A spectacular time in Jasper – Before tragedy struck

Jasper is such a spectacular looking place – all around you are beautiful trees, mountains, lakes and canyons.

However, even when you’re in paradise, hell can always be a millimetre away.

Unfortunately for my mum and I, that was about to become so true.

Before I dip into the bad, take a look at some of the beautiful sights that we did get to see in Jasper before our trip was cut short.

First there was Maligne Canyon, one powerful, spectacular place.

 

Then there was the beautiful Malinge Lake and Spirit Island, which just blew my mind:

Now, for the horrible part of the trip.

After this beautiful day of sightseeing, where I took all the pictures above, we got back to the hotel and were having dinner when I received a message asking me to call home immediately.

My grandfather, my mother’s father,  was in a very bad way, and it looked like he wouldn’t even make the night.

Numb, I instantly began making phone calls: First to my travel insurance company, then to my travel agent, to get my mum and I home as soon as humanly possible.

I was about an hour into making phone calls when we got the news that my beloved Poppy had passed away.

It was a horrible experience, but made significantly better by my travel insurers, World Nomads, and the lovely Mel McGrath from Flight Centre Australia helping mum and I get home to Australia as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, when you’re travelling, life doesn’t stop.

People are born, people get married, and people die – and you could be somewhere halfway around the world when it happens.

We were.

We were just lucky that we were with each other, mum and I, and we able to get home so quickly to help my grandmother grieve and organise her husband’s funeral.

Now, so that I don’t leave this post on such a sad note, here’s some more beautiful photos from the gorgeous Jasper area:

Jasper:

Where we stayed: Whistler’s Inn

Where we went: Jasper National Park tour with SunDog through Viator

Where we ate: Cassios Italian Restaurant and Whistle Stop Pub

Note: I am not partnered with any of the above mentioned companies, nor was I paid to mention them, it just turns out that when I organised this holiday I went with these.