the land of maple syrup, grizzly bears and wild salmon
In the spotlightI’ve got a guilty confession to make. We’re heading off to Canada as of next Friday, August 30 for a whirlwind ten day trip to Canada. The guilty part of this confession is we’re leaving our gorgeous little globetrotter behind in the safe hands of Popcorn (my Dad) and Meme (my mother). Two weeks without our little girl, oh my heart skips a beat every time I think about it. BUT then I think about travelling with a busy 15-month old on a 16 hour flight and Buster and I breathe a sigh of relief. Initially cheeky pops was coming with us until we found out that this particular lodge in the middle of British Colombia doesn’t accommodate for wee-ones. They were happy to make an exception, but I know we would of been walking on egg shells if other guests didn’t approve of our rosy-cheeked 15-month old who can break into a fully-fledged tantrum at a moment’s notice.
So we made the decision to leave her with doting grandparents and make the trip alone. You see, every year at Equitana I’m asked for riding holidays in Canada either to be teamed with a visit to Calgary Stampede or on their own merit born out of the love for the people, landscape, horses. All in all country Canada has charisma. For us to include a new ride within our globetrotting portfolio either Buster, myself or my father Angus ( a globetrotting guide) needs to road test the ride first hand to make sure every aspect of the experience from the horses to the accommodation to the tack to the food to the guiding to the change of scenery is top-notch. When I tell people this, their face turns a bright shade of green.
We’re taking two guests with us for this particular trip and we’ll be flying into a remote area of British Colombia called Chilcotin Plateau and Ts’il-os Provincial Park. We’ll be treading this landscape in Fall, so I’m imagining trees burning in liquid amber, log cabins, grizzly bears, and rugged landscape that is ideal for horse exploration. What I’m really excited about is visiting a new country in my passport and gaining an appreciation for a new horse culture. The last couple of globetrotting trips have been back to countries that I know intimately on a first name basis but Canada is a stranger who I can’t wait to unravel. I know our time is brief but this particular lodge has come with the highest of recommendations and I’m chomping at the bit to explore it.
It goes without saying that I’m going to be a tragic mother striking up conversations with strangers just so that I can blurt out that I have a daughter and ‘do you want to see a picture of her?’. Both Buster and I have the same philosophy – ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. It will be us who will be missing her beyond despair when she’ll be cocooned in grandparent and auntie and uncle love.
Have any of you been to Vancouver, BC? Would love to hear some recommendations. Above is a pic of Finn and I in Brazil last December.