Don't Stop Believing : Beautiful British Columbia

View from Meghan's Balcony

Vancouver & Victoria

On my way to Hong Kong I decided to go and spend two weeks in the beautiful province of British Columbia. The main purpose of this extended stopover was to reconnect with two lifelong friends - Jaimee Devlin & Meghan Robertson, as well as, see family and get an India visa. For all those interested this is what I got up to in those 14 days...

The trip began with a carbohydrate loaded Italian dinner with a side of wine at Trattoria (http://www.glowbalgroup.com/trattoria/). An awesome little restaurant that has tables right by the kitchen so you can see all the action. Extremely busy restaurant. They probably flip the place 3 - 4 times a night on a Saturday evening so expect to wait but it will be worth it!
Hit up MEC for those last few travel items I forgot..oopses!
Checked out Bikram Yoga Vancouver the Cambie location and Bikram Yoga Victoria. I will blog about these separately. :)
Re-connected with my two cousins Troy Jansen and Garret Jansen. We checked out Doolin's pub and hit up the Roxy with a few of their friends. The Roxy was followed by a trip to McDonald's and beers for breakfast at 2 pm the next day. In addition, had the opportunity to meet a cousin that I have never met before Alisha Gosselin. She is the same age as me but for some reason our paths never crossed.
Fell in love with a boy. His name is Joey :) Meghan has the cutest, low maintenance dog ever. We walked together everyday that I was in Vancouver and once once in the pouring rain without an umbrella. Sometimes you just got to embrace what mother nature is giving you.
Ventured downtown and applied for a visa for India. Who knows maybe I'll make my way there.
Opened an HSBC account.
Made friends with a extremely friendly Chinese lady at the bus stop who provided me with some valuable travel/life advice. Thank you madame.
Drove up to Whistler for 12 hours and stayed in a gorgeous chalet. We left at 5pm and Meg had to be back at work for 8am the next day. Perhaps not one of our best life decisions but we had a fantastic evening! Our hosts (William Anthony & Mark Adamson) made a extremely tasty homemade dinner followed by a hot tub on the balcony. After a glass or two of wine in the hot tub William and I decided to hit up Whistler for locals night at Buffalo Bills. Super interesting night and needless to say I wasn't able to help Meghan drive home at 5am. Thank you William and Mark for your hospitality and the memories.
In conjunction with the bullet above, after returning to Vancouver Meghan worked a full eight hour work day and then we decided it would be a good idea to drive to Victoria. So off we went...

History: Our mothers (Meg and I) were best friends growing up. Together they created an extensive list of memorable life experiences. Meghan and I were introduced at a very young age and have remained life long friends. We may live a few provinces apart however we always pick up right where we left off - carrying on doing outrageous things following in our mothers foot steps

Friday night in Victoria was the celebration of Jaimee Devlin's Birthday! Meghan rounded up a bunch of her girl friends (she lived in Victoria for eight years) and we headed out on the town!
In Victoria I had the opportunity to have another excellent meal with a beautiful yogi friend from Ottawa Sarah MacIntyre. We went to Zambris Restaurant (http://www.zambris.ca/). Really interesting menu with many tasty items I have never seen done before. The plates we shared were excellent - great presentation, powerful tastes and good portion sizes. The bartenders are super friendly (but not too talkative) and definitely added to the experience. If you go to Victoria check out this place and sit at the bar.
I have recently developed a strong craving, or perhaps it has now become a need, for Starbucks on a daily basis. I am not afraid of many things in life but I am slightly scared of the caffeine withdrawal I may experience as I travel. Anyways during one of my daily pit stops at a local Starbucks in Victoria I met a very interesting Winnipeg born man who chatted off my hear for a solid 45 minutes. He encouraged me that I am making the best decision at this junction in my life and discussed with me how this experience will irrevocably alter my life course. Thank you for your support random dude in Starbucks.
Met up with Danielle Sullivan and took class at Bikram Yoga Metrotown! Always a great experience to take class beside Danielle. You are a phenomenal woman & Winnipeg is lucky to have you back!! Congrats on getting the job.
My fantastic father flew into Vancouver for my last week to spend some time with me. We had many lunches, dinners and many great laughs together with family members. I love you Dad. Note to self: Family is everything in life.
Thank you so much Meghan for letting me crash at your place and completely disrupt your life ;) You are one of the most easy going women I know and I had a fantastic time with you. We definitely added a lot of good memories to the bank.

Vancouver was the perfect transitional city and I am so grateful to have had two full weeks here. Some people asked me why I spent a whole month in Canada and didn't just leave for Hong Kong from Ottawa. The reason is; we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world yet very few of us take the time to explore our own country. How could I possibly go off and explore the world without seeing Canada coast to coast? I haven't been to every province but I have been as far as Ingonish on Cape Breton Island to Victoria, British Columbia. I believe it is important as a Canadian to know what our own country is like and to take the time to see its beauty. Until next time Canada - keep fit and have fun.