Vancouver 2010 - A new season

I decided to go to Vancouver via Amtrak, since I've been told about all the beautiful scenic views you can see on the way. So what do I end up doing? Sleep sleep and more sleep! I did manage to wake up for about 5 minutes to take this photo though.

Once I arrived in Vancouver, I didn't really know what to do with myself. I got there around noon and my host wasn't going to be home until 9:30pm so I thought I might as well be productive. I spent the next three hours setting up my bank account and getting a Social Insurance Number so I can legally work. Then I managed to score a lift with a friend from Seattle who happened to be in Vancouver for work that day! That was awesome coz I was not looking forward to dragging my luggage around at night, not after what happened last time...

I didn't get much of a chance to chat to Aaron, my first host in Vancouver, since I only crashed for two nights. Basically when I arrived in Vancouver, I was set for two nights and kinda didn't have anywhere to stay after that. As much as I like going off the fly with things, I should have probably thought this out a bit better.

But, alas, things worked out in the end as usual. Nick, my second host, kindly agreed to have me stay the weekend. I figured I just needed a couple of more days to search for a place. But that I did not do -_- I took a break instead (I need a break from being on holiday? Go figure) and spent the weekend sight seeing and enjoying the beauty of Vancouver =)

Views from Stanley Park

Worse than Jacob's ladder. I was tricked into climbing this!

Everywhere you look, its just mountains and trees, mountains and trees, mountains and trees. Even more awesome was that Nick lived two minutes from the beach and five minutes from downtown. Here's another reference for you Perthians, (yes, I have decided it will be Perthians from now on) think City Beach in terms of proximity to the beach, Subi's closeness to the city and little boutique stores, and a dash of Mt Lawley for that old school, heritage feeling. That's Kitsilano in a nutshell. You can't blame me for not wanting to leave, that and the fact I didn't actually have anywhere to go to anyway, so Nick was super nice and said I can stay until I find my own place. SWEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Views from Kits, who'd wanna move away from here?

Nick not only let me crash his place indefinitely, but he helped me look for my own - driving me around, calling up potential roomies and just being awesome. 

I got well fed too!

My start in Vancouver has been a bit rocky, no thanks to my lack of planning, but it all worked out for the better. It might seem like I'm having heaps of fun but there has been challenging times and the funny thing is, its the small things that would get to me. Not the fact that I don't have a place to stay or that my Australian bank put a zero dollar limit on international transfers (OMG do not get me started on that!) but it would be when I was dragging my luggage in the rain without an umbrella with my broken shoe or running out of change for the laundry and asking random strangers on the street for coins in my PJs. Thats when I'd get annoyed and wished I had my creature comforts back home. But I just suck it up and toughen up, don't really have any other choice and usually the moment just passes. All I need to do is look out the window and it makes it all worthwhile.