Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Vancouver Aquarium
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wild Whales Vancouver
Another excursion ticked off the list! We got up early yesterday and made the trip to Granville Island where we donned our weather-proof boating gear and got aboard the Wild Whales Vancouver 23-person boat and headed south down the coast to spot us some whales. We got an amazing view of the Downtown and Kitsilano on our way out and were soon on the open sea.
Our on-boardhippy guide, Crystal tried to keep us entertained with some facts, but a) we could barely hear over the roar of the engine and b) we were too busy taking in all the views. We had chosen the middle seats, which were the least noisy and bumpy, but we did get seawater to the face from time to time. The journey took about 3 hours to get to where they thought the whales were. Some of it is repetitive open sea, but towards the end are an amazing cluster of islands.
On the way there and back we saw wildlife including:
There are a number of spectacular houses on the islands, with outdoor decking, conservatories and lots of glass fronts for sea views. Our journey took us into American waters, off the Seattle coast, so I guess technically I've been to 'merica now.
When we finally got to the area it wasn't long until we spotted our first whale in the distance. There was a mad scramble on the boat as everyone vied for the best position, though we needn't have bothered as the boat drifted around so everyone got a good view in the end. We were lucky in that we saw a large pod of up to or more than ten Orca. Unfortunately they were hugging the coastline and the law abiding Canadians that were in charge wouldn't get closer than allowed, whereas the American boats were practically driving through the group. 'MERICA. The group we saw were resident Orcas. These had to surface for air quite often, which meant we saw them quite often. They weren't very showy however (the feckers) so often we just saw a fin in the distance, and the odd time one would pop his head out or smash the water with his tail.
After an hour (that felt like 10 minutes) it was time to head back, even though we only saw them from a distance I really wanted to see more and have to count myself lucky to have seen whales in the wild, because not everyone can.
I was hoping to see whales a bit closer up and was feeling the price we paid was a little on the steep side so it was an amazing piece of luck that we happened across a transient group of Orcas on the way back. We got much closer and got to see some more behaviours (tail-slaps, etc, basically them getting out of the water). It is also very rare that anyone gets to see both the resident and transient pods in the same day (apparently).
Though the price did seem a bit dear, once I think about it I really couldn't afford NOT to go on this trip. The scenery was unbelievable, the tour guide was great and I have seen whales in the wild now. Sweeet.
Our on-board
On the way there and back we saw wildlife including:
- bald eagles
- harbour seals
- mountain goats/deer
When we finally got to the area it wasn't long until we spotted our first whale in the distance. There was a mad scramble on the boat as everyone vied for the best position, though we needn't have bothered as the boat drifted around so everyone got a good view in the end. We were lucky in that we saw a large pod of up to or more than ten Orca. Unfortunately they were hugging the coastline and the law abiding Canadians that were in charge wouldn't get closer than allowed, whereas the American boats were practically driving through the group. 'MERICA. The group we saw were resident Orcas. These had to surface for air quite often, which meant we saw them quite often. They weren't very showy however (the feckers) so often we just saw a fin in the distance, and the odd time one would pop his head out or smash the water with his tail.
After an hour (that felt like 10 minutes) it was time to head back, even though we only saw them from a distance I really wanted to see more and have to count myself lucky to have seen whales in the wild, because not everyone can.
I was hoping to see whales a bit closer up and was feeling the price we paid was a little on the steep side so it was an amazing piece of luck that we happened across a transient group of Orcas on the way back. We got much closer and got to see some more behaviours (tail-slaps, etc, basically them getting out of the water). It is also very rare that anyone gets to see both the resident and transient pods in the same day (apparently).
Though the price did seem a bit dear, once I think about it I really couldn't afford NOT to go on this trip. The scenery was unbelievable, the tour guide was great and I have seen whales in the wild now. Sweeet.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Busy Buys, a Birthday and Belugas*
*killer whales actually, I think.
While you can get a lot of stuff free here, sometimes we have to pay cash money. I've bought a mediocre pair of rollerblades off a street stall. They're barely faster than running and it feels like running through quicksand. But that is behind me as I've bought a really good bike today off a guy on craigslist who is moving. I've been looking for a while online but a lot are overpriced, look crap or are clearly stolen. I was a bit wary of this deal as well but I met him, he said he's moving away and he seems legit. Plus his name is Mola, that's not a suspicious name is it?
In any case I bought the bike and he threw in a lock and two helmets. Why two helmets? Well, either he's really dedicated to the moving away/clearing out story and he hired an actress to play his girlfriend, or he is just looking to make some money off everything he can't bring with him. I felt slightly screwed by the rollerblades (even if I did haggle down to ten dollars) so I'm feeling pretty good about this as I've already cycled home and tackled the seawall loop around Stanley Park with no problems. Quite the opposite, actually, it runs pretty perfectly and I'd forgotten how amazing the scenery around the seawall is (I don't do the whole loop on my run, it would take two hours or something that way).
My birthday has been and passed. I hadn't even gotten used to being 25 and now I'm 26 it seems. We went to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park, another stunning area that is mind-numbingly big. At night we went to a fancy shmancy Italian restaraunt that was really nice and just the right side of pretentious.
Tomorrow we're getting up early to go whale watching! We don't have many days off together so we try to cram as much as possible in when our rosters match up!
While you can get a lot of stuff free here, sometimes we have to pay cash money. I've bought a mediocre pair of rollerblades off a street stall. They're barely faster than running and it feels like running through quicksand. But that is behind me as I've bought a really good bike today off a guy on craigslist who is moving. I've been looking for a while online but a lot are overpriced, look crap or are clearly stolen. I was a bit wary of this deal as well but I met him, he said he's moving away and he seems legit. Plus his name is Mola, that's not a suspicious name is it?
In any case I bought the bike and he threw in a lock and two helmets. Why two helmets? Well, either he's really dedicated to the moving away/clearing out story and he hired an actress to play his girlfriend, or he is just looking to make some money off everything he can't bring with him. I felt slightly screwed by the rollerblades (even if I did haggle down to ten dollars) so I'm feeling pretty good about this as I've already cycled home and tackled the seawall loop around Stanley Park with no problems. Quite the opposite, actually, it runs pretty perfectly and I'd forgotten how amazing the scenery around the seawall is (I don't do the whole loop on my run, it would take two hours or something that way).
My birthday has been and passed. I hadn't even gotten used to being 25 and now I'm 26 it seems. We went to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park, another stunning area that is mind-numbingly big. At night we went to a fancy shmancy Italian restaraunt that was really nice and just the right side of pretentious.
Tomorrow we're getting up early to go whale watching! We don't have many days off together so we try to cram as much as possible in when our rosters match up!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Quick gig review...
I can't keep up with writing my music/general random blog and this one.. I've a backlog of gigs and outings to write about. Here's a rushed account of the Walk Off The Earth gig we went to a few weeks ago - http://gooddaysandcliches.blogspot.ca/2012/08/vancouver-gigs-walk-off-earth-at-fusion.html
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Getting stuff for free: TV edition
So in the last post I talked about picking up free stuff, which usually happens at the end of the month when people are moving house and can't bring all their furniture. We're particularly lucky in that our garbage and recycling area is within the building in the underground car park, so there is lots of stuff kept in a clean and dry place for us to choose from.
We had a small list of things we needed - a bedside shelf unit, lamp and a bigger tv. I presumed we'd have to go the craigslist/2nd hand route for the TV but today I came home to the news that there was a huge TV downstairs. After much grunt-work, back strain and novel use of a wheely suitcase, we managed to heave it to the lift and into our apartment.
We had a small list of things we needed - a bedside shelf unit, lamp and a bigger tv. I presumed we'd have to go the craigslist/2nd hand route for the TV but today I came home to the news that there was a huge TV downstairs. After much grunt-work, back strain and novel use of a wheely suitcase, we managed to heave it to the lift and into our apartment.
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| And here it is! It actually works (thank goth) |
Getting stuff for free: not just for Australians or tv characters
We now know 3 other Irish couples.. (Bear with me here) one have recently moved over and rented an unfurnished apartment. Another couple (who have been here for a year) told them to check by the dumpsters/street at the end of the month for furniture left by people who are moving. They are now proud owners of a small table and two chairs, patio furniture, a tv cabinet and coffee tables. (They bought a bed themselves..$400, but a wise move). And whadya know, our dumpster/recycling area is within the building and is a full of freebies. (Clean stuff, and it's not stealing, don't worry mam.) So far we've swagged
We've been looking on craigslist for a narrow bedside unit, bedside light and a new tv. 2/3 for free ain't bad!
It's our first day off in a while tomorrow so we're going to catch up on shopping/housework and then go to the outdoor swimming pool. I'm pretty wrecked between work and trying to still have a social life. The new Irish couple we've met have an amazing view over the harbour so we watched the fireworks from their balcony the other night. It's a bit of a heatwave at the minute, even warmer than when we first got here. 33 degrees today I think.
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| A DVD player (with Home Alone 2) |
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| This shelfing unit and funky bedside light |
It's our first day off in a while tomorrow so we're going to catch up on shopping/housework and then go to the outdoor swimming pool. I'm pretty wrecked between work and trying to still have a social life. The new Irish couple we've met have an amazing view over the harbour so we watched the fireworks from their balcony the other night. It's a bit of a heatwave at the minute, even warmer than when we first got here. 33 degrees today I think.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Busy Bees
It's been over a month since we got here...
So quite a bit has changed in the last while. I've sorted out my job situation since my last post. Things didn't look very promising at the start and it seemed like the 'oh, and we'll need you to work on the floor etc a small amount of the time' part of the job was going to be nearly all of the job. Thankfully after a brief chat with the boss I've returned to doing mostly online/marketing/social media work, or in other words, what the job advertisement asked for.
We've moved into our new apartment which is just around the corner from Stanley Park and English Bay.
It really is a working holiday right now in every sense of, eh, both words. I have to do an extra bit of travel to get to work now and some of the sights on the way are less than desirable but on the way home it has been sunny each time and it's hard to believe I'm actually living here at times, it feels like I'm just passing through on a brief holiday.
Instead of jogging along a freezing Salthill prom or in the gym in the Cloonfad Scenic Walks, I now jog around the seawall in Stanley Park. I'm trying to enjoy being outside as much as I can because come September the weather is meant to turn for the worst and this might limit us, but we'll see.
There are still occasional bouts of homesickness and lonliness but for the most part we've been too busy lately. It's coming up to 10.30 pm and I'm pretty happy to go to bed soon! There are lots of things and people I miss, but we're trying to seize this adventure while we can. (Did I just type that? I must be getting tired).
The Canadian people are polite to the point of boring at times. We miss the Irish sense of humour (making fun of yourself, your peers and everyone around you) but when thousands of people can gather for the outdoor cinema without any trouble it makes you think about the gobshitery that goes on at home at outdoor social events! 200,000 people are on the streets every few nights this week for a fireworks festival. We've heard of trouble at previous events but have yet to see anything more dangerous than a woman cycling against the tide of people. And she was soon stopped by police..politely..
So, here's to enjoying this and trying not to let Irish pessimism (sure there'll be no work after a while and it'll be lashing rain, like) seep in.
So quite a bit has changed in the last while. I've sorted out my job situation since my last post. Things didn't look very promising at the start and it seemed like the 'oh, and we'll need you to work on the floor etc a small amount of the time' part of the job was going to be nearly all of the job. Thankfully after a brief chat with the boss I've returned to doing mostly online/marketing/social media work, or in other words, what the job advertisement asked for.
We've moved into our new apartment which is just around the corner from Stanley Park and English Bay.
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| Stanley Park Seawall - A warmer, bigger version of the Salthill Prom, with a national park attached to it |
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| English Bay - A warmer version of any Irish beach ever |
Instead of jogging along a freezing Salthill prom or in the gym in the Cloonfad Scenic Walks, I now jog around the seawall in Stanley Park. I'm trying to enjoy being outside as much as I can because come September the weather is meant to turn for the worst and this might limit us, but we'll see.
There are still occasional bouts of homesickness and lonliness but for the most part we've been too busy lately. It's coming up to 10.30 pm and I'm pretty happy to go to bed soon! There are lots of things and people I miss, but we're trying to seize this adventure while we can. (Did I just type that? I must be getting tired).
The Canadian people are polite to the point of boring at times. We miss the Irish sense of humour (making fun of yourself, your peers and everyone around you) but when thousands of people can gather for the outdoor cinema without any trouble it makes you think about the gobshitery that goes on at home at outdoor social events! 200,000 people are on the streets every few nights this week for a fireworks festival. We've heard of trouble at previous events but have yet to see anything more dangerous than a woman cycling against the tide of people. And she was soon stopped by police..politely..
So, here's to enjoying this and trying not to let Irish pessimism (sure there'll be no work after a while and it'll be lashing rain, like) seep in.
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