From what I’ve seen so far, Vancouver is a funny place. It’s America, basically. There are diners, massive cars with wheels bigger than people, adverts are 90% of the telly, etc etc. However, that’s just all cities. You can’t expect to go to a western city these days and not see things that you can find in any city in the world. 

But, it is different in 2 ways. There are quotes everywhere telling you that the city is the ‘top place to live in the world’ or whatever, and these differences are possibly the reason for this…

1. You can see snow covered mountains all around you. Yeah, I know there are other places where this is the case but usually without number 2. 

2. You are by the sea. 

We’re almost a week into our big trip. The one where Nich has quit her job and I’ve put my career on hold, all to find out what everyday life is like in a different country. So far we have managed to land an apartment on the beach, 20 minutes walk from the city, attend the Vancouver International Mountain Film festival (and meet more blokes who’ve climbed Everest and the Eiger than I could ever have imagined), and have a couple of job interviews. Olympics start in 2 weeks so we’re off to Whistler tomorrow to get a week of boarding in before the rush.

Not seen a bear yet.