Canoe Trip

It's the best feeling, when you pack up the car, leave your mobile phone behind and head upstream for a week into the unknown, two days away from civilisation. We rented a canoe for seven nights and packed it full of provisions for the week and set off. We were in the Clearwater National Park, British Colombia, travelling up two lakes each about 20 miles long. The quiet and stillness was unbelievable, almost spooky, the brilliant sun shone down upon us. We moved up the lake, just the noise of our paddles hitting the water in tandem, surronded by miles upon miles of wilderness - incredible, enlightening, almost frightening. Most of the day was spent in the canoe and we would stop off on the shore and have a bite to eat for lunch. Around 5pm we would arrive at our evening destination and set up camp for the night. Our behaviour was quite primordial, I would always gravitate to the cooking, whilst my husband would light the fire and set up the tent. After supper we would sit around the fire, telling each other stories and drinking hot chocolate. When darkness set in, we climbed into our cosy sleeping bags and fell into deep slumber, listening to the sounds of the deep forest. Quite the best holidaying experience I have had, quite calming and reflective. One feels so far removed from modern day life and just a little closer to our nomadic ancestors.

Expat Life

I have just taken a trip down memory lane, something I do every few months, I find it kind of comforting. In July 2002 I set out for Vancouver without a care in the world, just turned 25, looking for a north american adventure with my boyfriend. A return flight was booked for christmas of that year, I didn't make a visit home until November 2003! Its that north american buzz, which I experienced frequently for the entire three and a half years. Is it the accent, the lifestyle or the whole newness, I don't know, perhaps a combination. Vancouver, the gateway to North America from Asia, a cultural melting pot. This has to be the most cosmopolitan and happily mulitcultural city that I have experienced. Imagine it, summertime, get back from work, pick up the bbq and head down to the beach which is a 5 minute walk away. The temperature is a balmy 25 degrees centigrade and is like this all summer long, nut brown people are playing volleyball, frisbee and generally chilling. There's that beautiful smell of meat cooking on the barby. Wintertime, get back from work on a friday night, check the snow report for Whistler for saturday moring, 20 cms fresh snow expected, up at 6am ski-ing fresh tracks by 8.30am. Weekends in July are spent roaming the wilderness of BC. Leave the craziness of the city on a Friday evening, 5 mile hike into a remote camp, meeting black bears on the way. The accessibility to such extemes is quite incredible and only sinks in when you return to your native homeland. 60 days of rain this summer, we only visited our beautiful park, Phoenix park, for the first time yesterday evening, due to the miserable summer, just in time to see the leaves starting to change colour, Autumn!!
Lifestyle guys, the west coast of North America has got it totally right!