A captivating journey that explores the five senses will showcase the Okanagan Valley next month.
Writer, filmmaker, singer-songwriter and broadcaster Christa Couture hosts Accessible Media Inc. (AMI)'s travel documentary series Postcards From..., a sensory experience that goes beyond the traditional bus tour. Now in its sixth season, the series will make a pit stop in Osoyoos, a town Couture used to drive past as a touring musician.
Non-profit media company AMI and Canadian-based documentary film production collective Black Rhino Creative collaborated to present the series that serves as an invitation to everyone to reimagine travel through the five senses. Couture meets up with fun and entertaining locals in the know as she explores cities and towns through a unique lens.
Couture is Indigenous with mixed Cree and Scandinavian roots and is also disabled with a prosthetic left leg. She hopes that the series will inspire change and help others with disabilities.
"I hope that people with disabilities think, 'if she can do it, I can do it,' and that the world of travel becomes more accessible to them," she said. "I hope non-disabled people look at their own city or town or places they love to travel to and consider who might be excluded from being part of experiences there."
She wants people to simply enjoy watching her adventures across the country, as she learns a lot about each place she visits. She said she also learns about herself along the way and hopes viewers can connect with that. Couture will take her first swings at golf, join local rodeo kids for barrel racing, cool off with refreshing soapberry ice cream, push her limits on an off-road truck course and enjoy a sunset paddle on Canada's warmest lake. She also discovered that Osoyoos is much more than just a pit stop.
"There is so much more to Osoyoos than the strip of motels, pools and fruit stands," Couture said. "Those are great things about the town and area, but there really is so much to explore, and I know if people haven't been there yet, they will after seeing this episode.
Couture added that the weather and landscapes were highlights of her time filming in Osoyoos.
"Being in the Okanagan Valley in June is a dream holiday, so the best part was getting to feel that sun and heat, breathe in that air and look out at the mountain for three days," she recalled.
Osoyoos will be featured in the seventh episode of the eight-episode series which will air on Wednesday, June 25. Season six premiered on AMI-tv on May 14, with new episodes airing weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. All episodes and past seasons can be streamed for free on AMI+.
