Vancouver & Whistler

My flight path home included a connection in B.C. Originally it was just a connection, but since I was already making one change to my flight home there was no additional charge to add a few days in B.C. So I took advantage of the stop and caught up with some friends and family in Vancouver. I arrived on Friday morning and headed to Tyler's place in central Vancouver. He's a friend from University who's also done some world traveling, and he stayed with me in Copenhagen for a couple days while I was studying there and he was backpacking Europe. Tyler had to work on Friday, but he had another friend staying with him from Germany that he met in Australia named Saskia. It's certainly interesting the connections that are made while traveling! So anyway, on Friday I went wondering around Vancouver with Saskia and checked out some cool places, found some reminisces of the Olympics, and talked to a float plane pilot who flies for a company out of the Vancouver Harbour.

On Friday night, 4 of us (Saskia, Tyler's roommate from Ireland, Tyler, and I) rented a car and headed to Whistler. We rented a sweet condo on the Blackcomb mountain for $120/night, which actually worked out cheaper than staying in a hostel. We got a great deal because of the time of year; I can't even imagine how much this place would have gone for during the Olympics! The rental car was also cheaper than return bus fare for the 4 of us, so we were living the vacationer's lifestyle on a backpacker's budget!

On Saturday, we met up with Tara & her friends and went for a good hike. The whole area is absolutely beautiful and we were all having a great time just taking in the beauty of nature! After the hike we went back to Tara's boyfriend's place which is a beautiful log cabin on the lake near Whistler. It reminded me a bit of the cottage, but a much smaller lake and surrounded by mountains. On Saturday night, we hung out at the condo for a bit and then checked out a couple places in Whistler Village.

On Sunday, Tyler, Saskia & I went zip lining. Mel's parents did this when they were here and gave a great review. We figured we may as well do it while we're here, plus it was on sale for nearly half price. It didn't last long, but it sure was fun! On one line they said we were going nearly 100 km/h! On Sunday night we met up at a pub with Tara, Justin & his friends. They had live music with lots of different performers that seemed to just be stepping up from the audience. It was an enjoyable evening and some of the performers were quite good.

On Monday we checked out of the condo at 10 and had a look at some nearby Olympic venues. We took a slow, scenic drive back to Vancouver, enjoying the sights surrounding the Sea-to-Sky highway. We stopped at a bunch of lookouts along the way and it actually reminded me a lot of the beautiful places that Kim & I saw in New Zealand. Once we got back to Tyler's place, we dropped off all our stuff and then took advantage of the remaining hours on the rental car by driving around the Vancouver area for a couple hours.

On Tuesday, I ended up sleeping in and then spent a couple hours doing some work to get ready for the big job ahead when I get home, Shannon & James' new cottage! I'm really excited for this project to start and I can feel already that another great summer in upon us! On Tuesday evening I met up with Sarah, my second cousin on Mom's side of the family. We went out to a pub and met up with her dad & his new wife. We used to see them a lot when they lived in Ontario but I hadn't seen them in many years. It was great catching up with them, and I got to meet Sarah's new fiancee and Don's new wife. I spent the night at Sarah's place and we had fun catching up on old times and talking about the enjoyment of life and everything ahead of us.

The following morning, Sarah took me to the airport and we said our goodbyes. That brings me to now; I'm in the Vancouver Airport about to catch my flight home after leaving almost 4 months ago. I can't wait to see Mel! I haven't seen her since we said goodbye in Bangkok 3 months ago. This moment felt so far away and now it's finally coming in a few short hours!! It sure has been a great trip and I will keep many memories with me for years to come, but I'm ready to go home and spend some time with the people I love!