It's my last day in Calgary. I have to admit I have not done a lot of walking in the city. In fact, yesterday was the first time I walked around Lindsay's neighbourhood, Bridgelands.
It's been a very chilled out visit to say the least. I've been most fortunate to spend quality time with two girlfriends I don't regularly get to see, Lindsay and Katherine. I saw Lindsay earlier in January after a year and Katherine - we have not seen each other for at least 5 years. As with all good girlfriend catch ups, everything flowed naturally as though there was never any absence. Lots of laughs, stories and realisations of how we've grown. For example, I finally found out that the upset stomach I had when I climbed Mt Kinabalu 12 years ago was definitely not due to altitude sickness but day-old sushi that my mum had packed for me and that I had incorrectly stored out of a refrigerator. I was 15. Kat apparently had it worse. :-/
My original intention with this part of my trip was to snowboard a lot but Calgary isn't really Vancouver in terms of distance to snow hills. We spent our weekend up in Canmore to be closer. The powder at Sunshine Village was as phenomenal as the scenery. As a beginner snowboarder, it was so fun to ride through and like heaven when you fell - no pain at all! Even so, I surprised myself by finding my boarding feet so quickly! Needless to say, I had the best fun at Sunshine Village.
I have to mention the B&B we stayed at in Canmore, because it made so much of our trip. Cedar Springs owners, Rob and Ingrid, welcomed us more like their nieces than clients. We got discounted lift passes, expert advice on gear rentals, a car pass so we didn't get tickets, a three-course home-cooked breakfast each morning and lots of cups of tea and fun chats. It's not often you miss a B&B owner but I miss them.
Hot yoga is another thing I've revisited in Calgary. I don't normally practice yoga in a heated environment so I found the heat and excessive sweating quite distracting. I'm not sure if I've been converted but I am definitely glad that I at least did some yoga as what I've done the most in Calgary is eat, thanks to Linds. From the very first night I arrived up to this moment, I don't think I've actually ever been hungry. You might be surprised but Calgary has some really good eats with equally fantastic service.
Greatest thanks to my beautiful friends for putting up with me and taking the time and energy to see me. You were the highligh of this trip! I'll always remember our little chats, jokes and memories. :)
