R&R in the West Kootenays
After a hectic last week in Fernie we decided that we needed somewhere chilled to lay our heads for a few days. We therefore set out for Nelson, a culturally rich hippy town situated on a lake and surrounded by stunning mountain scenery.
The vibe in Nelson was definitely very relaxed and alternative, and everyone was super-friendly and smiley. It was really nice to be in a town that had hardly any chain stores – all of the businesses seemed to be co-operatives or specialist artisan shops. Even the local pizza and movie stores managed to contribute to the artistic air of the place…
We also visited Kaslo, another village in the West Kootenays which has been dubbed the ‘Switzerland of the Americas’ by some. From these photos it’s easy to see why. The SS Moyie is situated here, the oldest surviving paddle steamer in North America. When it was launched in 1890 it provided the only form of mechanical transport to people of this remote region.
During the Second World War, after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Canadian government removed all rights and possessions from Canadians of Japanese descent and forcibly removed them to ‘internment camps’. Kaslo was the destination of one of these camps, and in 1942 two-thirds of the village population were Japanese, many of them arriving on the SS Moyie.
Although some were initially hostile to the newcomers, the Japanese integrated themselves very quickly into the community and introduced many facets of Japanese art and culture to the Kaslo-ites. Additionally, these events awakened the political sensibilities of the local population, provoking many protests to show solidarity for these Japanese Canadians. The irony is that having been forcibly interned in Kaslo, two years later they were forcibly removed. Figure that one out.
We are now on the road again, headed for the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia’s wine region (hooray). The weather is gorgeous and sunny and our lovely Plymouth Voyager (Pamela) is holding up well - happy days.
After a hectic last week in Fernie we decided that we needed somewhere chilled to lay our heads for a few days. We therefore set out for Nelson, a culturally rich hippy town situated on a lake and surrounded by stunning mountain scenery.
The vibe in Nelson was definitely very relaxed and alternative, and everyone was super-friendly and smiley. It was really nice to be in a town that had hardly any chain stores – all of the businesses seemed to be co-operatives or specialist artisan shops. Even the local pizza and movie stores managed to contribute to the artistic air of the place…
We also visited Kaslo, another village in the West Kootenays which has been dubbed the ‘Switzerland of the Americas’ by some. From these photos it’s easy to see why. The SS Moyie is situated here, the oldest surviving paddle steamer in North America. When it was launched in 1890 it provided the only form of mechanical transport to people of this remote region.
During the Second World War, after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Canadian government removed all rights and possessions from Canadians of Japanese descent and forcibly removed them to ‘internment camps’. Kaslo was the destination of one of these camps, and in 1942 two-thirds of the village population were Japanese, many of them arriving on the SS Moyie.
Although some were initially hostile to the newcomers, the Japanese integrated themselves very quickly into the community and introduced many facets of Japanese art and culture to the Kaslo-ites. Additionally, these events awakened the political sensibilities of the local population, provoking many protests to show solidarity for these Japanese Canadians. The irony is that having been forcibly interned in Kaslo, two years later they were forcibly removed. Figure that one out.
We are now on the road again, headed for the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia’s wine region (hooray). The weather is gorgeous and sunny and our lovely Plymouth Voyager (Pamela) is holding up well - happy days.
More soon….. Susie and Phil xxx
