Serenity We Could See

Roughly two years ago after she had completed her master's degree and before she began at Katimavik, Amy ventured out onto Galiano Island in the Gulf Islands off the coast of BC, and Woofed for a small operation called Serenity by the Sea. Woofing is basically volunteering to help (usually on a farm but the work typically varies) for a portion of each day in exchange for food and shelter. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement because the volunteer can travel and explore very cheaply and the 'farm' owners get a working hand without paying much out of pocket. Amy spent over 2 months volunteering at this small retreat on the Northwest coast of the island.


When we were leaving Trail and venturing West, we were discussing with Amy possible (and worthwhile) destinations that we should include in our agenda. She mentioned Serenity and it seemed like a novel idea. Amy spoke warmly of the couple that operates the retreat and said that they were 'definitely interesting' and that we'll learn a lot in a short time there. At that we booked two nights on Galiano, and that's where we stayed Thursday and Friday night... (cue wavy flashback fade)...


We woke up early Thursday morning at Jess' place after likely the best night's sleep we'd had since arriving, and got on our way. In order to get to the ferry from Vancouver to Galiano we would have to transfer three bus routes, and we left the house at 8:15 in order to catch an 11 o'clock ferry. Needless to say when it comes to our travels, the bus ride itself was serendipitous and adventurous. We boarded the first bus without problem and rode it until the proper transfer point. Unfortunately, the bus that we were supposed to catch at that point was late. We sat in the rain and waited as our intricately designed transfer plans fell apart and panic sank in like the rain through our jeans. The bus finally arrived, 10 minutes late, and we were now slightly off trajectory to catch the next transfer. We pulled into a deserted skytrain terminal, which is where the bus that drops off at the ferry collects it's passengers, but still had hope. Those hopes were squashed, though, when we found the bus message board and read that our bus had indeed departed. Lo and behold, though, the Transit Supervisor just happens to be arriving for his shift and, seeing our loaded backpacks and deflated expressions, asks us where we're trying to go,
"Twarrassen ferry to Galiano, huh, well, you've missed the 620 and so you're not going to catch the ferry. Give me a minute, though, and I'll see what I can do."
Robyn and I watched in stunned silence as the shift supervisor, over his handheld radio, tracked down two separate bus routes and had them time themselves so we still had a chance. He boarded a bus with us and rode until we met up with another bus, which had been waiting midway through it's route in order to allow us to board. We stepped on this new bus sheepishly, knowing all the passengers had been waiting for us, and were off on our way to Galiano again. Events like this seem to happen to Robyn and I with frequency - we'll get into a sticky situation (with or without fault of our own) and the universe always seems to provide a solution. We stopped believing in coincidences a while ago, and are always grateful for whatever powers seem to watch over us.


We unloaded the ferry at Galiano and got to experience something that we've been told is especially BC: the hitchhike. The people of Galiano are accustomed to both locals and travellers hitchhiking and the friendliness of the small island folk can be seen in how easy it is to hop in a car with a relative stranger and be transported around. Our first few attempts at riding the opposable digit express were fruitless though. I was sure that my size and intimidating demeanor were to blame, but Robyn disagreed. It was interesting, though, that as soon as Robyn took the lead in the thumb-thrusting duties we were picked up by the next van that passed (and she wasn't even showing that much leg!). We were eventually picked up and taken to the road leading to the retreat.

The Serenity by the Sea structure is fantastic in every sense of the word. The owners Shera and Chidakash built the various houses by hand, and their artistic influence can be seen everywhere. A creek runs through the property and cascades into the ocean in front of the main lodge and the grounds include a labyrinth, an organic garden, an art studio, and a bathtub built into the rock ledge for late night relaxation. We were greeted warmly by Chidakash at the door and shown to our room, which was located in the main lodge. It was a beautiful, subdued room with large windows facing the water and japanese-style bed and furniture. The low, simple furnishings bring a sense of peace and tranquility to the space, which Robyn and I enjoyed and took note of. The room was full of Shera's art and a large collection of Birds of Paradise. It was, indeed, Serene.

Part of the reason we came to the island was to meet and experience the two owners, so we chose to eat all of our meals with them (at their suggestion) and spent a good deal of our time in their company. Both nearing their seventies, Shera and Chidakash have chosen to live a life of peaceful reflection away from the noise of urbanity. They are both intensely spiritual people with different approaches, and were great teachers. Shera is a prolific artist whose recent subjects have been elephants and birds of paradise. She is also an acclaimed Reiki energy healer and physical rehabilitator. Both she and Chidikash (I did not take the opportunity to ask the origins of his name) lead groups at their retreat centre and abroad. They also lead groups through pilgrimages in Peru and Bali. They are also heavily involved in ElephantStay in Thailand, where Shera's baby-elephant inspiration is drawn. Robyn and I spent a great deal of time with them both, but spoke with Chidakash at length on the first night. He is a soft spoken, well-read man with a variety of interests and an opinion on everything. We enjoyed conversing with him and hearing his take on issues ranging from crop circles to Avatar to the effects of television. Robyn and I felt that this portion of our trip was perfectly timed: we have had our minds opened through the first few legs of the journey, and this experience helped expand our viewpoints even further.

In terms of activities while at the retreat, well, there weren't many, and that was the point. We took the chance to read, hike, and bask in the sun. We played with all of the retreat's 'toys' such as a Billy Board and large crystal bowls that could be vibrated to emit a low, penetrating resonance. We also tried out a few Tarot card readings and learned about the mythology of colours. There were fascinating uses of our time that we would have never had an opportunity to experience without this stop over, so we were very glad to have done it.
Five meals, two nights, and one late night bath together under the moon and Robyn and I were off the island and on to Victoria Saturday afternoon.