The first day here I mainly walked around campus and tried to combat the jet lag that many were experiencing. I went to the UBC CFL game but left half way through because I was so tired.
The day after though I wasted no time in getting out to Grouse Mountain, a local summer attraction and winter ski area. There is a huge range of mountains starting in the north shore area of Vancouver and Grouse is just one of many. The hike up was steep and very rough but the views at the top were spectacular.
There were some sad looking bears in a bear 'sanctuary' and even some signs warning that there were bears sighted in the area, which I suspect may just be for tourists or liability.
I've sampled some of the local pubs and bars, although it seems like a lot of the time Canadians try really hard to stop you from spending your money in their establishments. On Labour day nearly everything is closed, on other days they fill up early due to low capacity limits and close early. Lines for everything (drinks, food, tables) are common around the campus at night. You need two pieces of ID for some reason to drink. And don't even think about staying in your room with friends, nearly anything fun you could do is strictly prohibited i.e. no drinking games EVEN WITH WATER.
The food has been okay so far. Everyone is complaining about food costs but they seem to be about on par with Australia. Haven't had any super memorable meals, the Mexican here is nothing to write home about unsurprisingly given the location.
The first day of University was Imagine Day, but as exchange students we just walked around the buildings and had a mandatory insurance policy lecture. There are huge amounts of student clubs here and I looked at some, but much of the evening was consumed going shopping. I went to Ikea as well to buy a small handful of necessities for cheap. Finally got a kettle, I didn't have a tea for nearly a week.
What I've done the most though is riding, so at least I'm getting value from all the money I spent getting my bike over here. The third day I was in Vancouver I was lucky enough to meet a local UBC student who was heading up to Squamish. I'm glad we decided to go there as it is a perfect introduction to the area. The Sea to Sky highway is rightly famed for being a spectacular drive and we had a few showers but it was mostly clear enough to see all the islands and steep coastal mountains. Actually riding in Squamish was incredible. The trail infrastructure (signage, shelters) is leagues ahead of Australia. We rode Half Nelson first and it really is the crown jewel of the area. Big jumps, massive berms, smiles all round. Some of the other trails we rode that day were narrower and rougher and more what I would expect.
I rode the North Shore on Thursday (8th of Sep) and it was certainly an experience. I manage to fall off pretty bad. What I will say is that from what I've seen, everything you hear about the North Shore area trails is pretty much true ;). I've been catching the bus to the trails, as here they have bike racks with room for two bikes on every bus, which is pretty cool.
After riding Friday at Fromme again, I got up at 6 on Saturday to catch the Epicrides.com bus to Whistler for the weekend, which is sort of why I came here. The bike park is an amazing place to ride, apart from the finger lock, but I also rode Comfortably Numb in the Whistler valley on my hardtail and it was honestly a waste of time. So much suffering for so little reward.
Anywho, positive thoughts; overall the week has been amazing. The only problem is that I feel like I've been through a washing machine. I don't think I've ever tried to cram so much in to such a short period of time. I guess I am sort of in holiday mode rather than temporary resident mode. I look forward to another 15 weeks hopefully filled with fun!
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