Vancouver Gets a Beating

I am hoping it is not because I arrived on Wednesday that the city suddenly blew up into mayhem! Watching the live reporting from the riots on my first night in Vancouver, drifting in and out of jetlag induced semi- consciousness was pretty surreal. Luckily I was not the cause of, or part of the riots, and whilst some pathetic idiots were causing trouble, I was chilling in the company of my lovely brother and sister-in-law, and their 2 ragdoll pussycats Archie and Maggie.

The journey was smooth and no problems at all. I did have to run to the gate for the final call as lost track of time in WH Smith; some things will never change! I was also dressed in a few layers to lessen the weight of my luggage, so was pretty hot by the time I had sprinted and got on the plane. Despite being a bit cramped, having a man next to me with serious nasal issues, and having arm rest wars with men both sides of me, the journey went quickly. I got my visa easily, served by a very bored immigration worker who didn’t seem to care what I was doing in his country; I didn’t need most of the documents they demand that you bring. Greeted by my darling bro, I was finally in Canada. Months of thinking about it and building up to it was actually reality! The good thing about going away is getting to spend so much time with my favourite people and loved ones beforehand, although it seems a bit extreme to go to the other side of the world to be able to do that! I reflected lots on the plane about how lovely everyone is, well, most of you!!

The city was buzzing with hockey fever, blue and white Canucks colours splashed everywhere. It was the Stanley Cup Final, THE ice hockey Championship of North America. The Vancouver Canucks were up against the Boston Bruins, huge for Canucks fans. Everywhere you looked there was the Canucks logo and ‘Go Canucks Go’ signs, including on the front of buses and on a banner pulled by a plane! I watched the game on TV, enjoying it but struggling to keep up with its fast pace, as well as wincing at some of the violent challenges! Unfortunately the buzz lessened and the high became lower than low when the Canucks lost 0-4 to the Bruins. As with any place inhabited by the human race, there will always be a bunch of radgies who spoil it for everyone, and a minority of the 100,000 people gathered downtown went mental. Cars were overturned and burned, shops were smashed, burned and looted, innocent fans and people trying to stop the chaos were beaten, and general angry mob behaviour went on for a few hours. Similar riots had kicked off when the Canucks lost to the New York Rangers in 1994, but people were shocked and upset it had happened again. Having a reputation and pride for being a peace loving, chilled out city, hockey fans and residents are sad and embarrassed that a few people, who went there with intention of destruction, have turned what should have been a fun event into debauchery and violence. The clean-up started straight away, as volunteers with shovels and brooms cleared up the debris left by the selfish criminals. The perpetrators have been described today as threatening fools, vulgarians , vandals and hooligans, and hours of video footage and photos will be sifted through to identify them.  The contrast is extreme between these people who have been given the privilege to celebrate a sporting event with their community, and people in the Middle East rioting to overthrow oppressive governments and fight for their lives!

Walking in Vancouver today, it seems like riots would be a million miles away, the truth of the city shining through. The West side is very pleasant indeed, colourful flowers and houses, beaches, boats, birds and smiling people. The waterfront walk was vibrant with joggers, cyclists, families, old people wearing visors, and dogs of all shapes and sizes. The city is easily navigable because it is built on a grid system. I am hoping my short term future in terms of what to do and where to live will be as equally easy to move through and navigate…...