Vancouver

1st October, 2007.

It was a relief to see my aunty Sheila standing patiently in the foyer of Vancouver airport. My flight from London had been delayed as a patient developed a chest complaint which caused the aircraft to lose its place in the take off queue. I was delayed about 30 minutes. Then Customs took an age to get through.

The living arrangement was great. I would stay at Sheila’s place most days and crash in with Mike and Rosie when it suited. Of special mention is that I was gifted a month bus pass from my aunt that would allow me to easily to get into town and around with ease.

The first thing that I impressed me was that pedestrians here have right of way when crossing the street. They expect you step out. I wish New Zealanders would adopt that same mentality. Some days when I was on the bus there were some very talkative people. As soon as I said anything they thought “yup, he’s a tourist,—probably Australian too.” One gentleman explained what to do and see over in Vancouver Island extensively. I was generally impressed by peoples’ friendliness.

The first few days I spent exploring Gas Town and China town. China town was basic and too hygienic in comparison to Bangkok’s China Town but it was still worth a visit. Between these two towns live a large number of homeless. Rosie warned me about them, but I as long as I walked with a purpose they didn’t bother me.

The city gearing up for the Winter Olympics in 2011, most of the main arterial routes to downtown were being ripped up to put in an extensive subway. Shops along these streets were feeling the pinch as Mike and I discovered when eating out. The waiters kept trying to suggestive sell the most expensive dish. Fair enough.

I eventually got the chance to walk around Stanley Park— it rains a lot in Vancouver — and take photos of the city and surrounding mountains. On the park there is an aquarium which kept me interested for a couple of hours. The sea otter display was my favourite.

One day I ventured out to Grouse Mountain on the western side of Vancouver. Four bus rides and a ferry latter I am standing at the base of the mountain. It had been mentioned that some people climb to the top and catch the gondola down. Well, I thought, I would attempt it myself. The “Grouse Grind” is a steep section of walking track is about 2 kilometres long. By about the quarter way point I was thinking that it was a stupid idea walking up. By the three quarter point I was knackered. Many people passed me and I felt like I was standing still sometimes! It took nearly 90 minutes to walk up.