What’s good everybody, it’s that time again. This is the last one from Vancouver for the time being; my flight back home is scheduled for tomorrow. It’s early afternoon over here and the weather outside hasn’t been very pleasant today. Which doesn’t matter much as I’m pretty roughed up after the weekend. In the best way possible. Got new Tjay in the headphones, feeling fucking good, all is set, let’s get to it!
Every day over here has been fun so far. Last week, we made some spring rolls along with some other friends for dinner at home, we did another beach volleyball afternoon session followed by some barbecue and we also did another trip do Deep Cove with the intention to rent some kayaks and spent some time in the bay. Unfortunately, all kayaks were rented out due to some event so we got some ice cream instead and then came up with an alternative plan. We ended up going for a hike in a natural park nearby. A bit crowded but lovely (as usual). We even took a dip in a small lake. Crystal clear water, swim through in between two giant rocks, fresh air. All wrapped up by some drinks on a bench near the apartment. On Friday evening, we drove to the top of the Cypress Mountain which used to host ski competitions during the Olympics. Since it’s summer now, it was pretty quiet but it gives you some more opportunities to appreciate what nature has to offer here. We stopped by for a beer on the way back to enjoy views at the city. The longer I’m here, the more I take shit like that for granted but you just gotta respect how exceptionally beautiful everything is over here.
Oh, and there was a blackout. It was Tuesday, I was just about done with my work for the day and then everything went off. First I though, it was just the apartment but when I was leaving the house to get some wifi in a café, I noticed it’s the whole building. In the café I picked, I learned it’s the whole block. Apparently someone crashed into something important and knocked everything out. So most restaurants were temporarily closed, supermarkets as well… Took me couple of blocks to find some working traffic lights and connect to an open wifi to deal with my personal calls. It basically doesn’t happen in the city like ever and it took about 3 hours for them to fix it.
And… Then there way downhill biking. See, I’m a fucking cyclist. That shit is in my DNA. Those who have been following this blog for some time know that cycling was my main means of transport back in Shanghai. I’ve been on that shit since I was a teenager and it only took Tenerife and its unfriendliness to bikes to put some pause on that. Having said that, I’ve never really been into the idea of mountain biking, let alone downhill. It’s always been road bikes. So I wasn’t too hot to try this one out. The idea of skipping over roots and rocks and rolling down steep slopes didn’t sound appealing to me at all. And when the time came and we went to this trail park on the other side of the Grouse Mountain, I was kinda expecting to give it a go, do couple of bumps, try not to kill myself and never do it again. Boy, was I wrong. The first day (which was Tuesday), I’ve done an intermediate trail called Bobsled three times and I was fucking excited. Even though it was pretty basic, figuring out the essential technique, your body, gravity and geometry of the bike is rewarding as fuck. Fresh air, woods, speed, adrenaline rush… There’s something to it. I tried it for the second time on Friday. Met up with this 18-year-old dude whom I’ve met through my friends and we went back to the same park. I would like to take a minute to shout out local public transport. All buses are equipped with a bike rack in the front. Plus drivers are friendly, helpful and communicative. I love shit like that and I miss it a lot back in the Czech Republic. Anyways, we took it back to the same park. Started out with Bobsled again but then we tried out some advanced trails too (I remember the last and the longest one was called Expresso). The first steps are really mostly about getting your mind right and reprograming your self-preservation instincts a little. Facing a tall steep slope that consists either of some planks or a fucking rock looks kinda crazy at first. You understand the principle, you understand the physics, you see people do it, but your mind goes “no way, fuck that”. So you stand there, you go back and forth, you meditate. And at one point you go. And you land it. And it feels like snorting a line or some shit. I would like to shout out that youngster too. He gave me some cool advice and pushed me to try out some shit I probably wouldn’t have, had I been by myself.
And then there was weekend. Which was more bikes. It’s kinda fucked I got into this on my last couple of days here. But then again, it might be for the best. Because I’m pretty sure that if they had introduced me to this on the first day, I would have probably pushed for it pretty hard missing out on all the other amazing things we’ve done so far. So it’s all good. Anyways... We did all biking near Squamish. First day, we did a track called Nelson twice. That one is just a treat. No super hard parts, it’s long, it flows. Then we tried to do one named Cake Walk. Different story tho. You see, these advanced tracks have some difficult rolls or even drops. You usually have a “chicken line” option that goes on the side and is a bit easier. I obviously didn’t do the craziest shit but I was able to handle some sections I felt pretty proud of. We spent the night at our usual camping spot. Equipped with some drinks, weed gummies and the gas fire bowl (campfire ban still in place). Slept like a fucking baby. The day after, we went to a different area and did a trail called Rupert. Again, an advanced one. And man, I managed to ride down some rocks nearly taller than me… If you had shown me those couple days back, I would have laughed in your face. But there I was, letting shit go. We did one more Nelson as a celebratory ride afterwards, got some drinks at our usual Locavore spot and drove back home to finish the last episode of Crash Landing On You. We've made it all.
I’m really not sure yet but it seems biking might become a real thing for me. Haven’t felt like this since I discovered diving. I’m scrolling through downhill trails in Tenerife, I’m researching where to get bikes, I’m all up for it. At this point, it feels like getting a decent bike might be one of the very first things I’ll do when I get back there.
This whole Canada thing has been just beautiful. Some shit change and some shit don’t. And being here kinda represents both to me. Been ages since I spent this much time with my people over here and it still feels pure and organic. It also feels all of us have progressed in certain ways. Shit’s moving. I knew that this trip was gonna be a bomb so I don’t wanna say it exceeded my expectations. I do wanna say it probably couldn’t have been any better. The energy, the vibes, the activities, the talks, all that. So before I wrap this up, I really wanna give one more shout out to my people. For sharing their home for 5 fucking weeks, for putting me on some amazing shit, for introducing me to some cool people. This shit ain’t over. We’re doing this again in some shape or form. And that’s on everything. I see y’all. One!
Highlights:
- Downhill.
- Downhill.
- Downhill.
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