http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/mashedpossumschnitzel/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from mashedpossumschnitzel en-us Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:45:37 +0000 Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:45:37 +0000 For months Mike had been verbally and enthusiastically spurring me into training for the 10km Vancouver Sun Run. The only way I found to quiet him was by either announcing all the wonderful training I was doing in the form of a couple of hours of snowboarding followed by a couple of hours at the pub Yeah Mike you should've seen all the effort I put in yesterday Or by just retorting that t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-54856.html What You don't like hearing about each of the concerts I'm going to You want to remind me that this is a travel blog not a concert blog And I was halfway through the She Wants Revenge concert story... You think there's more to life More to Canada More to Vancouver More to me Let me see. I seem to recall something that may interest you....A few weeks ago a small group of likeminded i http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-45337.html The Devin Townsend Band at the Red Room in Vancouver outstandingThe openers for Devy a band the name of which I cannot recall apologies were interesting in a way that the change of seasons is interesting some people get excited some don't. Occasionally the singer would scream reminiscent of Pantera in their Cowboys From Hell days and the drummer would repeatedly throw one of his drumst http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-40776.html ... there was an idea. No not an idea it was more like a thought a wish a desire no a need. It may be called an irrational need because the root was deep and not easily explained to anyone else or even to one's self for that matter but it was a need nonetheless. This need was simply to see the world. Simply I hear you scoff. And I must now agree with you. For it is not a simple thing af http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-22843.html Doing his bit for the image of Australia one of my colleagues an Australian expat named Kit was sitting next to an American on a plane destined for Sydney Australia. They got to talking and the American stated that he would be hiring a car at the airport. He asked if it was necessary to get a 4WD in order to get from the airport to his hotel in the city what the.. Frowning Kit announced tha http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-38111.html The HomelessSo anyway I was on my way to the Depeche Mode concert when I stopped for a coffee and as I was reclining outside the cafe in the 5 degrees C evening I could discern over the deafening din of my headphones an intrusive kind of music. Removing my earplugs I realised it was less like music and more closely related to the intoxicated incoherent verbal rantings of a decidedly dirty and sc http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-28605.html After returning to my car from this recent enlightening experience as outlined in Alone in the forest... I was determined... to do it again I drove up to Whistler and bought a map of the nearby hiking trails. Once again I was met with a little surprise at the time of year I had chosen to partake in this activity. However this time the guy was more understanding and even offered a couple of http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Whistler/blog-25280.html GM Place. It reminds me a little too much of the Entertainment Centre in Sydney. Cavernous accoustically retarded expansive and expensive as you can see this kind of place doesn't really impress me as a concert venue. Of course I'm sure it is perfectly suited for hosting the home games of Ice Hockey when the Cannucks play here. I wanted to see Depeche Mode but went for the cheapest seats http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-28604.html As darkness set in I was a great deal more at home and relaxed than I was the previous evening. I don't know what the reason was I was still on an unfamiliar thickly forested mountain trail after dark well and truly in bear country they have bearproof garbage bins everywhere including Whistler town about 8km from the car and still alone etc etc. But something was different. I was ha http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Whistler/blog-25323.html Someone once said that every day you should do something to scare yourself. I thought yeah I rock climb I go canyoning abseiling blah blah. But as of a couple of days ago I think I really know what that person was talking about. It's not necessarily the act of giving yourself a fright that counts although it certainly gets the heart pumping I counted 150bpm at one point. It's what your m http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Whistler/blog-25064.html So far the highlight of my visit in Vancouver has been the unexpected reunion tour of the very early Eighties dark rock band Bauhaus. Yes it beats the highlight of maybe being shot as an extra in a new Al Pacino Movie that's being shot outside my hostel And it even beats hands down the thrill of plane takeoffs and landingsIf you want more info about Bauhaus before continuing then read th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver/blog-24148.html So I am at Taipei International Airport with four and a half hours to spare and a free internet kiosk...So you survived Taipei I can hear you ask with incredulity. Barely Would be my reply You see I thought it wise... hmm wise is clearly the wrong word... I'll start again I thought it my duty to explore Taipei to some degree since I had a stopover here for a bit over a day. My temporary tra http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Sydney-Airport/blog-22853.html