Viva Vancouver

It's been 14 years since I'd last set foot in Vancouver and I forgot just how pretty this place is. The big inlet, the islands, the bridges - some people have compared this place to Sydney, and having seen the two more or less side by side now, I'd say they're worlds different, but there are some little similarities that could make them sisters.

The airport itself is actually quite nice, and that's where Uncle Yousef, an old family friend, picked me up. We went for a ride through much of southern Vancouver on the way to his huge, new house, where we sat down to a home-style family lunch of Indian curry, Auntie's specialty that used to make me shiver and shake with glee as a kid. I used to cry for this stuff when I was no older than 3, the beginning of my curry addiction. And now, decades later, I was digging into a plate of the same dish that got me started. We reminisced about other embarassing elements of my childhood over tea as it grew dark and I grew ever more tired - I'd been up since 4:20am, after all.

I could've gone to bed, but there was a change of plans. The house is nowhere near my downtown pickup point to catch the Snowbus to Whistler tomorrow, so I got a ride over to my friend Kathy's place downtown, where I have a futon to crash on, internet access, and most importantly, quick access to downtown.

Here's hoping I wake up on time.