Eerie… The feeling crept up on us as we entered the yard behind an old church in Barbados, that turned out to be a cemetery. The perfect blue sky contrasted with the abandoned-looking tombstones. Grass grew tall and ragged, while bare, leafless trees shadowed the graves. Shrubs stood blood red, as if saying, I was alive once. It felt uncannily like we’d stepped into the setting of a horror movie. Even the tropical sun of Barbados couldn’t stop me from shivering. Surreal.

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Alta Bistro in Whistler, BC served up a charcuterie platter with some outstanding pickled fiddleheads. They gathered these tender morsels themselves during their short season and preserved them to serve through the year. Sorry, you can’t buy a whole jar – we tried – as they’ve only preserved enough to serve in the restaurant.

God’s Mountain Estate

Dana of Joy Road Catering serves an alfresco vineyard dinner every week at God’s Mountain Estate. Before the main course is served, in lieu of grace, she reads a few lines from a slow food manifesto, reminding the diners to think of where the food came from and how it was prepared. Practically everything served is sourced locally, from the sweet hay-baked ham to the cherries pavlova, and if you’re interested she can tell you a story or two about how it was grown and why it was chosen to be a part of the dinner.

RauDZ Regional Table

The menu at this Kelowna, BC restaurant is dominated by seasonal, locally produced dishes. We started with cocktails using liquor from Okanagan Spirits, a craft distillery just around the corner, and then had an awesome steak, crab, & bacon burger with regionally-sourced everything, homemade onion jam, and an incredibly buttery brioche bun.

Nelson Brewing Company

All the delicious craft beers brewed here in Nelson, BC are certified organic, even using organic honey in their honey ale.

Gort’s Gouda

As we visited various restaurants throughout the Kootenays we noticed menus boasting of their cheese being sourced from Gort’s Gouda, so we knew we had to stop in at this small family dairy. Their herd grazes on grass in the field, no antibiotics, no hormones, just natural milk. They process it into all kinds of delicious gouda cheese – Dina’s favourite was the extra old.

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I love nature, love being in the outdoors, but I’m not much of a bike rider. It’s not that I don’t like riding, it’s just that growing up in a busy city there wasn’t much opportunity to ride a bike. Before this trip to B.C. I hadn’t ridden a bicycle  in more than 20 years, and was a little apprehensive about it.

That’s why I was so happy to explore the Kettle Valley Railway Trestles at Myra Canyon by bicycle. It was perfect for a beginner rider like me: flat, easy riding, with jaw-dropping scenery to keep me motivated to see what’s around the next corner.

We met Kevin, our guide from KVR cycling tours, in the morning and started the hour long drive from Kelowna up to the old Myra Station. They supplied the bikes, but if you wanted to organize it on your own there are also bikes for rent in the parking lot.

The Kettle Valley Railway was a marvel of engineering when it opened in 1916. It closed in 1964, but has been converted into a spectacular biking and hiking trail. The section that passes through Myra Canyon near Kelowna is particularly amazing because of its many wooden trestle bridges.

As we rode we saw the signs of the fire that damaged many of the trestles in 2003. Happily, a reconstruction effort completed in 2008 returned the trail to top condition and it’s now in great shape.

It’s a 10km ride each way to traverse the 16 wooden trestles, 2 iron bridges, and 2 tunnels that cross Myra Canyon.

Going at a nice slow pace and with lots of stops for pictures, snacks, and to admire the views we made the trip in about 3 hours.

We had a fun, relaxing morning cycling the Kettle Valley Trestles and definitely recommend giving it a try if you’re in Kelowna.

What’s your favourite bike trail?

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Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, Shuswap BC

We had an all-dessert morning in Shuswap, British Columbia, Canada! How awesome is that?

Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, Shuswap BC

First thing in the morning, we visited Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, just on the edge of Salmon Arm, where the cows are grass-fed and the cheeses are all organic. After getting slobbered on by the neighbor’s Siberian Husky and by the farm’s young calf that thought I was his mom, we sampled some varieties of organic Gouda cheese they make. From the classic aged cheese to the seasonal fenugreek flavour, all excellent! Then, we had our first dessert of the day: lemon cheesecake made with their own Gouda cheese! Love it!

Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, Shuswap BC

Then we moved to the Salmon Arm’s Farmers Market. We tried Kurt’s beef jerky and then grabbed 2 bags of just-arrived large-size BC cherries, they were really good!

Farm Market on Salmon Arm

One of them had a funny appearance. Let your imagination run wild, and tell me what comes to your mind!

Weird Cherry

Next stop, the Candy Vault on Hudson Avenue, downtown Salmon Arm.

Candy Vault on Hudson

This candy shop used to be a bank, and the vault is still there and the owner now uses it to keep the precious candies, chocolates, and marshmallows! The vault door is still the original. I tried to open it, and it was very heavy indeed! They have international and rare sweets there too.

Candy Vault on Hudson

The Pie Company was next, and that’s got to be the highlight of my dessert morning. I tried the raspberry rhubarb pie with whipped cream, while Ryan got… hmm… I can’t remember, I was so consumed by my own pie, I forgot to try his!

Shuswap Pie Company

The best way to enjoy desserts is eating them picnic style. The Salmon Arm wharf is the longest wooden wharf in North America, and it has a beautiful view to Shuswap Lake. Plenty of benches and green grass to sit and relax.

Salmon Arm Wharf

Next time we visit Salmon Arm, we hope we will have a few days here. Then we will rent one of those houseboats and sail around Shuswap Lake! We love road trips, but we haven’t done an independent boat trip so far. I bet we’ll love it!

Salmon Arm Wharf

Munching cherries along the way, we reached D Dutchmen Dairy in Sicamous to taste their superfresh ice cream, from the milk they produce in their own dairy farm.

Dutchmen Dairy

While there, we checked out their animal collection, that’s much more than just cows. White peacock and zonkey (zebra-donkey), anybody?

Dutchmen Dairy

I was curious whether the calves here would lick all over my arm like the ones in the Gort’s farm. They did! And this one seems older than the Gort’s one, the tounge is much rougher. It felt like getting a salt-scrub spa treatment! Later on, I smelled my arm. It had the aroma of grass… and baby powder! I didn’t expect that!

Dutchmen Dairy

The cows here are huge. This picture reminds me of the two-headed mutant cows at the game Fallout.

Dutchmen Dairy

Only after Ryan finished taking pictures did he tell me that a big one has been drooling all over my hair and backpack. Excellent!

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Helmcken Falls

Wells Gray Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in British Columbia, Canada. It’s the home of many spectacular waterfalls, with wilderness and natural beauty everywhere. It’s rugged, remote, and little-known, making it very easy to get off the beaten path. Above is the 141 meter Helmcken Falls, the tallest and most famous in the park. It looks gorgeous, but too bad we can’t get closer (easily) to get a more majestic view. Can you imagine standing up near the bottom of this falls?

Lots of deer around the park

Ryan and I usually like to roam around free in the forest paths, but we were glad that this time we were accompanied by Gy Ovenden, wildlife lover and biologist, in Discover Wells Gray’s interpretive hiking tour.

Gy

First, we hiked to Moul Falls. Gy even led the group to a path behind the falls! In late summer, when the water flow is thinner, it’s possible to walk all the way behind the falls, where there’s a cave to explore, without getting too wet. As for early summer, especially after a lot of rain like this, the water flow is really high, so the group can’t go that far. But we are not disappointed at all, the waterfalls looked much more impressive this way!

Going behind Moul Falls

Here’s Ryan soaking wet behind the falls.

Ryan behind the falls

Hiking to the falls was a lot of fun. But this journey is more than just visiting falls. Gy  shared his knowledge on the nature and wildlife here with us. First, bear food. Soapberries. Ryan decided to try them, after being warned that they’re going to taste like ummhh… soap.

Soapberry, bears like it. Ryan does too, it seems.

I chose to try the wild strawberries instead. They are tiny but delicious. Bears don’t really eat these because they’re  not clumpy enough to make a rewarding eating experience.

Wild strawberries

They’re delicious, but I agree with the bears: too small and scarce to be satisfying. (We bought a pint of big sized strawberries at a farmer’s market the next day).

And yes, there are bears around, but they’re shy and not easy to spot. Here’s some claw marks on a tree, showing that a bear climbed here.

Bear claw marks on a tree

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we didn’t see a wild bear that day. That’s has been my dream, to meet up with one not too far away.

Some flowers:

Some flowers of Wells Gray

Pink flowers

We also visited Spahats Falls.

Spahats Falls

And Bailey’s Chute, a rather low waterfall but with great power because the water is forced to pass through a narrow channel. Here’s where the salmon’s long upstream journey end, as they are never able to climb up through the roaring water. I hope to go back during the salmon run to observe it.

Bailey’s Chute

Some other spots.

Spotting small creatures in the wetland

A raven

We had a great time in Wells Gray. Hopefully in the future, we can make time to take a campervan and really submerge ourselves in nature for a good long visit. Wells Gray is rugged, remote, and packed with interesting plant and wildlife. It would really reward an extended stay – our one day’s exploration was nowhere near enough.

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Stunning view! The longest zipline in Bear Tour of  Ziptrek Whistler was over 300 meters long. Longest and with the best view as well. You’ll go along the river, with canyon walls on either side, facing a beautiful snow capped mountain in the distance. Well, that’s if you decide to zipline facing forward normally. Not in my case. I tried to do an upside down “cannonball”. The view is even more amazing this way: upside down pine trees at cannonball speed, wild!!

Have you ever done ziplining before? Where? Did you do upside down?

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Just last week, we went white water rafting in the Green River in Whistler (British Columbia, Canada). We went with Wedge Rafting through some amazing rapids and breathtaking scenery. Just don’t fall in, the water is freezing cold, especially after a stream from a melting glacier joins the river. Still, we were comfortable in our wetsuits. It was a hell of a lot of fun! Pictures will explain it best!

First, we were rowing happily in the calm water. Beautiful scenery.

This is the only time I managed to find the camera guy to smile at him. I mean, to the camera, not to the man.

And then, the fun time! Pictures will explain it best!

Here our instructor, Gerrard, managed to look cool for the camera, while everybody else ducked down.

And here’s how it looked from inside the raft:

Can’t wait until our next white water rafting adventure! Do you have any suggestions where we should try it next?

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Photo credit: All photos taken from outside the boat, are taken by the Wedge Rafting crew.

For more information on Whistler, click here!

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Vancouver is blessed by beautiful nature all around and within it. Just a few minutes drive from downtown to the north, passing through Stanley Park, you’ll find the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It’s a 450 foot (137 m) long bridge crossing Capilano Canyon. This bridge was originally built in 1889 of hemp rope and cedar planks. Why did they build the bridge? To get to the other side, eh! Now the bridge is made of reinforced steel anchored in over 100 tons of concrete. Very safe, but thrilling to cross nevertheless! Ideal for adults and children as well.

Don’t just walk straight to the other end, the view here is gorgeous. With the Capilano River flowing 230 feet (70 m) under you, and tall pine trees along the sides of the canyon.  I guess we can spend as much time as we like on the top of the bridge. Well, as long as the park is open.

This park also has the Treetops Adventure. Imagine climbing halfway up the tallest pine tree in the park, reaching 100 feet (30 m) high, and walking along boardwalks and swinging bridges from tree to tree. Now that you have the forest all around you, including underneath you, you can see and feel the forest more deeply and richly.

Also, it’s just cool to be so high up like this.

When you’re back on the ground, try to spot some banana slugs! As the name suggests, they are huge slugs in yellow-banana colour!

My favorite part of the park is the one year old Cliffwalk! Not for families? Wrong! This has got the be the safest cliff walk in the world. The path is really high and narrow, hanging off the side of the cliff, but the structure is really strong and the see through fence is high, so it’s super safe! You get an amazing view to the river, and down the cliff wall at the same time. And believe it or not, there are several glass floors in this cliff walk so you can look straight down to the canyon! Pretty cool, eh?

Back to the main suspension bridge. I forgot to test how quickly I could make it across to the other side. It tends to bounce around when there are a lot of people crossing and get difficult to walk.

Here are some possible challenges: balancing on the swaying bridge, dodging other people on the bridge, or running away from the park guard trying to warn you not to run on the bridge. But then, that might motivate you to run even faster! Anyway, if you do that, tell me your record!

Just kidding.

Or not?

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We had in mind our February 2010 visit to Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand, a well known spot for skiing during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. This volcano is also famous for crawling. Remember Frodo, Samwise, and Gollum from the Lord of the Rings? They’ve crawled here! Because this is was Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies!

Joking aside, we were there during the off-season – the southern hemisphere’s summer, no snow around. The chairlift was open for hikers, but there was almost nobody there. Besides us, there were only other 2 or 3 small groups in sight. Ohakune, a little ski village at the foot of the mountain, was like a ghost town: empty of tourists. Just the giant carrot in view, looking lonely,

Whistler Mountain is a Canadian prime ski destination. It’s very close to Vancouver, just a 2 hour drive, making it very reachable. Some venues of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics were here in the Whistler area. So the name Whistler is associated with winter outdoor sports and activities. That’s why we were surprised to see how vibrant this resort village and surrounding area are during the summertime!

Expecting a ghost town, we found that this winter wonderland is now home to various summer outdoor activities and adventures. To name a few: rafting, cycling, mountain biking, golfing, hiking, trekking, kayaking, and ziplining. Even for lazy-bones, Whistler is a lot of fun! The scenery around Whistler is stunning with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop and pine forest carpets spreading below. The whole chairlift and gondola system makes this mountain very popular for sightseeing.

So let’s see the 5 summer adventures we had in Whistler!

1. Ziplining

Ryan and heights don’t mix well, but he was somewhat prepared for ziplining after our jungle adventure in Costa Rica.

The Ziptrek Bear Tour ziplines over Fitzsimmons Creek. Stunning view! The longest zipline in Bear Tour was over 300 meters long. Longest and with the best view as well. You’ll go along the river, with canyon walls on either side, facing a beautiful snow capped mountain in the distance. Well, that’s if you decide to zipline facing forward normally. Not in my case. I tried to do an upside down “cannonball”. The view is even more amazing this way: upside down pine trees at cannonball speed, wild!!

Watch Upside Down Cannonball Zipline Video Here

Despite of Ryan’s fear of heights, ziplining included, he managed to go upside down too! People back at home probably won’t believe that, but here’s the photo proof!

2. White Water Rafting

We went rafting with Wedge Rafting through some amazing rapids and breathtaking scenery. Just don’t fall in, the water is freezing cold, especially after a stream from a melting glacier joins the river. Still, we were comfortable in our wetsuits. It was a hell of a lot of fun!

3. Peak 2 Peak Gondola

What’s the best way to move between Whistler Mountain top and Blackcomb Mountain top? Peak 2 Peak Gondola, of course! With a length of over 3 kilometers, it holds the world record for the longest free span between ropeway towers! It soars up to 436 metres away from the ground, and some gondolas even have a glass floor, so you can see the pine trees right under you! The view? Just stunning! Ryan seemed to like the Whistler town view, while I think the magic is in the snowy mountains surrounding it.

The top of the mountain is still snowy in the early summer. We’ve never tried to jump high on snow before, because, well… it’s difficult, and the heavy winter coats often make us stiff. So here we go, took off our coats and jumped as high as we could in a foot of soft snow!

From the village on the bottom of the mountain, you can take a cable car from Whistler Village or a ski chair lift from Blackcomb Village. In the winter, you can ski down the mountain, back to the village. In the summertime, you can hike back down or mountain bike. Not very ambitious? Just want to absorb the gorgeous scenery like us? Just go down with either chair lift or cable car!

And oh, don’t forget to spot the black bears that live around the mountain! We saw 2 on the way up, and 2 on the way down. Awesome!

4. Golfing

The scenery around this area offers stunning backdrop for your golf game – and there’s a chance you might spot bears roaming the golf course. We did 9 holes at Whistler Golf, yay!

5. Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre

Visit this aboriginal cultural centre if you have time. In here you can learn about 2 of the BC First Nations, Squamish and Lil’wat. They have an Istken, the traditional underground pit house used by Lil’wat people in the past. Totems, blankets, boats, decorations, and so on. They even have a totem pole and a canoe under construction, in the front yard of the building.

Hungry, we visited the cafeteria. Surprise surprise, they have some unusual and delicious things on the menu! Bison and wild bear smokey sausage? Indian taco with homemade venison chili? Interesting and mouthwatering.

Now, let’s talk about food a little bit.

Dinky Dawgs

I had my craziest hot dog ever in Whistler! How can a hotdog be crazy? Well, in Dinky Dawgs, they have various crazy toppings that I’ve never seen anywhere else used for hot dog. Let see: Marshmallows, smarties, potato chips, nori seaweed, and even…. gummy bears! And list continues!

I ordered mine with the nori, potato chips, corn, and gummy bears. Mmm… among other things! I was sceptical it was going to be any good. Surprise surprise, it was the most delicious hot dog I’ve ever had! The seaweed gave this ..well… seaweedy taste. The potato chips made my hot dog crunchy. And what about the gummy bears? The gummy bears melted when toasted, and gave a sticky yet velvety sweetness with a fruity flavor to the hot dog, it was soooo good!

Ryan was totally jealous of my gummy beary hot dog.

Must try if you go to Whistler, I say! And when you go, tell Duran we recommended it to you!

Alta Bistro

Our receptionist at Aava Hotel recommended Alta Bistro for us. And wow, this has got to be one of our favorite restaurants! For my second course, I had Alberta Elk Tartar and Yarrow Meadows Duck Liver Parfait. It was incredible! Not just about the taste, but also about the texture! There are some crunchiness, powdery softness, meatiness, and many other sensations, all at once, in every single bite. Not very often we eat something amazing like this. Ryan’s charcuterie came with homemade fiddlehead pickles from local BC ferns. The best pickle I’ve ever had! Too bad they wouldn’t sell us a jar, because their stock was limited. Quite rare having food this level in such affordable price. Three course meals start from 19 bucks! And for the drink, I tried a homemade non-alcoholic cocktail “From The Garden.” Very refreshing!

I think the people of Vancouver are lucky to have Whistler only 2 hours away from their home town. What about you? What’s your favourite summer activity?

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After 10 hours and 3 flights from London, Ontario, we finally arrived in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada. Here’s a shot from Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, the trendy Gastown, on Saturday night. Pretty, isn’t it!

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