Cowichan Lake, Vancouver Island

June 30th- July 10th- As we began our journey with nothing but optimism and excitement, things unravelled very quickly. With many solid days of rain, a missed ferry, a teething baby, a lost (AND FOUND in the lake the next day) diamond ring and a flat tire, we definitely felt like the universe was trying to tell us something. But if you've spent any time with us, you'll come to know that "It usually works out" is a common catch phrase around these parts. And well frankly not to brag but, it has indeed all worked out. 

nothing a little muddy buddy can't handle

So how did the first 10 days in the van kick-off? Not only was it puncutated with some noteable mishaps, it also began with a jolt of reality-- The last time we took off in a van for an extended amount of time we were childless and enjoying a dry, hot Mediterranean climate. This time we've got a whole other human in the mix and need to contend with Canada's fickle weather---There's a lot more gear involved. It took us the better part of a week to get ourselves functionally organized and figure out how it was all going to work.

ok, so after missing the ferry we did stay in a cheap motel for the night
and totally brought the motel vibes up to level 10/10

I know that I had mentioned that we're generally heading east, but before that we actually went more west to Vancouver Island and started the journey spending two weeks around Cowichan Lake. 

a lake front fern gully paradise to work out the intricasies of van-ning

Something unique to B.C, there are 1700+ recreation sites across the province. Pretty basic and remote campsites and generally found down old or active logging roads, these have been the most beautiful places to set-up camp. Oh! And most don't require reservations, and they are inexpensive, ranging from free-$15/night- Really jiving with our travel style at the moment. 

bedtime beach sit

no cell service, no t.v, it's been awhile since we've had uninterrupted hours together

...unfortunately those logging roads can sometimes be unkind - J gets it

Ok I'll admit, not a great resume for the first week BUT so many silver-linings, sweet moments against beautiful backdrops. Also now we know how to change a tire, spend whole days entertaining a baby outside in the rain. With a whole lot more ground to cover, things can only go up from here!

Change is Afoot: Unemployed & Homeless

As the title eludes, we have traded in our jobs and our apartment in Vancouver for a bit of an open-ended existence. The long and short of it is that for a long time we've been seeking a shift in our life balance. However, dismantling a comfortable life is scary, so we had settled for daydreaming. Then comes along a baby and the desire and necessity to prioritize the things we value in life becomes immediate. 

Being teachers, we see children toddling off to school, being wonderfully independent everyday. In three short years, we know that will be our child too. Presently, if we didn't change a thing, Baby J would be in daycare while we both work for 10+ hours a day. He's awake for about 12 hours a day, and basic math tells me that just doesn't leave us enough time in the day. So we've decided to prioritize and value this fleeting time in our lives. 

He thinks he's helping--Moving with a baby is hard!

That's the why, but actually what in Sam Hill are we doing? This question has the potential to keep me up at night.

Spoiler: We don't know what we're doing, but we're taking a pause to figure it out.

Our plan at present is to leave Vancouver and take three-ish months to drive&camp across Canada in our converted van. Last time, we made the hurried pilgrimage across Canada in four days, and are definitely looking forward to a much more relaxed pace-- Somehow driving for 17 hrs and eating 3 Big Macs a day does not fall into that life balance we're talking about. Besides some cool sights and cool people to see, and a general direction on the compass, we've got no real plan. Reminding ourselves to live in the day, not to borrow worry and to be open to what comes our way has us jazzed. 

And come Thanksgiving we'll reevaluate, because ya know, life ain't free. 

So yah, living in a van with a baby. We'll let you know how that goes.

Oh! And if it all goes tits up (which it totally could), or we make it 100kms down the road and decide to set-up shop, then that's cool too. Really feeling like we're in a can't-lose place right now.

If You Find Yourself in Vancouver's Chinatown...

I'm going to keep this brief because I have dumplings to eat. 

This picture makes me laugh.
No time to wait for the ciggy break to be over, we've got food to eat!

Chances are if you are visiting Vancouver, you're going to pay a visit to Chinatown--It's Canada's largest, and one of the most historic Chinatowns in North America, so not to be missed. Sure you'll find the gate and visit the classical gardens, but let's be honest; you came here to eat. 

There are so many places to eat, the range and variety of food is abundant, and there are really no bad options. On an average day we're looking for authentic (non-fusion), big flavours and bang for our buck. We can talk dim sum and cocktails later.

So, if you're out for a wander and looking to do a bit of a food crawl, let me share a few north stars that will guide you through Chinatown.

Stop One: T&T - Char Siu Bao/ BBQ Pork Bun

Get a couple of these hand pies (of the Chinese persuasion) for your initial walk about. The whitest, fluffiest bread wrapped around sweet pulled pork will be the warm hug you didn't know you needed. Honestly, we generally just pop into T&T Grocery (conveniently located across from a parking garage and the Sky Train) and grab a couple of these bad boys before even getting on with our day. If you're feeling weird about starting off at a grocery store, I get it. We also have been known to stop in at New Town Bakery.

Tyler's Pick: Pan-fried pork and chive dumplings.

New Town always has a huge line-up down the sidewalk.
If it were me, I'd skip the bao at New Town and fill up on egg tarts.

Stop Two: Chinatown BBQ - Wanton Mee 

Chinatown BBQ has some of the best Hong Kong style BBQ meats in town. Think Peking duck, soya chicken, char siew and all the other favourites. Their ginger-scallion sauce is above the rest and really makes the dishes POP! If you have to choose just one dish, we love the wanton noodles with BBQ pork, dry or in soup - you can't go wrong. The soup feels like a nourishing broth with the freshness of ginger on the side, while the dry noodles have just enough dark soy sauce to give them a tangy sweetness. Our go-to on an all-too-frequent rainy Vancouver afternoon.

Tyler's Pick: Anything with a hefty spoon of their ginger-scallion sauce and chilli oil to give it a kick. 

Stop Three: Money Foods Enterprises - BBQ Meat and Butcher

Next, you're going to want to toddle your way over to Gore & Keefer. Right on the corner is a butcher (the one with all the meat hanging in the window next to the fish market). Go in and grab yourself some rice and a good portion of crispy pork belly, roast duck, char siew...basically meat, it's a butcher. Get it to go, and pay in cash because there is no other option. Aptly named, this place is money. 

Tyler's Pick: 5 bucks worth of char siew, barbecue sauce dripping pork wrapped in brown paper, the perfect pocket food.

Stop Four: Kent's Kitchen - The General Cafeteria Line-Up 

Kent's Kitchen is one of Tyler's picks. The food is good, the price is right, and the authenticity takes him right back to Malaysian lunches at the Chinese food court. Cash only, you can walk right in and choose noodles or rice and point to a couple of dishes to plop on top. You'll end up with a container of something yummy that is in the ballpark of about 2kg of food and you'll be working on it for the next couple of days...yum! 

Tyler's Pick: The spicy pork neck, beef with broccoli on a pile of rice noodles.

Nothing fancy, but so so good!