1. Plan better. For example not taking appropriate clothing (Touques, wool socks warm PJ’s) to go camping is not the smartest.

2: No more tenting for this family. We will need to look at alternatives for global travel.

3: Do not set out for a long trip on an evening. With a kid it takes way too much organizing and is too stressful. In future we will set off in the morning.

4: Bring earplugs.

5: Bring more than one pair of shoes, especially when it rains A LOT.

After a hot ‘cuppa’ of tea and oatmeal with almonds, pan fried blackberries and honey we went for a drive with the heating set to ‘tropical’ so that we could warm up. It felt good to be warm.

We decided to cut our trip short and head back home. Part of us was sad especially as the new campsite was fantastic in every way but we didn’t want anyone to get ill either. We also made a pact that the next two days at home would also be spent as a holiday, but thought it would be OK to sleep in our bed rather than the tent

After we had packed up (once again) we headed to the lake for lunch and a paddle. Lunch consisted of a picnic under the shade of a large tree. We had pasta with Ukrainian sausage, Russian red garlic, asparagus, extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste.

After lunch we hired a rowing boat and took on the wind and current. There is nothing better than a good row to show others how unfit you really are (actually Claire already knew this). That being said it was our first time as a family on the water together. It was short but it was fantastic. Helena wanted to row, so we let her try her hand at it. She was fantastic, almost as impressive as her Dad.

We squeezed our way back into the car and headed home. As we came through the kitchen door we looked appreciatively over the clean and tidy kitchen knowing too well that in a few minutes it would be covered with the contents of the car. A few minutes later everything was unpacked and yes, the kitchen was a disaster. A mess to be tidied on another day, we may be home, but we are still on holiday.

Even though our trip away might not have gone as expected or to plan it was still the longest time we have all spent together at one time since Helena’s birth. For this I am extremely grateful and had a brilliant time. We laughed, we froze, we hugged and we threw some small rubber pigs into a metal dish, what else could we have asked for? (well actually, a camper van would have been wicked– lol).

This new mindset allowed for a relatively easy departure from Kellowna as we set forth to Manning Park determined to break our streak of camping bad luck.

I padded our departure time, thinking we could leave by 9.30am I suggested that we head out by 10am, giving myself lots of space to breathe and relax. It worked, we left at 10.15am and I had not been a stress nut, that being said I was bursting to leave. With a final once over of our guests house (yes, we did remember to take out the dirty diapers) we were on our way.

It took about 2.5 hours of easy driving to get to the campsite. We stopped off in Penticton at Fibonacci restaurant to eat some lunch. The food was OK but it was super cute to watch Helena read the Guinness Book of records with her Mom (and when I say read I actually mean pointing at funny looking pictures and giggling).

We stopped off at the fresh fruit and veg’ stands on the way and got some locally grown produce. It is so great to know where your food comes from, rather than being all polished on the supermarket shelf like a Mr.Universe Apple competition.

On the way we also had a great conversation about what our future looks like, where we want to live, what we want to do and what type of life we want for our little one. It was a really inspiring conversation.

And then we arrived at the campsite.We were initially impressed by the service from the warden, our site was great and we were near the bathrooms (but not too close to smell them   …  “now this is more like it” we thought.

We had a fancy camping meal of Russian red garlic, minced beef and yellow peppers, salad and taco shells. We went for a walk to the lake with Helena insisting on pushing the stroller. Lightening Lake is stunning, it was still, quite and very picturesque.

On the way back up we passed lots of people who had been to the amphitheater to listen to a presentation about owls. I was very impressed with this, as when I went camping as a kid all we got was a field full of cow pat and running water.

To top off the amazing day we played ‘Pass the Pig’. It is the most amazing game where you have two rubber mini pigs and you throw them like dice. Depending on how they land you earn points. All three of us played and Helena (the two year old) won the game. It’s true, there was no favoritism or anything, she really did kick my piggy behind. In fact, she scored 180 points, Claire got 160 points and I shamefully scored nothing. I was crowned prince porker and Helena Queen Piggy and we all went to bed in the barn (the tent).

The rest of the day was kind of ‘hanging out’, letting Helena catch up on some sleep and doing more food shopping for the next few days. We were also going to go swimming but found out just before we left that the pool would be closing by the time we got there. What this has taught me is that we need to plan WAY better as far as meals, shopping and snacks. We did some planning which is cool but we kind of winged it. Also, we need to be more flexible I feel about her naps so we don’t have to be home bound, because if that’s the case what’s the point of going away. As I said yesterday I look forward to being in the woods. Not that there is anything wrong with where we are at, I am loving spending time with Lisa and Barry, I just crave some away from the city time.

Approximately 15 minutes later the cat struck again and I got another call. This time they were cornered in the Kitchen by this viscious beast. Joking aside the night earlier the cat had made me jump as it hissed at me, it sounded somewhere between a fur ball, bad phlegm mixed with some serious attitude.

When we arrived home the cat had given up hope of her prey and had gone to sleep whilst my daughter was still wide awake. She was slowly becoming aware of the stark reality that the ‘kitty’ was not going to play ‘hug’ with  her.

Prior to the cat incident we had had a lovely morning. I welcomed a healthy breakfast which was refreshing after two days of fried grub to kick start the day. We had visited an English shop in town, and except for the UK ‘tourist tack’ like the UK flag printed underwear, they had lots of great food that reminded me of my youth. At the check out there was a discounted tray of products that would be going out of date soon. In there were two items that I thought were quite amusing, one was powdered ‘smash’ potato and the other was canned new potatoes; yum, nothing like fresh British food.

In the afternoon we got the wet tent out and hung it in the garden to dry. Guess what? It started to rain (too funny). We also bought a new camping stove. This one we could take to the beach back home or to the park, so I was happy to spend a little extra on this unexpected purchase.

Went to Lisa’s parents for dinner and ate sushi and pizza. Her dad who isn’t fully into the idea of eating raw fish described it as ‘fish bait’ which I thought was fantastic, one to remember for sure.

The evening ended with us hanging out and drinking tea. Today was more of a relaxing city shopping kind of a day, which I don’t mind doing but look forward to hitting the Provincial Parks again and also to go back to camping on Monday and being in nature. If you have read the previous posts you may be wondering if I have taken a short trip from reality especially after our many ‘successful’ recent camping experiences. I am feeling enthusiastic because we now have a new stove, the tent ‘will’ be dry and more than anything, it is scheduled for nice weather. We’ll see. Only time will tell.

After check out we were going to head to Hells Gate, but time was getting on. We decided to travel straight to Kellowna. With the air con on freezing to prevent myself from passing out at the wheel (always a preferred driving option), the two girls asleep and being accompanied by some great music, we were on our way.

A couple of hours later we were starving and stopped for some rather decent food considering it was a quick grab café in a small mall (this coming form a total Foodie is rather a good compliment). We had an hour or two to kill before our cousins would be home (with whom we were staying for the next few days) so we went exploring trying to find a swimming pool in the area. What was funny is that the people giving us directions to the pool said it was quite far and about 15 minutes away. In reality it took about 8 minutes and was really close. We concluded for people who live in a small town who are use to everything being in close driving proximity that the pool would seem quite far away. For us, the ‘city folk’ it seemed really close.

The pool was called H2O a somewhat clichéd name but also rather cool at the same time (yes, I am aware that this is a total contradiction). My designer side thinks that naming something with water H2O is rather obvious – but I also think that the name will really resonate with the target audience. It is also a short and easily branded name which is cool.

My design ramblings aside, the pool was BRILLIANT. It was costly at $19 for two adults, but you could stay in there for hours. They had two large swimming pools (one which was reserved for lane swimming), diving area, three slides (one in total darkness which was great) and an adult only hot tub. There was another family hot tub, kids slide and play area, a wave pool and a large strong current section. They had one attraction that I had never seen before, it was a surfing ‘pool’ / area, where people could surf a artificial wave. It was fun watching people with all levels of ability from the trendy tanned buff guys standing up on the board to some larger heavier guy pulling some cool tricks on the body board.

The upstairs gym overlooked the whole water area and there was a juice bar and snack area too.

On the way back to the car we also noticed that the exterior lighting around the building utilized solar panels to gain their power, a really nice touch.

Was it worth $19, well if you are use to paying $12 for two then the little extra is worth it especially for the occasional visit.

It was later when we arrived at Lisa’s so we visited, drank tea and crashed, took an early’ish night.

Yes, we bailed, but it was not just the rain. We woke up after a relatively good night’s sleep. I rolled over in my sleeping bag to find my daughter tucked between my wife and my self. Claire had taken her out of her travel crib and she had joined us on the mattress. As I wiggled my way out of the sleeping bag, my daughter had tripped and punched me in my ‘privates’, ahh, always a wonderful way to wake up. After the pain had subsided we had such fun using the inflatable mattress as a trampoline, Helena had such a good giggle time. As we moved out of the tent we realized that I had not put the top on the mouth wash on properly and it had spilled all over my wife’s washroom bag – oooooops (at least I did a good job cleaning everything which somewhat made up for my silliness).

We were doing well, we were in great spirits and none of the initial hiccup had dented our mood. Then we discovered the stove was leaking and we couldn’t use it, so we headed into the town of Harrison for breakfast.

Then came the rain.

Then it rained some more. Not talking about soft, lovely, nice rain, the type that makes spider webs glitter in the sun. We’re talking about the pouring down heavy rain that stings when it hits you. It was raining so much that the small hole next to our tent had now become our very own personal swimming pool.

It was when we were having breakfast that I suggested that we stayed in a hotel, the one with 6 pools that are filled with water from the hot springs. The hotel that had a spa. The hotel that wasn’t a tent. The hotel where our room would be inside and dry. As you may guess, it didn’t take too long for Claire to agree to the additional expense (even Helena thought it was a good idea).

So here I am, sitting in a living room area in front of a large stone fireplace (would be nicer if it was lit), but still I am inside, on a comfy sofa sipping organic mint tea – ahhh, now this is more like it.

It is rapidly dawning on us that we don’t like tents. Yes, camping is cheap, but when it is ‘BC’ing it down’ outside they basically ‘suck’. Looking ahead, we will not be able to afford to stay in expensive hotels every night on our global travels but maybe we look into youth hostels with private rooms or even a camper van. Dry is good. Very good indeed.

We stayed at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa. Except from my name on the room reading as ‘Natt Samyciawoo’ I have nothing to complain about during our one night stay at the resort. We had booked a campsite in Harison but due to torrential rain we abandoned that plan and went to the nicest hotel in town instead (a wise move if we say so ourselves). The room was small and a little cramped due to it being quite old plus we had lots of baby stuff including a crib forced into the room.

The room aside, the great service at reception aside, this hotel has six pools. Yes, six. And they all get their hot water from the natural hot springs. They differ in temperature which is great for the whole family. Some are inside and some out. Oh, did I mention the spa as well? My wife had a pedicure while my daughter and I bounced on the bed and watched nature programs with ‘monkeys’ and other recognizable animals to our two year old.

The room was $159 per night which is not cheap but rather than being damp or even wet in our tent we feel it was well worth the expense.

The true test of a hotel like this is does it feel like you have been away longer than one night and we have say a definite YES.

When I got home, there were still lots to do. After forcing everything into the car (I really should have received an award for this packing job, pure beauty it was) we eventually set off 90 minutes late. I was stressed and being all rushy – not fun for anyone.

As we got into the car we cleared the negativity and created what type of trip we were looking forward to. We created a fun, relaxing and adventurous trip – sweet eh! One where we laugh at whatever is thrown at us no matter how big or small.

We were on the road for 25 minutes when I realized that it would be wise to fill up the car with gas before going on a long drive, so we pulled off and filled up. Helena was great, a little fussy here and there but in general a little sweet heart.

Got to the camp site at Sasquatch Provincial Park, it was pitch black but used the car lights to see what we were doing and it went rather well.

Went to the bathroom with my toilet bag but was welcomed by an outhouse and no sink, ahh yes, nature. I cleaned my teeth next to the tent. I had to turn the head lamp off when I was flossing as big insects kept almost flying into my mouth (nutritionists recommend not eating just before going to bed).

Just about to go to bed and are in nature listening to the rare sounds of drunk youth talking WAY too loud. I wish I knew what site they were in so we could go to their tent at 6am and sing nursery rhymes. Well at least they are not as loud as the train from trip one – lol.

Day two will be fun – right?

Both of us have travelled a lot in our life, we have been very fortunate. We have lived it up at ‘All Inclusive’s’ as well as roughing it backpacking in extreme conditions. That being said, all our travel was not with a small person tagging along.

We want to create a travel experience that enriches all our lives and for it to be a global classroom for Helena as well as ourselves.

But there are many questions that need to be answered before we depart. Where do we go? When do we go? What is safe (especially with a young daughter)? What will be fun? How do we pay for the trip? The purpose of these articles (tagged with ‘Global Travel’) is to have a unified place online where we record these type of questions. To show the results of our research. To share concerns and how we plan to avoid them becoming reality. And to blog about trips we take between now and the big day and what we learnt along the way.

It is our goal to ‘blog around the world’ and to attract sponsorship along the way, to subsidise the cost of the journey. Some will think this is a lofty goal and it may be, but why not try? The site will also record our creative efforts in attracting sponsors and our wonderful results on that journey too.