As I feel more and more comfortable traveling on my own, getting to know myself in different situations, around different personalities, different cultures, I am discovering the real magical gift this trip really is. For the first couple months was all about finding myself in solitude surrounded by nature, a journey towards my own feelings and thoughts of healing and renewal. Now at the end the summer the journey is changing a little bit and I am focusing more on the amazing people I have been meeting along the way. Subjects like music, history and other people’s experiences are filling my head and my writing. Since I left Alaska a few weeks back I have met some amazing people along Canada. I am growing fonder of this amazing country but most of all, its people.

From left to right, Judy, Konny, Maureen, Carlos and Martha

I was immensely lucky to be invited to spend some time with my kayaking buddies in an area of British Columbia that really amazed me for its beauty and remoteness. Lakes upon lakes of perfect clear water filled with wildlife, moose, ospreys, eagles, pelicans, bears and many other species; endless forest seas, old mining towns, but most of all, friendly peaceful people living in balance with nature and enjoying the gifts it provides them on this part of the world.

My week started with a great music festival in Dunster, a small kind of homemade festival surrounded by mountains and forests. I joined my good friends Martha and Konny for a long weekend, we camped and sat on the grass and folding chairs while amazing music kept on surprising me hour by hour. Most musicians were young Canadians and Australians that spent most of the summer traveling from festival to festival, playing for almost nothing, basically for the love of their art. Musician like Olive Swain, Hanna Epperson, Shane Philip, Jaron Freeman, unknown names to me in the past and people I am keeping a close eye to now. Their talent is absolutely amazing. It made me want to start playing an instrument, it is never too late.

Oliver Swain and Jaron Freeman

Beautiful Hanna Epperson

During the week we visited my friend Maureen's lake cabin that she remodeled herself, amazing place. We went kayaking and saw a mama moose with a baby eating in the water, of course no camera with me. I also visited the town of Bakersville with my friend Konny, an old mining town that has been restored and kept as it was in the beginning of the century. And the last weekend I was invited to a very special party in another amazing place. It is called Bob Inn, originally a commune made by a group of Americans that frustrated with the political issues during the Vietnam era left the US and started a peaceful self sufficient life in the mountains of Canada. It was their 40^th anniversary from the foundation of the commune; a real special group of people that made me feel like family for the first step into their grounds.

Maureen's Cabin

A couple of pelicans enjoy the peaceful morning at the lake

Nice view from the cabin, eh?

Bob Inn

Who can guess what the theme for the party was?

I got to know these wonderful women and I really hope we will be friends for life. I loved my time talking about life with Konny and her husband Joel, beautiful people. I have never met somebody who has traveled as much as Maureen, she has been everywhere, a real brave true traveler. I especially enjoyed my time with Martha Waldon, a real special sweet lady with an amazing list of life experiences that I have only started to learn about. And as I got to know then I got to know all the people they are connected to and they kept on amazing me, wonderful people. People like Martha’s husband Jim, an amazing artist, musician, listener, thinker, full of life and curiosity. I so enjoyed listening to his music at Bob Inn. As a traveler to be invited to that weekend was a dream come true.

Jim's poetry

Life is good and I just got started