It’s been almost a week since I landed in Vancouver, and so far I’ve packed a fair whack in.
My first three nights were spent in hostels. Hostel number one, the Samesun, was in a great downtown location but had small dorms with shoddy, wobbly, ladder-less bunk beds (I got the top!); loud, boozy inmates (mainly Aussies); intermittent wireless; and their idea of a free breakfast was toast and coffee. Hostel number two, HI Downtown, was paradise situated on a leafy side street; spacious dorms; considerate inmates; reasonably consistent WIFI; and a free breakfast of bagels, muffins, cereals and fruit.
Accommodation is very expensive in Vancouver. It is also getting increasingly hard to find as the city prepares to host the winter Olympics. Currently I board with a woman and her 27 year old son, and for the same price of the hostel I get my own room and three meals a day. Sure, it is quite a distance from downtown but the public transport here, which has integrated ticketing, is very good! I’m just a couple of blocks from the new Canada Line – a flashy, automatic light rail built especially for the games (very fast, and very regular) – and half a block from a bus that takes me downtown. Tickets usually cost 2.50CAD but a 73.00 pass lets me ride any time as much as I like for a month.
I haven’t got a job yet but I have only just applied for my SIN (Social Insurance) number. Legit employers won’t take you without your SIN. Once the SIN has come through I might check out Labour Link, which does day by day employment. I have been warned, however, that this is usually done by the homeless and down-and-outers, and that the pay is not great. On the plus side, it is work that doesn’t require commitment and may be just what I need to finance the fun things that one can do around here.
So far I’ve caught up with Nathan and Bronwyn, some friends from New Zealand, and reconnected with Robin and Chris, some people I met on Granville Island last time I was here. Robin, a stalwart of the Vancouver Arts Club, has taken me out to lunch and tomorrow night we’re going to Urban Improv a theatresports show in which her friend and renowned comic, Ian Boothby, performs.
