so my sadface is on a little bit, but my happy one is on too. its wierd, i dont really know how to feel right now. im super sad to be on my final day in vancouver, but super happy for the amazingggggg summer i have had, for all the great experiences ive had, with all the great people ive met etc...its a strange feeling and one in which i dont think il really get full grasp of for a while.
but yea, ive just woke up on my last full day to the pitter patter of rain on my window, looking out to see brollies galore and people dashing about, it reminded me of home and how much it actually rains there, but then ive been warned this is what it is like here all winter too...
anyways, i wanted to blog my last week and a bit of vancouver, yet again it has been another really amazing jam packed week so here goes my best shot and remembering it all...
saturday 21st
today i went to richmond with my freind rheba - shes been wanting to take me around richmond since the day i met her. we hung out on the beach for a bit in the morning and then decided to go to richmond so onto the skytrain we hopped and off we zoomed to "hongcouver" - the asian area of vancouver. we stopped off at her house and then went to steveston...this is the place that the film charlie st cloud has just been filmed in (another exciting factor about vancouver that i never knew - a lot of films are filmed here!) so yea we went to the seaside resort of richmond and it was really fun. we got fish and chips from a famous chip shop, stocked up on the tomato ketchup and sat by the pier and munched on our food. we then went for a little wander around, its such a cute little village and really reminds me of something you would see in a film, its kinda retro/vintage and just a really fun place to hang out with a great girl!
rheba and i with our fish and chips - yum!
sunday 22nd
today was a food fest again - what more could you want on a sunday afternoon?! i had some freinds around for a bbq lunch, it was really fun just hanging out on the patio with some gret guys and girls! lots of food was munched and some more smores where devoured! im gonna miss my patio bbqs/firetruck/people watching! then in the afternoon/evening i met up with my freind jen. we hung out at sunset beach for a while, got a photo with the inukshuk (met two random guys in the process and had a bit of a life chat with them - it still amazes me how crazy friendly the vancouver people are!) we sat on a bench and just enjoyed the amazing views, the sun, and yea it was sweet! we then decided it was time for some more food - jen is a bit of a food guru and knows some brilliant places to go and eat and so today we went to a veggie place - it was called the foundation. it was sooo yummy!! a really cool, retro kinda place, random chairs and a really cool view of the more industrial side of the city, one that people might not necessarily describe as beautiful, but as the sun set, twlight passed and the city lights came on it grew more and more beautiful! we had a huggeeee plate of nachos and some form of veggie/chick pea salad. it was goood!
nacho time!!
jen and i at the inukshuk
monday 23rd
today i went on an adventure with my friend sue xian. we hopped onto the bus and went to lighthouse park. its in west vancouver and it was a really lovely sunny day so we got the shorts and flip flops on and prepared ourselves for a little wander around the park. we soon realised that flip flops might not have been the best idea when we noticed that the public washrooms were little shacks in the middle of the forest....we braved them and got on with our hike/dander about. there was a lot of different little trails and paths to different view points - each point had like a big rock to sit on and admire the different views of the city so we topped up the tan and lots of fun filled girly chats and giggles where had! after a good explore of the park and some dirty feet gained we got the bus back into town.
that night i had my first bubble tea experience. its a smoothie kinda thing that has "pearls! added to it, kind of like jelly sweets! its a strange thing, but pretty yummy. it has a super big straw so when ur drinking the drink you get the pearls sucked up there too! its an asian thing and its pretty big here!
sue xian and i with our appropiate hiking footwear!
tuesday 24th
today was a biggie - a climbed the grouse grind! this is aparently one of the toughest hikes in canada. it consists of 2.9 km, 2800m of elevation and 2830 steps! neil and i got up bright and early ready to take on the challange, got the seabus across to north van and the bus up to the mountian and so we began.....we climbed and climbed, took lots of little breaks and climbed some more. its known for people trying to race up it, beating the pb etc but we decided to just do it leisurely and take in the views, atmosphere etc! and we completed it!! :) it took us about 1hr 25mins i think, we didnt really time ourselves but its crazy to think that people do it in like 30mins!! they must be fit! so we got to the top and ohhhh my word! the view was amazing! i dont think ive seen anything like it before and think it will be a while before i see something like it again. it made me fall in love with vancouver even more! so we sat at the rooftop restaurant and enjoyed a well deserved smoothie and took in the views. after getting our energy back we decided to take a little wander on up the mountian to the different things there are to see and do! we got a skilift up to the very peak of the mountian and again, gazed around in wonder at the amazing views! after that we went and watched a lumberjack show - it was soooo good! really funny and got a photo with them at the end too! see below! :) we also saw a grizzly bear - they look soooo cute but i was glad it wasnt out in the wild lets just say that much! they are huggee!
we got back home and met tina for some well deserved pizza - soooo yummy!
neil and i with our lumberjacks
me at the top of grouse mountain
about to begin the grouse grind
wednesday 25th
today was another fun day, i got up and chilled out at the appartment with jackee in the morning, had a bbq for lunch with josh and then we went and hung out at coal harbour and took some photos! it was really fun just chilling out in the sunshine, looking at the gorgeous views of coal harbour (defs up there in my favourite places in vancouver) and just being silly and getting rather snap happy! josh is a super super talented guy and so i got some great photos that will -remind me of my amazing time in vancouver - thanks josh!
that night i had another bubble tea experience and also had a fondue feast!! deeelicious! we had a cheese and a chocolate fondue - again a great time was had with some great freinds!
thursday 26th
today i had a pretty chilled morning i think, i cant really remember what i got up to, but i went and got my hair done in the afternoon. ohhh yea in the morning i went shopping for some gifts for people...so yea that was good. nothing super exciting really...
friday 27th
today was another pretty unexciting day, tina was packing/leaving this weekend and so we hung out. we went out for wings that night with some of her friends from starbucks.
saturday 28th
the chicken feet day!!! yes - today i had chicken feet for lunch. I met up with my friend sue xian for lunch with her family. we went for dim sum. it was really good spending time with her family, they are really lovely and have made me feel very very welcome here this summer! and yes, the chicken feet - well it was interesting, it just looks like an actualy chicken claw only theres sauce and you like eat the whole thing but spit out the bones, they are soft and yea it was pretty wierd....not really something i think i could eat all the time or anything but im glad i tried it, made me feel a little bit more cultured too! we went and hung out in steveston after and got some icecream - or i mean frozen yoghurt - oh so healthy!! haha! it was good tho!
that night i hung out with tina, helped her pack etc and just had a giggle together on our last night in vancouver together! i have loved getting to know her and excited that i have a friend in dundee who has shared my vancouver experience with me! ur awesome tina!
sunday 29th
i went out with a group of friends and friends of friends for lunch to a thai restaurant. it was soooo good! i love thai food! that evening i went to sue xians house for dinner. her parents made a malasian curry - deeeelicious! they had myself, trent and another malasian girl called elizabeth over. it was greta just to hang out around a kitchen table and just have good food and good chat and a bit of a laugh too!
monday 30th
wow that was only yesterday! the weekend seemed to zoom by me without even noticing there, but as the days ticked by to being my last one here i wanted to make sure each day was filled with lots of fun things! i met up with josh for brunch and we had some crepes - yummmieee! we then went and hung out at coal harbour for a while, had some icecream and just chilled out! then last night a group of us went out for a meal. it was sooo good! i loved it! id sold my rollerblades during the day so treated myself to a yummy steak and a glass of wine - soooo good! we all had a great meal and then went back to my appartment and made some smores, chilled out, enjoyed the head scratcher etc! and yea, it was just great to have the freinds i have made here around me on my last few days here! ive been so blessed to have met such a great bunch of people, they have all had an impact on my life without even knowing it and im soo excited to see what the future holds for our freindships!
some of my wonderful ladies
and some of the awesome guys!
so yea, here i am, my last day in vancouver, sitting with a starbucks coffee, having had another really gorgeous lunch with chelsea (i love this girl) and im putting off packing! i LOVE LOVE LOVE this place so much, words cant describe the summer i have had here! i could ramble on and on about the amazing time that i have had but i think you have all read enough of my facebook status' to know how amazing it has been!
i just wanna say thank you to every person i have met here for making me feel so welcome, so part of canada, and just for hanging out, the food we have shared, the conversations we have had, the giggles we have had - everything! im gonna miss everyone a lot but im sooo excited for the next time i come back (coz im gonna be back for sure, sooner or later) and yea, heres to vancouver- the amazing city that it is!
and here is to all my scottish, irish, english, british freinds that have put up with all my facebook status' photos, chat, bragging and boasting - thank you for listening. thank you for the emails, the postcards, the letters, the skype chats for the phonecalls and texts. ive missed you guys a lot and im super excited to see you all again very soon!
so from karen and canada,
thank you and love you
xxxx
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