Honey, let's leave the kids! We are going White Water Rafting with Hyak River Rafting!

or: How rafting down the Thompson river puts a different spin on spending a "wet, wild-n-dirty weekend with your husband and a lot of rubber."

Lucky me, the Best Man of All is game whenever I am!  I name the activity and under normal circumstances and within limitations, he is in!
Convincing my man to go on a 2 day White Water rafting trip with Hyak wasn't the issue; figuring out what to do with our three boys at home was an issue for sure!!
Unfortunately we can't ask any of our immediate family for the occasional nanny job, they live thousands of miles away! But that's only an excuse, isn't it? If you really want to do something in life you will find a solution for any dilemma.
We put our junior (11 years of age) up for weekend adoption among our neighbours and friends (thankfully he is big fun and low maintenance and the offers came in). We made our teenager (17) give us the pinkie swear not to host one of his crazy parties while we were gone (we already hosted three of them and it's not a pretty sight) and bribed our middle son (14) to spy on him!

This, plus a tent was all we needed to arrange for the wet-n-wild rafting trip!
The price (apart from the monetary) we had to pay was getting up at 4.30 AM to make it in time to Hyak's base in Lytton (Lytton is a 3 hour drive from our home and we didn't want to miss the boat. Departure time was 9.30 am). We signed our disclaimer, stripped down and geared up with wetsuit, splash jacket, helmet and a paddle.

Meeting our new friends!

Let's see, what are we signing for? 

All geared up and ready to paddle.

We needed to board Hyak's own luxury cruiser for another 45 minute bus ride up to Ashcroft. In Ashcroft we loaded up and boarded one of the two rafts waiting for us.  

During this particular weekend trip we were a total of 15: 4 couples, 5 lovely ladies and our two rafting guides, Jim and Sebastian (Seb from now on). Jim, a veteran of all things rafting, paramedical, safe + rescue was our leader; a solid rock of knowledge, funny, charming, nevertheless the no-nonsense kind of rafter.

In his 20 years of experience our charming rafting guide has never seen an umbrella on a rafting trip!

My man and I gravitated towards Seb, the young, foot loose and fancy free Aussie version of Jim (it must have been the accent) - and so did Lauren, Alice, Kurt and Karleen. And just like that, Party
Boat Awesome FUN was created.

Crew Awesome!

Paddling during Saturday morning was easy. The wind blew heavily but we didn't have any rapids to master yet nor anything scary to worry about. It was a time to get to know one another, to practise our paddle strokes (the whole blade into the water, use your whole body, not just your arms), learning instructions and taking in the magnificent beauty of our surroundings.

Reaching our lunch stop was a a bit challenging as we were sucked into a whirlpool and couldn't get out of it. However, never ever underestimate the power of six novice paddlers, their Australian guide and the will power and determination of the whole team. It took a while to get us where we needed to be, but we made it.

Why is it that a lunch buffet, presented on a rock and eaten out in the open tastes so much better than at home? Hmm! The huge white cool boxes strapped onto the rafts contained eatable treasures: Fresh fruit, veggies, tuna salad, sweeties, cookies, bread, mayonnaise, meats. You name it, the cool box contained it.
Afternoon paddling was easy peasy as well. How can you not enjoy yourself being surrounded by rubber, taking in the scenery and listening to funny stories from everybody about everything and nothing?

Well, Fantasy Island, here we come! Our domicile for the night!

Our home away from home!

Fantasy island- surrounded by water and two train tracks...!

We found our perfect spot and pitched the tent! In the meantime our two rafters extraordinaire, Jim and Seb, created magic -again. This time disguised as kitchen fairies in the Alfresco kitchen. 

Left: Aussie Seb, Right: Canadian Jim!

Have you noticed the following peculiar socio- cultural phenomena: Everybody always gravitates towards to and congregates into the kitchen? The same happened here on the island!  By the time I showed up to join pre-dinner drinks and snacks my fellow rafters already nibbled on barbecued chicken strips, tortilla chips and fresh vegetables. 

It is 5 o'clock on Fantasy Island.

Lots of hugging went on around here!

Some of us decided to help prepare dinner, some us us decided not to. One way or another, the mood was good, the laughter loud, the conversations flowing! And what a feast these two multi-talented rafters prepared for us: Pork loin (!!!), chicken breasts, wild rice, Greek salad, and a freshly baked chocolate cake, baked in a sand oven (talk about genius creativity).

We're digging in!

The sand oven

And here are a few more blissful moments:

Here we are getting ready for a quick dip into the river for a cool down after dinner!  

I would love to share with you the juicy details of our wet-n-wild night on Fantasy Island. However, we all agreed that "Whatever happens on Fantasy Island stays on the island." So, my lips are sealed. Sorry!                         There is one thing I can reveal though: During the night heavy wind and rain set in. The wind uplifted our front tent pegs and we experienced the wild sensation of half a tent flapping into our faces.  The Best Man of All somehow put his feelers out (no torch for us) to fix the problem.
 Oh, did I mention earlier I am a light sleeper? Did I mention the midnight trains were running? And with this I leave it up to your own imagination how we spent our night on Fantasy Island.

Sunday was absolute bliss. Starting from the French Toast we were served, to the freshly barbecued breakfast sausages to our perfectly timed and well organized departure from the island.

Sunday was the time our wild-n- crazy rapids fun began! . It was the time we had to listen to and practise our commands. Seb could only work his magic if we helped him out. He steered and we did the rest. We needed to paddle, stop, crouch down or made sure we stayed on the boat. 
Wet-n-wild it sure was. Each and every rapid we encountered grew bigger and more challenging.  Huge sprays of water greeted each and every one of us as we went raft first into and through rapids with the names like "Jaws of Death", "Cutting Board", "Witch's Cauldron". Great rapids, huge laughs, fantastic teamwork!

Photo: Courtesy of Hyak River Rafting

So far this was one of the best trips I went on this year. Not only was it active, fun but also wet-n-wild. I  made new friends, shared great laughs and enjoyed my time with the man of all men!

If you decide to spend the weekend on board one of the luxury rubber rafts with the Hyak folks, here are the pre-requisites:

-  Open minded, fun, bubbly personalities preferred- not required! (You want to be an asset, not a burden, don't you?)
- A good physical shape is not necessary. However, good ears to listen to commands is a must!
- A good sense of balance is helpful. If not, make sure you fall into the boat and not off the boat as soon as the rapids hit the raft.
- If you are a light sleeper take ear plugs.  Fantasy island is surrounded by train tracks...and the trains aren't stopping for no one!
- If you  are on a diet stay at home! The food is simply too delicious, plentiful, fresh and too varied to ignore.
- If you go as a couple this is the perfect way to add another chapter to your happy life together. It also is the perfect opportunity you see your husband / partner in a totally different light!

Here are a few examples of what could happen:

 - Your wife will bang you on the head with her paddle for no reason whatsoever!

- You could become jealous because another woman just told you: "Your husband just poked me!"

- Your wife lands 100% on top of the hunky, half your age, terribly
handsome rafting guide (after he pulled her up out of the water)! 

-  Your wife is telling the same story / joke again- and still doesn't get it right! 

- Your husband fills up and refills his plates every time. Do you let him- just because the food is included in the price? 

Could you see yourself spending a weekend with the Best Man / Woman of All on a rubber raft? Please share your thoughts right here!
Or, have you ever been on a rafting adventure? If yes, how did you enjoy it? 

TUSKAST ICELANDIC HORSE FARM, where horses + wine go hand in hand together!

I love a good story!
Especially the one were the wife comes home to tell her husband:
"Honey, I am in love!
I just fall in love with a horse! Now I need some money because I need to buy one (she ended up buying 5) and we need to move to the countryside!"

And what does a good husband do? The husband who loves making wine? He complies! (If you are not so lucky check out this link on how to deal with a non-compliant husband).
To make a long story short, this is exactly what happened to Christopher Jones when his wife Nathaly confessed her love for the four legged creatures!
Instead of producing big drama, fights and involving a divorce lawyer they moved to the countryside and created their own personal nirvana, named it

Tuskast Icelandic Horse Farm, Abbotsford BC (75 km east of Vancouver and a short drive from the Sumas (US) border crossing) and live happily ever after!

Mrs. Jones has the thing going on for horses; Mr. Jones still produces outstanding wines, together they breed and sell Icelandic purebreds.
To make their days more lively and interesting they offer riding lessons and tours through beautiful countryside called the Sumas Prairies.
The tour packages range in prices and duration. You can choose from the
Family - / Romantic- / Native Heritage - / Explorer-/River Man-/ Ride + Wine Tour.
Five of us bloggers chose the wine package; little did we know we would be riding and sipping on a hot, sweltering Friday afternoon. Mind you, hot and sweltering is better than wet and cold...
This is what the tour included:

Discover your inner VIKING and experience the joy of riding Icelandic Horses followed by a unique wine tasting event. Part 1) 1 hour exploring the foothills of Vedder Mountain in a lush forest environment, a trail used by our own BC settlers. The magnificent horses will safely take you on this short adventure and make you smile all the way.Part 2) One hour of wine tasting and education which will be sure to excite your taste buds and entice you to come back for more. Wines are handcrafted in BC, with grapes from around the world.

You know what they say about a picture speaking louder than a thousand words? Let these photos speak for themselves and I will give a quick thumbs-up / wrap-up at the end!
The Magnificent Five before the big fun (when we were sober....just kidding! The owner Christopher, middle, joined us).

                                             Welcome to TUSKAST!


No riding without brushing beforehand:

Yes, all of them!

Off we go (ride) through beautiful countryside:

 

 

 

 

 

This is what was waiting for us at the end of our ride: (Oh, my butt hurt)! We felt "yes, we deserve this + so appreciate it...especially on a hot summer afternoon!"

Cheers + Prost from all of us! Thank you Nathaly + Christopher Jones!

 

 

 

 

 

Verdict: 10 out of 10!
Atmosphere: Fun, relaxed, enjoyable!
Knowledge:
About the horses and guidance ability: Top notch!
We learnt the basics about how to get on a horse, stay on them and how to get off, what to do in an emergency (aka runaway),  how to make our new four legged friends turn, stop or go faster!
About the wine: Oh la-la! Very delicious, very informative!
We tasted three whites and three reds and one port (what a knock-out! Have you ever tasted a chocolaty port? No? You need to go on this tour).
The glasses were clean, the bread fresh, the cheese at room temperature, the wine cooled or just right (depending on its colour, red or white).
Facility: Street parking at the bottom of the property! Family run, cosy, home feel! Very cool. None of these stiff boots-tight jacket-proper helmet kinda -place. Helmets are mandatory! We brought our own snug fitting bike helmets!
Would I come back? You bet I would!

Here is the info to book your blissful afternoon in the company of these wonderful folks:

Tuskast Icelandic Horse Farm In the Beautiful Sumas Prairie 39170 Old Yale Rd, Abbotsford V3G 1X6 Christopher Jones        604-309-1821  Nathaly Jones              604-309-1151 Chanel Jones               778-808-5944 email: tuskast@shaw.ca

 
HAPPY TRAILS!





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HOW TO DEAL with a NON-COMPLIANT HUSBAND!

Let's say one of your biggest dreams is to open up an Italian restaurant, teach pole dancing, study archaeology, sail around the world, become the goodwill ambassador for dogs in need, immigrate to Iceland...
and The Best Man of All, your husband, doesn't want to support you in this new adventure!

Should you dump him or go against his wishes and do it anyway?   
Or rather take his advice, forget about your dream and live happily (?) ever after with him - only to regret this decision for the rest of your life?

Well, I have never met your husband and I also know it takes more than just unfulfilled dreams to give your man the boot.
(Note: No dream is worth divorcing your husband over- assuming he is not a drinking, lying, cheating, beating, schizophrenic, ego driven, money wasting bastard of course).

So let's be nice, let's stick to our promise to love him forever and apply the  Motherpreneur -Ninja tactic to get what you want!

Note: A shared vision and dream is so much more fun, adventurous and rewarding than going on a solo trip!  

 Men, in general, are less complex than women. They are simple souls, really! 
Men are happy
- being left alone to solve problems,
- to provide
- take steps of action, eat, drink, have sex and be merry!

In other words, they are easy to figure out!
(This is based on ongoing research: I grew up with a father, a brother, I have been dating and today my husband and I are happily sailing through our life together for the last 24 years).

If we women apply a few cleverly selected 'seduction' tactics we can get what we want! Because our dream is important and we all have the right to live our personal wishes and desires!

Before we get started let me make a few assumptions:
You love your husband and you really want to spend your life with him.
You really, really want to (fill in blanks here)______________________________

Plan of action:
If you want to or not, you need to sit down with the Best Man of All.
Even if you think 'he knows already, I talked about_________________a while ago'. 
Don't make assumptions. He can not read your mind. He doesn't remember what you told him three years ago!.

Set the date, chose a neutral venue and feed him well.
Make sure he has a  pint / glass of his personal Happiness drink in front of him!
Tell him to listen only;  you will do the talking!

Note: Never, ever choose the bedroom, please! It sets the wrong tone and he will get the wrong idea. Men agree to anything after they had sex. Have you noticed?

Share your vision with him (again), tell him exactly
Why you want to ______________  and
WHY now is a great time (e.g. kids are off to University).
Note: Men have a short attention span, come to the point sooner than later!

 Emphasise on the steps of action you are going to take to make this plan a reality!
 Show your man you mean business and you are not a hot air balloon!
Talk finances with a well thought through, well calculated financial plan.
Oh yes, men love money. They need and want to know how much things cost, where the cash is coming from, how long it's going to take to recuperate the dough and he needs to know the profit margins.
Once again, know what you are talking about. Be conservative, careful and realistic. Rather overestimate the expenses and underestimated the profit than the other way around. 
From experience speaking I know customers are unpredictable...need I say more?

Paint a truthful picture of how all this is going to affect the life of The Best Man of All.
(Note to oneself: Refill his glass now, he will need it).
What does he want/ needs from you?
Freshly cooked meals every day? Ha,ha, keep on dreaming. How about twice a week?
Having sex 6x/ week? Keep on dreaming! I will be too busy. How about once a week?
What about all your weekends spend in the pub / on the golf course / in the gym / at your parents home etc.?
Could you please help me with the kids/ garden/ cleaning/laundry?

Make sure Mr. Right knows what he is getting himself into (no false promises here)! 
However,mention this is only temporarily. 
And sooner than later 'éverything will be back to normal' again - or to something better even!

Now comes the part were you
emphasise on all the advantages your new venture will bring to the family:
- You, as the mom is setting a grand example for the kids, especially for your daughters.
- You will become a much better mom, 'cause you can finally live your dream!  (And living ones dream makes you more happy, it is that simple!)
- We are going to have the same, or even higher income - one day!
- This new phase in our life together will strengthen our family ties.
- This is going to be a great story to tell to our grandchildren.

Second part:

Let him sleep and ponder over your idea for a day or two. No longer- otherwise he will forget!
Sit down again and ask  
what he thinks and how he feels about your plan.

Listen to his ideas and suggestions but never, ever let him talk you out of it!
Tweak your dream if necessary to make it come true.
E.g. My husband refused to move to the Caribbean with us to open my coffee shop there (something I dreamt about for 17 years).
Instead of giving up I brought the Caribbean to Holland (where we lived during that time).
If you want to open a restaurant and The Best Man of All is sincerely worried about the financial burden. start a catering service from for home, specialising in Italian cooking.
Wanna' give up your well paid job and go back to University? Research the best options to go back to school. (In Europe it is free if you are a mature student). 
Apply for a weekend/ part time job to cover some of the expenses. Be willing to make sacrifices (less expensive clothes, holidays, dinner dates).

Whatever it is we want in life we have to get up and get it. Nobody ever said it would be easy-but living your dream is definitely worth the effort, headache, sacrifices, arguments, sleepless nights, tears of stress, of relief and happiness. 
I cried, I argued with my husband-at the end of the day he knew it was important to me to turn our life upside down only to open up the coffee shop in the midst of The Netherlands! He believed in me- and I soared!

Well ladies, I keep my fingers crossed for you and your venture.
This is not Mission Impossible, this is a well thought through, well calculated risk- a risk worth taking because our personal dreams are way too important than to forget about them!
Please remember: We are an inspiration- to ourselves, to our family and to the world!

NOTE: If your dream is to open up a brick + mortar business or to immigrate to a different country, drop me a line! I am going to send you lots of info!
christinawaschko@gmail.com

HOW I LEFT HUSBAND and KIDS BEHIND: 7 DAYS on OAHU / HAWAII

From this

 

 

to this

 

in less time than you think is possible! 

 Costing less money than you think is possible!

Seven days away from my husband, kids and home! Seven days of blissful me, myself and I time!
Seven days on Oahu/Hawaii!

Seven days, seven meals, seven trips for $200.00  (not including air fare and accommodation)!
Impossible?
Nope, let me show you how.

Now you have three choices:
-Watch this video and leave the blog.
- Watch this video and scroll down for more information
- Don't watch the video and scroll down for the information. The choice is yours.
Whatever you do, enjoy!

Prelude to the trip:
 
Hawaii has been on my bucket list for 30 long years! And all because I listened to a German pop song when I was a teen. This song describes the mediocre living of a mediocre couple in a mediocre town with no adventures experienced ever! When I heard the words for the first time I promised myself to never, ever live a life like these guys! And guess what: So far so good. My life has been anything but mediocre and I have been travelling quite a bit over the last 30 years- but not to Hawaii.
Wanna' listen to the song?   Here it is.

Blame it on my former locations (Europe), my children (three), my circumstances (used to run my own coffee shop); Hawaii has been out of reach for me.
Is it fate that we live in Vancouver today? It literally is a hop, skip and jump away from Hawaii (5 flight hours to be precise).
I needed to get the last destination of this song out of my system - for this reason and no other I kissed my family goodbye and left to Oahu. 

I chose Honolulu, the home of Magnum PI, the backdrop of Hawaii Five- 0. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. I didn't see myself somewhere on Maui. I will do that with my family. I wanted more than just chilling on the beach! 

The only reason I went on my own is: I like myself! I like my company, I trust my instinct, I can rely on Christina to have a good time, anytime and anywhere.

Let me break down what I did and how you can do the same if you want to!
Ticking items off your bucket list is the best feeling ever, and who doesn't want to feel happy, accomplished and proud?
This is what I did:

PLANNING
I sat down with my husband and decided on the dates.

ORGANISING
I booked my ticket via expedia for $ 383.00 from Bellingham to Honolulu. My airline was Alaska Airlines
I don't collect air miles, go figure. Use yours and you can fly for a nominal fee or get there for free.

ACCOMMODATION
 I booked my room with Airbnb.
You can chose from private accommodation in over 180 countries. You can rent a couch, a room, a whole apartement, a house or penthouse. And all this for the fraction of a hotel accommodation!
I needed a place to sleep which is central, clean and safe. I do hotels with my family; when it's only me I am OK with a room somewhere.
My hostess lived in the Manoa area, close to the University of Honolulu.

The room cost me 55.00/ night = $385.00.
Because I booked for the whole week I only paid 50/night.
 There is a small fee for Airbnb though.

My husband drove me to Bellingham (no parking fees, hurrah). Be careful! The price from flying e.g. Seattle might me cheaper, but you need to drive there (calculate your time) and need to park your car. Some hotels in America offer to keep your car for free if you stay one or two nights with them. 

HEALTH INSURANCE
 I recommended it. Hospital costs in the USA can cost you an arm, a leg and your house.
For this trip I honestly forgot about it. Too bad, all went well though. As a general rule I never focus on the accidents which could happen - I only focus on the fun things I want to experience!

Once on the island, I took the bus! Yes, I traded being independent with my time.
But then, who was waiting for me?  I had nobody to cook for, pick up or drop off!
The bus system is phenomenal. The busses run mostly on time, they are safe, clean and the airco blows your mind, literally speaking. Take your jacket!
You see places, villages you normally wouldn't see. You don't need to worry about parking fees, no headaches looking for a parking spot either.
Each ticket costs $ 2.50 regardless of where you want to go.
If you want / need to change the bus ask for a transfer ticket when you get in.
Each ticket is valid for 2,5 hours!

The major bus terminal in Honolulu is at the Ala Moana Shopping Centre!

My travel expenses for the whole week were $ 40.00.

SAFETY
 Everybody on Oahu is chillaxed! Even the tourists in Honolulu are relaxed!
You will find lots of hobos sleeping and living on the grass stretches along the beaches in Waikiki. All they do is sleep, chat. They don't bother you, at least they didn't bother me!
Police and independent security agents patrolling the beaches and the city day and night.

VALUABLES 
Make copies of everything (passport, credit cards, Id). Leave one set at home and one set at your accommodation.
I only carried $ 40.00 in cash with me and one credit card! Just in case... 
I left my money, camera and phone inside my bag, covered the bag with one of my sarongs and left it unattended on the beach while I went for a swim!


MEALS
My absolute favourite place to eat in Honolulu is this little, no frills, delicious, super fresh, home made joint
Diamond Head Market / Deli Bakery!
These scones filled with cream cheese are to die for ($3.00)

.
Their lunches or dinners are plentiful, delicious and so inexpensive. This one cost me $9.00:

Another great little find on Monsarrat Avenue is the South Shore Grill.
Their Fish Tacos are a must try. On Tuesdays you will get two pretty big ones for $5.00 and drinks are $1.00!

Three independent parties told me about this little Portuguese bakery in Honolulu.

Just by chance I passed it one evening and tried their famous Malasadas, a deep fried sweet pastry, similar to our German "Berliner".

I ate breakfast at my Airbnb accommodation, snacked on these babies

and ate dinner. It was so hot I drank more than I ate!

STAY HYDRATED
 I left the house with two bottles filled with tap water (good and safe to drink). Everywhere you go you will find water fountains. And when I say everywhere I mean everywhere.



These ABC stores are grandiose. They carry everything you ever need and their coffee is super nice and only costs a fraction of the ones at Starbucks. McDonald's has their $1.00 drink deals running. If I fancied a coked I paid my dollar and drank as much as I wanted. If you keep the cup any McDonald's will give you a refill - at least that's what their staff told me!

WATER SPORTS
Surf lessons are offered all along the beaches in Waikiki and everywhere else. The further you wander away from the Hilton's and The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the cheaper the rentals and lessons become.
To take a boogie board out costs between $20.00 and $45,00. Guess which one I took!

A private surf lesson will set you back $ 120 - 160.00 per hour.
I booked a group lesson with 5 other guys and it cost me $40.00 (which I put on the credit card).

Take a look at some of the day trips I took:

Manoa Falls: (most popular and easy hike in Honolulu)

 

 

Pearl Harbour, standing on the USS Arizona Memorial:

 

 

Waikiki Beach:

 

 

 

 

On top of Diamond Head Crater:

 

 

Haleiwa Beach, North Shore

 

 

And when you are here make sure you stop at Matsumoto! THE place in Hawaii (or on the planet) to eat shaved ice! I tried the rainbow cone and yes, it is phenomenal!

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is what happens if you hang around on the island for long enough: You turn into an angel!

Angels by the Sea is a cute little souvenir shop in Waikiki. It's the kind of shop we women can fall in love with!

 

 

We are in charge of the decisions we make; either in our personal or business life. Hawaii, like everything, can be as pricey or as inexpensive as we want it to be! ALOAH!

I hope these photos / video has motivated you to get your travel destinations checked off your bucket list...it's bad enough it took me 30 years- it shouldn't take you this long, regardless of where you want to go to.
 And here is part 1, just in case you missed it!