The Canadian Rockies. They're so beautiful you'd want to cuddle them.


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North America » Canada » Alberta
March 25th 2014
Published: April 21st 2014
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I wanted to see Lake Louise after the snow has melted like the one that I saw on a postcard. But alas, it’s already spring and the lake is still frozen. It’s the last week of March and I’m leaving in two weeks so I had to go.

The drive to Banff took about fourteen hours. We drove through the highway that could take us straight to Alaska. It is said to be one of the most beautiful highways in the world. I saw a few signs that said US border. I looked out the window but I wasn’t sure if that was already the US that I was looking at. I only saw trees. I’m not sure if that already counts as seeing the US. I have since stopped thinking about how much money I’m spending as long as I’m not spending too much. If I run out of cash then there’s always my credit cards.

We passed through several Canadian small towns. I saw Merrit. It’s a small town or maybe a city. I imagine small towns to have farms but Merrit doesn’t. It’s a community that works in the mining industry. They have big beautiful houses. The houses are closely packed and they’re all on a hill that has very few trees because that hill is mostly rock. I imagine that it would be hot in the summer because of the lack of trees.

There were villages where the houses were much smaller. So that’s what poor communities here look like. The houses were small and not fancy but it still cannot be considered as living in poverty. It would be sad to live in those communities though where there are less than one hundred houses. I’m not the most sociable person and I don’t go out much so I shouldn’t complain if there are very few people in my village. I don’t even know my next door neighbors. I’m not sure why I think it would be sad to live in small towns. Maybe because the houses are not pretty. I did not see people walking around and kids playing outside. Just houses with their lawns covered in snow. It’s really quite depressing. There’s snow in Whistler Village too but it looks a lot more festive because there’s a lot of people walking about and lots of shops.



Some houses were half covered in snow. I wouldn’t want to live as a single man in those places where you can wake up with your house half buried in snow. That’s way too much work. People there would need at least three kids in their families that can help in keeping the snow out of the house. If it's not illegal to make your kids do that. It’s not common for families here to have maids. Labor is expensive. Even those who are more wealthy do not have maids. I think that’s a good thing. Labor is so cheap in the Philippines that even poor people can have maids. I grew up relying on them for all household chores. I wake up with the breakfast served and my clothes ready. I never had to take the thrash out or make my bed. When I get back home from school my room would be clean. As a result I lack essential skills like cooking, and being a handy man. I always thought that I didn’t need those skills because I can pay people to do those things. But apparently labor is not that cheap all over the world. If you go somewhere where you cannot afford to have domestic helpers and eat out for every meal then you’re screwed. Me and the washing machine are like Elle Woods in Harvard. I need to start learning how to cook and fix things.

I found out that they have Christmas tree farms! I thought they just pick small trees in the forest. I wonder how fast those trees grow. The ones that I saw on a Christmas tree farm were about two feet tall. I wonder if they would be tall enough by December. Maybe they grow them for two years? We have plastic Christmas trees in the Philippines that we set up every year.

Sometimes you’d see furniture and appliances by the roadside. Everyone is free to pick them up if they want them. I saw lots of TV in one garage. Maybe a hotel upgraded their TVs. If I lived here I’d drive around with a pickup truck and change my furniture every quarter. I have minimal use for appliances because I don’t cook, watch TV, or play video games. It would be nice if they throw out musical instruments too.

Snow covered mountains are the coolest thing! I would love to go hiking in the Canadian Rockies in the summer someday. My limited vocabulary can’t describe how beautiful they are. The pine trees on mountains look silver when covered in snow. Some mountains have bare tress and they look like black sticks on a snowy mountain. When it's dark it looks like a scene from The Lord of the Rings which is the best movie ever. A lot of the mountains have no trees at all and they look wonderful. No wonder they say this is the most beautiful highway in the world! I keep saying this here but I’ve never seen anything so beautiful! My pictures cannot capture just how beautiful it is there. They are so beautiful you’d want to hug and kiss them.

Snow can be blindingly bright when the sun is up. Sunglasses are necessary. You’d get dizzy without them. We stopped by for washroom break at the border between BC and Alberta. There’s a museum there with fossils. It’s the first time I’ve seen fossils. They also had a Wolverine on display. They’re said to be quite dangerous but they look so harmless. The name Wolverine is not fitting. It looks more like a sloth.


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beggar birds. beggar birds.
beggar birds.

i fed one and the other came asking for food as well


23rd April 2014
The Canadian Rockies

Perspectives
I love this blog. You share your thoughts from your observations so well expressed. The observations of a traveller from a tropical clime thrust into that of the snowbound. Everything so different...no maids, no pampering...but the awe of the beauty you behold. Great blog.
23rd April 2014
The Canadian Rockies

thanks dave!
its just insanely beautilful. It really set the bar high for beauty in nature
23rd April 2014
snow covered house

Amazing snow!
I love your snow photos and adventures. I'm from California and didn't see snow until I started traveling, so I really love your amazement and appreciation of the magical stuff. In this photo, it looks as if the snow if going to eat the house--yikes! How wise not to worry about the money on your incredible journey--when will you ever see things like this again? Buen viaje!

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