Day 5 – 25.8.2009

have breakfast together Jacob and i said goodbye, hope to see him in the Netherlands some day (he going ton study further on there) and i made my way to the Cambie, getting my backpack off.

i was enjoying myself more and more getting in this travel mood, no real planes, no to-do-list, meeting Jacob, learning a lot about and how this are on the coast here. feeling good about staying at the cambie, looking forward to a 8 dorm room, meeting people, probably gulping down some beers in the evening and then even eric send a mail i ould come up to Whistler, everything is cool, yeaah!

remember haven’t seen Eric for 4 bloody years since Tasmania, just in contact over the net. so will head out 2morrow to Whistler, with some coach, probably greyhound, should be just 2,5 hours up north into the mountains.

but first i went up East Hastings Street, corner Main St. – its called the dark heart of Vancouver, cause its „slum-time“. right in the middle of town, people over people, homeless, on drugs, talking to themselves, hookers and drug-addicts – a line 3 blocks in a row waiting for the detox- building. wow. i was not afraid at daylight, but a night i wouldn’t walk up here. unbelievable. just to steps away from all this business, banking, tourist-stuff. this is also Canada, its said that all the homeless creatures come to west coast, cause its warm, all year round. so they pile up and hanging around on the streets. of course people who went to states know those pictures, but as you wouldn’t believe it same here in Canada, even they have social/medial basic welfare, like we have in Germany, but the sheer amount of homeless people in own kind of own suburb is crazy,
so i left this horrible surrounding and went further on through Chinatown.

quite nice, authentic, hong-kong like suburb right in Vancouver, cool, grab some dim sums for lunch and heading further on to „the drive“ so called „Commercial Drive“ kind of trendy suburb/street. but of course noway comparable with cities like Berlin, Stockholm or London. waling up and down „the drive“, looking into shops, some coffee, a read and decided to go with the bus to the UBC.

whats the UBC – its „point grey“, a own city, its the University of British Columbia grounds, bigger then downtown Vancouver by itself. and its a state of its own, means kind of own little kingdom, compramising a big part of the peninsula on the West of Kitsan .. its huge !! i went down there to see the Museum of Anthropology, nice native works, like totem pole, statues and so on. pretty decent.

while i was there, still hot here 25 C and up, i though about go down beach and have a stroll on wreck beach, the „last“ remaining nudist, counter-culture beach. just few people, mostly dressed and a few kids „skimming“ boards, me again back to the pacific ocean, laying down, having a rest, seabreeze, some didgeridoo-player playing, smelled dope in the air, and some guys hanging around, people sunbathing, would be the right place for my housemate thomas.

anyway i went back „home“ to the Cambie, to check in and rest, have a shower, some quite beers, i just strolled into my dorm and just meet up one guy from oz, a dude from arizona and an canadian from whitehorse up north. of course we all insist of joining eachother for a round of drinks. to make it short, lot of stories, lot of fun, at 12 pm being pissed, falling down into bed …

as i said things worked out in the last 2 days!