How was your weekend?

How my weekend was? Hmm.. I can’t decide which word describes this weekend the best: great, wonderful, awesome, perfect, gorgeous, fabulous, fantastic, spectacular or exceptionally good? At least I had a lot of fun, because this weekend was our trip to Kelowna. Oh, now I got your interest? Well, sit back and read all about our adventures in this beautiful city.

The adventure started Friday at 12 pm at the Pacific Central Station. People showed up with their suitcases and bags to get in the bus. And there we go, a five-hour ride to Kelowna! We saw some beautiful views on our way. After a long sit we arrived in Kolowna. We dropped our stuff in our rooms and walked to this awesome steakhouse. One of the hardest decisions was: What are we going to eat? So many nice choices like burgers, chicken and ribs. When the hunger was gone and we finished our meals it was time to have a little party at the hotel. We played some fun games and, since it was carnival, we played some nice carnival music.

*BIEP BIEP BIEP* At 6:45 the alarm went of. Time for all the skiers and snowboarders to get some breakfast and prepare ourselves for a day in the snow. After one hour in the bus we arrived at the Big White. In the lift to the top we realized how beautiful the view is from there. A sky as blue as a millionaire’s swimming pool. We went down a lot of times from different slopes. The area was very big, so we could do every time a different slope to see them all. The trials where not crowded at all, so many times we had the mountain for ourselves. We ended the day with a beer during the après ski next to the campfire. Then it was time for us to take the bus back to our hotel. We had a little time to prepare ourselves for another dinner and night out. This time we went to an Asian restaurant next to the hotel. Also here we enjoyed some delicious food. We decided to taste our wines we bought at the wine tasting tour and do another fun game before going to Sapphire, the biggest club in Kelowna. A 00’s party was going with a DJ who played all our classic sing-alongs.

Rise and shine, a new day has arrived. We woke up fresh and energetic to start the day with a boost. Ok, maybe not, but at least we stood up to have breakfast. When the rooms were clean and the luggage was packed, we took the bus to Kelowna downtown. In the city we did the scavenger hunt game. The groups had to do as many fun assignments as possible to get points. So we proposed, hugged, fished, danced and so on. After three hours, we met at the bus again to get our luggage and go home. This time we could enjoy a bus ride for 7 hours. Since we did not sleep that much this weekend, we could catch some sleep during the ride.

It was really great to hear that all of you had a great time! And so did we! Thanks to you, it was a really nice weekend. If you did not went on this trip, I am happy to tell you all about it tomorrow at PuB NiGHT in the Lamplighter. See you then!

– Bart

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

 

Are you ready for Kelowna?

Count away the nights! Just two more days before we are in the bus to Kelowna! That means time to start packing your suitcase. But what to bring? What are we going to do? No worries, I will tell you all about the trip in this blog.

We meet on Friday 12:00 pm at Pacific Central. We drop our baggage in the bus and prepare ourselves for a five-hour ride to Kelowna. At approximately 5:30 pm we arrive at the hotel. After checking in, we prepare ourselves for a dinner in Kelowna. The rest of the night is yours. If you want to ski or snowboard, keep in mind that the bus will leave early the next morning to the Big White.

Rise and shine, next day arrives! Breakfast is ready from 7 am till 10 am. For the ones who want to ski or snowboard, the express bus to the Big White departs at 8 am. This shuttle will cost you $25 dollar for a round trip. You can pay a ticket in the bus. After one hour you will arrive at the mountain where you can spend the whole day in the snow. A lift ticket will cost you $95 dollar (or $80 dollar for students). Bring your own skis or rent them on the mountain for $45 dollars. After spending the day in the snow it is time to go back to Kelowna. At 4pm the express bus will depart from the big mountain back to Kelowna.

For the ones who are not going to the Big Mountain, there are a lot of activities to do in and around Kelowna. One of the options is doing a wine tour. Kelowna is very famous for the many wines they produce there. Other options may be zip lining, doing the tree obstacles tour, go for a hike or just chill in the hot tub at the hotel. We meet back at the hotel at 5pm to prepare ourselves for the second night in Kelowna. After dinner it is time to party in one of the pubs or clubs Kelowna has to offer.

On Sunday, unfortunately our last day already in Kelowna, we are going to discover the city by daylight. After our breakfast we will head to the city and do a scavenger hunt. After the great success from the Whistler scavenger hunt, we have a new version 2.0 ready for you! After the craziness we will get back to the hotel to pick up our language and go to the bus. At 4 pm we will take the bus back to Vancouver. At approximately 10 pm we will arrive back in Vancouver.

I hope you are all as excited as I am. Don’t forget your passport and a second piece of ID. Also for the people who want to swim in the hot tub, don’t forget to bring your swimwear. Keep in mind that the office will be closed from Friday till Monday. I can’t wait to see you all on Friday! And of course tonight at PuB NiGHT as well!

– Bart

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

PuB NiGHT Review: TAPshack

Hey now, you’re a rock star, get the show on, get paid. I felt like a famous rock star yesterday. I will tell you why later on in this pub night story. Let me start from the beginning…

Before PuB NiGHT started, we ate some chicken wings at the Pint. During happy hour everyone gets free chicken wings when ordering a beer. When our stomach was filled, it was time to go to Tapshack. Tapshack is a really nice, cozy pub with a beautiful view of the mountains in North Vancouver. Our table was waiting for us outside on the heated patio in front of the pub. We sat down and tried some of the many different beers TAPshack has to offer. Or one of those really nice grapefruit drinks.

After some drinks, laughs and talks it was time to head to the Met to do our performances. We did of course our classics, such as summer nights and lemon tree. And then you hear those awful words: “last song of the night, guys”. It was time to leave, so we went outside of the pub. While we were waiting there, a chauffeur from the limousine came to us with an offer we couldn’t resist. A drive through the drive-through of MacDonalds. So we all went in the limo and partied further. Unfortunately, the MacDrive was closed, so he dropped us all off at our houses.

I had a lot of fun and I hope you did as well. Tomorrow we will drive (with a bus, not a limo this time) to Mt. Seymour to practice our ski skills. See you there!

– Bart

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

What to do on the weekend?

Another weekend is coming up, so it is time to list all the fun things you can do while your are in Vancouver.

Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival

April means almost the end of the ski-season in Whistler and which better way to celebrate this that throwing a festival. This festival is a free festival and takes up to 10days with performance such as, music, arts, sports and mountain life. The festival is suitable for all ages and the slopes are going to be crazy. Check here for more information.

VCBF: Sakura Illumination

Artist Stuart Ward will illuminate the blossom of cherry this friday with LED and patterned video. The event will start at 7:45pm till 9.30pm at the Sunset Beach on Beach eve at Thurlow street. There is no entrance fee, so it is for free!

Pineapple Challenge

For the run-lovers a 5km obstacle course is planned on Saturday. Create a team, dress up crazy and sign up. Before the race you will get a pineapple and you have to run the obstacle course with your team without letting it fall. So be careful. All the reaised money will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. Click here for more information.

Vaisakhi Day Parade

Every April, millions of Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi Day. This day celebrates the New Year and the anniversary of the first Amrit Ceremony. There are two parades in Vancouver. The Vancouver Vaisakhi Parada on April 12 with around 50,000 spectators showing up. The parade starts at 11am at the Ross Street Temple on 8000 Ross st at 64th. or the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade and Celebration on April 19 which attracts around 80,000 – 200,000 people. Making this Parade the biggest outside India. If you are interested in cultures, this is definitely something you should not miss.

Water Loving Otters and Beavers

Interested in how Otters and Beavers life in Stanley Park? Than head out to Stanley Park (Stanley Park Nature House at Lost Lagoon) on Sunday at 6:00pm for evening stroll from the shores of Lost Lagoon to Baever Lake and discover and learn more about the habitats of the animals. The cost are $10, but is sure is a great experience. Click here for more information.

We wish you a nice weekend and let us know on Tuesday (Pub Night) what you did

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

 

About INTERNeX: Banff, Alberta

Many of you have started your winter season and some of you are lucky enough to spend the next few months in Banff!

Where and what is Banff, exactly? Banff was discovered in the 1880s when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was being built through Bow Valley.  It was named “Banff” in 1884 by George Stephen, the president of CPR, as Banffshire, Scottland was his birthplace. By 1885, it became Canada’s first National Park and was already promoted as an international resort to support the new railway.

While there are only 8,000 residents, Banff is one of the most visited tourist destination in North America with more than 4 million visitors every single year. Banff is also the highest town in Canada at 4,537 feet with the national park covering 6,641 square kilometres. Pretty impressive, right?

If you love nature and being outdoors then you’ve come to the right place. With over 1,600 kilometres of hiking trails, this is a must do activity while you are there. To warm up, try swimming in the Banff Hotsprings. Sitting in 39 degrees water in -10 degrees weather doesn’t sound too bad!

For all you ski and snowboard junkies, Banff is right next to three ski resorts: Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay and Lake Louise. You are as close as 15 minutes to some of the best slopes in the world so what more can you ask for? This gives you the chance to go before or after your shifts at work!

Banff is a little town with the best of everything. It’s small enough so you won’t ever feel lost in the crowd, but there will always be tons of people to meet and share your experiences. With a town full of young people, Banff has a great program for young adults who are travelling and working in town. Check out BanffLife and the amazing activites that they plan! Plus, there is an awesome nightlife with many clubs and pubs to choose from.

Have fun this winter and if you are still not convinced about Banff or are considering living here next winter, check out this video below!

Cheers,

Queenie

INTERNeX International Exchange
Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com