Day 36 Vancouver, Canada

 No sightseeing today as we had to move from one hotel to another.  We decided last night that we would have brunch in Yaletown then check-out at midday.  You are really spoilt for choice for places to eat in Yaletown but we ended up stopping at Earls that looked like a decent place to eat.

I have to say the service in any restaurant we have been to over the past week has been exceptional.  I wonder if it is because the wait staff rely on the tips you leave them so they give it their utmost.  Tipping is something we are struggling with.  How much should you leave?  Apparently 20% of your bill is the normal but when it comes to the valets it has to be cash and many a day we have had nothing but a $20 note in our wallets!  We apologise to them but apparently they are pretty used to us Aussies.....

Once we were seated we are brought coffees that are always complementary.  They are served black but you can ask for cream (milk) on the side.  I ordered the Chorizo Hash with poached eggs and Avo and Philip ordered the Avocado Eggs Benny.  They came to our table very fast and we attacked our meals with relish.  Boy it was good and we both agreed that it was the best breakfast we have eaten since we have been in Vancouver and as it turned out, the cheapest!

After our scrumptious brunch we walked back to the Douglas Hotel to pack our suitcases (that we really never unpacked - thank goodness for packing cells) and check-out.  We didn't have long to wait for a taxi to take us the short distance to the Fairmont Waterfront.  Check-In is normally 4pm but we opted to pay a little more for a waterfront room that we could check into immediately.  That was such a relief and we were mighty pleased with the up-grade when we saw the view from our 17th floor room.

We will be meeting our fellow travellers tonight for a welcome dinner hosted by APT.  There is a maximum of 40 people on tour so it should be a fairly intimate tour where we can really get to know each other.  I have a feeling there will be a few Aussies on this tour.  Tomorrow we start the tour in earnest with a sightseeing tour of Vancouver visiting places that we haven't yet explored.

Day 35 Vancouver, Canada

Today we explored Granville Island and the Yaletown area.  Both places simply solidified our ever growing love of Vancouver.  We had to catch the ferry to Granville Island that is only a short walk from the Douglas Hotel.  I took a photo of the hotel as we were leaving this morning.  It is very much a boutique hotel that is really quite lovely with its heavy use of timber.

 The ferries run every 15 minutes so we only waited a short time to board for the 20 minute ride to Granville Island with three stops in between.  It was around 10 when we arrived and we hadn't had anything to eat so we found a restaurant where we ordered bagels and coffees that were surprisingly good. Can't say that the coffee we have had since leaving Australia has been great, but then again us Aussies are very particular about our coffee.

After breakfast we explored the markets that are a foodies delight.  It is laid out like our Rusty's market in Cairns but on a much grander scale.  You won't hear the food vendors calling out here but the locals seem to know exactly where to go for the best deals.  We were definitely not in the know because we paid $9 for a very large punnet of mixed berries, only to find them a dollar cheaper at a stall further along!  Mind you I would have paid double because these berries were superior to anything I have ever eaten before.  In amongst the berries were grapes and as soon as Philip and I tasted them we both had a walk down memory lane.  They tasted like the grapes that we remembered from our childhood.  Why can't we buy these in Australia instead of those bags of tasteless grapes! Also, this is the first time I have ever tasted Cape Gooseberries that are delicious albeit very tart.

Cape Gooseberries

We found a young girl standing on the pier talking about the Raptor.  They area really quite a magnificent bird.

Walking further along we came to another food area that concentrated on pastries and artisan breads.  The two girls that were selling the French Canaleś were handing out samples and we tried them (of course we did!).  OMG.  They were so delicious so we bought two that were topped with Lemon Curd.  We found a comfortable seat outside on the wharf and devoured them.  It is hard to explain what they are but they are certainly donut-like but they have been dipped in a toffee that hardens slightly on the outside.  Of course they are sweet, but you would expect nothing less from the French!

After we had our fill of Granville Island we again boarded the ferry and alighted at the stop that would take us to Yaletown.  This is a very trendy area that has many many restaurants interspersed with some great boutiques.  The streets are lined with greenery and the ferry driver told us that apartments in this area start around the $8 million mark.  I can understand why as the area borders False Creek that is a truly lovely area. The yachts that are moored in this area are mega yachts that only the very rich could afford.

Yaletown started as a rail centre and we passed a building that housed one of the original trains that had been beautifully restored by a group of passionate people.  

We continued our walk through the area and eventually found a terrific place for lunch.  Once again we were lucky enough to strike happy hour for food and beverages that makes it a very cheap meal indeed.  Our choice of finger food was perfect - Crispy Salt n Pepper Chicken Wings, Avocado, Tomato, Pesto, Buratta Bruschetta and Waffle Fries, and so delicious.  

It is not a long walk back to our Hotel, that also borders the Yaletown area, but we took our time to walk off our lunch.  While we waited at a pedestrian crossing we spotted this cyclist with his dog in the side-car.  Notice the glasses on the dog......

It was another glorious day with the sun shining brightly and we finally have been able to put our jackets and scarves away.  Mind you, I think when we head to Whistler next week we will need to pull them out again.

We check out of the Douglas Hotel tomorrow and move over to the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel and this will also mark the beginning of our 15 day APT tour.  Check-out time is midday but we can't check in to the Fairmont until 4pm so we will have to find something to do for those few hours.  I dare say it won't be a problem.

Day 34 Vancouver, Canada

 Both Philip and I have always wanted to fly in a Float Plane and today was the day.  We had been given a heads up by a friend about the Mail Run that leaves Vancouver and lands at Ganges and Maple Bay before returning to Vancouver.  It was perfect as we boarded around 9 and were back by 11.30 in time to meet a friend for lunch.

The plane we boarded was a twelve seater so it was not too small.  It was almost filled to capacity.  Some people were leaving the plane in Ganges (it was an option to return on a later flight) and some also alighted at Maple Bay and at both places we took on extra passengers.

The take off and landing of the float plane is incredibly smooth, much better than a wheeled plane on a runway and we flew quite low - around 1200 feet - so there was no turbulence.  It was a spectacular day with full sunshine and we expect it to stay that way for the next few days.  It has warmed up considerably so maybe we can put away some of those winter clothes!

Of course the views from the plane in all directions were beautiful and I didn't realise there were so many islands.  Every island, even if it was just an acre seemed to have a dwelling on it.  These people are really off the grid and you would have to be somewhat of a hermit to enjoy it.  Boats! Boats in every nook and cranny but of course this is the only sensible way to get around.  I imagine the fishing would be very good with salmon and crabs in abundance.

When we landed at Maple Bay we were allowed to disembark for a ten minute break. We had a quick walk around the village and it is very pretty with its backdrop of pine covered mountains.  We even saw an Australian flag flying at the local pub.

It seemed all too soon that we were landing in the Vancouver harbour at the end of our flight but we were also excited to be meeting up with a young friend who landed in Vancouver yesterday.  What a coincidence!  We had actually tried to catch up with Brad when we were in Perth last year (his home town) but he was in Spain.  It was providence that we finally caught up with each other,  even if it was half way around the world!

Tomorrow will be an easy day with a bit of laundry to catch up on before we join the APT tour the following day.  We might catch the water taxi to Granville Island for a look around and apparently there is a pretty good seafood restaurant there so that may be our lunch destination.

Day 33 Vancouver, Canada

 Today was Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.  We left the Douglas by 9am and made our way to the harbour area via the downtown area, giving Chinatown a wide berth.  By 9.30 we were seated in a food court and devouring breakfast.  It was a hearty meal of ham omelette for me and bacon and eggs for Philip washed down with juice and fruit on the side.  A funny story.  One of the stall owners in the food court called us over so that we could experience "the best breakfast in Vancouver"!  When he told us how much it was going to cost - $46 - I said that was waaaay to much so he quickly dropped the price to $40.  Food is such a rip-off.

There is a shuttle bus that runs every 15 minutes from the harbour area to Capilano and we were seated on the bus by 10.  There was another cruise ship that had berthed in the harbour overnight so the shuttle bus was full when it pulled away from the kerbside on its way to Capilano.

Vancouver is feeling very familiar to us now.....it doesn't take long to get your bearings.  We crossed over the Lions Gate Bridge that our ship passed under just a few days ago and within twenty minutes we were at Capilano.

We had pre-purchased our tickets so no need to stand in line to purchase them thank goodness and straight away made our way to the Suspension Bridge.  This bridge is long and at 70 metres above the Capilano River, it is actually a little scary walking across the bridge as it sways from side to side.  I walked very fast and latched onto the hand rail!

Once we were at the other side we took the Nature walk followed by the Treetops Walk.  They are lovely walks winding their way through the massive trees that I think are bigger than Australia's Kari tree but Philip says not.  We have walked the tree tops walk at Walpole in southern Western Australia and we thought that it was the best in the world but this Tree Top Walk at Capilano is like Walpole on steroids!

After we had completed both of the walks we headed back over the suspension bridge (not so bad on the return) and followed the signs to the Cliff Top Walk.  This is a very narrow walkway that is attached to the side of the cliff face with cables.  It is not for the faint hearted as it is a long drop to the river below.  (My hands have gone clammy just thinking about it.)  But it was also well worth doing and I even braved the suspended walkway that hung precariously out off the cliff face.

All up we were walking in the park for almost two hours.  There were lots of people here today but we are told that more than 1.2 million people make their way to this park each year.  It is very popular with both tourists and locals.  The shuttle bus was waiting in the carpark as we exited and in no time at all we were back in downtown Vancouver.

It was after one by the time we started the two kilometre walk back to our hotel so we were on the lookout for a lunch spot.  We ended up finding a great coffee shop that not only had the best coffee so far this trip but had a nice lunch selection plus a huge selection of Cheesecakes!  I had purchased a Pork Tonkatsu from a food truck on our way to the coffee shop so I devoured that for lunch while Philip had a toastie.

Japanese Pork Tonkatsu is Crumbed Pork fillet, cabbage, Tonkatsu Sauce and Mayo. 

We are both feeling a little tired today with neither of us sleeping well last night.  (Note to self to get the doctor to prescribe light sleeping pills for our next trip.) Tomorrow we have an early start for our float plane journey so we intend to have room service breakfast and catch a taxi to the harbour.  Walking is not an option early in the morning.  I don't think it would be terribly safe.

I love this photo. Look hard and you will see the beautiful reflection of a building on the other side of the street.

Did you guys know that Cannabis is legal in Canada?  It is the first thing you smell as you walk the streets.  Jury is still out on whether it is a good thing or not.  All I can tell you is that Vancouver has a huge drug problem and a lot of homelessness.  Police and Ambulance sirens are heard continuously throughout the CBD.