Paradise to Paradise - Antigua to Salt Spring

We all know how fabulous it is to live in BC. Vancouver is acclaimed as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and the province is home to some of the world's most stunning sites of nature. In this segment we're fortunate enough to experience weekly local adventures and share them with our readers.

However, sometimes you need to go far away from home to realize how special this place really is. I usually love staying local in the summer, it's a great summer city, but this year I had some extended time off. I decided to find a tropical paradise, so off i went on a 14 hour flight to Antigua. There are no direct flights and we had to spend a night in Miami each way, but that's okay because South Beach was good to us. Antigua welcomed us with sunshine, it's hilly landscape is covered in lush greenery, the beaches are a soft white sand with palm trees swaying, and the water is a crystal clear turquoise.

I spent my time snorkelling, kayaking, sailing, island hopping, collecting sea shells and chasing after hermit crabs. As i basked in the sun it occurred to me that all of the activities i flew half way around the world to do are the same things i do at home, we have an abundance of beaches, trails, and small islands around us. Okay so the temperatures are a little bit cooler in Vancouver, but that's okay we can handle that. The more i thought about it, i realized that Antigua was very similar to Salt Spring Island in terms of size and available activities. I frequent Salt Spring Island and have visited this summer as well. So for all of you interested in travelling, but maybe don't have the time or resources to go too far, visit Salt Spring or any of the other Gulf islands and you can feel like you're almost in the Caribbean.

Travelling you meet many people from around the world and guess what? They all think that Vancouver is Awesome. On our first stop in Miami, our taxi driver went on and on about how he has always wanted to go to Vancouver. He had seen so many pictures a footage of the forests and mountains. We then shared a taxi with a couple from St. Louis when we landed in Antigua and the couple claimed their love for Vancouver, "It's sooo beautiful!" ...they had even considered relocating. Everyone we met had lovely comments to share about our city. A server at one of the restaurants had been travelling to Vancouver and lived on Salt Spring Island for six months. One of my favourite comments was from a tour guide in Antigua, he said "Oh yeah, Vancouver, the Canadian city that doesn't get snow in the winter....so did they end up importing enough snow during the Olympics? How is that even possible?....I'd love to go there, looks gorgeous on TV"

Calming, deep blues at Salt Spring Island...

Bright, teal blues at Antigua

Hermit crab in Antigua...

...Real crab in Salt Spring!

Rocks and water, Antigua

Rocks and Water, Salt Spring

If you depart from Tsawwassen to Salt Spring, the ferry ride is 1.5 hours. It is a short drive to Ganges Harbour, the town center and of course there are cottages throughout the island where you could stay at a reasonable price or choose a camp ground. Mowhinna Creek Campground and Ruckle Provincial Park are both good ones. Enjoy a hike up Mt. Maxwell and take in the view. It's a perfect weekend getaway!

A self portrait, just for fun!