Woke yesterday morning to rain but quickly found Perkins Coffee on Commercial Street. Two dark roasts, with a ham, onion and cheddar scone and a wild blackberry and white chocolate scone recommended by the local in line behind us – great call.
We had 2 hours to kill before taking the bus to Departure Bay to catch the BC Ferry to Horseshoe Bay, so we finished our craft project – a driftwood frame to go with our favorite picture Eric shot in Victoria. We picked up driftwood pieces from the sofa site on Dallas road and collected supplies through our travels – a frame from the thrift store next to the outdoor adventure store, epoxy glue from the art shop next to the Blue Fox Cafe. On Thursday Eric figured out how to transfer the picture from the iPad to London Drug Store’s website for local printing at the Port Place Shopping Center.
A collaborative effort, we cut and shaped pieces to fit the frame, Eric took full charge of the epoxy glue and Voila! a handmade souvenir from Victoria.
The problem with gathering things along the way is you have to carry them in your pack. So Bruce, the owner of the Painted Turtle, gave us 70 cents to round out the 5 canadian dollars we needed to take the #2 bus to the ferry and directions to the nearest post office to ship our stuff home. While we were there we asked for directions to the bus stop and the next thing we knew we were in a Chevy Lumina with Mr. Haigh – a retired taxi driver from Egypt with a Scottish surname because his mother didn’t know who his father was so she gave him the last name of the nurse who delivered him. He was concerned we’d take the wrong bus and wanted to see us off safely. People have been looking out for us here in BC… Inukshuk.
The Coastal Renaissance is monster ferry holding up to 1604 passengers, 320 cars and 18 semis. We took the noon ride from Departure Bay to Vancouver’s Horseshoe Bay doing 20 knots for an hour and 50 minute cruise then the 20 minute express bus Downtown to Granville Street (standing) with a 5 block pack walk to Howe Street to meet Ron and Darryl. Phew!
This the nicest of our stay – located on the edge of the Pride district with a downtown view, this tasteful room with en-suite bath is cozy and comes with kitchen snacks, coffee and a blow dryer! Ron and Darryl have ridiculous ratings on Airbnb and it’s easy to know why. Sold out thru October, we are the 60th trekkers to pass though their welcoming doors since August. Most of their guests are Asian or European, where staying in homes, hostels like the Painted Turtle or on a offered sofa is the way of travel life. Only a few Americans have ventured here, as we tend to prefer the predictability of something like a Marriott.
They say it’s been great meeting people from all over the world and have had no issues giving strangers keys to their apartment to come and go as they like.
Running low on fuel, Ron sent us up Davie Street to find a late lunch. After much discussion we chose Stepho’s Greek Taverna and shared a hummus appetizer with Mythos greek beer, a Lamb Souvlaki platter and the Red Snapper special. Our waiter, James said we had perfect timing, which we understood when we later saw dinner lines wrap around the block. Walking back to the condo, we were lured into Transylvanian Traditions Bakery for a Kurtos Kalacs, or sweet lemon dough wrapped in walnut and caramel, also called a chimney cake or hungarian cone cake. We just called it delicious.
Feeling a bit lazy from our travel day, Eric put together an evening activity to walk the the Vancouver Seawall to Sunset Park for a romantic ending to our day. The Seawall is a 14 mile walking, jogging, cycling and inline skating path that lines Vancouver’s waterfront. Divided into two sections – walkers/joggers and cyclists/skaters, construction began in 1917 and was declared complete in 1980. Eric said our trek to the sunset mecca would be about 5 miles roundtrip.
We warmed up our walk at the Seawall across from Granville Island, an arts and entertainment center. A festival was underway and tempted us to ditch the walk and take the water taxi there, but we agreed to reward ourselves tomorrow. Hugging the coast, we came upon the Inukshuk monument, an ancient symbol of Inuit culture which is traditionally used as a landmark and navigational aid and also represents hospitality and friendship.
By the time we reached Sunset Beach we were still a good hour away from the event so we kept going. Sunset Beach park flowed into Stanley Park, an evergreen oasis of 1000 acres of cedar, hemlock and fir. Staying on the Seawall path, the interior of Stanley Park is our Saturday biking excursion.
As we walked, we listened and observed. We saw leisurely bikers, bladerunners, dogs exercising, touch soccer, frisbee, fishing, naked baby swimming; lap swimmers in the heated, beach entry pool on the shores of English Bay.
We saw a displaced and hungry raccoon, an old man with a 1950 Schwinn bike sitting on a bench resting, a giant man living out of the trailer attached to his bike, a path to a mysterious teahouse. We saw a sailing regatta, dinner cruise boat and 15 huge tankers sitting idle, waiting to fill with crude. We heard people letting loose, telling stories, arguing, flirting, laughing, speaking many languages. Waves lapping, amateur guitar strumming and the sounds of tranquility.
We saw lovers, friends, and the homage to an unselfish Indian turned into rock. Siwash Rock is the symbol of unselfishness, fitting for what the city of Vancouver has offered to it’s neighbors and visitors.
We sat on a beach log and watched the giant ball of fired sink into the sea as lovers kissed and friends grew calm for a few moments in time.
By the end of our 9 mile walk it was time to limp the last mile home. We took Davies Street which was coming alive with nightlife and ran into “A-Maze-ing Laughter, a patinated bronze outdoor installation of hysterical laughter by artist Yue Minjun of China. A smile raises questions of intent and interpretation and is the universal sign of happiness. Smile today!
Location:Nanaimo and Vancouver BC