The Solo Travel Adventures series:
I recently realized that I’d become so dependent on travelling with Don that I’d forgotten how to do it on my own. I’d lost my confidence, and I needed to relearn how to be without him. So I practice by taking day trips alone.
These are the rules for my Solo Travel Adventures:
1. NO help from Don with research or planning, or deciding where to go.
2. Have a day out alone (weekly if possible) as if I’m in a foreign country, which means local transport only, and whatever help I can get from the internet and people along the way.
3. Preferably go somewhere I’ve never been before, or not for a very long time.
26 June 2021. I initially heard of it in 1974. It was my very first time out of Australia, and my first visit to Canada. My sister’s former husband’s family had a cottage there. Still do I believe. I was invited there a couple of times back in those days and have hazy memories of a blue-grey sky hanging over blue-grey water, and walking by bleached grey logs strewn along beaches of grey-brown sand. I was puzzled by the logs. Why were they there? After the wide expanse of golden sand beneath my feet, and the bright sapphire skies above Australia’s beaches I was not overly impressed. It was all so grey. And I was feeling both shy and lonely. I was still getting used to Canada.
Which reminds me, many many years ago my sister Julie visited Vancouver with her young daughter whom she photographed playing on one of Vancouver’s beaches. Back home in Australia she had a slide-show for the family. When this picture came up she sniggered and said “this is Canada’s idea of a beach”. We all laughed. Poor Canada. It’s an unfair comparison really. Canada has beauties that Australia can only dream of. Like actual mountains.
Anyway I’d not been back to Bowen Island since those early visits in 1974 even though it is part of the Vancouver metro area, and a mere twenty minutes by ferry from Horseshoe Bay, and even though I’ve been to plenty of the other nearby islands.
I leave early as the morning sun is beginning to settle in for the day. It might be only twenty minutes on the ferry but getting to Horseshoe Bay from East Vancouver involves first a bus then a Skytrain to downtown, then another long bus ride.
I arrive at the ferry terminal and look out the window of the waiting-room. Canada may not have Australia’s spectacular beaches, but what it does have is this,
this blue beauty, these mountains that inform just about every view in the Vancouver area. I watch as the ferry comes in. It’s one of the smallest in the BC Ferries fleet, just enough to take a few cars and walk-on passengers like me.
There are more than a dozen islands off the coast of Vancouver. Most are inhabited, some more than others. Some are easily accessed, others not so much. Bowen is the closest and the easiest to access, but for all that the year round population is still only about 3,500. I’d heard that it’s a “bedroom community” with a portion of the population who love living in the country but still work in the city. When I did a little research into it I found this Reddit thread that gives a hint of the reality:
1. Definitely possible. You just need to factor in the extra time for the ferry (once a hour) into your schedule. Life is slow and rural on the island, with a strong sense of community.
2. Quiet, peaceful once you on the island. You can commute to downtown by bus but prepare for early mornings and getting home late every day. Being a kid on Bowen can be extremely boring and I watched more than one friend hit the bottle or drugs to excess.
3. All they do is bitch about
1-BC Ferries
2-commuting
3-BC Ferries
4-how hard it is to get on/off the island
5-BC Ferries
4. Start by crunching the numbers – If you’re commuting as a foot passenger six days a week then you’re looking at ~$40 per week in BC Ferries fees. Much more if you’re taking a car across [~$250 more with a car]. While there’s a thriving hitchhiking culture on the island, as well as a community shuttle bus, you really need to live within walking distance of Snug Cove if you don’t have a car. It’s beautiful, but there really isn’t much to do over there, so make sure you’re comfortable with Netflix or a good book.
But for me, as a visitor, it is all magic. I hang over the railing of the upper deck on this bright sparkly day watching as we approach Snug Cove,
a perfect name for the bay, the ferry terminal, and the town that butts up against it.
I walk off the ferry into a little country town. The city has melted away. It’s as if I’m in another world, another country almost. It’s hard to believe that this is part of metro Vancouver.
I choose a Saturday as I’ve read that there’s a farmers market in the school grounds and I want to check it out, so my first act on leaving the ferry is to grab a map at the nearby information centre and then to march up the hill to the school yard. I go with an over-active imagination expecting a big thriving affair like the ones we go to in Vancouver, or on Salt Spring Island (that has three times the population). Compared to these the Bowen Island market is initially disappointing. What was I expecting? This is a small rural community and the size of the market reflects that.
It’s one of those blistering hot days we can get here in the summer, though there’s no guarantee of it. Which reminds me of a friend, a fellow Aussie, who was curious about the weather in Sydney one rainy day in Vancouver several years back. In Sydney it was 15 and raining, in Vancouver it was 16 and raining. The only difference was that in Sydney it was mid-winter, in Vancouver mid . . . yeah, I’m sure you get it.
Anyway back to Bowen Island in the summer of 2021 and it’s blue-sky hot and the sun has more than settled in. The market stalls need shade so most of them are snugged under a covered parking area.
My first stop is for treats at the local bakery stall – cookies and crumble, lemon bars and muffins, and all of it home-made sweetness. I buy a lemon bar and stash it away for lunch.
There are several stalls selling home-grown organic vegetables: lettuces, broccoli, portobellos, red peppers, kale, microgreens and herbs, and garlic scapes arrayed in a shiny bowl.
Some is produced on-island like Barking Raven Market Garden,
and some “imported” like Anna’s
Of course there are flowers
and a craft stall with work by local artists,
and all of it is served with love. The market may be modest but the community spirit is not.
Leaving the market I make my way back down the hill looking for a place for coffee and lunch, and find The Snug, a family-run business that specializes in coffee, breakfast, lunch, and baked goods. It looks enticing and cosy. I’m a bit overwhelmed for choice at first, but I have that lemon bar burning a hole in my pack, and I need coffee and something a bit more substantial. I choose a salad from the deli that looks a bit like a cold Buddha’s Feast and tastes just as good. After moving a vacant table a couple of feet to create a seat in the shade in the courtyard I settle in.
Bowen is pretty amazing for food choices considering the size of the community. There are five cafes, several restaurants (including Barcelona Tapas and Tuscany Pizza), a couple of pubs, a candy store, an artisan chocolatier, an ice cream parlour, and a coffee roaster. Perhaps we are not so far from a modern cosmopolitan city after all.
It’s time to get out of town. If you walk a little way up Miller Road you’ll come to a whole series of trails leading to Killarney Lake. I have no idea which to choose so I just choose: the Hatchery Trail then the Meadow Trail. I don’t think too much about the names.
I have the trail to myself. First it takes me into the forest,
past a variety of wild flowers,
and across Terminal Creek
where the local Fish and Wildlife Club has built a salmon hatchery. I climb down to the water.
I’m feeling present and peaceful and attuned to the environment, but even so I am not prepared for what’s to come.
At the end of Hatchery Trail I turn right onto Meadow Trail. I don’t know why it’s so unexpected; you’d think the name would be a clue. Suddenly I’m in a magical meadow filled with blooming buttercups against a backdrop of forest with a hint of mountains. I catch my breath. I was not expecting anything so beautiful.
I lie down amongst the buttercups and breathe in the beauty of the moment, feeling languid, lulled by the earth beneath me, the sky above, and the simple joy of an entertainment of golden buttercups waving above my head.
Leaving the meadow I arrive soon at Killarney Creek,
then turn left onto Killarney Creek Trail which takes me through the forest
past tall straight old-growth fir and hemlock, past white foxglove, past pink foxglove, past sword ferns and liquorice ferns
and finally to Killarney Lake.
There’s a loop trail around the lake but I’m not sure I have time to do it and I don’t want to rush. After a while I turn back to Snug Cove and wait for the ferry, which takes me back to those blue on blue mountain views,
and back to Horseshoe Bay.
I don’t do even half of what there is to do on Bowen if you can tear yourself away from all the cafes, restaurants and pubs in or near Snug Cove: go sea kayaking, rent a scooter and ride around the island, go mountain biking, go swimming or beach combing, go horseback riding or play golf.
The island’s motto is Within Reach. Beyond Comparison. It sounds like something a hired PR person came up with, a bit slick, even slightly cringe worthy, but there’s no doubt that Bowen is special, made all the more so by its easy access from Vancouver.
Bowen Island is part of the unceded land of the Squamish people.
Next post: Highlights of ten years of travel: the Atacama Desert; crossing the Pacific Ocean island by island; festivals in India, Peru and Mexico; Egypt; Myanmar; naturally Bali; and more. And after that the special magic of Spanish Banks at low tide.
All words and images by Alison Louise Armstrong unless otherwise noted
© Alison Louise Armstrong and Adventures in Wonderland – a pilgrimage of the heart, 2010-2021.
wow! this is so wonderful Alison…you captured so much…I can feel your excitement in your images and narrative…so cool 😎 sending you joy for more adventure ~ hugs hedy
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Thank you so much 🙏 Bowen was so lovely, such a pretty place, and the buttercups such a beautiful surprise. I’m glad I went.
More adventures coming!
Joy back to you 🥰
Alison
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That must have been a wonderful trip.
I really love the landscape there.
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It was a fabulous day. Nothing too exotic, but all beautiful. This landscape is pretty typical Pacific Northwest – a gorgeous place to live for sure.
Alison
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Beautiful! Hard to beat BC scenery!
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Thanks so much Linda. I agree!
Alison
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What a beautiful area! Was Beachcombers filmed by that beach? I also saw this documentary Safe Haven about Vietnam War and Iraq War refugees in Canada and some of them live on Vancouver’s coast. I don’t blame them. After escaping war, you need some well-deserved peace!
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Bowen really is lovely, and typical of the area. I didn’t know that about the Iraq refugees, but there’s a huge Vietnamese population in Van. Beachcombers was filmed in Gibsons, up the coast a ways from Van but plenty has been filmed on Bowen: https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?locations=Bowen+Island%2C+British+Columbia%2C+Canada
Alison
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Thanks for the link! I meant that American war vets from the Vietnam and Iraq war who claimed refugee status in Canada have often settled along the BC coast
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Oh, ok I get it now. I can see why they’d want to come to this area – it’s so peaceful all up and down the coast. I hope nature is/has been a true healing balm for them.
A.
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Well, I am sure they did find healing. Having been here almost a year and being so close to nature, I have also been able to heal. Plus, I love how people here are just more chilled. It’s just what I have needed to recover from a toxic country
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💕 🙏
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Thanks for that reminder Alison. As 2 Aussies visiting son and family in Squamish we took 3 days away to explore the quiet charm of Bowen. We loved our quirky STEEP B & B and the helpful, casual host. Lovely place to meander around with a definite sense of friendly locals and easy forest and coastal walks.
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So happy I brought back some good memories for you. Bowen’s a pretty cool place for sure.
Alison
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Such a beautiful part of the world and wonderful captures Alison. I just made a double batch of lemon bars. You could have one more……
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Thanks so much Cindy. I’m so glad I get to live in this part of the world. And yes please, I’d love 💕 another lemon bar. For desserts lemon is my fave flavour 😁
Alison
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Wonderful adventure
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Yes it was. I’d love to go back and explore more.
Alison
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👍
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You sure made the most of a single day’s outing. Thanks for sharing.
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My pleasure. It’s such a pretty place. I’d like to explore more – there’s a “mountain” to climb there!
Alison
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Yet another post that makes me envious of what you have where you live, Alison. I was impressed by the many parks Vancouver has. However, having Bowen Island within the metro area further affirms the its reputation as one of the most livable cities in the world. I love that the weather was great when you went, and despite its small size, the farmers market still looks exciting to me. But the true star is of course the nature and her beauty! Vancouver might lack nice beaches, but with those spectacular vistas, I don’t think anyone would complain. 🙂
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I don’t ever forget how lucky I am to live in this beautiful place, and yes, Van deserves its rep as one of the most liveable cities for sure.
I will own that I chose the day for the weather 😁
And I’m certainly not complaining! (even tho I’m a beach snob 😂 )
Alison
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How I wish we had a comparable sort of rural escape here in Jakarta!
It’s not hard to see the attraction of living on Bowen Island, though the longer commutes and dependence on the ferry have their obvious downsides. The forest walks and discovering that fabulous meadow filled with buttercups sounded like heaven. That said, I’m not surprised you went to the farmers’ market first. 😉 Judging by your shot of the ferry approaching the island, I was thinking Snug Cove was such a perfect name for the place… and then I scrolled down to see you’d written just that.
The part on your family in Australia sniggering about Canadian beaches made me smile too – it’s not hard to be a “beach snob” when you come from that part of the world! But I guess no country can truly have it all.
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Bowen was a lovely treat. I wouldn’t want to commute from there to downtown but it may be ok if you work in Horseshoe Bay or even West Van. And then there’s the beauty and peace of Bowen – and I barely even scratched the surface. Also there’s a strong artists community which would probably make for some great connections. I love being around creative people.
Snug Cove is a great name, and absolutely perfect.
I’d never thought of myself as a “beach snob” 😂 but you called it! 😂 As you say, hard not to be when you grow up on the beaches of Oz. Indonesia has some pretty beautiful beaches too. And Hong Kong. And I’m doing a post soon on one of Vancouver’s beaches that I absolutely love – it’s Spanish Banks at low tide. We go at least once every summer and walk way out to the edge of the sandbanks.
Alison
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Aaaah. I haven’t been on a ferry in years; I miss it. Islands are my favorite places, and Bowen sounds absolutely superb. That meadow – so many buttercups! And what is that strange orange “flower” in the flower set – the one that looks like orange jelly beans?
I’m not a big lemon bar fan, but now I also really want a lemon bar. Good thing my partner is making breakfast!
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I too love ferries. I always love the ferry to Vancouver island – 1.5-2 hours of nothing but sea and sky. And islands. There always seems to be something magical about them.
I should have said flowers and berries because I think those orange jelly beans are berries. Did a quick such and I think they’re cloudberries.
Lemon is easily my favourite flavour for dessert things.
Alison
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What a beautiful post so very enjoyable. BC is such a great area to explore!
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Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoyed it. BC is magic!
Alison xo
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Just to add to John’s comment – I WANT a lemon bar! And your story about lying down in the buttercups just transported me. Exactly what I needed today!
– Susan
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🙏💕
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I lived for 25 years in the Vancouver area and never once went to Bowen Island. What is wrong with me?? I have been to most of the gulf islands and even the San Juan Islands. And I love islands. I just returned from Arran Island in Scotland which was great. I also went on my own. It is so good to do that from time to time.
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Bowen is beautiful, but if you’ve been to most of the gulf islands, and the San Juans then you’d have a pretty good idea of what it’s like, and the energy of it. It’s just lovely. I love islands too.
I’ve never been to Scotland! I’d love to go one day, and yes, get to some of the islands.
Alison
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Definitely one of the gems of near-Vancouver BC. We used to go there lots for hiking, mostly around the lake trail. Even did that trail once on our electric bikes. Many trips when we had our boat… a perfect day trip: dock near the ferry dock, walk up and get ice cream and sit with a picnic on the grass near the many boats in Snug Cove, then wander here and there. There is a real arts/crafts community on the island and we always explored a couple of little shops that sell their creations. Great place to take guests for a boat ride and wind up the day enjoying a great dinner at one of the restaurants near the docks. Thanks for the reminders of those days!
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Glad I brought back some good memories for you. Your days there sound idyllic. It’s such a lovely place. I’d like to go back and climb that mountain – Mt Gardner I think it is, anyway s’thing like that. I saw there was a trail up but I knew I didn’t have time if I also want to get to the market.
Also I know there are several galleries/studios I’d like to explore.
Alison
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So beautiful. I admire the wonder that you carry with you on these journeys.
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Thanks so much Julie. I guess I’m always on the lookout for beauty and blessings (much more so than when I was young).
Alison
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You sure made the most of one ferry ride, Alison, wow! I have fond memories of relaxing at Horseshoe Bay, just watching the ferries on a crystal-clear day like this one was. Thank you for reminding me. I admire your ability to photograph so many different subjects so uniformly well. It’s great fun seeing people at the market but I love the flower close-ups as well. The lake scenes look very peaceful…I love that you plopped down in that field of buttercups. 🙂 Here’s to endless adventures, reinvented!
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Thank you so much Lynn. I am lucky enough to have sisters who are accomplished photographers and who taught me a great deal. And there was so much to photograph on this little excursion, especially once I got out of town and into nature. I loved that field of buttercups! It was my favourite part of the day.
I’m glad I brought back some good memories for you.
Alison
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Alison this is a beautiful collection of photos of your outing and I enjoyed going along with you. So much beauty and small treats along the way making for a rich tapestry of an outing. I feel bad for Don that he missed out….! And that lemon bar is making my mouth water (definitely one of my all time favorite desserts/treats).
Peta
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Thanks so much Peta. It really was a lovely day, with many sweet aspects (including that lemon bar!). I’m glad I went to the market for that small town feel, but my fave part of the day was definitely the walk to the lake.
Lemon is absolutely my favourite dessert flavour. Even our wedding cake was lemon 🙂
Alison
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I’ve always loved reading about your and Don’s adventures around the world, Alison, and been entranced by your wonderful photography. I’m even more so enjoying your solo trips. Bowen Island sounds like a real treat, with the cafes and market and wonderful trails. I was almost walking with you through the forest and chilling out in the Buttercup meadow. Wonderful. Love and blessings to you both 💙💚
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Thanks so much Izzy. I’m glad you’re enjoying my solo trips. Bowen is so beautiful. I’m glad I chose it for one of my outings. The buttercup field was absolute magic!
Love and blessings to you too. 💕
Alison
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You have captured the charm, beauty, and sense of community in your solo trip to Bowen Island. I like the photos at the lake the best.
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Thanks so much Ruth. I really enjoyed my day there, and feel like I really only got a glimpse. It’s such a sweet place I’ll probably go back to explore more one day.
Alison
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I can see Bowen Island from my house (well, not today!). What a wonderful excursion, and to think you’ve not been there since 1974.
Your post reminds me that a quick trip over to Bowen feels like a holiday getaway. Beautiful photos! I was only there for a day this past summer where I explored some of the trails on the west side of the island.
I agree with you about the number of good food choices…much better than Horseshoe Bay.
Stay dry!
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Thanks so much Caroline. I don’t know why I left it so long before going back. I now think I need to go and explore more and take Don with me. And try some of the other restaurants. It’s such a sweet place.
Alison
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How picturesque! And what a great idea! Now that I’m back on my home shores, I’m trying to find ways to keep the spirit and the curiosity that I have while living and traveling abroad. I think some solo mini adventures may be just the thing!
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Thanks Mo. Bowen’s lovely. It was a good choice for me to explore alone.
It’s hard get the feeling of travelling when we can’t travel! But these solo days sure helped. Try to go somewhere you’ve not been before as much as possible.
Alison
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I grew up in a coastal town and now live in another but I’d trade the best beach for those blue mountains in a heartbeat.
What a fabulous solo outing this turned out to be Alison. Perfect weather, a gorgeous island, forest walks, enchanted meadows and lemon bars for lunch…what’s not to like?
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Thanks so much Madhu. It was such a beautiful day. I felt a bit like an explorer, in a gorgeous setting. I can’t say I’d trade beaches for mountains – I just want both! 😂
Alison
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This sounds like a really special place – to find yourself, to lose yourself, and discover so much. How beautiful you conveyed it! Those solo days seem very special in their own way.
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Thanks so much Heather. As you say – to find yourself, to lose yourself, and to discover. I hope to go back again one day and explore more. And yes, the solo days are really special – I’m overdue for another one.
Alison
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Bowen Island looks worth exploring at leisure especially the way you narrated it. One thing about traveling solo, is that you can linger longer at something your partner might not appreciate quite as much as you. I too have become reliant on my husband when planning and I think it is a brilliant idea that you venture on your own to gain your confidence to travel solo from time to time.
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Thanks Alma. I think when we’re in a long term relationship and become a team we forget how to do things and/or lose our confidence with some things because the other person always does them. So I’m practicing! And yes, I do love being able to set my own agenda, and linger longer as I’m moved to – especially taking photographs.
Alison
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We have passed Bowen Island many times on the ferry and last week we even took a motor boat past. But we have yet to visit and enjoy the island. What an interesting idea to plan and head out on a day trip all by yourself. David and I jointly do the travel planning so I feel pretty confident about heading out on my own. But I do wonder. We have another month or so in BC so maybe we will get to Bowen Island. Maybe I should do it by myself. It looks like you had a lovely visit.
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Don and I do actually do all our travel planning together. It’s always a collaborative effort as I’m sure you would understand. I just wanted to see how it felt to do it all myself. The idea really came from a solo trip to Japan and China in 2018 and I was quite shocked by how unsettled I felt without him there, so I decided I needed to practice. Do go to Bowen! It’s quite lovely.
Alison
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Wow! I felt transported into your experience of this island. Not to mention the solo travel experience around it – including remembering past immaturity from when international travel hadn’t changed us LOL
I think personally I’d also enjoy it more as a visitor rather than resident. There’s a certain pace and heart for a more rural life that you need before you’d be content living in a community like this, which is not the same as a vacation. Sometimes metropolitan folks forget to consider that when they dream of moving to places like this.
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Thanks so much Nuraini. Feeling transported is a wonderful compliment!
That first visit to Bowen was my first ever trip out of Oz – I was so young, and yes, unchanged, with no idea of the impact international travel would have on who I would become.
And we used to travel so freely didn’t we! Now I don’t know if I sometimes feel that I no longer want to travel just because I can’t, or because I’ve gotten it out of my system.
I too feel I’d enjoy Bowen more as a visitor than as a resident, and agree that city people don’t realize what it is to live in a small relatively isolated community like that. It’s a whole other way of life. I’ve lived in a small village in the far north of Canada for 7 years and loved it, but doubt I could do it again.
Alison
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I don’t know that I’m old enough to know, but I might be old enough to suspect, that we are actually different people in different stages of our lives. Once, I could quite readily settle into a small town life in Northumberland, but present-day me probably won’t want to.
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We are definitely at different stages in our lives – I’m 71! Still, the way I’m feeling at the moment is that I’d get travelling again in a heart beat if I could. Not gotten it out of my system, only kidding myself 😂.
A.
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