absolutum dominium

we drove up from vancouver to whistler mountain today. we started out with breakfast at denny's - a lumberjack slam and a french toast platter shared among 3 people -, and then a nice scenic drive (one half because we took the long and winding marine drive towards horseshoe bay instead of the more straightforward highway 1 west; the other half for the same reason as why highway 99 is better know as the 'sea to sky highway') up north. we stopped at squamish for a while.

we booked into best western listel whistler hotel. put down our bags, then decided to walk around. my parents decided to take the whistler gondola up to the peak for some sight seeing. the whistler gondola is the same thing tt i use to go up to board, and since it was spring and as there was absolutely no snow at the base of the mountain, i decided tt this would give me an opportunity to access spring boarding conditions for myself.

anyway while at least a good third of the mountain was almost snow-less, the top still had a fair bit of snow. runs closer to the base had demarcations and boundaries where the snow had melted to the extent tt rocks and open creeks could be seen even in the middle of the runs, and at midway station the ice was very thin... but it was not impossible.

anyway here is a view from the top:



canadian pride!



and guess what? there's tt bear again!



we had lunch at the peak. i ordered beef chilli; my parents ordered fish and chips and italian pasta tomato soup. and this is me with the view from the food court. yeah i know. my face is fatter. SIGH.

it flurried a little while we were eating. my mom who hadn't seen snow in years, was ecstatic.



this is the view from the peak of whistler. you can see the lakes from here. it really is breathaking.



and the whistler man. :)



after the gondola ride, i took my parents through the village. the rocky mountain chocolate factory mint and strawberry ice-cream tt my dad and i bought respectively was delicious, but my dad couldn't take the cold. we walked through whistler village from the green to the marketplace, but even with the cup of coffee i bought for him my dad didn't seem to be holding up too good.

nonetheless we walked to the marketplace, and the village park area was very quaint. like this fountain pond thingy.



and i found this extremely cute. 2 penguins. from all the weight i've put on, i def qualify as 1 of them. i wonder who's the other... hmm?



and this is me with the completely wooden playground. amazing stuff. damn, sometimes i wish i were 15 years younger, so tt i could play on it too! haha.

whistler village is quaint and pretty, the way banff is pretty. whistler is so much smaller than the rockies, and probably less breathtaking, but the upside is tt the ski/boarding area is almost at our hotel's doorstep. no need to drive or find our way around, even though there are some people tt i don't mind driving with at all.

it isn't tt cold, if you're used to a vancouver winter, but it reminds me of you, or the lack thereof. i pass by a multitude of bike rental shops with new well-maintained mountain bikes, and cyclists riding down the roads, or people walking by with their pretty pretty dogs, or those small little birds with small yellow beaks and long tails tt chirp and hop from place to place... and somehow it doesn't feel enough tt i can't share tt wonder with you. you would love whistler. you'd love the drive, you'd love the view, and you'd love the prettiness of it all.

and tomorrow i'm going snowboarding. for the first time, it's going to be without you. and i just know tt it's not going to be as fun. i'd always wanted to do a whistler run with you. the fun of attempting to race down runs together (although you always beat me at speed), kacheowing each other or you throwing snowballs at me mid-runs, or me attempting to take as many unglam photos of you as i possibly can when we hit the base. or whenever i fall, or am run into by other people, tt i can count on you to somehow be there to ask if i am alright, to check if my injuries are serious, or to run into the people who ran into me on purpose. :P

tomorrow you won't be there. and a part of me does worry. when i fall, i can't allow it to be bad. you won't be there. not waiting for me, not laughing at me - but secretly watching out for me so tt you can make sure tt i am ok. not poking fun at me and letting me poke fun at you in return. not returning back to vancouver with so tt we can have dinner at nikko's, again.

i miss you.

anyway i digress. after the walk we came back for a rest coz my dad wasn't feeling well. we left at 8pm for dinner at ric's grill, this upmarket steakhouse. we ordered a plate of calamari, a bowl of new england clam chowder, a caesar salad, and a new york rib steak with rice pilaf, a rack of baby back ribs marinated with espresso bbq sauce and the signature stuffed potato with bacon and melted cheese...

and the dessert.

4-layer chocolate cake with whipped cream and raspberry puree. how big is 4-layers, you might ask?

well, see below.



and yes...



after dinner, we were *completely stuffed*.

so now it's back to the hotel. and the photos have been uploaded, and i should go to bed soon because i'm waking up to board tomorrow.