Peanutbutter Jelly Time

Hello my dear

Without much problems and questioning at check-in, we take off in L.A. towards Vancouver, Canada. After a pleasant flight, we land late in the evening. From the plane, through passport control, we arrive at the baggage claim. The backpacks are already spinning on the luggage carousel. We pack our belongings and head to the exit. But not so fast! A sharp officer takes notice of us and stops us on our way. We hand over our passports and visas and answer a lot of questions..

How long are you staying, what are you doing, where have you been before, what do you work, etc. After the questioning, he lets us go with a smile. With butterflies in our stomachs, we leave the airport by taxi. (Uber not welcome) After a few minutes, we notice the thick gray coat over the airport. Due to the ongoing forest fires all over the world, Canada, thanks to poor wind conditions, often becomes the target of huge smoke clouds, which completely obscure the landscape. We leave the foggy world and arrive at 23:00

at our Airbnb. For little money at a Chinese-Canadian host 😁. We go to bed and regenerate for our time in Vancouver.

We use the first day to organize ourselves, walk through our neighborhood, go shopping. Vancouver is quite far away from our accommodation, so we take the trip the next day. With bus and metro, we head to the northern part of the coast. We get off shortly before downtown, in Chinatown, and stroll through the streets. Probably not the best choice. We feel like we're back in L.A. Crazy drunks and many homeless people are in this part of Vancouver. We quickly look around the cheap souvenir shops and move on. The port of Vancouver is our next destination. You can already hear the seaplanes, which make smooth landings at the harbor, from afar. We like this part of town a lot better. Lots of nature, beautiful glass high-rise buildings, and well-kept gardens are located by the water, next to the famous Stanley Park.

We also see two gigantic cruise ships that make a stop. We rent two bikes from Yes cycle bike, just a few meters from Stanley Park. Helmet on, saddled up the power bike, and off we go. We pedal along a wide path along the coast, around the peninsula. The park is really beautifully designed, has many interesting stops, and a fine sandy beach, which was quite crowded on our visit day. We enjoy the day, the tranquility of the surroundings, and round off our happiness with one of the countless local beers. Vancouver is definitely worth a visit and is certainly one of the top three cities we have visited.

Our next destination is Kelowna, or rather Oyama lake, where a small lodge is located on the mountain. (www.oyamalake.com) Our third Wokaway journey is about to begin here. Early in the morning, we take the Greyhound bus from Vancouver. It looks almost like at home. The green forests make me nostalgic and the five-hour journey ends faster than expected. In Kelowna, we are warmly welcomed by two young women and a little boy. One woman's name is Nickie, our new boss for the next three weeks. The other is Shelly, a crazy Malaysian with a sidecut and dreadlocks, who also works at the lodge for a while. Marqis, the nine-year-old, bombards us with thousands of questions right from the start and we have a lot of fun already on the first ride. Before we face the steep ascent, we devour a few onion rings with fries by the lake. The journey to the lodge takes between 25 and 50 minutes, depending on the vehicle. We drive up the mountain on bumpy roads, pass huge potholes that shake us up and we keep an eye out for bears in the vast forests. However, with Shelly's cheap vehicle, we still arrive at the lodge before sunset. A large gate welcomes us to the Oyama Eco Lodge. You did it! says a sign. We park in front of a large house right by the entrance and get out. We meet Nick, Nickie's boyfriend, and Sam, Nickie's mother, in the house. Even Loovie, the little dog, welcomes us warmly and wags his little stubby tail wildly. We already feel at home and move into our small blue, yellow, orange wooden hut next to Nicky and Nick's house. It's small, rustic but cozy, with a small stove in the corner and a large wooden bed. We spend the first night great and wake up at 08:00 the next morning. Everything is quite relaxed, no one seems to be in a hurry, so we enjoy a hot coffee on the balcony. The view is fantastic! The coffee tastes twice as good. Our work begins. Shelly gives us the necessary introduction and shows us how things work. The lodge consists of several large wooden houses, smaller cabins, an RV-area (mobile homes), and at the very back, a small spot right on the shore where you can pitch your tent. Our work consists of cleaning, sweeping, scrubbing, making beds, and recycling. To make our work easier, we are introduced to B.o.b., a golf cart that we zip around the lodge with. He is a bit old but with the right handling, no problem. After the first few days, we get the hang of it. We work between three and five hours a day, so we have plenty of time to explore the surroundings. Civilization is kilometers away, so we have the lodge and the vast amount of nature. Oyama Lake is huge, small islands invite you to stay, and the fantastic reflection that is reflected from the water is picturesque. The lodge has canoes, kayaks, motorboats, standup paddleboards, and simple rowboats to explore the lake. I think we've tried each one at least once. Is there anything more relaxing than gliding over this smooth surface and listening to nature? We enjoy this extraordinary workout almost every day. The tranquility is wonderful, with a loud roar into the distance, the echo comes back to the boat. The days pass quickly, we take a few trips to the lowlands and occasionally celebrate a "Floody party" in the water. We meet many funny friends of Nickie and Nick. The permanently stoned Irish Rohnan, who teaches English, or Toni, a guy who lived in Africa and in the northern part of Canada with the Inuit. With Bruce, the aging lodge mechanic, and Toni, we have a shooting competition with an air rifle and slingshot at the edge of the forest. Anita turns out to be a born sharpshooter and rarely misses the target.

In the last week, Lucy, Marqis' mother and Shelly's friend, visits us. We also celebrate Shelly's birthday. Lucy and Anita go all out, cooking and decorating everything festively, while Shelly and I drive to Kelowna. When we return, the surprise is perfect. We feast, drink, laugh, and celebrate into the night. Nick disappears briefly and comes back with several "pyjamas". He himself is already dressed as Michelangelo Turtle. Anita becomes a unicorn and I become a sheep. Baaah. Newly dressed, we really get the party going and then go to bed. After the weekend, our time is unfortunately already over. Nick takes us to Kelowna after we all hugged again. The people have grown very dear to us and we look back on a great time on our journey. However, we are now very much looking forward to continuing in Canada, more lakes, more sights, more nature!

Best regards

Lars