In the woods near Vancouver by ma_siever

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July Updates

I finally decided to update my page. When I looked at the date of my last article, I was shocked. Almost a month had already passed. Unbelievable. Where does all the time go? Part of the delay is because my scanner is not working. So I won't be able to give you as many personal pictures as I did before. Wait until I get a new computer. However, I don't know when that will be either. Hopefully the scanner will be working later on.

So the following is a variety of things I wanted to put up, but could not until now. Some of the things are a little out-of-date, but that's okay. Most of these articles are taken part or whole from some emails I sent out. So let's do some catching up.

Congratulations Beijing!!

"And the winner is . . . Beijing!"

China just burst out with celebration after those words were spoken. Beijing had just won the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. On Chinese TV broadcast around the world, there were fireworks and celebrations of all sorts in different parts of China. Some were crying and others were cheering. Taxis paraded with the words "We Won!" across the back window. The whole country was in euphoria

I'm very happy for Beijing. I think it will be a great experience for all of China. This is a world-class event in a world-class city. If anyone can get all the buildings ready in time for the Olympics, then Beijing can do it.

One of the competing cities was Toronto. However, I am not feeling sad for Toronto losing the bid. All the other cities in Canada outside of Toronto have a huge rivalry with the city. We usually don't like Toronto in a playful way. It's nothing serious. But Vancouver is bidding for the 2010 Winter Olympics. If Toronto won, then Vancouver would likely not be able to win the 2010 Winter Olympics. Now that Toronto lost, Vancouver has a better chance.

Personally, I don't know if I want the Olympics in Vancouver. I don't think this city is ready and we build things so slowly in Canada. It's not like China. Things are built very quickly in China. Plus, our bus and train system could not carry all the people that would come to the city during the Olympics. The whole city could become one big mess.

The Grouse Grind

One Saturday in July, I went hiking with some friends. Just north of Vancouver, there are many mountains. They are not far from the city at all. The only problem is crossing the bridge to get there can take a long time. There are always traffic jams on many of Vancouver's bridges. We went to a mountain called Grouse Mountain.

There are three major mountains on the North Shore across from Vancouver. Those mountains are Cypress Mountain, Mount Seymour, and Grouse Mountain. They all are ski hills and attract many skiiers in the winter. In the summer, Grouse is still a beautiful place to visit. There is a tram that travels up the side of the mountain to near the top. At the top is an alpine lodge with some souvenir shops and a cafe or two. There is also the Theatre in the Sky. It usually plays the same movie over and over again. There is also the Lumberjack Show where two big, strong actors become lumberjacks and do lumberjack things like chop wood, throw axes, and log jumping. There are also many wood sculptures on top of the mountain for visitors to enjoy. (If you want to know more, then visit www.grousemountain.com

Grouse Mountain also has a famous trail called the Grouse Grind. It's a hike from the bottom parking lot of the mountain to near the very top of the mountain. I hiked up this mountain with my friends for 2 hours! I was sweating a lot. It's great exercise, though. I also had a great time talking with my friends.

Later that night, we had a barbeque at one of my friend's home. My friends are an American couple who live in a downtown apartment. They live on the 32nd floor of a 36 floor highrise apartment. They have a wonderful view from their windows. I can see Stanley Park, one of the largest city parks in Canada, and the mountains north of the city. There is a courtyard near the bottom of the building. My friends invited a lot of people over. We had a great time. Some of the children went swimming. I forgot my swimming trunks, so I didn't swim. However, I rolled up my pants and put my feet into the whirlpool. That was a great feeling after 2 hours of hiking. That Saturday was just a perfect day for me.

Celebration of Light

Every year at the end of July and the beginning of August, there is a fireworks competition in Vancouver. Three different countries come to compete on four different nights. The fireworks are put together with song to make a beautiful show in the night sky.

The show is in English Bay, one of the best known bodies of water in the city. A large barge sits in the middle of the bay. On this barge is tonnes and tonnes of fireworks. Everything is carefully checked on the barge because you don't want the fireworks to destroy the nearby downtown buildings.

This year's competing countries are South Africa, China, and last year's competition winner, Spain. Each company has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on each show. Each one has taken time to carefully time each explosion with the music. Any mistakes would mean they lose the prize.

Many of the spectators have waited hours to see this show. People set up camp on the surrounding beaches and stake out their territory. People bring cards and games to pass the time. Some start playing volleyball on the beach, but need to be careful not to hit anyone. Other people have decided to take their time and read a nice novel before the show begins. As the start time draws near, more and more people crowd onto the beaches. There's almost no space to walk around anymore.

At 10:15pm, the show is about to begin. The crowd counts down with the announcer, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1,..." and then "bang!" The fireworks start lighting up the sky.

If you are interested, you can visit the official Celebration of Light website at www.celebration-of-light.com.