Month: November 2015

Whistler downtown and drive to Vancouver

On By mubeenazamIn September 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Monday 28th September)

Before visiting Whistler, I had seen photos of the place, it looked absolutely amazing in all weather conditions throughout the year, I was very excited about visiting.  Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada.  It is only about 125 km north of Vancouver, the next place on my road trip.  I was surprised to discover that it has a stable population of around 10,000, not sure how true this is but can’t see it being much more to be honest.

Over two million people visit Whistler annually, primarily for alpine skiing and snowboarding and, in summer, mountain biking at Whistler Blackcomb. Its pedestrian village has won numerous design awards and Whistler has been voted among the top destinations in North America by major ski magazines since the mid-1990s. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler hosted most of the alpine, Nordic, luge, skeleton, and bobsled events.

Downtown Whistler I found very beautiful, the scenery was spectacular, I really liked the architecture, the changing trees were fantastic to see at this time of the year and it was incredibly clean, and on top of that, my good fortune…truly incredible weather continued which made the whole experience even more memorable.  Oh, and some of the houses were so stupendous, instead of taking photos, I just brought home a Real Estate magazine, prices ranged from $1 million to over $20 million!!!

I found out that Whistler does not have a garbage collection service as they have such a high concentration of bears, so the residents have to take their own garbage to a central location!

The drive down to Vancouver was fantastic, incredibly scenic and at time, literally took my breath away!  I drove on Highway 99, the drive was so fantastic and was complemented with its really cool name: The Sea to Sky Highway!  There was so much more beauty along the drive but there were not many opportunities to capture them because of the windy mountain roads.  (The second photo is of my hostel accommodation which was by far the best hostel accommodation I have ever stayed in).

http://www.whistler.com/

        

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  
  
  
  

Zip Lining in Whistler BC…’Eagle Tour’ topped off with ‘The Sasquatch ‘

On By mubeenazamIn Epic Solo Road Trip, September 2015, Uncategorized, Zip Lining WhistlerLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Monday 28th September)

I have done a few crazy things in my life, things that have challenged me (for the better), scared the living day lights out of me, things I have regretted doing, and naturally made mistakes along the way. When I was younger, I used to love going to theme parks, going on roller coasters was my thrill, I used to also go on other ridiculously crazy rides, for example where you drop from a massive height and drop through a black hole, as you sit there, not knowing why you came here in the first place, why you are doing it now and where you are going to next!

As I have gotten a little older (not too much though I should stress!) I don’t get the same buzz from these things anymore, and although I am not too comfortable anymore with heights, I have been looking for something else, something that will bring back that original buzz I used to get when I was younger, the difference being now, is that I am more aware and more conscious of my actions, but I am looking for more adrenaline rushes to energise and revitalise me…something that I can do, look back and say to myself, yes I did it and I have no regrets…I think I have found it?

I was told that if I visit Whistler, I should go Zip Lining, apparently, it was quite famous for it, I looked into it and I thought I would give it a go seen as though I was here.  What I did, made my adrenaline and heart pump so hard it hurt my chest, that was just after my first zip line of what is known as the ‘Eagle Tour’…it was honestly amazing, I still remember standing there as they attached the harness and looking at the mountain in the distance which I was supposed to be heading towards, and thinking ‘I don’t think I can do this, I don’t think I want to do this…it is very high’.  I did do it and I just wanted  more and more, there were four more Zip Lines left of this Eagle Tour, but then…

Then, I did what is called ‘The Sasquatch’, well, let’s just put it this way, the ache from the adrenaline I got from this, reverberated around my body…it was a totally awesome ‘natural’ high!  From what I know, it is one of the top 10 Zip Lines in the world…”I did the Sasquatch, will you?”.

Just a note for anyone who may do this.  If you have a Go Pro, definitely take it, I don’t have one but I rented one for the day.  I wore mine on my wrist as I wanted more freedom to film different angles to give a more real experience as opposed to having it on the helmet.  If you do The Sasquatch in particular, just be conscious of the fact (as you will see), that your wrist may hit against the handle, especially as you reach high speed going through the trees.

http://www.ziptrek.com/

http://www.ziptrek.com/en/whistler-canada/tours/ziptrek-sasquatch

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The Eagle Tour Facts: 5 zip lines and 4 tree top bridges.  Height range from 675ft – 2,400ft with the longest descending 30 stories!  The whole tour is linked by zip lines, suspension bridges, tree top lookouts and trails…

The Sasquatch Facts:

Over 2km long (7,000ft) continuous zip line!

Longest zip line in Canada and the US!

Over 600 ft above ground at certain points during the zip!

It opened in July 2015, the fastest speed when I went had been over 145kmh, I managed to reach over 125kmh…and I went upside down!  Totally mind blowing, an experience I will never forget, and I have ‘almost’ destroyed my fear of heights…Sky dive next?


Edward Gardens, Toronto

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, Uncategorized1 Comment

A refreshing walk, a beautiful day, the girls absolutely loved this place as they were able to explore comfortably at their own leisure, the fallen and the falling leaves were a true joy, the smell in the air of the changing of the weather, the crisp and fresh air was totally rejuvenating…

Nature definitely speaks to us, we just need to be attentive and receptive to its message!

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Kensington Market, Downtown Toronto

On By mubeenazamIn November 2015, Uncategorized1 Comment

I can’t believe the weather, it’s the 5th of November and it is over 20 degrees, crazy but very, very welcome.  We decided to make the most of the bliss day we had and visit the renowned Kensington Market in the heart of Toronto.  I’m beginning to think that all this talk about it snowing in Toronto is all made up just to scare me so that I go back to the UK!

Kensington Market was very cool in my opinion, a very multicultural neighbourhood, some unique shops, so much creativity,  and we met some lovely people, a Rastafarian shop owner was my absolute favourite!  From what I know, it is also one of the most photographed markets or even places in Toronto.  We will definitely be visiting again, I really, really like this place.

Favourite parts of the day:  travelling on the tram and seeing the girls excitement, learning some of the unique names of stores, the eco friendly car, delectable ice cream, our three girls sat on three hip chairs outside Blue Banana Market, the ‘Espresso yourself’ sign in Dolce and a selfie with Nour in front of the CN Tower…a good day and the girls really loved it.  Next time, anyone for chicken and waffles at Dirty Bird?

http://www.kensington-market.ca/Default.asp?id=home&l=1



  


  


  


  


  


   

  
  


  
  


  
  
  

To paint or not to paint…I suppose it was going to happen…it should not even be a question!

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, Uncategorized1 Comment

Any mention of painting drives them crazy, by ‘them’ I mean my crazy, creative, courageous girls.  They love it, and to be honest, it’s always a lot of fun, they make it a lot of fun.

However, today, I thought I would do a little experiment and see how Sara (the 2 year old going on 16) would react to a particular situation.  What would she do if I placed my head (this beautiful brown, perfectly shaped object) in her way while she is painting?  What would she do?  How long would the reaction take?  Would she react at all?  Would she talk to me to gain some sort of consent?  I was nervous, it was tense and let me tell you, I could see her thinking about it, what was she to do, how should she deal with this object?  I could feel that she was poised to attack, just as a predator leaps on their prey!

OK, so I know this is a bit dramatic, because it actually is a little dramatic, the fact is, Sara took very little time to react, she basically looked at me, smiled at me, and then she slapped my head with both her hands and created a unique, let me repeat, a unique piece of art, and since this day, she wants to see the photos all the time. Sara keeps asking me in the most adorable way…’Baba, can I paint your head again, I like it, I really like it!’  The last photo will give the answer I always give her when she asks, it ‘will’ happen again, she will paint!
  
  

Halloween…kids will be kids!

On By mubeenazamIn October 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Just a few photos of the girls spending some time with their family and not really taking part in Halloween per se, but in their view (and their elder cousins I should add!) a fanatastic opportunity to collect a stash of sweets, candy, chocolate, the sticky chewy stuff, whatever you want to call it, that makes them go a little crazy…all free of charge, which is always welcome, sharing not an option…so grateful it only takes place once a year, but all good fun, and Sara (my Sara that is) is just totally adorable, I don’t even think she was aware what her cousin sisters stuck behind her…one for her wedding day photo I would suggest!  You need to guess the others?