together

Review on the Rockies Trip

Hey Internexers! What a packed and stunning trip to the Rockies! This blog is going to be a review on the amazing countless things we did on this trip. So let’s start with the first day on Friday:

Friday, 14th of October

In the early morning, we met at the Burrard Skytrain Station with our totally experienced bus driver Terrance from Moose Bus Travel Network. We headed onto the road and made our first stop at the Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park to see the beautiful waterfalls there. The falls were so thin and hazy that it created a nice atmosphere and explains the name. We then headed to the grocery store to pick up some food for lunch at the Lightning Lake. Although it was a bit smoky because of the forest fires happening at the US border, we enjoyed our lunch and the view. After we collected new energy from our lunch we drove towards Penticton to go onto the Skaha Lake with Stand Up Paddleboards. The feeling you get when you are on the lake and just enjoy a 360 degrees stunning view of the mountains is amazing! Fortunately nobody fell into the water because it was freezing cold! To conclude the day we had dinner together at the Kekuli Café with some Tacos and went to a Pub in Kelowna with Live Music!

Saturday, 15th of October

Since the Rockies are not around the corner you need to drive a lot, so we met early in the morning again to head on the road to Banff! The first stop we made was a historical place, because we went to the place where the very last spike was driven into the ground completing the Canadian Pacific Railway from ocean to ocean. Besides the fact that this place was so important historically we also enjoyed a beautiful river beside the monument and the trees slowly getting into fall colours of red and orange. After another bus ride we stopped at Revelstoke where we had lunch and saw a huge river which is called Columbia River. That one got a huge current so it’s rather dangerous to swim in there in the summer. When you do a trip to Banff in Alberta you actually pass a timezone. But there’s one exception with the town Golden. It is located in British Columbia but has the same timezone that Alberta does. That was a cool experience because you normally cross some timezones by plane =). In the evening we finally arrived in Banff and had a good lookout spot to watch the sunset in the Rockies. After checking into the Hostel, we had dinner and went to the Dancing Saskwatch for some club dancing! All in all it was a great day with a great ending!

Sunday, 16th of October

Sunday was Funday! We had lots of things to do on this day. We started with a tour to the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen in my entire life: Lake Louise. It’s located 45 mins away from Banff with a beautiful mountain view around it. When we were arriving it was freezing outside and you could see frost on the benches around the lake. Next on the list of Lakes was Two Jacks Lake and Lake Minnewanka which were both so stunning! Did you know that there is a lost city called devils creek under the lake just like Atlantis? How crazy is that! The view was amazing and it was the best place to have lunch. Next we headed towards the adventure centre in Banff to rent some bikes. We did a really nice trip around a golf course and we even saw approximately 30 elks there! That was a moment I will remember for my whole life. Right now the Elk’s are in bugling season so you need to be careful when you are around them. But we managed to get some good footage which you can see in the pictures below. The roundtrip went on with a nice lookout spot and the last lake for today. We met up in the town centre in the evening to do the hike on Tunnel Mountain which gives you the best view over Banff and the area around it. We watched the sunset and ended our day with a dinner in the Elk & Oarsmen and a fun Karaoke Night in the Beaver Pub! That was truly a funday =)

Monday, 17th of October

Since Banff is far away from Vancouver the whole drive takes up about 10-11 hours with the car or the bus , so we drove a lot on this day. But regarding the fact that you are in the most beautiful country on earth you can just look outside the window to see the best nature. We did some stops in Golden, Revelstoke and Rogers Pass to sum up our big trip this month to the Rockies. We arrived again in the evening in Vancouver at around 8:30 PM.

During this trip I met so many nice people and have been to breathtaking places which I will never forget. I was so happy to be on this tour with this group. If you are interested in going to the Rockies be sure to not miss the next big trip there! =)

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost!

See you around,

Tino =)

New ‘Kids’ on the blog

We have some new ‘kids’ on the blog again! Let me introduce you to them:

Let’s start with Leo. Leo is 18 years old and from Munich in Germany. Back home he just finished his high school and A-Levels. In Canada he’ll be studying business and communication in a college for 3 or 4 months. With this he hopes to improve his English. After his time in Vancouver, he wants to study business or law in Germany, but he hasn’t quite decided yet. He chose Canada because he wanted something different and not the ‘mainstream’ countries. Also, his cousin told him good things about Vancouver and he loved the vibe of Vancouver on pictures. When he got here, he experienced that all people are very relaxed & nice. He imagined the nature exactly as it is and got a warm welcoming feeling from the city. The things he really wants to see is Wreck Beach and Whistler. Since he’s staying during the winter, he really wants to go skiing. I think Whistler would be a nice choice for him =). He also wants to go to some sports events like ice hockey, or baseball. In his free time Leo likes to play soccer and tennis and visiting different cities. He loves playing his guitar and cooking as well. When it comes to his favourite food he prefers a good old traditional German Schnitzel with fries. Nevertheless, he wants to try lots of food here, like poutine, pancakes with maple syrup and some beaver tails! How awesome is that =) We are happy to have Leo with us!

Next on our list we have Jessica from Kiel in Germany. She’s 18 years old and has just finished her high school back home. She will be in Canada for 7 weeks and already traveled around here for 2 weeks where she saw places like Banff National Park. She’s now planning to go to Vancouver Island to work for a Wildlife Project in a rehabilitation centre for 5 weeks. She chose Canada because she wanted to be far away from home and to improve her English language skills. Of course she also loves being in nature which was another reason to pick this beautiful country. Her first impression of Vancouver was that it’s beautiful and that the people here are very friendly. During her time here, she discovered that she prefers nature over than living in the city. Nevertheless she thinks the city is pretty nice. Since she already was in Banff, she crossed one thing from her bucket list: The Rockies. Besides the Rocky Mountains, she also wants to visit Stanley Park and Granville Island. After her time in Canada she doesn’t really know what to do at home. She wants to take her time here to learn something about herself and figure out what she likes. In her free time she enjoys reading books and playing badminton and basketball. One of her favourite foods are dishes with pasta or potatoes. As a dessert, she likes to have some chocolate. In Vancouver she wants to try out some poutine and pancakes with maple syrup. I’m sure she can find many places to eat these Canadian Classics. =) Anyways, we are very glad to have her in our rows!

Let’s move on with Lukas. He’s 19 years old from a small town in the north of Germany. In Canada, he’ll go to a language school for about 2 months to improve his English, but he also got a working holiday visa to work here for 4 more months. Back home in Germany he just finished high school. When it came to deciding where he wants to go the organization gave him three options to choose from: Canada, New Zealand and Australia. He chose Canada because he thought that the others are too Mainstream =). Also nobody of his family was here before, so when he comes back he can tell them all about it! His first impression was that the city is very big but also very multicultural which he likes. One big thing on his bucket list are seeing bears, especially grizzlies, but also coming in touch with the Canadian culture and nature. Other things are seeing a hockey game and going skiing and surfing. After his time in Vancouver he wants to study Business Administration. In his free time he likes to play handball, going to the gym and meeting his friends, especially going out with them. His favourite food are ‘Spätzle’ with sauce, but here in Canada he wants to try some poutine and of course pancakes with maple syrup =). We are happy to have him in our rows and are excited for the events he’s going to join!

Last but definitely not least we have our work & travellers Marie and Lucas. They are both 24 years old and come from Braunschweig in Germany. They want to work and travel around Canada to meet new people and get to know the Canadian culture. They are not quite sure how long they are staying in Canada but maybe they want to apply for the young professional program to extend their time here. Marie was working as a kindergarten teacher back home and Lucas as a ski instructor. Lucas also worked in event marketing for a hiking brand. As they met at a fireplace in 2020 they talked about work & travelling in another country and both by coincidence were thinking about Canada =). As a ski instructor Lucas obviously wanted to work in the Rocky Mountains. But not only skiing is one of his interests, he also would like to go climbing. Marie always wanted to go Canada, the country is on top of her bucket list. Speaking of bucket lists, they both want to meet many people and make new friends here, but also see some ski resorts and nice natural environments.

Their first impression of Vancouver was that for a big city it’s quite clean and not too crowded. Also they mentioned that the people here are very nice. Since they want to work and travel they just want to go with the flow and didn’t make specific plans. When they eventually come back from Canada Marie wants to study film production and Lucas wants to become a teacher for sport and math. He also thinks about doing an apprenticeship to become a climbing instructor. In her free time Marie likes to hike on Sundays with her friends, seeing new places, and on top of that she also started to play soccer. Lucas just likes all kinds of sports like soccer, skiing, climbing, trail running and more. When it comes to their favourite food Marie likes rice pudding and for Lucas, since he’s vegetarian, Chili sin carne. 😉 In Canada they want to try out some poutine and beaver tails. We are very happy to have Marie & Lucas with us and wish them all the best for their journey!

These are our new kids on the blog! Be sure to meet them at the next Pubnight!

See you there!

Cheers,

Tino =)

New ‘Kids’ on the Blog

Another week went by so fast, so here we are again to introduce you to our new kids on the blog. =)

This time, we have a big group of people joining our Internex Family. We’ve got 25 new students from Bielefeld in Germany. They specialize on IT-Technologies and IT-Solutions. Here in Canada, they do a practicum in different companies especially for IT – Working and finding solutions for the IT in their companies. They are going to be here for about 4 weeks to enjoy their internship abroad. I’ve met 4 of them so far, but I’m excited to meet many more of them at Pub Night to find out more about their work! Are you joining too? =)

This picture was taken right before flying to Canada. We wish all of them a nice time here in Vancouver and hope to see many at the PubNight!

Next we have Anise. Anise is 20 years old and originally from a town close to Dortmund in Germany. She’ll be doing voluntary work in Stanley Park for 3 months since she loves being surrounded by nature and animals. Back home, she’s studying English & Educational Science to become a high school teacher, how cool is that? =) As part of her studies she needs to do 3 months abroad in an English speaking country and therefore she picked Canada. Also, she wanted a country which is far away from Germany and safe. Here, she can combine many aspects like the big city, the sea, the beach, but also being in nature. We’re very happy that she can fulfil her dream with us here in Vancouver! Her first impression of Vancouver was gorgeous! She thinks that the nature is amazing and so are the people of Canada with their outgoing demeanour and open-minded living. She doesn’t really have something on her bucket list since she wants to go with the flow and quote: ” Go wherever the river is taking me” – That’s also a nice way to experience Canada! In her free time she likes spending time with her friends and listening to music, for example Rap. Her favourite artist is Nicki Minaj =). She also loves going shopping in the city and to read books. When it comes to food, she enjoys almost everything, but when she has to choose it will probably be Bulgur with tomatoes. Here in Canada she really wants to try some pancakes with maple syrup. Who doesn’t? =) We are very happy to have her in our rows and that she will join us on our events. Maybe you can see her at today’s pub night?

Last but not least we have Anselm. He’s 18 years old from Berlin in Germany. He’s doing a voluntary work at a documentation film company for 1 month and after that he wants to work & travel through Canada in the service industry, for example at a Coffee Shop. He wants to go to Toronto. Back home he just finished high school. He picked Canada because he knew that he wanted an English speaking country which is also far away from Germany. Then he had the decision between New Zealand and Canada, but he also wanted the combination of a big city and nature and therefore went to Canada. I’m sure he made the right decision, since Vancouver’s so big =) He was first impressed by the positive and friendly people here in Canada, because for example a random guy helped him a lot with an issue on a vending machine, which was a nice experience for him. Anselm also loves the atmosphere in Downtown and especially North America! Next to seeing the nature, he has also whale watching on his bucket list. In his free time he likes meeting his friends and doing some Karate. Seems like we have a Karate Kid in our rows =) He also likes making music on the piano and watching videos on Youtube about History and Geography. His favourite food is Lasagne and he even tried poutine back in Germany. Now, he wants to try the real Canadian version =) We’re happy to have Anselm with INTERNeX and that he’s able to have a Canadian experience with us!

Vancouver Island – Weekend Recap

What a weekend trip!

Some of us got to experience such a nice weekend on Vancouver Island! We went there with Moose Travel Network, with whom we’ve done many trips together in the past!

We were meeting on Friday morning to head towards the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay. After enjoying the natural hair dryer on top of the ferry deck from the blowing wind we arrived in Nanaimo and got some groceries for lunch. The spot at Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park let us take in a beautiful scenery while having lunch.

Afterwards, we got to see some of the biggest trees in Canada at the MacMillan Provincial Park! One tree is 75 metres high and some trees even 800 years old. Guess they survive all of us =). A true highlight was the stop at Wally Creek, where you can see one of Canada’s most beautiful nature places. Rivers and sources who go through rocks and a big valley of trees around it. Such a vibe! After seeing the big trees, we headed towards Long Beach on Vancouver Island, on which parts of the Twilight Saga were filmed, how cool is that? 🙂

In the evening we arrived at our first destination: Tofino is a nice little harbour city with a quiet, calm, but at the same time overwhelming atmosphere, caused by the surrounding nature of the sea, the mountains, and the forests. We all had a nice meal at a restaurant in the evening and a little gathering at a pub with some live music!

With the tummy full of a great breakfast we went to the beach to go surfing on Saturday morning. The fresh air, the 4 metre tall waves, the cold salty water, and the sun shining through the trees was definitely an experience we will never forget! Some of us chose a calmer option and went kayaking instead. 🙂 Luckily, due to our super tour guide Terence, we get to experience not one, but two events on Saturday! We drove with a boat out on the sea to see some grey whales! It’s a super extraordinary feeling to see such an enormous animal in the depth of the blue ocean! Some of us got to experience bear watching, which I heard was also amazing. To finish up the day we gathered together at a beach with a clear sky for stargazing and a cozy bonfire where we made classic Canadian S’mores, right after we watched the sunset. That was a whole day of events there!

Early in the morning on Sunday we left Tofino with everlasting memories and drove back to Nanaimo. We stopped at Sproat Lake to see old fossils which could be seen in a stone wall. Slowly bumping up our heartbeat, we headed towards the Nanaimo Wildly Park to go Bungee Jumping! I can tell you, it was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Overcoming your fears gives you so much energy! The bridge over Nanaimo River was 150 ft (45 meters) high and they were doing bungee jumps since 1990! I guess we can be sure the bungee doesn’t tear apart =). With adrenaline still in our veins from the bungee jump, we went to Mount Douglas. This mountain is right before Victoria, our second destination on the trip. From this mountain you can even look over to the United States! Such a breathtaking view! Arriving in Victoria, we ended our evening with a tour from our bus driver Terence and a Pub Night in Victoria.

Waking up in Victoria gives you many options on what to see. We decided to go to the Royal BC Museum which has an exhibition about Natural History and the animals there. The animals were displayed in their original size. Can you imagine how big a mammoth is? Me neither until I saw it there. One exhibition was also about how the climate change can affect the biodiversity and the vegetation in British Columbia. They even believe that with the year 2080, the degrees climb up by 8! Walking out of the museum you can see the parliament building and next to it the Beacon Hill Park with access to the beach. After seeing the beach and the sea, we went to some souvenir shops and to a restaurant to grab some food. Sad that the trip came to an end, but also grateful for the many experiences, we took the ferry from Sidney to Tsawwassen to go home to Vancouver. On the ferry, we got many chances to spot some sea otters in the water and see the beautiful islands around us.

To conclude I must say that this experience and the whole trip will last forever in my heart because I got to see so many things and make memories every day. I’m very glad I joined this trip and I’m so excited for the next one.

We hope all of our participants in this trip could enjoy the Island just like I did. Maybe we can talk about it during the next Pub Night? =)

See you there! Have a good one!

Tino =)

What to do on the weekend?

Yet another weekend ahead of us, so here are some inspirations I want to give you to fill out your weekend! =)

Victoria Day Trip
Victoria Day trip July 2022

Some of us get to experience a great event on the weekend: We’re going to Vancouver Island to see Tofino with the possibilities to go whale watching or surfing. We then head to Victoria to see that beautiful city as well. To top everything we then are going to Nanaimo to go bungee jumping! =)) Hopefully we can do a beach fire in Tofino (I really want to experience this!). I think it’s going to be such a nice event with lots of great moments, sunsets and cool people. Don’t miss the next time we go to Vancouver Island =)

05

In fact the weather is going to get a bit colder, so going for a walk in Stanley Park in Summer with the nice sunny vibes is not going to last any longer. Maybe give Stanley Park a try and go for a walk as long as it’s still sunny out. It’s one of North America’s largest urban green spaces with lots of forest-and-mountain oceanfront views. Also the park sit studded with nature-hugging trails, family friendly attractions, sunset-loving beaches and also tasty places to eat at. If you walk around the Seawall, which was built between 1917 and 1980, you can see the nice Waterfront area and next to it the beautiful nature of a forest. You can walk the trail in roughly three hours and see lots of figures and attractions like the popular totem poles of an abandoned 1930s plan to create a First Nations “theme” village. There are also some hidden figures and statues which you might be able to catch. Some natural attractions like the Lost Lagoon offers views of a little lake with animal wildlife such as raccoons, squirrels, birds and coyotes. Just keep in mind to give wildlife its space and do not approach or feed it. It doesn’t matter for which reason you come to Stanley Park, just a walk, jogging, going to the beach, seeing some wildlife, seeing some art, taking some pictures…..etc. Stanley Park will serve everybody who has some expectations about it. I promise!

Richmond night market
Richmond night market

If you’re not into nature I can recommend going to the Richmond Night Market. It’s located right besides the Fraser River, which separates South Vancouver from Richmond. You can get typical asian food and drinks and also some arts and crafts from the asian culture. The variety of different things you can get there is phenomenal! Asia’s night markets are all-night extravaganzas of tastes, smells and sounds. But you don’t have to journey far to indulge in this epic tradition. Devour crab meat noodles, BBQ squid, ramen, Japanese poutine, Brazilian pastries, spare ribs, sushi, Afghan bolani, even sausage in a waffle cone—with 70 food and 100 retail stalls; you’ll have no problems finding some food. If you go to Richmond, the whole vibe changes because for example the signs are now firstly in Chinese and then in English. So be interested in checking out a different culture at the Richmond Night Festival!

We hope you’ll have a great weekend and the inspirations help you. Do you have any plans yet? Let me know how your weekend was at the next Pub Night. Have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Tino =)