Jasper: Maligne Lake

Nothing says "Canada" quite like a turquoise lake set in the pristine Rockies. That and Kermit Maynard dressed in full Mountie attire...

Yuko and I visited Maligne Lake in Jasper on what was one of the clearest days in years. The weather topped 32°C and the lake was like glass.

We took a boat out to Spirit Island (so-called because as one story suggests it's where the bootleggers stashed their spirits during Prohibition) and then enjoyed afternoon tea at the nearby Chalet.

On the way back to Edmonton we saw this young bear cub foraging alone along the highway...

Rocky Top: Jasper

Yuko and I drove 450 kms to Jasper from Edmonton for the first time in our lives this week and I've seen more moose, elk, caribou and big horn sheep than I've seen in a decade.

It cost $20 to enter the park, the largest in the Canadian Rockies, and as soon as you cross into the hallowed grounds you can feel a change in the air and witness the transformation of the landscape.

The slate-grey mountains burst through the placid prairie and pierce the sky with the immediacy of an earthquake. It's a stunning and beautiful sight to see.

Living in Hong Kong over the past decade makes it easy to appreciate the Rockies' cataclysmic wonder - it's a natural paradox that's calming to behold.