What I did in Whistler, British Columbia

Cannot put into words the happiness I feel right now, sitting to write a blog post on my laptop after what feels like ages! The past few months have been testing, but nothing makes me happier than getting into that zone and typing down all that’s in my mind for you to read.
The title obviously gave it away, but today’s post is the start of my Canada series, from my trip last month to Whistler, Vancouver and Victoria in Canada. So honoured to be the first Indian blogger to be working with Canadian Tourism. I’ve always wanted to visit that country, and my trip was beyond amazing! I even had the privilege of meeting and interacting with the Honorary Bardish Chagger, Canadian Minister of Tourism and Small Businesses. What a lovely and inspiring woman, and one of the nicest people ever! Not only did she very kindly invite me to meet with her the next time I’m in her city, she gave me some pretty cool travel tips for the next time I visit Canada! Just before my trip, I also interacted with the Canadian Consul General, Jordan Reeves who was such a sport, he dressed up in support of the ice hockey team of Vancouver, his hometown, and gave me some recommendations for my trip. You can watch our chat here, and also read more about it in the Mid-Day clip from that day (image is below).

Coming to the first part of my trip, we took a flight from Mumbai to Vancouver via Frankfurt. (Direct Air Canada flights from Mumbai to Vancouver start soon, so you needn’t worry about the halt anymore!). Once we made it to Vancouver, we immediately hopped onto a Pacific Coach Line bus that took us to Whistler, and that bus journey was probably one of the most beautiful journeys ever, because the view is spectacular. This trip brought me so much closer to nature and pretty much made me fall in love with it all over again! If you’re a nature lover, Whistler is one place you absolutely cannot miss, and you gotta fight that jet lag and stay up on this road journey. Trust me, it’s absolutely stunning. You’ll thank me later.

We checked into the cozy Crystal Lodge for 2 nights, and since we don’t really get to push our luggage trolleys ourselves in India, the 5 year old in me got all excited and posed for a picture too!

It was almost 10 pm by the time we settled in and most restaurants were shut, so we just decided to go to the nearest supermarket and stocked up on some delicious food and beverages. I personally love visiting the grocery shops of new cities and countries when I travel, because you get to see what the locals eat, and also try out lots of new stuff that you can’t access back home. Reason number #76875 why I could move to Canada; the supermarkets are insane!! Fresh berries, breads, the most delicious cheeese, and lots more. Let’s not make this post about food, but it was amazing!
On our first proper day in Whistler, the only thing on our agenda was Scandinave Spa. Who doesn’t love a spa day? And I’ve never had a spa experience like this one before. Scandinave Spa is all about the Hydrotherapy, inspired by an age-old Finnish tradition. You soak in soothing outdoor baths right in the heart of Whistler’s beautiful nature.
Scandinave Spa focuses on hydrotherapy and aims to release tensions in the mind and body. The idea behind the therapy is to follow the ritual of Hot, then Cold and then Relax. The hot pools, sauna, steam are so so relaxing, especially when the weather is nippy and the sun is still shining. The cold dip is the tough part, but in the end worth it. And then relaxing with Whistler’s scenic beauty all around you, is pretty much the most perfect way to spend the day. I’d totally go all the way to Whistler again, just to relive this experience. Also wish they allowed phones/cameras inside so I could capture this experience in some way for you guys, but cutting off from the internet gave me some much needed peace, and I felt so rejuvenated and ready to start my crazy 9 day long trip, despite all the jet lag.
My last day in Whistler started with another delicious breakfast at the Crystal Lodge, followed by a Zipline Trek on Whistler Blackcomb mountain. I’m petrified of heights, and was extremely nervous about this. But oh my god, I cannot put into words how happy I am that I went ahead and took the trek. Ziptrek Ecotours not only gives you a memorable once-in-a-lifetime kinda Ziplining experience, they also talk about Whistler, it’s nature, wildlife habits, and educate us in easy ways of helping nature while we enjoy it. We learnt about Black Bears and were hoping to spot a few, but sadly it wasn’t our lucky day. But the trek involved walking through the snow, taking 5 different ziplines they get longer and higher. It was the beginner tour, and even though I was super nervous when we started, I hoped we had more ziplines by the end of it. You can tell how happy I was from the pictures below! So the next time I’m in Whistler, which I can only hope will be soon, I most certainly am gonna opt for another trek, and hopefully a higher level!

I wanna go on more about my trip, but I’m gonna save that for the next post. I really hope you enjoyed reading this. More on Whistler, and the rest of my British Columbia trip coming your way soon! xx
(All our itinerary, travel and hotel bookings were taken care of by Mazda Travel)