2 Hour ferry ride back to the mainland and Vancouver
I had 2 more days to explore this city and then it was a flight back to Detroit. I got back to the city and checked into my hotel room at the Hi Hostel Central.
Some sights I wanted to see
I paid $100 for a private with a bathroom, which was crazy, but it was too late to change that as everything was booked for the weekend in the city. I walked the city on foot a bit but it was already 4pm by the point I got settled and out the door.
These pictures are looking from Downtown Vancouver across the Harbor to North Vancouver.
Below is a Steam Clock over on Water Street near where the cruise ships dock
I then walked across town to meet a friend for drinks. It was Saturday and everyone was out enjoying the warm weather. This is a view from a bar looking out across EnglishBay with some tankers in the background.
That night we went down to Wreck Beach for a bonfire. The beach is a nudist beach, but after dark I did not have to worry about seeing that or being seen. It is actually illegal to be there after dark as the police are cracking down on these free-loving hippies, but I took my chances. It was pretty beautiful as the shore looks out on the rest of Vancouver as it lies on the opposite side of the EnglishBay from Downtown.
Coming out around 12am, we walked behind the BC AnthropologyMuseum. It is supposed to be spectacular, but I did not make it on this trip
It took a couple hours to get a cab and I did not make it back to the hostel until 3 am.
When I got back I stood outside to try and get some pictures
It turns out I was on the main street of Granville and on Friday night it was in full bloom. Neon lights everywhere, everyone drunk, and wearing next to nothing. Eventually sleep won out and I headed to bed.
The next day was the only day of rain on the trip. It was the day I was gunna explore the city on bike so that sucked, but I decided to do it anyway. I am sure I was the only one renting that day
I basically made a big counterclockwise loop around the downtown. On the below image I started at about where the 7 would be on a clock and made the reverse circle including wrapping around Stanley Park.
I stopped at GranvilleIsland. It is an artist and farmers market with some interesting galleries and shops
I continued on around the city
Even though the weather was a bit dreary it was not stopping this city from getting out and exploring. Yes, it may rain a bit more out here then the Midwest, but when I heard it rarely snowed, I was sold on the tradeoff.
The below shot is from Hastings Street. It is where the rougher side of life resides. Not a safe place to be at night. I was biking through some sort of unofficial swap meet full of shit you don’t need like cassette tape players, one left shoe and a potatoe peeler. It was also covered in a haze of marijuana smoke. BC has a pretty liberal policy on smoking pot, but this area seemed to be its epicenter as I coughed my way through it.
I met this lady who was a native carving wood and selling to tourists for some money. I was happy to pay what she offered to get some authentic art. Ya it was not elaborate, but I did not have much room left as it was. Unfortunately the natives here have not been too favorably treated, but that’s nothing new when it comes to natives
I finished up my ride on Stanley Park, A 1K acre park. It has a seawall running and biking trail that loops it along with tons of trails through the interior.
Pretty relaxing night after that. Just caught a movie and not much else. I flew out the next day
This trip furthered my enchantment with Canada. As I continue my quest to explore our neighbor to the north I will try and make the East coast with Nova Scotia next on my list. I had such a great time with the people I met. I sometimes wonder if I lived here would I still love it or would it become the same as any other place. Is your mood helped to be defined by your surroundings or do you create mood that permeates your environment. I don’t know but I sure have thought a lot lately about moving out to the Pacific Northwest. I quizzed everyone I met whether the weather was really as depressing (rain) as we hear. They all said no, but these are of course the people that stayed not those that had to leave.
Until Next Time
Darren
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