Craziest of coincidences!
(Apologies in advance for the very long read)
We can scarcely believe this actually happened!
There are many aspects of RV life that have never appealed to us but we would occasionally get tempted seeing them park overnight and wake up in the mornings to the most magical of scenic landscapes. About 3 weeks ago, when in Newfoundland, we decided to chat up with RV owners just to get a sense of how to choose an RV among the myriad choices that exist and what they thought of RV life, if we were ever to go the RV route.
After enjoying watching puffins from up close in Elliston, we decided to drive around a little loop at the other end of the island just to get more of the endless ocean views you get in the province. As we set off on the path, we saw an RV parked on its own in an unmarked parking lot looking out over the ocean. As we passed by it, I could see a middle-aged man hang out near the RV and felt he looked friendly enough to tolerate a chat with strangers. On the way back, we parked in the lot and walked up to the RV where a lady was now seated in one of those easy-to-pull-out-and-fold-up-when-done chairs under the shade of the RV awning and looking out over the ocean and enjoying a drink. We hesitated not wanting to disturb this serene setting but still decided to.
It turned out that this Dutch couple have been leading an RV life for 40 (yes, 40!) years, splitting their time between Europe and North America every year. They were kind enough to show us the insides of the RV and in great detail explain how they went about putting it all together from a barebones van for a fraction of the price that commercial outfitters would charge, with the help of a friend and his tools near Vancouver, BC (remember we are in Newfoundland!). We shared with them the journey that we had set out on and the conversation was friendly and warm enough for us to exchange names, numbers and emails, and a promise to stay in touch.
Fast forward to earlier this week. After we wrapped up our Newfoundland followed by eastern Nova Scotia legs of our travels, we ended up in this cute little town of Annapolis Royal, a few miles short of the last Airbnb of our Canadian adventures, seeking a local highly rated ice cream store. As it happens, it was a drizzly afternoon and the ice cream staff decided to take the day off an hour before we got there leaving a note to say they will open the next day “around 2ish”. Once any place gets on Namita’s list, we do not rest until it has been crossed off, not the least when it is an ice cream store, and certainly not when it is named “One Scoop, Two Scoop”!
On a side note, we have been going to great lengths to ensure there is no darkness and chaos during our travels ;)
So, after a round of golf the next day, we land up at the store in the afternoon in glorious late summer weather. As we were walking up, a kind lady passing by with an ice cream cone in her hand perhaps sensed that we were headed to the store too and enthusiastically recommended that we visit the store; we all had a laugh before continuing on our respective ways. We soon walked out of the store with the mission accomplished and were aimlessly hanging around getting through the cones in our hands. Also hanging out was another kind lady with the littlest and cutest of dogs hanging out of one of those little dog bags she had around her shoulder, and her equally kind husband by her other shoulder.
A casual greeting led to some casual conversation which led to more casual conversation and soon joined in the other kind lady who we had previously bumped into, along with her husband. (The two ladies as it turns out were sisters-in-law). We were all then chatting like we have known each other for a long time, and opening up little windows into our respective lives. It was perhaps the lovely afternoon and the wonderful ice cream that led to this random assortment of strangers to break into this extended social interaction.
As it turns out, one of the two gentlemen was a keen golfer and when two keen golfers meet, it often leads to one or both parties extending invitations to come over for a round of golf one day! And it seemed like a great idea for me to head over one day and play golf in Vancouver Island where they were based. (Aside: Vancouver rose right to the top of all North American cities that we had visited after our trip there last summer and we felt we should go back there some time).
By that time, we had disclosed our recently embarked on nomadic travels. This led to them mentioning that they know another couple who lives itinerantly and who often visit and stay with them and that they are Dutch and that they split their time between Europe and Canada. Wait, what did you say?!!! There can’t be more than one of them surely!!! We told them of the couple we met in Newfoundland and sure enough it didn’t take long for us to confirm that we were both talking of the same folks, and this gentleman from Vancouver Island was the one they mentioned helped build up their van!!!
What a freaking freaky coincidence!! For us to speak to only a couple of RV owners in Newfoundland out of the hundreds that we could have, for them to be kind enough to get into all the details of their RV and RV life, for us to then bump into a couple from near Vancouver who also happened to know the same couple and not just know them but to be the ones who helped build up the RV, and for this meeting to take place not anywhere near Vancouver or Newfoundland but in a nondescript little town thousands of miles away in Nova Scotia, and for all this to have happened only because the ice cream owner decided to shut the store on a whim one rainy afternoon and for us to start a casual conversation with the lady’s sister based on the little cutie that she was carrying in her bag!!!! What are the odds of all of these events to transpire?! Or perhaps, as the Dutch couple wrote in, “it had to be expected, Canada is such a small country” ;)
We cannot let this most incredible of encounters the universe paved for us to go to waste - we will make the promised trip to Vancouver Island one day soon, timing it to make sure the Dutch couple are around too, and hopefully the sister and her husband and the little dog can join us too.
