The next morning, we packed our bags, took our eggs and some muffins and cookies along, and put our luggage and lunch containers in the car. The first order of the day was our big breakfast at the Wickaninnish Inn as planned. We saw the same friendly server, and he once more gave us a nice table by the window. All three of us ordered Eggs Benedict again, but we switched it around. I tried the shaved ham and cheddar this time. The next stop was our other B&B where we were to s

An easy early afternoon hike meant a short and flat trail, literally a “walk in the park.” And it’s a bonus if it is also beautiful. Thus, my housemate took us to Shorepine Bog Trail, a less-than-one-kilometre hiking loop that consists entirely of boardwalks. It sounded perfect. The trail is a simple loop on a rickety boardwalk that offers a unique, open-landscape contrast to the nearby dense rainforests. The main attraction is the bog itself, which is a unique ecosystem beca

After our hearty breakfast, we decided to visit Tofino’s downtown area, which was so small, that it’s more like a village core. We heard that despite the influx of tourists, the local folks prefer to leave the town as is, without the invasion of franchised establishments. I am glad they stood on their ground against commercialism. The town has retained its village charm and it actively promotes local shops and Indigenous artists, since it has an vibrant artisan community with

We reached Tofino a little after lunch. Our bed-and-breakfast house was a cozy Cape Cod-style house close to the beach. The owners did not normally stay there, and we were the only guests, so we had the entire house to ourselves. My housemate and her friend shared one big bedroom with two double-beds and I had the smaller bedroom with a double-bed. As soon as we unpacked and got settled, we ate cold-cut sandwiches for lunch then wasted no time. The beaches were waiting. We fi

During my fledgling years as a new immigrant in Vancouver, the first step that I took towards independence was moving out of my aunt’s house and partially trying it out on my own by living with room mates. I had lived in three different apartments with different sets of people, most of whom have become my good friends. On my last year at the last apartment where I stayed at before eventually moving to my own place (a one-bedroom condominium unit that I purchased in an up-and-