Whistler is a village and ski-resort in British Columbia, in Eastern Canada. This is where the Rocky Mountains start, the big mountain chain that descends all the way to New Mexico in the US. In Whistler the air is fresher, the view is nicer and the wildlife is taking serious forms!

The village center consists of a few cozy streets with the typical ski-resorts kind of shops, but has a very modest feeling. There are no high rise buildings anywhere to be seen; all the cottages are nicely hidden by the trees, and the typical ski-resort feeling is absent. And the only thing that reminds of the 2010 Vancouver winter Olympics that were partially hosted here in Whistler, is the big square with the Olympic sign, the well maintained roads and the big gondola’s that bring you right up the slopes.

This is the area to find great waterfalls, like the Nairn falls and the Alexander falls. Some have a view point just outside the highway, others have a small hike to be done, making it a bit more of an accomplishment when you arrive and see the falls emerge.

Wildlife is all around here; this area is home to bald eagles, bobcats, lynxes, cougars, grizzly bears and black bears. There are people offering expensive tours to see bears in the wild, but it turns out you won’t need this. We saw a total of three black bears along the road, without even looking for them! Unfortunately only one of them was photogenic, the others were harder to capture on camera. One bear was climbing out of the river, still soaking wet, probably just after having a feast on salmon- the reason bears love this place.

If in Whister and looking for a bite to eat, go check out Green Moustache in Whistler’s center. Salads, rice bowls, smoothies and juices…basically everything here is healthy, organic, vegan, local, and is 100% fresh (no canned or processed foods here).