Samesun Backpacker Lodges run throughout western Canada, specifically Vancouver, Banff, Kelowna, Silver Star and Revelstoke. They’re the places to go to meet people on the road, and other than the time I walked into my hostel room to witness a couple tumbling around in their bed, my time spent staying at their locations in Vancouver, Kelowna and Banff was pretty rad.

But really, the staff made it great. In Kelowna, they charged us something like $6 for a vegetarian BBQ meal or $10 for meat, then served it all up buffet style. So John the French dude who liked to live as frugally as possible managed to heap his plate with sweet potatoes, salad and other goods THREE TIMES. No one said a thing, except for one of the other Moose Network people who whispered, “Damn, that’s a good meal for $6.”

Then, I decided to request a private room at the Samesun in Vancouver, and offered for Corbin to split the cost with me since we were basically married and the staff of each hostel kept putting us in private rooms anyway. At the front desk, I told the worker my needs and Corbin piped up in the background, “Yeah, we’re bangin’.”

The worker didn’t even bat an eyelash, she just threw up her hands and said, “Hey, what you do in your room is your own business.”

Then upon check-in at the Samesun in Vancouver, the front-desk worker and I had a grand ‘ol chit-chat and I decided I liked him quite a bit. I planned on spending the evening catching up on laundry, and was proud of myself for packing little Tide detergent packets for such a purpose. Fifteen minutes later I stood in front of my water-filled washing machine with the contents of the Tide packet already emptied into the basin, breaking out in a nervous sweat because I had just spotted the label, “DO NOT USE IN WASHING MACHINES.” The detergent was for hand-washing only.

I didn’t know what to do. I took out my laundry, put it in the dryer, and walked away. But goddamn, my guilt consumed me. I paced back and forth, and finally went back to the front-desk worker with my confession. What a fool! How they mocked me!

Actually, they were super cool about it and totally grateful I came to them in the first place. There was no other option but to let the washer run its course, and I’m happy to say the world did not end. Quel surprise!

The Vancouver location also became the location of choice for all us TBEXers, even those who weren’t staying there. Cheap nightly specials and AWESOME jugs of booze were rather inviting. It’s also the location where somebody (ahem, Dave Dean) started a rumour about me shitting in my purse. It circulated the Twitterverse in a frenzy.

I did not shit in my purse.

Thanks, Samesun, for the cheap booze and awesome service! Now open some hostels on the east coast, eh?