What a breathtaking weekend! The INTERNeX group set off on one of the best trips of the year on Friday. We went to the Rocky Mountains. Together with Moose bus adventures we created a Rockies trip individually planned for INTERNeX and it was just incredibly cool!
On Friday we hit the road. There was a long bus trip ahead, but everybody was super motivated and was ready for the trip. Mike was our driver and guide and brought a bit of atmosphere into the group. After everything was stowed away in our bus, we were ready to go and set off!
We spent our first night in Kelowna, but already on the way there we stopped at many exciting and beautiful places like the Bridal Veil Falls in Rosedale. Then we made our way to Kawkawa Lake, when we arrived there, we all jumped into the water and then we had a brilliant idea…why not make a challenge out of it. The challenge was to swim in every lake we visited! I took this challenge very seriously during the trip (I was the only one who really swam in every lake) because Mike (guide) and I came up with the idea, but the others also enjoyed the idea even if they didn’t swim in every lake.
Hope, a small city east of Vancouver, is known for his wooden figures and we happened to witness the famous competition where the candidates carved wooden figures with a chainsaw.
On the way to Kelowna we also visited the Othello tunnels, which also belong to one of the most famous sights and fo
r reason. Unbelievable that these tunnels were created only with dynamite and manual work.
Arrived in Kelowna it was time to check into the hostel and everyone could hardly wait for dinner. Even though it was very windy at the beach in Kelowna we decided to eat pizza and enjoy the view of the water. For me it meant swimming in the water again! The challenge must go on!
Some of us, despite the fact that it was a long and exhausting trip, went for a drink in the evening, which led to the fact that the next morning it was nice and quiet in the bus 😛
Now it was time for us to head to Banff and on 
the way there Mike showed us many breathtaking places. We stopped at Kalamalka lake and then we went to a lake that really took my breath away. Emerald Lake, a glacial lake that looks like it’s photo-shopped. Small glacial minerals make the water look turquoise. Due to the fact that the lake consists of glacial water it has a water temperature of only a few degrees Celsius. This didn’t stop Mike and me from jumping from the bridge into the ice-cold water. We were a little attraction, and no one could believe that there are actually two crazy people jumping into such cold water, some of the tourists even walked around in winter jackets. Nevertheless, we jumped, and I think my heart stopped beating for a moment, but I’ve never felt so good about anything. A unique experience that I will be talking about for a long time to come.
After we arrived in Banff, we spent a relaxed evening together.
On Sunday we had a pretty early start into the day, because we had a lot ahead of us. We started with a small hike to the waterfalls in Johnston Canyon. Arriving at the upper waterfalls Mike did a little meditation with us which made us appreciate what we have. After that we went to Lake Louise, where almost everybody took part in the lake challenge and to top it off, we all went to Lake Moraine and jumped into the water. We asked the staff of the canoe rental what the water temperature of the lake was, and it was 6°C, yes you read correctly, 6°C. It was very cold, but I am proud that all of us have made it. Both Emerald lake, Lake Louise and Lake moraine look as if someone had coloured the lake blue, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, unbelievable! In the evening we went to the Banff Hot pools, which were a good change after the cold lakes.
The trip was nearing its end and yesterday we made our way back to Vancouver. A short stop at the Natural Bridge made the trip complete and we made it back to Vancouver safely.
The trip was simply breathtaking and unique!
Hope you have a great week and to see you at tomorrow’s PUB NiGHT at the Yale Saloon!
-Lilly
INTERNeX International Exchange
International Village,
Suite 2077, 2079 – 88 West Pender Street
Vancouver, Canada -V6B 6N9-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com
y bus to spent some time on Lake Louise. Yes, you read it right, ON Lake Louise. The lake that is especially famous in Summer for its turquoise coloured water was completely frozen. This made it possible to not only walk over, but also skate on it. All the snow that covered the ice, the mountains and the trees additionally made it look even more like a winter wonderland.
Then, It was finally time to get to our accommodation for the night, wooden cabins in Golden. Shortly after our arrival, we could pretend to be kids again by doing an Easter Egg Hunt. We all gathered around the campfire, warmed ourselves up, shared talks and played the game ‘Werewolf’. When it got dark, our tour guide had the amazing idea of doing a night hike through the forest. Fun, some of us even got lost. The evening ended with a big party in the barn, including limbo and a Lip Sync Battle. The highlight: everyone dancing to Gangnam Style.
Friday was finally the time to go to the Rockies and I was so excited that I barely slept the day beforehand. I could see that more people lacked some sleep, as a lot of people were getting coffees in Tim Hortons or tried to catch some sleep in the bus. The drive to Valemount was pretty long, so luckily we had enough stops along the way. Our first stop was at Hope, where everybody had time to get a coffee, breakfast and explore the town. We went to see the river and made a few pictures of it. After that we continued our journey to Kamloops, where we could get lunch in the mall. When all our stomachs were filled, we started driving to Spahat Falls. This is a cute little waterfall near Clearwater. As it was so small, you could take pictures with it with the water coming from your nose or mouth. Then we continued our journey to Valemount. On the way to Valemount, we were a bit unlucky, as there was a forest fire. The police blocked the road and we weren’t able to get to our hotel. According to the news, it would take about 2 hours for the road to open again, so we went back to Blue River to wait for new updates. After an hour we heard that the road would not open till the morning, so Janel tried to arrange an hotel in Kamloops. We tried to make the best out of the situation, so some of our group even started dancing on the music. When Janel could not arrange a hotel in Kamloops, he called the police for us. Apparently the road was open again, so the decision was made to get back to the hotel again. We were really happy 
that we still could get to the hotel, because if we would have gone back to Kamloops, we would have needed to wake up 3 hours earlier. This made the bus drive even longer, but not less fun. During our long bus drive we played games with the whole bus. One of the games was called “Speeddating”. Basically, one side was just switching seats and you had a short time to get to know them. It was really nice to get to know people besides our INTERNeX gang. We also played another game during our long bus ride. While playing the game, Janel would mention a certain item. This item had to be brought to the back of the bus and then back to Janel. The row that managed to do it first won. Besides that we also sang a lot together and turned the bus a bit in a party bus. When we finally got to the hotel, we still went to the Cowboy ranch where we ate dinner, did line dancing and tried to catch a bull with a lasso.
I was amazed by the amazing blue water and made some great pictures in front of the lake. Then it was time for the second lake of our big trip: Bow Lake. At Bow Lake we could do the Polar Wolf Swim. Basically, we ran with the whole group into the water, because that seemed easier. However, in my opinion the water did not get warmer while I was swimming in it, so I got out of it really soon. We all quickly changed back into our normal clothes and drove to our second hotel. We did not stay really long at that hotel, as we had to get dinner and then had to meet at the pub for pre-drinks. The drinks in the pub were really cheap, so a great place for pre-drinks for our big party in Banff. After getting some drinks we went to the club to dance the night away.
The next day a lot of people were still recovering from the day before. We already had to leave really early in order to see all the lakes that day. Our first stop was at Lake Minnewanka where we had breakfast again. After I finished my food, I decided to explore the lake for a bit and make pictures together with Lea. On the way back to the bus we also saw big horn sheep walking away and luckily I got the chance to make a picture of them as well. Then we drove further to one of the more famous lakes of the Rockies, Lake Louise. We first did a hike to a hidden spot. From this hidden spot, you could make a beautiful picture of the lake without all the tourists on it. After I got pictures from the lake, I decided to go back to the lake and enjoy the view from the bottom. However, I could not spend a lot of time there, as I already did a long hike before that. After time at the lake itself, we could either choose to go to Lake Louise village or do the Lake Louise gondola. I decided to do the Lake Louise gondola, which meant that I could also enjoy the 
all you can eat buffet beforehand. The food was really good and after I ate I was ready to go up to the top of the gondola. Franz, Alex and I took the open gondola, as we wanted to make sure that we could make nice pictures if we would spot a bear on the way to the top. Unfortunately we didn’t see any bears. Once on the top, we did a hike which took us to a really nice viewing point. From there you could see the mountains on the back and the clouds also added something mystical. As I was a bit late, I had to sing a song in front of the bus. I decided to sing “Het is een nacht”, which is a famous Dutch song. It was fun to see Danielle and Bart singing along, which made it less awkward for me. After enjoying the amazing view at the top of the gondola, it was finally time to go to the best lake in the Rockies, which I think is Moraine Lake. Moraine Lake is the most blue lake in the Rockies and great for pictures. We hiked a short time to get a better view of the lake and made a picture there. I was so amazed by the blue color of the lake. I also tried to make one on the rocks, which was really scary for me. After Moraine Lake we 
continued our way to another amazing lake, namely Emerald Lake. A lot of people decided to do canoeing. I went together with Lea and Merle. We all got a paddle and I think we were doing a pretty good job with directing the boat. On the lake we were enjoying the views of the mountains and the beautiful lake. After that we drove up to the Mountain View Cabins. There were only a few cabins, which basically meant that we were the only one at the cabins. We had a great BBQ and then I explored the area a bit. After that I played a game with Dawid, Marko, Mandy, Tess and Nathalie. I ended that night early, while others decided to party.
The day after you have the chance to do the two other optional activities. The first one is a bit more relaxing and a perfect activity when you would like to get some rest during this busy schedule. You can take the Lake Louise gondola up and have an amazing view over the Rocky Mountains at the top. The activity includes an all you can eat lunch buffet, so you don’t have to worry about getting any lunch beforehand. You may even see bears on the way to the top!
INTERNeX Canada 