How was the weekend? – On Sasquatch Mountain

I’m not sure if it was more relaxing, or more exciting!

The weekend started with our bumpy ride up the mountain, with probably 20 minutes on ‘the milkshake road’ how one of my friends calls it. 😀 Once at our cabin we realized how there was not much around us, just a few other cabins, the lifts, a mountain lodge and a whole lot of snow! Good thing we brought plenty of food with us, since there was no option for us to get anything up there! I loved how quiet and peaceful it was, until we started drinking of course. 😀 That’s when it got exciting. We explored our beautiful cabin with its fireplace and the highlight: the hot tub right outside the door in the basement with views over the snowy landscape. We made good use of it! Other than that we had a great time playing games, and taking Salsa lessons by our personal dance teacher Tim. We all left as better dancers for sure. 😉

The second day was all about food, we had a great breakfast – a little later in the day, so our bodies could rest from the night before – went for a walk to explore the mountain and ended up at the lodge where the big wooden Sasquatch is located. The restaurants’ and cafes’ systems were down, so they gave out free hot chocolate and coffee which we couldn’t say no to! While slurping our beverages and warming up we got mentally ready for our next point on the program: A build a snowman contest! We all gave points to each other and in the end we were not really contentious with our decision of who actually won. 😀 They were all great in my opinion, decide for yourself and let me know which one you like most:

After the day in the snow we went back to our cabin, warming up in the hot tub (of course) and treating ourselves to a chocolate fondue that Stelle brought with her for us! She also made a cheese dip inside a loaf of bread, it was AMAZING! We all needed some down time and later on had pasta for dinner. Some discovered the Wii the place was equipped with and it was a pretty chill night compared to the first one. Everyone went to bed a little earlier to be fit for our way back into the city with one last stop along the road: Cascade Falls. It’s a very short walk that leads to a Suspension Bridge next to a powerful waterfall with its beautiful clear turquoise colour, surrounded by big trees and green moss. Breathing in the fresh air, listening to the water clash on the rocks and seeing the different shades of green was really calming and a great way to end our Canadian nature adventure. 🙂

Allover we enjoyed our time in the snowy mountains with a great mix of relaxation and activities.

How about you? What did you do on your weekend? Did you enjoy the city, or escaped into nature as well?

Let me know at next Pub Night! 🙂

See you then,

Laura

What to do on the weekend?

INTERNeX is going to Sasquatch Mountain this weekend for a real Canadian nature adventure, away from the city, snuggled up in a cozy log cabin in the snow with a nice fireplace, a hot tub, games and more. Make sure to bring your survival kit. 😉 Joking, there’s a ski lodge and pub nearby that could come to our rescue which is another reason to go on this trip, the slopes are great I heard, plus the passes are very affordable. There’s the option for action on ski and snowboard, or relaxation in the cabin. This weekend can be whatever you want it to be. I know we’ll have a great time together. 🙂

Fun Fact: The word Sasquatch is believed to be an Anglicization of the Salish word Sasq’ets, meaning “wild man” or “hairy man”, you might know it better as Bigfoot. 😉

If you’re staying in Vancouver this weekend, I gotta tell you about the pop up latin dance class with Dance in Transit at the Annex. I know there’s a lot of dancers between you guys, so why not try something new? Or maybe you’re not a dancer but you always wanted to learn how to dance? This is a great chance to move your hips and socialize, no matter what level you’re at. This Friday you have the chance to learn about Argentine Tango. The doors open at 7 and it only costs $12 for an hour lesson plus social dancing afterwards. What a way to spend your Friday night! Just make sure to register in advance for this event.

Since the weather is slowly getting better in Vancouver, how about a little hike? I went to Deep Cove last weekend and it was beautiful. Not only can you stop by for coffee and doughnuts on your way, but you can finally access the trail up to Quarry Rock again which is a popular viewpoint in North Vancouver. The hike is easy to moderate with some ups and downs, lots of bridges and streams along the way. The lush green forest is a great one-day escape from the city and gives you the chance to explore a different area. I’m sure even if you’re a beginner you can master this hike together with a hiking buddy. 🙂 Remember to wear suitable shoes and bring a rain jacket (just in case).

I’m positive that you’ll find something great to do this weekend to get the most out of your time here. Tell me about it next Pub Night!

See you then,

Laura 🙂

How was the weekend?

Did you stay warm this past weekend, or did the snow get you?
For me it was little bit of both. INTERNeX went to Whistler on Saturday for a fun day trip. When we arrived the streets of the little village were mostly snow free. A bunch of us went straight up the mountain for some skiing and snowshoeing while others went to grab a coffee and explore the area.

As the caffeine kicked in our group was excited to slide down the small snow hill nearby the Olympic Rings, but soon we longed for bigger, better, faster, so we decided to go Tubing! A quick free ride with the gondola led us to the tubing lanes. Luckily, it wasn’t busy so we got right into it! There were single and double tubes to choose from and a ‘magic carpet’ carried us up the hill. It was actually my first time tubing and let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed! The staff gives you a nice spin and down the hill you go! I was screaming of joy and felt like I was on a roller coaster. If only we had some goggles though! Snow blowing into our faces as we crashed down the hill made it hard to look around, but honestly the feeling itself was already worth the experience.

After we let out our inner child we went back into the village for a round of ice skating. I heard someone kissed the ice quite a few times. 😀 We rewarded ourselves at a Happy Hour with food and drinks, recharging the energy we’ve just spent out in the snow. A few adventure junkies still haven’t had enough though and therefore went on a snowmobile tour, how cool, is that? I heard it was totally worth it, you explore the nature while going up to 45km/h on the snowmobile which apparently is harder to drive then it first seems. Hungry from all the action we had our early dinner due to the snow storm that was rolling in.

By 4.30pm the first empty streets were filled with snow and it kept on snowing causing many small accidents on the Highway leading to major delays and a little bit of concern which is why we had to leave Whistler as early as possible in order to get everyone back home safe and sound. Thankfully our driver was very experienced and we were back in Vancouver early enough to avoid any snow craziness. Apart from that I believe we had a really great trip! I’m already looking forward to the next one. 🙂

Allover I’d say we stayed warm through all the activities, but the snow got us in the end by forcing us to rush home earlier than we wanted.

How about you? What was your weekend like?

Can’t wait to hear about it. 🙂

Cheers,

Laura

What to do on the weekend? – Snowy Ideas

This weekend will be breezy with a good chance of snow in Vancouver! So, what’s there to do?

One thing that’s always a good idea is a trip to Whistler. Come with us on our day trip to guarantee a snowy weekend in the mountains of BC. Whether you want to ski, snowboard, ride a snowmobile, go dogsledding, tubing, snow shoeing, ice skating, zip lining, or maybe explore the village with less action loaded activities like the peak 2 peak gondola, a day at the Scandinavian Spa, a visit at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, or other indoor activities like Ax Throwing, or an Escape Room adventure. Whistler offers so much, I’m sure there’s something to do for every preference and budget. Sometimes I like to just sit at one of the many great cafes, drink a hot beverage and warm up from strolling along the snow covered village paths, really can’t go wrong with that! Saying that, make sure you dress warm enough, the air is always a little colder up North than it is down here in Vancouver! I recommend multiple layers of warm functional wear. Also don’t forget to pack according to the activities you’ve planned, e.g. want to go to the spa? – Bring a Bikini. I sure am excited for our Canadian Winter adventure. 🙂

If you choose to stay here, there are multiple other things you could do. How about you visit one of the local mountains, like Grouse? There you also have the chance to go ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or just sightsee what the mountain has to offer e.g. the Light walk which I would recommend after dark and imagine there’s actually snow falling while you walk through this magical winter wonderland! You can easily get there by public transit. There’s also a cafe at the top where you can warm yourself up with a hot beverage and some food. 🙂 On your way you could also stop at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park which lights up your gloomy winter days with many colourful installations along the trails! Perfect for some nice Instagram shots, or to get a little happiness boost during this dark and cold season. 😉 If there’s actually going to be snow, then I imagine it to be extra pretty!

If you’d rather escape the cold temperatures this weekend why don’t you go to the movies? My recommendation is to check out some of the movies VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) is showing. I assure you it’s different from watching the same old Hollywood Blockbusters. VIFF shows extraordinary films that can be entertaining, educational, empowering, encouraging and much more. You’ll find local artists, artists of colour and you’ll probably walk away thinking about what you’ve watched for a little while after your visit. ‘VIFF encourages understanding of the world’s cultures through the art of cinema.’ Since they are a not-for-profit organization you’d also support what they do by going to one of their movies. Why not try something new and different? Maybe you’ll like it. 🙂 And did I mention their delicious popcorn? I usually get it buttered and I feel like I can smell it right as I’m writing this. 😀

Let me know what you’ve been up to at our next Pub Night! Can’t wait. 🙂

See ya,

Laura 🙂

Hello Monday!

Hello Monday, Hello INTERNeXer!

I am sorry, for being so awfully quiet these past days. Due to a personal reason, I had to step back for a few days.

However I am back on track now, so lets see what happened these past days. There was a lot going on, so here is a quick overview of the breaking news:

(While reading the following part, please imagine a deep, male voice, reading it to you in a overly dramatic way and a typical breaking news music in the back).

 

>>INTERNeX became very famous among the Chinese community in Vancouver; Vancouver didn’t know how to stop – we wanted snow, we got snow and catastrophically panicking INTERNeXer, what is going on?!  Read more to get all the juicy details 😉 

Starting off, with the new cultural extension we’ve currently reached in social media. Yes, as you might have seen. The weekly INTERNeX events reached an outstanding new level. 460 people responded to this weekends event of the Chinese News Years Celebration together with the INTERNeX gang! Apparently putting myself in the mouth of a Chinese dragon, is the secret to successful marketing on Social Media ;). So if you are planning on going this weekend, you better be there early. The McDonalds entrance of the International Mall might be incredibly packed :P.

Moving on to the incredible amount of snow, surprising Vancouver last week. If you got the chance to actually leave your house last Wednesday, you can count yourself to the lucky ones – or not, depending on your perspective. Walking through downtown, kinda brought up memories of the first episodes of The Walking Dead. No, there weren’t any zombies involved, no blood or any of that nasty stuff, it was more like we’ve already moved past that stage. Vancouvers Downtown was quieter and more peaceful than I have ever seen it before. Basically no cars, no busses and no people were on the streets and everything was covered in beautiful, calming white. And there was no end in sight! I absolutely loved it, but easy to say for someone who doesn’t depend on public transport right?!
I hope you got to enjoy the beautiful white as much as I did. And I am absolutely sure you did, as most of you got a “snow-day” anyways.

And of course, this post is also meant to calm down all the panicking INTERNeXer among you! I know I have been triggering your nerves extremely.
I have been challenging you and I have been testing your patience to the last bit! But now I finally got very good news for you people.
As I wasn’t in the office these past days I wasn’t able to put the information online concerning the upcoming Pub-Night. My deepest apologies for that, I know you have been waiting for this ever since the last Pub-Night was over and especially because some of you weren’t even able to join because of the snow!
Anyways, Pub-Night is not cancelled nor did I forget about it (how could I, it’s always been my priority :P).

This weeks Pub-Night will be at ‘The Two Parrots’ on Granville Street. We’ll meet there at 7pm. And the best part is, that all minors are more than welcome to join as well. So please don’t forget to bring your ID’s.

Have a wonderful week.
See you soon!

Cheers,
— Nadja xx

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