Well here I am in Canada on my Moose Network Jump on Jump off tour thingy. Arrived into Vancouver Tuesday evening, flew in over the mountains which was spectacular - well from what I could see anyway - the people next to me were hogging the window! That's what I get for doing a good deed and giving up my window seat for a mother and her child! Made my way to the hostel, which turned out to be in the dodgiest part of Vancouver, near Chinatown (C & N Backpackers - one to avoid. Which was a shame because it was a lovely night and I wanted to go exploring but was too afraid to leave the hostel!! Managed to keep myself awake until 11pm to try to combat jetlag - fat lot of good it did me as I was wide awake at 4am! Bus picked me up at 9am (after a nervous 15 minute wait outside the hostel - so many weirdos even at that time!) and we were on our way to Whistler, stopped off a few times for waterfalls and lakes and made our way through the mountains - the scenery was just beautiful. In Whistler we made our way to the hostel - I use this term very loosely as this place was very very nice, a chalet actually, overlooking a lake, and it was just us staying there. Had a bit of bear action in Whistler - we had been told that a few weeks earlier the guy running the hostel, had come down from upstairs to find a bear in the lobby! So all eyes were peeled for bears and we had been briefed on what to do if we actually came across one. The signs in the backyard of the hostel warning against feeding the bears and the bear proof bins used everywhere here are a bit unnerving! Some of the guys saw a bear up a tree outside the night club as they left and some others saw one across the road from the hostel the next morning - but I missed both spottings :( We were supposed to be catching the Gondola to the top of Whister mountain but it wasn't running, so instead a few of us went for a 1 hour each way hike to an absolutely gorgeous lake (the one in this photo) for a picnic lunch - life's really tough some times!! The people on the bus are all very friendly and I think we'll have some fun! Not full of Aussies which makes a nice change! Anyhoo, there's a line up for the internet, so that's enough bragging from me for the time being!! Take care y'all! Lots of love Melissa xxx