To get around the small island that Bowen Island is, is a bus service that you can hail to stop and pick you up almost anywhere on the road along the bus route, and they run about every hour and half.

Day 100 – June 10th.

However the preferred option for getting around and highly approved is ‘hitchhiking’ thumbing for a lift on Bowen Island is very safe, they even have some dedicated stops just for waiting for a lift. Hitchhiking has never been on my bucket list of things to do especially as it notorious as being dangerous and reckless.

Hitchhiking, thumbing for a lift on Bowen Island opposite the pub

Anyway, walking to the end of the lane to join the main road that takes you into Snug Cove expecting to catch the bus, along came a car and so we raised our thumbs without gusto… To our amazement the car stopped and as the window came down, we saw it was John whom we had dinner with the night before, haha our first thumbed lift is somebody we already know. Oh well, John gave us a lift into town and we do some shopping and grab a coffee from Gino at The Bowen Island Roasting Company.

After our shopping and coffee break we need to get back home. The bus stop is at the bottom of the road and not due for another 15 minutes so again we decide to try our luck hitchhiking. I stuck out my thumb and watched as about three cars pass before the first one stops to let us know that she was only going to the school, then another stopped to tell me they were joining the queue for the ferry. Another few cars do exactly the same. I tell Moni that maybe she should try her luck as the bus would soon be coming and so she did, without a doubt the next car stopped and we got a lift, can you believe that. It must be a thing females are good at.

Martin was the driver as he introduced himself, and he took us all the way to our door, and chatted with us about the island and hitchhiking being very popular and safe, he also gave us a few tips on what to see.

So there you have it our first ever hitchhiking experience, a good one at that. Not sure that i’m up for doing it on the mainland though but if we need to thumb for a ride again here, I’m sure we would not hesitate in hitchhiking on Bowen Island.

Update: Lucky for us we have been able to borrow Shasta’s scooters to get around on, so maybe no more hitchhiking for us.