Arriving and departing I stayed at the huge Base Hostel close to the airport.
The closest attraction is Viking World, a spectacular modern building on the road to town.
Viking World is the home of the Viking Ship Íslendingur (the Icelander). Built in 1996, Icelander is an exact replica of the famous Gokstad ship, a remarkable archaeological find of an almost completely intact Viking ship, excavated in Norway in 1882.
Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson – first Norseman to deliberately sail to the land he called he Ísland
It’s a 12km walk round trip from the hostel.
Northern communities are so strikingly stark. Almost bleak.
I didn’t actually pay the large entrance fee for the tiny museum. I could see the ship quite well from outside. The walk was the attraction.
Feeling great, I was just discharged after 4 nights in the Toronto (luxury) Shouldice hospital. I’ll taxi to the airport. Then catch a redeye flight to “rehab” at this campsite in Iceland.
My plan is to camp near the hot springs for up to 8 nights. Hike as much as my recovery allows. There’s a good chance I’ll end up doing the 4 day Laugavegur trek.
Like almost all their patients, I was very satisfied with Shouldice.
I’d had my left side inguinal hernia repaired 30 years ago at age-30. This time it was a right side inguinal fix.
I got the appointment at Shouldice about 6 weeks after application. In Alberta it would have been about 6 months. Inguinal hernia surgery is low priority. A relatively easy operation. In fact, it’s the “oldest” and the most commonly performed surgery worldwide.
Shouldice does 70,000 hernia surgeries a year. It’s all they do. Specialists. Only about 1% get mesh. At Shouldice they like the traditional Shouldice technique they popularized.
Only about 1 / 1000 operations at this hospital results in serious complications.
Patients are carefully screened. Required to be within 20% of their ideal body weight. Many with pre-existing complications are refused. That’s one BIG reason for their high success rate.
Shouldice is a factory. Five days a week patients begin the program. Each day is scripted. Everybody is in the same boat.
Daily “Exercise Class” is a bit comic. One day we marched to the soundtrack of Bridge Over The River Kwai.
Americans are here. One guy from California told me he booked at Shouldice because his research showed they were best in the world. He was getting a both sides done during the same trip after putting it off for 15 years.
One fellow from B.C. decided he did not want mesh. Coming here was his only option.
Patients are mostly old men. There are a few young guys. And a few women. (I’d not realized women got hernia surgery.)
Once I get my budget finalized I’ll post it. Alberta will repay me for more than half of the medical cost, I believe. (I was told PEI pays nothing. It varies Province to Province.)
Looks like my out-of-pocket will be about CAD$1500 $2100 plus travel.
Alberta reimbursed less than I was told to expect at the hospital.
Cost at other similar hernia hospitals: India CAD$1254, Ukraine CAD$1019, Morocco CAD$1000. Thailand about £1,050 for a day procedure. Most of those would be one day mesh prices, I assume.
Canada is single payer healthcare. HOW is this for profit hospital allowed?
It has a special licence from the Ontario Ministry of Health to continue operating.
Nobody goes to Lasqueti. Nobody I’ve ever spoken to.
I’d heard rumours:
Lasqueti has no cars. Roads are unpaved. Tourists not welcome. Private ferry runs on demand. People live off the grid. …
Turns out most of that is untrue.
Centurion VII, a 60 person passenger ferry, runs regularly in the summer from French Creek marina, close to Parksville. Tourists cannot bring cars.
There are about 425 permanent residents (6 months / year or more) and they do look like hippies. Men don’t use razors. Young women forget to put on a brassiere some mornings.
However, Statistics Canada reports that Lasqueti Island is the most highly educated community in the province. Residents represent diverse professions, from poets, artists, physicists, professional consultants and professional musicians to fishermen, loggers, tree planters and commercial agriculturalists.
Life is off grid. Power comes from solar panels, wind generators, diesel generators and propane.
All 73 square kilometres is designated park or privately owned. No squatters.
I could live there. High-speed internet is available.
No campgrounds. One hotel and a handful of rooms for rent.
I rolled my bike on to the first ferry. Planned to explore the island on a sunny day.
It was busy in July. Locals and their visitors make frequent trips back and forth to Vancouver Island.
I was happy having just mailed the last of my videos to Gymnastics Canada. I’m about about as free as you can be.
The cycling is excellent. Roads aren’t paved, but they are nicely surfaced. (I was warned that people fly over the handlebars when hitting unexpected washboard at high speed.)
Locals all own motor vehicles but hardly ever drive them. There’s no place to go. Very little traffic.
About 12km along I got a flat rear tire. Sadly I’d not bothered to throw tools and an extra tube into my pack.
Oh well, I was still happy to have visited. I started walking the bike back.
The third vehicle to pass stopped and offered me a ride. He was a cyclist who first come to Lasqueti 1981, reading about the little known destination in a Yachting magazine. Now retired, he spends 7 months in Canada, 5 months motor touring New Zealand each year.
With about a km left to push-a-bike I decided to stop at one of the amazing low tide bays.
It was a short steep-slope scramble down to the water. I stepped into a wasp’s nest. First time ever.
Freaking, I sprinted out into the mud only to lose a shoe in the muck. What could I do?
… I stood my ground slapping until every wasp was dead or fled. Then dug out my shoe.
Ouch.
Still, for some reason I remained happy. Stings hurt less than I would have expected. I counted at least nine.
I arrived back at the dock with about 2 hours left before my return ferry.
Called my Dad to inform about my useless wheels and dirty, wasp-stung condition. He would pick me up on the other side.
I ordered some Salmon chowder. And enjoyed the gorgeous day.
I’d definitely recommend you cycle Lasqueti. Kayaking would be good too. If you come over by ferry bring some sort of transportation.
Locals don’t enter the Atlantic until after May 24th. Any earlier than that is … winter. 😎
Afraid of any body of water larger or colder than a hot tub, I did try to overcome my aversion. After May 24th I started walking down to the beach each morning.
Rick McCharles 