Zorbing, Boating and Smoke Tans // Interior BC, Canada

Hey Everyone!

I am back in the land of the long white cloud and this week has been looooong. Definitely not as cold as I was expecting but I am already missing the warm Canadian weather. Speaking of the Canadian weather, Ill go back to my last two weeks in beautiful British Columbia.

During the camping trip, BC was put into a state of emergency due to the forest fire situation. While only a couple of fires were actively affecting communities and causing evacuations, in one night the fires went from 140-something to over 200. Unfortunately, one of these smaller fires meant that my friends town was needing to evacuate. As I was waiting for a friend to pick me up, I headed to Little Fort to help the volunteer fire department evacuate the town and organise accommodations.

Fires are a normal part of a BC summer, but I have never seen it this bad. It was weird looking at the place I once called home and not recognise it because the mountains were hidden in smoke. Also strange walking outside and having the air taste and smell like campfire. Jokingly we would say we are going out to get a smoke burn when at the pool or lake. Check out the photos below. The first two were taken 20 minutes between each other while the third was taken the next morning. Crazy how quickly it can all change.

Later that day I got picked up by my girl Katelyne and headed over to her mums house for a girls weekend. I hadn’t seen Katelyne in 3 years and it was so good to spend the weekend with her, her mum and her daughter. Now babies don’t like me. Im not kidding, the majority of them just end up crying in my arms or would prefer to be with Nathan. Ivory was different though and loved hanging out with me! I mean it could be because Nathan wasn’t around but hey I'll take the win. Over the four days, we relaxed and hung out as if no time had gone by. I love friendships like that where there is no pressure and you grow and become your own person together. Thank you ladies for having me, I always enjoy our time together, especially being able to just relax. Also sorry Di for stealing your seat (it only happens every three years).

From Barriere I went back to Salmon Arm to spend my remaining time with my mum and siblings. During the week we went Zorbing at Zorboratic in Celista, BC. Believe it or not Ive never actually been zorbing before, and I come from the country of the zorb! We took our brother and his friend out and spent the day in the sun, eating waffles and ice cream, rolling around in a zorb and hanging out on a boat. It is actually one of my favourite places in the Shuswap because not only do they now have a zorb track but there is also a wicked clothing store with the cutest summer clothes as well as a cafe who do waffles right! I mean what sounds better then an apple pie waffle? Not many things come to mind.

The rest of the week was spent shopping, at the lake and watching Netflix. The smoke in the air actually made me sick for a bit but if Im being honest, having to stop and not interact with people was nice. I often need to remind people that though Im going on holiday, when I go to Canada its alot of driving and visiting. Thats exactly how I want it because I’m trying to squeeze as much visiting time in with my friends and family that I can in a short period of time. That does mean that my mind doesn’t register how run-down my body gets, so being sick for a couple days was actually a real blessing.

Ending the week, we went to visit my grandparents. When we first moved to Canada, we lived here with them on their farm. They have such a beautiful spot right on the river. We spent the day catching up and cooking. The sky was particularly gorgeous as the sun was setting because of the smoke in the distance creating a dark cloud with a red tint. I took the drone out to get some shots. My grandpa thought it was cool but grandma wasn’t convinced. I think the photos may have changed her mind though.

The next day I spent it fire chasing with the Yurkiw's. With the fires so close, there was alot of activity in the sky, with bombers going back and forth with water buckets. Seeing the smokey country side I couldn’t help but think, this is not what you expect to see when you think forrest fire. This particular fire didn’t have large flames sprawling across the mountain. Instead we saw alot of thick smoke pockets. One thing thats often forgotten when it comes to fires is the wildlife. Driving around we saw a moose and a baby moose drinking in the river. This is the second time Ive seen a moose and both times Ive been lucky enough to see a yearling with it. What was sad though is that they had to come down to us in order to get water and keep safe.

Check this out!

Our last week in Canada was spent doing a bunch of random things, like buying mascara because NZ gets ripped right off when it comes to imported goods. It also involved eating some of my most missed foods like marble cheese, Tim Hortons and poutine. Most importantly though it was filled with tan maintenance under the smoke filled sky.

This trip was most definitely needed. Alot of people have been asking if I feel recharged and ready to go. To be honest the answer is no. But if you were to ask me if I feel better that answer is a definite yes! Its crazy what a few weeks of time out can do. Mine was most definitely over due. This trip was a good reminder as to why people need to take a few more breaks here and there. They definitely don’t have to be 5 week long breaks but you should definitely take the time to have a break from it all. So if you’ve made it this far, I grant you permission to take a break - even if its just a cup of tea in the window without any technology. TAKE IT!

Thank you to all my friends and family who made the effort to see me and bring me along on all your adventures. It was so good to see you all. Missing you gets a little easier now. I hope you enjoyed my Canada trip nearly as much as me.

Now that I’m back, stay tuned for more weekend adventures!