I wake up in our wooden cabin and walk out to the kitchen. I’m thinking about how incredibly lucky Fredrik and I are. When I look through the glass doors, I see trees in warm colours. Right behind them is the lake. It’s our last day here at Aventures Kiamika. We’ve been working as volunteers, and I feel a bit sad that we’re leaving.
Not only has the work here been great (it usually is when you’re working with fun people), but we’ve also had a lot of time to explore the area and to relax a bit. It’s just what we need before going back to the big city, Montréal. I’ve accomplished things I didn’t know I was capable of, especially when it comes to kayaking. During our last day off we decided to go kayaking around the big island on the lake. We had some doubts since it, according to the map, is a seven hour trip and around 20 kilometers in total. I did my first time ever in a kayak only a few days ago here at Aventures Kiamika, and felt like maybe it was too early for a trip that long.
But we made it! My back and shoulders still hurt a bit, but it was definitely worth it. During one of our first nights here, we were also incredibly lucky – we got to experience one of the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen! In addition to the amazing things we got to see and do during our time off, we have also explored a new food culture. The other volunteers come from different parts of the world – I actually had my very first risotto here!
As you can see, this place is truly fascinating. In a couple of hours we’re heading to Mont-Tremblant, a small ski resort. We’re going to stay for some days to go hiking. Hopefully the weather is on our side, however, it will be hard to beat the time we spent in Kiamika!