Yippeeeeeeeeeeee. I went climbing again. Life is good. And, due to my being underemployed, it was mid-week, which gave me an extra sense of satisfaction, and it meant that there were not so many people around. I found a climbing partner in the form of a fellow under employed colleague, going by the name of Tim. He is a local (lives only a few blocks away from us) with a car and knows Squamish like his back yard. We did a nice little multi-pitch climb on the Apron of the Chief. The Apron is the slabbier part of the chief [View Full Entry]

---

---

I decided yesterday that I needed to get out somewhere a little wilder than the boulevard to release all the pent up frustrations from my retail experience, so I rode out to Lynn canyon park for a jog. I went for a slightly challenging trail run along the Bayden Powell track, and took a lot of photo’s, more, I think as an excuse to stop and take my breath than anything else. The forest and the river were absolutely stunning though and totally revived my spirit. I couldn’t help looking in awe at the way the sun caught the moss [View Full Entry]

---

---

We went to see a Fred Herzog exhibition at the Vancouver art gallery on Tuesday night, which is, incidentally CHEAP Tuesday. I love that even art galleries and museums prescribe to cheap Tuesday’s here. We plan to go to the museum of anthropology next Tuesday ;-) I digress. So, yeah, we went to see the Fred Herzog exhibition. For those of you who do not know, he is a Vancouver-based photographer, who specialises in taking documentary-type photo’s of the city as he sees it and using vibrant colour. His work just captures the ugliness, chaos and beauty of the city [View Full Entry]

---

---

Here’s what happens to working holiday travel blogs: interlaced between rambles about climbing, you start reading about television, work, shopping (coming soon - I promise), cooking (also coming soon), housework even, (why not?). Right now, I thought I would share my standard jog route with you. By standard, I mean it is the jog I do when I do not have enough time to be creative or discover new trails. I probably end up doing this jog every second or third day. I run along the laneway behind our house, through a section of forest and then down through the [View Full Entry]

---

---

A weekend has just passed and I have no climbing photos to show for it! :O No talk of granite, slab, cracks or corners. No new jamming techniques to discuss. No scratches or bruises to show. How will I get through the week? Tehehe. Actually, the last time we went climbing, my newly founded love of cracks took a bit of a beating. We did a climb that I found excruciatingly painful, to the point of tears. Apparently the shoes I have been wearing (Five Ten Anasazi lace ups) are one of the worst for crack climbing, and to use [View Full Entry]

---

---

As I was walking to the shop this afternoon, I felt a strange but familiar sensation… it took me a while to realise what it was. I was HOT. The sun was out, and the jumper I had on was making me feel too warm and stuffy. Luckily, I had a tank top underneath, so I decided to live daringly and take off my jumper. It felt very strange. I felt weirdly uncomfortably naked, exposed and more white than I think I have ever been. There were some guys walking across the road who must have picked up on my [View Full Entry]

---

---

In a recent phone conversation, Dad asked me about the television over here. Although the television does not normally play an important role in our lives, we have been watching a bit of it lately, and it has been a fascinating experience, so here’s a wrap up on the drug of the nation: there are over 35 channels for our perusing pleasure, most of them containing the ideal content to make your brain turn into gruel. A lot of bad American movies, un-funny sit-coms, courtroom drama’s, soapies, reality shows, cop/medical shows, infomercials, lifestyle shows and religious (Christian, H [View Full Entry]

---

---

Canadians are, on the whole, very polite. I think I have said this before, but the longer I stay here, the more I realise how true it is. And I don’t think that it is because I have the rose coloured glasses on. I know this can happen when you are on holidays, and you think everyone is more friendly, but in reality it is just because you are happy. But, not to dwell on the point, I haven’t exactly been totally happy, so this confirms it. People here are really very polite and friendly. I already mentioned that people [View Full Entry]

---

---

So, while Canada has a lot to offer in addition to Squamish, I am faced with a perpetual challenge. When the sun is out and the rock is dry, how am I ever going to get out and see other parts of Canada? Of course other travel and exploration could happen when it is raining, but there are problems with this. The weather changes so quickly here, that you cannot believe the forecast. This means that we do not commit to anything else on a weekend and plan to go climbing, unless it is raining when we wake up. When [View Full Entry]

---

---

Okay - to counter my last entry, we really are living in a beautiful City! Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, big flowing rivers, vast ocean and fjords. Amazing sunsets and sunrises... I will try to capture a few in the trustee digi-cam, but it is never the same. Spring is beautiful here. You really get the sense of seasons changing. People are friendly, generally. Strangers on the street or the public bus are totally happy to strike up conversations with each other. If you start talking to someone they don’t look at you as though you are mad. Smiles are returned. [View Full Entry]

---

---