The hungry Hippo!

150 since they first talked a "Country" named Canada

EVERY now and again I feel like just being a tourist.  The three top industries that PEI is known for are potatoes, tourism and fishing. 


 Last week, the two girls and I did a little of each.





We had fish and chips and hung out on the C'Town waterfront for the day, with the highlight being the Harbor Hippo!  

Our personal Hippo!

With it being 150 years since the idea of Canada came into being right here on our little oiland, we partook of the pavilions assembled in the downtown waterfront and checked out some sites, listened to some music and generally behaved like well behaved tourists.  There are events happening all summer in addition to the usual activities like beach going, ice cream at a sidewalk cafe, and general lolly gaggling.

Downtown C'Town

The Harbor Hippo is an amphibious vehicle designed for storming beaches during various WW2 military campaigns.  Our particular model was built in 1962 and given that C'Town is surrounded by water on three sides, a pretty good sightseeing tool if I say so myself.

Undoubtedly jealous pedestrians.

Once aboard the 4 wheeled gentle beast, amidst a full crowd, the tour guide and the Skipper too... we drove thru the city while Mike filled us in on where to eat what, history on some of the historic sights and encouraged us to wave at less fortunate passer-by's.  Half the tour is on tight public roads where the hippo often had to wait thru traffic, before we returned to our departure point and lunged into the bay!

Stand ready!

The Hippo smells water ahead...

Okay, lunged may not be the correct term here, as we more or less wallowed gently on the chop, much as I suspect a real hippo would do.  Nothing hurried here nope... 

The beast handled the water as if born to it, which in fact it was... and we motored about at about 3 knots, compared to the 30 kph on dry land.  Boats travel by knots and land vehicles in kilometers. Surprisingly, she handled very well I thought, especially since we had about a 2 foot chop to deal with.  Just enough spray came by the gunwales to give us a little cooling now and again, while the bikini top kept the direct sun from frying our brains.

 

The "Skipper"

There were several youngsters aboard and they seems quite enthralled with the experience.  I know I was!

 













 

The founding father in sand casting.

Daily entertainment throughout the summer

A fab Friday was had, with the girls having lunch in one spot and me in another.  I found a great little eatery with the usual cheeseburgers and fries right on down to oyster on the half shell!  Seating was actually on the marina and I could feel a gentle rocking as the water passed underfoot.

We travel great distances to visit the sights, while often forgetting what's right here in our backyards so to speak.  As for PEI, it is after all, a vacation destination for thousands each summer and as occasionally happens, a great day for us locals to smell the sea air, munch a lobster burger or ride the hippo...

Great little summer diner on the water!  No, I mean on the water actually!