We woke up early on Wednesday to ensure that we caught the ferry to Newfoundland. This time it was actually at the wharf waiting for us.

Unfortunately, in our haste, we forgot Ross' back medication at the BnB. There was a line-up for boarding passes, but since we already had ours, we were allowed to jump the queue and get in a lane for embarkment. It took 90 minutes for all the cars to be put on the ferry, a testament to the disorganization of Marine Atlantic. We finally launched at 9:30am, a full half hour behind schedule.

The ferry trip was uneventful. There wasn't much to see along the way besides the ocean and the sky was darkly overcast. We found the one and only place on the ship where we were able plug in our computer and entertain ourselves for much of the five and a half hour crossing. Surprisingly, franchising has even reached the ship's galley, and local cuisine is almost entirely squelched. Besides Mr. Sub, a grill was offered, but half the items on its already meagre menu were not actually available, reminiscent of a Monty Python Cheese Shop.

Eventually we arrived in fog-shrouded Port-aux-Basques only to discover that our cell phone has no coverage in Newfoundland. That would make it far more challenging to book our BnBs. We

stumbled around the town for a while, looking for a visitor's bureau. Port-aux-Basques is built on a rock, and the roads meandre their way along, with little clue to their eventual destination, which usually turns out to be a dead end. Eventually, we discovered a pharmacy to replace the prescription left behind in Sydney, and a Radio Shack to confirm that indeed, our cell phone was just a paperweight in Newfoundland. After a stop at the visitor's bureau which turned out to be just beyond the town, we set out to explore the island.

 

The first thing that will strike any newcomer to Newfoundland entering at Port-aux-Basques has to be the mountains. 500m tall Table Mountain juts out from the ocean to greet the traveller as they begin their journey along the Trans-Canada. The rest of Eastern Canada - at least the parts accessible by road - look nothing like this.

One of our first stops was the Codroy Valley Wetlands, a nice sandy beach with lots of gulls and terns.

We didn't have a lot of time for stops since we wanted to arrive at our BnB, The Oceanside, at a respectable hour. When we arrived in St. Teresa, the owners of the BnB cooked us a very nice steak dinner.

Ann went outside after dinner and took some pretty sunset photos.

Our room at the BnB was a 2-room suite, the second room of which allowed us to start the travelogue.