The imperfection is the beauty in Kelowna and in Vernon I changed all my plans

After 3 weeks of working in Whistler through Workaway I took the bus to my next job in a winter resort.  I left Whistler with a bad feeling. I felt totally out of balance and didn't know what I want to do and what my needs are. I just listen to everything around but not to myself anymore...

My stopovers were in Kelowna and in Vernon.

 

In Kelowna I loved the imperfection in comparison to perfect Whistler. The hostel there was very social and nice. The only disadvantage was that almost everyone there were just talking about making lots of money. Sounded familiar...

 

By the way Kelowna has a big problem with drugs and drug addiction which I experienced live.

 

Whereas Vernon has not an obvious problem with drugs but the saddest hostel where I ever stayed so far... It also turned out in Vernon were no buses going to the winter resort where I was supposed to work in a couple of days...

 

I was devastated and it didn't feel good to go to the winter resort. But I need to make lots of money, or?!

 

No! Actually I want to be happy and do what is really good for me! Thanks to my great friends and family who supported me with nice sentences. Just a few nice words and I felt backed up.

 

So I changed all my plans and bought a bus ticket back to Vancouver. The place where I felt very great. In addition I did something what I was already considering to do.

 

Now it feels right!

The imperfection is the beauty in Kelowna

Worth to take the tour almost twice... Bus tour from Whistler (A) to Kelowna (B) to Vernon (C). Just 11 hours by bus :-).

At the beach at Lake Okanagan

Autumn feeling...

Very social hostel the Kelowna International Hostel.

"Money, money, money..."

I talked to a French guy. He was actually good but he was all the time talking about how to make money, that he needed to make lots of money but it wouldn't be possible here etc. etc. When I met him in the hostel during the evenings he just said that he still was looking for a job but you cannot earn much etc. etc. 

Also some others there talked like that. It was draining for me and let me also think about it and I got worries about money.

Some others were just traveling and I preferred to talk to them because the chats were more positive. 

Positive vibes

Actually on my last day in the hostel I met during breakfast a very cool and cute guy who was Canadian from area Calgary and quite laid back and positive. He gave me some tips where I could go in Mexico to learn Spanish. 

Very nice guy and I loved to talk to him and what a pity that I had to leave at that day.

When I went to the beach close to my hostel I saw on my way back a rehabilitation hospital. 

Some young guys around my age and younger walked around there. Some of them looked in good condition but with the tell tale signs of drug addiction and some looked in bad condition. Actually quite sad. 

One day I took the bus to downtown and I was quite suprised how many drug addicted people hung around in downtown. It was obviously quite normal to see a lot of them there. Therefore the rehab.

So it was not really a surprise that I had the following encounter in a park which let me think about some things...

Sushi, red zones and drugs

I strolled through downtown when I got hungry, bought in a supermarket some sushi for a small price and seated myself on the grass in a small park beside the street. It was actually just a big meadow. 

Suddenly a guy on his bicycle came over. He just said: "Hey! Do you mind if I join you?!" I had a glimpse of him. He looked like my age and had the tell tale signs of drug addiction. I mean how he acted, the movement etc. 

Actually he seemed to be harmless or rather he was able to talk properly not too fucked up. But still I took my handbag closer to me and wrapped the handles around my wrist... "Yes, why not."

He seated himself beside. His fingernails and hands were very dirty and his teeth colored yellow to brown. 

He asked me what I was doing in Kelowna and said it was a bad place to be. He told me that he was homeless, cycled around to keep fit etc. Since 2010 he lived in Kelowna and he came over from Australia and was also traveling. But he got stuck in Kelowna.  

He seemed to be very intelligent but also mental... Suddenly he got nervous and said: "This is actually a red zone! It is not allowed to be here." "Ehm? I don't understand... I am not allowed to sit on the meadow?" "No, I am involved in some crime. I am not allowed to be in downtown. I have to check my papers because I don't want to be arrested..." He checked his backpack for the paper but couldn't find it. 

We talked a bit more. I felt actually very sorry for him. He told me that he was 35 years old. So young... 

He added that he will meet here some kids. The so-called kids came after 10 min and joined us on the grass. Two boys with long hair under their caps, skinny jeans and around 16 or 17 years old. One was blonde the other one dark haired. They looked like skater guys with a pretended self-confidence like typical teens in their puberty... The blonde one was apparently the leader of the duo.

The guy I talked with filled some white powder in a small translucent bag and passed it to the cool teens over. The blonde guy took it and kept it very cool in his hand... I mean we were sitting on a meadow in the middle of the city and lots of cars passed by... I was not shocked at all about the drug deal. I reckoned with that. It just shocked me that it was that normal. They didn't even know me but didn't care about it.

But I got nervous when the blonde "cool" guy still kept the package in his hand. It would be probably difficult to explain to the police that I have nothing to do with those guys... So I said that I got to go and said polite goodbye.

This encounter let me think about some things. I mean the Australian guy and I had in common that we both were travelers. Maybe he wanted also make lots of money... 

"One way or another..."

I found his story very sad and I came back to the question what is that what I want? Actually I didn't really want to go to the winter resort. 

In comparison to the Australian I have a good base now which I can use and I have a passion for dealing with people instead of drugs. I want to bring their body and mind in balance and not destroy them... It is up to you which way you take. 

I hope he will be grant.

The French-Money-Making guy offered me a lift to the bus station which was very kind. I took from there the bus to Vernon. There I planned to stay for 4 days before I would go to the winter resort and start my job.


But when I came to my hostel it was just a sad place. The shower was just dirty. It was an office building that was tired to turn into a hostel. I mean the try was with good purpose but for the price it was just expensive. Unfortunately it was the only cheap place in Vernon.

Apart from me there was almost nobody there. In the living room where also bunk beds. The next morning when I had my breakfast there was really someone sleeping.

The shower...

That supposed to be the living room and kitchen.  In one of the bunk beds is a guy sleeping during my breakfast.

OK, the hostel was sad but I went to downtown and checked out how I would get to the winter resort in 4 days to start my job. I asked first at the bus station.

They told me that no buses go there until November. Aha... Hmmm. 

Yes! I went to the visitor center and asked there. The kind lady told me that there was no transport. Either I can take a taxi which would cost me more than the bus from Whistler or I hitchhike... 

Well, that meant I would be stuck at the place until November. Of course I could ask the other employees there but that was not what I could imagine for me.


It was actually the straw that breaks the camel's back and I was really devastated. The kind lady said "Welcome to Vernon" I said a weak "Thank you" and fought against my tears. Oh man, what should I do?! Actually I was absolutely not convinced to go there. It was already in my mind when I left Whistler. If I don't go to the winter resort I have no job and where should I go?!


I sent messages to my friends and family in Germany about my situation. Due to the time difference there were already sleeping. 


I also sent a message to the young and cool German guy who I met in Vanvouver because he was very kind and relaxed and I liked to talk to him. And I sent a message to my lovely Irish friend Edel who I met in Toronto. 

Both answered so nice and I felt immediately better. For me it was nice to know to have such nice people in Canada and of course my friends and family in Germany. They all supported me and I felt better.

So I considered what I will do and made the following decision: 
I would stay just one day longer in this hostel, I booked a bus ticket back to Vancouver, booked the hostel in at the Jericho Beach for 5 days, sent some application to jobs in Vancouver, sent to the winter resort an email that I couldn't come due to some things happened on my journey which made not possible to come. 

The woman answered very kind and wrote that she could understand and wished me well.

Actually I thought to work there would be secure... I would have accommodation etc... The fear I wanted to get rid off: grasping at things due to they would give me a believed security....


In addition I sent an email to Yoga Teacher training to a Yoga center in Nelson (BC) that I would like to talk to them and attend their Yoga Teacher training in October but that I have some questions before I will sign up.

I have to mention that I was already in contact with the Yoga center. The price was very reasonable in comparison to the price in Whistler which should cost a fortune and sounded not that attractive for me. It sounded pretty strict without any creativity. 

And I choose Nelson because all the nice people I met so far in Canada told me I should visit it because it was a nice Hippie town and I would love it.


There was no proper reason why I should wait to do it. If I do it now or later makes no difference. If I do it now I could work as teacher beside or full-time or what ever. I would now what I could do.

I had on the next day in the morning a very nice phone call with the owner Joy and I was sure it was the right thing to do. So I signed up after our phone call and I felt great! 

The course would start mid October. Of course I could go right now to Nelson but I had the feeling I need to go first back to Vancouver the place where I felt so great when I arrived there after the 3 days bus tour from Toronto.

So I changed all my plans and listen again to myself and what I really want to do.


After the phone call I went to the hostel owner who had grey thin hair which he wore long. He was skinny and short with an Indian accent and very kind and warm eyes. He reminded me of a Yogi or guru I saw in photos from India.

I told him that I would leave tomorrow and that it was not ok that the shower was that dirty and that the price for the quality was just too high. 

He apologized and gave me the paid money back for the days I wouldn't stay. That I found very kind and actually I felt sorry for this kind and skinny elder manm. I mean he tried to build up a hostel but he needed some more and make it worth its price.

Now it feels right!

So I used my last day in Vernon to visit the lakes there and I felt now very happy and relieved. Yes, now it feels right!

Lake Okanagan

Great place for meditation at Lake Okanagan

Mother reindeer and baby reindeer

Wisdom doesn't care about age

The last night in my hostel was a young guy from Germany who was in my room. He was very easy going, wise and relaxed. Similar like the German guy I met in Vancouver. It was nice to talk to him. He didn't talk about how to make money. He lived in the moment and was sure that everything will work out in some way. By the way he came straight from Nelson and also told me how great it is. I shortly considered if I cancel my bus ticket to Vancouver and go directly to Nelson but I wanted really to go first back to Vancouver even it was the opposite direction.

It proved me again that it doesn't matter how old someone is. Wisdom doesn't care. Actually most of the people in my age or older were often the ones who were talking about money and how to make lots of it etc. 


When I went to the bus station on the next day it turned out that the bus was already gone... I checked the wrong time. But the staff was so kind and just let me pay a small amount and I took the bus back to Vancouver 2 hours later. 

No problem. I went to a nice cafe around the corner and wrote a bit on my blog. In addition I had a phone call from one of my job applications I sent to Vancouver and set up an interview in person.

Nice coffee at Bean Scene Coffee House where I waited for the bus.

When I arrived in the night in Vancouver I throw my luggage into my room, got a pissed off complaint that I should turn the light off ("Sorry!"), went to the beach, laid on the ground and just watched the beautiful stars and enjoyed the moment.

I also saw how a big bird like an owl caught something which looked and sounded like a squirrel and had its dinner in the tree in front of me. Very impressive.

On my way back to my hostel. Such a nice moon.

I stayed 5 days in Vancouver. Read next time about my reunion with an old friend from Muenster, Germany who was on vacation in Canada and coincidentally he had his last day in Vancouver. I was so happy to see him! It was a great evening with lots of laughter and beer cans in the public, we just forget about it... ;-)


I had also a short-term husband who took care of me ;-), I got to know to very nice surfer guy from Calgary who gave me lots of tips for traveling. I met a very nice young girl from Germany. Due to a misunderstanding I got to know to a Yoga teacher who was also a Yoga photographer and very nice. 
I met a nice elder man who was an actor, invited me for a coffee and pie and gave me a lift to a friends house.

There I stayed my last night before I went to Nelson (BC).


Yes! I did alright to come back and everything showed me that I have to go to Nelson. Now I was ready for it.

Yes, back in the moment and back in balance at the Jericho Beach in Vancouver.