Bliss Is Bucolic in Canada’s New Brunswick
“The very simplicity and nakedness of man’s life in the primitive ages imply this advantage, at least, that they left him still but a sojourner in nature. When he was refreshed with food and sleep, he contemplated his journey again.” — From Walden by Henry David Thoreau
A sojourner in nature — what I would give to become just that.
I was born and bred in the city — Manila to be exact — and the nearest forest cover would entail a 3-hr drive north without stopping. An escape to verdant territory would only happen rarely, as I have developed a permanent allergy to our perpetually gridlocked highways. Long walks to inhale polluted air are still possible, and fresh flowers offer solace in my windowless refuge from urban blight.
Out of sight, out of mind, and for more than 3 decades, I lived comfortably in the midst of squalor. An atmosphere of soot, cacophony and urban decay was the norm. Homegrown bacteria made me immune to serious illnesses. I had no choice, but am alive and well so my folks must have done something right by raising me here.
But ten years ago, I ventured on my own into the vast wilderness of the Old World. I got lost in the allees of Boboli Gardens. I marveled at the sunbathers on the Jardin des Tuileries at the early onset of spring. Not a single trash littered the canals of Amsterdam.
I learned up-close, for the first time, that nature and cities could harmoniously coexist.
That rare experience triggered in me a passion for travel to distant and nearby realms where lush greens take center-stage, to compensate for their absence in my home. I still like cities, but prefer to make a detour, whenever possible, to a nearby rural destination where I can freely commune with nature.
One such opportunity for a nature respite emerged when I found myself traipsing around New England last year. My longtime friend Gail from high school happened to lurk in Dieppe, New Brunswick for work, and was excited to learn of my presence in her periphery (I was in Boston — not really close…
