Those wonderful AirBnB hosts at Qualicum Beach
We stayed at Susan & Roelof’s house at Qualicum Beach for one night. This sociable English/Dutch couple invited us to a tour of their wonderful garden, then, as a welcome, Philippe was offered a tasting of Reoelof’s home-brewed beer and Yasuko some cherries and later even a glass of wine before going to bed. The next morning Susan & Roelof spoiled us with a three course breakfast with fruit salad, a salmon crepe and a fruit crepe! Read More
Juan de Fuca Marine Trail – Botanical Beach
When we arrived at the trailhead of Botanical Beach, the area was completely fogged in. We hesitated a bit but we went ahead to walk the last part of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
It was one of the densest coastal rainforests with 40-50m high cedar trees. We felt like we were in the deep Amazon jungle! Read More
Juan de Fuca Marine Trail – China Beach to Bear Beach
The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is a 47km wilderness trail which is just south of the famous West Coast Trail. Today we walked the first section of the Juan de Fuca Trail from China Beach to Bear Beach (9km) via Mystic Beach.
The info board at China Beach warned us, “You are in Bear and Cougar Country” : (( It was a nice start but we felt slightly encouraged by a number of cars which parked in the parking lot, assuming that bears and cougars would choose more round people (the choice is impressive) than a Japanese who has not so much meat on her bones…. I would if I were a bear. Read More
Evening Walk in Sooke
From our balcony, we could see a very narrow strip of peninsula and people walking on it so we set for an evening walk in this direction.
This 1km strip of peninsula divides the Sooke Harbour and the Juan de Fuca Strait, the mirror-like peaceful bay and the rough Pacific Ocean, and protecting the bay from strong waves. Read More
East Sooke Coast Trail
A coast trail in the East Sooke Regional Park. This trail is surprisingly not well-known under the shadow of the famous West Coast Trail, but the rugged trail is a beautiful wilderness. Stunning coastal views with the Olympic Mountains (USA) on the horizon. Jumping fish and fishermen on boats. On the way back, the dense rainforest with gigantic trees. Read More
Sooke – Wild Mountain
Our most memorable meal in Canada.
A wonderful, unpretentious restaurant in Sooke called “Wild Mountain“. It is open only for dinner from Thursday to Sunday. Even though it opened a couple of months ago, it is popular among locals, and we were lucky to have a table on Saturday evening. Oliver, the chef, strives to use local fish, meat, vegetables, and wine. Read More
Lost indoor in outdoor shop labyrinth
Victoria is a great town with lots of outdoor shops. It seems that at every corner there is another great shop with very friendly staff who are definitely hard-core outdoor characters (therefore, they know what they are talking about) and an extensive product line-up. Read More
Funky, small China Town in Victoria
Victoria Harbour Cruise and Fisherman’s Wharf
Victoria is, like Vancouver, a beautiful port town. Smaller, but with a lot of charm. The walking path goes along the harbor and a lot of people were strolling, looking at small stands selling food and some artisanal items and hopping on boats. The blue sky and pleasant atmosphere at the harbor. Read More
Fly, Hike & Travel. 