THIS city continues to grow on us. Even during our wet, grey reception period following our arrival, we were never disillusioned. Coming from England, I felt at home.
We haven't yet explored a fraction of all this city and its surroundings has to offer. But so far we like what we have seen.
As a city, Vancouver isn't so big that you can't get around. We live in the suburbs, but the bus services are great and we can get downtown in no time. If I were living here longer, I would definitely consider hiring or buying a bike to get around.
Although I've met a lot of people who've been in car accidents, the driving doesn't seem particularly aggressive or perilous.
And when you try to cross the road - not even at a pedestrian crossing - nine times out of ten cars will slow down for you. It happened to us in Australia quite often and we thought it strange (probably because we'd just arrived from Bali in Indonesia, where it's manic). But in Vancouver it's the done thing. I rarely, if ever, see any signs of road rage.
Being a Londoner, I have a gripe with expensive public transport, but in Vancouver I can buy a pass for $91 (£58) per month that gives me unlimited access to buses, trains and ferries. And on Sundays my pass covers the whole family. In the UK I'd be spending close to that in one week for an off-peak ticket!
I've touched on the wonderful food options here in a previous post. Vancouver also offers amazing views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains, where you can ski, and it's close enough to the ocean to go surfing.
The downside is that the cost of living is high. Rent is expensive and the locals complain about it. But what I like most about being here is the people - they are so friendly and engaging.
Passengers on the bus will thank the driver when leaving. It's contageous. On a recent journey, Zenchai hailed: "Thank you, bus driver," as we got off at our stop.
I can't recall how many times I have been places with one or both of the kids and ended up getting into long conversations. People approach me and are approachable.
We have also met many parents who are raising their children in a like-minded way, either homeschooling or 'unschooling'. There are plenty of options for alternative education.
In terms of safety, Vancouver rates highly. There are some areas downtown which are probably best to steer away from, but that's the same for most big cities. Where we are, on the west side, it feels very secure. We're in a beautiful neighbourhood.
Now that the weather has turned, we've ventured out more. Over Easter we enjoyed near-summer-like conditions. It was glorious. We went to Stanley Park, the biggest in Vancouver. It seemed like the rest of the city was there also that day.
It was fun for us all, especially the kids. We walked along the coast, visited a playground, Zenchai got to experiment with Parkour wherever he could and, once we were able to catch a bus home, we stopped off for a bite to eat at one of our favourite places, TeraVburger, where Zenchai said he wanted to spend his birthday.
Guess we'll be heading back there again then.
Great post guys. Sounds like you are having great time in Vancouver. I am loving your pictures specially kids.
Posted by: India Visa | 12 April 2013 at 10:30 AM