Vancouver

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Stanley Park

World famous Stanley Park is located at the northern tip of the city of Vancouver. It is the largest city-operated park in Canada and the third largest in all of North America.  It is a 1,000 acre (405 hectare) urban oasis and the only thing I’ve always known I’d want to see if I ever made it to Vancouver. Among its many attractions are the totem poles and the Vancouver Aquarium.

Well, the weather’s been improving and been alternating between sun and fog, so I decided that today was going to be The Day. I was going to brave Vancouver and visit Stanley Park!

First decision to make was how to get there. I really wanted to use the Skytrain, but Stanley Park is huge and its shuttle doesn’t run in the winter. If I wanted to see anything, I’d have to go by car.

The drive wasn’t that bad, actually (thanks, Majel!), and I had a lovely morning in this beautiful park. I’m going to go back on a nicer day so I can get some proper shots of the city. The fog over the ocean was really thick this morning!

The aquarium was okay. I had a nice time and saw some cool things but I’ve been spoiled by some of the best aquariums our continent has to offer, so it takes a lot to wow me now when I visit such a facility. I think that what I will remember most about the Vancouver Aquarium is the beluga whales!

The most memorable moment of the day was when I came across a couple arguing in Mandarin about what they were seeing in the fog:

Lady: Shi Lionsgate Bridge! (It’s the Lionsgate Bridge!)

Man: Bu shi Lionsgate Bridge! (It’s NOT the Lionsgate Bridge!)

Back and forth for a whole minute until I had enough and exclaimed: “SHI Lionsgate!” Then, off their stunned gaze “Wode hanyu pu xin.” (My Chinese sucks) Whodathunk my 15 weeks of Mandarin lessons back in 1997 would come in handy one day? 😀

Please check out the Stanley Park page for pictures. 🙂

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Paralysed

In my (albeited limited) world view, Vancouver is the Los Angeles of Canada, the dark, nasty, don’t get off at the wrong exit or risk a violent death, city, the Gotham of Tim Burton or Chris Nolan. I’m not that timid. I’ve survived Chicago’s South Side, New York’s Washington Park at midnight, Ottawa’s Market after dark, riding the Montreal métro with skinheads, playing chicken with Hells Angels in Gatineau, getting lost in downtown Baltimore, even wandering around the bad parts of Calgary (Calgary has bad parts?). Hell, I’ve even survived a trip to Los Angeles… and that’s what’s not helping the Vancouver situation!

Surprised? 😀

Like with Los Angeles, I know there is a lot to see and do in Vancouver, but, like with Los Angeles, getting around is the issue. In LA, I was advised to not walk around, drive unless I knew where I was going, or take public transportation. I think this left taxis? I wound up driving straight to my hotel on Sunset Boulevard and walking between it and the famous Hollywood sites like the Kodak theatre (even though I’d been advised to not even walk those twenty or so blocks). After less than a day there, I was so exhausted from being on my guard all the time that I just left without going beyond Hollywood (nasty place) when I would have enjoyed doing a studio tour or even just visiting the Griffith Observatory. Looking back, I realise that I would have needed a native guide.

Same thing with Vancouver, it seems, and especially Surrey! Surrey gets a very bad rap; you wouldn’t believe the number of people who told me not to go to Surrey and to especially not be out in Surrey after dark! Last night, I did go out, taking two main streets to go to Walmart and back. Tonight, I’d like to go to a movie, but I have no idea which theatre is in an okay part of town. I’ll need to speak with the very friendly camphost here and ask her what her recommendations are.

Also like in Los Angeles, traffic is absolutely terrible here, maybe even worse than Toronto, but, of course, not nearly as bad as Montreal (because no place in the US or Canada has traffic worse than Montreal).

So, I’m here and really excited and happy to be here but shocked to discover that here is just as scary as I expected it to be!

At least, the RV park is a lovely, non-threatening, bubble. 😀

My first order of the day for tomorrow, then, is to have a chat with the camphost, descarify myself, and come up with one activity for each of  Saturday and Sunday that will get me comfortable with this city!

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Halfway There!

And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west,
I’ll think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson, and the rest,
Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me,
To race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

This is what I had in mind this morning as we broke through the Rockies to find the glorious Fraser leading us to the airport. *awed*

(it’s a day for being welcomed by Frasers, obviously!)

Posting from YVR (free wi-fi, woohoo!) where I should no longer be. Unfortunately, the SF plane is broken, so our flight has been delayed an hour and a half. As long as I get there tonight, I refuse to be irked!

The day has been going well. Taking the bus was a good idea; I got to the airport in Ottawa in exactly one hour door to door and saved 27$.

US customs sucks, but what else is new? At least, I wasn’t searched, although I did have to schlepp through the security area in my bare feet (I need a shower!) and got to stand spread eagle as I was wanded over and over and over and over again and practically had to show my beeping bra strap to the attendant before she’d let me leave. LOL

Geeze, I just realised it’s 6 o’clock home time and I’ve been up for over thirteen hours! It’s no wonder I’m wiped!

I’ve been careful about food and keeping myself hydrated, eating regular small meals like tuna salad on the flight over and vegetarian udong here at the airport. I was glad I forgot to request a veggie sandwich for my flight over because I found that my tuna salad with crackers, carrots & dip, and chocolate bar were much better value for the prepaid 5$ voucher I’d bought. For one thing, I felt that I was enjoying a complete meal.

I bought myself a snack for the SF flight, but the more this flight is delayed, the more I think that I should go get something more substantial since I hadn’t planned on having dinner till I get to Neil’s…. Now, I’m thinking of revising that plan. 🙂

Let me end with this: I LOVE TRAVELING! *bounce, bounce, bounce*