We were standing on the corner of Humboldt and Douglas this morning discussing where to eat breakfast when a woman appeared and said,”Are you looking for breakfast spot? Walk to Fort Street, turn right for 3 blocks. The Blue Fox Cafe. It’s very special.” And that it was.
We arrived to a full house with a waiting list but were immediately plucked out of line for the lone available two-top, table #1. The breakfast menu invited us to Rebalance our Cosmos with an eclectic mix of egg dishes. While enjoying a cup of fair trade organic “After Dark” roast and Bob Marley on the box, we perused the overwhelming flavor concoctions and discussed trying something we could not get anywhere else. We ordered Huevos Rancheros and Eggs Benny. About a minute later a woman appeared and said, “I overheard you talking about eating something you can’t get anywhere else. What did you decide on?” We told her and she said, “I am the owner, Rosamond, and you may order the Huevos Rancheros and add the pork I slow cook and you will have the Moroccan Chicken Benny which you will never find again.” She described both dishes,we thanked her and she went to the kitchen to change our order.
Eric cried. His HR were 2 large eggs over easy, corn tortillas, house made spicy refritos, melted cheddar and monterey jack, fresh avocado, salsa fresca, sour cream and slow roasted pulled pork. It was a fiesta of flavor. My MCB featured moroccan spiced free run chicken breast, sautéed button mushrooms and onions, sweet apple chutney and moroccan spiced holly with poached eggs and house made hollandaise sauce. The sweet and spicy smokiness made my palate dance. This was our favorite and most savory meal in Victoria.
On our way out we spied this Dali-esque print of the Johnson Street Bridge, which we were forever crossing on bike, on foot and underneath by kayak. A meaningful Victorian souvenir from local artist Martin Machacek, we snatched it right off the wall!
Ready to travel 106 miles up the coast to Nanaimo, Eric and I waited at the Victoria Convention Center bus stop for the Island Link Express, a “luxury” bus service serving the coastal towns of BC. All our possessions are in these 2 bags. Mine is about 20 pounds, his 25. We’re each carrying 3 pants, 2 shorts, 2 long sleeve, 3 short sleeve, 5 underwear, 5 socks, bathing suit, water shoes, flip flops, toiletries and sleepwear and we agreed we brought too much. I would much rather have a lighter pack and wear the same clothes everyday! When you’re carrying your luggage on your back, every ounce matters. Next time we’ll limit ourselves to 15 pounds.
The “luxury” bus service arrived at 12:30 – a 15 passenger airport shuttle van that smelled like a footlocker. Eric quickly stowed the bags while I secured the front bench behind driver Tim and 15 of us piled in for the 2 hour ride to Nanaimo. Heading north on Canada Route 1 we weaved through Gold Stream park, home of the Salmon River. A fellow trekker told us that when the Salmon spawn, you can walk across them like a bridge there are so many. The highways are covered with Scotch bloom, an invasive species of yellow flower brought over by a woman from Scotland that is strangling the forestry. We passed through an agricultural region about 30 miles north of victoria cenetered on the town of Duncan. The valley has a long enough growing season to support crops and 22 wineries. The white wines are fruitful but the climate is too wet for the red wines. Also passed through Ladysmith – a cute town of about 10,000 which spills down to the coast where barges are loaded with lumber and coal. Tim dropped us off 4 miles short of the normal drop off at an Indian Casino. It was a short walk into town and lodging at the Painted Turtle hostel.
We’ve never stayed in a hostel before. This one has about 20 rooms with mostly young europeans on their personal sojourn. We’re on the second floor in room H, equipped with a queen bed, comfortable sheets/pillows, a small stool, desk and 2 tiny towels. Other rooms have 4 twin bunks for sharing – you buy a bed, not a room. There are 2 shared baths on our floor with occupancy for up to 40. Besides Eric walking in on a man showering (lock the door people!), we’ve had no problem with the bathroom being occupied.
The town is about the size of Red Bank and is the last outpost before the rural regions of Vancouver Island. Think Northern Exposure meets Gilmour Girls. Some funky, mostly odd.
The harbor is a true working waterfront with fishing boats, seaplanes and ferry service to the Gulf Islands. Fifteen foot of tide make navigating the channels tricky. It was deserted on our walk. Ice creams stores were closed but they’re trying hard to replace the traditional industries of coal, lumber and fishery with tourism. Dinner was hard to find. We chose the restaurant with the most amount of people, which happened to be Thai. The curries were surprisingly good.
Next stop – Vancouver.
Location:Nanaimo BC