Hot tubbing (Vancouver and Whistler)
Trip Start
Feb 05, 2008
1
4
7
Trip End
Ongoing
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Accordingly I decided to sign up for my hostel's pub crawl night, arriving full of expectations of meeting lots of sound blokes and attractive ladies I discovered that only one other person had signed up for it! Still off on the razz I went with a Swiss German called Stef, we ended up in the Roxy nightspot watching a superb house band with a very cute lead singer, their cover of Smashing Pumpkins '1979' was especially awesome, so despite our numerical inferiority a cracking night was had all round and I had also discovered a new partner in crime into the bargain!
Anyway back in Iceland I met a very friendly brit called Alex who had promised to set me up with a friend of his in Vancouver, Jess. I only met the guy for one night so I was pleasantly surprised to get an e-mail from said Jess offering to 'show me a good time' in the infamous Cambie Bar in Gastown
Clubbing in Whistler
. Taking the Swiss along with me I headed off for a night of quiet reflection and intellectual stimulation. Too cut a long story short (yes I actually do that on occasion) post drinks we ended up being invited to a hot tub party at the 27th floor penthouse Jessica's mate Mo was housesitting. As we had not brought our trunks Mo kindly dug out two pairs of the absentee owners matching Y-fronts to protect our modesty (slightly disturbing picture to follow!) With Canadian cider, very accommodating hosts and a roof top hot tub I found myself musing that life isn't really so bad!
Next day nursing our poorly heads Stef and I headed down to the Granville Island market for a wander. Having picked up something pretty for Mother's multi-national Xmas tree decoration collection we set off in search of ingredients for a hearty dinner. We settled on a pair of stomach expanding steaks and a wodge of fresh veg....proper job!
Next we decided to head up to Whistler for my last weekend in Canada, for those of you who haven't heard of it, Whistler is regarded as one of the world's finest Winter sport destinations. It will also host much of the forthcoming Winter Olympics, but more importantly it hosts a young Cornish expat by the name of Jake Loftus, who has been travelling the globe for some six years now, and is a mate from luscious Liskeard
Clubbing in Whistler
. The entire town was drenched in snow, and our idyllic hostel, situated alongside the long since frozen Alta Lake offered some stunning photograpic opportunities. Cue romantic description: all growing from a pure white carpet so bright it hurts your eyes, the mist then hugs the evergreens on the mountainside while the snow wrapped summits poke through the higher clouds, all bathed in frosty sunshine under a sapphire blue sky. I could've (and did) soak it up for hours.
Following the obligatory night on the razz, noteworthy really only for the fine Anglo-Swiss doubles defence of the pool table and our podium loving pole dancing (and male!) room mate, we headed off to catch up with the enigmatic Loftus. Friends will be sad to hear that Jakie is currently working terribly hard in a plush Whistler hotel with shifts starting at the ungodly hour of 11am with the weighty burden of a free lift pass to the mountain to boot.... poor sod. Anyway his shift hadn't quite finished when we arrived so Stef and I were forced to wait in the hotel hot tub, as you can see from the pic that was a real inconvenience! It was great to catch up with the tall guy, even just for an evening, top lad that he is.
So then it was goodbye to Whistler, goodbye to Jakie and goodbye to the Swiss too, all of which really sucked
Alta Lake, Whistler
. I guess I've got to get used the goodbye thing, but it's amazing how quick a stranger becomes a top mate when you're away. Well I know you've been waiting with antici..................PATION! (Rocky Horror Show anyone?) for Dave's Happy Handy Travel Tips, the KY jelly to ease your trip along, so without further ado:
1) Try a hot tub party in a 27th floor penthouse, add snow, three Canadian girls, lot's of alcohol, simmer for about 3 hours and enjoy!
2) Take your shoes off and enter the gorgeous Alta Lake Hostel in Whistler, a trek from the slopes it may be but the situation is jawdropping.
3) Visit the Granville Island market, choose your gifts and grub, barter with the stallholders, and cook your own feast once in a while. Then sit back in the knowledge that your gift will make your mummy happy and your grub will make your tummy happy!
Much love and be sure tune in same Dave-time, same Dave-channel for the next installment, the Vancouver to LA road trip!
Regards
DJW
