Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

We've finally made it to bear land! And a bear we did see (but we'll get to that later). After a crazy exhausting time in South America, the chilled out city of Vancouver was a welcome change. We stayed with Derek's friends Ned and Anita right near the heart of the city, just near the funky area of Commercial Drive. Good times. We had a chance to catch up with old friends (Sarah, Takachan and Krispy), and really enjoy the beauty of the Canadian autumn. Big highlight was our 3 day camping trip to a couple of natural hot spring areas north of Vancouver, right in the BC forest. Vanessa had the chance to see a whole bunch of Canadian animals for the first time: racoons, squirrels, chipmunks, skunks and.....on the camping trip....a big fat black bear! What a treat....an exciting and scary one! It jumped right out onto the road as we were in the car heading back to Vancouver. It bounded down the road and we had a great view of it. A big thanks to Ned and Anita for your hospitality and excellent vibes. Enjoy the pics!

Derek's favourite place in the whole wide world - Wreck Beach

Ned & Derek @ Wreck Beach

Cheeky Squirrel

Stanley Park

Crazy Krispy

Bike Riding around English Bay

Dolphin Show at Vancouver Aquarium

With Takachan and Sarah at the Izakaya...once again! (Beers cost a bit more than 100yen though!)

Beautiful BC

Setting up the camp site

Not naked in the hot springs

Anita and Chris

Campfire jam and potatoes (Derek, Sohail, and Tim)