Eterno Dia PhotographyThe Breathtaking Beauty of Phi Phi
Posted on June 25, 2019
The last stop on our “Island Hopper” group tour to finish off our first week in Thailand would be Phi Phi Island. Phi Phi, pronounced “pee-pee”, (yes, have a giggle) is part of a small chain of islands just south of and administratively belonging to Krabi province. Koh Phi Phi Don (the main inhabited island) and Koh Phi Phi Lee are the most well known. You may have heard of Phi Phi only because it made the news when in 2004 a deadly tsunami hit the island and took as many as 4000 lives, though the exact number to this day is unclear. I didn’t remember this information and when we arrived into the bay at Phi Phi Don, and I was enamored. Koh Phi Phi’s beauty is simply unparalleled; stunning craggy, limestone cliffs, covered in emerald green jungle and surrounded by sparkling turquoise waters. This place is exactly what you imagine when you think of paradise.
Ferry ride from Krabi mainland to Koh Phi Phi
I love being on the ocean and watching the sea
First glimpses of Koh Phi Phi Lee
Main Pier in Phi Phi
The crowded “main street” upon arrival in Phi Phi
After a two hour voyage from Ao Nang in Krabi province across the deep indigo waters of the Andaman sea, on a big, modern ferry, we disembarked onto a very large and exceptionally crowded pier. We waited with the group under the blazing sun awaiting our tour guide to confirm passage to our hotel. We were given 30 minutes to explore Phi Phi Don’s main port while our baggage was transferred and boats were readied. The main pier was completely overwhelming. There was a giant McDonald’s next to a 7-Eleven at the main entrance and the crowds were reminiscent of being at an outdoor music festival. There were so many people, mostly backpackers, searching for lunch, getting tattoos, bartering for souvenirs, booking tours, and just hanging out. My relaxed vibe gained in Krabi was suddenly depleting and I didn’t want a repeat of the overwhelmed feeling I had in Phuket. We waited in a long lineup to get water and beer in the 7-Eleven (the tour guide warned us that things would be pricier in Phi Phi due to it’s remote location and suggested the liquor might be cheaper to buy here than at the hotel) and headed back to the pier. We were all a bit shocked, suddenly recalling that we’d been told Phi Phi has no cars, as we saw our luggage all piled into two traditional Thai wooden long tail boats. Our group was then ushered into two more boats to get to our hotel. A short boat ride down the coast, we arrived at our hotel to check in – on the beach. This was a first for me. The boat crew literally unloaded our luggage onto the hotel beach. We took off our shoes, rolled up our pants and held our camera bags above our heads as we disembarked the boat and waded to shore to collect our luggage.
The long tail boats waiting to take ferry passengers to their hotels.
Our “taxi” to the hotel
definitely a first
Check-in is literally beside the beach…
After checking into a unique hotel built up into the hillside, we went to the beach-side hotel restaurant for lunch and took in the stunning views of the bay and adjacent Koh Phi Phi Lee. The sand was soft and white, the beach was fairly clean and quiet and the water was still and shallow. After lunch, we joined the group for an afternoon swim at one of the hotels three stunning private beaches. We floated in the warm, shallow bay, had some drinks from the beach snack shack and watched an entertaining resident dog play fetch with some backpackers. On the way back to the room to clean up to go for dinner I had a bit of time to get some sunset photos from our view of the bay. I also discovered the MASSIVE millipedes that hang around here. I’m not sure if they’re harmless, but they’re slow. I’d rather hang out with one of these guys than the giant Asian wasps I’d heard about while doing bug research before the trip. Just be sure to have your phone’s flashlight handy for your nighttime walk back to your room, if you don’t want to step on a sausage sized centipede….
the long climb up and down from the beach to our room and back
the breathtaking views from the lookout at the hotel
Lunch view
paradise
This pad thai tho….
Private beach after lunch
This beach tho…
“Girl on Swing”
Headed back to the room to get ready for dinner, the bay below is gorgeous at sunset
Sunset is stunning.
For dinner, we met up with the group again and headed up at a rooftop bar in town. The walk to the main tourist area from the hotel was about 15 minutes. The evening was busy with lots of shops and restaurants to chose from, but not as bad as I’d feared from the pier earlier in the day. There was a definite party vibe in the area, and it was more crowded that Krabi, but still had a more relaxed, island vibe that Phuket. The lack of cars and traffic keeps the noise down and the general feeling less frenetic. The majority of the tour group planned to go to the “beach party” that night after dinner. Shawn and I decided to at least check it out just to say we’d been but we’d heard enough stories about the spiked drinks, druggings and just plain insane partying that we knew that wasn’t the kind of fun we were seeking. After walking along the beach and checking out the beginnings of what would be a long, debaucherous night for some, we left and strolled through town to see what there was to see.
We eventually found ourselves at a bar hosting Muay Thai boxing. They had tourists volunteer to spar with each other for one round and then actual Muay Thai professionals would have a match in between. They protected the volunteer tourists well with padded head wear and safety gear and the minute it became apparent that a fight was ill matched, they’d call it and reward both the participants with a medal and a beer; it was all in good fun. Shawn was so excited about the Muay Thai, he put his hand up while they were calling for volunteers. For a moment I considered putting my wifely foot down, but we had three travel health insurance plans (two employer provided and a third required as part of the tour package), Phi Phi has a small hospital, and this was Shawn’s epic vacation too- if he wanted to walk around with a black eye or a busted nose, who was I to stop him? Luckily for me (and probably for him) with him being a bit smaller than most the the other guys there that night, the bar didn’t have anyone in his weight class to match him up with. As consolation, one of the boxers posed for photos with him. We enjoyed the matches, some cold Thai beer to ease the heat of the night and had a great time with tourists from New York who we shared our table with.
took me a minute to figure out the red bowl is to scoop water into the toilet to flush…
Shawn posing for photos after being declined a Muay Thai fight
After a few more drinks and exploring, we walked back to our hotel along the gorgeous moonlight sand, climbed way up to our hotel room atop the hill, avoiding stepping on giant millipedes as we walked, and had a great sleep with the islands resident monkeys calling out to each other in the night. Little did I know, we’d meet the monkeys in the morning.
Have you been to the stunning island of Phi Phi? What did you think of it? Plans to travel to Thailand and wondering where to visit? Feel free to ask questions or comment! Thanks as always for coming by and stay tuned for more Thailand rambles. Until next time, safe and happy travels!
-L
Four Islands And A Sunset
Posted on June 9, 2019
Continuing our adventures of our epic trip to Thailand, day five of our trip found us on day two in the beautiful town of Ao Nang in Krabi province. On this day we were booked for the popular “4 islands tour”. Even though Krabi province isn’t an island, it’s surrounded by dozens of tiny islands; some flat, sandy paradises and others tall, limestone megaliths rising out of the water, covered in dense jungle, giving one an ominous sense of being in Jurassic Park. We started out with the tour group taking a van to the boat launch where we boarded a large speed boat. The morning was beautiful and temperate, but a large portion of the group was less than thrilled about the “early” morning due to the late night partying they’d done the night before (present company excluded). Visiting any of these islands costs a “national park fee” which our tour cost covered, however, if you were to book a private tour, the fee is quite reasonable and in line with Thai prices.
Our first “island” was a 20 minute boat ride from the Ao Nang area we were staying in. Phra Nang beach is still part of the Krabi mainland, but further south from Railay beach where we originally stopped on arrival at Krabi. This beach is simply stunning. When our boat arrived on the white, sugar sand beach, the immense limestone cliffs rising into the sky above the island demanded our immediate attention.
Pockmarked and covered in caves and vegetation, they are nothing short of a wonder of nature. The surrounding bay had the most crystal clear water and was so calm we could see tiny fishes swimming in the shallows. We were only given about 50 minutes of time to explore the area so we headed off in the direction of the cliffs, enchanted by their majesty. A short walk later we arrived at Phra Nang cave. Not having done any research about this particular cave, you might imagine my surprise when we found it to be brimming with phalluses. Phra Nang cave, or “Princess” cave is a small cave with a soft, sandy floor. Taking up a large portion of the cave were all manner of penis; big, small, wooden, plastic, carved, painted, and some adorned with ribbons and cloth.
Towards the back of the cave was a spirit house, which is a more usual sight to come across in Thailand. I had a hard time not reacting in some way to the sheer number of (say it with me now…) penises in the cave. In some areas they were placed erect in the sand, in farther corners of the cave, stacked in corners and up to the ceiling. I did my best to be respectful and close my gaping mouth as this cave is a spiritual place to the Thai people, and just because it was shocking to me, didn’t mean it should be treated as a joke.
According to legend, the cave is the home of a mythical sea princess and since ancient times, fisherman have made offerings of the symbolic phalluses. The offerings are believed to bring successful fishing trips and protect people from danger. The phallic offerings in the cave from more recent times are placed here as offerings in hopes of achieving fertility. After exploring the cave and collecting ourselves, we headed a bit farther south down the beach and followed some trails back into the cavernous limestone rocks. We didn’t have time to explore it, but there is a secret lagoon near here (I’ve searched it on maps) and it looks like an absolute paradise, if you have the chance to hike there.
We walked back through the cool, clear water, watched the fishes swim around our feet and collected some shells before heading back to the boat. As we pulled away from the shore, our tour guide pointed out the tiny island slightly south of Phra Nang beach that is literally covered in gold leaf. For the Thailand biennial celebration of 2018, artists were commissioned make an art piece and hammered one kilogram of gold leaf around the base of the tiny island. If you’re planning to visit Thailand and Ao Nang is on your list, definitely visit Phra Nang beach early in the morning as the crowds get very heavy from mid-morning on.
Gold leaf commissioned as an art installation on the tiny island in the left of the photo.
Island number two on the tour was an actual island (finally). Koh Tup, attached to Koh Mor, is a tiny, flat island. By the time we arrived here it was nearing noon and the sun was so bright on the soft, snow white sand that the glare and heat were nearly unbearable. While Tup is absolutely paradise to behold, there was little shade and it was oppressively hot.
We re-applied sunscreen, and tried to find some shade and stay hydrated, but the island was extremely crowded by this point in the day. We walked entirely around the island and over the tiny land bridge to Koh Mor in the 45 minutes we were able to spend here. There was a tiny, crowded snack bar, but we spent most of our time beach combing and being entertained by nervous crabs skittering around the rocky shore. This island would definitely be a gem if not so inundated with tourists. Again, if you want to book this privately, go early in the morning to avoid crowds and the hottest part of the day.
A very anxious crab
Island three: The tour guide admitted that the limestone rock formation that creates the “head” of Chicken Island, looks much more like a turkey, but explained that they don’t have turkeys in Thailand, hence Chicken Island.
Chicken Island
We didn’t actually step foot on Chicken but we had a brief snorkel here. I say brief, as we were given 45 minutes to snorkel, but Shawn and I were called back to the boat after about 15. Worried that something had gone wrong, we rushed back only to be told that nearly everyone on our boat wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to snorkel. The majority of the tour group were insanely hung over from the previous night’s festivities and I won’t lie, even with the less than stellar snorkeling conditions at this location (the water was quite cloudy and deep here), I was really upset to have had the time cut short; this was our vacation too. We’d traveled 17 hours by plane, over 11,000 kilometers and saved up for nearly two years to get here so I was pretty angry that some hungover 20-somethings were taking away from our experience.
Sargent Major
Sargent Major and wrasse
Butterfly fish and coral
By the time we got to our last island, Koh Poda, I was fit to be tied. We stopped here and begrudgingly joined our group for a quaint lunch provided by the day tour group. We had two hours to spend here, and I was pretty done with the group at this point and had a hard time actually relaxing. Shawn and I wandered around through the unique feathery trees of the island, grateful at least for some shade as a respite from the heat. I floated in the ocean, watched a far off storm brewing and collected a few more shells while waiting for our ride back to the mainland.
Koh Poda
Some nice shady trees on Koh Poda
spirit house on the beach on Koh Poda
That evening, back in Ao Nang and still being annoyed with the tour group, Shawn and I headed out alone and found ourselves at Ao Nang beach to explore the town and find dinner. The beach was certainly not the stellar white sand found at some of the other beaches in the area; more of a yellow-ish sand and certainly not the cleanest beach I’ve ever been at, but the view was stunning as we watched the sunset over the ocean and a lightning storm off in the distance.
Ao Nang Beach
We found an ocean-side seafood restaurant for dinner and slowly explored the main street area afterwards. We lounged at a rooftop patio bar, did a bit of shopping, found the highly recommended “rolled ice cream” I’d been anticipating and enjoyed the lighter crowds.
Sailfish statue at Ao Nang Beach
Sunset at Ao Nang beach
An amazing seafood supper at a beach side restaurant
Despite the quieter and more laid back essence of Ao Nang, I was disheartened by the amount of garbage we walked by on the sidewalks, literally spilling out of over-full garbage cans. Thailand is an insanely beautiful country with amazing culture but it has a long way to go in reigning in tourists when it comes to littering and looking at solutions for copious amounts of waste and eliminating single use plastics.
Despite the difficulties of the day, I still found Krabi and Ao Nang to be a gorgeous, laid back respite from the culture shock of Thailand and it gave me a real sense of finally being on vacation in a tropical paradise. I was sad to leave Krabi the next morning, but I was told the best was yet to come…. Ko Phi Phi!
Thanks for stopping by to read. Feel free to ask questions, share or comment. Until next time, safe and happy travels!
-L
Finding My Calm In Krabi
Posted on April 5, 2019
Arriving at Nopparat Thara Pier
Continuing our adventures in Thailand, after two days in Phuket it was time for the tour group to move on, which was fine with me because I was surprised to discover that I didn’t love Phuket. It had been loud, busy, and the general feel of the place was a frantic, party vibe, and not the relaxed beach-y feel I’d hoped for. I was ready to leave Phuket and see what was next. While the tour we were on was referred to as an “Island Hopper”, our next destination, Krabi, is actually not an island. Located on Thailand’s south west coast, it’s a province on the mainland, surrounded by more than a hundred offshore islands. The area is known for is jagged limestone rock formations jutting from the turquoise waters, snorkeling, scuba diving, white sand beaches, lagoons and rock climbing.
Transportation from Phuket to Krabi had been pre-arranged of by the tour company. After successfully not dropping our luggage into the sea while negotiating a very narrow gangway with skinny rope rails, me, Shawn and the tour group boarded a rundown, two story ferry, with ancient captain style seats and antique life preservers from decades past. It was a peaceful 1.5 hour open ocean trip until we got our first sights of Krabi.
splash!
Islands in the distance
The ferry first stopped in the bay at Railay beach to drop off other passengers who would be staying in this area of Krabi. By “dropped off” I mean traditional Thai long-tail wooden boats drove up alongside the ferry and loaded passengers and luggage into them and then jetted off to shore. I’d never seen a boat to boat transfer like this and was a bit surprised to not see a pier or port.
Railay Beach West
Railay Beach – Passengers disembarking onto long-tail boats
Traditional Thai Long-tail Wooden Boat at Railay beach
The view of Railay beach was simply stunning; a gorgeous bay surrounded by emerald green rain forest covered mountains. The beaches were sparking white sand. Long-tail boats decorated in rainbow flags and ribbons dotted the turquoise water. Paradise. Our ferry continued along the shore northward until we reached the Nopparat Thara pier where we disembarked and boarded a songthaew, a pickup truck converted to an open sided taxi/bus, to take us to our hotel.
Nopparat Thara Pier
A boat named “Gretzky”. Never too far from home as an Edmonton Oiler’s fan!
Riding in a songthaew on route to the hotel
La Playa Hotel
Spirit House outside the hotel
Stone relief outside of the hotel
Our hotel was also a pleasant surprise, especially compared to our hotel in Phuket; a gorgeous tropical themed hotel tucked secretly into a stunning garden grove just off the “main” streets of the town of Ao Nang. The rooms weren’t ready yet, and although it had started raining, we wanted to explore. First we wandered through the gardens of the hotel. We found beautifully manicured lawns, orchids, tropical plants and a variety of small birds, unknown to me from back home.
Orchids
Myna bird
Common Tailorbird
We headed down a quiet street behind our hotel and found two 7-elevens for water and a stopped at a delightful small restaurant for lunch. The shopkeepers and restaurant staff in Ao Nang were polite and welcoming, but far less desperate than they seemed in Phuket. The streets were nearly empty, only a few tourist wandering about. It was a bit shocking but a welcome change from the noise and crowds in Phuket. We walked around the nearby streets for a while before checking in, getting settled and meeting the group for a pre-dinner pool party.
Lunch!
My favorite. Plumeria aka Frangipani
We didn’t stay long with the group and soon found ourselves exploring the quiet streets again. On the advice of our guide, we found the Ao Nang night market, a small but charming set up. There were makeshift “clubs” and bars along the back perimeter, set up on the back of flatbed trucks, with blinking LED lights and most only large enough to seat 10 or so people. There were plenty of booths to find food, drinks and souvenirs. There were a number entertainments acts going on in the centre of the market, mostly children and teens dressed in traditional Thai costumes, singing or doing traditional dance for the visitors. For dinner, I opted for a coconut stir fry, which was served in a freshly opened coconut.
Krabi night market
The woman who made it for me was absolutely artful in her skill of opening the coconut, making the stir fry from scratch in front of me and even topping the finished dish with an orchid for presentation. I offered her a tip but she was confused, thinking I misunderstood the price. I tried to explain with our language barrier that the extra was because she did a beautiful job making it for me and I thought she deserved extra for her hard work and skill. We had known before going to Thailand, and it was noted by our tour guide as well, that tipping is a rarity. So rare apparently, that I had to explain what it meant. When she understood my intention, she was thrilled; she began to giggle and blushed, clutching the money to her chest, and we thanked each other with a wai, a slight bow with hands pressed together. Shawn and I wandered around the market, purchased a few souvenirs, had a few drinks and called it a night on our first night in the lovely town in Ao Nang in Krabi.
Have you visited Krabi? What did you think? Too quiet or touristy or just right? Thanks for reading and stay tuned for our continued Thailand adventure. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Until next time, safe and happy travels!
-L
Diving Into Thailand
Posted on April 1, 2019
I am not an experienced diver. I’m not certified. I only started to learn to swim 3 years ago; I took adult swim lessons at my local city pool when I turned 35. I love the water but I’m new at this. I’ve done a few “Discover Scuba” classes in the pool and my husband and I had a successful dive in Antigua about 3 years ago.
When planning our trip to Thailand, I knew we had to book a dive. While there are certainly other dive Meccas throughout the world, I know Thailand is pretty high up on the list. I booked our two-dive day months before the trip to make sure we would get the chance, as we had a pretty tight itinerary for our 21 days in Thailand. After some debate, we actually booked it for the first full day we were in Thailand. We knew we’d be exhausted from the 17 hours of flying, jet lag and culture shock, but I was confident I’d at least be healthy at the start of our trip, and I didn’t want to run out of time if our first week on the 7-day tour of the island area of Thailand ended up being too busy.
Even though we’d done a refresher discover scuba pool dive at home a few weeks beforehand, I was still really nervous; the ocean is a big place compared to a pool. We’d booked Aussie Divers in advance and it went perfectly from the moment the driver picked us up at our hotel to take us to the pier where we met our dive team of two and our other two fellow divers. We boarded a fairly large boat at the pier with about three other small dive groups. They supplied us with motion sickness tablets (if we needed them), served us a great Thai breakfast and our group went over the basics of hand signals and safety and gave us a general idea of what the day would look like. Afterwards, we had about an hour before reaching the Racha Yai dive site. I didn’t want to sunburn out on the top sundeck knowing I’d be in the water all day so I decided to take a few moments to myself for some relaxation and to calm my anxious nerves. The ocean is my favorite place to be, so what better place to work on myself and practice some mindfulness than during my short time at sea. I put my feet up, leaned against the wall of the booth on the boat and just took in the sounds and sensations around me:
A hint of diesel smell in the air
The dampness of the humidity on my skin
The noisy, chugging boat engine
The choppy waves
The rotating ceiling fan blowing air around the room
The blue of the sky out of the window
The vibration of the boat motor against my skull where I was leaning
The creaking noise of the boat with each wave
I began to feel the boat move with the ocean. I could feel the panels of the boat swell with each wave. I became suddenly aware it felt as if the boat was breathing with the rhythmic waves. I realized I was breathing with it. I closed my eyes and felt the boat and the ocean breathe around me. I felt so peaceful and present.
My session came to an end as we reached our first dive site and Shawn came to see if I was alright because I was alone in the cabin and not mingling on the deck. For a few moments, I had truly been alright. I hadn’t worried about the dive or heatstroke or sea sickness or any of my life worries. I just breathed. Peace.
The dives were amazing. Shawn and I each had a few moments of panic at different times, but the instructors, Darren and Craig, were both professional and helped us work through our issues. The fish were spectacular, the coral was far better than I’d been warned about due to recent storms and climate change. I’m really glad I didn’t know much about triggerfish until later… I’ll let the photos speak for themselves with only one final thought: Be kind to the ocean. Don’t litter, use biodegradable sunscreen and don’t harass the wildlife; it’s their home and we’re privileged to get to see from this view. Be kind to the Earth. We only have one home.
Fun fact: it took me weeks and weeks to research and figure out the names for all the fish we saw that day. Thanks as usual for taking the time to read and look at my photos. This was a really special day for us and I can’t thank Aussie Divers enough for an amazing trip. Stay tuned for more Thailand ramblings. Until next time, safe and happy travels!
Staycation Alberta: Why It’s Always The Right Time To Visit The Mountains
Posted on March 25, 2019
Even though it seems like spring is on the way in Alberta, it doesn’t look it yet in a lot of places. There’s still plenty of snow and it will likely be weeks before we get spring buds. We had a hard winter and it still looks very much like it. Even though you might be looking forward to a glorious, warm summer vacation of camping and hiking in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, I’m here to convince you that you don’t need to wait, especially if you need a mini vacation, now. The mountains are wonderful any time of year and hold a certain magic in the winter and off seasons that’s quite different from their summer majesty. Last year, just before Christmas I needed a getaway from all of the holiday madness, so we drove to Red Deer and picked up my mom and headed off to Banff, just for the day.
Here are a few reasons you should consider going the the mountain parks now:
- It’s way less crowded (and cheaper) in off season. You won’t have trouble finding parking at some of the attractions and in places like downtown Banff, Canmore or Jasper that are inundated with tourists in the high season. During the low season, “off-season” or “shoulder season” which starts around October and lasts until mid-June, the price of accommodations will be much lower than the inflated prices during the high season. If you’re on a budget, this is a great way to see the mountains.
- There’s plenty to do. Even though some trails or passes are closed due to large amounts of snow, there are still plenty of trails that are usable and again, way less crowded in low and shoulder season. If you’re not into the cold or like a slower pace, there are also lots of interesting “indoors-y” things to do; go to the Banff Art Centre, explore the majesty and history of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. If you’d like to get your science on, visit the Banff Park Museum, or Canmore’s Museum and Geoscience Centre. If you’re up for more adventure, there’s plenty to find in the winter, spring and fall. Canmore offers year round cave tours. Guided hikes, snowshoeing and sled dog tours are readily available in all of the mountain parks. Whether you’re a skier, ice climber or hiker, there’s no limit to the fun outdoor activities you can do in low season.
- Rest and relax. The Miette Hot Springs in Jasper and the Upper Hot Springs in Banff are open nearly every day of the year and are delightfully soothing and steamy in the crisp mountain air. After your soak, you could treat yourself to a massage and a coffee or drink at one of these mountain town’s cozy coffee shops or pubs. Rent a cute cottage in Jasper or Canmore and snuggle up with a good book next to the fire with a view that can’t be beaten.
- Take in a festival or local events. All throughout the winter and shoulder seasons, the mountain towns have great festivals. Things like dark sky events to watch for northern lights or learn night sky photography (which is hard to do in the larger cities and during Canada’s long, bright summer evenings) are common events. There are often things like ice sculpture festivals, the Alpenglow Festival and beer and food festivals like the Cochon555 Culinary Weekend. Every fall, Jasper Alberta hosts the Jasper Dark Sky Festival
- Avoid the Bears. If you’re like me, hiking can be anxiety inducing. I’m really afraid of bears. In the winter months those killing machines (I kid. Cardiovascular disease, car accidents and bee and wasp stings kill more people a year than bears) are asleep, so you can wander to your heart’s content. You’ll still be able to see other animals though like, elk, cougars, lynx, owls, moose and deer, so be cautious and respectful but bring a camera and enjoy the bear respite.
Whatever season you decide to visit the Rocky Mountains, always pack warm, layered clothing and emergency supplies for your vehicles. Even in the summer, the elevation can cause the weather to change drastically in just minutes. We got caught in a surprise blizzard on our drive back near Airdrie, Alberta and it was quite scary for a few hours.
Our one day, mini “staycation” in Banff was perfect. We started out early, made it in time for a nice lunch in a cozy pub. Despite the cold, we walked around town for a little while, took in the charming holiday atmosphere and did some Christmas shopping. Before heading home we had a nice soak at the Banff Upper Hot Springs. A perfect tiny escape was just what we all needed.
Have you visited Alberta’s Rocky Mountains before, or do you have plans to? Feel free to comment or ask questions. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, safe and happy travels!
-L
Eterno Dia Photography 