Visiting Banff & Blind Kayaking!!
hello and welcome to Alberta we are here with destination Canada and we are in for five full days of Adventure and accessible activities and I cannot wait to bring you with me arrival night in Alberta and it is time for some delicious food in Calgary first night in Calgary and I'm at this restaurant called shakun this will sound dramatic okay this might be controversial I've traveled the world I've eaten at some of the most delicious restaurants you could imagine I think this is the best restaurant I've ever tried every single bite of every single thing I've had husband insane the chef is named Darren the head chef the owner nicest man every single thing I've had is just literally mind-blowing I can't even fathom and they use this which is like a charcoal it's like the cleanest burning charcoal in the world to cook with and it's there's the whole restaurant is this idea of like being multicentury so smelling the smokiness of the charcoal and the textures and the flavors and the smells and everything is just incredible 10 out of 10 actually 20 out of 10 this is crazy yeah so that's a whole strip line from an 85 wagu strip loin and we we uh salt it we let it sit for 2 weeks and then we wrap it in beeswax and age it for another four to 6 weeks so you're saying inside of this there's beef there's beef yeah I can cut it open I'll show you um and you can touch that but what it is is that um Beeswax is antimicrobial so it's an amazing aging agent that's it say that three times aging agent aging agent aging agent aging agent yeah uh and it's really really wonderful because what it can do is it when you is you know $150 a pound at 3 o that we shed use like out 50 bucks it'd be like 200 if we dry the traditionally CU you lose 30 to 40% yield so this allows us to increase the flavor without losing the yield and try to keep it as free sbly priced as we can yeah really really special [Music] Stu this is the dessert te I actually don't know if I'm going to share the the most important part of like any meal is how it tastes everybody says you eat with your eyes first but I think it doesn't matter what it looks like if it doesn't taste good doesn't matter first full day and it is City Adventures Galore is my first full day in Alberta I am spending all day today in Calgary and the first stop of a very packed day of fun adventures is Studio Bell which is the home of the National Music Center as I shared in the intro this video this trip is all about accessible tourism here in Alberta and so obviously music is something that pretty much all of us can enjoy and my Kane and I have come to have a very multisensory Museum experience you know I hunt down Galleries and Museum museums that are multisensory and interactive because that's what makes it fun for me as a blind tourist so I cannot wait to enjoy and experience this so I did pick up this headset and device situation that they have for blind guests here at the Museum and basically this is going to give me an auditory tour so everything is super interactive already and obviously with it being music it's very auditory but this is fun because it does describe some of the imagery that I would be missing out on and it also describes the architecture which is so interesting this building has actually been designed to look like you are inside of a guitar which is fun because I've obviously felt guitars before so I have a idea in my head of what the building must look like and so when it's being described to me I'm thinking of what I know a guitar feels like and using that to create an image in my mind so I'm very excited let's keep going so this is the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and look I'm biased I grew up in Toronto right I'm I think Canada has some of the best musicians out there my humble opinion um we've got some icons on this board like Shenia Twain Sarah mlin Atlanta's morsette and so many other good ones do you guys know how I can see light it's really weird because I can't see the color of light but I can see lights and then there's certain colors that I can't see at all like I can never seem to see red or blue lights but there's these blue and pink lights on the floor I cannot see the blue ones at all but the pink ones I can see enough not to know that they're pink but I've been told they're pink so o ooh over there over there so I keep chasing them oh look right there hello I have found myself at the piano my favorite place to be as an advid pianist this is an original I'm going to play for you and I call it Elton hates the rain [Music] thank you so much I will be uh selling tickets for my world tour starting on September 4th little known fact I actually did used to play the drums I begged for singing lessons and instead my parents gave me drum lessons I actually was really good at it because it takes some coordination and I feel like as a blind person I actually have very good coordination the spatial awareness of like learning where all of the actual drums and symbols were was the most challenging part uh I was 11 when I started my drum lessons it's sad you can't hear the Masterpiece I'm going to make on this snare perhaps a little known fact about me I was in fact the lead singer of an angsty punk rock band as a teenager or pop punk but you know what I'm saying um and our original name was audio breakdown but then we shifted members we uh changed drummers and we got a rhythm guitar player and a lead guitar player originally we were a four-piece band but then we became a five-piece band three girls two boys we had the boys on guitar and then I was lead singer we had a female bass player and a female drummer and our second name became Barry me fighting and we mostly did covers but we also did originals and we would play at festivals like local festivals we'd play at fundraisers we'd play at local bars and cafes and uh that was my high school year and then I dated the lead guitar player for 9 months and we broke up and uh then the band tried to stay together and um we only lasted a couple months after that as a band and then we broke up and I became a solo artist released my own EP and then I quit music I think it's best for everybody's sanity that I keep the headphones hung up and I do not go back to my days of singing so okay we're done here we're on to the next place but they were just laughing because we went to the wrong floor and I did a very blind girl thing the door has started to close and what do you do you just stick your cane in it so that way it doesn't close on anyone it's noon on a Tuesday which seems like a good time to be enjoying some Jin to me so I have come to The bwood Distillery if you guys know me you know I'm a cocktail girly and specifically my favorite mixer is gin so today I not just get to enjoy tasting some gy I get to make my own gin this is my friend Tyler here and we are both going to be enjoying Jin together he runs the classes here at B bwood Distillery I already have tongs in hand there is many things in front of me in jars that is what I know thus far we're going to explore and experience this together so what's first so the way we usually start the class is by picking the recipe that we're going to make with our gin our recipes are really customizable which is great so we've got I think over 60 Botanicals here that you can pick from uh so you can either sort of go wild and follow your own thing or we sort of have some recipes set up for you so today we're going to do a gin that I like to call the floral and Piney gy so it's traditional but has this really nice sort of Floral Accent which um Molly's from Ireland so we're going to add a little bit of Heather let's get into it I'm very excited are these like these are all the different Botanicals in front of me exactly I'm not great with chopsticks and these just feel like giant Chopsticks yes there's definitely classes where people are using their fingers so if that's working for you better my hands are my eyes so that'll uh probably start to happen at some point [Music] with a little bit of just neutral spirit it's going to heat up and that's going to mate those ingredients pull out the essential oils and then it's going to start to boil so once the alcohol starts boiling those Vapors are going to carry the essential oils through the still and it's going to reach this part which is a condenser and it get turned back into a liquid and then that's how we're going to collect it while that does its thing I'm going to enjoy a lavender honey cocktail we need to relax cheers be KN this cocktail is gin honey and lavender and it's called a lavender bee's knees I've never heard of anything more me in my life I have some good news the Jin is done look at this I named it elton's Brew although best believe I will be consuming it and he will be watching whilst drinking a bowl of water this is elton's Brew coming to stores near you it is time to try elton's Brew which thinking back I should have named elton's water I think that would have been very funny but in the moment I wasn't as funny as I am now we ended up with elton's Brew here we go well that'll just punch you right in the gut look at that oh I really actually taste the lavender the lavender really comes through actually the most strongly of anything we've put in here I just had an absolutely spectacularly delicious lunch at Orchard it was so good they had this grilled cheese it was like Asian inspired grilled cheese with beef in it was that not incredible love fabulous fabulous and now I'm going to head in and do another so me thing okay whoever planned the schedule for this trip they know me very well I'm going to go make a candle and it's so funny because I'm clearly so used to having Elton with me I stepped out of the car and I was just like all right let's go make candles and my mom's like do you want your do you want your cane and I was like all right I'm used to my Mobility just jumping out and following me I have come to milk jar not to be confused with my favorite cookie place that shut down in Los Angeles my heart still warns there's a milk jar here in Calgary where we make candles so that is what I'm going to do and it smells so good in here you walk in and it's like the scent throw from these candles insane it is so fragrant in here and I get to pick my own fragrance and make my own candle which is very exciting okay so obviously the most exciting thing about making my own candle is making my own fragrance for that candle and they actually have a braille book with their most popular scents so I get to pick top middle base and I don't know my thing in 2024 has been a love of fragrance and like learning everything there is to know so I feel like I've been preparing for this very moment we're doing the yeses and the NOS so far in the no category basil I like real basil but the scent didn't it it smell almost like licorice to me it's interesting I almost get the feeling that I'm smelling mint more than I smell the mint does that make sense so when I like think of scents that I like I like warm and cozy woodsy like Sandalwood vanilla those kind of scents I like more of like an earthy leaning Gourmand versus like a sickly sweet Gourmand I don't like florals and I don't like Bakery like super Bakery like um birthday cake bubble gum cotton candy I don't like that kind of stuff and I don't like florals like Lily that kind of thing but I love like lemon Citrus I love Spa scents very bright fresh citrusy scents and then very like warm cozy woodsy scents those are my favorite profiles so I'm trying to make something I'm getting to make two cents so maybe like one warm woodsy cozy the other like either spa or fresh bright I've officially made my two fragrance mixes and I'm going to put one in here which is a diffuser oil and one in here which will be a woodwick candle so these are what I created my scent mixes this one which is for my candle it's like warm and cozy yet there's still a freshness to it it is lavender chamomile lemongrass and vanilla and I'm going to call it LT hugs for Mr Elton MC Melton this one is really good it's very fresh very spa likee and it's green tea cucumber mint eucalyptus and bergamont you know there's a lot of things I will do but pouring the wax isn't going to be one of them today I think Molly and hot wax pouring into small vessel is a no so I'm going to let somebody else handle that aspect I've made my lty hugs candle it smells so cozy and yummy and then a little diffuser oil it has been a long day and I'm ready for a rest day two and it is time for some adaptive Sports and Adventures with tandem cycling and K backing okay adaptive Sports we all know how much I love adaptive Sports so today I'm doing a whole bunch of stuff with Rocky Mountain adaptive in Canmore is that the name of this place yeah Canmore got it nailed it and I want to show off some of the adaptive equipment most of which would not be for somebody like me but they have all different things so I want to show you guys because I just think it's fun and I feel like it's so fun to teach non-disabled people but also to raise awareness for newly disabled people because I feel like when you're newly disabled you often don't know what is available in terms of adaptive Sports so let's check it out and see what you can do all right what equipment do we have here to make it adaptive for kayaking absolutely so starting with paddles um anybody who struggles with grip strength or continuously holding a paddle for a long period of time uh we have two models so this one you just slide your hand in and we can tighten it nice and tight to wherever a grip may be or where you might need that to be um and yeah and then that just kind of helps you paddle and keep the paddle uh kind of as one with your person um and yeah and then same thing with this if anybody had limited grip strength um we could just put on these handy dandy bracelets um and then it would just be this motion rather than gripping onto the paddle um as that can be super tiring for some of our participants so this we call our tanker um tanker this is our high volume boat um and essentially we have an adjustable seat here that we can put um along this track system um depending on how large your furry friend is that would be joining you large very large um and yeah and so we would just put you here Elton John right in front of you um and he's got tons of room to uh to go and enjoy the paddle with you he would have loved it KN he would have loved it although honestly it was enough of a workout me paddling just myself so me paddling an extra 70 lb around we'll just have to get you back next time you would have been he would have been there's life jackets for doggies the service dogs of the little life jackets which would be great because I don't think elton's a good swimmer I'm not going to lie um sometimes holding a paddle in itself for a long period of time can be extremely exhausting um and so this paddle pivot essentially just takes that load off for a paddler and lets them paddle for longer um we've had participants who never have been able to paddle for longer than 20 minutes and with our paddle pivot have been able to go for almost a 2-hour session wow so it's an incredible piece of equipment it just removes that weight off of somebody sometimes people who uh maybe don't have as much core function um really rely on our padding on each side to really keep them up up straight um as we know balance is very important when it comes to being in a boat on water and yeah and so with these support setups uh this just helps with stability um helps them be in in line and uh really keep their weight in the center of the boat where we need it to be cool yeah and lastly we have our pontoons which are our most popular piece of equipment um these I mean it's I don't want to say impossible but I have given it my all trying to tip a boat with these Pon tunes on um and have yet to be successful so um this can help with somebody's confidence on the water um help keep people stable um if they do have some balance issues um and my favorite thing about these is that they're actually adjustable so they kind of have a training wheel effect where uh maybe the first time on the water we start with them super out wide help you get comfortable on the water really help with that confidence and then you get to see where your balance is um if we take this out maybe second time when the water comes around and we and we actually bring them all the way in so this way you feel a little bit more of that tip you're getting a little bit more used to that kind of how that can go and then the third time maybe you're ready to go and we just take the training wheels right off um and so that's what I really love about our ponant I'm a pro though no training reel is required here your boat is that to make sure I don't cap size nice and stable keeps your jacket nice and warm and dry um if youd like those we can add those to your boat no problem what do you think NE should I take a risk is it more fun if I might tip I can never like hold things level it's incredible how much you use your sight for like leveling anything the other day I was like bringing my dinner out from the kitchen and I was like trying to decide if I take like the bowls of food or the drinks and for some reason I just had the conversation with my boyfriend about how I always spill stuff and then I chose to take the drinks and I spill them cuz I'm like holding them like sideways and he's like it's not level I'm like I don't know how to hold things level I can't head oh I put my head here okay I'm going to help yep oh oh where am I what is going on feel free feel free to dress me like I'm four yeah perfect yeah just come up a little bit is there water here while I get my feet wet okay great perfect yeah so just to the sorry I have to turn around left and rights are so bad for just right exactly so I sit with my feet this direction right right towards me exactly um you just need to remember these four steps so the first step is to just completely so I'm going to give you your paddle just so that you know how to get in and outfit I just realized I could use my cane as a there you go I already feel like I'm going to have to pee at some point it's not great thanks guys you're on the water girl perfect so we have Chloe and Shay um so they're just going to help you out today just by like if we need to turn we'll just use language like two on the left kind of thing just to point the nose of your boat uh to where we need to be I went completely blank I was just fully daydreaming I guess I should remember I'm the only blind one on the water right now here we're seeing some footage of Molly and the rest of the group very professionally kaying on the lake Molly's looking like her usual cute self and then we move on to the bike riding we see some footage of Molly on a tandem bike riding around on a path in a grassy foresty area Pro tip when you're riding a tandem bike and you get a little tired do this nobody will ever know we all know I've said so many times the hardest part about being blind the most frustrating thing is the lack of freedom of movement like always feeling like you are tied to someone or something else if I go for a run I have to be tethered or on a treadmill if I am walking I have a cane a guide dog or sighted guide if I on a bike it is a tandem um and so I never get to just like move freely on my own and part of the hard part about riding a bike is like on my own if it wasn't tandem is not only only the fact that I can't see where I'm steering but also the lack of balance like I can't physically balance myself enough but this removes that barrier so what is this thing called This is called a Boe head row a boohead row I'll be fine he doesn't know me very well yet okay ready ready yeah I'm on the way are you no okay she third full day and we are hitting up the one and only the Glorious bamp hello good morning good morning guess where we are bam got my bamp sweater on I am fully prepared I'm in bamp national park today I could not be more excited I mean this is one of those experiences that I think most nature lovers dream of and it feel so surreal to actually be here it's so hard to explain because obviously I can't see all of the physical Beauty around me but like I can just standing here I can feel the vastness it feels so incredible and I felt like a perfect way to experience it as somebody you can't physically see the beauty is to go on a lake minow wanka boat cruise in the middle of the [Music] park I almost spilt my own drink one want to do that okay hello hi it's me I am so excited I have had honestly a little bit too much good food on my trip in Alberta but tonight it might take the cake pun intended I am here at Eden which is a multi-award winning restaurant in BM with there's three tasting menu options two seven course one vegetarian one knot and a four course I have big decisions to be made I need a glass of sparkling Rosé to help me along so that's in hand beautiful views by my side that I cannot see but can still enjoy the ambience okay so Victoria who has been our absolutely wonderful fabulous guide for the past 4 days we accidentally okay the whole time I've been like our style is very on par like and everything she says about her husband I'm like I feel like my boyfriend and I and you and your husband we would just be such good friends and like all we like where'd you get that top oh I like that o and then tonight we show up for dinner in the lobby of the hotel we are fully matching we have got white crop top black long floorlength maxi skirts o Open jackets overtop this this was a complete surprise we feel like we're starting a cult the Amo Bou has arrived we are starting the meal strong because their am Bou is designed to be eaten with your hands and as a blind curly I love that because that's how I prefer to eat everything and it's also vegan which I think is cool because it make sure that everybody who comes and eats here has something they can eat um because they do have a vegan tasting menu as well so Pour Some Water we love cheers a little cucumber melon what's it called gacha thank you that's why you're here for some delicious Rocky Mountain Water for you l and lemons on the table thank you so stop it right now that is so damn good our second course is arriving and I cannot wait I'm most excited about the Pickled I love anything pickled and I've never tried a pickled carrot not that I know which on this plate is pickled cuz there's so many options I most skeptical about the gelled gelled carrot I'm I'm intrigued okay wait this is Carrot okay fascinating okay where do I go next I I don't even know how to eat not fancy enough to eat this food I don't know how to eat it okay do I go here oh I think that's the gelled feels like gelled carrot no I love carrot this is very good maybe by the end of this I'll be able to see two more bites and I'll let you know mountains there's mountains and a b the meal is complete the belly is full actually so so is my if I'm being honest I do have to PID this was dude I'm dead I have to P sorry we're laugh in the middle of a recording no no worries we're just laughing cuz I'm being stupid too many wine pairings mol's getting silly and has to P the Food review still a full bladder still a full stomach and very satisfied this was was very delicious seven courses turned into somehow 10 because never in my life have I had a pre-desert dessert until tonight there was two Amo boo there was the beginning and a middle pallet cleanser it was really delicious and most importantly the staff were so fabulous phen phenomenal staff so I am ready for a big cozy sleep day four final full day and it is time for a little bit of relaxation today I went Forest bathing and it was such a nice experience to just get in touch with nature feel more grounded at peace like it's so hard in our busy City lives to find that sense of just calm felt like a little bit of meditation and I really needed it final day in bamp and we are doing it right I have come to the Fairmont bamp springs for afternoon tea which I just love it's so delightful so I have my tea here just finished steeping I decided to go with Earl gry cuz it's just the Classic get the real experience and then we also get like some sparkling wine from BC delightful and the first course has arrived which is good because I'm hungry and it is a scone with the clotted cream all scones in my opinion need clotted cream I ate all of my sandwiches absolutely delicious 10 out of 10 my favorite was the deviled ham what was your favorite mom egg yeah I love egg well we have an egg yolk looking dessert on here apparently um which is lemon I love a lemon dessert and I love a chocolate dessert and there's also a meline which I'm really looking forward to trying time to head back to LA and reunite with Elton I am home matcha in hand because girl I need it that was the most packed adventurous funfilled diverse trip I have had in a long time and you guys know me I'm a tra girl that was incredible truly I had four full days five nights uh between Calgary Canmore and bamp three amazing destinations in Alberta Canada and I feel like sometimes we can forget to explore where we're from we can forget to explore our home country and I'm guilty of that at times I feel like I've been to a lot of different parts of Canada but like quickly on business trips where I'm in I do a speech I do my thing I'm out and it was so nice to actually get to spend time in Alberta the food wow so good I honestly felt quite speechless like my my mom was there with me and we were like so we're coming back in a few months right uh Victoria was pivotal she was an amazing part of our adventure like I feel like I made a lifelong friend who absolutely next time I'm in Alberta like ring ring I'll be calling her up and uh having her show me around more of Alberta I really want to go back and do it a ski trip in bam like how amazing would that be with Rocky Mountain adaptive or or another adaptive Sports there's so much adaptive Sports out there for disabled folks there's just so much to do like from the the the city Vibes to the more like nature outdoorsy stuff I really feel like there's something for everybody and my mom was like I've got to take your dad here I was like I've got to take my boyfriend here I really can't recommend it enough and I can see why Calgary is one of those places that like consistently ANS on top 10 cities in the world to live I feel like I said it just like has so many different things to offer it really feels like a cultural Melting Pot which lends itself to amazing ethnic foods on my last day I feel like I ended the super packed busy time like the right way with just a nice that nice Forest bathing meditation moment then an afternoon tea after that I went and I had a massage at the spa it was the perfect way to end my trip and as I said I I think I'm still recovering till we meet again Alberta I am sending you my love thank you to destination Canada for partnering with me on this video if you want me to explore more of Canada hit me up you know where to find me and until then you can click over here to see another travel Adventure I've gone on this summer or over here for even more traveling adventures and I'll see you next time bye
2024-09-01 22:48
