I realize this sounds funny, but sitting around for ten days is really hard!  The ten days of my recent course were some of the longest days of my life, proving to be one of the most challenging, but also most rewarding, experiences I’ve had.

At first glance a ten-day meditation retreat sounds like a nice and relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of life. After a few strictly scheduled days which consist of waking up at four in the morning, a total of eleven hours of meditation with just enough time in between sessions to eat, rest, and poop, and zero communication with the dozens of other students around you, you quickly realize that there’s a lot more to this than just sitting around.

As with any “spiritual” or “new age” process, with Vipassana you’ll encounter a wide variety of followers. This includes people who insist they feel the “vibrations of the universe” and swear by the healing frequencies of crystals and reiki. It also includes those who regularly commune with some form of a “creator” and are sure that, once their bodies cease to function, their “souls” will leave this “plane” and go … somewhere else. You’ll be surprised, though, that it also includes people who are scientifically minded, logical thinkers who “need to see it to believe it”. I consider myself to be in this last group, although I pass no judgment to all the other crazies. Although the core teachings of the technique are in line with those of old-school Buddhism, the beauty of Vipassana is that it’s compatible with any other belief system and doesn’t require things like blind faith or voodoo magic. Real people give it a try and real people find it beneficial, quite often even going back for more. 

My recent course near Merritt, B.C. was my second ten-day course, my first one being about six years ago near Oakville, Ontario. To be honest, I’d forgotten how difficult the course is, which is just as well since it made it easier to convince Chelsea to give it a try. There are Vipassana centers located all over the world, and although there are shorter one- or three-day courses offered to experienced students (as well as longer courses of 20, 30, 45, or even 60 days!), the only way to get introduced to the technique is to sit the full ten days – no shortcuts!

I can’t think of a single person in my life that wouldn’t benefit from attending a Vipassana course, assuming they’re able to sit still long enough to give it a fair chance. I’m not saying that everyone who takes a course will want to dive full-on into the Vipassana technique and dedicate the rest of their lives to meditation (I most certainly don’t), just that there are clear and concrete benefits to giving it a chance.

In this post I’ll go over some of the basic ideas of the technique and describe some of my personal experiences with it. If you’re already planning on sitting a ten-day course then I urge you to skip straight to the “things to know before your ten-day sit” section near the end – you’re probably better of going into it without too many preconceptions.

So off we went to Nelson BC to start a new adventure.  We spent the first night camped out at Cottonwood Lake since we hadn't been very good at keeping in touch with the farms or couchsurfer hosts that we had contacted prior to arriving - normally they like to have a few days notice but our plans changed too often to stick to one.  It was nice though, a peaceful little lake with some picnic tables.  There were a few groups of people enjoying the sunny day who were all very interested in chatting with us.  The next day we found a place with internet and noticed that we got a response from someone who could host us that night in her spare bedroom.  We were so happy to meet Gabrielle who cooked us up a delicious dinner and told us about the many hiking trails around Nelson.  We were expecting to stay for only a day or two before heading out to Chuckleberry Farm to volunteer for a week or two before my yoga course started, but in the morning Gabrielle informed us that there was a family emergency and she had to take off for a few days.  Unfortunate news, but we were very happy to stick around and look after her beautiful little place while she was away.

Before Gabrielle left she put us in contact with her daughter, Vida, and a friend who couch sat with her a year earlier, Peter, who is also a mechanical engineer and now lives in Nelson.  After meeting Peter a few times Peter mentioned that he had just bought a house and would be moving in soon.  He hinted that it had two extra bedrooms and we took the bait, agreeing that after our time at Chuckleberry Farm we would stay in Nelson with him during the yoga course.  It was so funny because we had been getting a little worried that we hadn't planned enough for this trip but suddenly, things were falling into place.  Gabrielle's neighbours even invited us over for a very lovely potlach Thanksgiving dinner.  Nelson was slowly but surely taking us in. 

Since being back in Canada our adventures have not ended.  Admittedly, we haven't been taking as many photos or writing as many blog posts, but there are still a few things we want to share.  It has been amazing to spend so much time with family while we continue to explore new corners of the world - the ones right next door from home.

After our Yukon time we bought a Nissan Cube (long story) and drove down to Vancouver to meet up with Kim, Nate and Harrison!  The drive down was quiet and lovely.  We stopped at the Liard Hot Springs for a night to soak up the volcanic waters.  The fall colours were intense and we were lucky enough to spot a moose in the swamp beside the board walk to the hot spring.  Please enjoy a few photos from the rest of our drive.

To open slideshow in a new window clickhere

Bringing you the latest from CHAM Studios Productions - "Wildlife of Haines Alaska". 

This footage was taken over a few days while fishing for Pink and Sockeye Salmon in the Chilkoot River in Haines, Alaska. The salmon run brings all kinds of wildlife to the riverbank to feed on the delicious and nutritious tough guys - grizzly's, eagles, ravens, seals and of course humans. Sharing the river with wildlife, a balance of respect and sustainability is important, especially when it comes to the grizzly's!

One bear, the lone bear seen eating fish in the river toward the second half of the video, is an old friend of mine.  BMJ is 29 years old now (born the same year as me) and I remember seeing her over several years, sometimes with a cub or three.  She has had over 9 cubs in her lifetime but I don't think many have survived due to tourists claiming them to be a "nuisance" when they have gotten into fish coolers. Sadly the solution was to kill them because they had gotten used to feeding themselves this way and weren't able to fish for themselves.  Apparently the last couple of cubs did survive due to rangers efforts to minimize contact between bears and humans. Typically grizzly's live to be between 20-30 years old in the wild.  I hope she lives out the last few years in peace after losing so many of her babies. 

We hope you enjoy the show and let us know what you think!

-Chelsea and Mandrew

After experiencing so many beautiful and colourful birds in Costa Rica, Mandrew got a bit obsessed with his feathered friends.  Here's a collection of his favourite bird photos from our wanderings around the Americas. Enjoy!

To check out the album in Flickr, click here.

The highlight of my summer was definitely our incredible two week canoe trip down the Teslin and Yukon Rivers.  Unlike last year’s trip, this time Chelsea and I had some company – both our dads (Doug and Jim) came along for the ride, and Chelsea’s brother Shawn & his friend Sarah joined us for the second half.  As much as we enjoy each other’s company, it was a nice change to have some other people around to mix things up (and allow more options for the evening card games!).  One of the best parts for me was being able to share such an awesome trip with my dad, who’s the main reason I’m into all this outdoorsy nature stuff to begin with.  Thanks everyone for helping pack the trip with so many unforgettable moments!  =)

Since it’s taken me such a long time to put together this post (I’ve been busy, get off my back!), I’ll skip the nitty gritty details and stick to some of the more memorable moments.  If you’re interested in the practical details on the trip, I stuck those at the end.  So, with no further doo-doo, I present to you "Stories from the River".  Enjoy!
~ Mandrew

Who needs bear spray when you’ve got Mandrew Musk™?
One morning before we’d all gotten up, Doug was lying awake in his tent when he heard something moving around beside him.  He peeked out and saw a black bear sniffing about.  Not wanting to alarm anyone (or the bear) he quietly watched as it made its way around our camp and over to our tent.  Just as it reached us I happened to rip out a nice loud fart, startling the bear and causing it to flee for its life.  Yup, I've got skills.

We've been in Whitehorse for a month and a half now and we're trying to adjust to being back in North America where everything is logical and things happen on time.  There are many good things about being back such as seeing family and Vladmir (our hilarious toothless cat who's been staying with my mom, thank you!!) and friends, enjoying the northern summer and fall, not living out of our backpacks (or at least not having to move around all the time), thinking about our future plans (buying a car, looking at land to buy) etc.  But it is certainly an adjustment and I am missing South America a lot.  We really got used to the "tranquilo" way of life (meaning things happen on their own time) and became very comfortable with our chaotic and disorganized way of life.  I have so enjoyed learning about completely different cultures, learning Spanish, meeting other travelers and friends, making every minute count, living in the moment, being in the jungle, doing lots of yoga.  This year has really been amazing.  I am happy to look back at so many wonderful memories, and I am excited to start looking ahead to building the life we want.  The vision of this life is starting to take form but still has a long way to go.  

Before making our way back to Canada we had a couple days to soak in the sun and rich history of Cartagena, both of which are nearly impossible to hide from.  Our days here were some of the hottest in our entire trip, with the sun constantly beating down on us as we explored the city.  Shade is definitely a premium here, with locals and tourists alike hopping from one sheltered sanctuary to the next.

Like in many of the cities we've visited, we quickly grew tired of the pushy street vendors hocking their wares (especially wide-brimmed hats for hiding from the sun), but were pleasantly surprised to find a clean, colourful and overall attractive city.  Although we stayed in a hostel in the touristy area around Calle Media Luna (half-moon street), we spent most of our time exploring inside the old city walls.

One of the first things that we noticed about Cartagena was its history: completely surrounded by walls, the old city's narrow streets and scattered plazas are packed with colonial buildings and statues.  Most of the attractions are within these walls, though some incredible views can be found if you're willing to brave the direct sunlight (and the hat vendors) and walk around atop the cannon-lined walls.  

Looking for a bit of a break from the intense heat of Santa Marta and the Caribbean coast, we decided to head up into the tiny town of Minca, nestled away in the Sierra Nevada mountains (which include the highest tropical mountain in the world).  After forty five minutes up a bumpy dirt road we found ourselves standing in the tiny main square of a quiet, two-street town with a couple of small restaurants, a tiny market and an internet cafe - this is our kind of place!

Minca is an up-and-coming eco-tourist destination, a great place to relax in the cooler mountain air while taking a break from the hours of hiking accessible from town.  A great place for bird-watching, taking a dip in the local swimming holes, touring the nearby coffee plantation, or just walking for hours on the tiny dirt road that leads further up into the mountains from Minca.  Minca's also a possible starting point for treks to the Lost City (La Ciudad Perdida) - I wish we'd known this before spending time in nasty Santa Marta (though we wouldn't have saved Charles, the dumpster kitten if we hadn't gone there). 

Well, after our amazing and educational 5-day trek to La Ciudad Perdida (the Lost City), we decided it was time to do some intense relaxing.  We didn't know where we were going to go next, but a quick look at my notebook (where I keep all my notes about places to stay from other travelers we meet along the way) gave us some ideas. 

A friend named Shawn who we met in Ecuador in January had recommended a hostel called Rancho Relaxo, located just outside Tayrona National Park, an area that sounded amazing. We couldn't remember why he recommended it, but I had drawn two big stars beside the note so it must have been something good.