a visit to an institution

It's hard to imagine a time when there was only one Starbucks. Actually, after travelling through the US and Canada, it's impossible to imagine. But for a little while at least, that was the case. The first Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971. The store was originally on Western Avenue but moved to Pike Place about four years later. Other Starbucks stores were opened in 1987. I was curious about Seattle's coffee craze. What came first? Did Seattle's love of coffee inspire Starbucks? Or was it the other way around? Unfortunately I didn't get to find out. The coffee walking tour I wanted to go on was booked out. So instead I explored on my own, starting with a coffee from that famous Starbucks store in Pike Place. Apparently the store looks rather similar to when it opened. The only addition is a bar, which was put in when the store went from selling coffee beans to also selling drinks, as it does today.

 

The Post Alley Gum Wall

But before my visit to Starbucks, there was another institution on my list. I don't know if is actually an institution, but it should be. The Crumpet Shop. Does a store get any better than that? Now there were more 'gourmet' crumpets available, with toppings featuring cream cheese, ricotta, peanut butter and the like. But I stuck with a personal favourite: honey. Once breakfast and a coffee hit was taken care of, I went in search of the 'gum wall' in Pike Place's Post Alley. It is what the name suggests...a wall where people stick their chewing gum. It could almost pass for a work of art, however really, it's a bit gross isn't it?

I left Pike Place Market behind and walked to Columbia Tower. A customer at work had recommended that I skip the Space Needle and instead go up Columbia, which is taller, and cheaper. It's an office building with an observation area on the 73rd floor. The building is 75 floors but the top one is 'members only'. I pictured secret handshakes and codewords but the security guard said it was the Columbia Building Club and as far as he knew there was just a restaurant and bar up there. Not all that exciting, I tried to tell myself. The observation deck offers a 180-degree view of the waterfront side of the city. The weather wasn't fantastic but it didn't hinder the view too much. The tower is twice the size of the Space Needle, which looked quite tiny in the distance.

Hurricane Cafe

I walked from the tower to Pioneer Square, supposedly an arty, hipster place. But while I was walking around I remembered a suggestion from a friend to visit the Hurricane Cafe. That involved heading back into the city a bit more but I decided I might as well as I didn't have long before my bus, and it was closer to the station. The Hurricane Cafe is open 24 hours and is exactly the kind of place I see in American movies: juke box as you walk in, red leather booths and a few stools lined up on a bench and a menu of all-day breakfasts and burgers. But despite the dingy appearance, it had a quirky atmosphere. I particularly enjoyed the Mr Potato Head Collection above the kitchen. After lunch I walked back into town and had a cup of Clam Chowder from Pike Place Chowder, which I had been meaning to do all trip as it's rated as one of the highlights of a trip to the city. Then it was back to the Greyhound station for the bus "home".

a thing for ferry boats

Seattle from the ferry to Bainbridge Island

The great thing about travelling alone is that you don't always have to be alone. I've found it a lot easier to travel solo and find company when I want it rather than travel with company and find alone time. A German guy called Ralf posted on the Vancouver CS group that he was going to Seattle from Wednesday to Friday if anyone wanted to join him. I was leaving and returning a day earlier, but I offered to catch up if he wanted a travel buddy for a day. He accepted so on my second day in Seattle I went back to the Greyhound bus station and waited for a strange guy to come say hello.

Ralf is living in Vancouver at the moment, but about to move to Banff for the ski season. He's finished school and on a bit of a 'what do I want to do with my life' mission. He caught the early bus and was in need of food so we headed to Pike Place Market. We walked around for a bit before heading to the waterfront. When I sent out some couchrequests for Seattle, one host replied that he couldn't host me but suggested I go to Bainbridge Island and have lunch at a place called the Public House. I've travelled enough to know that a suggestion from a local is a lot more valuable than a guidebook.

Mount Rainer in the distance

The ferry ride from Seattle to Bainbridge Island is 35-minutes and is quite cheap at $7 for the return journey. It was another gorgeous day in Seattle so Ralf and I had good views of the city as the ferry headed to the island. Seattle is a lot more hilly than I realised, but its centre is also quite compact. Sitting at the back of the ferry we had the Space Needle on our left and the port area and Mount Rainer to our right.

View from the Harbour Public House

Once we docked it was about a 15-minute walk along the waterfront to the Harbour Public House. It was a 21-and-over venue, and Ralf isn't 21, but I figured who's going to check at 2.30pm on a Wednesday afternoon. Luckily, I was right. We took a seat on the deck and if it wasn't for the masts of the boats in the marina, we would have had a great view of Seattle. Seattle is big on its seafood so I order a grilled salmon burger. I'm still coming to terms with the price of salmon in Vancouver. It's not pretty.






Grilled Salmon Burger...yum

After lunch, Ralf headed back to the ferry to meet his host. I ventured into town. Bainbridge Island is a bit of a tourist destination but it doesn't feel like it. It has a great collection of boutiques, galleries, bookshops and cafes. When I walked into one gallery, the owner immediately introduced himself and asked my name. Although I warned him I was the worst customer he could hope for because I had no intention of buying anything, Jack was happy to chat to me for a while, which was nice. Close to the gallery is a store that specialises in tea and knitting products - the wife is into knitting, the husband loves tea.

I headed back to the terminal in time for the 5.30pm ferry back and made my way back to John's house. Waiting there was one of the most amazing people I've ever met - Jamie, the girl John is dating at the moment. Jamie currently has a business advising credit unions on poverty-reduction schemes, but her resume includes running a newspaper and producing television shows, among a host of other adventures. She was the type of person I need to meet at the moment. Someone who has just pursued anything she felt like and not let things get in her way. Over dinner, John basically had to listen to Jamie and I talk all night. But it really was great to meet someone so inspiring.

Dinner was a place called Barrio, a restaurant John had always wanted to check out and that we'd walked past the night before. It features a wall of candles, which the server said were lit by the busser every night. The feat takes more than an hour. We left a special tip at the end of our meal and made sure the server knew who it was for.

The cyclists get ready to disembark

wide awake in seattle

Between work and well, work, I've become somewhat of a homebody rather early into my time in Vancouver. So when my work schedule revealed three days off in a row, I decided to dig out my passport.

Seattle is just a four-hour bus ride away so I settled on that as my destination. Bus tickets are quite cheap (another bonus) and I found a Couchsurfing host. Despite being pretty exhausted after seven days straight at work, I booked a 7.45am bus, so it was an early start to make it to the station to collect my ticket an hour beforehand.

The bus ride was uneventful: no dramatic change in scenery, no dramas at US customs, and we even pulled into Seattle early. The only thing I really knew about this city before arriving, was what I had seen in Grey's Anatomy. So not much. But everyone I spoke to about my trip had plenty of suggestions so that was helpful. Fresh off the bus, I went in search of a tourist information office. I was staring at a map outside a shopping centre when a man approached me and asked what I was looking for. "What lovely people Seattle-ites are" I thought, before he then stuck a cup out and asked for money. I said I only had Canadian money on me and he said that was OK as he would go and exchange it. "The last people I helped gave me $5 Canadian," he said. I gave him 50cents and walked off...angry at myself for not realising I was being scammed.

But it did get me to visitor information. A couple of maps and directions to Wells Fargo (apparently the best place to get my cash exchanged) and I was set. I love a good market so when I heard about Pike Place Market, I thought that sounded like a good way to spend a few hours. The market has a collection of permanent shops, including the first Starbucks, and then an array of temporary vendors. Not all the stalls come every day, and there are rarely in the same spot if they do. It keeps the customers guessing, one vendor told me. I browsed some of the stalls and made an exception to my "no buying" rule and invested in a necklace that has a dried flower pressed in between the glass. The woman said they picked them from their garden and pressed them by sticking them in big books for a couple of years. The flowers in my necklace were picked in 2009.

The market has a lot of flower stalls run by Hmong people (a Chinese ethnic minority), fruit and vegetables, and fish. One of the stalls is well-known for its fish-throwing antics. The staff are more showmen than salesmen. Every time someone buys a fish the guy at the front near the stands picks it up (usually a big tuna, trout or salmon) and throws it up to the guys doing the filleting. Those guys often throw it straight back and this goes on for a little bit. Draws in the tourists anyhow.


When buying a peach from one of the stands I asked the guy for a recommendation for lunch and ended up at the Steelhead Diner. It had a good view of the water and a decent menu too. I didn't get around to having a burger the last time I was in the States so I made up for it today. What is it with North Americans and their sour pickle? Urgh.


After lunch I headed to the antiques market, which is by the waterfront. I resisted the urge to buy a typewriter and headed over to the water. Despite an average forecast, the weather was beautiful and I was kicking myself for not bringing sunscreen. I took my time along the waterfront, stopping at some of the piers. One of them had several bright yellow deck chairs chained to it so I took a seat. I was nearly drifting off before a woman approached me and said she was about to jump in the water and not to worry, she knew how to swim. Damn hippies.

I continued my walk to the Olympic Sculpture Park and up to the Space Needle. That's the tower that's shown in every shot of Seattle, not that I knew what it was called until a couple of days ago. A customer at work recommended I skip the Space Needle and instead visit Columbia Tower, which is cheaper and higher. So I just admired the needle from below and caught the monorail back to the city centre. I spend the rest of the afternoon wandering through town and checking out a bit more of the market before I headed to my host's place.

Although I sent out a few couch requests, I didn't have much luck and ended up posting on the Seattle last minute couch requests group, as I did in Paris. A guy called John, along with a couple of others, offered to host me. John moved to Seattle a few years ago. He works in IT and joined CS because his kids live on the East Coast so he was thinking it might be a good thing to do when he goes there to visit them. Although he's been a member for years, he's only started hosting recently. I'd told him where I work and took him some of our bestselling tea to try so we ended up grabbing dinner at a little place that sells 150 different teas. I'm really getting into trying lots of teas now so that was fun for me. After dinner we went to a bar called Tavern Law and had a couple of cocktails. I ordered an English Fizz - earl grey gin, honey, lemon and soda - although that was a bit of a miss, so next time I chose a different one. The bar was very cool - there is an upstairs section that we think is only accessed by reservation. When people arrive to go up there they have to ring on this little old-school telephone downstairs before they are about to open the door to go up. The conversations are quite lengthy but I have no idea what they are about.

diving back into couchsurfing

After such great experiences Couchsurfing while I was travelling, I was keen to host as soon as I got settled. Once Ana and I got couches (thank you Craigslist) I updated my profile  and opened up our house to surfers. In Burnie I got a couple of requests every week but here I'm getting heaps. Unfortunately, most of them I haven't been unable to accept because the timing doesn't work.

In some cities I had a lot of trouble finding hosts and any post on the Last Minute requests groups often only attracted replies from guys, which I didn't always feel comfortable accepting. Although in Kamel's case it worked out really well. So I've decided I will mainly accept last minute posts from girls who are in my position. Taking last minute requests works better for me anyway because at least I know whether I'm free or not.





Lucie and Bertille

So, given all this, I offered to take in Lucie and Bertille, two French girls who are travelling from Vancouver then down the West Coast. They sent out quite a few requests but either got negative replies or no reply at all. Lucie is living in Whitehorse (a day-and-a-half bus ride from Van) while Bertille is in France and two weeks ago decided she would come visit Lucie. Instead of hanging in Yukon they decided to explore a little. I met them at a Skytrain station on Monday (my day off) and we visited Granville Island and walked around Downtown...a lot. On Tuesday I had to go to work (rather early unfortunately for them) so they set off alone. That night I went to a Couchsurfing weekly gathering to meet some more new faces, and the girls got back about 11pm. They were great surfers and I love that Ana's OK with me hosting. She hasn't moved in yet so I guess she's not here to mind.


A couple of days later I accepted a request from Paul. He's from the States and doing a bit of a roadtrip to work out where he'd like to settle now that he's finished college. Unfortunately he liked the look of Nashville but had already decided to venture as far as Seattle (and duck over to Vancouver to visit a friend) so now has to drive all the way back. I met him and his friend Andrew when I finished work on Thursday night so we went out for a beer. I didn't end up spending much time with Paul since I had to leave for work on Friday but it's nice to host someone and give them some ideas of what to see and do in the city.

getting back on the bike

Yesterday I joined Vancouver's cycling culture. Cycling is big here. Not as big as say China, where no one can own a car so everybody's transport of choice has two wheels. But it's still big. It fits in very well with the 'Green' thing Vancouver has going on. Everyone - young, old, hippy, yuppy - is very environmentally-minded. Composting is popular, recycling even more so. I wouldn't dare throw so much as a used bus ticket in the wrong waste bin. Whereas this type of thinking is still considered an effort by most in Australia, and it's a movement still requiring a lot of promotion, here, it's just the way things are done.

I felt guilty about riding the bus when small armies of cyclists were whizzing past. So after a bit of searching on Craigslist without much luck, I went searching for a bike shop. Given that cycling is so big, bike shops are rather common. I had heard that decent used bikes could be picked up pretty cheaply, but I wasn't having much luck. I was nearly contemplating buying a new one (which would be about $300 on the low-end) when I found Ride Again Bikes. The sales guy was lovely and hooked me up with a used red bike...that's about all I know about it. I also had to get kitted out with helmet, tray for the back, bags to hang off the tray, front and rear lights and a bike lock. It wasn't the cheapest shopping trip I've done, but safety first right?

I rode from the store down to work. Work to home took me about 30 minutes. I only have six gears, and sixth is very noisy. So I am already finding myself contemplating trading it in for a new one if I end up using it a lot. I'm very lucky in that 45th Ave is a bike street. Some of the streets in Vancouver are designated bike streets; cars are still allowed on them but the speed limit is 30kmh and it's closed to local traffic only. There are also less stop signs so you don't get interrupted as much. I have a few hills, but nothing too challenging. Although as I found out today when I rode to work in wide-leg pants, I can sometimes get caught on the peddles. Will have to think up something around that.

sinking or swimming in a pot of tea

My feet are throbbing, my head is spinning and I'm sitting at the table pouring over a menu. Not to choose what I'd like to order, but to learn it. I've even been writing out the high tea menu just to get my head around it. No longer shall I look at serving (waitressing) as something I did for some pocket money through uni.

I've just got home after my first shift at the Secret Garden Tea Company - my new job in Vancouver. I wanted a change from offices, computers, writing and the intensity that comes with the media industry. That's not to say I was looking for a break, because I have by no means got that. In fact, learning the ropes at SGTC is more demanding than my foray into journalism when I started at The Advocate. I certainly wasn't sitting at home studying a style guide after my first shift at the paper.

After day two, my head has slowed down a bit. I feel like I know which way is up - even if left and right is still proving a challenge. I've also had the chance to sample more of the menu. One word: amazing. It's in my top three now along with Bruces and Hot Mother. I can't pick a favourite. The staff at SGTC are lovely: there are three Aussies (just can't escape 'em), an Irish girl and a handful of locals. I feel for the older staff at the moment because they are surrounded by newbies. Having lived through the cycle at the paper several times, I know what they're going through. But hopefully by the time the busy period comes (when the weather cools off a bit), we'll be right to go and they won't be muttering nasty names under their breath. I haven't heard any of them do that, and they all seem to nice to, but lets face it, training newbies isn't the world's easiest job.

After two months off, it's great to have somewhere to go and something to do. I now have three days off and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. I best make the most of it though because I've got five days straight next week. Ahhh the joys of making a living.

going on a bear hunt

When an activity is described as "Mother Nature's Stairmaster", I should know better than to assume it would be a walk in the park. Actually it was a walk and it was more bush than park but same difference. However, it only went in one direction. Up.

Grouse Mountain is one of Vancouver's main attractions. There are only two ways up. The gondola at $35 each way. Or you can hoof it. The track is 2.9km. The website advertised a charity run coming up in October. It was the $45 entry fee that put me off at that stage. A bit steep I thought. Well that isn't steep at all compared to the track itself.

Making the most of my last days of freedom before I start work, I headed to North Vancouver to stay with Joan, Bud and Vicky - the closest thing to family I have in the city. Joan is dad's cousin, and I met Vicky last year when they all came to Tassie. On Sunday I started the day with a walk through Lighthouse Park with Bud and Poppy, the family dog. The area is beautiful. In between the houses and roads are fir trees and blackberry bushes. The blackberries are safe to eat and with such lush crops so close, you can't blame the locals for heading out with a bucket or three. Bud did the same thing a couple of days ago and Joan made four blackberry pies. Yum.

Lighthouse Park is a beautiful maze of trails that all seem to lead to water. It was a gorgeous day and it was tempting to follow Poppy into the water. The water, because it's protected, is the perfect playground for sailors, kayakers etc. I'll be keen to try both while I'm here. Walking back to the house we passed some houses that with multi-million dollar price tags. It's not surprising given the serenity here. After a delicious lunch on the deck, Joan and Bud took me sightseeing. Vicky starts university on Tuesday and already has homework. I do not miss those days. We headed to Lyn Valley, the home of a popular suspension bridge. Given the weather, and the fact it's a long weekend, there were people everywhere. Particularly across the bridge at the river where a lot of people went in for a dip. There are some really deep pools at the bottom of high rocks so quite a few more adventurous people were diving in from there. We drove through Horseshoe Bay and a few other sights except it became quickly apparent that everyone had the same idea today.

The next morning we set off for Grouse Mountain. Now Bud is 71. And he might be one of the fittest people I know, but I thought 26 would surely win out, no matter how hard the walk. I was wrong. Again, even man and his dog had decided today was a great day to visit Grouse Mountain. It didn't take too long to realise why the track has the above-mentioned nickname. No two steps were ever on the same level. I kept up with Vicky and Bud for the first quarter but it didn't take long to lose them. Two months of croissants, ice cream and no exercise has taken it's toll. The only indication of distance was the markings at 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4. One kid bounded past me yelling out to his dad "I want to beat my record". I wanted to sit him down and say, "Enjoy it while it lasts buddy. I was the same at your age and now look at me!". I heard one woman say, oh "We're nearly there, I can see the top". I had to stop myself from replying "Well I can see the moon and Í don't reckon I'm making it there in a hurray". I can get very sarcastic during never-ending exercise.

Finally I made it to the top, with Bud and Vicky waiting for me. But that wasn't the end of our adventure. There were bears to find! We were enjoying another gorgeous day, for which I will pay for later as I sweated all my sunscreen off. We rode the chairlift across to a good viewing point and made it back in time for the lumberjack show. Then it was off to find the bears. We had seen them from the chairlift but I hoped they hadn't gone back into the bush. The two bears, Coola and Grinder, were orphans and have been raised at Grouse Mountain. Luckily for me, they decided near the fence was a great place to hang out for a bit while I took some photos.

The only way down Grouse Mountain is to ride the gondola. In the quieter times you could get away with walking back down if your legs were up to it, but there were too many people coming up this time so it wouldn't have been extra painful. Back at Home Binstead, Joan had cooked up a lovely brunch, which we enjoyed before they dropped me home.

heaven on 45th

In one of the world's most livable cities (rated three now after just being bumped off the top spot by Melbourne), real estate is of course at a premium. Vancouver is a huge destination for travellers on working holiday visas, most of which are Australian, and students. They all want the same thing: a cheap place to live. Craigslist is the go-to site for room hunters. There is something to suit everyone - except those on a budget. Actually that's not true. If you're willing to share your room with one or two other people, who can do quite well. Maybe $400 a month? But when you're 26 and a homeowner in your own country, sharing your bedroom isn't appealing.

The average room is about $700 a month. And for that price don't expect five-star living quarters. A room in Kitsilano, Vancouver's trendy beach area, was advertised for $550. There are hotel showers bigger than this room. It had a single bed, raised so there was storage under it and a small set of drawers. That was about all the room could hold. Oh and a person. As long as they wanted to sit on the bed. Down the road was a room for $600. No windows, but at least a decent size this time. Homestay's a very popular, especially with International students, of which there are a lot. One has to wonder how they afford to live here?

Hundreds of room/apartment shares are posted on Craigslist every day. The good ones will be inundated. So will the bad ones. It's property war. Rooms disappear in hours. One ad offered accommodation in exchange for a relationship. Another advertised a homestay with a "fun Christian family". There is a big culture of just renting "a room". People don't seemed too fussed about who they live with, just as long as it's a place to live.

I eventually turned to a site called Kijiji, in an effort to avoid all the homestay ads. That led me to Anna, who is studying media arts. She'd just found a great two-bedroom apartment, very close to the bus line my work is on. I looked at it on Friday afternoon and fell in love. It was clean, it had sun and Anna seemed lovely. Luckily, Anna called later that night and said I had it. Now I just have to wait to meet the landlord on Tuesday and cough up some references to make it official. Hopefully that part goes smoothly. It's not quite Heaven on Fifth (Sex in the City reference there), but it's my heaven on East 45th. The price: $565 a month. Outrageous in Tassie terms. But pretty reasonable for the world's third most livable city. 

Ahh, all that light.



My room, it's not huge but big
enough for a double bed, desk,
 dresser etc and has a huge closet
 at the other end of the room.

unexpected visitors

These little guys came up to the deck to say hello. Ok they didn't actually say hello. They just poked around abit and left.

breaking the chain

After just a few days I've got my head around my little Broadway/City Hall area. I know where the free wifi is, which bus goes where and which supermarket is the cheapest. Yet I haven't seen much of Vancouver itself. On Thursday after my interview I decided to go visit Joe at work, which happens to be at one of the main tourist areas in Van: Granville Island. Joe, who was in the navy for seven years, works at the boatyard there. Not a bad place to be on a sunny day. I'd timed my visit well: their was a farmers' market on. I really have a knack for finding these things. I said hello to Joe, admired his boat, which has kept him back late after work to fix up a bit, and headed into the market. It was the usual array: vegies, fruit, flowers, local cheese etc. I spied a man selling cooked corn which you buttered up with a paintbrush and made a note to visit him when I got hungry.


Granville Island is an eclectic mix of markets, galleries, shops and even a factory. There is an undercover public market that houses all sorts of stores. More fruit and veg, florists (where Elise worked when she was in Van), chocolate, jewelery etc. There are theatres, artists studios, art supply stores etc. The boat yards are busy, there's heaps of yachts moored at the harbour, and stores renting kayaks and jet skis. But that collection isn't even the best thing about Granville Island. It's selling point (for me) is the Starbucks back on the mainland. Not the store itself, but face that it, and every other chain, isn't allowed on the island. Granville Island has achieved something Beijing's Forbidden City couldn't. It's chain-free.

I still haven't explored Vancouver centre, but it's quite attractive with the mountains towering behind it. I ate lunch by the water with a couple of birds for company. Despite Granville Island being one of the main tourist haunts, it still seemed like a great place to hang out. There is so much to explore and I know I only touched on a little bit.

the end of temporary unemployment

It's been a long time since I had a job interview. Actually, it's been a long time since I had to think about finding work. Being in Vancouver is more about life experience than work experience, so I'm taking the opportunity to have a break from computers (which I feel like I've been staring at since I started uni eight years ago) and offices. I hadn't planned to look for work until I arrived in Canada, but out of curiousity I had a scroll through jobs on Craigslist while I was in Scotland. One job stood out: a server at the Secret Garden Tea Company. It was the business name that drew me in. Then it was the story of how the two women started the company. Then I saw the menu and the tea list. I thought about it for a week or so, aware that I wouldn't be in Vancouver until the end of the month, which is a long time when a business needs staff right away. After a week or so of still thinking what a great place the cafe looked like, I decided I might as well apply.

One of the owners wrote back and said they'd be happy to meet me when I arrived, so I put it out of my mind for a couple of weeks. Not being in Canada yet, I wanted to know more about the business so I read all the reviews online, looked at the menu more and checked out the Facebook page. It may have seemed like a lot to go through for a serving job, but I've never not known anything about the places I've wanted to work when I've applied and I was at a disadvantage in that sense.

Anyway, those who have seen my Facebook status will know the outcome, but I got the job. And I don't think I've been as excited aout a job before. Of course I was excited about The Advocate, but also terrified that perhaps after a decade of wanting to be a journalist that I might give it a go and hate it and then what would I do?

The owners seem lovely, the place is wonderful and I start training next week! It is a huge relief to have the work situation sorted so soon after arriving. My next mission is to find somewhere to live. It's been great having Joe's place to crash at, but I'd like to find something a little closer to work and also, Joe doesn't need me cramping his style for too long.

a reason to believe in karma

This afternoon a kid jaywalked across West 41^st Avenue and ran in front of a bus. He continued up the street and to whatever Justin Beiber concert/skate park/ iPhone convention he was on his way to. Back inside the bus an older woman is sprawled out face down on the ground and can’t get up. An elderly man is on his knees with his head on the seat. And a 13-year-old girl has blood gushing down her face. When the bus stopped to avoid the kid on the road, it had to stop that suddenly that everyone in the bus was thrown forward. I didn’t have a seat in front of me so the momentum just pushed me onto my feet and I ran a couple of steps. I helped up the woman on the floor and then took some tissues over to the girl. She looked about my age and it wasn’t until she gave her age to the bus drive that I realised how young she was. Helen had hit her head, mainly her nose, pretty hard on part of the bus when it stopped. She had blood coming out of her nose and dripping onto her clothes and the seat. Not surprisingly, she was a little shaky. I sat with her while the bus driver called for help. The other passengers transferred onto another bus, but I stayed with Helen. She was travelling by herself, covered with blood, and really shaken up. She was handling it better than I would, but I figured I’d hate to be alone so I waited with her. The driver said an ambulance was on its way so I called Helen’s mum who said she’d come meet us. When the ambulance got there first and took Helen to the Children’s Hospital, I went with her until her mum arrived.  

Helen starts Grade 8 next week, which is the first year of senior school in Canada. What a way to spend the last days of holidays: stuck in a hospital with blood down your top waiting to find out if your nose is broken. By contrast, that kid who ran across the road had no idea of what he’d done. I’m not a big believer in karma, but today I sided with those who are.

I walked out of the Children’s Hospital only to realise I had absolutely no idea where I was. Luckily I recognised one of the street signs (the benefit of walking everywhere is you find a lot of things) and found I wasn’t too far from home. I was exhausted so I curled up with Judi Dench’s autobiography and had a little nap.

given a good rogering!

Apologies for the delay in an update, but I figured since I’m no longer “travelling”, I wouldn’t need to write something every day. But apparently I do. I won’t bore you with the day-by-day entries anymore, so a few days may be combined into one, one day may be split into two.

The holiday was officially over the minute the West Jet plane touched down in Vancouver - well for the most part anyway. It hit me on Monday that I was ready for a place to call home for a while, so I didn’t really waste much time when it came to settling in. I’m crashing with Elise’s brother Joe until I find a place of my own. I had the address and Joe told me where the key was so I arrived while he was at work and made myself at home. I had two missions: switch my cell number to a Vancouver number and find a gym. The latter wasn’t so important but most have seven day-trials, so while I’m not working I may as well make the most of all my free time.

Now I’ve already harped on about the cell (or wireless as they call it) industry in Canada. My experience on Tuesday only left me further puzzled as to how any companies survive. When I got my number in Ontario, the guy at the Rogers’ office said I would just need to duck into a store in Vancouver and get my number switched to a Vancouver number. Otherwise any calls made from my Ontario number are considered long distance. So I went into the store: “We don’t do that. You need to call *868,” said the woman. I tried that number. Nothing. I went back. “That’s not the right number. You need to call *611,” said one of the guys. This time I just got an automated service but couldn’t speak to anyone. “You need to press 0,” says the same guy. “Or there is another number you can call but that’s not free.” No thanks, I’ll keep with the free number. So pressing 0 doesn’t work but I find more menu options. I get an automated service that informs me I can’t change my number while I’m on the number that I want to change. I explain the situation to the guy in the store. “This is why you should have taken the other number before you ran off.” Thanks for the attitude. I try the number he gives me. It eventually leads to a person who says I can’t change the number while I’m on the number.  The woman on the phone gives me another number so I find a payphone and dial that and get it changed. The operator confirms that my balance has carried over, and then I’m good to go. But then I can’t text. I check my balance. It’s $0. I ring back. Another operator changes it over. I still can’t text and ring back. (Each time I ring I have to go through heaps of menu options, then when it asks me to say something I just stay silent, it thinks there is a problem because it can’t hear me and puts me through to an operator) Another operator tells me to take my battery out and wait five minutes while he resets the network. I do that and wait 10 minutes. Still can’t text or receive texts. I ring back. The office is now closed.

To say is was one of the most frustrating experiences in the last few months is an understatement. But when I wake up in the morning, it’s all good. Finally. The next mission is to get them to fix my internet connection so I can use the free data I get with my plan. But I’ve had enough of Rogers for the moment.

Luckily the staff at the gym were lovely and it looks like I’ve found a place to work off all the pastries and ice cream devoured over the last two months. I stopped in at the supermarket and got some stuff for dinner and went back to the house to meet Joe. Any friends of Joe’s who haven’t heard from him (he says he is very slack in keeping in touch) rest assured he’s doing well.

Wednesday was a busy day. One day in and I’ve already got places to be. I had an appointment at the gym at 11 so toddled off to that before heading out to what I hope will be my new job. While I was in Ireland I saw an advertisement for a serving (waitressing) job at a place that serves high teas. It looked like such a great little place I figured I might as well apply. The owner has agreed to meet me on Thursday, but I want to know what I could be getting myself into so I went in for lunch.

The café is in Kerrisdale, about 5km from where I’m staying. I walked most of the way, then caught a bus, then walked a little bit more. The shopping area has a lot of cute homewares stores, bookshops, florists, and of course the usual Starbucks a few hundred metres from each other. The café was delicious and unfortunately made me want the job even more. So here’s hoping tomorrow goes well.