Whistler downtown and drive to Vancouver

On November 9, 2015January 26, 2016 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 November 9, 2015January 26, 2016 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

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 November 9, 2015January 26, 2016 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!

Kensington Market, Downtown Toronto

On November 8, 2015January 26, 2016 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 November 8, 2015January 26, 2016 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 November 4, 2015January 26, 2016 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?

Joffre Lakes (lower, middle and upper) Provincial Park

On October 31, 2015January 26, 2016 By mubeenazamIn September 2015, UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Sunday 27th September)

As I mentioned in my previous post, before arriving in Whistler from Kamloops, I was advised to visit Joffre Lakes if time permitted and as I was told it would be worth the visit. I was in two minds about stopping off to be honest as I was quite tired and there was this negative voice in my head saying ‘come on Mubeen, you have seen lots of lakes, it will just be like the rest’!

I ignored the negative voice and found the energy to take on an extra stop. Although time was short, I reminded myself that although my genuine dream is to come back here one day with Nour (who I missed at every part of this trip), I had to make the most of every opportunity while it was there. In fact, this is one thing I definitely learnt about life during this trip, if an opportunity is there, you need to grab it with both hands and live it, love it and learn from it…you don’t know what is around the corner!

There was one thing I did not realise about Joffre Lakes, one important thing, there were three lakes, all on different elevations…the photos below are all in order of the lakes that were visited, I did all three! The sign in photo six shows the distance and time of this hike, as I was under the constraints of time, I did this in a much quicker time!

Spectacular walk, three tremndous colours in each of the three lakes, lovely scenery in the surrounding areas, growth on land and in water, paths dressed with fallen trees, mega sized rocks, waterfalls, different styles of bridges, various wildlife, tricky mud paths, huge tree trunks decorated different aspects of the trail, gorgeous inviting mountains, independent hanging glaciers…wow…again!

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/joffre_lks/

http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/joffre-lakes/

The weather is changing…

On October 28, 2015January 26, 2016 By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Just a short note to say that the weather is changing in Toronto, it’s getting much colder now! Prevention is better than cure they say, so some things just have to be covered, especially the outdoor swimming pool, and other things have to be put away. We have had a tiny bit of snow, not very much really, but I think we are just being teased, the cold is coming, oh yes it is!

Also below are some photos from my parents in laws apartment, they live in a penthouse apartment on the 30th floor, the views are fanatastic, and on top of that, there is a gym and swimming pool we have access to. The trees are all changing and there are fantastic colours on display at the moment, I suppose it’s natures way of telling us the cold is coming! In a couple of the photos you can see downtown Toronto and just about make out the famous CN tower (in the night shot it is difficult to make it out) and Ontario river in the background in the daytime photos, beautiful scenery to adorn the windows in your apartment!

St Lawrence Market, Downtown Toronto

On October 28, 2015January 26, 2016 By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This is a bit late, but we visited this market back in September, fantastic weather, awesome variety of food, beautiful architecture and not too far from downtown Toronto where I went to later on with Fatimah and Maryam, what joy! Will hopefully be visiting some more markets during our stay, I believe Kensington Market is in the plans, at least that’s what the girls keep telling me!

St. Lawrence Market is one of two major public markets in Toronto, the other being Kensington Market. It was named the world’s best food market by National Geographic in April 2012

http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

British Colombia – River and Jeep Safari…Bears!

On October 20, 2015January 26, 2016 By mubeenazamIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Saturday 26th September)

I find it difficult to explain how I was feeling driving from Mount Robson to my first ever river and jeep safari where there was a very high chance of seeing bears. My mind was totally preoccupied, I was nervous, excited, anxious and very focussed on getting to my destination as soon as I could. Blue River is on Yellow Head Highway Five, halfway between Jasper and Kamloops, as well as halfway between Mt. Robson and Wells Grey Park.

An absolutely fascinating fact is that I was driving towards the only inland temperate rainforest on the planet!! If time allowed, there was up to 12kms of bear territory to explore. When turning off the main highway to enter the entrance, you follow a dirt track which crosses over a railway line where I just happened to be at the right time and place to witness a very loud train crossing, you then pass over a small bridge where only one car can pass at a time. When I arrived at the main building, like a child in a sweet shop, I decided to upgrade my tour from just a river safari to include the jeep safari too after I was told that there was over a 90% chance of seeing bears. For me this was worth it as it was highly unlikely I would return to this place for a long time, and even if I did, there would be no guarantee of experiencing this with such beautiful weather and with the likelihood so high of seeing bears.

It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life, without a doubt! What I saw was much more than I expected…

We saw a large black male following a trail along the coast, popping in and out of the water as it sniffed its way along the trail. It was quite a formidable sight to be honest. It was very bothered by us as it was focussed on the trail it had found, not sure where it lead.

We then carried on our tour to a couple of different parts of the river but with no luck. We then journeyed to another part of the river where we approached a large black female with three cubs (unfortunately I did not capture a photo of all three cubs together as one of them quickly climbed up a tree behind its mother, but in one of the photos, you can see the cub in the tree). Our guide told us that this sight was quite rare. The cubs were about nine months old and it was quite common that at least one of them would have died by now or the mother would have at least abandoned one of them. It shows the resilience, love and care of an amazing mother.

Once the river safari was over, there was a short break before I commenced on the jeep safari. Other than the river, there was a couple and one other guide. I was given a choice as to where I would like to sit and I chose to stand at the back of the jeep and have a strap tied behind my back which was attached to the jeep railings. The jeep safari blessed me with the opportunity to see a young brown male, who at one point showed who was boss by standing high on its back legs, a beautiful sight. It seemed he could sense something we could not, it was going up and down the hill behind it, and then at one point crossed the road right behind me and very close to me!

Soon after, it became clear what was bothering the young brown male. A huge black male came around the corner, totally and utterly awesome and exhilarating!!! A truly fantastic few hours of my life which I will cherish forever and not forget!

http://riversafari.com/

http://www.blueriverbc.ca/planning-your-trip/about-blue-river

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