Farewell the The Empress and the deserted marina of Saturday morning and hello to the mainland and Vancouver under grey skies. It was a repeat combination of bus, ferry, bus to get us across the Strait of Georgia, weaving by the Gulf Islands from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. After checkout at 11 am, a smooth ride on the ferry and incessant traffic snarls on The Mainalnd the arrival time at The Fairmont in Vancouver was right on 4 pm...conveniently the guaranteed checkin time.

The room was once again "Fairmont spacious" with the best beds and pillows, comfy sitting room and desk, walkin robe etc . but the view. .... hmmm ..just a little different from Victoria. Our window looks over (or should I say across and around) a collection of high rise buildings...no harbour view here and I have to say it is obvious we are in the centre of a city of 2 million because the sirens and traffic have replaced the gentle horn of The Clipper.

Unpacked and set up the room, did the necessary washing (it is $6 here for a single pair of undies) and then it was time to explore. Again, perfect location and we can look left or right to find a tantalising array of dinner options.

Our choice tonight - Thai. It did not disappoint. Mac ordered an entire perch and of course it came with the head and eyeballs all drenched in a crispy, spicy sauce. It was the gastronomical highlight of the meal and was perfectly complemented by crispy wontons, seafood tom yum soup and delicately de-boned and stuffed chicken wings washed down by tonight's selection of creative cocktails . (Mac's drink had a hint of spice!). By the end of the two hours of feasting, the chicken wings weren't the only things stuffed!

Found ourselves a corner store and a wine and spirits shop to stock up on the makings and our first day in Vancouver was finished with a couple of Appleton Estate rums (thanks @Lloyd for your introduction to this one.)

Sunday was RACE day and armed with enthusiasm and a map, carefully annotated by the Concierge, for the princely sum of $2.75, we were happily aboard bus 135 heading towards Hastings Park Racecourse. The course was in a community precinct - there was a Playland (like Deamworld with crazy spinning rides and echoing with thrill filled screams), gardens (including featured Japanese and Italian Gardens), fountains and playgrounds, an enclosed equestrian concourse, the Colosseum featuring the Cirque production of Totem and of course the raceway and casino. It was Sunday and it was busy, busy .

Hastings is a dirt track a mere 5/8 mile (1000 metres). It is well set up with open and closed grandstands, a concourse with lots of concessions (read..outdoor food and drink stands), a children's play area, parade ring, winner's circle and the Casino is part of the complex with its associated betting rooms, gaming rooms, restaurants and bars.

So much was similar but there were so many differences. There was Wagering 101 help everywhere ranging from billboards and special betting windows to human offsiders. Mac mastered 101, 102 and 103 in a heartbeat and placed a losing $10 bet on the first. I followed this up with a losing $10 bet on the Mountain Bear poker machine and we were done for the day. The rest of the 8 event meet was filled with picks that of course won...,without our money riding on their backs.

Have to say it is all a very relaxed day. No entry fee to get in! Lots of people in all sorts of dress . And surprisingly, no weigh in at the end of the race. The jockey jumps off the horse, the owners race onto the track, someone grabs the saddle and heads back to the stables, The tractors and water carts come out and smooth out the track and 30 minutes later the next lot are heading down the alley past the grandstand towards the first turn. Lots of cheering and yahooing in the stands as the punters cheer them home. And the real action is happening inside with the serious punters in their little betting boxes betting on events all over the world.

A great people watching day.

The next quest was to find Chinatown to have a look at the "outdoor, colourful summer markets that run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May to August." This meant skirting Skid Road (I thought it was "row") which is a very unsavoury part of Downtown. We skirted the edges and certainly saw masses of homeless people, but despite The Navigator's best efforts we could only spot a few merchants trading in Chinatown .

Headed instead to Gastown and the steam clock and the blow out sale at North Face and then onto the waterfront to take in Canada Place, The Spirit of Canada Trail and explore The Convention Centre. The Seawall of Vancouver is beautiful and is a tourist hub. The houses cling to the north shore silhouetted against the mountain backdrop that leads to Grouse Mountain and Whistler in the perfect Sea to Sky panorama. The harbour is busy with the shipping terminal, the cruise terminal, the ferries, the sea planes and helicopters.

Canada Place is a clever and spectacular design. In profile, it is just like a cruise ship with its captain's bridge, the towering sails and the pointed bow. It provides the perfect vantage point for viewing the rhythm of the harbour and of course it holds promise for us as our departure point for the Alaskan Cruise.

Dinner tonight was declared as "dessert night" ....no entree ...no main ...just going for dessert! Tucked on the corner of Burrard and Cordova we stumbled on Vancouver's international award winning gelato cafe the Bella Gelateria. We queued for 20 minutes to share in this little taste of heaven. Two scoops each in a cone! That was dinner. After slurping and licking our way through salted caramel, Belgian chocolate, coconut milk and old fashioned chocolate we can understand why there was a queue.

And that was the weekend licked. Home and settled by 9 pm building our reserves for the new week ahead.


Saturday
Temperature: 17
Pedometer: 4 608
Bear Sightings = 0

Sunday
Temperature: 18
Pedometer: 16 865
Bear Sightings = 0

Total Bear Sightings = 2