Meanwhile, on an Island Named After a Dessert...

As a person who missed the bulk of Canadian history/geography/all other relevant facts necessary in order to successfully be Canadian (due to being situated somewhere in New Jersey for the bulk of my youthful life), I have often been the butt of jokes. My friends are quick to point out the fact that up until about 2 hours ago, I was convinced that Winnipeg was a province, and that PEI was a mystical place inhabited by potato fairies that was only "a thing" due to Anne of Green Gables. To say that my concept of Canada (minus Toronto and Montreal) was murky would be an understatement. This would explain my extremely harried trip to the West Coast, to check out Vancouver, Nanaimo, Lake Louise, Calgary, and Whistler. All within 8 days. I was determined to become Hella Canadian For Real.

As evidenced by the plethora of DGAF tree statues and sugary name, Nanaimo may just be the chillest place on earth. As someone who is always on their phone and seeking the next best thing, it was refreshing to see real live humans doing stuff that did not include buttons or wifi. Boating, picnic-ing without the intent to Instagram, and swimming more then once a day are all apparently things people do in the real world!

Although it is my life goal to never reveal my true sense of raw wonder and amazement through facial expression, (except perhaps the time I was at the Dubai mall while it had both an aquarium and Kim Kardashian within its walls at the same time), I can't lie, I could really be down for this chill, laid-back, islandy living. Or at least for a week.

This is a place was meant to be photographed in its primal summer state, and our friends we were visiting were kind enough to haul us around the island, and let us "oooh" and "aaah" at every boat, flower, and garbage can, like the tragic city folk that we are, while they looked on with amusement.

Our afternoon crescendo was watermelon and beers at the beach, which is obviously the worst most painful way to spend your time. Behold below.

Dem goji berries

Sandy Nanaimo beach!

Terrifyingly large-eyed and bushy-browed specimen of female!!

After 10 attempts at this photo I gave up. I should have gotten a manicure.

Our groovy and delightful island inhabiting pals, Maya, Kalila, and Kathy

Because what beach day is complete without copious amounts of wine and pie ehhhhh

The purplest pies to end all pies, warranting its own photoshoot, and deservedly so

After staring at bodies of water, tree statues, eating pie and giggling madly for most of the day like a lunatic, we hopped on the ferry to get back to Vancouver Island and eventually back into the city.