And because I got carried away and I don’t want

to miss anything on this trip, this post

will be published in a series of three articles.

I hope you have the time of day

as this is a long read.

A State of Gratefulness

[Last of a Series]

JOURNEY TO BANFF

          The last trip we took before coming back to Manila was in Banff. Looks like Alex and Pee Ann saved the best for last.

          You see, even before I could step on this beautiful little town, I already loved it because this was the very first place Pee Ann settled in when coming to Canada to work and join Alex. I was more than thankful that she was finally out of Dubai, where she was then working. No offense meant to the Middle East but …

          Anyway, during her early years in Banff, I can only imagine her working and living conditions and accompanied by ardent prayers that she is okay, that Alex will continue to love, respect and protect her at all times; that their bosses and non-Filipino colleagues will treat them right; that they will be warm during winter; that they will always be safe from all types of harm, that etcetera, etcetera …

          The closer I got there, the more my heart beat faster. And when we finally got there, I was simply overwhelmed.

          The place reminds me of Baguio, particularly Camp John Hay, only so much more beautiful with the air cleaner and chillier.

          Regardless of Baguio, Banff is definitely a place like no other. The Canadian Rockies have been  a stunning backdrop since we arrived in Canada but it seemed to have become larger and more majestic as we got here.

          Even if it was my first time, it felt like I was coming home. We visited their workplace, Banff Park Lodge (BPL), and their home while there, the Bow View Lodge.

          At BPL, we met their former colleagues who have become close friends — Don [below photo, extreme left]; and Chef JP [second from right; and also in lower photo]. 

          We also got together with more friends  who continue to live and work in Banff. We had an evening of good food and getting to know each other and catching up with [below middle photo] Imelda and Malou [behind me and Ghiselle]; Elacio [beside Ghiselle], who owns the place; and Don with his wife [lowermost photo, extreme left] and their cute daughters [girls in identical dresses], who I met back home in Cavite before they joined Don.

          We also dropped by the Cake Company, where they used to sell their cakes and met the owner, Grant Canning, who also happens to be a councilor of Banff.

          Eavesdropping on his conversation with Alex confirmed what I heard during a Homily in one of the masses we attended at Ascension Parish, and I whispered a quick thank you prayer that they are considered some of the lucky ones as many of their peers and colleagues have lost their jobs the past two years.

          We also went to Banff’s farmer’s market to visit their former boss, Chef Henry. He was so happy to see Alex and Pee Ann and it was pretty obvious how much he loved his two former staff. He started telling us how good Alex and Pee Ann are at their work, among other nice things, and as much as I wanted to hug him, say thank you, and proudly introduce myself, I failed because I was so moved by his words I simply stayed in the background, fighting back tears.

          These visits made me realize just how the Heavenly Father has answered my prayers and for always having their backs while they work and live far away from home and family.

         

A PLACE OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE

          Anyway, available literature says Banff is also a UNESCO world heritage site and “a place of global significance.” It is surrounded by mountains, notably Mount Rundle, Sulphur Mountain, Mount Norquay, and Cascade Mountain.

          And it is in Sulphur Mountain where we ventured for our Banff Gondola experience. Once more, my fear of heights was tested as we rode a glass-enclosed gondola — it looks like Singapore’s cable car — that makes a 7,484-feet ascent to the mountain. Flyers say it’s an eight-minute ride but it seemed like eight years. The view, however, was wow!

          After the ride, we do more walking — the flyers say one kilometer — towards Sanson Peak, the mountain’s highest point, where the Cosmic Ray Station, a weather observatory, considered a national historic site, is located.

          A welcome sign saying, “you have arrived,” greets those who make it to the top. And that includes us and, of course, we posed at the weather station itself …

          Interpretive signs say Norman Sanson, curator of the Banff Park Museum and the federal government’s official weather observer, climbed the mountain more than a thousand times to collect weather data. This mountaintop weather observatory, operating from 1903 to the mid-1930s, helped improve national weather forecasting and warned of major snowfalls, fires, droughts and floods, and helped farmers decide when to plant or harvest. 

          During the ascending walk, we got to see more views that became more stunning as we reached higher ground. And in every step of the way, we breathed in mountain air which was rejuvenating, making our climb less tiring. This led cousin Melody to quip in my Facebook post about the place that this has definitely cleaned out my lungs.

          Indeed, the view is always best from the top. I loved those pine trees along the way and picked up some cones. We encountered wildlife including some chipmunks which I mistakenly identified as squirrels. A male tourist overheard me and volunteered, “that is not a regular squirrel, it’s a chipmunk … remember, chipmunks have a stripe on their body.”

          Of course, I said thank you to him and he answered, “you’re welcome, it’s not everyday that you get information like that.”

          He is right and it is not also everyday that I get a chance to be in such a beautiful place, where my state of gratefulness was at its peak, as I was surrounded by nature at its best, and beside the two people I love most in the whole world.

MORE LAKES & A HOTEL

          Banff had other attractions like Lake Minnewanka, which has an interesting story as told in a historical plaque located at the side of the lake, entitled Lake Minnewanka: A Compromise With Nature. I want to share it with you —

          The lake has been artificially raised twice: 16’ by

the Devil’s Canyon Dam in 1912 and an additional 65’

in 1941.

Beneath these quiet waters lie the remains

of the old dam across Devil’s Canyon. Off the point

across the bay, the foundations of the old village

at Minnewanka landing lie preserved beneath many fathoms

of water.     

The natural scene has been altered but nature

has done much to heal the scars wrought by man.

          As usual, we lingered a while by the waters, breathing more mountain air, taking more pictures. We were later joined by a bunch of mountain deer and also saw some birds.

          Also in the Minnewanka loop are lakes Johnson and Two Jack, which have picnic areas and campgrounds. It is quite hard to distinguish which is which but they are all blue-tinted with the awesome horizon for a background.

          There is also Vermilion Lakes which has Mount Rundle in the background. A big interpretive sign by the entrance says the lakes with the mountain “have become one of the most photographed and painted scenes in the Canadian Rockies.”

          It is a series of lakes that are formed in the Bow River Valley and the Banff National Park at the foot of Mount Norquay, where we had our second group jump shot.

          There was also the fantastically blue Peyto Lake that has the shape of a wolf’s head. Available literature says the lake gets its color “from the large amounts of glacier rock flour that flow into it during summer months.”

          Going downtown to try out the sushi house where food is served in a train-like conveyor, we chanced upon Cascade Gardens, while walking along the avenue after a full meal. At this time, Ghiselle, Alex and Richard decided to go biking around town. Wished I could join them but I am no longer sure of my biking skills.

#

          Pee Ann led me, Grace and Mike to a bridge over Bow River that goes straight to this perfect place of colorful flowers and trees and gazebos and rocks in paths or other formation. Our photos tell the rest of the story.

          While crossing the bridge, a local guy asked, “are you Filipinos?” and when we chorused “yes,” he started singing a Tagalog song with an un-Filipino accent, then said he is married to a Filipina. Sweet guy …

          We likewise visited the Banff Springs Hotel — now the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel — a luxury hotel built during the 19th century. Just like the Prince of Wales, it has this rustic but elegant ambience and it smells really good inside. As usual, I found this divan at the lobby which — again! — would be perfect in our TV area.

          And because we can’t seem to get enough of it, we stopped by some roadside to once more marvel at its grandeur and have one more picture with it …

          Of course, the Hidden Ridge Resort, where we stayed, has its own appeal. We stayed in a condo-style chalet with a kitchen, a fireplace, and hot swimming pool and jacuzzi within the area, and the usual fantastic view of the mountains.

          A barbeque pit is likewise provided within the area.

          Another friend of Alex and Pee Ann, endearly called Amang [lowermost photo, third row, extreme left], who is JR’s brother, was on hand to facilitate our stay in the resort.

LIKE A WATERFALL

          The Johnston Canyon, a tributary of the Bow River, also in Banff, was an altogether new experience.

          I was a bit distracted at this time because Ghiselle’s connecting flight from Shanghai is delayed. She could have been with us already but we will have to meet up with her in Vancouver.

          Anyway, it was an exciting uphill stroll through pine-clad forests while walking on iron or concrete catwalks attached to canyon walls or cliff edges. Making this truly unique is the refreshing sound of rushing water underneath or those from the mountains.

          Mike, Grace and I only managed to reach the Lower Falls with a bridge serving as a viewpoint and leads farther to a short tunnel — the queue was long that day but it was worth it! This tunnel serves as a passage to a smaller but a much closer view of the waterfalls.

          Much closer that a cold spray of water landed on my face and arms blown by an even colder wind. Much closer that I felt the vibration caused by the falls as it rushed to the ground of foamy white below.

          And much closer that made me see its beauty so refreshing, purest water I’ve ever seen — looking like a luminous white — and continuously flowing from the mountains 24/7, an abundance that can only come from God.       

          As an afterthought, I could have been a waterfall — if I was part of Nature — because it cannot be quiet. It doesn’t just move downward but it roars, makes a splash, creating a sound you can’t miss.

          But our similarity is only because I am a loud person and sometimes I could really get noisy. The sound of a waterfall is somewhat musical, revitalizing …

STILL BECOMING

          And so I have come to the end of my travel diary. We came back to Manila on the 17th of August last year and I have since added another year to my age, no longer a newbie senior citizen. 

          Now you know how late this post is …

          In a Facebook post to end my Canadian holiday, I wrote: “wow that was fast ... indeed time flies when you're having fun ... thank you Paulyn Angela Nario & Alexander Benedicto and the many good people you introduced us to for making our stay truly memorable & sobrang saya ... to my canada-based friends, it was nice to see you again ... sometimes it's not about who you spend the most time with, it's more about who you have the best time with ... merci beaucoup everyone …”

          Merci beaucoup indeed and until now, I smile and I feel a sense of wonder when I remember those places we have visited. More than this, however, is a pleasant assurance that Pee Ann and Alex, while away from us, have definitely found a home and a family where they are.

          All those people we met, including those Filipinos we bumped into, add more color to this trip treat.

          There may be some truth to that adage that goes, of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport.

          As I said earlier, this has been a fitting culmination to my first year as a senior citizen of the world. I continue to become and I am positive there will be more  fun and exciting stories to write, and not necessarily just stamped on my passport.

         

          I remember this book, Things To Do Now That You’re … 60 by Graeme Kent, which I chanced upon while looking for a gift to a high school friend turning 60. Browsing through, it asked the 60-year old if he/she ever wanted to transform his/her sedate life into a more exciting and fruitful existence or do something totally radical. There were ideas and tips and some quotations that aimed “to fill you with aspirations, encourage you to dream, and live large.”

          Well, I don’t really need a book or even a compass or a manual to continue living my life  the way I’ve done all these years. For starters, I never had a sedate life and I continue to become — even if I’m not sure until now into what. That quotation in a store in downtown Banff reminded me so well that as I neared 61, “I am not aging. I am evolving.”

          I’m not really running out of ideas on what to do  or how to continue la dolce far niente or the sweetness of doing nothing. Surely, you’ve heard about this Italian phrase and I’ve written about this in a previous post after reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s gem of a book, Eat Pray Love — which eventually became a movie starring Julia Roberts — that inspired me to adapt this Italian culture.

          Besides, my daughters don’t make me just sit and let the action pass me by. “Just go” has become our silent mantra.

QUOTES ALONG THE WAY

          In ending, I would like to share some words of wisdom I chanced upon while going around Canada.

          In downtown Calgary —

          Not in a romantic way, but I’d like to believe my life is a wonderful fairy tale. Even without advice, I will continue to enjoy life, and never quit daydreaming even while at work … haha!

          In a Canmore shop —

         

          This is a nice way of encouraging you to dream big but be realistic enough to accept what actually comes true.

          In an all-year round Christmas shop called Spirit of Christmas in downtown Banff —

          This is a Christmas rule — that means not to stress on Christmas Day — but I guess it likewise applies to our day to day. We should learn not to take things too seriously. As my former editor-in-chief, Ms. Chay, would say, tomorrow is another day. One stressful day doesn’t make one lonely life. There’s always the next one to turn things around.

            In another shop in Canmore —

          So true but I guess I have become absolutely boring with this looooooong narrative.

          And finally, in a coffee shop in downtown Vancouver —

         

          I think I saw this sign for a reason — I am being assured that for all my intents and purposes, all my faults and flaws, I am perfect.

          Not perfect as in completely free from faults and defects but perfect in the sense that I am perfectly comfortable with myself and the people around me.

          I am perfectly grateful for all the people God has put in my world, especially my daughters. I am perfectly okay with what I am, who I am, and what I have and will ultimately become. I am still becoming, remember?

          And I am perfectly grateful for everything great and small. Great, as in my daughters and I have good health, peace of mind and a happy perspective in life. Small, as in despite not having a green thumb, our yards are refreshingly green and our gumamela plant, among others that bloom, has beautiful flowers now and then.