Made it to Whistler

It's always fascinating traveling to foreign lands and immersing yourself in an unfamiliar culture. Take here, British Columbia. When we got off the plane there was a line of natives in the waiting area to welcome us to their land. Some of them held signs inviting visitors to travel with them. As we walked we saw that there were shopkeepers and places to get food lining the corridors of the airport offering traditional Canadian delicacies like hamburgers and pizza. Strangely, we found that the people who were staffing the customs line and the rent-a-car desk provided lackluster service, which is obviously unheard of in the United States. It was really eye-opening to see how other peoples on this vast, diverse globe live.

We drove straight from Vancouver to Whistler, stopping in Squamish for dinner. Whistler will be the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics and it will be perfect for that - it's basically a Disneyland for skiing, a whole perfect Alpine village made from scratch without any real hint of authenticity. Which is fine, we're here for the outdoor activities, and there are tons here. The plan for tomorrow is hiking on Whistler Mountain the morning, kayaking in the afternoon on the River of Golden Dreams and then a trip to Brandywine Falls before sunset. I think we'll do a rafting trip on the Elaho and Squamish rivers Friday. Saturday we drive up further into the mountains for a couple of nights to do a run on the Nahatlach River, and then back to Vancouver to look around for a couple of days before coming home.