Friends who are tired of playing in domestic self-driving tours, do you want to go abroad to drive when the epidemic is over and the country is open again? If you already have such a small idea in your mind, then listen to Junci share with you some interesting experiences and tips for self-driving trips abroad. [Teeth]
The first to share is Canada, a country that is perfect for road trips. Especially in the summer, the weather is not so hot, and the overall temperature is more comfortable. There are some large chain car rental companies in Canada, such as AVIS, enterprise, Hertz, budget, etc., and you can choose one according to your budget. Remember to take your original ID card and driver's license to the notary office where you are located to apply for a notary certificate in English before departure, and after getting the English notarized certificate, you can rent a car in Canada and drive for 90 days.
Luckily, my canadian road trip didn't require me to rent a car myself because I had an exclusive chauffeur - my American friend Old Mai. When Lao Mai came to China a few years ago, I gave him a tour guide and English translator, and found that this was a very sincere and down-to-earth American uncle, so we became friends for a long time. I heard that I was going to travel to Canada, and Lao Mai also happened to have a holiday, so I proposed to travel by car. He bought a tent, a sleeping bag and a moisture mat for me, purchased a cart of food, and drove 14 hours from Washington state to Calgary in southwest Canada to meet me.
I was travelling from Toronto to Edmonton, where I arrived in Calgary by mini plane.
This cute little plane has only 12 rows of seats and can only seat 48 passengers. The two wings of the plane also have propellers! The flight lasted only 30 minutes, and the flight altitude was also very low, and the scenery below was clear at a glance. What a particularly interesting flight experience!
After meeting Old Wheat at Calgary Airport, we set off for our first stop, Banff National Park. It was Canada's first national park, built in 1885, in alberta, Canada, on the northern stretch of the Rocky Mountains. The park has many modern hostels, motels and campsites in the woods.
Banff's scenery is truly worthy of its name, with the tall Rocky Mountains covered in snow and the lake a color resembling sapphire or emerald green.
The colorful flowers contrast strongly with the colors of the snow-capped mountains, and some cute little animals can be seen everywhere.
The famous Lake Louise is of course picturesque, but I personally think Lake Monreen is more beautiful than the legendary Lake Louise!
What I miss in Banff is to be able to see wild black bears! On the way to Lake Louise, I kept praying in my heart that my dream would come true. Suddenly we saw a traffic jam ahead, and many cars were parked in the middle of the road. "Look over there!" I looked in the direction of Old Wheat's finger, and sure enough, I saw the culprit of the traffic chaos not far away--a black bear leisurely enjoying the berries on the side of the road.
Ten meters away, several tourists were busy catching photos of black bears. I quickly jumped out of the car and ran over, clicked a few times, grabbed a few shots, and then quickly ran back to the car. Although I was very excited to see the black bear, it was wild after all, and if it turned its mind and pounced on the crowd of onlookers, the consequences would be unimaginable. Then a park caretaker drove up to the crowd and shouted, "Leave that bear ALONE!! (Don't bother that bear!) So the crowd gradually dispersed...
I was glad that I saw the black bear so quickly, hehe, but I didn't expect to have a close contact with the black bear later. When I arrived at the campground, I saw another black bear, and it was foraging next to our campground. This time, only me, Old Mai and the two people next to me saw it. Fortunately, there is an electric fence next to the campsite, otherwise this bear would really break in, and everyone would have suffered! By the way, remind everyone, camping in the bear-infested place, remember not to put food into the tent, after eating must be put into the car or bear box, must not bring into the tent! Very critical!
In Banff National Park, the shadow of the caravan army can be seen everywhere.
Usually RVs and tents can share a campground. Campsites in Canada are well equipped with restrooms, showers, electronic device charging devices, picnic tables, drinking water, etc., and the whole camp is clean and hygienic. Our campsite in Banff was in the woods near Lake Louise, where the air was fresh and very peaceful. Every night when I sleep peacefully in the embrace of nature, when I am awakened by birds in the morning and climb out of my tent, I take a deep breath and feel the fresh smell of the mountains and forests. Banff is mountainous and cool even in summer, with temperatures around 20 degrees during the day and the potential to drop below 10 degrees at night. Even if Old Mai helped me buy a thick cotton wool sleeping bag, I would still have a shivering feeling when I slept at night.
From the moment I arrived in Banff, I began my first wild "cowboy" life. We camped in the wilderness and cooked in the wilderness.
I hope you will like my cowboy coffee and cowboy cooking! "Sure enough, it didn't disappoint me, his American Western denim meal was very tasty!
Old Wheat brought two large boxes of food, a variety of seasonings are also quite complete, and equipped with a stove and gas canisters. Our field meals are so rich that they are no less than the dishes in regular restaurants, and my stomach is screaming hi pi. [Yay]
Steak, shrimp, corn, kidney beans, pasta, baked beans in tomato sauce, salmon, blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs with cheese, mexican rolls... And dessert, huh. Old Mai made strawberry shortbread and hot chocolate by hand. Yum!! [Lick screen]
In this way, I completely fell in love with the life of wild camping! Later, our campsites in Canada kept changing, the "level" was getting higher and higher, and the scenery was getting more and more beautiful! Give me some attention, I will share more wonderful travel experiences later. [Laughs]
The benefits of a road trip are many. Being able to stop and go, photographing the beauty of the roadside and watching wildlife as you please, and taking a tent stove to camp and eat and drink in the wild at any time is enough to make me fall into the joy of self-driving. [Teeth]
Finally, I would like to summarize a few tips for self-driving and camping in Canada and Banff National Parks:
1. Remember to take your original ID card and driver's license to your local notary office to apply for a driver's license in English (some areas need to carry your household registration book at the same time), after getting the English notarized certificate, you can rent a car in Canada for 90 days.
2. There are some large chain car rental companies in Canada, such as AVIS, enterprise, Hertz, budget, etc., you can learn more about the charges and services of each company before you go, understand their pick-up/drop-off locations, and choose a car rental company that suits you.
3. Most of the gas stations in Canada are self-service refueling, if you really can't figure it out, find a gas station service staff to help.
4. Although Canada is sparsely populated and there are fewer vehicles, you still have to abide by traffic rules when driving, look at the signs, pay attention to speed limits, and don't let yourself fly when you see that no one has a car, because at any time you may drill out of somewhere and a police car will come at you.
5. When camping in a bear-infested area, remember not to put food into the tent, and after eating, be sure to put the food in the car or bear box, and do not bring it into the tent! Very critical!
6. Banff National Park is generally colder than other places, so bring a jacket even in the summer. Especially when camping at night, be sure to have a thick sleeping bag, and it is best to cover it with a blanket.
7. Summer is canada's tourist season, campsites are as sought-after as hotels, it is best to book online in advance, otherwise you can only find a place with no toilet, no shower room, no drinking water, no electric fence, only bears infested with "self-destruction" haha... [Laughing and crying]
The first self-driving trip in Canada is shared here, follow me, the following content is more exciting!