Vancouver - Week 1

Been lazy with the posting but here goes the first instalment.

Nothing like flying 14hrs in cattle class, luckily I met a friendly couple from Halifax, which is on the other side of Canada I was visiting. My whining pales in comparison to the 25hrs total time for them to get back home. Thanks Jen and Mike for some pointers in Canada and yes I did try Tim Hortons coffee, mind you Starbucks seem to be on every block in downtown which I avoided. Yes coffee was what got me through the first day, 4 hrs sleep in prior 36 hrs allowed me to have a catchup 11hrs sleep on my first night at the hostel (lot of poms and loud ozzies here) on what is the squeakiest bunk I ever heard. Not just mine but the one above me squeaked too, lucky I was too tired and slept well.
Vancouver has a lot of residential apartments and few commercial buildings, it’s gird like layout instantly reminds me of Melbourne, it even happens to have trolley buses in lieu of trams. Downtown, West End, Canada Place and Chinatown were all covered by foot on the my first day. In Chinatown I turned into a road which I later learned is infamous here, Hastings St East. A lot of homeless people reside in Vancouver and this street is the epicenter, luckily they are pretty much harmless.

Check out the Grand Slam meal at Dennys over here compared to back in NZ...usual here = large back in NZ.

Second day was a late start and so hired a bike to ride Stanley Park which is like a Centennial Park but heavily forested with trails and surrounded by the sea on 3 sides as it is a peninsular. This place is very popular with the locals and I could see why on a mild Good Friday. Afterwards even had time to walk both bridges that cross False Creek to browse the snow gear shops on 4th Ave in Kjtsilano.

On the third day I finally was getting the upper hand over the jetlag. A walk to Gastown to marvel at the smaller than I expected steam clock and then bus to Granville Island which is similar to Victoria Park Markets back home in Auckland but much more quality wares than your usual cheap tourist junk elsewhere, glad I decided to come here last minute. Afterwards had time to walk back to Downtown and finally catch the Greyhound to Whistler to meet up with Sig.

Vancouver