Sunday evening, and the end of our first week in Vancouver. It’s been a week largely characterised by work and jetlag, really. Tuesday we flew out here – all went smoothly. Immigration cleared Veronica to do voluntary work while here, so she’s already done her first day working with the ospreys, eagles, and owls. Oh, and the mice.
My working week involves starting work at 7am, catching up with what my team in Edinburgh have been doing, then heading to the office here for 9am. Then lots of meetings, discussions, etc.
This week, by the time I got home, I was running out of energy. It’s not that I’ve been tired, more that my brain stops working. Things like converting dollars to pounds, or taking 5% off 377 become impossible, I just cant do them. It’s been getting better each day, but my body is still a bit out of sync.
We joined the local YMCA gym on the same day we arrived (it was on the way to the supermarket). It’s honestly the nicest gym I’ve seen anywhere – loads of up to date equipment, good classes, etc. And gym toys I’ve never seen before. The membership is less than the Edinburgh Leisure gym at home too.
It’s been nice weather all week – but yesterday it rained hard. Torrential rain – so plans were aborted, and we just wandered around Granville Island, poking in shops and markets.
Today, we’d booked a tour with Deep Cove Kayaking. It was a “suitable for total” beginners kayaking trip to see the local area – no experience required, but we figured we’d be able to see the area, get a feel for it etc. Of course, the downside is that the people you go out with will be total beginners. We did get to explore a bit, but one guy with us was really struggling, and capsized. After a break, he still wasnt doing so well, so our instructor decided we should head back. It felt very odd to be the experienced ones in the group – I ended up helping the instructor tow our capsizee back, Veronica acted as shepherd for the rest.
It is beautiful, though – amazing scenery, and super-calm, flat water. The only real hazard is the wake from power boats.
The most ironic thing about the day? We travelled 5000 miles to go kayaking, and our instructor is a Scotsman.
I chatted with him about the requirements for us to take boats out with just the two of us – and he was quite happy for us to do that, so we’ll be heading back for an explore with just the two of us at the next opportunity.
It’s Thanksgiving here today, but there wasn’t a lot of sign of people making a big deal of it. But it does mean its a public holiday tomorrow. I don’t get the day off though – I’ll be working on my other projects, but it does mean I can sleep in a little later, and work from the apartment.
So, here’s to the start of week 2 in Vancouver. A week with less jetlag, a couple of visits to the Vancouver Film Festival, and a whale watching trip!
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