sorry, Lacey!) as I’ve made an agreement with myself that I’ll be spending this evening in the gym burning it all off again! Which is where I’m at right now as I write this. I’m off next to go and find the free internet café, perhaps a coffee or the chocolate shop. Toying with the idea of buying some gloves, but I can’t quite bring myself to spend $40 on a pair that I already have at home!! So my hiking socks might just find themselves employed for another use tomorrow on my ride….. After finishing my shopping (have to get a mug for Mum), then I think I’ll head back to the hotel for a quick snooze (ah – such luxury) before heading down to the fitness centre and spa before dinner this evening. So far, so good!!

Day 1: Rocking the Rockies – NYC to Calgary to Banff
I now find myself faced with the biggest decision of the day –Espresso Martini or the Coco Martini? Am sitting in the Larkspur Lounge at the Rimrock Hotel in Banff, gazing out of the floor to ceiling windows at the majestic Rocky Mountains and thinking that, all in all, life is pretty good. There’s the obligatory pianist tinkling the ivories (I think I’ve lowered the average age in the bar by a good 20yrs or so) and the whole place has a mildly Art Deco, Rennie Mackintoshian feel. Possibly linked to that is that the place seems to be somewhat overrun by Glaswegians (maybe it’s a mountain thing) – one of them is currently leaning against the back of my leather wingback chair, moaning about her daughter and some ruckus at a recent family wedding, so fairly standard really.

The journey here was pretty smooth, if a little long. The day seemed to naturally break into 2.5 hr increments today – up at 7am to leave the house by 8.15am to get to Newark. Cabbie didn’t give me the usual amount of attitude today that a request to go to Newark airport usually seems to generate, so that was good. He was also awake enough on leaving the turnpike, taking the exit to Newark, to avoid a crazy-assed driver actually coming the wrong way! Obviously an accident-in-waiting - fortunately today was not my day for my number to be up!
Had a couple of hours to kill at the airport, so hung out in the Northwest lounge for a bit, then went and had an omelette in a restaurant that must have been made from freshly laid eggs hand-collected from hens in Devon, the length of time it took to arrive! Got chatting to a couple of pilots whilst waiting at the gate – they’d also been in the same restaurant but had given up and left when all the waitstaff seemed to get distracted in participating in a noisy, protracted kitchen argument, fully audible to all us starving customers waiting on our orders outside!
The first leg of the trip was a 2h 15min flight from NYC to Minneapolis – it was fine, suitably non-bumpy for a change (hurrah!) although I’d been assigned a window seat, so had to keep disturbing the chap on the aisle when I needed to use the loo (which I hate doing, btw – a product of my English heritage of not wishing to cause a fuss!). At Minneapolis, had to get off the plane for about 20mins, then tromp back on and reclaim the same seat, this time minus the passenger next to me, so unimpeded aisle access!! Huzzah!!

Another 2 and a half hour flight and several mini-bags of honey-roasted peanuts later, and we were landing in Calgary. Coming in to land, I was struck by a couple of things – one, just how insanely green everything was and two, the super abundance of improbably fluffy and exuberant white clouds that enveloped the whole landscape. It reminded me of Patagonia and especially those days in Torres del Paine spent gazing at the distant mountains, wreathed in cloud, wishing for it to clear to reveal the rugged beauty hidden underneath. Fingers crossed I get at least a little bit of clear skies whilst I’m here (I don’t want to have rented that wide-angled lens for nought!). My bags were so quick off the plane, I think they must have taken an earlier flight, so I was out through customs and the baggage hall in no time at all – then it was time for another 2.5hr chunk, this time in waiting for my transfer from Calgary to Banff. After a quick mosey through the shopping mall (I decided it wasn’t quite time yet to buy a carved marble bear or some native American art), I did what everyone ends up doing with protracted waits in airports – eating mediocre food in the Food Court and realizing that Canadian dollars don’t seem to go as far as they once used to! (I’ve just realized that staying in nice hotels has a consequence on the wallet when you’re staying on your own dime, not on a corporate card ie suddenly you notice that breakfast costs you $15 for a cup of tea and a slice of toast!!!).

Finally, it was time to meet the guy for my transfer to Banff – this time, slightly less than a 2hr drive – I had the mini-bus pretty much to myself as there was only 1 other passenger. The scenery got steadily more and more spectacular as we left Calgary (which took bloody ages as it’s a big sprawling place, bigger in sq ft terms than New York despite only having a million inhabitants) – even though dusk was falling as we drew nearer to Banff, it was still light enough to be awed by the amazing landscape. For some bizarre reason, the Rockies remind me of tree-covered chunks of Toblerone, with bare capped tops and verdant slopes. Maybe that finger of Twix I had on the plane triggered some latent chocolate longing. About an hour in to the drive, it was WILDLIFE ALERT!! My first spot of native flora and fauna – a deer skipping around in the forest that ran alongside the road – hopefully a sign of lots of beasty sightings to come! Justified all the myriad of exotic wildlife warning signs by the roadside. A short prayer to the god of spontaneous animal spotting – please let me see a bear! After five and a half years of living in a continent apparently thronging with the furry buggers, I still haven’t seen one yet – if I don’t see one on this trip, then potential drastic action is called for (ie an excuse to go to Denali National Park in Alaska for salmon season!).
Btw, I’ve just changed the time setting on my Blackberry (very very happily not checking email as I did so) and I love the way the time zone is called Mountain Time out here – it sounds so much more evocative and appealing than boring old Eastern Time.

So, now the martini (Espresso won out, btw) has now been replaced by a rather nice glass of Cabernet Shiraz and I’m very much looking forward to the next 9 days and the opportunity to simply sit back, relax and reflect on what’s been a whirlwind 5 months. Time to think and to process one of the most significant changes to have happened to my life for the last 11yrs (even moving to NYC felt less of a significant change than the one I’ve recently undertaken) and to take stock mentally of where I am right now and what might be next. I’m not looking to make any decisions but simply to recast my future thinking given that I actually did what I’d spent the last 3yrs thinking about doing (ie leaving Pfizer). Being at Pfizer was such a huge part of who I was for so long, I guess I’m in the process of carving out a new identity and finding a new place for myself in this brave new world I’ve catapulted myself into! Well, I did say I wanted a change!!! Its true what they say - be careful what you wish for!

My Next Great Adventure!

So, after 11yrs and more fun than probably should have been allowed, I'm finally leaving the comfort of Pfizer and taking a "Leap of Faith" to the other side!!  I've accepted a job with an ad agency here in the city, to be a SVP in Strategic Planning!  I start March 30th, so just enough time to squeeze in a quick vacation - a week's hiking in Utah, staying at the Red Mountain Spa in St. George.  As I start life on the agency side, I have a sneaking suspicion it'll be quite a while before I'll be able to take another holiday!!!

The Final Feathery Word....
In a suitably fitting postscript to the Indochina adventure, I received an email from Steve last week with THE definitive answer to the duck (and many other ornithological entities) question:

Collective nouns:
A flock of birds
A bevy of quails
A building of rooks
A cast of hawks
A covert of coots
A covey of grouse
A gaggle of geese
A fall of woodcocks
A flight of doves
A flight of swallows
A herd of cranes
A host of sparrows
A muster of peacocks
A nide of pheasants
A paddling of ducks!!!!