My blog has been moved over to the Skinny Moose network….see you there.

A member of the Vancouver Hiking Meetup group has drawn my attention to the Regional Parks section of the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s website. It has a quick introduction to many of the parks that can be found around the Vancouver area including park maps. The GVRD parks cover an immense and diverse area from Boundary Bay on the US border north to Bowen Island and east all the way to Abbotsford, taking in the likes of North Vancouver, Burnaby, Port Moody/Belcarra, Pitt Meadows and Aldergrove.

The website is a good place to start to get an idea of places to go and have a nice weekend hike, however it doesn’t include Provincial Parks such as Garibaldi, Golden Ears, Cypress and Seymour and also doesn’t include many other parks in the Lower Mainland region – assumedly because they haven’t been designated as “Regional Park” they are under a different, more local jurisdiction.

We have been trying to arrange a kayaking/camping trip with our friends but have not yet got further than asking more and more people if they would like to come. Someone has to eventually take the reins and actually organize it, and I guess that person will probably be me.

The intention is to hire a kayak from Deep Cove in North Vancouver and then paddle up the Indian Arm River, camp overnight and then paddle back the next day. We think that the beginning of September would be the best time to do it as we are busy all of July and our friends who we initially broached the idea with have guests for most of August. We may end up doing this on the Labour Day weekend.

Having looked at the Deep Cove Kayak rental website, it appears that we have a choice of 3 places to camp. One campsite is on the larger, northernmost island of the Twin Islands which would seem the ideal place to stop for a night except that it is only a 1 hour 40 minute leisurely paddle from Deep Cove. The other two campsites are a lot further up the river, and will take much longer to paddle to – 5 hours to Berg’s Landing and 6 hours to Granite Falls (the best campsite with the best view). This might be a bit too much paddling for me as I think I’d be fine doing one long day but might not want to paddle back the next day, particularly as the headwinds are strong on the return journey.

I’ve just been reading up on the website and it says that you have to have done a capsize course to take out one of their kayaks unaccompanied – this will mean taking a 3-hour lesson one evening or morning for $70. Alternatively, we can do a guided overnight kayak tour for $100 per person per day – that might be better if we wanted to go longer distances.

They also have a link on their website to Takaya tours – a First Nations run eco-tourism business. I keep forgetting about this for some reason but I absolutely want to do their West Coast Canoe Adventure Tour, which involves going out in a group on a traditional 25 foot First Nations canoe, paddling around the Indian Arm area while the guide sings traditional songs, tells legends and points out ancient village sites. I’m sure they used to include a BBQ salmon picnic but that doesn’t seem to be a part of the proceedings anymore (though perhaps if a group of us booked we could ask about this, as they still appear to do it for corporate events).

They, too, rent kayaks and at a cheaper price than Deep Cove Kayaks – but as they are based in Cates Park, where the Indian Arm river flows into Burrard Inlet, you have further to paddle to get to the campsites. Having said that, it might just make the Twin Islands Campsite a 3 – 3.5 hour leisurely paddle, which would be perfect. And they also have expanded recently and opened a sister paddling centre opposite Cates Park at Belcarra Park, which gives us another option since this is on the right side of the Indian Arm River for the Twin Islands Campsite. However, it seems that there is no overnight parking allowed at Belcarra Park, and probably not Cates Park either.

Someone has written up their kayaking trip to Twin Islands from Rocky Point (Port Moody) here and they have also written about their experiences kayaking on Buntzen Lake (Port Moody/Belcarra) and Alouette Lake (in Golden Ears Provincial Park where we want to go camping).

This weekend I was feeling really tired so I could only manage to walk down the road and back. Luckily for me, just down the road is Gastown which was chock a block full of people and free live jazz acts to while away a Sunday afternoon with. During the International Jazz Festival there are hundreds of acts in town – many of them you have to pay for but there are daily free concerts too.

We started off by listening to a bit of Out To Lunch while going out to lunch (yes, really) at Sitar. Then we camped out at the Gassy Jack statue in order to catch the next act on stage – The Coat Cooke Trio. There was a sax, a double bass and a drum set and the warming up sounded OK. SO said to me “The trouble with modern jazz is that you don’t know when the warm up ends and the music begins”. Then the band were introduced properly and the alarm bells started ringing with the mention of “director of the improv orchestra”. Then it began. My god, it was painful – 3 instruments playing 3 different tunes, none of them melodic and none of them in time with each other to even discern a rhythm. I’m sorry, but modern improv jazz is just as terrible as modern art in my eyes – I like to see or hear a thing of beauty in creative endeavours. Just call me old-fashioned.

We left abruptly and went to the Lamplighter pub instead – it used to be a dodgy place but they have renovated it well, and as soon as we walked in we felt a wave of joy. The Ale Stars were playing some lively swing jazz and young couples were dancing between the pool tables while the regular customers played fusball. It was a wonderful atmosphere and the band were great and a lot of fun – I hope to see them again on Canada Day when they play at Granville Island.

We missed two festivals this weekend because of my tiredness – The Dragon Boat Festival took place on False Creek just a stone’s throw from our apartment, and the Greek Day festival took place at Kits. I was really peeved that I missed the Greek festival as I didn’t know it was on last year either until it was too late. Next year I shall make it a priority to go.

There are so many festivals and free events going on in Vancouver in the summer that you’ve really got to keep on top of the diary if you want to experience what the city is about. Last weekend we missed out on Vancouver’s Car Free Day which took place in four neighbourhoods, all close by (we were nursing our stag/stagette hangovers). At the beginning of the month we missed the latest In The House festival – where various bands/dance troupes etc perform in people’s living rooms.

Some of the many Vancouver festivals are listed here and here

Since moving here I have tried many different restaurants in search of a curry that approximates the pleasure I used to get from eating curry in the UK. The Chinese curry in England is a saucy savoury taste sensation like no other (probably due to the amount of MSG they put in it) which I have totally given up on finding in Canada, but I thought English style Indian curry (i.e. heavily spiced and with plenty of sauce) would be easy to find.

Unfortunately, I am yet to find a restaurant that completely satisfies (why is this country so obsessed with butter chicken?), but yesterday we went to Sitar in Gastown and you know what…it was ALMOST as good. I ordered a jalfrezi – the spice was great, the sauce was saucy, the chicken was juicy and plentiful but…in England this would have a drier, spicier sauce and have plenty of red and green peppers – the Jalfrezi I had yesterday came with peas and green beans. And sweetcorn. Now, someone in that kitchen has a sense of humour. I will be returning to try out their Dhansak, which in England has lentils in but I’m sure the Sitar chef will add something more along the lines of… broccoli, perhaps.

Thinking about it, three years seems an awful long time to wait to go back to school. Will I be wasting these next three years, becoming more and more dissatisfied with a job that I know isn’t part of my future? Maybe we have enough in our savings for me to go to college the year after next instead, applying for January or September 2010 entry so that my 5-year plan can become a 3 or 3.5-year plan…

It’s all very well trying to develop my interests outside of work, but when 40 hours of my week is taken up by work, 56 with sleeping and 7 with housework that doesn’t leave me enough time to follow all the interests I’d like to follow, as well as having some good relaxation time and one-on-one time with SO and see all of my friends once a week. The world certainly does belong to the energetic, but unfortunately for me I’m not energetic enough!

This is in large part why I want to combine my job with some of my interests - as well as making me happier and more fulfilled during the working week, it will mean less things jostling for attention on my leisure and social calendar.

I used to think I was good at writing poetry, but in reality I sucked at it. However, I’d like to share with you my favourite three poems. I came across them at very different times in my life but I think you’ll find a very strong link between them which defines my personality and interests – perhaps there would be some merit in the psychological testing of people according to what kind of poetry they like?

1) Journey – Edna St Vincent Mallay

Ah, could I lay me down in this long grass
And close my eyes, and let the quiet wind
Blow over me—I am so tired, so tired
Of passing pleasant places! All my life,
Following Care along the dusty road,
Have I looked back at loveliness and sighed;
Yet at my hand an unrelenting hand
Tugged ever, and I passed. All my life long
Over my shoulder have I looked at peace;
And now I fain would lie in this long grass
And close my eyes.
Yet onward!
Cat birds call
Through the long afternoon, and creeks at dusk
Are guttural. Whip-poor-wills wake and cry,
Drawing the twilight close about their throats.
Only my heart makes answer. Eager vines
Go up the rocks and wait; flushed apple-trees
Pause in their dance and break the ring for me;
And bayberry, that through sweet bevies thread
Of round-faced roses, pink and petulant,
Look back and beckon ere they disappear.
Only my heart, only my heart responds.
Yet, ah, my path is sweet on either side
All through the dragging day,—sharp underfoot
And hot, and like dead mist the dry dust hangs—
But far, oh, far as passionate eye can reach,
And long, ah, long as rapturous eye can cling,
The world is mine: blue hill, still silver lake,
Broad field, bright flower, and the long white road
A gateless garden, and an open path:
My feet to follow, and my heart to hold.

2. The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

3. Leisure – William Henry Davies

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but Cody Hodgson somehow dropped a place or two down the rankings in the draft and fell into the Canucks’ lap. Everyone was expecting them to draft Kyle Beach, a BC boy who is big and gritty and fights but who has had concussion problems and could be a bit of a risk due to his attitude and character. He could be brilliant in two years time, or he could have no NHL career at all.

The Canucks went with the seemingly safe option, but actually they did what they haven’t done in years – draft the best player available to them. Cody Hodgson appears to have the character and determination we need for our team in the future – he has captained the under-18 Canadian squad to a Gold medal while being the top scorer in the tournament, and is used on the power play and penalty kill. Although not huge and a fighter, he is a great all-round player and is described by many in the know to be the smartest player out of the OHL this year, and that includes the first overall selection Steve Stamkos (who Cody has been good friends and teammates with for years). If developed properly, he should easily become our no.2 center, if not our no.1 in the next 2-3 years. I don’t know why exactly, but I just have a great feeling about him and I think he will become a franchise player for years to come.

Welcome to the team, Cody!

“People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I’m slowly finding places that are the sort of places that I would love to work in – i.e. ecotourism for the cash-strapped. I already wrote about Koeye Lodge, and last week I read in British Columbia magazine about Mountain Hostel in the Kootenays.

This is a proper hostel – all bunk-beds, shared bathrooms and bring-your-own food. The difference is that it is extremely eco-friendly and based in a wilderness setting (you can explore on your own or pay for a guide to take you to the good hiking spots). It is in the Incomappleux Valley in the Kootenays, which I had never heard of (always a good thing, you know you’re going somewhere rare and special in BC if I haven’t heard of it), and is one of BC’s last pieces of Inland Temperate Rainforest.

The place looks spectacular and is so remote that a rock slide closed the road to the hostel back in 2005 and it is only just being repaired. All this time the owner of the hostel has had a vehicle at either end of the rock slide so that he can get supplies (including petrol for his cut-off vehicle) from the nearest town, clamber over the rockslide with it and then take the supplies to the hostel – guests at the hostel drive as far as they can and park up then get shuttled to the hostel by the owner.

Guess what? I really want to visit. And having a quick look at their website has brought up two possibilities: 1) Get some friends to join us for a long weekend away there and/or 2) Ask Graham if he’d be interested in the live/work option mentioned on the website next year (they are on the lookout for couples who will stay for 2 or 3 weeks and work a bit, play a bit – perfect experience for me!).

I’ve found a few books that I should probably read to see how interested I really am in nature-based tourism and volunteer tourism, and to learn about the issues involved.

Volunteer Tourism: Experiences that make a difference – S. Wearing

Ecotourism: impacts, potentials, and possibilities – S. Wearing

Tourism, recreation and sustainability: linking culture and the environment – Stephen F. McCool

Ecotourism – David Fennell

Ecotourism and sustainable development: who owns paradise? – Martha Honey

Tourism, ecotourism and protected areas: the state of nature-based tourism - Hector Ceballos-Lascurain

Facing the wild: ecotourism, conservation and animal encounters – Chilla Bulbeck

Right now, though, I’m reading Blubberland, and I’m too tired to keep my eyes open…