Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
by CK May is the month of flowers not just in the Philippines but also here in Calgary. A lot of my neighbors have done their spring cleaning and unfortunately I cannot cope up with them. I remember that during this time of the year my husband, Hank gets busier day by day. He takes care [...]
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Why Montana?

I am sure by now you have heard enough from me about Montana, Montana, Montana! Through the monthly column I used to write for Pinoy Times and various articles and beautiful photos – you would think that Montana is Heaven on Earth!

I have lived and traveled throughout most of Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver and even though there are many beautiful places, like Banff and Lake Louise, most of them have been transformed into commercialized, over-crowded zoos. From Red Deer south, there is not a city, town, village or hamlet that my wife and I have not visited. That is because we take at least 15 – four or five day “mini vacations” every year and we don’t just drive directly to the chosen destination.

If you take a look at a road map before you leave you will be able to see what is along the way on your route. I pick any towns, parks, lakes, falls or rivers and GOOGLE them, just to see if they might interest me or Ludy. A short 5 hour drive may take us 10 hours to complete because there is so much to see and do along the way.

Anyway, since we have seen most of Alberta and B.C. we checked out Montana a while back and enjoyed it so much that we have made 9 trips down there in the past 2 years with each trip 4-5 days in length.

It is enjoyable to explore an area that is new and much closer to nature. Montana, for starters, has no people! It is not known by many as a travel destination. The words peace and tranquility come to life! Even back home in the Philippines there may be places that compare to it in beauty – sadly with so much burning garbage, trikes and jeeps belching smoke and no wildlife – it is not what one would call Heaven.

In most of Montana it is simple to feel the sense of serenity, of timelessness. No rush, rush, rush of the small number of people you meet. There is no healthier cure for stress, high blood pressure or numerous ailments common to city slickers than listening to birds singing, the wind whistling through the trees, the chirp of crickets, the croaking of frogs, the mournful cry of the hoot owl…Deer, elk, bears and many examples of God’s wonderful creatures are plentiful. When you travel to Montana the first thing you will notice is that you have left behind the artificial world of the city – concrete, smoke, Burger King…You’ve entered the forest – pure, natural, un-touched. You will at once enjoy the sweet scent of pine, the musty smell of earth, the aroma of wildflowers – no vehicle exhaust, no stench of curry 24/7, no Smokey Mountain.

Throughout this great State, yes, you can still locate shopping malls, fast food junk food, hospitals, factories and maybe even a Filipino Sari Sari store but you can see, hear, smell and feel the beauty and healthy things that our Father in Heaven wants you to experience and hopeful share and preserve. On every trip I still encourage my wife to get her shopping fix for a few hours. She does it for pleasure even though we can get better bargains right here in Calgary.

If you have emigrated from the Philippines then you may only know the concrete jungle of huge polluted and over-crowded cities. Try camping in Montana – if only for a few days – you will always be able to return to your comforts – flush toilets, showers, cheap electronic devices, malls and more. However, it is really OK to leave that junk behind for a few days and “rough it”. Cooking fish you just caught in a pristine mountain river, over a crackling campfire is as good or better than the comforts of home!

Heaven on Earth? You decide.

Steve Tarzwell

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Why Montana?

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