After two days of mountain biking, yoga and late-night performances, we are sorely in need of a sleep-in.
We wake at 8:30 am and head off for our usual breakfast, which we are honing with the benefit of experience. Well, some of us at least. In an incident remeniscent of the Great Pancake Debacle of 2023, I manage to wedge two extra-large pieces of baguette in the conveyor belt toaster.
This time – rather than doubling-down and sending additional pieces of bread down the conveyor belt in the hopes of dislodging the first – I instead turn off the machine, lift the ramp and use a pair of tongues to remove the wayward pieces of bread.
And for once they’re properly toasted! No need to send them through the conveyor belt two or three times in the hopes that they’ll actually crisp up.
The end result:
We carry on with our usual routine. My wife heads to yoga, the kids head to Teens’ Club, and I do my best to keep up with reading, writing, and the general life administration that has been relentlessly creeping into our vacation.
It seemed easier to duck these matters when we were gone for three months – largely because I had arranged for others to cover while I was away.
Those engaged in travel blogging will also have some sense of how much time video editing can eat up – which is why we rarely post more than one video every few days. As for editing 25 minutes of mountain biking footage? That’s a commitment unto itself.
On the bright side, I am about to shed one of my larger volunteer commitments – which should free up more time.
I am also thoroughly enjoying my current book – ‘The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon’ by David Grann. It’s the story of British explorer Percy Fawcett who set off in 1925 in search of a fabled civilization in the heart of the Amazon and never returned.
Photo Credit: Goodreads
I had no idea the Fawcett helped define the borders between Bolivia and Brazil, and later between Bolivia and Peru. Beyond being an entertaining and informative read, it’s helping to set the stage for our March 2027 trip to the Pantanal and then the trans-Atlantic cruise aboard the Silver Endeavour from Buenos Aires to Dakar via Uruguay, Brazil, Sierra Leone and Guinnea-Bissou.
Off to lunch – fish tacos, with an extra helping of bass and trout:
And a lemon meringue tartlet for dessert:
Then we head off for canyoning with Canyoning Quebec.
Image Credit: Canyoning Quebec
There’s a brief moment when we wonder if this excursion is actually going to take place – their confirmation e-mail said they would see us at 9 am when we booked a departure at 1:45 pm, and there was a risk of thunderstorms that day.
But we arrive at the meeting place at Domaine à Liguori – just 10 minutes walk up the road from Club Med Charlevoix – and our guide, Angel, is getting ready for us. 5 mm full body wetsuits are required when immersed in the frigid mountain runoff, so we go through the laborious process of selecting the right size then squeezing ourselves inside.
I also manage to track down a helmet with a GoPro mount – handy given that I managed to forget my helmet strap this time around! (All the mountain biking footage was done via a chest mount.)
Guests should be aware that they’ll need to bring shoes for this activity – and not water shoes or sandals, either. I found a pair of $30 shoes on Amazon for myself and our son, while my wife and daughter both have existing shoes they don’t mind getting soaked. Otherwise, all you need is a bathing suit, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Our second guide – Clara – arrives a few minutes later, and we’re able to get underway. (Bathrooms are available at the office, though there’s one last chance to use the ‘facilitrees’ before you get into the river.)
We leave our bags at the office, and then walk back past Club Med Charlevoix to the Le Massif gondola. It’s hot in the wetsuits – even without the jackets – but thankfully it’s only about a 15 minute walk to the gondola followed by a brief ride and another 15 minute hike to the start of our descent. (Much easier than either the long bus ride to and from the canyoning start point in Tasmania, or our much-extended canyon hike in the Atacama.)
And then – we’re off and away:
This is the first time we’ve rappelled as part of our canyoning, so that’s a new experience. Essentially you loop the rope through a special ring on your harness and then clip it into the carabiner. Then, you slowly let the rope pass through your dominant hand. It feels like it will pass quickly when the rope is dry, but it’s much slower with a wet rope. The trick is to lean back in the harness, keep your feet wide, and descend gradually beneath the rushing torrent.
Oh, and don’t let your prescription sunglasses get blasted off your face the way I did. (Silly mistake – I should have worn contacts.)
The heavy flow of the rivers prompts a few changes – some slides they usually take are running too heavily, while new drop-offs have emerged. The guides are extremely capable and safety-oriented. We wonder if we’re going to manage with the fast-running river but they do a tremendous job of coaching and guiding us. We feel like pros by the end.
Canyoning Quebec does run longer tours meant for ages 14+ but you can negotiate that age requirement. However, these options require quite a bit more uphill hiking. Something we might consider once both kids are a few years older. Maximum group size is 8 people, minimum is 2. They do sometimes run with only 1 guide. It’s early in the season and we lucked out with a 2 guides and a private tour.
Personally, I’d be glad to attempt a repeat of the existing run – which consisted of three rounds of rappelling plus assorted slides and jumps. But not this trip.
We walk past Club Med Charlevoix on the way back, and our guides are kind enough to let the kids strip off the extra wetsuits just outside the resort and carry them back so as to save the extra 20 minute walk. My wife and I return to the office, collect our bags, and then head back to the Club Med.
The whole excursion took roughly 3 hours, and perhaps 2 to 2.5 hours were spent out on the river. It was a good length of time – we stopped at a spot where we could have continued to do river slides and jumps for a while if so inclined, but we were all getting tired by then then.
Back to Club Med to read and relax at Le Chalet for a bit, and to snack on pork dumplings and spring rolls:
As well as strawberry cheesecake:
We plan on attending the Gentle Member cocktail party at the Exclusive Collection Space (suite-only lounge) – except that there’s a cluster of under-five kids getting aboard the first elevator heading up to the lounge. That’s not really our idea of a cocktail party, so we head back to Le Chalet instead.
Off to dinner. I start with some flank steak with foie gras sauce:
Then move on to shrimp toast with pork belly:
Not a combination I would have come up with – but very, very tasty
Then some chicken ramen:
I finish off with another trio of desserts – some sort of chocolate and passion fruit cake, white chocolate caramel pastry, and chocolate matcha cake:
The white chocolate and caramel cake proves the best of the bunch
We head back to Le Chalet for a bit, and then return to our balcony to watch the sun set on Charlevoix:
