Wow, only 4 days since the last blog entry and they have all been action packed. We were taken out for a Japanese meal on Friday night with Phil and Barb along with their friends Lance and Noriko. We had a wonderful meal at Zakkushi, where we all shared tapas style Japanese dishes; from the adventurous tongue and quails eggs to fresh radish salad and grilled asparagus. It really got us excited about the next leg to Japan starting tomorrow. Many thanks to Lance and Noriko for providing us with so many useful hints and tips for our stay- it was a great evening. On the way back from the restaurant we picked up the largest chocolate mousse Claire and I have ever seen and had a sixth each.

So after a night of wonderful food we headed out on Saturday morning up to Whistler, to go Zip Trekking. The drive up to Whistler was stunning and the work was still ongoing to make the final preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics in February. We discovered earlier that it was the BMX/ Mountain Biking Work Championships in Whistler at the weekend and the place was packed, which made a really good atmosphere. It was only when we got close we realised what we had got ourselves into; however, we needn't have feared, our guides were excellent (one of which was Irish) and the Zip wires set up high over the Fitzsimmons Creek were breathtaking. I videoed one of the lines at great threat to the safety of Claire's camera, so please check out the video 'Flight of the Eagle' on the video section of the blog. After an amazing day we headed back to Vancouver and to cap things off saw a black bear just on the edge of the highway. A car in front stopped to get a closer view and needless to say that was probably the last that anyone saw of them!

We were woken up by the sun blazing through the blinds on Sunday morning and the first really hot day since we arrived from the UK. So it was only right that Phil and I went for a drive around in his Porsche, which was a lot of fun. Claire and I then wandered the short distance across Vancouver to Canada Place where all the huge Cruise ships dock and hopped on a trolley bus for a tour of the city, which was a great way to see the city. After an exhausting day sight seeing, Phil and Barb spoilt us again by cooking steak on the grill on the balcony along with BC spot prawns. It was a wonderful end to the 10 days that we spend with them.

After seeing off Phil and Barb this morning we took the bikes and cycled around Stanley Park. The amount of cyclists, walkers, runners, skaters was unbelievable and made for some interesting maneuvers at times, but this added to the enjoyment. The highlight of the day for Claire was certainly the raccoons, which were on the edge of the cycle path. Cute little creatures and not to be messed with after we witnessed on of them stand up to a dog three times its size- looks can be deceiving. Off to finish packing the rucksack now, before our flight to Toyko in the morning.

Once again, a huge thank you to Phil and Barb who made our stay in Vancouver so memorable; it was wonderful.

Speak to you all soon.

Love Dave and Claire xxx