More of the good, the bad and the ugly
The Grouse Grind
Slightly less than an hour by bus from Downtown Vancouver is the beginning of a 3 km hike up to Grouse Mountain – referred to as the peak of Vancouver – called the Grouse Grind. 2,830 stairs lead over 150,000 people annually to the top, gaining 853 metres in elevation. After all that lazing at the beach and going out, our little group of friends – Isabelle (who is from Saarbruecken only an hour from my own home), Jed, Andy and myself – have decided it’s time for some exercise. It’s a humid, hazy day but the weather forecast predicts that the cloud will lift by mid-afternoon. The views from up top of the mountain are supposedly amazing and we don’t want to miss out. I only know about the Grouse Grind from Jed and Andy so by the time we get there, I have no idea about the length or, to be more precise, how tedious the hike actually is. I consider myself to be quite sporty but by the time we reach the first-quarter mark in the humid, mosquito-infested forest I’m panting and sweating as if I just ran a marathon. Isabelle, who is shorter than the rest of us, smokes and doesn’t really like exercise, is displeased to say the least. But after a short break, she decides she’s going to push on through the dense forest and up the high wooden or stone steps to the top. Cursing at us and swearing, saying this is the worst two hours of her life, while her facial expression is a reflection of her words, Isabelle bravely marches on behind us. Angry.
It’s a tough hike and by the time we get up, the fog has if anything only intensified but we’re so relieved to have made it to the top that we don’t even care anymore. And after a quick beer in the restaurant on top of the mountain, we meander to the grizzly enclosure nearby. Grizzlies love the foggy weather and we might have been lucky after all because, in contrast to many other hikers, we see the grizzlies very close by, walking just a metre along the fence in their enclosure, swimming in the little pond and playfully snapping at each other with their vast mouths. We spend probably the most part of half an hour watching the two of them and admiring their strength and the speed with which they move their massive bodies. A cable car takes us down to the starting point again for 10 CAD (6 GBP / 7 EUR) where we collapse onto a bus back to Downtown.
Get your rent cheque
Once a month in Vancouver, it’s time for the Rent Cheque party in East Hastings. I missed the last one but my friends from Samesun Hostel were there and told me all about it. It’s called Rent Cheque because amateur strippers can earn their “rent cheque” of 500 CAD if they win the strip contest. The queue isn’t too long but we’re standing in front of the door for ages until Jed tips off one of the bouncers and we’re in two seconds after. The strip show is in full swing with men and women alike doing their more or less sophisticated performances – alone or in groups – while the crowd is cheering. It’s a shame that it took us so long to get in because we only see a handful of people. It’s a funny vibe and a bit peculiar with lots of people just standing around at least partly naked in the midst of the crowd.
The bed bugs infestation
The morning after the Rent Cheque party I wake up feeling rough and itchy. My upper arm features about ten bites and there are bites on my neck and back as well. They are red hot and swollen, as well as enormously itchy. Asking at the reception of the hostel, I am informed that these are mere mosquito bites. I’m surprised because I usually don’t react that strongly to mozzies. A few days later, when the first set of bites is starting to heal at last after applying lots of bite cream, I wake up with another set and one of them on my ankle features a nasty blister the size of a two-EURO-coin. Heading back to reception this time, they inform me that it’s bed bugs.
Bed bugs live in mattresses especially when people use e.g. sleeping bags by means of which the nasty bugs can be brought into a hostel. Therefore sleeping bags are usually not allowed in hostels; this also goes for HI Jericho Beach however bed bugs can be transported via clothing or backpacks from one place to another. To make sure I get rid of them for good in case they’ve infested my gear, my entire backpack of clothing needs washing and tumble-drying as the heat kills off the bugs. While the hostel staff instantly do the washing for me and offer me to refund my remaining nights in case I wish to move out, I am desperate. The new bites are even worse than the first ones and I can’t think straight anymore because of the itch. The blister on my ankle is really worrying me. So I head off to the doctor first and foremost who immediately diagnoses an allergic reaction to the bugs and prescribes me strong antihistamines. All the while I’m chatting to Andy over the phone who has offered me to stay at his new place because I now really want to get out of Jericho Beach and no other hostel seems to have any availability. Adding the fact that I’m right now really over the hostel life. I’m so grateful for the offer and so exhausted from the pills that I almost cry with relief as I direct my van Horst towards East Vancouver, looking forward to a few days of proper rest and for my bites to heal.
Leaving Horst
Unfortunately, in addition to my bites, which make me feeble and winy to say the least, Horst and I are facing a bit of a low in our relationship. Just like any real man, he has a lot of issues that I cannot really understand. One day the motor stutters the next Horst is losing water. I think it’s time we break up. Also because it’s now peak season. I figure that it will be much easier for me to sell a camper van right now than in another couple of months. Come winter, it will be too cold to sleep in a van in the vast majority of Canada.
My gutfeel was right and the van sparks a lot of interest on Kijiji and Craigslist. However the first buyer complains about the rusty condition of the van which was imported from Nova Scotia, where a lot of salt is used on the road during winter. With the next buyer, the van starts leaking right after the test drive. My friend Darren from Calgary suggests I drive the van over to Edmonton to get it checked out by friends of his family but I’m seriously worried that I won’t make it there with the leak. So I have to take him to the Honda dealer to fix a leak in the engine coolant compartment costing 700 CAD. The next few buyers aren’t interested either, despite the fact that Horst now seems to be running just fine. I am still not quite back to my old, pre-bed bug self and I find the entire situation very stressful. I worry that I will have to write off the van and lose the money I spent to buy it and fix it. At long last, an interested buyer decides to give it a check-up at a garage who provide him with a list of issues that need fixing, only two of them being urgent. Upon agreeing to lower the price, the Australian buys Horst who is still leaking and making new noises and I’m relieved to have some cash again.
With the money now on my hands, and with the bed bugs merely a distant yet very bad memory, I decide it’s time for another adventure. And after a beer-fuelled night at Doolin’s to celebrate my new-found freedom post-Horst, Isabelle and I decide to go on a road trip to the US and to see Guns N’ Roses live in Los Angeles. But more about that in the next post.
