Magic Words

My daughter and I were intrigued by “Wilderness Glamping” by “Spirit of the West” adventures. This was a kayak adventure out of Campbell River/ Quadra Island British Columbia. We were ferried up the Discovery Passage to the remote wilderness basecamp on “”Blackfish Sound”, bordering on the famous Johnstone Straight off northeast Vancouver Island.

We were each assigned a fancy tent with a very comfortable bed. There were outdoor showers with plenty of hot water, and we had a chef to prepare gourmet meals for breakfast and dinner. She also prepared lunch. It was cooked over an open fire and served to us by our guides. This would usually occur in any one of the beautiful bays, islands or protected landings on our kayak adventures. The scenery was magnificent, the kayaks first class,…… but we were constantly on the lookout for whales.

This rugged area was where humpback whales and orcas frequented. It was a three day trip and we did not see any whales for the first two days. By that time time, the members of our group begin to know each other quite well. There was a couple from California, two radiologists from New Zealand( who had recently attended a medical convention in Vancouver),and a family of parents with their two children from Belgium. The remaining five of us were all Canadians.

We started to worry about not seeing any whales. I informed the group that I knew some magic words that would change our luck. They were all up for anything to help. I taught them the three magic words that I had taught to my grandsons to bring them luck. The three , but mystical words: were: “Owah Tana Siam”.

They all said these words repeatedly. Spoken slowly they do sound magical – Spoken quickly…. not so much. In any case, it worked…. we did see the whales! We imprinted the magic words on a cedar log that still hangs proudly in the camp dining area.

As the trip drew to a close, we took a group photo of everybody, in unison, saying the magic words. Most of them understood, but I never did explain.

“Owah Tana Siam”.