TOFINO CANADA TRIP PART III

 

Happy Sunday my little kitties,

Today it is time for me to share with you the last part of my Canadian holidays! I did not have time to post it before with the wedding, the honeymoon, Wear Lemonade, the new office…we were very busy! These 10 days in Canada have been a real magic moment. As I told you in my previous posts, I had no idea what to expect before going here and I have to admit that it was fabulous.

 

 

Until now, I only liked post cards landscapes and long sandy beaches... because these sandy beaches are often associated to places less attractive, polluted also and affected by the tourism business. Obviously, I live wonderful landscapes but I think in Canada, what I like the most was everything beautiful and authentic…I was even moved by the road! While arriving at Tofino, the last step of our trip, we rented a car at the Ucluelet airport…

 

 

Well, Elodie was driving because I still do not have my driving licence… This trip really motivated me to have it! I just need to find some time for this stupid diploma! Moreover, we noticed that the Canadian who are used to live in big spaces have a different notion of distance. Indeed, when they tell you that you are close to the place you would like to go, you actually need to drive for hours to go there!

 

 

Tofino looks like a very cool small surfer town. It reminds me of Laucanau-Ocean but fresher and greener. The ambiance of the city is very casual. It is a nice place to live and everyone seems to know each other. It is a tiny city where there are only dozens of streets.

 

 

In one of my previous posts, “Mapstr: the app of the month”, I talked to you about my good Canadian addresses. For those who have no time to download the app, I give you 4 nice restaurants addresses we went to!

• Wolf in the Fog, 150 4 Street Tofino
• Kuma, 101 4 Street, Tofino (our favorite)
• Sobo, 311 Neill Street, Tofino
• Commom Loaf Bake Shop, 180 1 Street, Tofino (awesome snack and bakery).

 

 

I already told you this for Victoria but in every city we went to, I have been very surprised to see all these flowers and colors in each garden, every window or public places!

 

 

I am now going to talk to you about my favorite moment of the trip: the excursion with the  "Jamie's Whaling Station" organism. All you need to know is that in August in Vancouver and the surrounding areas, it is hot but acceptable. You always need to have a scarf and a pullover in your backpack, just in case… While arriving in Tofino, the weather changed a lot so we were happy to have them…

 

 

At dawn, when we arrived at Jamie’s, we knew that we were going to take a boat to go to the hot water springs of the Maquinna Provincial park. The tour lasted around 6-7 hours and we were on a huge zodiac boat: the adventure! We had to wear a sort of very comfy ski suit, beanies, gloves and a raincoat. So glam the fashion bloggers! We were ready for a 2h30 walk in the early morning mist and we saw the sun rise on the wonderful green nature.

 

 

We met bears (a mother and her child), otters, white whales… it was crazy! I was 6 and a half showing everything with my finger… This adventure was really magic! Unfortunately, I could not take good pictures of the animals but I prefer to keep these moments in memory. We did not even breathe on the boat because we did not want to scare them! I really recommend you this tour!

 

 

Then, we arrived on a little pontoon in the middle of nowhere to go for a hike in a sublime forest looking for hot water springs! The captain left us there and went back to Tofino so we had 2hours ahead to explore.

 

 

We walked into this green millennium forest even if we were not really in an orienteering, compass and cereal bars mood… In this forest, the path was a kind of long wooden terrace and it was very nice because a lot of visitors have written messages on most of the boards. I was really impression by some of them (more pictures in my Facebook album). I am still wondering how is it possible… let me know is you have the answer!

 

 

While arriving at the top of this path, we discovered the hot water springs! And I said: “s*** I did not bring my bathing suit”! The sun was shining and there was no wind…so we decided to go with our underwear. The other explorers were a bit surprised because they were also more organized than us! For this reason, I advise you to take you most beautiful underwear or a swimming suit and a towel!

 

 

I almost forgot! All our way to the hot water springs we walked with wild dogs. Elodie took amazing pictures of them! I have never seen so many different animals in such a short period of time! If I could have done this trip as a child, I would never want to go back home!

 

 

Another thing you can do in Tofino is surfing! It is a famous spot but it is also complicated to surf. I heard that there are different cold-water currents. Yes! When you surf in Tofino, you cannot wear a bikini with the wind in your hair. The idea is more about one-piece suit, balaclava, slippers and gloves. These are warrior sessions!

 

 

There are a lot of surfing schools around Tofino and Ucluelet. I recommend you Wya Point surf shop where you can even find a small food truck in the garden; after effort, comes comfort!

 

 

The surfing session has been one of our last activities in Tofino. Then, we went back to the airport and on our way we decided to go for one of the many possible hikes in the Pacific Rim National Park. Not related to the science fiction movie, I made some researches!

 

 

Indeed, the road between Ucluelet and Tofino crosses the giant Pacific Rim nature reserve. This humid forest is wonderful! It is possible to camp there if you want and you can do a lot of sports activities but for those who are not prepared enough, you also have access to different hikes. The path is made of wood, as for the one to go to the hot water springs. It is very simple and everybody can do it.

 

 

We ended our trip on this chlorophyll and green note. On our way to the tiny airport, we met a little doe, very quiet, not stressed at all even if we were so closed to it. It was hard to leave this country.

 

 

This trip has been crazy and unexpected for me. I will go back there! I am now very addicted to nature, quiet places, and landscapes… a real change! This trip was also a nice adventure because we used small planes and seaplanes and I now feel more comfortable with that. When I look at all the picture I really want MORE!

 

 

You can see all the pictures in the Facebook album.

To see my posts on Vancouver and Victoria, click here and here and all the good addresses of the trip are on the Mapstr app! I send you big kisses and see you tomorrow!

 

 

Translated by Coralie Clair
Pour lire ce post en français, cliquez ici !