Mi Casa Su Casa - Musings on Living in Vancouver - Dec 26 - Dec 30

We are slowly becoming accustomed to our temporary home. Some things we have had to get over include the feeling of “guilt” when we open drawers and cupboards in the kitchen to find various kitchen utensils, etc.; getting used to sleeping in a strange house (you would think we are used to that with all the different beds we have slept in over the past 4 years); and just generally being on high alert not to damage anything. But, the house is perfect, the location is central, and the view over to the mountains beautiful. I have attached a couple of pictures taken from the front garden.

Although we have had a couple of rainy days, and some cloudy days, the past two days have been sunny with blue skies. The temperature has generally been between 7 and 10 although it dropped down last night and tonight I believe there is threat of frost. But, we feel lucky to be out of the extreme cold and snow. After all, we can still “see” the snow, but we just don’t have to suffer it’s negative consequences.


While on the road, I talked about coming through areas with “avalanche” warning signs. Last night on the news, we heard about an avalanche just outside Hope which sadly killed a snowmobiler. It wasn’t a “high alert” area, but most areas in that vicinity are subject to avalanches.

Another new sensation, is the feeling of size. The greater Vancouver area is about 2.1 million in population I believe compared to the greater Toronto area of 5.6 million (2006 figures). You notice it! It doesn’t take as long to get from one place to the next, you can actually conceptualize the city and surrounding area fairly quickly, and you don’t get so much of the feeling of “urban sprawl”. I like it. I think it creates more of a feeling of community – although, I doubt that my friends living in North Vancouver would feel that way. Not sure if this feeling is caused by treks through larger world cities such as Mumbai (14 million), Buenos Aires (13 million) Delhi (12.25 million) and New York (8.4 million), but in any event you probably have to “visit” here to consider the macro view.

Ray got a new Garmin for Christmas, and so yesterday, after taking a day or two to learn how to work it, we went for a 50 minute run to test it out. Actually, we did an hour's run the day before but he couldn't get it to start. Running from the house will soon get us fit. There are hills in every direction, and even if we start out downhill, we soon have to go up hill!! There is a nice shopping area about 10 mins walk from the house which I can’t wait to investigate. Looks like some nice Chinese greengrocers, a few interesting looking restaurants, and some dress and furniture stores worth visiting. The houses around here are beautiful; some very small; some quite large; all very expensive. The feeling is very much of Edinburgh, or parts of England and the UK, and given that some of the names of the roads that we ran on or by included MacKenzie, Balaclava, Dunbar, and Blenheim, that is where the original influence came from. Try $3.8 million for a corner lot and a renovated house. We read an article in the Globe that Australia is the country with the most expensive real estate but Vancouver as a city tops the rest of the world. Now, I know it’s a great city, but I think something is out of whack. You have to wonder how long the real estate market will sustain itself here. How do young people here afford a home? Someone was telling us about a house he is renovating which should really be pulled down because the construction is so poor. The couple paid over $800,000 for it. Haven’t discovered yet what all the people do who own these homes. Wages are said to be much lower than Toronto, for example. Is it really all the Chinese affect resulting from the influx from Hong Kong in the 1980s?

Yesterday we drove down to Richmond (about 6 – 7 km south) and went to Costco. It was bedlam….massive…..tons and tons of shoppers, but efficient. Everyone was working very hard and curiously enough there was no line up to exit. We also went into a Great Canadian Superstore, and once again, another huge premises. Richmond is just south west of Vancouver, is located on tons of little islands and has a population of around 200,000.

The rest of my time has been spent working on my course material. Alanna is coming over tomorrow and we are going to have a really riotous time……studying!! Poor Ray, not sure what he will find to find to do to occupy himself, but he is pretty industrious and I am sure will come up with something useful....

If I don't get the opportunity to post another blog before the new year, a "very guid new year to one and a'."