If you are in Vancouver on holiday and are yearning to get away from the skyscrapers and bizarre art installations, relief is a short bus ride away.
The boy and I got our bus tickets online from Busbud and headed to Squamish from downtown Vancouver. The bus ride was uneventful. Besides a couple of traffic updates from the driver, there was nothing else of note. The boy had ensured we got good seats so we could enjoy the views of the ocean. But I was so tired, that I dozed off barely ten minutes after the journey began. We were 15 minutes away from Squamish when I woke up (thanks to an announcement by the bus driver. The boy was grinning sheepishly at me.
“Did you enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean and the mountains, honey?” he teased.
It was the best sleep I had had in a while so I grinned back and looked out the window. Outside of downtown Vancouver, things feel more holiday-paced. We soon arrived at Squamish and were dropped off in front of the Squamish Adventure Centre.
Squamish is a cute little town north of Vancouver. It is surrounded by beautiful majestic mountains and is home to a lot of hiking trails in the woods. There were no taxis waiting when we arrived as one might find in a more fast-paced city. Uber is not operational as far as I know, so if you are headed to Squamish, you should book a taxi ahead of time. There are local taxi services, and the Adventure Centre might be able to offer some recommendations. It is certainly convenient that the bus stops there.
Squamish reminded me of Weston-Super-mare in the UK, though I’ll say that Weston has a busier oceanfront with a variety of restaurants to choose from. Squamish is more village than town, and I mean that in a good way. The Adventure Centre has a coffee shop inside if you want to hang out or wait for transport. There is also a gift shop where the boy and I purchased a refrigerator magnet as a memento of our visit (We do this on every trip). There is a small TV room in the Centre where random documentaries/movies play if you’d rather do that. The boy’s friend picked us up from the Centre and drove us to his home where other friends were also visiting for Thanksgiving Dinner. The moment we arrived at his home, I felt myself relax. Work was closed for the long weekend so I was no longer trying to keep up with time zone differences.
Thanksgiving dinner was great. The boy’s friends were all lovely. When the conversation turned to a debate about Canada’s carbon tax, I found myself chatting animatedly. I am such a policy nerd, that anything policy-related gets me going. Thankfully, the group was keen so it was a nice dinner table chat.
The next day, we went to the beach with the Welcome Gate by artist James Harry. The view here is spectacular and the Welcome Gate is stunning to behold! Sitting by the oceanfront and enjoying the gentle breeze was relaxing. There is something about being surrounded by mountains and standing by an oceanfront that makes you realize how small you are in this vast world. Words from Lee Ann Womack’s ‘I hope you dance’ spring to mind – “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.”
We had only spent a few minutes at the beach when the boy and his friend spontaneously started digging a hole. I don’t understand boys sometimes. Why can’t we just sit and relax by the beach, enjoy the waves and take in the fresh air? When I asked why they were digging a hole, they asked “why not?” For some time, it felt like we were on an episode of Naked and Afraid, digging for a clean water source.
We did not do much in Squamish. It felt like a rest stop even though we were there for two days. In addition to visiting the beach and the Adventure Centre, we went on the scariest hike of our lives. I love hiking. I hiked every second week when I lived in South Africa. I particularly enjoy hiking up mountains. But, this hike was so steep, I could see my life flashing before my eyes with every step. It did not help that there was a gorge next to the mountain and it had rained a couple of days before so everything was slippery. The boy’s friend and his wife marched up like mountain goats. The boy and I on the other hand took baby steps like newborn fawns. We’ve both accepted that we are not steep-mountain adventure-type people. For us, flat ground is where the joy is at.
Many people recommend visiting the sea-to-sky gondola when in Squamish. If you’d like to, it is a 15-minute car ride from the Adventure Centre. The boy and I did not sign up because we were on our way to Whistler and figured we’d ride the gondola there. More about that in another post.
On our last night in Squamish, the boy, his friends and I went to Backcountry Brewing for Pizzas and beer. If you love that combination, this is heaven. The restaurant has a selection of locally-brewed alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers, and the pizza menu will leave you spoilt for choice. I thought I could eat a whole pizza. Who was I kidding?
Oh! While you are out in Squamish, keep an eye out for bears during bear feeding season. Everyone kept sharing excitedly about random bears that visited their backyards. I just sat there and looked terrified the whole time.
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