(cont'd...) During that time, the weather was starting to shift to being warm yet windy, and everybody must have been excited for the coming May long-weekend.

When I was asked and approached by my friend Raymond to the idea of accompanying his young family to visit Kelowna, and myself being that spontaneous sometimes, replied, "Sure! I don't see why not!".

Early morning the next day, after grabbing Tim Hortons coffee,  we headed south of Highway 2 and eventually took Highway 3 going west. Being in that early hour, our driving went on smooth and quiet. The sun was just breaking from the horizon and it afforded me of enjoying both sides of the road which offered a very nice typical western landscape view  - wide open  farmlands dotted with occasional bunch of thickets; ranches where scattered cattles are in their typical day routine, they either were slowly grazing or just laying contentedly basking in the morning sunlight; and the long-line of lonely pine trees standing along the highway without a single of them encroaching their solid perfect line up, for me, just resembles  a series of stiff guard soldiers standing side by side in a military ceremony.

Soon and still halfway to our destination, our long trip had taken a toll on me. With the aide of unassuming and seemingly hypnotic centre lines of the highway had further made my eyes stoically bored and tired. I cannot remember how many times - much to everyone's relief, we pulled out to rest and stretch. 

There were some interesting stops we made. Some of the most vivid and engagedly different point of interests I saw were a little chapel and mock up birds perched on top of a line post. Inside of this little chapel are an altar and little pews that even adults can sit. Its steeple is nicely done reproduction of real one in scaled down version. That extra large artificial birds we looked upon was okay. It was black, and the obviously fancy eyes had never suspected me once that it would fly away. 

The periodic appearance of startled deer crossing the highway or the carelessly wandering black bear at the side ditches was fun to watch. I can't believe how rich and healthy the ecology is in this part of the country specially the wildlife. Relatively, the sad plight of a couple animal carcass I saw laying on the sides was compelling. If I remember it correctly, I encountered 12 to 15 sighthings of these amazing animals; mostly black bears, but I also chanced upon an elk, coyotes, and deer.  TO BE CONTINUED.

This is actually the fun part when we joined TravBuddy at a later date, I mean when a whole bunch of buddies had signed up before us - we're kind of having this urge to backtrack and fine-tune our memory to gather as much detailed information as we could about our past travel experience to turn it into a journal and have it shared by this community. Well, I guess another motivation that could push us even more is the notion that we are into writing and just love doing it. Speaking for myself, this is the force behind my being gung-ho about this right now. This is NOT to claim that I am a good writer. As a matter of fact, I am not - and up to this stage I am still in the process of honing my English writing. Truthfully, recognising my effort (that I put in writing) by others does not count big to me and comes only as secondary! Instead, it is this certain level of inner contentment - everytime my fingers start to tap the keyboard and my mind begins to crank-up slowly like a car's idle engine (during a terrible winter time) right after you insert the key and put the engine in pumping motion, that makes the passion within me feels at ease. In its mysterious way, writing has become therapeutic and has acted as antidote to one's monotonous life or worse, to the perrenial stress we feel which has been a proven precursor to the degeneration of our well being.  Writing or journal- writing for that matter, is like anything else that we love doing: snowboarding with friends, eating breakfast in bed with our wife/husband, finishing our much delayed two-year old basement project, pillow-fighting with our kids, etc. They are like an imaginary vent-off valve that we invisibly attached over our head in order to release any forthcoming 'fumes' of dreadful anger. TravBuddy provides an excellent space to anyone who simply loves writing and passionate about travelling.  

Considering all the good things a journal-writing can do to us - from the idea of being able to know people in various walks of life and sharing a common interest (i.e. travelling) with them, and to being able to contribute our travel experience to others' benefit, it allows us to have a more rewarding quiet time in our study room or it cements an even more intense relationship we shared with our laptop (well, this one maybe too far-fetched, ha ha!). This is why I like this site: for me, its mission is universal. I mean, for sure everybody - at any point in their lives, must have already travelled. Be it somebody who is enthusiastic in traversing his city's or town's neighbouring communities, and to someone who had dusted-off his shoes at the doorstep of every single country in the whole world. At the end of the day, both have each story to share. So keep sharing your travel escapades!

Last Spring, after having done my term in consulting in one of the local companies, I was up in the market for awhile. TO BE CONTINUED.

Well it's getting down to the wire now.... only five more days until I get on that plane! I have done a lot more preparation for this trip than in the past. From what I have read, South America isn't all that safe for a single female travelling alone with a large quantity of expensive photo equipment! Yeah I am getting nervous but I am making sure everything is insured before I leave so if I do have to surrender my most precious possesions to armed bandits then I GUESS I won't be too devistated... OK yes I will but I suppose there must be a camera shop or two somewhere down there.

My very loose plan is to fly from Lima directly to Iquitos (I get to Lima at 10:30pm and must get on the next flight to Iquitos at 5:30am, which means a lovely night of sitting in the airport doing nothing) as I have already booked a 5 day excursion into the rain forest.

I chose http://www.explorama.com/ctresort.htm for my tour and will be staying at Ceiba Tops. It looks like a nice enough place - pool, hot tub and bar in the middle of the jungle. OK it's considered a luxury resort. Yeah yeah... I am a wimp and if I don't have to sleep in an open hut in the forest for all of the spiders to crawl on me then that's where I go!
They take you see Monkey Island, walk along the world's longest canopy walkway up in the trees, bird and dolphin watching, a visit to the "ReNuPeRu" Ethnobotanical Garden where medicinal plants are researched and also a trip to visit a village of Yagoa indians. All in all, I think it will be a good place to get my bearings as to what direction my trip will head. I am thinking of spending a week in Iquitos afterwards and see if I can volunteer at the Amazonian Humane Society...

Thats about as far as I have planned. I may go up to Equador after that to see a friend since I will be in the north already. I know I want to see Machu Picchu at some point. Yep this trip is going to be a true adventure since I have no idea what I am doing. Throw the fact that I dont know any Spanish into the mix and it should make for some good tales!

Well thats all for now. I will update in Peru when I can!

This place is amazing. Will write up the full report when I get time, as I'm using a satelite internet connection at the moment and it's expensive! Chipmunks!


Here's the updated edit:

This place was great. It's a bit of a drive off the main road from Kelowna, just past the airport exit. If you have a rally car it would make the drive really interesting!
The Hasler family that run the resort are very very friendly and made me feel welcome right from the start.

I was taken to the smallest wooden cabin, that must also be one of the original ones, as there are markings in the logs (in the cabin, made by the guests) from at least 1970. It had a wood-fire in the corner, which took a while to get started - but once you get the technique right it's easy! The fire was pretty essential on a couple of nights, as it got down to -3C (ok, I know it's Canada and you're all used to -30C). Stupidly I'd only bought a single-season sleeping bag, so a trip into Kelowna was necessary to buy some thermals.

There's lots of activities to do at the resort - canoeing, kayaking, fishing (with license), mountain-biking and much more.

I had a very relaxing time here, reading and going out onto the lake. Just thinking about it now, makes me yearn to go back.


www.beaverlakeresort.com

I asked my mom to drive me to the Kelowna airport, and we couldn’t get there fast enough. I was so excited to be going to London. It had been a long year of University, and I had just finished my first teaching practicum, and I was burnt out, so this vacation couldn’t have come at a better time. Also, I was really missing my two friends, Sherron and Heather (they’re sisters, and they are my two best friends).

We got to the airport at about 12pm. My flight was scheduled to leave at 2pm, so of course, because it was an international flight, I had to be there early. Check-in went fine, and then the wait was on. I’m sure everyone knows what it’s like to be looking forward to something so much, and then be forced to wait for it when it’s practically right at your fingertips. It was almost excruciating. However, it finally came time to leave, and I was so relieved. My journey was about to start!

I’ve always loved flying, but I have to say that this flight was the worst I’d ever been on. It was courtesy of Air Canada Jazz, and I seriously thought the plane was going to fall out of the sky. The longer the flight went on, the louder the plane got. It was quite unnerving. Lucky for me, the flight from Kelowna to Vancouver is only about 55 minutes. We landed in Vancouver at 3:05pm, where I would switch to Air Canada, and depart at 5:40, direct to Heathrow. Well, boarding was delayed, and didn’t start until 5:20. I have to say, though, that everything went really smoothly, and we were still able to take-off at 5:40. Our pilot rocked! After dinner and a movie (Ocean’s Twelve), I fell asleep. It was a nice 4 hour nap, after which I awoke to flying over the snowy tundra of who-knows where? I do know, courtesy of our pilot, that during the flight we flew over Fort McMurray, Northern Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. So, that snowy tundra could have been any one of those places. Personally, I think it was Baffin Island or Greenland. Wherever it was, it was really creepy, as it was dark, and all I could make out was dimmed light, snow drifts that looked similar to waves. It still haunts me…..

After falling back to sleep, albeit a terrible one in which I kept waking up, I awoke in time for breakfast and a little TV. It was light outside, so I was able to watch below as we flew over Scotland, then down over England, passing over places such as Manchester, Birmingham, and Oxford. The English countryside is one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen, as it was like looking at a patchwork quilt made of various shades of yellows, greens, and rusty reds. It was lovely. We finally arrived over London, where I was able to look down at the Thames River, The London Eye, big building and soccer stadiums. Hallelujah! It was almost over. I was really starting to get cramped up, and I was craving fresh air. Plus, I just wanted to see my friends, Sherron and Heather.

Finally, at about 10:50am, London time, we landed. After a flight that took about 9 hours and 20 minutes, I was going thorough customs (which was a nightmare), and about to meet up with my two best friends. And, I was in London for the first time. I was incredibly excited.

Just a stopover for a couple of nights, while I work eastwards towards Grizzly Bear Ranch.

Trip from Merrit was not nice - had to go over a pass at 1700m - above the snow line. My car doesn't have winter-tyres or snow-chains, so it was not a nice drive.

Best kept secret: a vast canadian ski resort with no kews and plenty of snow.The only black spot is lack of night life,(go with a group of friends..) and limited choice of accomodation, but if you are a keen skier is one of the best resort (for skiing) I have been for years.

    Now sitting at the table, leafing through the magazines and brochures to see what Canada (British Columbia and Alberta) have to offer us lovely chicas! Bring it on, Canada and make us drool with astounding, countless sightings! Oy!! How many more options can you give us?! Stop with those options! Picking one is never enough!!

    Catching up on our travel blogs, choosing places to explore, having ideas to fill our day, we're sitting in the lounge of the Same Sun.

    Now that the blogs is being caught up, allow us to fill you in with the happening of our days. Once we departed the Sam Sun Backpackers Lodge, we wheeled to the Hiawatha RV and Family Campground which was in the middle of the city. How often would one come across RV/Camping parks in the middle of the cities? Only the Canadians! Having the time of the day and being given the vast opportunities to experience organic goodies, Summerhill Winery is something we would recommend! Wanna sample wines? Can't decide which to purchase? Go to Summerhill and sample 5 for 5 buckaroos!

    Care to join us for a meal? Oh, before forgetting to mention, there are many many fruit stands and/or farms to peek into! Another meal at Rawdezvous Cafe was sampled and enjoyed. Thanks to the sweet gal working at the Rawdezvous Cafe, she recommended to camp at a remote place where only FEW have gone before and still go. It is not on the map and it is not dared to reveal its secret spot. All we can tell is this... it is under the British Columbia Recreational Park, Taite Park. How to get there and so forth, that is for you to find out! *wink* She, the Cafe Goddess, also recommended to check out this Hot Springs which we will do in couple of days. Oh, how sweet is that?!

    Have you ever heard or seen orange cauliflower? Come to Canada! Its ORGANIC too! These lovely chickas snacked on this divine orange cauliflower while strolling through downtown of this fashionable city of Kelwona. Pictures were taken, windows were peeked through, and giggles filled the air. Trying on dresses/outfits that didn't mold our bodies well, dreaming dreams, and enjoying the life of the river was a good ending of the day as the sun crept down behind the mountains. Wanna have some Rotten Grapes? I kid you not! There is a restaurant called, “Rotten Grapes” and it was lively! Alynn had some organic greens salad while BS's eyes rolled and tongue bounced with flavors.

    The city closed early for the night (it may not be early for some small towners but it is early for those city lifers in Los Angeles and New York City) and the gate to the campground, where we were staying for the night, closes at midnight. Only 25 minutes were able to be spared and it was south from where we were! Whew, the gate closed 10 minutes after our arrival!

    Rise and Shine! Our eyes open to the beautiful sightings of the mountains that surrounded us. The mountains was pretty much right before our nose, quite close up! Being in such areas, dew played on our tent and grass blades. While waiting for the tent to dry.. fresh, crisp, CLEAN air was breathed into our bodies, our bodies savoring the beautiful sun rays, the surroundings were relished. Being near the falls, opportunity to check it out were taken. Bridal Veil Falls was a sight to see and BS filled the camera with wondrous pictures. Deaf folks, four of them, greeted us and told us of great places to explore. Wishing not to picnic with huge crowd or packed area, we picnicked at a rest area off the highway, about 4 miles from Hope.

    Being contented with foods in our bellies, we asked two different men about best routes to Kelowna and mooted over on whether we should spend CAN $10 (Canadian dollar) on toll or more time on the road. Opting for less time, we traveled toward Kelowna on the toll highway. The art of Canada's landscape is glorious and unique. Soooo many sightings and beauty to absorb into our eyes! Just in time before it closed for the night, we dined at Rawdenzeous Cafe. Our taste buds were pleased with the flavors, especially after sampling the foods of Gorilla Food and Organic Cafe. We are impressed with the décor, the location, services and of course, their dishes. The employees there were enthralled when they learned that I worked at TOL. The owner of the Cafe had her training there before I employed at TOL in the fall of 2005.

    Learning that there is a co-op in the area, we scurried to the Nature Fare's Natural Food Co-op as we only had 30 mins to spare. Ohhh! A guy at the juice/smoothie/pastry/bakery bar bounced with joy to be of our service! BS likes their Matcha Smoothie made with Rice Mylk and it is something to be ordered again. Having our purchases made from the store/deli, we headed out to search for a place to crash for the night. Darkness was creeping upon us and that was after 9pm! In the end, Sam Sun Backpackers Lodge was our choice. Choices of preparing your meals, doing your laundry, sleeping in dorm or private room, snacking/eating in the patio or lounge area, games to play are offered. Also, activities in the area are offered, to entertain your souls. With the access to the Internet, hands flew across the computer screen as we chatted with our friends (via webcam and video phone) until wee early morn.

So, I have been in Kelowna since I left Yellowknife on the 14th of December. It was pretty scary quitting my job and leaving the town I know and love so much, but it is changing. There are too many drug addicts roaming the downtown streets. I used to stroll the side walks or walk into a bar and know so many people. I guess thats what happens as you get older! THINGS CHANGE

Anyways, I just needed to make a major decision in the direction my life was heading so I find myself here. My dad and step mother, Patricia, live here in Kelowna so it is usually my jumping off point. I got to see some family for christmas which was nice.

I also went out to Pitt Meadows to see my mom and step dad for a week and a half after Christmas. Spent New Year's and my birthday there. Pretty low key, but nice. My mom made me the yummiest apple pie! And then I went out to Vancouver and saw my friends Heather and Jed. I hadn't seen Jed in like 7 years and Heather in probably 4. It was the most awesome birthday present and I think we all had fun - I know I did! Planted a seed in my brain... maybe I will end up in Vancouver (which is also my birthplace) after my travels are through. For a while anyway, it's a great city, and lots of stuff to point my camera at!

I leave for Emonton in 3 days to stay with Patricia's cousin Karen until sometime in March. I am sure it will be a blast with Karen, her 3 dogs and her 83 year old mother Doreen, who has alzheimer's. I will have lots of funny stories to tell. I'm also getting my eye's fixed while in edmonton. No more waking up blind! Yippeee! Ok I am scared shitless but it will totally be worth it...

My dad leaves tomorrow morning for Iqaluit, Nunavut for 2.5 months for a work contract. I am trying to persuade him he should meet me in Peru in April! I am sure he will need some sun shine after that. We will have to see I guess.

Thats all for now, pretty boring, I know. But I am sure things will get more exciting soon....