Picture yourself wandering the colorful, cobbled streets of Guanajuato, a colonial-era city with alleyways that twist like an Escher drawing. You round a corner, and suddenly — there it is. A man made of bronze. Or is it stone? You pause. Then blink. He blinks back. Startled laughter erupts around you — because that statue? It’s alive.

If Banff is the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies, then Jasper is its wild and unpredictable sibling — rugged, raw, and impossibly beautiful. Tucked away further north in Alberta, Jasper National Park feels like a secret you stumble upon rather than a destination you planned. It's the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, yet somehow less crowded, more mysterious, and deeply immersive.