Nationalities In Our Hostel/Vancouver

Australians
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Germans
-
-
Irish
English
Kiwis
Canadians

Hey There Cookie, Why Are You Crumbing Everywhere??

tl : dr

Well I suppose an update is overdue!

The last few weeks have been up and down. I have had a few shitty days, mainly due to not hearing back from jobs and being a bit anxious about tapping into my savings.
My thinking at the moment is that I'm going to stop looking and worrying about getting a job for now and just enjoy the nice weather and get out and about. To be honest, I'm a tad over down town Van, especially living on Granville street where you get woken up every night to either sirens, homeless people screaming at each other or people fighting after being in the pubs, which is usually followed with sirens of the ambulance.

So yeah, I have almost a week left here in the hostel which I had pre booked, then I'm going to head to Victoria on Vancouver Island and scope out the work situation and the general vibe of the place. I've been a lot happier since I've made the decision anyway.

Ok what's been happening? Well partying/sight seeing/partying/sight seeing and a small amount of resume chucking as well. After having some dodgey room mates, Ive developed a cool little crew of people to hang with regularly, sight see and party with. It's been amazing. I'm making friends really easily and I feel well and truly in the swing of things now.

Alright, so apart from one very dodgey night coming back from a midnight snack (where I was grabbed from behind by some massive bastard with a cut on his face from the top of his forehead, across his eye and down his cheek, yeah there's a story there) everything has been safe and sound around here.

As far as sight seeing goes, the last week I have been a busy shutter bug in some pretty fucking awesome places.
Earlier on, a group of us headed out to Lynn Valley, which is a short bus ride out of North Van. Out there they have a wicked rainforesty area, some cool walks and a 50ft high suspension bridge. The first picture is of Rice lake, which is a frozen lake on one of the walks there. It was silent and eerie but beautiful. There were even a few blokes doing some ice fishing.

Mike (pommy mate) and I hired some bikes the next day and rode the sea wall of Stanley Park and down and around the harbour where we saw some otters, a baby seal, squirrels and lots of cool diving birds. There's no better feeling than getting on a bike and reverting to a kid again. I think I had a six hour smile, that or a mild stroke (which would explain a lot)

A few days ago three of us made use of the awesome blue skies and headed to Grouse Mountain, which is a short ferry and bus ride. Vancouver gets voted in the top ten of most livable cities quite regularly, and the reason is you can do pretty much anything you want and it's only 30 minutes away. Skiing, hiking, beaches, it's all there, add that to a very very mild climate and Bob's your aunties lover, most livable city in the world!

Anyway..... Grouse Mountain was wicked. They were charging $40 to get up the hill, which we ummed and ahhed about as we were only going up there to hike and take photos. Luckily an English lady saw us in two minds and let us tag along on her members pass thingo and we all got in for half price! What a diamond.
It was well nice up there, unlimited visibility of Vancouver and around and it was actually warmer up there than in town thanks to the sunshine.

Well that's about it for now. Eventful partying last night and now a repeat tonight means this weekend should be killer!!

Buffalo!

Rampage Time!

Trip officially starts today.

 Also

First use of my noodle thongs.

Pretty Little Ditties

DERELICTE.........

Homeless people. Vancouver has A LOT of them. They warrant a post just for them as it's another world with these guys.

Apart from the occasional crazy eyes, these guys tend to be quite relaxed in their begging and loitering.
It's funny, through the day you see little groups of homeless people playing hacky sack or having a laugh and generally seeming relatively happy and upbeat. They seem to have developed their own little community, and they're stronger for it.

Sometimes though they do some random shit. I swear they must get together in the morning and have a little group meeting.

"Right, how are we going to entertain ourselves today?"
"I'll ride my bike backwards!" says the bloke who already has coloured paint on his forehead and cheeks...
"I'll play the spoons on my knees and sing as I'm walking!" exclaims Hobo Joe

And so they go forth and entertain each other for hours and hours in the mild Vancouver climate, occasionally stopping for fresh hits of booze or methadone...

These guys make me laugh every day. They're nice too! One bloke came up and asked for some money on my first day..
"Spare some change bud?"
"Nah sorry mate"
"That's ok, you're still a good person" and he walks away.
Cheers!

Other homeless quirks that made me giggle.

- The bloke with the sign outside McDonalds that reads
"McHungry. Spare some change??"

- The bloke outside McDonalds with a sign that says
"It's for booze, DUH"

-The girls with the sign that says
"At least we're not prostituting"

-And finally, the girls with the sign saying
"Change? Or Smiles!"

Welcome To Canada

Van Coo Go Week 1

Well after an unorganized shambles at Seoul airport, I made it to Vancouver (Van coo go) safe and sound via 30 minutes in first class.
It's hard to describe the place without resorting to cliches so I won't even try. I have had to consciously stop myself from smiling since I've been here though.

Before the plane has even descended, you can already see snow capped mountains protruding through the clouds. That's when the smiling started.
Less than 5 minutes walk from the hostel is a wicked view of North Vancouver, surrounded by snow capped mountains, overlooking the harbour. Walking down Granville Street every pub, club and bar has 30 tvs showing some form of hockey.
Stanley Park has totem poles and lush greenery that is massive.
It's all good around these parts....

The city has a very laid back feel to it. People on the street are chatty, smiley and seem happy. The people behind the counters are all friendly and very helpful.

The hostel is pretty sweet too. It's pretty clean and tidy, there's a bar downstairs with stuff to do every night (and cheap 'highballs' whatever the flip they are) and $5 dinners every night (before tax). I've booked in for the next month so then I can properly budget before I get a job.
 
One thing I have had a head fuck working out is the 'before tax' and tipping pressure over here. Everything you see advertised is a before tax price, but I'm not sure how much they add on. Advertise the total price damn it!

All things aside though. This place is freaking awesome. Now my bank, tax, phone and living situation is sorted, it's time to get out there meet some more people, get my drink on and plough in head first...

Wish you were here!


Below is how I feel when locals explain things to me.....

Proof that wisdom can come from unlikely sources. 

You don't have to agree with everything they say, but you should still listen and take what you can.

Other travel quotes the internet has given me (hope they're legit)

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.
Lin Yutang

It is not fit that every man should travel; it makes a wise man better, and a fool worse.
William Hazlitt

One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.
Thomas Jefferson

We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.
Anais Nin

The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
Saint Augustine

A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.
George Edward Moore