Monday 8th November

My 'itinerary' for the day had me starting at 8am at the local Canada Service Centre, but I didn't actually wake-up until 7:55am! I wasn't dismayed though - the fact that I slept from midnight to then was a relief - my jet lag is easing.

The three must-haves for the day were to get my SIN (social insurance number); open a bank account; and set-up a Canadian telephone number. I was expecting a big line at the Canada Service Centre for the SIN, but I was greeted immediately and walked out with the SIN 15 minutes later (the card will be sent to the Whistler Post Office for me to pick up in 2 weeks).

Conveniently, across the road was the Royal Bank of Canada. I'd decided to set my account up with them because a) they had a branch in Whistler Village and b) they were the largest and most trusted in Canada. The building was very old and opulent - a 'concierge' greeted me and directed me into an office to meet with my account manager. As we started the meeting, she gave me an 'agenda' and pencil so I could write questions, notes, and comments throughout the meeting!! Setting up the bank account was no problem (I didn't even have to put any money into it), although I didn't get a credit card. As a temporary resident, I would need to give them the amount of money I wished my credit limit to be as a safeguard (i.e., if I wanted an $8000 limit, then I'd need to give them $8000 placed in a term deposit I couldn't touch).


Next, I boarded the sky-train again to a beauty salon in South Vancouver. This was the only place in the whole of Canada which sold Napoleon products, and I desperately needed some lip gloss. (SInce I have lots of allergies - surprising to some people, maybe - I have to use Napoleon lipgloss, as it's the only lipgloss I don't break out with, vaseline excluded.) They only had two options, saying they could order it in for me, but I took what they had.

Back in downtown Vancouver, I now needed to connect my phone with a local company. There were three main options: Bell, Telus and Rogers. Bell had crap customer service so I didn't bother with them, and Rogers made you sign-up to a 12 month contract unless you wanted pre-paid, in which case you couldn't get data (I wanted data options as I would use my iPhone for surfing the web). Telus were great - friendly and professional - with great options. Unfortunately,  I couldn't sign up for a post paid plan as I didn't have any Canadian issued ID, so I settled for a pre-paid option initially (and will apply for post paid later). This ensured I had a Canadian phone number, ability to call local numbers, and could surf the web. I stopped in at the nearby 7-11 to pick up an international calling card (4.5c/minute to Australia).

I called in at Starbucks to replenish my energy - I'd been given a free voucher there previously since they forgot my order - and then was back into Sears (department store) to pick-up the final things on my list. On the way home, I called in at a 'loonies and toonies' store (that's what they call their $1 and $2 coins) and bought a cheap striped bag to transport all of my new clothes to Whistler in. (I think I'm only allowed one bag on the bus tomorrow, but can pay for a second bag).

Phew - shopping complete! (Well, until I get to Whistler at least). But it's no rest for the wicked, as I had to do my laundry (first time I've done it in 3 months!).

Sunday 7th November

After watching the sunrise (as per my previous post) and breakfasting at the hostel, I caught the sky-train to the Metropolis at Metrotown mall, about 20 minutes away. The sky-train was interesting - as I mentioned before, there were no staff about - vending machines disbursed tickets, and a line on the ground demonstrated where the 'fee paying users' area was. Whilst on the train, I managed to catch a glimpse of Stanley Park and the waterfront - with all this shopping, there was no chance for any sightseeing!

The mall was MASSIVE, bigger than any mall in Australia with over 450 stores. I'd read that you should be prepared to spend the whole day there - and half of Vancouver seemed to as well. After yesterday's purchases, my list was a little narrower, but more specific. Whereas yesterday's had been more like 'jeans', 'tops', 'jumpers', today's was based around what the gaps were from yesterdays purchases. For example, I'd bought 2 pairs of jeans but no jumpers; and I'd bought the boyfriend blazer but didn't have a top to wear with it.

HIgh on my list was pyjamas. I'd researched the mall during my sleep-deprived night, and decided to start with Old Navy, a cheap unisex clothing store. Score: blue flannel pyjamas and a fluoro red top, as well as a hoodie, for under $60.

One thing high on my list was a 'pea coat', which reached just below my waist. It was the kind of thing you need if you were walking around the shops - you don't need a snow jacket; you don't want a winter woollen coat; and you want more than a jumper. But do you think I could find one? (Insert answer here: no!)

I found another hoodie at American Eagle - I'd actually tried it on yesterday but abandoned it, thinking I'd find others (I didn't). By the end of the day, with a few more items purchased, I found Forever 21, a massive clothing store. I'd visited this in Singapore, but the Singapore one was completely different. The clothes here were amazing, and sooo cheap!! I purchased a dark purple, metallic skirt and a luxurious gold print t-shirt for only $40 (for both), ticking off the 'nice outfit' requirement off my checklist.

I was so tempted to get a taxi back to the hostel but I reminded myself that I'm poor, and took the Metro home instead. Walking out on the nearby eating streets, I ended up at one of the burger places (I am not kidding, every second store is either a burger joint or Starbucks). The vegetarian burger was listed on the menu at $5.95 - not too bad I thought. "What would you like on it?", the server said. "What does it come with?" I replied. "Nothing - you select whatever you like to go on it.? By the time I added on the basics, the whole meal ended up being more than $18!! (Fries and 'pop' included).

I spent the remaining hours of the day (literally - I fell asleep bang on midnight) playing on the internet on my iPhone and writing lists - what to do tomorrow, how to get there, what was left to buy, where I needed to go in Whistler. Tomorrow was to be another busy day ...

Monday 8th November

Saturday 6th November

Of my three days in Vancouver, I have two week-end days and one week-day. The week-day will be dedicated to getting a SIN (Social Insurance Number), setting up a bank account and finding a phone plane, whilst my week-end would be dedicated to - SHOPPING!


I was supposed to have started work in Whistler on the 15th of November, which would have given me 10 days to acclimatise, shop, and set myself up, but I had been requested to start a week early, thus leaving me with only 3 days to achieve this all. Considering I have been in Asia for the last three months, I am not equipped for Canadian winter conditions at all! And, all of the 'essentials' (i.e. shampoo, conditioner, soap) have just run out, so I need to replenish them all!

The day started with breakfast at the hostel. The free buffet breakfast was luxurious and very American - bagels with cream cheese, toast, scones, etc. I had wholemeal toast (healthy) with cream cheese (not so healthy) - but hey, I'm in North America so I need to blend in! (Ok, I admit, I did take my vegemite down with me but I didn't use it!)

The shops in Vancouver open later than in Australia - 10am on a Saturday  - so I did a loop of Robson Street (the main shopping strip) whilst waiting for them to open, wearing in my new boots. There were some amazing stores - like a chocolate shop whose whole window display was different flavours of toffee apples! (Toffee apples dipped in chocolate with marshmallow and nuts, for example).

My first stop was Zara, the British store that is all over Asia yet hasn't found its way to Australia. I had a big list of things to buy, and unlike at home I couldn't dilly-dally about buying things (I never impulse buy normally). I'd told myself that if I liked it, and it was 'on the list', then buy it. (Ski clothes I'd buy in Whistler, using my staff discount, but I needed things like tights, socks, jeans, long sleeve tops, jumpers, a nice outfit, winter coat etc as well as nail polish, make-up and so on.)

At Zara, I purchased a puffy, knee length winter coat and a long sleeve cotton top. One annoying thing here is that the price shown is without tax. So you may think you're getting a bargain, but then add 12% on top of that! (A combined federal and local tax). Second stop was to Levis for some jeans. Now, I have not worn jeans in about 3 years. In fact, I don't even own a pair of long pants. For me, I don't feel feminine unless I'm wearing a skirt/dress with tights/stockings and heels. My body just isn't made for pants.

I'd read in Asia that Levis had a new concept in store - rather than define jeans by their size (i.e. 10, 12) and cut (bootcut, skinny), they also introduced a 'curve fit'. The Irish girl (also on a working holiday visa) who assisted me was brilliant. I told her exactly what I needed, and what my body shape was, and she grabbed me the styles I should try - and they all fit and looked good! I was soo worried about buying pants, so to buy two pairs of jeans in the first store I looked at was brilliant. To top it off, they were cheap - costing me $150 for the two pairs, not bad for Levis).

At American Eagle Outfitters, I scored a boyfriend blazer, long and black (as opposed to the one I had made, which was silver and short). It looked great with the dress I had on, and I figured I could wear it with a pair of jeans as well for dressier occasions.

Along Robson Street I continued (OPI nail polish found - in Australia it's $20 a bottle, here less than $10 - and I even got a top and base coat at 2-1!) until I got to the Pacific Centre, where I'd found Nine West the previous evening. I took a pitstop for lunch (tacos - Mexican food is everywhere!) before continuing on. I found a great department store called "The Bay", where I scored the make-up I desperately required. They had a great department full of Canadian winter clothes (i.e., supporter clothes for the Winter Olympics), including the famous red gloves. I was so tempted to buy things but I had to concentrate on the task at hand!

After almost 7 hours of shopping (when you HAVE to buy clothes, you force yourself to try on anything that looks good - and even stuff that doesn't!), my weary feet dragged themselves back to the hostel, where I promptly fell asleep at 5pm. I didn't mean to, but I was soooo tired - and of course, I woke up at midnight and couldn't get back to sleep. Daylight saving ended at 2am, so I lived through that hour twice, eventually getting back to sleep at 2:30am. I awoke again at 4:30am and that was it - I listened to the person in the room next to me snoring and watched the sunrise (breakfast wasn't until 8am and the shops didn't open until 11am, so I had hours to kill!)

One interesting thing about my room: I share an ensuite. To use it, I unlock the door on my side, enter the bathroom, and lock the door on their side (then, vice versa on the way out). Only a toilet and shower is in there - sink and mirror are located in my room. Odd concept!

Friday 5th November

My biggest travel day so far started with a 5:30am wake-up call - well, actually it started even before that, because I was up at 5:15am. Effectively, this was 4:15am, as there was a one hour time difference between Malaysia and Vietnam which wasn't in my favour.

The Tune Hotel was at LCCT, the low cost carrier terminal of KL airport, but my flight to Hong Kong left from the main termainl at KLIA so I took a shuttle bus from the airport, taking about 25 minutes. I was one of the first to check-in, managing to score a window seat, and then filled in my time (surprisingly, quite easily), at the airport.

One thing I'd discovered last night whilst ensuring I had all of the required documentation for entry into Canada (Letter of Introduction for working holiday visa; proof of insurance; proof of funds) was that I'd printed out the wrong Letter of Introduction. When the Canadian consulate had first sent the letter, they'd put the wrong date on it, stating I must enter the country before Feb 5 2010 (this was actually the date they'd issued it - it should have read Feb 5 2011). They'd corrected it when I'd prompted them, but when I printed my documentation I must have given Mum and Dad the one with the correct date, and the other one to myself. I was fairly sure it wouldn't be a problem - hey, it would be in their system and they could tell by the issue date - but I didn't want to take any chances. But - where do you find a printer in an airport?

The only options were business centres, generally located within airline lounges. For economy class plebs like myself, the rates for entry to these lounges were sky-high - the 'budget' one I found was almost $40 for 1 hour's entry! Luckily, I found an alternative - there was a transit-hotel located within the international terminal, and I was able to use their business centre to print the correct letter for a much more reasonable rate (and even check the latest gossip on Perez Hilton whilst I was there!)

I've said this before, but I hate playing the 'how much money do I need at the airport' game. That morning, I'd known I'd need money for the bus, breakfast and a printer; optionally, I'd also like a magazine and chocolate, should money be left over. With the first three must-haves out of the way, I was left with exactly the right amount of money to buy two blocks of Aussie Cadbury chocolate, duty-free (hey, who knows when I will next see it??)

My flight to Hong Kong was with Cathay Pacific, the first time I'd flown with them (similarly, my next flight was with Air Canada, also an unknown quantity to me). The seats had plenty of leg room (I had Aussie seat mates) and an entertainment console in the back of the chair in front - having flown budget carriers for so long, I'd forgotten these existed! The flight passed quickly as I watched Salt (even though I hate Angelina Jolie, I must give her props - it was a great film) and half of some stupid movie with Paul Rudd, Dinner for Schmucks.

On arrival at Hong Kong airport, I made my way to the transfer desk of Air Canada to pick-up my boarding pass for the flight (my bags having already been checked through from KL). Unfortunately, my travel agent in Australia had failed to book the vegetarian meal for me, and I was told they needed a minimum 24 hours notice, so I would be stuck with a meat dish onboard!

Hong Kong airport brought back memories for me, having been the first international airport I'd ever flown into back in 2001 on my trip to Europe. Entering through the transfer area, you are deposited into an area with a handful of shops, and I was gobsmacked - I was sure there were heaps more shops than this! Eventually, I realised the 'main' shopping hall was about 300m away (yep, the airport is so big you can't even tell where the main bit is!) and headed for it. I had five hours to kill, so I was going to hit every shop there!

The shopping at the airport was great - all of the luxury brands, like Prada and Gucci; as well as numerous bookstores (I tried and failed to find a British Columbia guidebook), souvenir stores and make-up brands. The food selection is quite ordinary, though I was happy to see there were a number of "watch this space" areas for places like McDonalds, Ben and Jerry and a pizza parlour. (I remember the first time I came, I didn't have any Hong Kong money so I had to find somewhere to eat that took credit card - I ended up eating a hamburger with fries for $25!)

There are numerous free internet terminals situated around the terminal, so I made use of one for a while, and then waited to board the plane. Looking outside the window, I was worried we wouldn't be able to take off - it was cloudy and raining, with low visibility. I really couldn't afford any delays arriving into Canada!

As the flight departure time drew close, I held my breath that I would have no one seated next to me. Unfortuately, just before take-off two people ran down the aisle and stopped at my aisle - isn't that always the way! I was a little wary about flying Air Canada, as I'd heard some not so good stories about it, but it was fine. Similar to Cathay Pacific, it had inflight entertainment (this time on demand), and we were served three meals throughout the flight. One key point of difference between Asian/Australian airlines and North American airlines are the flight attendants - in Asia, they're all young and pretty; whereas for North America, they're quite old. (I'd first noticed this on a United Airlines flight to Los Angeles - the flight attendants were overweight and wore Texas bouffants, chewing gum whilst they chatted to their colleagues). There were 13 flight attendants and 4 pilots on-board - this sounded like a lot, but I guess it was a 12 hour flight.

After a 3.5 hour flight, 12 hour flight, and 5 hour stop-over, I finally set foot into Canada at 2pm, a mere 4.5 hours after I'd left KL (yep, there is a 15 hour time difference between the 2). I joined the immigration line for new students and workers to receive my working holiday visa (the letter of introduction needs to be produced to the customs officials, along with proof of funds and insurance). The customs officials were all young and good-looking but very serious about their jobs - I got the boss, who was very friendly, asking lots of questions about my trip in Asia. (I'm never sure if they're just being friendly or trying to suss me out - I'd like to think the first!)

One of the things that first struck me about Canada was how polite everyone is. Whenever you say "thank-you", they always reply, "welcome" (yep, welcome, not 'you're welcome'). Think about that in Australia - we either don't reply or we'll say, 'no worries' or 'no problem'. When I'd first approached an official at the airport to ask where immigration was, he asked me to wait a moment whilst he assisted someone else. When he came back, someone else came up to him to ask for directions, but he asked them to wait a moment as I was first. Simple things!

I noticed this more and more as I entered Vancouver city, and over the coming few days - it's almost like they're too good! Another example: their (driverless) sky-train has no staff at the stations or on-board - it's just expected that you'll buy a ticket.

Tipping my taxi-driver (aah, tipping, one negative to Canada), I checked into my room at the HI Downtown hostel. I'd make sure to book a single room, as I knew that with sleep deprivation from the flight, jet-lag, and the numerous shopping I would do, I would need a room to myself. The easiest way to get over jet-lag is to start adhering to the new destination's timezone immediately, so I headed out into the city straightaway.


It's no wonder Vancouver is consistently voted the most liveable city in the world (along with Melbourne). The streets were wide and clean; the autumnal leaves were falling form the sky; electric buses were zooming down the clean streets. I was in love!!

I was glad to find that I was a short walk away from the two main shopping areas: Pacific Centre (mall) and Robson Street. I wanted to leave the shopping until the next day, but one stop I did make was to Nine West, which I was delighted to find in the Pacific Centre. As I'd arrived into the country wearing a pair of jelly shoes, I thought it appropriate to be my first stop! $450 and 3 pairs of shoes later (a pair of heels, boots, and flats - all occasions covered), at least I had one item ticked off my list.

As I walked down the streets, I felt like I was in a movie. You know how you watch movies and they're shopping at Sears or Walmart; eating those monster burgers at a diner; driving Chevrolet pick-ups - well, that was real-life here! And, despite us both speaking the same language, the slang terms definitely have an impact. For example, my burger needed "ketchup" (not tomato sauce) and my softdrink choice was actually my "pop" of choice. Giving my date of birth was '1/12/83', not '12/1/83'. All these little nuances!

Across the road from the hostel was a 24-hour 'drugstore' (like a massive Priceline/chemist), and I stocked up on toiletries that I would need in Canada. Yes, I could get them in Whistler, but I know they're all expensive, so I was really saving money. I loved looking at all their food (frozen sandwiches!) and souvenirs (seriously, they have the best souvenirs ever - heaps of Winter Olympic merchandise; snowdomes, flag paraphernalia). As with everywhere else so far, all of the shop assistants are super-friendly, unlike Australia and the UK - you're always greeted when you enter; and when you ask for assistance, it's like you're the one doing them the favour!

Despite the numerous eating options around, I grabbed an easy dinner from Subway (I think because there were just too many options - so much Mexican food and so many burger joints!) and retired to my room, waiting for the jetlag to kick in ... which it did ... thank goodness the hostel has free wireless, because I was on my iPhone surfing the web for hours that night!