I am Jomon Jacob, a recent graduate in Tourism and Travel, Adventure and
Eco - Tourism Program. When we started the program in September 2011, the first
thing we did, as an orientation to the program, was to canoe to the White Otter
Castle which is situated in the Turtle River Provincial Park. This trip was in
the wilderness and lasted three days. I am an International Student from India;
everything was new for me, new friends, new culture, new food style, new dressing
styles and the like. We started the trip from the college with Ms. Giannina
Veltri and Mr. Rod Coates leading. First we went to Clearwater Lake by vehicle
and from there we started paddling in the canoes. It was such a nice experience
for me because it was my first time in a canoe.
Jacob (amidships) on Clearwater Lake |
Giannina and Rod gave
instructions about how to paddle and in which direction we were heading. The trip
helped me to develop friendships with all my classmates. There were 5-6 people
in the 22 and 26 foot canoes: 5 canoes in the brigade. It was such a great
experience to go and explore the places and people. We stayed two nights in
tents which we pitched in a pine forest. Setting up a tent and preparing our
own camp food was also a new and interesting experience. After paddling about
50 kilometers on Clearwater and White Otter lakes we reached our destination,
which was the White Otter Castle. It is a nice (wooden) castle which was built
by a single man using only hand tools. I was surprised to see such a building
in the forest. After one and a half more days of paddling back, we came back to
the college.
It was an unforgettable trip in my whole life time. I can call it
a ‘once in a life time trip’. I appreciate the direction and education given by
Ms. Veltri and Mr. Coates and for preparing such an amazing trip. I encourage
others to enroll in the Tourism – Travel &, Eco-Adventure program. It is
possible to make tourism a career, and there are certainly a large number of
career paths to follow.
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