Canada - the violent end
(hmm.. Google is playing up and I could only upload a few photos... I've got them all exported and ready to go, so keep tuned and hopefully they'll be put up sometime tomorrow).
Before I bore you with the last bit of my Canada trip, I'd just like to remind everyone that Australia Day is fast approaching. As I cannot be there to enjoy it (and as many of you know how much I LOVE Aus Day), I'm hereby challenging everyone to get out into the sun or on a boat etc and make something of it before catching the fireworks! Have a few beers for me while you are at it and take lots of photos, I'd love to see what I'm missing.
So back to the final stages of Canada. I'm sorry I haven't got the photos and such up before now, I've just had a pile of stuff to catch up on as I came straight back from nearly a month off and have worked every day since. My boss isn't around so at the moment I'm doing his job, which is more work, but more fun in a lot of ways too. Just for example, I had to travel to Brussels yesterday for a full day of meetings today!! How mad is that??? I had to go to another COUNTRY just for a meeting!!! (even if it is was big one). It just blows my mind.
Aaanyway... Canada.... Well, the day after going to the Vancouver Aquarium was Michelle's last day, so we thought we'd do something a little different and head up to Grouse Mountain (it's a short ferry/bus trip from Vancouver) for a look around. There are a lot of activities which are labelled as being complimentary in the brochure, but we quickly realised that a lot of these involving the snow etc still require gear hire. Oh well, no big deal, it wasn't that much anyway.
The weather was quite clear despite the big snow fal from the previous evening. However, as we got close to the mountain, we became very away of the fact that you actually could barely see half way up it because there was a massive snow-cloud hanging around. We decided to go up anyway (it was one of the last chances) and so ascended the gondola/cablecar to the top. Up top, it was snowing but it was actually semi-clear. As the day went on, it cleared up more and more until we could see a blue sky, however the cloud was still sitting further down the mountain. It's a pretty weird sight to see this cloud just sitting there half way down, but very cool too. Oh, and there were these carved statues of famous sports people all over the place. They are big too, that snow is deep!
So up top there was a pretty cute little movie about two orphaned bear cubs being held in a rehabilitation zone elsewhere on the mountain. There was an ice-skating rink, sleigh rides, snowshoeing (well, trails provided and marked out, we had to hire the shoes themselves) and some other stuff. The snow did look really nice and powdery, but both of us weren't really up for skiing/boarding. Instead, we chose to go snowshoeing! (They did have "liquor training" in a seminar room though?!?!)
The shoes themselves just strap on over your feet and are pretty easy to get around in. We kind of stumbled down the first steep hill, but the rest of it was fine. We were unlucky because the heavy snowfalls had cause lots of avalanche zones to become unstable, so only one hiking trail was open. But off we went.
Although it sounds kinda boring (big deal, tramping around in snow), it's actually awesome fun! Hiking through the snow is just such as different feeling to boarding/skiing and I really enjoyed it. The trail took us away from the ski runs etc so we literally had this lovely peaceful forest to hike through, with the sounds of birds, rivers etc the only distractions. As I said before, the day also cleared up and the sun poking through the trees made for some really amazing views.
Of course, all that pristine snow around me was just too much of a temptation (it was all like fluffy and perfectly smooth on top and stuff), so on many occasions I just had to go climbing/stumbling/running through the powder. Even with the enormous shoes on my feet, I still sunk in some places up to my chest. I had an absolute ball climbing out of that stuff, but it did make my jeans a little cold :) Honestly though, don't be put off by the seemingly 'boring' side of it (sure, it's not quite as good as boarding), but for something a little different and more casual, I really recommend snowshoeing.
One last thing I did on the mountain was sample some fine Canadian cuisine called a Beaver Tail. It's kind of a like a flat donut batter... pancaky thing which they cover in sugar and cinnamon. The oil really gets to you quickly, but I had to eat just one. I actually bought it on a quick stop on the sleigh ride and I quickly spoke to the girl in the tiny booth where they are sold. I asked if she got discounts for working at the resort, and she did, but when I asked if it was worth working in the 'box', she said "no way, I've only got 2 weeks left".
That night Michelle and I went to a pub night just for a bit of a last drink/laugh. It is a joint thing run by both hostels and it actually turned out to be good fun. We basically met more Aussies (honestly, we are EVERYWHERE in Canada), had a few games of pool and chilled out. I also asked around and a good number of the guys were going to the Ice Hockey game the next night, so that was an extra bonus.
The next morning I saw Michelle off, and then just assed around a little walking around the city just to get a feel for everything. In the afternoon I walked over to the Vancouver Museum to see an exhibit about the First Nation people (Native Americans and other Canadian tribes) which was really really good. They explained a lot about traditions, art, mythology, symbolism, ceremonies, tribal differences and things like that. I was even fortunate enough to catch a tour with lead by a First Nation elder which was REALLY enlightening. Oh, and the jewellery was just amazing.
One of the most interesting things I learnt was that one of the major celebrations they used to have was called a Potlatch. This would be held for births, marriages, chieftain elections and other big events. As a part of normal life, most people would carve/create/accumulate stacks of jewellery, pottery, blankets and things like that. To white people it looked like all the First Nation people were just greedy and they were hoarding it, but the whole point of the Potlatch is to invite EVERYONE to come feast on your food etc, and then to give away basically EVERYTHING as presents. Literally the host would be left with almost nothing, but no doubt within a short time someone else would have a Potlatch, and so they'd start accumulating their stuff again. The guide described it as a culture of giving (where no one accumulated 'wealth' just for the sake of it, instead to give away), compared to the white people's culture of taking (and hoarding).
The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering along the foreshore. I realised as I was walking just how much I miss the sound of waves lapping at the beach and rocks... I also found it so bizarre to be looking at a sandy beach (of sorts) and having snow on logs (seats) just meters from the shore. Bizarre.
But while all of that was good, Thursday night was the real 'big bang' to finish off the trip - the HOCKEY GAME!!!!!! I was SO excited to go, and the hostel had arranged pre-game drinks at a pub, so I wasn't late! Lots of the guys from the previous night were there, so we all sat down and had a couple of pints, but at the same time one of the hostel employees gave a little tutorial about game and some of the finer points of the rules. We got to ask some questions and at least get a simple enough understanding of the game to follow it.
Walking into the arena/rink (whatever!) was just amazing. They have a MASSIVE scoreboard suspended from the roof, there's people everywhere cheering, there are shops and pubs and even a full brewery behind that stands.... It's super sweet. While our tickets weren't exactly primo-seating, being up high let us track the play a lot more easily than if we were lower (and the tickets weren't exactly expensive either). And yeah, they sell full strength beer there, that's sweet too.
My verdict on the game -> brutal! It's awesome..! Dude's just smash each other into the barricades all the time, and there's pushing, shoving, fouling but also some serious skills and agility on display. Topping it off for the spectators is the fact that the puck moves SO damn fast that you have trouble keeping up. Basically, every aspect is entertaining and we had a brilliant time yelling at the Vancouver Canucks (the home team). It wasn't a good night from our team though, they went down 5-2 (I think). Oh, and while there's no cheerleaders that we saw, there are cute little 'ice chicks' who help smooth out the ice in breaks in play.
After the game, we all headed straight back to the pub and proceeded to destroy several pitchers of beer. I ended up drinking with six or seven aussies and a frenchie (who'd lived in Aus since he was 6 and is a World-Series Debating finalist - there's money in it!) and had a brilliant time. Things heated up a little later when some local-yokels (Canadians) rolled up and somehow I was called upon to do a pint scull. I am proud to say that I upheld the Aussie heritage and slammed it all back. About half an hour later we decided to leave and yeah, it's pretty blurry from there. I just remember getting back to the hostel, climbing onto the top bunk (well, sort of falling into it face down) and going nighty night! I was just resting my eyes! :)
The next morning I was feeling reasonably good actually, and I even had managed to hold onto all my stuff!! - suh-weet. I pulled myself together and checked out before taking a last stroll around the city. After some last photos, my time ran out and the vacation came to a close. Awwww.. Still, that was nearly a month of travelling over Christmas/New Year, so that's a fair whack.
Just as a little final kick to the trip, on the flight back to London the power was buggered on our seats so we couldn't use reading lights or get audio to watch the movies.. poo!
So the final verdict for Canada - surpising and fun. I never really had dreams of going to Canada (not like Europe etc) but I'm really glad I did. The snow is amazing, there's lots to see and do and the people are just really really nice. I would like to go back some time and see it in the summer, so we'll have to see what happens. Also, Alaska would be amazing to check out.
Well, that'll do for now, I'll see you guys later.
Anka
Before I bore you with the last bit of my Canada trip, I'd just like to remind everyone that Australia Day is fast approaching. As I cannot be there to enjoy it (and as many of you know how much I LOVE Aus Day), I'm hereby challenging everyone to get out into the sun or on a boat etc and make something of it before catching the fireworks! Have a few beers for me while you are at it and take lots of photos, I'd love to see what I'm missing.
So back to the final stages of Canada. I'm sorry I haven't got the photos and such up before now, I've just had a pile of stuff to catch up on as I came straight back from nearly a month off and have worked every day since. My boss isn't around so at the moment I'm doing his job, which is more work, but more fun in a lot of ways too. Just for example, I had to travel to Brussels yesterday for a full day of meetings today!! How mad is that??? I had to go to another COUNTRY just for a meeting!!! (even if it is was big one). It just blows my mind.
Aaanyway... Canada.... Well, the day after going to the Vancouver Aquarium was Michelle's last day, so we thought we'd do something a little different and head up to Grouse Mountain (it's a short ferry/bus trip from Vancouver) for a look around. There are a lot of activities which are labelled as being complimentary in the brochure, but we quickly realised that a lot of these involving the snow etc still require gear hire. Oh well, no big deal, it wasn't that much anyway.
The weather was quite clear despite the big snow fal from the previous evening. However, as we got close to the mountain, we became very away of the fact that you actually could barely see half way up it because there was a massive snow-cloud hanging around. We decided to go up anyway (it was one of the last chances) and so ascended the gondola/cablecar to the top. Up top, it was snowing but it was actually semi-clear. As the day went on, it cleared up more and more until we could see a blue sky, however the cloud was still sitting further down the mountain. It's a pretty weird sight to see this cloud just sitting there half way down, but very cool too. Oh, and there were these carved statues of famous sports people all over the place. They are big too, that snow is deep!
So up top there was a pretty cute little movie about two orphaned bear cubs being held in a rehabilitation zone elsewhere on the mountain. There was an ice-skating rink, sleigh rides, snowshoeing (well, trails provided and marked out, we had to hire the shoes themselves) and some other stuff. The snow did look really nice and powdery, but both of us weren't really up for skiing/boarding. Instead, we chose to go snowshoeing! (They did have "liquor training" in a seminar room though?!?!)
The shoes themselves just strap on over your feet and are pretty easy to get around in. We kind of stumbled down the first steep hill, but the rest of it was fine. We were unlucky because the heavy snowfalls had cause lots of avalanche zones to become unstable, so only one hiking trail was open. But off we went.
Although it sounds kinda boring (big deal, tramping around in snow), it's actually awesome fun! Hiking through the snow is just such as different feeling to boarding/skiing and I really enjoyed it. The trail took us away from the ski runs etc so we literally had this lovely peaceful forest to hike through, with the sounds of birds, rivers etc the only distractions. As I said before, the day also cleared up and the sun poking through the trees made for some really amazing views.
Of course, all that pristine snow around me was just too much of a temptation (it was all like fluffy and perfectly smooth on top and stuff), so on many occasions I just had to go climbing/stumbling/running through the powder. Even with the enormous shoes on my feet, I still sunk in some places up to my chest. I had an absolute ball climbing out of that stuff, but it did make my jeans a little cold :) Honestly though, don't be put off by the seemingly 'boring' side of it (sure, it's not quite as good as boarding), but for something a little different and more casual, I really recommend snowshoeing.
One last thing I did on the mountain was sample some fine Canadian cuisine called a Beaver Tail. It's kind of a like a flat donut batter... pancaky thing which they cover in sugar and cinnamon. The oil really gets to you quickly, but I had to eat just one. I actually bought it on a quick stop on the sleigh ride and I quickly spoke to the girl in the tiny booth where they are sold. I asked if she got discounts for working at the resort, and she did, but when I asked if it was worth working in the 'box', she said "no way, I've only got 2 weeks left".
That night Michelle and I went to a pub night just for a bit of a last drink/laugh. It is a joint thing run by both hostels and it actually turned out to be good fun. We basically met more Aussies (honestly, we are EVERYWHERE in Canada), had a few games of pool and chilled out. I also asked around and a good number of the guys were going to the Ice Hockey game the next night, so that was an extra bonus.
The next morning I saw Michelle off, and then just assed around a little walking around the city just to get a feel for everything. In the afternoon I walked over to the Vancouver Museum to see an exhibit about the First Nation people (Native Americans and other Canadian tribes) which was really really good. They explained a lot about traditions, art, mythology, symbolism, ceremonies, tribal differences and things like that. I was even fortunate enough to catch a tour with lead by a First Nation elder which was REALLY enlightening. Oh, and the jewellery was just amazing.
One of the most interesting things I learnt was that one of the major celebrations they used to have was called a Potlatch. This would be held for births, marriages, chieftain elections and other big events. As a part of normal life, most people would carve/create/accumulate stacks of jewellery, pottery, blankets and things like that. To white people it looked like all the First Nation people were just greedy and they were hoarding it, but the whole point of the Potlatch is to invite EVERYONE to come feast on your food etc, and then to give away basically EVERYTHING as presents. Literally the host would be left with almost nothing, but no doubt within a short time someone else would have a Potlatch, and so they'd start accumulating their stuff again. The guide described it as a culture of giving (where no one accumulated 'wealth' just for the sake of it, instead to give away), compared to the white people's culture of taking (and hoarding).
The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering along the foreshore. I realised as I was walking just how much I miss the sound of waves lapping at the beach and rocks... I also found it so bizarre to be looking at a sandy beach (of sorts) and having snow on logs (seats) just meters from the shore. Bizarre.
But while all of that was good, Thursday night was the real 'big bang' to finish off the trip - the HOCKEY GAME!!!!!! I was SO excited to go, and the hostel had arranged pre-game drinks at a pub, so I wasn't late! Lots of the guys from the previous night were there, so we all sat down and had a couple of pints, but at the same time one of the hostel employees gave a little tutorial about game and some of the finer points of the rules. We got to ask some questions and at least get a simple enough understanding of the game to follow it.
Walking into the arena/rink (whatever!) was just amazing. They have a MASSIVE scoreboard suspended from the roof, there's people everywhere cheering, there are shops and pubs and even a full brewery behind that stands.... It's super sweet. While our tickets weren't exactly primo-seating, being up high let us track the play a lot more easily than if we were lower (and the tickets weren't exactly expensive either). And yeah, they sell full strength beer there, that's sweet too.
My verdict on the game -> brutal! It's awesome..! Dude's just smash each other into the barricades all the time, and there's pushing, shoving, fouling but also some serious skills and agility on display. Topping it off for the spectators is the fact that the puck moves SO damn fast that you have trouble keeping up. Basically, every aspect is entertaining and we had a brilliant time yelling at the Vancouver Canucks (the home team). It wasn't a good night from our team though, they went down 5-2 (I think). Oh, and while there's no cheerleaders that we saw, there are cute little 'ice chicks' who help smooth out the ice in breaks in play.
After the game, we all headed straight back to the pub and proceeded to destroy several pitchers of beer. I ended up drinking with six or seven aussies and a frenchie (who'd lived in Aus since he was 6 and is a World-Series Debating finalist - there's money in it!) and had a brilliant time. Things heated up a little later when some local-yokels (Canadians) rolled up and somehow I was called upon to do a pint scull. I am proud to say that I upheld the Aussie heritage and slammed it all back. About half an hour later we decided to leave and yeah, it's pretty blurry from there. I just remember getting back to the hostel, climbing onto the top bunk (well, sort of falling into it face down) and going nighty night! I was just resting my eyes! :)
The next morning I was feeling reasonably good actually, and I even had managed to hold onto all my stuff!! - suh-weet. I pulled myself together and checked out before taking a last stroll around the city. After some last photos, my time ran out and the vacation came to a close. Awwww.. Still, that was nearly a month of travelling over Christmas/New Year, so that's a fair whack.
Just as a little final kick to the trip, on the flight back to London the power was buggered on our seats so we couldn't use reading lights or get audio to watch the movies.. poo!
So the final verdict for Canada - surpising and fun. I never really had dreams of going to Canada (not like Europe etc) but I'm really glad I did. The snow is amazing, there's lots to see and do and the people are just really really nice. I would like to go back some time and see it in the summer, so we'll have to see what happens. Also, Alaska would be amazing to check out.
Well, that'll do for now, I'll see you guys later.
Anka
posted by Anthony Hawke at 10:49 pm
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