Saguenay - kayaking

[MJC]

We like to to hike and kayak, has anyone hired a guide or driver to take them to the Parc de la Riviere du Moulin? Is it very far from where the QM2 docks? Any info would be appreciated.

[GTJ]

18 hours ago, MJC said:

Parc de la Riviere du Moulin? Is it very far from where the QM2 docks? Any info would be appreciated.

Is there actually kayak rental at Parc de la Rivière-du-Moulin? I am aware that there are rentals at Fjord en Kayak in l’Anse-Saint-Jean. Queen Mary 2 should arrive at La Baie at 7:00 a.m., and Navettes Maritimes du Fjord has a ferry at 8:30 a.m. from La Baie to l’Anse-Saint-Jean, arriving at 12:30 p.m. (you would have to find another way back to La Baie, since the ferry does not return to La Baie until 5:45 p.m., which is after the scheduled departure of Queen Mary 2 from La Baie at 5:00 p.m.). I believe that Boutique Hors Circuits, in Chicoutimi (accessible from La Baie via local transit bus) has rentals, but it seems to be more oriented to people picking up the kayak at their store and transporting it themselves to wherever. Take a look at their kayak rental page here. The store also provides a link to OrganisAction, which appears to arrange for kayak trips with guide.

[MJC]

Thank you so very much for your detailed response.

 

I was looking at this website, but I don't speak French, so it was challenging. I see now, however, that the kayak rentals end on September 5th, and we won't visit until October:

 

https://rivieredumoulin.saguenay.ca/fr/activites

 

Sadly my 6'3" husband is over the weight limit for the sea kayaking that is offered.

 

The hikes our ship is offereing may be too long and/or hard for my husband, and we don't like long bus rides either. So, I was thinking the park might offer an easier and shorter hike for us. It looks very pretty.

 

 

 

 

[GTJ]

I did not realize that the park itself offered rentals . . . what a great option! I don't know if height and weight limits would be strictly enforced (I would imagine not, but it can be difficult to predict.) Too bad the season ends before your arrival there. And alas, the ferry service will also have ended, the season ending on Labour Day weekend (just as the activities in the park end at the same time). Do keep in mind that Saguenay has a very high francophone population (in excess of 99 percent), and English is rarely used outside of tourist locations (it is the mother tongue of less than 1 percent). Being facile in French is very helpful, even if not always essential, since only 20 percent of the population can speak English with at least some degree of proficiency.

[MJC]

Thank you GTJ for your information. My husband speaks French un peu but he hasn't in a long time. I think he can manage a few basics though his accent is atrocious even to my ears. 😀  

 

 

 

[GTJ]

The French spoken in Québec is distinct, and there is also a substantial number of people in the province who take a nationalistic approach in not wanting to use English. But you will have an advantage as an American because the nationalism is most strongly directed towards other Canadians, and less so to Americans who have an excuse in not knowing French. A simple introduction--"Bonjour ! Je suis américaine; je ne parle pas français."--can go a long way.

[Host Bonjour]

On 6/20/2022 at 9:22 PM, MJC said:

this website, but I don't speak French, so it was challenging. I

 

Which web browser do you use? If you use Chrome, when you load the website a box will appear at the end of the web address window (URL line, ie where it says www.cruisecritic.com etc) offering to translate the page for you.

 

These days, most pages in most languages should be readable. How good the translation is (done by Artificial Intelligence) well, it's good enough, generally, to know what the page is about, see what's on offer. You may notice little things that seem off, but the technology has made progress. 

 

Not always easy to see, you need to look up to that part of the page to see the pop-up and click to get the translations. Other websites will translate automatically if the site owner has set up the page to enable the function, but this is dependent on your own browser settings too. 

 

Canada is officially bi-lingual but Quebec definitely leans more French, and it is definitely a differently accented French than France French, but then there are difference accents all throughout France, though I haven't heard anything that sounds like Canadian French. You know it when you hear it. 

 

Always concur on using a few familiar phrases when visiting in a place where the predominant language is not English. It just seems friendly and a great way to get things going as a guest. I believe google translate will even pronounce the phrases if you wish,  but there are apps that will tell you how if google translate cannot. I don't use it for French (I went to Alliance Française and was drilled into Parisian French by my teacher 😂 but it was fun).

 

À la prochaine.

[GTJ]

7 hours ago, Host Bonjour said:

Canada is officially bi-lingual but Quebec definitely leans more French . . . .

Québec does not merely lean more French, but the official language is French. (The only province that is officially bilingual is New Brunswick, where the population split is about one-third francophone and two-thirds anglophone. I will also note that some accents are so strong in parts of Newfoundland that it is sometimes easier understanding the French than the English spoken there.) Québec is also the most militant on the use of French, and it is odd being in anglophone communities where all of the signs are in French. The other provinces are much more lax and do not have the same language mandates for commercial establishments.