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Well i wrote that i wouldnt write until we set off from vancouver on our bikes, but that would be a mighty shame, because vancouver deserves writing about, it really does. After my last post i headed out into the city hoping to meet up with my old freind Al...... I met him and it was beautifull, we hung at his place, played songs for each other and then went for a stroll on the beach and a beer on the rocks, ending the night in a blues bar sipping at expensive beers!! It was gorgeous!
The next day i woke early and took the bus downtown to pick charli and kay up from the central station. Already after one day i had a feeling that vancouver was a beautiufll city. It is filled with water, and mountains to stand on top of and look down on all that water. I never thought a city with such big overbearing buildings could look beautiufll, but sometimes when you look at those buildings , and then you look at the snow capped mountains looming above them, you kinda feel reminded by nature, whos boss!
Of nature, last night i stayed up really late
with our couch surfing host clayton..... hes involved in stream and creek restoration here in british columbia.... I learnt some really interesting stuff that is for sure, I didnt realise actually how much cities towns and dwellings had destroyed so many water ways.... Thats kinda scary, but what is beautifull is the work people like clayton are doing to restore these places, restore salmon runs and the natural flows of streams out of pipes that city folk put them in and back into graveled and nature littered channels! The pictures of the work they have done is intense and its inspiring.
He showed me a picture of a river in europe that had been damned up, and its funny after over a thousand years of being dry, you can see the snake like patern of the river in the greeness of the vegetation, like the soul of the river lives there........ gets you kinda thinking when you say....... at the bottom of that dry river lies a city, and all it would take would be say, stronger floods because of something like......glaciers melting and, that river might break free again, and........reclaim its home!! who knows? I just found it all
curious, like rivers actually flow down a valley like a snake, just like wave form!
Well this is meant to be a travel blog so how about vancouver? Its hilly, thats for sure, its beautifull too....after staying with Tyler we had a place to stay in east vancouver with someone called kate who lives in a collective, we got hooked up by teyln who will be riding with us in the safer wheels project. Immediatley when we arrived there we received such a warm welcome and felt at home, the whole day kay and charli arrived was beautifull, kay and charli got to meet allen and I took a swim in the sea, i also learnt there is a pressure point between the thumb and first finger that when pressrued for a couple of minuites can releive a headache, thats pretty cool! So we stayed at kates for a couple of nights and had a concert to attend......... Coco rosie, and for some reason we just so happened to be the guest list, which is pretty cool right? felt it anyway haha, so me allen charli and kay and a few of als freinds are in there, and well
actually the concert for me was a bit fucked up because loads of people were smoking hash in pipes and it gave me a panic attack, but once i got away it was cool and well, coco rosie are shit hot, and dianne kluck who supported (who put us on the guest list) has an amazing voice.
Afterwards to make matters even more surreal, charli decided to invite us back stage with coco rosie...... Who accepted, and off we went..... i felt like i was in a film. But besides, coco rosie were busy packing up and told us to drink free booze and maybe we would hook up and drink more in the alley later.... I think we soon all decided this was a bit too awkard, or least that was my feeling , so after three beers myself we slipped out into the alley alone and heading back home!
The next few days were bike buying and fixing day, and also location changing. I have managed to pick me up a real old white bike that has trouble changing through gears, but it was only 180 bucks plus 50 bucks for some new tires........ive got a feeling it will end up costing me bore as we go on, infact i coudl probably do with buying a new gear catridge before i set off ..............hmm on that i shall ponder. We have been doing some training riding, and fun riding aroudn this beautifull city, The other day we visited a bike workshop called our community bikes, its funny, this place really sounds like the kind of idea sam wise has had about bike shops...... People volunteer there to get membership and help each other out with fixign bikes, if you go there you can pay five dollars to use the space and tools, 10 dollars to get help and space, and fifteen dollars for hands on assistance......... I think thats really cool, the most expesnive service is getting someone else to do it.......and i think that really encourages DIY with biking......super cool idea and nobodty feels ripped off. Kay told them about our project and we were beautifully offered free stand time to do our bikes (plus assistance) and a 20 percent discount........ its so cool to be in vancouver and feel solidaritry with what we are doing, from places to stay, bike help and just general positive feedback about our project.
After kates place we headed out to couchsurf with a family......jeff, brenda and Tarn ( i spell that wrong) .... a family of three in the suburbs...... at first i was really nervous to stay with a family with a child....... children freak me out........ but after the meal they gifted us on arrival and being invited to ride around deep cove (the cove we were staying in) on electric cycles i felt completley at home!! This could possibly of been one of the most liberating couch surfing expereinces ive had. Jeff and brenda have completley unique and beautifull values as parents and are really open and honest with their daughter.......tarn was wonderfull, playfull, respectfull and yeah just overall enjoyable person........ I write this cos its rare for me to enjoy the company of children, or maybe thats what ive been telling myself....things change........thats for sure.
Deep cove was beautifull, and it was also beautifull to get out and ride my bike........ For some reason, and i can not quite beleive it......... im in really good shape..........Having quit smoking (Yet again) its like my body is aching for me to retune it and recheck it, Im doing my falun dafa everyday and feeling great from it, my lungs seem delighted by all the fresh air and excercise they are getting, and my legs and body is starting already to feel into the hills........it almost feels as if my body was waitingf for this! I tell you for sure once again id forgotten what those downhills feel like after a long hard climb........for any of you who have forgotten i encourage you to go out and climb a nice big fat hill, the biggest you can find and let your soul be washed over by the wind of a beautifull downhill........pure exhilaration.
So i guess i wrote this update for a reason......... i wanted to tell about how full vancouver has felt! I wanted to document it and encourage anyone who travels cananda to check out this city and its beautifull places. Tonight I am in coquitlam at claytons place, with Charli, kay and .........Zinta who has come all the way from toronto to start her new life here in vancouver, we will spend time until we leave with her, its beautifull to see how shes doign and talk and share our thoughts about lifes confusing webs....... Confusing me is how i could of been such an idiot to smoke again........ and beautifull is being out of it and looking forward to growing and changing on the road! Already i cant wait to come home, but i cant wait for the time i take away to learn grow and change , hopefully for the better!!
bring on the ride.....................!!!!!!!!!
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Gosh
How do you remember it all? I can't believe you fit so much in to your days, you are amazing!