We chose two months on Vancouver Island in British Columbia to begin our journey. It’s our happy vacation place, and we thought that would ease any sudden pangs of living without a permanent roof in Chicago. But we did opt for the more populated Victoria (84,000 metropolitan/tourist types) versus the remote “drinking village with a fishing problem” Tofino (2,000 fishers/drinkers) where we typically spend time.
While I could easily spend two months combing the beaches and hiking trails around Tofino, Jan needs to travel back to the USA occasionally for his consulting work. That’s much easier to do in a city with an airport that’s not a half-day away from the rest of civilization. Victoria also has amenities like gyms, pizza delivery, and taxi cabs.
Our criteria for a place wasn’t too crazy — could we wash/dry our clothes? Cook meals? Get around on public transportation? Could we get online? Does Amazon deliver? We divided up the labor — I would get the condo sold and Jan would plot the first stage of our life on the road to coincide with the July 31 close date. I initially thought he got the better end of the deal, until I learned the amount of creativity it would actually take. Another post for another time.
He picked an AirBnB spot in a neighborhood near Victoria General Hospital versus a trendier and expensive spot downtown. He reasoned this would give us a more typical Victoria experience versus a vacation. It’s a cute master suite with a private entrance, deck, and quirks like Pictionary, a slanted euro-style tub/shower, and multi-colored LED lighting in the glass-front cabinets. We haven’t figured out all of the switches or found all the power outlets, though we have broken and replaced the tub’s faucet.
Our host is pretty accommodating. He not only gave us access to his washer/dryer, but also lent us a couple of bikes to get around. Which sounds fantastic, until you realize that British Columbia really has no flat stretches — my quads are slowly morphing to steel. He also gave us full use of his unopened Instapot after we spotted it on a dusty shelf, and a card table when we asked for an al fresco dining option. While he knows little about fishing or hockey, the guy is a peach.
In the first week, we had BC Transit tickets, a membership at the local YMCA/YWCA, and figured out that SaveOn Foods delivers groceries like Peapod. Cascadia Liquor became our Benny’s Beverage Depot, Modo our Zipcar alternative, and our local farmers market found its match with Moss Street Market and City’s Edge Farm. However, we brought our Blackhawk‘s gear with us because we are definitely not ready to change everything.
Week 1 in the books.