jungle and tea - like a proper coloniser

what better way to end a hike in the jungle than a stop at a fancy english hotel for some tea. that's what i did today. i went for my first solo hike and my first hike in the jungle. i picked the easiest hike to ease myself into it. i kept looking around, hoping to see more but i guess it's not pristine, remote jungle. it's a path between two small cities that's pretty close to the highway. regardless, i saw a waterfall, butterflies, tons of different types of ferns, a squirel and a few birds but nothing to write home about (although i'm kinda doing that, aren't i?). i went up to the observation tower and the landscape was beautiful, with mountains playing hide and seek with the clouds.

after the hike i headed to the old smoke house, where i had great locally grown tea with a slice of spicy fruit cake, 2 scones, home made strawberry jam (nothing compared to mine!) and thick cream. yummy! the whole place felt very english and it was all proper. i thought that it was a great way to get energy back after a hike and i wondered why i never did that in whistler after hikes instead of going for nachos :) but then again, i could go (right now!) for that huge plate of fancy nachos at the ritz in whistler (david, you know what i'm talking about!)... yum! with a margarita por favor!