ready for takeoff…goodbye melbourne

So here it is, first blog post! Actually being written in retrospect as the past few weeks have been fairly hectic. After packing up life in Melbourne (into a 9sqm box) we were on the red kangaroo to Van via LA. All smooth sailing except for the large amounts of luggage in tow. 5 large bags including a snowboard bag had us reaching for the trolley, a first for me! Even had a passing comment from an elderly American couple “who needs that much luggage unless it’s for a photo shoot”, fair call but they got a spray from Tash nonetheless. Funny shit.

Canadian customs open their arms and we are in and checking into the luxurious Comfort Inn on the corner of Granville street. Jetlag was kind of OK in a sense as it was that loud from all the action on the street below that we were staying up until the bars shut anyway. Large amounts of poutine were consumed over the coming days, damn that shit is good. So as Tash laid in bed recovering from the long haul, I did as I did 10 years earlier and went to Kitsilano to get some snowboard gear for the trip to Whistler. A large amount of deja vu happening. Was served by an Aussie and got new boots, goggles and bindings for probably less than a pair of boots back home. Sorted.

The rest of the time was spent walking around admiring how beautiful a city Van is and drinking shitty coffee. I felt dirty having my first Starbucks, sad to say it wasn’t the last (I’m drinking one as I write this). Before heading off to Whistler we spent a few days in Port Moody, east of the city, to stay with friends Corey and Ange and their two boys Laikyn and Indiana. Days consisted of eating pancakes, trips to the mall, scamming free gym entry, drip coffee (with butter pecan creamer, damn good, oh no it’s happening) and babysitting. Sure didn’t think we would be babysitting a week into our travels. I’d like to say we owned it, it was only a few ours though, so I don’t think we can really say we did.

We then headed off for a few days in Whistler (more on that next post) but were back in town for a hockey match against the Kings before flying out to LA. More great Canadian hospitality was bestowed upon us from the awesomeness that is Curt and Darlene who put us up and sorted tickets to the game. To say I was excited about this game is an understatement, I could never afford to go to a game when I was in BC in 2005 – Whistler/Blackcomb was paying me nowhere near enough. Kings needed to win to stay in the playoff race, Canucks needed to win to effectively clinch a playoff spot, game of the season, hype, hype. We had great seats as it was but by 2nd period our friends Dave and Ron had us all in their box for the rest of the game. Beer and popcorn provided! The game went to overtime with the Canucks winning it in a shootout! Time to celebrate!

And that’s a wrap for Van, it’s a bit of a strange experience to have to think about if you want to live in a city while you are there. As will be the case for Toronto and Montreal or somewhere else (if talking to Tash it’s somewhere in the States). Looking forward to being back at the end of the year.

J & T