TOFINO CANADA TRIP PART III

Happy Sunday, my little cats, 

Today I'm here to tell you about the last little bit of my vacation in Canada! This article has been a long time coming, but between the wedding, the honeymoon, Wear Lemonade and then the new premises, the last few months have been a bit hectic. But these 10 days in Canada were truly a magical interlude. As I told you during the previous articleswhen I went to this country, I had no idea of the landscapes I was going to encounter, and I can tell you it was fabulous.

 I thought that up until then I'd only liked postcard landscapes and long sandy beaches, but in fact I've come to realize that fine sandy beaches often go hand in hand with much less pleasant, polluted areas, corrupted by the tourism business. Of course, I love these sublime landscapes, but I think what I really liked about Canada is that everything is beautiful and authentic, and I was even moved by the road! In fact, when we arrived in Tofino, the last stop before our return to France, we rented a car at the Ucluelet airport...

 Well, it was Elodie who was driving, as I still don't have my driving licence... Anyway, this trip has made me want to get a move on and try to get over that hurdle. All that's left now is to find the time to pass the bloody exam! When we went there, we realized that for Canadians, who live in such wide open spaces, the notion of distance is slightly different from ours. Indeed, when they say that a place isn't far from where we are, you have to count on a few hours' drive! 

 In Tofino, we arrive in a small, cool surfing town that reminds me a little of my little Lacanau-Océan, only fresher and much greener. But the town's atmosphere is very relaxed, life is good in Tofino and everyone seems to know each other. It's a tiny town with about ten streets, 

In my last article "Mapstr: application of the month". well, for those of you who didn't have time to download the app, I can give you 4 great restaurant addresses where we had a great time! 

• 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 (hot snack and bakery).

I already told you at Victoria but in every city we've visited, I've been blown away by the presence of flowers and color in every garden, windowsill and public space!

I'd now like to tell you about one of my favourite moments of the trip: the excursion with the "Jamie's Whaling Station. The first thing you need to know is that the weather in and around Vancouver in August is fine, but it's not a heatwave. You should always pack a scarf and a small sweater in your backpack... And when we arrived in Tofino, this proved to be particularly true! The weather can change very quickly...

So when we arrived at dawn at Jamie's, we knew we'd be taking a boat to the hot springs at Maquinna Provincial Park. The tour was going to take between 6 and 7 hours, and we were going to get there in a giant zodiac-type boat: what an adventure! So, on the spot, we were fitted out with comfortable ski suits, hats, gloves and raincoats. Fashion bloggers at their most glamorous! And off we went for a 2.5-hour walk in the morning fog, watching the clouds roll in over all this green, beautiful nature. 

We came across bears, a mother and her calf, otters, white whales - it was a wild ride! I was 6 and a half years old, I could point to everything, this trip was a delight for the senses! Unfortunately I wasn't able to take proper photos of the animals, and I prefer to keep in mind those suspended moments when no one was breathing on the boat for fear of scaring them! I can wholeheartedly recommend this outing! 

 Then we arrived on a small pontoon in the middle of nowhere to go hiking in a sublime forest in search of hot springs! So the captain left us here and headed back to Tofino, giving us 2 hours to explore the surrounding area. 

We went deep into this thousand-year-old forest, so green that we weren't really in orienteering mode, compass and cereal bars, left to our own devices... In this forest, the path is all marked out by a sort of long wooden terrace, and it's pretty cool because most of the planks are engraved by previous visitors, and I must admit we were impressed by the following the workmanship of some of the engravings (there are others in my Facebook album) I'm still wondering how this is possible, so if you have the beginnings of an answer I'd love to hear from you! 

 When we got to the top of this signposted path, we discovered the hot springs! And when we got there, I said to myself: "This is shit, I haven't brought my bathing suit! ". Well, the sun was shining and there wasn't an ounce of wind, so we went in our underwear to the amazement of the other explorers, who were much more organized than us! So a word of advice: don't forget your best lingerie or swimsuit and a small towel! 

Oh yes, I forgot, all the way to the hotsprings we were accompanied by various wild dogs. crazy photos of these little creatures, which I recommend to you! I don't think I've ever seen so many different animals in so little time, and if I'd done this trip as a child I'd never have wanted to go back! 

After that, what there is to do in Tofino is of course surfing. It's a very famous spot, but also complicated to surf, from what I understand with the different currents of icy water. Yes, you read me right. So when you surf in Tofino, you don't go in a trikini with your hair blowing in the wind. The idea is to wear a full wetsuit, balaclava, booties and gloves. These are warrior sessions!

There are quite a few surf schools around Tofino and Ucluelet, and I recommend the following Wya Point surf shop in which there's even a small food truck set up in the school's garden, perfect for comfort after the effort! 

 The surf session was one of our last activities in Tofino, then we headed back to the airport, stopping along the way for one of the many hikes in Pacific Rim National Park. No connection with the science fiction film, I assure you! 

 In fact, the road between Ucluelet and Tofino crosses the immense Pacific Rim Nature Reserve, a magnificent rainforest. It's possible to do camping and all sorts of sporting activities, but for the less prepared among us, there are several access points along this road for hiking several kilometers. As with the hotsprings tour, the walks are marked by wooden paths, making them easy and accessible to all. 

 So it was on this note of chlorophyll and greenery that we ended our trip. On our way back to the tiny airport, we came across this little deer, very quiet and not at all freaked out by the fact that we were getting so close - it was really going to be difficult to leave this country.

This trip was really crazy and unexpected for me, and I'll definitely be going back! I've really become addicted to all the greenery, the calm and the serene landscapes, a real change of scenery! And then what made this trip so adventurous was all those tiny plane and seaplane journeys, which really reconciled me with altitude! I'm almost tempted to say ENCORE when I see all the photos again! 

By the way, to see all these photos in large size and others never seen before, I suggest you consult the album Facebook.

For my article on Vancouver go here, for the one on Victoria it's over there, and for all the best places to visit on the application Mapstr ! Kisses and see you tomorrow! 

To read this post in English, click here!