WEEK 2 – A Whistler Adventure

Our second week in Canada has come and gone and it’s been quite a whirlwind for us all so far. Vancouver offers an immense number of options of things to do so you can never be bored. Whether you’re a keen hiker or avid shopper there’s something for pretty much anyone.

On our second weekend in British Columbia, we decided to head to the mountains to a place called ‘Whistler’ aptly named because of the marmots that live on the mountain who whistle when they call.

We bundled onto the bus at some early hour in the morning and made our way to Shannon Falls, an almost hidden waterfall that’s conveniently on our way to the mountains. It was beautiful to see gallons of water rolling off the cliff, which created a pristine-like haze as we gazed up at it. We took our respective pictures and selfies of the natural feature and crammed ourselves back in the bus to arrive at Whistler within the hour.

Stepping off the bus in the village at the base of Whistler Mountain was like transporting ourselves to a ski resort in Switzerland. The design was just so European, I felt like I’d be drinking schnapps in no time. With tonnes of shops and restaurants to choose from, we decided to refuel ourselves with delicious hot food we wandered around to explore the area.

We met back with our tour guide Bob after a while and some of us then hiked to ‘Lost Lake’. Luckily none of us got lost or eaten by a bear on the way which is definitely a win in my books. The walk didn’t take us too long and before we knew it we were back on the bus to UBC. The scenic drive back definitely didn’t disappoint though and we all agreed that the journey home made the whole trip worthwhile. We wound our way along the coast with a picture perfect view to our right.

The jagged mountains and glowing ocean was almost too much to take in and photos we managed to take were good, but seeing it with our own eyes was completely unbeatable.

Alongside our studies at the university we’ve managed to fit in various trips to beautiful beaches (clothing optional ones too which is quite a shock to the prude Brits), explore downtown Vancouver and visit local markets that sell fresh and delicious produce of the province. My favourite by far is Granville Island market. The variety of foods there is second to none. Fresh, tasty and sustainably produced.

More adventures await, I’m sure. Bring on week 3!!