What are Canucks?

Sunday, August 19, 2012
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1st travel day = DISASTUH!

SF airport was the most disorganised charlie foxtrot I've ever encountered ...thousands of people lining up for passport control, and 2 hours into it i could see i had at least another hour's wait...i saw a security guard open a new booth and wave people through so i just ran for it...i made my connecting flight literally by 5 mins

SF is also where Air New Zealand informed me that one of my bags was still in Sydney - but that all is ok because i could pick it up tomorrow - from San Francisco - in the USA - the country i would NOT be in...i filled in a report report and they said they would 'try' to forward it to Canada...26 hours later, with the help of the concierge at my Vancouver hotel, we are told my bag is in Los Angeles and no one at the airline knows why...they are still TRYING to deliver it to my Vancouver hotel

it only had my toiletries in it and the bag is actually worth more than the contents, but when you're nearing the end of a 22 hour transit you feel like it's the WORST THING EVERRRRR

1st tourist day = SO CUTE!

Vancouver is so green ...it's beautiful in a natural way rather than a 'concrete city' kind of way, almost like nature has allowed humans to live here - it's not true, of course, because the whole area was one dense forest, but more than any other industrialised city I've ever been to, it looks and feels harmonious with the environment...it's surrounded on 3 sides by water, but not just any water, the Pacific ocean...the city is protected from the elements by some bigass island* larger than your average European country, so from here the waters of the Pacific are completely calm (not the Pacific I'm used to)

as expected, Canadians are omg!so nice..all those jokes you hear about them really don't do justice to how pleasant they are (but i still giggle every time they say aboot)...i went into Sears looking for a gift-with-purchase skincare counter to stock up on my missing supplies, and when i explained my lost vanity case to the sales girl she loaded me up with samples...YEY

i spent the morning on a hop-on-hop-off trolley (like a good little tourist), then strolled through Stanley Park and to the aquarium where i saw 2 BELUGA WHALES!!  i also took a little boat ride to Granville Island which is a market/food/arts place

I'm now drinking coffee at the top of an observation tower watching the sun set on the horizon, waiting for the evening lights of the city ...it's just all so pretty

i spend the next 2 days in the mountains (Grouse Mountain and then Whistler) and because mountains kind of freak me out, I'm really looking forward to it

...
wow..the city is deserted at night! walking back to my hotel after the observation-tower-ufo building just before 9pm and there is no one around...i think I'll make dinner reservations somewhere nice tomorrow night (she says while sipping a Pina Colada)

ps...
-i ate Clam Chowder!
-*the big-ass island is Vancouver Island (i asked the bar tender...lol)
-food here is WONDERFUL and fresh...and they have BERRIES, lots of fat juicy berries of every kind
-in Alberta (which is somewhere more north of here) they get -40 celsius in winter (that's, like, minus 567 farenheit, at least)...how the fuck do people live in that?
-will post more pics to see if the travelpod function of emailing pics to your latest blog post works

 

Comments

Naomi
2012-08-20

It sounds just divine. You deserve all that beauty, and nice people, to make up for the ghastly airport story. Oh how I love mountains. And to see the caviar-producers .. aahhh. You are about to embark on a wonderful adventure. But then you always do, and I'm SO happy for you. Have fun, eat and sleep well .. hope auntie val is safe in your hand bag.
Biiiii
xxxx

Elke
2012-08-20

Mmm, vancouver has never been on my to-visit list (which is getting longer since I know you and your palooza's), and I'm still not sure if it's worth it. Would you do it again? And BOOOOO @ the suitcase being in LA - not fun! But luckily, nice sales-people are still around to give you free samples.

What's the weather like there? Here, it's hot. We'll see how long that lasts *crosses fingers*

nicky7a
2012-08-21

there aren't many places i would visit again, so maybe a more accurate answer for you would be 'it's not necessarily a must-see place'...myself,i have always wanted to come here skiing but simply can't afford to in winter, so as a side trip I've really enjoyed it

Kevin
2012-08-21

oops shoulda read this one first.

umm, alberta is east. :-p

at night during ski season you can see the lights of whistler from vancouver. it's this weird detached net of lights hanging in the middle of the sky.

shmyshmy
2012-08-21

THE WHALES are so cute <3 wtf at the trying to find the bag losers

Con & Helen
2012-08-21

LOL at Canucks!

nicky7a
2012-08-22

did you do that on purpose? i asked the tour guide today about seeing Whistler lights from Vancouver and she looked at me like i was a mental retard...it's grouse mtn lights your can see :)

nicky7a
2012-08-22

oooo you should go back to campus via SF, I'll take you to lunch

nicky7a
2012-08-22

i thought canuck was a canuck salmon, like that ad on tv when we were kids...but apparently that's CHINOOK

2025-02-15

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