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.