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Matt and I have just returned from a wonderfully relaxing (yet very wet) weekend in Whistler. I think we Vancouverites tend to take Whistler for granted. Whenever I'm there, I have to remind myself that people come from all over the world to experience this beautiful place in the middle of the mountains. Unfortunitly, the weather decided not to cooperate with us and it did rain most of the weekend. But its shoulder season in Whistler - which means nice and cheap hotel rooms. In fact, we were able to get a 2 bedroom suite on the top floor of one of the most highly rated hotels in the area - the Pan Pacific. It was in a wonderful location, with a huge pool deck over looking all the comings and goings of the central village. We were able to sit in one of the hottubs and watch the gondolas head up the mountain and back, the bikers doing jumps off the dirt hill and even witness a few zip trekkers soaring down the mountains on cables elevated into the tree tops.
One thing I love to do in Whistler is eat. We enjoyed eating fudge from the fudge factory, beaver
tails from a cart stand and sipping starbucks drinks. A must visit restaurant when we go is always the Dubh Linn Gate Irish pub which serves the most amazing halibut and chips and Guiness burgers. Another plus is the live music they have playing most nights, to really get you into the Celtic feel. Usually we bring bikes up as there are so many great trails to ride around, but as my husbands was recently stolen out of my parents backyard, that wasnt really an option. They also have a Mongolie Grill there, which we just LOVE but thankfully can now enjoy only 15 minutes from our home in Vancouver.
A big event of the weekend was the many opportunities to watch the local wildlife. And when I say wildlife, I mean BEARS. They were EVERYWHERE this past week. One morning we were walking through the village and noticed a police man standing near a tree. We look up, and there is a bear hiding up in the branches. Upon the arrival of many other cops, they proceeded to scare the bear down from the tree, only to have him run up another one. It took several hours for them
to get that poor thing back up the mountain. The next day while strolling through the upper village we see a black bear playing on the hill. More cops, more scaring and off he ran into the hills. We saw several others over the course of that weekend - I can only imagine how many we would have seen had we gone hiking or taken the gondola to the top of the mountain. As bears are a huge fear of mine, I had seen enough.
One thing we really would have loved to do was the Peak 2 Pear alpine experience. Whistler boasts the highest gondola in the world, which will actually take you from one mountain to another. At its highest, you were 425m / 1427 feet above a ravine. If you want an extra intimidating experience, you have the option of going across in one of their clear bottoms so that there is nothing obstructing your view from whats below. We didnt go this time, simply because it was so cloudy out that we wouldnt have been able to see a thing from the windows. Not a view you want to pay $40+ for. Oh well, next time...
For those who have never been to Whistler before, my absolute favourite time to visit is in October. All the leaves are changing, its not a busy time of the year which means you can get some great deals, and although the weather is cold its generally fairly decent. Check it out if you get a chance!
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