Fairmont Hot Springs Retreat

Today we are sharing our retreat with the deers and bears. The berry and fruit crop is realy good and it is atracting the local bears. Our neighbour Bruce found some bear scat in his garden next to the rasbery bushes.

I guess this is a good time to pick the all berries.

The Preperations

I looks so easy! Get on the ship and get pampered for 36 days.

"BUT"

First we have to get shoots. Fun!!!
I turns out we have to get "Yellow Fever, Hep "A" imunization and Malaria pills. Of course non of this is covered by our health system. $$$$

Then you need medical and travel cancellation and interuption insurance! $$$$

Then of all things we need to get a Visa to get into Brazil. The process for this seem unduly complicated. It turns out that just about everybody in the world can go to Brazil without a Visa but Canadians and US citicens are singled out for this special privelage. This looks like a fund raising project for Brazil as US citisens are charged by far the most for the pivelige to travel to Brazil $$$$$.

The Plan

To get adjusted to the idea that we are off we are traveling from Calgary to Vancouver enjoying the Kootenay and the Okanogan areas while visiting friends and relatives on the way. Then the adventure starts for real! We are embarking the Holland America Line’s ms Veendam in Vancouver and for 36 days we travel down the west coast through the Panama Canal to Brazil and the Amazon River. We return to via the Caribbean to Tampa. On the return to Vancouver we will stop over in Salt Lake City for some genealogy at the Family Research Centre. After visiting in Vancouver we will make our way back to Calgary.