TravelTrekkr

Hiatus

chrissy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:23:27 +0000

Since I haven’t posted to the blog in four months, it would seem safe to assume that I have been on another big, life changing adventure. And the answer is yes, I have been on a life changing adventure, just not the life changing adventure you would expect. I’ve been carving out a life for myself back in my hometown of Vancouver, Canada. Who knew that integrating back home could be far more of a challenge than setting off for an adventure in a foreign land?

So there is the usual “reverse culture shock” when moving back home. For example, when moving from London, UK to Vancouver a common comment would be “why is everyone walking/talking/driving so slowly?”. Anyhow, many adventures are right around the corner in Vancouver. And what’s that? It’s almost hiking season! Can’t wait!

More later…

Wine & Cheese 101 – Les Amis du Fromage – Vancouver

chrissy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:00:37 +0000

Where better to learn the in’s and out’s of wine and cheese than from the lovely folks at Les Amis du Fromage? Even better, the folks at Les Amis du Fromage just opened a new restaurant, Au Petit Chavignol, the perfect location for a Wine & Cheese workshop.

Wine & Cheese 101
Date: Monday January 04, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Au Petit Chavignol, 843 East Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6A 1R8
Tel (604) 255-4218

Cost: $70 per person. Includes taxes and gratuity
Tickets available in store or by phone at les amis du fromage 2nd Ave store only. 604-732-4218

Click here for more information on Wine & Cheese 101.

And for you cheese lovers out there, here’s a great clip from the BBC programme “Chef”.

Banff Mountain Film Festival – Vancouver Tour

chrissy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:57 +0000

Ignite your passion for adventure, action, and travel! The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will exhilarate you with amazing big-screen stories when it comes to the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver on December 3rd & the Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver on December 4th & 5th, 2009. Journey to exotic locations, paddle the wildest waters, and climb the highest peaks. Be taken away to the most captivating places on earth.

To buy tickets to the Banff Mountain Film Festival:

From any Alpine Club of Canada Executive member, $15 per ticket, cash only
At the Mountain Equipment Co-op stores in Vancouver & North Vancouver, $15 per ticket, available starting November 1, 2009
Through the Centennial Theatre, online or at the box office for the Dec 3rd show only, $18 per ticket, available starting November 1, 2009
At the Hollywood Theatre box office or at the door, $15 per ticket, cash only, available starting November 1, 2009
Via PayPal, $18 per ticket, tickets available at the Will Call Table at the venue on presentation of email payment confirmation

Holiday Wine Tasting in Vancouver

chrissy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:00:38 +0000

Not sure what wine to serve at your get-together’s this holiday season? Or are you interested in trying new wines? Then head out to the Holiday Wine Tasting, hosted by the queen’s of wine, Michelle Bouffard and Michaela Morris , of House Wine. The line up of wines for the evening include super value wines for larger bashes as well as perfect gift bottles for the wine lover on your list. Taste wines ideal for Christmas dinner, appropriate bubble to toast the New Year and sweet treats for those crucial moments of liquid indulgence. The details:

Date: Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Venue: Sculpture Gallery West
O’Doul’s Restaurant & Bar
1300 Robson St., Vancouver, BC
Cost: $35

For more information on this fabulous wine tasting event, click here.

Hot Chocolate and Madeleines Workshop – Vancouver

chrissy — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:51:36 +0000

The weather has turned in Vancouver, what a better way to warm up than to learn how to make scrumptious hot chocolate and madeleines from Chef Andrea Jeffereson, Head Chef and owner, at Quince. Chef Andrea will teach you how to make your very own hot chocolate and madeleines – and the best part, you’ll get eat them too! The details:

November 28, 2009 (Sat)
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Cost: $15
Location: Quince
1780 West 3rd Ave
Vancouver, BC V6J 1K4
ph. 604 731 4645

Click here for more details on workshops at Quince.

Chocolate 101 at Xoxolat – Vancouver

chrissy — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:00:23 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Chocolate, Cheese and Whisky pairing event as part of the Annual Hopscotch Whisky Festival at the International Culinary School in Vancouver. Not only was it super fabulous, but it was my first introduction to the amazing chocolate you can purchase at Xoxolat (pronounced sho-sho-la), a local Vancouver store. So of course, as soon as I got home I checked out the Xoxolat website and much to my delight, Xoxolat hosts Chocolate 101 Workshops on a monthly basis.

These introductions to the world of chocolate promise to include:

Tasting the difference between chocolate from different plantations.
Characteristics of chocolate? Taste by numbers.
Terms of endearment: tempering, tabling, seeding, cooling.

And of course, you’ll have to try samples of a broad range of chocolate so you’ll have a firsthand knowledge of this “food of the gods.” Here are the details:

Scheduled Xoxolat Chocolate 101 Workshops:
Wednesday, December 16 – 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Wednesday, January 20 – 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Wednesday, February 17 – 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Class Fee: $15/person

Location: Xoxolat
2391 Burrard Street (at 8th Ave)
Vancouver, BC V6J 3J2
T. 604 733 2462 (CHOC)

For more details on Chocolate 101 Workshops at Xoxolat in Vancouver, click here.

Introduction to Backcountry Skiing

chrissy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:42:16 +0000

It’s almost that time of year again, time to break out your skis. If you want to brush up or learn more about backcountry skiing, the Alpine Club of Canada is hosting an Introduction to Backcountry Skiing Seminar at MEC on November 19th, 2009.

The Basics:
Event Type:		Training
Event Location:		Mountain Equipment Coop, Vancouver Store on Broadway
Date(s) & Time:		Thu, Nov 19 2009 7:00 PM
Registration Cut Off:		Thu, Nov 19 2009 11:55:00 AM
Event Duration:		2 hours

Click here for more information on the Introduction to Backcountry Skiing Seminar.

Backcountry Avalanche Workshop Vancouver

chrissy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:43:43 +0000

The Backcountry Avalanche Workshops, presented by Columbia Brewery, can help you get the most out of your winter backcountry experiences – whether you are a skier, snowmobiler, ice climber or snow shoer – new to the backcountry or experienced. Learn from local avalanche experts and visiting professionals. Catch up on new tools, the latest avalanche research and get the beta on local routes.

The workshops are open to everyone, regardless of skill.
Cost: $20
Workshops run from 9 am – 5 pm. You can pay at the door. No pre-registration is required.

Vancouver – Saturday, November 7, UBC Forestry Building, Forest Science Centre Room 1005

Click here for more information.

William Jans – Tales from Tanzania

chrissy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:02:57 +0000

Looking for some inspiration this Thursday? Then head to the Hollywood Theatre to listen to William Jans tell his Tales from Tanzania.

This show includes diverse experiences ranging from climbing both Kilimanjaro and Meru to breakfast with Massai (goat spinal cord anyone)? This is William’s newest show and has garnered rave reviews already on the West Coast.

THURSDAY Nov. 5, 2009
Hollywood Theatre, 3123 W Broadway
(map) (tickets) 7:30 doors, 8 pm show

Click here for more information on William Jans and his work.

Hiking the Pembrokeshire Coast Path

chrissy — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:07:48 +0000

The Wales trip last weekend was great. Fresh air and fresh water, lots of green and countryside. We left on Friday for Swansea (city in Wales) and stayed overnight. Met some colourful characters on the train – 2 nice guys that were headed to Ireland – one Irish, one Welsh. They were asking what 2 girls from Canada were doing going to hike in Wales – “You left the Rockies to hike in Wales?”. They had a good laugh about that.

Spent Saturday morning walking around Swansea, a good indication of the hike to come was the abundance of outdoor shops in Swansea selling hiking and camping gear. A great sign! We hopped on a train headed to Tenby, where we were spending Saturday and Sunday nights. On the train we decided it would be far too boring to take the train all the way to Tenby, so we got off at Saundersfoot, another coastal town and hiked with our packs from Saundersfoot to Tenby. The hike was only 3 hours, but the terrain was like doing 6 mini-grouse grinds – lots of up and down and up and down. And mud, boy was there lots of mud! My first time hiking with a pack – mental note – next time pack walking poles as I need to work on my balance.

On the first day, we kept seeing these signs, labeled “Cliffs Kill: Keep to path”. With the tame trails on the first day we found these signs rather funny as we felt we were in no danger at all. For the most part from Saundersfoot to Tenby the terraine changed from hiking through the forest (what we’re used to in BC) to walking on footpaths through farmland (which we got used to in the Peaks district a few weeks ago). Finally, near the end of the trail, Tenby came into view – a former walled city and a striking candy-coloured coastal town.

Then, mini-distaster strikes. Beware of eating at restaurants that haven’t been recommended to you (especially in the UK). I ended up eating something that disagreed with me and could barely sleep that night with stomach pains. Argh. Sunday morning comes, our big day of walking and I’m sleep deprived with no appetite. Not a good way to start off. And it’s raining.

So I fill up on toast, put on my rain gear and we head out. The walks starts with a flat 4 kilometers walk on a beach. According to our guidebook this is a “great chance to take off your shoes and walk barefoot along the sand”. In gale force winds? Not a chance. Gale force winds may be an exaggeration, all I know is the wind was so loud I couldn’t hear anything and it felt like the wind desperately wanted to knock me over.

The rain let up just in time for us to climb a nice peak and walk right through the…wait for it…military firing range. Thankfully they barely use it on Sunday’s. Once walking through a few gates labeled “Military property, keep out” (“but the book said it was OK”), we stumble across a few horses. It was surreal, we’re on a clifftop, walking through a military firing range and now we have to walk past a few horses (with 10 feet between the horses and the cliff edge) and hope we don’t spook them and have them charge at us and force us off the cliff. Kim seemed worried, not worried enough to not stop and take a picture, but worried all the same. I was not fussed. My rationale “my sister is good with horses, therefore it must be some sort of family trait and therefore I’m probably good with horses too”. Not too logical, I just didn’t to have to walk across that damn beach again.

Inched closer to the horses – Are their ears flat against their head? – Nope. Can I see the whites of their eyes? – Nope. Ok, we’re good to go. Horses not going to bolt at all, just interested in eating the grass (military firing range grass that is).

We soldier on. We leave the military firing range and horses behind and can breathe easy again.

Until we look at the cliffs. Those signs, those multiple versions of “cliffs kill” signs – in words and in pictures, in case you didn’t get their drift. I understand them now. I look down – man that sea (ocean, body of water whatever it was) looks angry. The waves crash on the rocks and send white spray everywhere. Ah, cliffs, they kill. Not so funny anymore. Legs shakey. Cursing myself, “why didn’t I buy those hiking poles in Swansea for better stability?”. Oh well, nothing a milk chocolate digestive biscuit can’t fix. Should’ve brought a thermos along for tea, next time, next time…

Three point five hours into the hike, my body starts a conversation with me. “Remember that time when you were training for the marathon and ran 10km while you had a bad bladder infection before realizing something was wrong? Remember how you kept running and wouldn’t stop until you realized that it was 28 degrees and sunny outside and you were alternating between shivering cold and feverish hot? Remember how sick you got after it? Yup, well that’s what you’re in for if you keep this hike up with a sick stomach. And by the way, what’s with the chocolate covered digestive biscuit? You couldn’t have picked up an apple on your way out? Noooo, just had to eat the bickey”.

Time to listen to my body. We cut through a farm and head to Manorbier for lunch, shelter and rest. After 20 minutes in a restaurant and not being served, briefly considered leaving. But to where? One of the two other restaurants in the village? Odds are the waitresses are so slow because they are waiting tables at all three restaurants at the same time. Better stick to having lunch here, rather to leave and be ignored somewhere else.

What else did I do in Manorbier, you say? Well, outside of the three restaurants, there is also a castle. A small castle, very old, manned by a nice old lady who felt generous and let me pay the student rate (I guess the poor and dishevelled look really works for me). Alright, highlight of the castle? Seeing a little toddler watch by with a shirt on that said, no, demanded “I WANT CHOCOLATE, CHIPS AND CAKE”. Now here’s a person I can relate to! If it wasn’t completely socially inappropriate and creepy to take a picture of someone’s child, I would have been right there with my camera, taking a picture of this true little Brit.

I get the greatest feeling once I’ve hiked a mountain and am back down, standing at the base of the trail. I can say – “I made it all the way up there, all by myself”. It’s pretty gratifying. I walked all the way up there and all the way back down, without getting eaten by a bear or a cougar. Well done. I was looking for the same sort of gratification after my coastal walk, and didn’t quite find it. Especially after taking the 20 minute long, £2.45 bus ride back to Tenby. I guess I’ll just have to be satisfied with the fact that cliffs may kill, but they didn’t kill me. Current score Cliffs: 0, Me: 1.